The Sidekck - Issue 3 - December 2012

VOLUME 24 ISSUE 3 DECEMBER 2012

sidekick

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COPPELL HIGH SCHOOL WWW.COPPELLSTUDENTMEDIA.COM

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Teacher of the Year

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185 W PARKWAY BLVD

Diving to daunting depths

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COPPELL, TEXAS 75019

How to be Santa Claus

Volleyball champions serve up second state victory SAMMY ROBBEN

Photo by Rowan Khazendar

Sports Editor

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osing was not an option.

“Last year it was kind of all new to us and we didn’t really know what to expect,” senior middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu said. “Going into the season from day one, July 30, we kind of knew that we wouldn’t be satisfied with anything less than a state championship.”

Friday Nov. 16, the Cowgirls went up against the Clear Lake Lady Falcons in their state semifinals match. Despite the Falcons reputation as a comeback team, the Cowgirls defeated them 3-0 with impressive set scores of 2517, 25-5, 25-14. This three set win means that the Cowgirls had swept their ninth team in a row and had not given up a set in playoffs.

“We had to play hard the whole time because we knew they were a five game team, and they could come back at anytime,” junior middle blocker Mary-Kate Marshall said. “We also knew that at the state tournament no one has swept a match except us right now. We knew that they could come back and we had a goal to get to 25 and we just kept driving toward it.”

Senior Laura Beaty and Alex Silver, junior, celebrate after the final state championship volleyball match against the New Braunfels Lady Unicorns.

As the Coppell student section cheered, “it’s too easy” the Cowgirls proved it. Known as an offensive team for their strong hitting, the Cowgirls

stepped up their defense as well with consistent blocking and passing. Senior right side Erica Bohannon, Ogbogu and outside hitter Cassidy Pickrell led the

offense, while Marhsall led the team in blocks.

Coppell coach Julie Green credits more than just the Cowgirls physical capabilities for

their success on the court.

see Cowgirls on pg. 12-13 To see more stories go to Coppellstudentmedia.com

Artists exhibit winning works MICHELLE PITCHER

Photo by Lauren Ussery

Editor-in-Chief

Three new pieces will join the 24,000 timeless works on display at the Dallas Museum of Art this December, each with a familiar name under the title.

Seniors Austin Cariker, Jayson Kim and Lauren Ussery have been named Young Masters by the O’Donnell Foundation, which sponsors the Advanced Placement Strategy Grant for Art. CHS is one of 10 high schools in DFW that is a part of this grant, allowing AP Studio Art students to enter this competition.

“Each student is able to represent themselves with one piece of artwork,” AP art teacher Tamera Westervelt said. “They have to look at everything they’ve done and narrow it down to their best work.”

Of the more than 450 pieces submitted to the competition, 41 came from CHS. Each piece was reviewed

Photo by Rinu Daniel

Colored pages line the desk in the Secretary’s office in the City Council building to promote the “Make A Child Smile” program.

Seniors Austin Cariker, Jayson Kim and Lauren Ussery qualified for the prestigious Young Masters art competition.

digitally, and approximately 100 works made it through the preliminary round. Eight CHS students made it to this preliminary round, where the physical works had to be sent in for further review and examination.

“For this particular competition, they are really looking for students who exemplify the characteristics they look for in an AP student,” Westervelt said.

“They’re looking for students

who are technically sound but also have great ideas, concepts and application. They look for things like risk-taking and experimentation because that’s what we hope to create in our AP students.”

The 43 pieces chosen for display at the DMA can be viewed in the rotunda free of charge from Dec. 22 to Feb. 17.

see Young on pg. 3

Give reasons to smile

City Council organizes gift service CORRINA TAYLOR Staff Writer

Fluorescent white lights twist and interlace into the tree’s branches; festive red and gold ribbons dance down the side of the tree. Lightweight and delicate red and green paper ornaments dangle from the limbs, each one symbolizing a child in need of a smile.

There are 347 tags on the

tree this year: 347 children with families unable to afford a present this year. Not many people expect residents of Coppell to have financial difficulties, but the truth is there are many people unable to provide gifts for their children every year.

Every year the administrative support assistant Scarlett Hovland sets up the tree and determines the families repre-

see CISD on pg. 2

2 news

DECEMBER 2012

Economic debate provides life experience for students JULIANNE CAULEY News Editor

Senior Nick Moolenijzer and junior Amir Javeri never imagined they would be sitting at a dinner with a former ambassador and a president.

The George W. Bush Institute partnered with St. Mark’s School of Texas and the Dallas Urban Debate Alliance as it hosted the George W. Bush Economic Debates at the Westin Park Central hotel. On the weekend of Oct. 20, three Coppell High School debate students, seniors Moolenijzer and Stephanie Emerson along with Javeri, competed against other students from around the country.

Moolenijzer and Javeri, under the direction of Coppell debate coach Glenda Ferguson, advanced to the top 10, making Coppell the only school that had more than one student represented in the top 10.

“It really shows how many opportunities we get and how great of a coach we have,” Moolenijzer said. “If we hadn’t had so many opportunities in the past to debate, we would not have

had the experience necessary to do well.”

Moolenijzer and Amir attended an honorary dinner hosted by Bush that evening.

Along with the 43rd president, the top 10 students were joined by the judges, Roberto Salinas-León from the Mexico Business Forum, and 10 other professional economists and businesspeople.

“The dinner was just like one of those dinners you see in the movies – rented out ballroom, round tables, people you do not know and free food,” Javeri said. “The atmosphere of the dinner was enjoyable; the talk over the dinner table was not about the economy or the Bush Institute; it was about whatever we liked: Cold War era politics, being a professor at a university, why the blueberry was named the blueberry despite the interior being green; it was just a bunch of nerds talking about the world as we saw it.”

The three students were selected to participate because of their participation on the varsity debate squad and were all interested in economic issues. They

qualified to go because Coppell participated in the St. Mark’s Heart of Texas debate tournament earlier that week.

Lasting more than 150 rounds, the debates hosted more than 140 high school students from all around the country.

Ambassador Mark Langdale, Harriet Miers and Judge Edith Jones were the guest judges present.

The debates focused on the role private property rights have in a successful growing economy. They also shed light on the irresolute idea of whether or not increased government investment in infrastructure would be crucial to a thriving economy.

“We did not know what topic we would be debating about was until about 45 minutes before the debates so there was not much we could do topic based to prepare [ahead of time,]” Emerson said. “The style of debating was what I expected but the topic was not. It was very affirmative biased, as it is difficult to argue that property rights are not a good thing.”

Despite the challenges the students faced during the de-

Amir Javeri, Stephanie Emerson and Nick Moolenijzer participated in the George W. Bush economic debates on Oct. 20. Moolenijzer and Javeri placed in the top ten and attended an honorary dinner with the former president.

bates, the experience has given them the experience they need to pursue debate in college and future careers. They learned how well debate teaches one to adapt.

“The purpose of the economic debates was to encourage young people to come together and talk about how the world functions with what tools we have metaphysically carved out

for ourselves in the back of the library or in the middle of a book- the facts and ideologies that govern the world we live in, and the economic debates did just that,” Javeri said. “I am definitely considering pursuing debate in the future, hopefully in the form of law practice or analysis; the next year of debate will shape my final decisions about the matter.”

CISD looks to make a child smile this holiday season continued from pg.1

for her son. She was filled with emotion and tears cascaded down her face.

To her it was a Christmas miracle; it was the exact same bike her son had so desperately wanted but she could not afford.

Financial difficulty can hit anyone and is especially hard during the holiday season. No kid deserves to wake up on Christmas morning with nothing under the tree. All the families on the tree are in Coppell and are in need of some Christmas spirit; it is completely anonymous Anyone can face economic hardship; it could be an acquaintance, employee at

a shop, neighbor or even a close friend. This holiday season could be the one to change a child’s life when they wake up and rush to the tree to find a present waiting for them. A present gifted from a generous citizen of Coppell.

“It makes you feel a profound deep satisfaction that you’ve touched someone’s life,” Miller said. “You can’t buy it. You can only do it by acting upon it.

I’m a huge believer in kindness and passing it along as a way of saying thank you for all the kind things that people have done in your own life who you might not get to thank.”

e ann Juli tion tra llus to I Pho y ule Ca

only does Faught participate in the delivery, but he also is the liaison for the local Coppell company Robertson Pools.

This year Faught brought 36 ornaments to the company for fellow employees to partake in the charity event of the season. As a City Council member, Faught is actively involved in the community and is a big believer in giving back to the community through programs such as Make a Child Smile.

“Anytime you involve yourself in a service type activity you get more than you give through the appreciation of those you are helping,” Faught said. “The realization of your blessings and the feeling that you have helped somebody or provided something, whether it is material goods or service or it’s just a hug and a hello, you provided them with something they might not of had if you hadn’t crossed paths with them.”

Faught has personally witnessed the gratification of helping others on a particular delivery when he was presenting a donated bike to a family. A woman answered the door and found a bike just

u Rin l by tos Danie Pho

sented by a paper ornament on the tree. The families listed on the tags are found through the schools and are going through some tough times.

Each tag consists of the child’s age, gender and their clothing size. The person who picks up a tag is responsible for purchasing the child an item of clothing and a gift of their choice so every child will have clothing and a present on Christmas morning.

This year the tags were picked up remarkably fast, leaving only a couple of ornaments left on the tree after Thanksgiving. This was partially due to the ability to have the ornaments emailed to each individual, that way they would not have to drop by the Town Center and could just receive the tag through their email.

Each present should be wrapped with the tag attached and dropped off to the Town Center by Dec. 10, and on Dec. 18 the employees will deliver the presents to the families “Any employee in any department can volunteer to deliver,” Hovland said. “A lot of our gifts are delivered on the fire trucks, which really excites the kids, because it’s almost like Santa coming on his

sleigh to see a fire truck pull up in their neighborhood.”

Make a Child Smile has attracted the attention of different groups and organizations in Coppell such as the Women’s Club, which has taken on this program as an annual charity event coordinated by the service chair Lynn Miller.

The Woman’s Club is a nonprofit organization that dedicates its time to fundraisers such as Make a Child Smile. This year they took on 50 ornaments within the group of women. This association is a proud supporter of volunteer work, and it shows through their community services.

“We greet the troops at the airport, we do a fundraiser for the food pantry at the high school, we collect for CCA, we have adopted a strip on sandy lake [adopt a location] and we do things for the USO,” Miller said. “We try to do things within Coppell, city wide and nationwide so that we are hitting all aspects.”

Some other the volunteers include City Council member Billy Faught who has taken part of this charity event for at least ten years. Not

news 3

DECEMBER 2012

Photos by Lauren Ussery and Coppell ISD

Young Masters of their craft continued from pg.1

Senior Jayson Kim sits with his headphones in, eyes fixed on his etching. The piece he is creating is something entirely new to him, something inspired by the Coppell community. Kim’s piece, entitled “Honor” exhibit his knowledge of technique and clarity. For Kim, this piece is all about the message.

The print depicts a group of people with their heads bowed. There is subtle symbolism throughout the piece alluding to the tragedy that inspired the greater feeling of community exhibited in the piece.

“I wanted to honor both Jacob Logan and the Coppell community because the day he went missing, people gathered on the football field for a vigil,” Kim said. “That really inspired me. I was amazed by how strong the Coppell community is and how it’s similar to a huge family.”

Kim decided to take a risk with this entry, completing in five days what normally takes two to three weeks to complete.

“This medium was experimental for me,” Kim said. “It’s a printmaking process; I had to etch on a plate using a very sharp object, and eventually I got a print.

I wanted to create some sort of ambiance. The etching brings out the drastic contrast between the dark and the light. That’s what I wanted to convey.”

Kim, an AP 2D Art student does his best to be deliberate in everything he does. “He really understands the purpose behind having an intention for every piece,” Westervelt said. “Before he begins, he has an idea and he tries to bloom that idea into something that communicates with the viewers.”

Kim discovered his love for art in third grade. It was then that he began doodling whenever he could find time, which was usually during class. It wasn’t until he entered middle school that Kim enrolled in a formal art class and began to develop his skills and learn about technique.

“I always enjoyed art as a hobby, and it was a great creative outlet for me,” Kim said.

What began as a hobby has become a gateway to the future; Kim plans to major in architecture in college.

Although architecture will force Kim to become much more technical in his artistry, he will continue to develop his skills in his favorite media.

“My favorite media are oil paint and graphite,” Kim said. “Graphite is what you start out using, and I love the clarity it produces. Oil paint is fast and colorful, so it’s always fun to use.”

Kim hopes this experience will help him pursue a career as an architect.

“It really is a blessing,” Kim said. “I’m very grateful that my artwork was chosen. It’s a very c o m p e t itive p r o cess.”

Standing in her bathtub with a bucket of blue paint suspended over her head, senior Lauren Ussery had a moment of hesitation. So much could go wrong – she could get paint on her 5D Mark II camera, permanently clog the shower drain and have blue hair for weeks. But the artist inside urged her on, and she tipped the bucket.

This summer, Ussery wanted to further refine her newly developed passion for photography, so she took on a massive project. She decided to take a creative portrait each day, a task that would bring about more rewards than she expected.

One day, when searching for inspiration, Ussery stumbled upon the bucket of paint she used to paint the walls of her bedroom. She then remembered a photo by one of her favorite photographers in which he captured the paint in midair, and she wanted to see if she could do something to the same effect.

“I thought it would be cool to use the blue paint in the shower to represent water,” Ussery said. “I set up my tripod and put my remote in a bag. It was really difficult because the paint was all over my face, so I had no idea what the pictures looked like when I was taking them.”

Ussery’s passion for photography is relatively new; she did not know about her gift until she took AP 2D Design her junior year and was forced to complete summer photography assignments.

“It suddenly became what I wanted to do with my life,” Ussery said.

Her love of photography led her to do her own research on the subject. Over the past year and a half, Ussery has developed quite the knowledge base about cameras, technique, equipment and photo-editing.

“Lauren’s love of photography and experimentation is exemplified in this piece,” Westervelt said. “She’s a risk-taker. She knows about cameras, photography, lighting – she has skills that she has learned on her own that far surpass anything I’ve ever exposed her to in class. You can tell that this is her passion.”

Ussery did not take a formal art class until her sophomore year. Since then, she has decided to pursue a double major in photography and advertising or marketing in the hopes that she can apply her skills in a commercial setting.

With her experimental nature, she tends to prefer artistic photography to unedited work.

“I like surrealism, so usually with my photography I focus on heavily Photoshopping things to make them the style I like,” Ussery said. “I like really bright lighting and making things that seem like they should be creepy or ugly into something pretty.”

As a student in 3D AP Art this year, Ussery is proud of everything she has accomplished in such a short time.

The people who got it were always people I admired, so it’s really nice to finally be on that level,” Ussery said.

As his teacher lectured him about not using school property as his own personal sketchpad, senior Austin Cariker gazed down at the artful smudges created by his ballpoint pen on the desktop. If only he could find a way to recreate this effect, he felt he may be on the brink of a brand new medium.

Cariker was inspired to create this piece after taking a look at a trend in pop culture. He noticed a wide array of movies has been released in recent years that depict war and violence in a way that distances the viewer from the reality of the conflict. This effect can especially be seen in younger generations who have never lived through the brutal reality of war.

“I usually think really hard before I start a piece to try to find a really strong meaning that can connect with people,” Cariker said. “I tend to lean toward war because that’s such a fascinating issue. We don’t really think about it, but we like conflict, and we’re used to it. It’s kind of strange that we’re fascinated by something that ends lives.

I wanted to show that with this piece.”

The piece, entitled “Destitute Love” was the first work Cariker attempted in his newly-discovered style.

The work itself was done in three layers, with the basic outlines on top, the intricate smudging, details and texture in the middle and the watercolor paper on bottom.

“I would put some ink on the acetate then smear it with my fingers,” Cariker said. “Then I’d let it dry and repeat the process with more ink to get a full picture with the different shadows and lining and everything. This was my first project using this medium.”

Cariker began his formal art training when he was in Kindergarten. At around age 5, he began attending J’s Art Studio and continued going there every Monday night until his eighth grade year.

Cariker hopes to pursue art in college at either Ringling College of Art and Design or Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).

“I want to keep pursuing different mediums because I love mixed-media and experimentation,” Cariker said. “I want to try to hit this new type of field that has emerged for mixed-media called Motion Media Design.

It deals with integrating animation and film and Photoshop and digital graphics and 3D imaging in the same thing. It’s really hot on the market right now because a lot of filmmakers and advertisers want that stuff because it appeals to the younger generations.”

Westervelt has no doubt that Cariker will excel in his desire to continue experimenting with his art. ““Honestly, I told him that I didn’t think [his Young Masters piece] would work, but he made it work,” Westervelt said. “That’s kind of how he operates. We’re all kind of in awe. It looks like he’s making a disaster, but out of the chaos comes this wonderful order and finished product.”

Cariker’s affinity for experimentation has allowed him to achieve this.

I didn’t know it was the biggest competition we do all year,” Cariker said. “It was one of my two goals this year to be a Young Master.

Now that I’ve achieved that, I’m very happy.”

Jayson Kim Lauren Ussery Austin Cariker

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news

DECEMBER 2012

Young honored recently with Teacher of the Year CAROLINE CARTER Staff Writer

Greeted by the drum line, fellow teachers, administrators and a bouquet of flowers, one well deserving teacher was recognized as the 2012 Teacher of the Year.

With over 240 teachers and faculty members at Coppell High School, there is no doubt that each greatly contributes to students’ learning. But every year, there are a few standouts that go above and beyond.

After being nominated by other teachers and then further evaluated by a committee of three people including a representative of the district, a member of the Site Base committee and assistant principal Kayla Brown, Kelly Young was named the 2012-13 Teacher of the Year for Coppell High School. Young is an AP Human Geography teacher and JV cheer coach.

“It is a huge honor to be named Teacher of the Year,” Young said. “It is quite a process for a teacher to take the time to do this for another colleague, so it means a lot. Just at Thanksgiving when everyone talked about what they were thankful for, I said my job. I love teaching because of my kids, and I look forward to coming to work every day.”

The other nominees included Laronna Doggett, a biology and aquatic science teacher, Julie Stralow, the drill team director and dance teacher, and Janine Kay, a Spanish teacher. After teaching in Austin and San Antonio, Young began teaching at CHS in 2010. This year Young began to incorporate the Blended Learning program in her classes.

Blended Learning combines traditional learning in the classroom with virtual or online learning. For half of the school week, students are in the Blended Learning Lab completing online assignments relating to the current unit they are studying.

The rest of the week is spent in the classroom with the teacher leading class lectures and discussions.

“Through this, students collaborate through Schoology, Google Apps and other various online tools,” Young said. “I am

taking away the standard lecture style of teaching and getting kids to take responsibility for their own learning. They learn how to ask questions, problem solve, and think on their own without always having to rely on a teacher to feed them answers.”

With the Blended Learning style implemented into the course, Young believes that it is a great program for her freshman students to get a taste of the more difficult courses offered at the high school and even college.

“For freshmen, the Blended classes are a great way to get their feet wet for high school and even college,” Young said. “I’m currently pursing my Master’s degree at Amberton University and a lot of things are going online and there are more group discussions. Although it is definitely an adjustment for both me and the students, it is highly beneficial.”

Principal Mike Jasso also finds the Blended Learning program that Young has taken on has been a great success thus far.

“I am very proud of Young for taking on the challenge of having a Blended class,” Jasso said. “It is still relatively new in school, and she stepped up and accepted the challenge. She was already a great teacher to begin with, and now she has learned how to make use of technology in the curriculum. Young has done a dynamite job of effectively using technology not just as a toy but as a learning tool. She has also served as a leader for other teachers when helping them understand how to do this.”

Many of Young’s students find that her teaching style is very useful and makes some of the material easier to understand. The daily use of technology also adds a different element to the class.

“Her class is really interactive and incorporates technology which I like,” freshman Prasant Moturu said. “She lets us have a lot of freedom in what we do, and we learn a lot in her class. We are able to do things more independently, but she still guides us through the material when necessary. Every day is an adventure in her class.”

In addition to teaching, Young is also the JV cheer coach.

“I really enjoy being the cheer coach because I teach

Photos by Rinu Daniel

Getting to know Mrs.

Young She went to Texas State University in San Marcos

This is her Young is described by many of her students and co-workers as a wonderful teacher who truly loves teaching.

freshmen, but then I still get to be with the different grades through cheerleading,” Young said. “I get to go to a lot of the sporting events, and I love seeing the kids’ camaraderie and school spirit.”

Many greatly appreciate the contributions that Young has made to CHS in the three years that she has been teaching here.

From spending extra time helping prepare students for tests to supporting athletic teams, Young goes above and beyond in all that she does.

“Young is great with kids,” Jasso said. “Students flock to her, and she has a very calm and easy demeanor. She is very approachable, and kids of great relationships with her and put a tremendous amount of trust in her. The higher the trust kids have with their teachers it is more likely that everyone will be successful.”

Former students are also

Kelly Young is handed a bouquet by her husband who waited for her to come and be awarded with many of her students and co-workers.

thankful for the help that Young gave them when preparing for the AP exam. Sophomore Tania Damle, who took the AP Human Geography exam last year, said Young helped cover all the necessary material for the exam while making the class interesting.

“Mrs. Young is a very sweet lady, and she always does what she thinks is best for us which I’m sure many people, including myself, appreciate.”

-Tania Damle, sophomore “The environment that Young created in her classroom allowed us to be able to learn in an interactive way, and she did a very good job of preparing us for the AP exam,” Damle said.

“She would do whatever it took to help us fully understand the material. Mrs. Young is a very sweet lady, and she always did what she thinks is best for us which I’m sure many people including myself appreciated.”

Young credits much of her love for her job and students to the district. With the support of fellow teachers, administrators and superintendents, Young will continue to find new and creative ways to teach as well as help her students.

“I truly love my job, and I believe that the district that I am in has made me love it so much,” Young said. “There are so many opportunities, great leadership and forward thinking that contribute to our education system’s success. The students here want to learn, and they always surpass my expectations. You can tell that the value of education is here in Coppell, which makes any teacher’s job enjoyable.”

3

rd year teaching

She majored in geography She has previously taught at other schools

2

She enjoys training She is

married Her favorite drink is

Diet Dr. Pepper

opinions 5

DECEMBER 2012

Y L T N U L UT IT B r the pot on

TOurPke and Cowlaisrhijauwansatilegalization B

PRO

There has been a push for the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana since the federal prohibition of the drug began in the 1920s. With billions of dollars poured into a never-ending drug war, overcrowded prisons and a several trillion-dollar deficit, a lift on the federal restriction on marijuana is more relevant and necessary than ever.

Many who are against the legalization of marijuana think it is a gateway drug; that is, people who start using marijuana will eventually move on to more serious and dangerous drugs.

This is not always true; in fact, the majority of the time it’s not. As a senior in high school, I have known many students who have used the drug, and not one of them has ever moved on to more serious drugs.

The fact that the drug is, has been and always will be present in high schools is one testament to the fact that the drug’s legal status will not prevent individuals who want to use the drug from doing so.

CON Drugs. The word has a negative connotation that is derived from the established morality in society over time.

After years of teaching generation after generation of kids this negative connotation, it does not seem right to reverse the implication.

Within the last few months, there has been great debate in many different areas of the United States over whether or not to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. While 18 states have

This translates to a larger scale: the domestic and international drug wars. The fight against marijuana, its production and transportation has no end. It only produces ridiculously wealthy and dangerous cartel leaders. For as long as there is demand for the drug, people are going to produce it, sell it and use it, regardless of its legal status.

The truth is the drug is just as dangerous, if not less, than the two largest legal recreational drugs: alcohol and tobacco. Marijuana cannot be feasibly overdosed on, and has similar long term use affects as tobacco. Studies show that its infrequent use in moderation has very few adverse affects. While I do not use nor condone the use of these drugs, I believe adult Americans over the age of 21 should have the right to make the choice for themselves.

Older drug laws made serious criminals out of non-serious offenders. There are still many laws stating the medical use of marijuana is legal, Colorado and Washington have recently become the first and only two states to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.

During the times of this breakthrough, the state of Texas has remained hesitant towards the issue. Texas legislators have proved unwilling to endorse the cause for legalization of the drug with good reason. Even so, if action was taken, most would ultimately vote against the idea in response to the morality in which they have been raised. Making an attempt to legalize the drug would defile the very concepts that are preached as soapbox subjects to citizens from young ages.

Think of the school system; at an elementary age, schools have great affect on the moral developments of children. The government tells the schools what to teach, and that is what the children learn. That being said, the government cannot promote anything generally un-favored by the public, such as the usage of drugs, and has

e of m

the issu

husbands and fathers in our country’s prisons who committed what used to be a much more serious offense: having a personal use amount of marijuana in their possession. Our legal system placed them with hardened criminals in our largest prisons, taking them away from their families and jobs.

Billions of dollars are spent keeping marijuana users and dealers in jails and prisons, in attorneys and court cases, and in law enforcement trying to find the offenders on the front lines.

This flow of cash can be completely reversed with a legalization and taxation on the production, transportation and purchase of recreational marijuana.

The overcrowding of prisons will be reversed, daily users will be decriminalized, drug dealers and cartel leaders will be dethroned and billions of dollars in tax revenue will be generated.

The decision on whether or not the recre-

heavy influence on the development of the idea that drugs are bad which is delivered over and over again by the school system.

Even with restrictions on marijuana, users still find ways to obtain it for recreational use.

Unfortunately, a good portion of these recreational users sits among the age range of CHS students. Recent statistics from legalizationofmarijuana.com show that 73 percent of tenth graders and 85 percent of twelfth graders have admitted to giving the drug at least one try, and said that it is fairly easy to obtain.

High percentages of users on an illegal product will only use if it is legalized. Even with the strict anti-drug education enforced in local schools, kids seem to see past the consequences and defy the law anyways. Smoking marijuana not only negatively affects shortterm memory, but also leads to possible trial of other, more dangerous substances. None of the consequences are worth suffering at such a young age.

The legalization of marijuana will lead us right back into the past when there was a higher moral favor for marijuana. The drug was once much more favored among the public, but its popularity fell as correlations

ational use of marijuana is be legal and taxed should come down to a states’ right decision. The federal bans need to be lifted, leaving the decision on whether to light or fight marijuana to be on a state-by-state basis.

The war on marijuana is expensive and never ending. Outdated regulations have turned users into criminals, clogging up prisons and draining tax dollars. Instead of fighting the drug, accepting its use in mainstream society and implementing taxes and regulations is the best and most progressive plan for a forward-moving nation.

HASH IT OUT

Don Kemp Track Coach “[Marijuana] should probably not be legalized because we have enough abuse of drugs and alcohol as it is, and if there are more drugs added to that, there would just be more opportunities to abuse drugs.”

Ben Cowlishaw Opinions Editor

b e tween heavy users and less success in life became more evident. From this rose the anti-drug moral that society is based off of today.

Legalizing something that has been outlawed for several generations could cause culture shock for the younger generations. More people rather than just current users would feel obliged to give the drug a try with the mentality that if people say it is OK then it must be. That is not the message that we want to send to future generations.

Children tend to associate bad choices with what the law says; legalizing marijuana will flip the switch in their minds that if the law approves then the drug must be safe to use.

Marijuana may not be the most powerful drug available, but it is still addicting and serves as a gateway drug leading to more destructive decisions as time goes on.

Marijuana has been illegal for decades with good intentions. Despite its medical relief, it is still labeled a drug that should not be underestimated.

Legalizing a drug of any kind could lead to a period of time where drug usage spikes and spirals out of control, which would not ultimately be good for our society.

Christina Burke Features Editor

Luis Carreno Senior “I believe that marijuana should be not be legalized because of its negative effects on the human body, and the use of drugs are detrimental to society as a whole.”

James Tabor Senior “I think marijuana should be legalized, one because it would take money away from drug cartels, two we wouldn’t have so many people affected by the drug wars, and three, alcohol and tobacco kill more people than marijuana.”

Davis Deloach Senior “I believe in states’ rights when it comes to the legalization of drugs and things like that, so I think the legalization of marijuana should be left up to the individual states, it’s not a federal government issue.”

6 opinions

DECEMBER 2012

Editorial

Imminent scientific discovery to rock humanity

News coming out of scientific endeavors is one of the most important, exciting and intriguing parts of today’s media.

The discovery of new species, archaeological finds and new understanding of our physical world always creates medium for thought and discussion.

But one find, which will perhaps be the greatest in human history, will rework and repurpose humanity from the insideout: the discovery of extraterrestrial life.

NASA’s Curiosity rover landed on Mars this summer in hopes of finding microscopic life, or at the very least evidence that it once existed on the Red Planet.

These “Martians,” if found, are not the little wide-eyed green men we like to think of.

They will, however, prove that life is not nearly as rare and hard to come by as we thought; if two planets in one solar system can harbor it, there could be billions of other planetary bodies with life as well.

The discovery of any life forms on Mars will send shock waves through nearly every field of science, global politics and religion.

We will have to ask ourselves if we evolved here ourselves, or if life was brought to Earth from another body. The confirmation that we are not alone will be thrilling and haunting at the same time: how far should we go in search of more intelligent life? Should we wait for them to come to us?

How might life have evolved differently on planets with different conditions?

Whole new fields of scientific research and study will open up. The push to go into space will be far greater than its peak in the 1960s. The scientific community will be forever changed altogether. Science will no longer be the study of everything natural to us; it will be the study of all things natural to everyone.

The effects do not stop there – not even close. The religious implications will be some of the greatest. Abrahamic religions believe that “God created the heavens and the Earth” and “God created man in his image.”

Theological philosophers will ask if the discovery of life outside of our Earth renders the Old Testament – one of the most globally sacred texts – completely moot, or if perhaps God still

created everything, while allowing man to discover his extraterrestrial creations on his own.

But could these other worldly beings possibly be in God’s image as well?

Or could the notion “God’s image” not be something conceivable by the senses of man at all?

These questions cannot and will not ever be answered by man, scientist or anyone. It will only add to the mystery of our creation and purpose here on Earth.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is the potential for political unification. If we discover that, while we fight wars over our differences, we could be so relatively similar to each other compared to life elsewhere, that we should no longer be at war with each other altogether.

This could bring about waves of global cooperation, unity and eventually peace as we come to the realization that we are all human, and we are not alone. While it may be relatively unlikely that this discovery could lead to fullon world peace, many political agendas, foreign and domestic, will be put on the back burner.

There is such an incredibly vast amount of evidence that would suggest Earth is not the only place in the universe capable of creating and sustaining life; the next and only step now is to simply find where else it is hiding. Be it on Mars, a satellite of another planet or in another galaxy altogether, when we finally know that we are not alone, it will change the story of the human experience.

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Graphic by Lauren Ussery

Media not to blame for violence After tragedy strikes, the pattern is clear. Every day, a new person is to blame, someone whose actions inarguably contributed to the tragedy’s occurrence and whose culpability gives meaning to tragedies we cannot otherwise fathom.

It is never long before the blame settles with the messenger.

After the recent elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn., the typical series of reactions ensued. As soon as he was identified, the gunman was condemned by everyone as a psychopath looking for attention. The next day, the blame seamlessly shifted to those who support the civilian right to bear arms. Then, on the third day, it was Sensationalist Media that was saddled with the blame.

The lengths people will go to in order to find patterns in the chaos are amazing. People will go so far as to vilify the already-dwindling number of legitimate news outlets without whom accurate information of such tragedies would not spread.

It is an intrinsic human desire to look for a scapegoat, but it is a dangerous game. American culture at large sensationalizes violence. War simulation videogames, superhero movies, post-apocalyptic books about savagery and murder – these forms of entertainment gross millions of dollars each year in the United States. But as soon as a newspaper mentions a real-life gunman’s name, it is a cheap ploy to increase readership and prey on the emotions of those affected.

Not to say media outlets do not consider which stories will sell.

Just like any other industry, print and online media follow the rules of supply and demand, and when tragedy strikes, the demand for information is at an all-time high.

News organizations would no longer be be valuable if they ignored the bad and only reported feel-good pieces.

Speaking from experience, it is a tough battle to fight when you have to write about delicate subjects. If I write about an event, am I unintentionally “sensationalizing” it? Where is the line

between telling people what they need to know and telling them what they don’t want to know?

There are reporters who, in the course of doing their job, may do something that seems out of line. But while the majority of Americans are sitting on their couches watching the TV news reports or refreshing CNN’s homepage for the most recent updates, these reporters have to put themselves in terrible situations all in the name of delivering the news to the people who are desperate to know.

The truth of the matter is that news outlets will never stop investigation murders, conspiracies and disasters. I, for one, do not want the first draft of my generation’s history to come in the form of grammatically-incorrect tweets.

I want to continue to have faith in professional reporters and respect the burden they bear.

Michelle Pitcher Editor-in-Chief

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The Sidekick is the official student newspaper for Coppell High School. Its purpose is to inform, entertain and provide an educational resource for its readers. This newspaper is a public forum for student expression and thus student editors make all content decisions.

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opinions 7

DECEMBER 2012

Texas intended to be Lone Star State, not country

Want to leave the country this weekend and visit Oklahoma?

Some Texans do.

Yes, Oklahoma is only a few hours away from Coppell, but if Texas petitioners get their way, you might have to look into obtaining a passport in order to cross the Red River.

Texas and the United States have typically had a good relationship, but recently radical Texans want to repeat 1861 and divorce the Union. While there are some who are very seriously considering the idea of becoming their own nation, many others around the country are laughing at the prospect of the Republic of Texas.

After the results of the recent presidential election, Republicans from all over the nation have been bitter, lamenting Mitt Romney’s loss and Barack Obama’s re-election. Some bitter Republicans went immediately to the extreme in a spur of the moment decision to try to go back to their native Texan roots, when Texas was its own nation.

While it seems extreme, some citizens are taking the idea seriously to the point of petitioning it on the “We the People” online petition tool. Around 120,000 people have signed a petition for the secession of Texas as of when.

According to the tool’s policy, any petitions with over 25,000 signatures must be addressed and responded to by the White House, putting the administration in the uncomfortable situation of responding within thirty days to Texas’ wish to secede.

Not only are Texans petitioning for secession from the US, but several other states have

also started movements for secession. States such as Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Florida, Missouri, Tennessee, North Carolina, Alabama, Oklahoma and Ohio are also receiving attention due to their petitions having over 25,000 signatures.

In total, almost one million Americans across the country have signed a petition in an attempt to secede from the Union.

Some intense Texans have created create organizations such as Texas Secede, bumper stickers or, in cases, even changed their middle name such as Republican politician Larry Kilgore who is attempting to change his middle name to “Secede.”

Although the idea of secession makes many reasonable Americans cringe, these radical Texans have some support for their argument.

The petition itself shares the fact that Texas alone has the, “15th largest economy in the world,” and, “maintains a balanced budget.” According to this information, some believe that secession is a practical solution to the recent election results. The petition also argues that seceding from the United States would protect the standard of living for Texas citizens as well as “re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal government.”

While these radical thinkers have some sort of substance to their argument, seceding from the nation is not the most stable solution to their “problem.” This issue starts with the “problem” itself and the fact that it’s not truly a problem; instead, the problem

is more of a conflict in beliefs or views.

Rather than this being an issue of losing their rights, the issue is more about offended Republicans reacting poorly to their loss in the presidential election, similar to a child throwing a fit after not getting their way.

Yes, it is feasible for Texas to become its own nation, but does the majority of the state really want to go off on its own? Instead, this select group of bitter Texans should analyze other options that are available – many of them expressed the desire to move to Canada after the election, another act that would do very little to distance them from liberalism.

Even though some Americans are completely serious when discussing secession from the Union over the election, others laugh at the

In the movies, we always see high school students having the time of their lives without a care in the world, as if they have so much time on their hands. I envy these people. How can they have time to “live?” I keep telling myself that these movie characters are fictitious and that it is not possible for high school students to “live” so much.

So what do I mean by “living?” Students constantly think about college, graduate school or their future careers at least once a day. However, some students like me - think about these things 24/7.

Usually when people think of teenagers, they picture the row-

dy kids, the troublesome kids and the kids who are always up to no good, but that is definitely not the case today. Not all teens are wild and free and we do not have time to be rowdy, get in trouble or be up to no good. Many of us are cramped up in our rooms studying for our next test. I am pretty sure we are actually “up to good.”

I have been told since freshman year that I need to calm down and live a little. I never really understood what this meant. Just because I tend to check the grade portal every waking moment, already knew what college I wanted to go to when I was 10 and refuse to sleep because of my six AP classes doesn’t mean I can’t have fun.

I am so preoccupied with thinking about the future; I sometimes believe that having fun can be irrelevant, which makes my score on the “teen-living” scale very low. I cannot remember the last time I ever “lived,” and I envy the people in the movies that act like they have their whole lives ahead of them. But wait, they do have their whole lives ahead of them. So why can I not be like them?

Sometimes I feel like I am 30.

There is always something that I am constantly thinking about, making me believe that there is no use in “living” as a teen; it is the future that matters, not the present.

“Who cares if you cannot go to the football game?” I would

think, “You can do something better in that time. Go study for the SAT.” The funny thing is, I always give myself false hope that I will “live” in college, but I know that probably won’t happen.

“Who cares if you cannot hang out with your friends tonight?” The future me would say, “The MCAT is just around the corner!”

Then what? If I go to medical school, I will be stressed nonstop.

I’ll have to find a job, pay my bills, and settle down. It is not that I do not want to be a doctor, I just feel that I already know how my life is going to be planned out, and I am only 16.

Word of advice CHS, try not to think about your future too much; the future will take care of itself. I am still trying to take my own advice, by being more involved in more extracurricular activities, by trying to spend more time at the figure skating rink than at my desk during the weekends and breaks. Thinking and worrying about what lies ahead has become a habit of mine that I will have to live with for the rest of my life.

Graphic by Sophie Nauyokas

idea, such as those now petitioning to have the U.S. citizenship of those who signed the pro-secession petition stripped. Others are even petitioning Obama to do the hokey-pokey as a jab at serious pro-secessionists.

Some of the main issues with the idea of seceding from the Union are the fact that the state will lose all the federal dollars that are used for various projects such as fixing roads, university student loans, defense on the border from illegal immigrants and much more. Not only that, but more importantly, the United States is going through a difficult time. More than anything else, the country needs to continue being, “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Sure, Texas is a great state with the potential to be a solid nation, but is the thought of secession really the best idea? To those truly considering secession, I ask you to check your history textbooks and read about why Texas as a nation did not work the first time. The only time in history Texas seceded along with numerous other states resulted in the Civil War, an event that some radicals are forgetting and an incident nobody wants to experience again.

Many incidents in history are not meant to be repeated, and Texas becoming its own nation is definitely one of them.

Jordan Bickham Staff Writer

Concerns for future keep teens from truly ‘living’

Tolu Salako Staff Writer

TO-DO LIST

8 opinions

DECEMBER 2012

Photo by Regan Sullivan

Dec. 3, In celebration of the holiday season, Coppell High School decorated the horseshoe with wreaths, bows and Christmas lights.

Photo by Rinu Daniel

Dec. 4, Students in Jodie Deinhammer’s fourth period anatomy class dissect a cow’s eye to identify its different parts.

Photo by Regan Sullivan

Social media’s value in tragedy It is no secret that older generations will often criticize the ones following, but some of those criticisms go too far, especially on the social media obsessions of the current one.

With constant updates on music choice, current mood, the latest boy drama and community hating accounts, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are constantly bombarded with the lives and situations of teenagers. Although this seems to be of little importance, social media can be one of the most helpful and healthy innovations for students when tragedies strike.

Although negative uses of Twitter and Facebook are commonly reported in today’s news with the idea that our generation’s intellectual abilities are on the decline because of our social obsession, people tend to forget the good that comes from these inventions.

When the news of the deaths of two beloved Coppell High School students was spread on Twitter, it made up a majority of the feed for a week. It became more than just condolences, but an outlet to channel our grief and mourn with each other.

Comforting religious verses, old pictures, and funny facts about those that were being remembered spread over all sites faster than ever. Not only is this comforting for the families, to see what an impact their child made on the rest of the student body, it created a unity through out the student body. Being a part of this experience changed Coppell as a whole.

I can personally vouch for what a comforting experience it is being on the receiving end of the encouragement. When my father passed away unexpectedly the same week that CHS lost two students, the support was one of the only things I could cling to and find peace in.

When people I had never even heard of began to tweet at me that they were praying for me and my brothers, it was hard not to smile and be thankful for this community. Endless messages poured into my Facebook inbox, Twitter private messages and not to mention my cell phone.

While some were long and detailed, others were just quick blurbs letting me know the Culps were in their thoughts. Receiving even the smallest messages meant Photo courtesy Mabry Culp

Dec. 4, Main Street in downtown Grapevine is all lit up in spirit of the holiday season.

PHOTOS

more to me than any size comparison I could make.

This is exactly why social media needs to catch a break from older generations. It does have its cons, but no one focuses on what a blessing it can be during the worst times. Just like during the tragedies Coppell experienced, people everywhere connect with each other over these sites and find a little bit of community with people across the nation.

Coppell isn’t the only place that has experienced the social media love. When Superstorm Sandy hit the East coast, America made sure her voice was heard on the Internet via these sites.

Citizens sent out their thoughts and feelings towards those who were affected by the storm and found out ways they could donate or help with clean up and restoration.

Social media has become the medium for human hearts to express their feelings when physical presence isn’t possible.

It is said that social media takes away the personal aspect from face to face contact and that it all together erases the connection felt from person to person.

I agree that intrapersonal social skills are on the decline, but to say that connection is being lost is quite a stretch. People are just connecting in a new way.

Times have changed and so has technology, but people have not. Emotions are still the same and the relationship from person to person is still there, the fact that it is just on the Internet has only made it a different way to communicate it.

of the

DAY

Junior staff writer Mabry Culp stands with her brothers and her father, who died unexpectedly in October. Many utilized social media to offer her their condolences as she dealt with the trying time.

Mabry Culp Staff Writer

Fox News falls short of ethical journalism standards I am just as much a student journalist as someone else is a student athlete. We walk the walk and talk the talk while still learning and mastering our skills. A key to learning the ropes of being a journalist is not being a quality writer

or reporter; it’s ethics and morality.

That cannot be taught out of a textbook, but only through time and exposure to the media of the real world.

At Fox News, their right-wing bias gets in the way of reporting the news in an ethical manner. Their obsessive attempts at spinning every story in favor of the Republican Party or against President Obama are beginning to grow ludicrous.

I am not blindly attacking Fox News, I see both sides of political bias in media. I would be lying if I said I didn’t get a good laugh out of MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow panicking to respond to Romney’s strong showing at the first presidential debate.

But I still believe there is no news organization that is tainting

journalism more than Fox News.

Before the election, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released new jobs numbers, putting the country’s unemployment rate at 7.8 percent – the lowest it has been since President Obama took office in 2009. The “pundits” at Fox News could not make this a moment of bipartisan celebration, of rejoice and triumph for a country where so many are hurting.

Since when is positive news for a country and its sitting president not worth celebrating across the board? It is borderline offensive that these “journalists” refuse to report positivity because of party labels. Instead of congratulating the president on his and this country’s achievements, they spun it in one of the most creatively perverse ways yet.

Their panelists suggested a suspicious “coincidence” that unemployment numbers had dropped so close to the election, implying that the White House had influenced the numbers in their favor.

Fox News has no more ethical standards than a tabloid magazine.

To turn on the rumor mill and report complete and utter garbage for such an obviously not-partisan issue cannot even be described as just being irresponsible. It is an out

of control and downright lack of care or concern for ethical journalism.

Just for your information, Fox News, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is probably more independent from the White House than you thought possible.

In fact, there are criminal punishments for any interaction or collaboration between the two.

This, if you are unfamiliar with the concept, is an organization that reports facts and in an ethical manner.

The night of the election, when most news networks declared the election in Obama’s favor, one held out: Fox News. Many within the organization had projected a landslide victory for Governor Romney, labeling polls as having ridiculously strong liberal biases and predicted Obama would lose the popularity he had with young voters in 2008.

They are a “news” organization unfazed by facts and statistics, and have instead become a facet of the Republican Party itself. Fox News reports whatever Republicans want to hear and want to believe, with no regard or concern with the validity of their statements.

The First Amend-

ment of the constitution gives, among other things, the Freedom of the Press – a law that the government cannot interfere with or inhibit journalism and media. In being afforded that right, however, there is also an afforded responsibility to investigate and report with legitimacy and the intention to report the truth.

The fact that Fox News has the temerity to place the banner “Fair & Balanced” next to their outrageously biased reporting almost comes across as facetious, but that gives too much credit to the organization. To juxtapose “Fair & Balanced” against their own work is nothing more than arrogance.

If the people at Fox News are journalists, then I am not. I cannot learn ethics and morality from the example set forth by this organization. In fact, I could probably teach them a thing or two on what it means to be a journalist.

Ben Cowlishaw Opinions Editor

features 9

DECEMBER 2012

Luttmer dives into preparation for dream job at sea NIKKI DABNEY Staff Writer

If you have spent any time on a boat, whether it was on a fishing trip or a cruise vacation, you have probably experienced seasickness. Senior Megan Luttmer suffers from a different ailment - land sickness.

Luttmer has spent three weeks of her last two summers on a boat, sailing the seas of the British Virgin Islands. She attends a camp called Sail Caribbean, the leader in teen sailing, scuba diving and community service adventures.

“We were a bit apprehensive since the camp was so far away and outside of the U.S., but we were also excited about the opportunity that she had to experience all that Sail Caribbean had to offer,” Megan’s mother Kelly Luttmer said.

She lives on a sailboat with 15 people her age, a captain who is a sailing expert and one mate who is usually a marine biology major.

“Living on a boat with 15 people for three weeks can be really stressful,” Megan said.

“At first you don’t know anybody, but we become a family really fast. We fight. We laugh.

We cook together. We clean together. By the end, we

Photos courtesy Armando Jenkins

Senior Megan Luttmer spent three weeks over the summer at sea diving and cleaning up the beaches of the British Virgin Islands.

love each other.”

The campers sail on a 5060 foot sailboat with a kitchen, table and chairs and four bedrooms. Unless it is raining, they Photo courtesy Megan Luttmer sleep on deck.

Graphic by Sophie Nauyokas.

Food, usually consisting of fish and meat, is provisioned to the sailors and they have to make it last.

“The food is tasty, but you can’t eat constantly,” Megan said.

“It’s hard to adjust, especially for the boys. If we overeat, we will run out of food.”

When they dock on shore, the campers participate in beach cleanups. A different beach is chosen each year. They pick up all the trash on the shore to help keep it a pretty place and to avoid pollution.

“We have found some pretty interesting stuff,” Megan said. “One time we found a toy tractor.”

Megan and the other divers can clean up areas most people do not think about: the ocean. They scuba and snorkel to search for pollutants that are carried by the ocean. Toys, apple cores and plastic tubing are among the items they have found. There are some things they cannot remove though because they have become a home for the wildlife.

“Megan always kept us excited everyday whether it was sailing, scuba diving, or just relaxing,” fellow camper Maddie Harmon said. “She was helpful to anyone who needed

Luttmer and her friends were able to scuba dive underwater in an effort to clean up the pollution and make the waters clean. She spent two summers at a camp called Sail Caribbean, the leader in teen sailing, scuba diving, and service.

help when sailing or scuba div- learned, she received her open ing, and she was a confident water and advance open water leader.” certification. This past summer Besides the community she got certified as a rescue divservice, Megan’s camp is a learn- er, so she can dive up to 150 feet ing experience. She has learned by herself. Luttmer’s favorite how to tag sea turtles and calcu- dives are night and wreck dives, late their population. When she where she is allowed to peneor one of her sail mates catches trate and look inside a sunken a turtle, they place a metal plate boat. in the flipper. It contains statis“Night dives are my ultitics such as the mate favorite,” animal’s weight, Megan said.

“I love to be in the if it’s lost any “On the surocean because I’ve limbs and where face they freak it was captured. always been interested me out beyond Sometimes they belief because in marine biology, use satellite tags I just have a and I like seeing the flashlight and in order to mark and recapture can only see diunknown.” and estimate the -Megan Luttmer, senior rectly in front sea turtle popuof myself. Evlation. erything else Megan has been a swim- is pitch black. I can see all the mer for as long as she can re- creatures that only come out at member. She has had an indi- night.” vidual coach since she was three Luttmer wants to major years old and competed on a in photojournalism, and her club team until the middle of dream job is to be an underwaher junior year. ter photographer for National “I love to be in the ocean Geographic. because I’ve always been inter“My dream job combines ested in marine biology, and I everything I love - traveling, like seeing the unknown,” Me- photography and marine biolgan said. ogy,” Luttmer said. “I want to Megan learned to scuba show the world what is going dive the summer of her soph- on through photos and tell my omore year. When she first story.”

Luttmer lived on a boat with 15 other people that sailed around the British Virgin Islands.

The group was given a limited supply of food and slept on the deck of the boat to take in the scene.

10 features

DECEMBER 2012

Coppell’s very own Santa Claus keeps spirit alive CAROLINE CARTER Staff Writer

HOW TO BE

SANTA GET A GOOD

COSTUME

Santa Claus would not be complete without his red hat, red suit and fluffy, white beard.

GET THE RIGHT

ATTITUDE

To be Santa, one will always be around kids. One must remember to stay friendly and welcoming and to always smile.

PICK A GOOD

TIME

Since kids will be Santa’s biggest audience, it is important not to visit too late. Santa’s appearances should, however, be in the evening as Christmas lights are on.

BELIEVE

Like anything relating to Christmas, believing in Santa Claus makes all the difference - it keeps the magic and spirit of Christmas alive.

Photos by Rowan Khazendar Graphics by Addy Buigas-Lopez

Santa Claus is coming to town, more specifically 603 Havencrest Lane.

Coppell resident Danny Vrla has played a unique role in the holiday season in Coppell for many years. His Christmas spirit is undeniable as well as his generosity to the community.

For 25 years, Vrla has dressed up as Santa Claus for children and adults to visit and tell him their Christmas wishes.

“I started doing this in 1988 when my son was 7 years old,” Vrla said. “I did it because I thought it would be a good way to give back to the community since at the time my son was in kindergarten at Austin Elementary. I knew it would be a fun thing to do for his class, and then it grew into a much bigger thing than I ever expected.”

With a painted sled he built himself and a furry red suit and hat, Vrla assumes the role of the beloved character a little over a week before Christmas day.

Around 80 children visit him nightly eager to tell him what is on their list this year.

“The most that ever came was about 230 people,” Vrla said.

“I know this because I give out a peppermint candy to each child as they leave and then count to see how many are leftover. The best thing that I get to do is see the kids’ faces. Sometimes it might be the first time they have seen Santa. The 2 year olds cry, or then the ones that are a little bit older are timid at first. You do not want children to be afraid of Santa, so I try my best to be warm and welcoming.”

Because Vrla has had 25 years of experience, there have been many memorable visitors that I have come to see him.

“One time a little boy came up to me and was at first very quiet,” Vrla said. “When I asked him what he wanted, he only whispered to me. Later his parents came up asking what he wanted so they would know what to get him. His parents ended up getting him this gift, and then next year he came back and said, ‘You must be the real Santa because you brought me something that I only told you about.’”

Many of Vrla’s neighbors have been going to see Santa since their children were little.

Alicia McGurk, mom of sophomore Carson McGurk, has many memories of the times when her children were younger and visited Vrla.

“When they were younger, they would probably go every night to see him,” McGurk said. “The two

would just go and talk to him like he was their own personal Santa.

Now that they have gotten older, we still go and visit to continue the tradition.”

The neighborhood also participates in the holiday spirit by setting up alternating Christmas lights down the street in red and green.

“The neighbors love to get our red and green lights out to support him and make our street look good,” McGurk said. “It is so much fun to see lines of people waiting to talk to him. Young kids and families come and start new holiday traditions.”

Although the majority of the time there is a festive atmosphere, some of the requests Vrla hears are unattainable for children.

“There are always a few sad times when a kid asks to see his mommy or daddy, when they might have died or are fighting in the war,” Vrla said. “It is always a tear jerker. It is very hard to tell a child a right answer or explain why it can’t happen especially since they are so young.”

Vrla says that he has even had parents who lost a child return to him saying how much they appreciate his yearly gift.

Others give cookies or small gifts to show their thanks.

“There was one woman who would paint me something every year,” Vrla said. “Another family brought me a Christmas bell from the movie The Polar Express with a note saying how I made the holiday a joyful experience.”

Many of Vrla’s visitors who have visited him since they were little are now parents themselves and bring their children to pass on the tradition.

“I am now starting to see a second generation of families which is re a l ly

special,” Vrla said. “They enjoyed it as a kid, and now they want to pass on this legacy to their kids.

Hopefully I’ll be around to even do their kids. It’s fun to see them growing up.”

Like his mom, Carson McGurk has many memories of visiting Vrla.

“I still love to go see him [Vrla] even though I am older,” Carson said. “My family told friends about it, and now they go and see him with their family. It is really nice thing that he does. I’m sure that he has created many family traditions for people across Coppell.”

Visiting Santa is not a tradition that only children participate in. Even though Kacey Hutchins, a neighbor of Vrla, is now a senior, she still visits him every year and looks forward to the tradition.

“My brother and I would always look out our house window waiting for him to go outside,” Hutchins said. “I remember going almost every night and being the first ones in line. I know a lot of little kids enjoy going to go see him since he is always very friendly and always has the Christmas spirit. We still go and take a picture with him every year, and my brother still goes even though he is 21.”

Christmas is a big part of Vrla’s life. With hopefully many more years to come, Vrla will continue to bring the Christmas spirit to Coppell.

features 11

DECEMBER 2012

Social affiliations influence academic performance KIMBERLY DEL ANGEL Entertainment Editor Senior Tracy Nix* slides into her desk in second period AP Statistics. The teacher begins class by passing out last week’s quiz. She glances at the top right corner of the page to find a bold 68 staring back.

Swift glimpses of her friends’ papers around her reveal that she is one of the few unable to grasp the concept; she quickly shoves the grim paper into her book bag before anyone takes enough notice of the score to judge her intellectually. Instead of discussing the errors on the quiz, Nix agrees to go bowling with the group that night although there is a test tomorrow.

“In high school people don’t really know who they are, or what they want to do; they really don’t need to know as much at this level, but they rely on the opinions of others to give them their self worth and self esteem,” Coppell High School math teacher Ian VanderShee said. “If other people like them, then they must be likable, if other people think they are smart, then they must be smart— rather than just knowing in their own mind, their own heart that they are worth something.”

Peer relationships can be a positive or negative influence on the lives of adolescents. Natural observations of adolescents reveal that they discuss options with their friends before reaching a decision about what to do.

These groups are an important developmental point of reference for adolescents, especially at the

high school level, because it al- deny it and that lasts when you lows them to gain understand- grow up; how the influence iming of the world outside of their pacts you depends on the person, families and formulate goals and depends on their mental stamina aspirations academically and so- to stand up for what they think, their ability to think and develop cially.

“High school is kind of like their own opinions. If you have your formative years—who you a spine, then your friends’ influhang out with and who you talk ences can help you thrive.” to affects how you think about Some individuals, on the yourself and how you think other hand, have not been so about the world,” sophomore fortunate enough to mold such a Kelly Hall said. “Everyone has concrete ‘spine’ like Osigian has. their opinion on “Looking something and back at my fresh“Humans are creatures man year before you have to base of community: we need I made my way your opinion on your experiother people, we need into a ‘group,’ I ences and what to talk about every- used to work dilpeople tell you, igently and turn thing, ideas and people in my work on and a lot of your influence us and give us time; however, experiences and what people ideas or discourage us.” the more peotell you comes ple I met my se-Mallory Osigian, from your peer nior and junior senior group, so if they year, the more are telling you I began to slack things, and you off,” senior Amy believe them—and they might be Vega said. “It didn’t matter anytrue, they might be untrue—then more because you start seeing that’s going to influence what you that having fun is more fun than want to do in life.” homework and studying. EspeHowever, one look around cially now that all my friends an average American high school have gotten a job, and they say, such as CHS produces questions ‘well the only day we can hang about the extent of peer influ- out is Tuesday,’ and although you ence: to what extent is such influ- may have a project due the next ence altering the role of academ- day, you’ll push that aside to go.” ics and future ambitions? Have Adolescents typically choose students driven each other into friends who have characteristics textbooks or parties? or talents that they admire, moti“Humans are creatures of vating them to achieve and act as community: we need other peo- their friends do. Friends have the ple, we need to talk about every- ability to encourage them to think thing, ideas, and people influence more creatively and positively afus and give us ideas or discourage fect adolescents’ satisfaction with us,” senior Mallory Osigian said. school, educational expectations, “Peer pressure is there regardless report-card grades and standardof how many times people try to ized testing.

“I’m always working on homework or projects or hanging out with my friends. But in the end, everything goes back to academics.”

- Maggie Boreham, senior

“You find a group you get along well with, and sometimes the main focus of that group can be your focus too. So if people in that group are pretty high achievers, then chances are you’re going to follow along; but also the reverse is true, and if maybe you are a high achiever, you find others that are too,” CHS counselor John Crook said. “I’m not sure how much peer influence changes the level of performance of the student, rather than the level of performance of the student may affect who they choose to be their friends. “ Senior Harrison Holzer, varsity football player and member of the Vivace! show choir at CHS, has had the opportunity to differentiate the various types of pressure that friends can let off, but he has one initial thought on why it is that high school students cling to the ideals of their friends.

“The people in your social group really have a way of influence on you because you’re surrounded with people you want to be like and who are like you, so you become that person within your friend group,” Holzer said.

“So if they want to be something that you want to do, then you become what your friends want to do, which is what you want to do.

It’s kind of an awkward circle, but you are to your friends as they are to you.”

The pressures to be accepted among the student body help strike healthy academic competition and allow students to open their minds, and this is when the benefits come into hand. They don’t want to be the one person who gets that 68; they want to be

“Sometimes my schoolwork overtakes my social life and I don’t have enough time to balance them equally.”

- Paulina Gonzalez, sophomore

the 87 among the class average of an 86—just slightly better than average, just right.

“Your friends really are what push you because you don’t want to be the only one that doesn’t succeed if everyone is succeeding,” Vega said. “You always want to ‘beat’ your friends, and you always want to be a step ahead of them in that manner.”

Past the competition in the classroom, peer influence makes an imprint on the future of the individual as well.

“I have a lot of friends who want to do well in life and have really academic based goals,” Hall said. “I do as well—and I don’t know if that’s a result of having friends that do or I just personally want to do, but my friends’ academic success has pushed me to think ‘oh I want to be able to do that well also.”

Friends, school, fun - the infinite triangle of every student’s high school career. It seems as if regardless of the age or the era, students will continue to be swayed by their social influences.

“Depending on who your friends are, they can facilitate your learning if they are also engaged, and they are people that you like to hang out with and talk to, so you can talk to them about issues that are coming up, classes or help with homework,” Hall said. “But they can also distract you by having more fun than you should. They can go both ways; they can distract you from your academic goals, but they can also help you learn better.” *Name has been changed for privacy.

“Since I’m a freshman, my life has been compounded by academics so I don’t really have time for a social life.”

- Mukund Kuntimad, freshman

Graphic by Sophie Nauyokas

in-depth 13

12 in-depth Photos by Rowan Khazendar

Kylie Pickrell, sophomore “As we overcame all of our unexpected injuries in games and all the unfortunate events that happened during our season, we become closer as a team and realized that in order to get to state we had to dig deep and find something to keep us going.”

After the final point, the Cowgirls celebrate a second consecutive state champtionship by piling up on the court.

Erica Bohannon, senior

“During the first round of district, we struggled with a loss to Hebron, which snapped us into gear getting us to realize that we needed to work as hard as we could every day because there was no time for breaks.”

Mary-Kate Marshall serves the ball cleanly over the net. She had 32 ace serves throughout the season.

By Sammy Robben

Cowgirls triumph in state championship, continue tradition continued from pg. 1

49wins 3losses LEADERBOARD Block leader...............Chiaka Ogbogu (144) Kill leader..................Chiaka Ogbogu (486) Assist leader...............Kylie Pickrell (1,390) Dig leader.........................Alex Silver (534) Ace leader.......................Kylie Pickrell (50)

“They are super smart kids, which makes the scouting report actually valuable because they take that information and they really study it,” Coach Julie Green said.

“They know who those kids are and they know what their tendencies are and I think that is a big advantage when we step on the court because our kids are so court smart.”

This was the Cowgirls’ second trip to the state finals, as they were 2011 5A state champions. For many of the returning team members remembering how they felt just one year ago pushed them to do it again.

“It is just a really great experience to know that we came out on top for my senior year,” Bohannon said. “It’s great to win it as a junior but winning it as a senior is just a whole new level because it is your last chance and you’ve worked so hard for four years. It all just pays off.”

After defeating the New Braunfels Lady Unicorns 3-2 (2514, 25-17, 22-25, 23-25, 15-10) Saturday Nov. 17 they can say they have done it again.

The match was challenging for the Cowgirls who had not dropped a set in nine matches, six of which were playoff matches. After being consistently up in the first two games the Cowgirls fell short in the third and fourth. The Lady Unicorns ran a slide play repeatedly that hurt the Cowgirls defense. Despite these losses, and being down four points in the last game, the Cowgirls fought their way out and took home the gold.

“They are great players,” Green said. “They are smart and competitive and they know what they have to do. You take a timeout just to catch your breath and then you come out here and just say ‘hey we are going to take it one ball at a time. We are going to play this ball for this point and then we are going to let it go. Good or bad.’ You have to get to 15, so you can’t put the whole game on ball. You have to chip and put and get yourself back up there.”

Parts of the match became a test of defense for the Cowgirls as the Lady Unicorns, known for their strong defense, returned nearly every ball.

“I thought we played defense well because the slide is tough and that got us, but in the end we had some crazy rallies,” Green said.

“We are typically known more for our offense than our defense, but I thought our defense carried their own tonight.”

The Cowgirls are known for their incredibly strong offense that can be a challenge for even the best defensive teams. Just the opposite, the Lady Unicorns are known for their defense, and as these two talented teams clashed, it was clear the match was more than a test of skill but of want. The Cowgirls knew what it was like to win, and they didn’t want to know anything different.

“We won last year and we remembered the feeling, and especially the seniors didn’t want to go out losing on our last game ever,” senior outside hitter Cassidy Pickrell said. “We just kicked into gear and got each other up off of our butts and fixed all of the little things that we were doing. We got right back on and we won it.”

But this was not the Cowgirls’ only motivation; this year they had

more than a trophy to play for.

They were playing for Jacob Logan, the CHS senior football star who drowned in October. As the students in the stands cheered “state for J”, the Cowgirls knew what they had to do.

“We realized that we came here for one goal and for one purpose and to play for one person,” Ogbogu said. “We reminded each other that once Jacob passed away we knew that we were going to dedicate this season to him, and we knew the only way we could do that was if we won state. We accomplished it.”

Right side Erica Bohannon was also a major asset to the Cowgirls. The 6-1 hitter is also one of the Cowgirls’ best servers, most consistent passers and a reliable back up setter. In the state finals alone Bohannon had 21 kills, 19 digs and 10 assists. It is her ability to play so well all the way around that made her the recipient of the 2012 5A state most valuable player.

“I really cannot put it into words,” Bohannon said. “You work so hard for four years and sometim es it doesn’t all seem worth it, but

winning MVP just proved that all the time and practice and energy I have put into this has paid off. I just wanted to help my team in any way possible so that we could come out on top, but winning this is such an honor and I am so thankful.”

For Green, it is Bohannon’s talent and drive that made her deserving of this award.

“She would’ve gotten my vote,” Green said. “She is just solid. She is just a competitor and she gets back here and serves, she plays six rotations, and she plays defense. When it comes down to it she wants the ball in her hands and we want the ball in her hands because she can handle it. When it came down to it she made some big plays for us that made a difference.”

Along with Bohannon, the Cowgirls have four very strong and experienced seniors including Pickrell, Ogbogu and senior setter Laura Beaty. For many of the younger members of the team these girls were their leaders. Though they are losing four of their best players, the Cowgirls are confident they can do it again.

“We have key players leaving with all four of the seniors leaving, but we have enough on our court and on our bench that we will definitely be ready for next year,” sophomore setter Kylie Pickrell said. “We will definitely know what to do when the time comes for playoffs again.”

The Cowgirls play with an undeniable passion that has continued to pay off. They don’t play for individual glory, but that of their team, and that is why they are champions.

“No matter how big you are or how hard you play, anyone can go out and win state,” sophomore outside hitter Cathryn Cheek said. “It doesn’t really matter who you are or what name is on the back of your jersey as long as you go out and play with your heart.”

Throughout their entire journey the Cowgirls were confident and ready to bring home another state title to CHS. “What we talked about is it is ours if we want it, and everything else is just an obstacle to get there,” Ogbogu said.

“We were not playing to our full potential, and it started showing when we played through district. We were just doing anything to get by until we were down two sets to Aledo; that is really when we knew we had to play to survive in playoffs and would get no more freebees.”

Alex Silver, junior

The Cowgirls ROAD TO STATE Senior Chiaka Ogbogu and junior Lindsay Stivers embrace following the state victory on Nov. 13.

Monday Oct. 29 COPPELL v GRAPEVINE at Byron Nelson High School

(25-7, 25-6, 25-9)

The Cowgirls pose with their medals, flashing the number 21 in memory of late senior Jacob Logan.

Julie Green, coach

Saturday Nov. 10 COPPELL v COLLEYVILLE HERITAGE at Glenrose ISD Tiger Arena

Tuesday Nov. 6 COPPELL v HEBRON at Lewisville High School

Saturday Nov. 17 COPPELL v NEW BRAUNFELS at Curtis Culwell Center

(25-17,27-25,27-25)

(25-22, 25-23, 25-22)

(25-14, 25-17, 23-25, 22-25, 15-10)

(25-13, 25-9, 25-10)

(25-22, 25-12, 25-19)

(25-17, 25-5, 25-14)

Friday Nov. 2 COPPELL v MIDLOTHIAN at Burlison High School

Friday Nov. 9 COPPELL v ARLINGTON at Glenrose ISD Tiger Arena

Friday Nov. 16 COPPELL v HOUSTON CLEAR LAKE at Curtis Culwell Center

“I think it was easy in the beginning. It was fun and new until our struggle through district.

Right before playoffs we were down against Aledo and that is when it snapped. We realized we had no more second chances and never looked back.”

14 features

DECEMBER 2012

Community adopts dog park as newest addition CORRINA TAYLOR Staff Writer

The City Council room was adorned with seats filled with Coppell citizens wearing grey shirts with green paw prints, eager for the meeting to start. The glass walls peer out into a finely polished waiting room.

The council took their seats at the front of the room; their crescent shaped desk captured the attention of the room.

Mayor Karen Hunt sat in the middle just below the Coppell emblem.

Many were gathered to rally their support for a Coppell dog park; they eagerly waited in their seats for the opportunity to voice their opinions. The decision was made during the working session in which Parks and Recreations director Brad Reid gave his presentation on the ef-

fort for a dog park.

Reid gave his presentation about the dog park and the benefits and possible difficulties they would have with it. The feedback from the council was generally positive as they asked questions of how it would be arranged and what all would be needed.

Right now the designated spot for the park is at MacArthur Park in an empty lot right next to Church of the Apostles and MacArthur Park. It is expected to be a little over three acres of space for the dogs to roam without leashes. They are looking into other possibilities such as outdoor lighting, a dog park club and designated areas for dogs of certain sizes.

The official Park Board recommendation included the approval of designating the area at MacArthur park, the citizens would be required to have a Photo by Rinu Daniel

Dog owner Tracey Allard petitioned for a dog part in Coppell, and with over a thousand signatures, a park is in sight.

501c, a corporation to generate 20 percent of construction costs, and to enter into a license and use agreement with the city.

Hunt especially seemed enthusiastic about the process, stating she was in favor of the park and believed the citizens group should be allowed to raise money for amenities for the park if the city doesn’t pay for all of it.

The council agreed to continue on with the project for the time being and will meet by January to discuss it again.

Over the past couple of months Reid has been working with Coppell resident Tracey Allard, the woman behind the effort. She first appeared in a City Council meeting last May to ask why there was not a dog park.

She then followed up with the council who directed her to the parks board, there she first met Reid and he invited her to speak at a Park Board meeting.

She accepted this offer and began her research.

“I’ve facilitated her in going through the process and talking to the park board and developing some recommendations to give to the park board,” Reid said. “I have been looking around at different facilities and different communities around the region and getting examples of the way other communities are doing theirs [operating their dog parks] and facilitating that discussion with the board.”

She took on this project, and at the first park board meeting in August was able to present her budgetary estimate. She

found that it would cost about $250,000 to build the park that is if they got help from the city.

In September, she went back to the park board to present information about surrounding cities and their dog parks. She found that every dog park surrounding Coppell was funded by the city, and only one required a maintenance fee for each year.

Then she met again in October to discuss their future plans to present this at the November city council meeting.

Allard has been dedicated to this issue from the beginning; she understands the nuisance it is to drive all the way to Southlake or Dallas just to go to a dog park. She understands the importance of a dog park.

“A dog park isn’t just for dogs; it’s for citizens who have something in a common, citizens who have dogs,” Allard said. “There are a lot of benefits: dogs are happy and less of nuisance in city, and it gives a sense of community. A dog park gives people who have a common interest a chance to meet and talk with people.”

Citizens were allowed to speak at the City Council meeting for a total of three minutes during the regular session. Five citizens stood to talk about this issue that was of huge importance to them. The people that talked included disabled Citizen Bill Dugan, realtor Eva Bauer and concerned citizen Julie McCan. Dugan talked about the importance of having a dog park

Shoes used as new medium of artistic ELIZABETH SIMS Staff Writer

Drawing, painting and writing are just a few ways students show off their creativity and individuality. While most think a canvas or piece of paper is needed to engage in these activities, a new medium has emerged.

A simple pair of shoes has become a popular canvas for students who want to express themselves. Art teacher Elsa Reynolds views the shoes as works of art that do not have to hang on a wall.

“It is really original,” Reynolds said. “Usually we think of art as something that has to be on a wall, canvas or paper, but it

does not have to be something that stays in a room. By decorating their shoes it is like making a statement they can take with them.”

Reynolds values the shoes as a medium for self-expression.

She sees an importance in students having a creative outlet.

“It is important for students to express themselves so they are able to show their individuality and points of view. They do not need to feel like they are just one more student in the big mass,” Reynolds said. “It is cool that it can be something wearable that they can go out in every day.”

The shoes are decorated using a variety of tools ranging from Sharpies to paint, each pair as unique as the student wearing them. Junior Christian Reyna chose to

use a straight edge, Sharpies and the album art for a band called Skrillex to decorate his pair of gray TOMS. “I felt like they were missing something,” Reyna said. “I decided to put the logo from one of my favorite artists on them to make them look cooler.”

Reyna uses his Skrillex themed TOMS to make a statement about his personality and his interests.

“My shoes show that I am different,” Reyna said. “I wear a brand of shoes that most guys in Coppell will not wear, and I listen to music that not many people enjoy.”

Sophomore Emily Shultz uses acrylic paint rather than Sharpies to decorate her shoes, but they still show her individuality.

so his dog could get the exercise he could not provide since he cannot move around the same way he used to. There are numerous sports facilities and parks with trails for people to use, but it is not beneficial for those too old or disabled to walk and play sports. This is another reason to bring a dog park, so people can get out and exercise with their dogs in a secure area.

A dog park is accessible for every age and ability level.

Bauer revealed many clients inquire about dog parks to be disappointed Coppell does not have one, also that dog parks can raise property values. It would be another asset to Coppell that its citizens could take advantage of. McCan believed in the significance of connecting with her community.

“I feel like 95 percent of everything I do is within the Coppell city limits, but I have to drive 15 minutes to get to a dog park,” McCan said. “My dog loves it and I think it really benefits them. Other communities are doing it and it makes the city an even more attractive place to live and raise families.”

The public has shown its support and it will be hard for the city council to ignore the 560 signatures on a paper petition, 259 signatures on the online petition and 723 likes on the Facebook page.

Dog owners are feeling positive and it is just a matter of months before they find out once and for all if Coppell will be graced with the prescience of a dog park.

expression

“My shoe designs show that I am creative,” Shultz said.

“I can make a simple design into something a little more.”

While Shultz enjoys creating her shoes in her free time, she does not keep her designs to herself. She actually sells custom painted shoes to anyone who asks for a pair and decorates them based on the customer’s individual requests.

“I just like making things for my friends,” Shultz said. “I find original ideas to put on the shoes so I can make sure that no two pairs are the same.”

With more and more specially decorated shoes popping up around school, it seems the trend is catching on among students. Reynolds believes this is a result of the students’ drive to be unique, and the fact that

these shoes are cheaper than those purchased at exclusive stores.

“Nowadays, people do not like to wear the same shoes or shirts as other people. They want to be an individual,” Reynolds said. “By being able to decorate shoes, which are accessible and inexpensive to students, they can have something original without investing a lot of money in it.”

Regardless of the reasons, decorated shoes have been gaining popularity. Students have found another way to turn a simple medium of self-expression into an art form. Instead of hanging this art on a wall or taking a picture, all they have to do is slide the shoes on their feet and go.

Photo by Elizabeth Sims

15 features

DECEMBER 2012

Farrell proves to have more than an ear for music TOLU SOLAKO Staff Writer

Most girls love fashion; they enjoy going to the mall with their friends and buying the cutest clothes at stores such as Anthropologie, Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters. Not many have thought of turning their love for fashion into a true hobby, but Coppell High School senior Bailey Farrell has.

Farrell has always enjoyed fashion and she managed to make her love of shopping into a hobby of designing and making her own clothes. With the help of her mother, Roda Farrell, Bailey has worked on perfecting her art.

“I started designing clothes the summer before my freshman year,” senior Bailey Farrell said.

“My mom always made clothes, and I always liked watching her to do it, so I just picked it up.”

Her designs are widely creative and inspired by some of her other passions. Bailey is involved in various activities including Taekwondo, Madrigals, and Fame. “[These activities] have an influence on my designs.” Farrell said. “I’ll sometimes put music notes on my shirts and dresses, and some of my friends from these activities give me some inspiration and contribute ideas.”

Despite her driven passion for designing clothes, Farrell does not plan to pursue this fashion in full force and is leaning towards studying criminology in university.

“Fashion will always be a part of me, but I just want to have a stable job when I am older,” Farrell said. “If an opportunity for an internship comes up, I will take it. But designing will never be my only job, probably a hobby that I will always have.”

If anyone sees Farrell in the

Senior Bailey Farrell smiles as her unique fashion designing talents are recognized.

halls of CHS, they will automatically notice her quite creative style.

She is always bringing something new to the table. Farrell incorporates designs from all different styles from the past and makes it her own.

“I would say that I have two creative processes,” Farrell said.

“Sometimes I will see something in a magazine or TV and I will try to find a way to make it my own or just remake it. Other times, I’ll go to a thrift store and rip the dress apart an just start from scratch.”

Bailey’s mother, Roda Farrell is an avid designer herself. She has helped both of her daughters, Bailey and Elisa, with creativity and has always given advice in making designs.

“I started sewing clothes in sixth grade,” Roda said. “My mom taught me, and her mom taught her, so it’s an activity we pass on to each generation. I try to help [my daughters] with choosing the correct fabrics and express their creativity with color, texture and structure.”

Even some of Farrell’s friends have witnessed the creative aspects of Farrell’s life. Senior Rachel Graham is a true fan of Farrell’s creativity and style.

“Bailey’s style is so unique,” Graham said. “I always love everything that she wears and her talent is phenomenal.”

Unlike other at-home designers, Farrell has never sold any of her styles, even though she receives many compliments on her clothes.

“I haven’t sold anything.

No one really asks to buy anything,” Farrell said. “Usual-

Photos by Rinu Daniel

Senior Bailey Farrell sings along with the Madrigals during a rehearsal for the Madrigals Feast.

ly I’ll sew some things for my friends, but if I would sell stuff if anyone asked for something in particular.”

Bailey reiterates that throughout her high school ca-

reer, fashion has helped her mature as a person and discover a more creative side of herself.

Fashion is something Bailey will cherish forever and has helped her define who she is.

16 entertainment

DECEMBER 2012

Coppell High School’s favorite

movies “My favorite Christmas movie is How the Grinch Stole Christmas [cartoon] because it is a classic.”

- Kevin Brimage, chemistry teacher

“My favorite is Christmas Vacation because it is probably the funniest Christmas movie out there.”

- Christian Meyer, sophomore “It’s a Wonderful Life because in the Christmas season it is easy to get caught up in to-do lists. It reminds you of the true meaning.”

- Clara Caussey, English teacher

"My favorite Christmas movie is a tie between The Grinch, because it is classic, or A Christmas Story, because it shows how when you grow up you always have family.”

- Takevia Bolton, junior

“My favorite movie is The Polar Express because of the cool graphics and art.”

- Creigh Blodgett, junior

“My favorite Christmas movies are the Home Alone movies because he makes his own Christmas holiday even though his family left him.”

- Jaidyn Phillips, junior

1 2

“My favorite Christmas movie is Elf. We watch it every year. It is a newer movie so my wife and I decided to make it our Christmas tradition. It is a funny movie.”

- Zach Sherman, English teacher

4

3 6

5 8

9

7 For mor e inform ation on favorites, The Side check ou kic t Annie www.cop Wen’s sto k’s pellstude r y at ntmedia.c om

10 Graphics by Addy Buigas-Lopez

entertainment 17

DECEMBER 2012

Texas Ballet Academy takes a crack at The Nutcracker ERICA ROHDE Staff Writer When the time comes and the curtain drops, the pitter-patter of feet stops. Last minute touches and “good lucks” rise among the whispers backstage.

The Land of the Snow is ready for its queen. She meets the audience with a smiling face, and the audience is taken aback by her splendor. When Courtlyn Hanson hits the stage, her nerves flare. However, she gracefully dances her way into the tale - royalty in the land of the snow, a beacon of beauty and hope.

The homeschooled 16-yearold ballet dancer has performed in the Ballet Ensemble of Texas at the Texas Ballet Academy as an angel, clown, mouse, candy cane, party girl, Hungarian, Chinese and Clara in her past years and finally the Snow Queen and waltz soloist at this year’s production.

“I loved the role [of Snow Queen] because it was easy for me to get into character,” Hanson said.

“There was not a lot of acting; you just had to look really elegant and regal.”

To prepare for her role, Hanson nurtured her abilities by coming into the school during both the mornings and nights, as well as spending every Saturday at the school from around 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. along with the other students for rehearsal.

“It was a lot of partnering,” Hanson said. “The partner that I had was actually hired and he could only come in on Tuesdays, so I had to do a lot of work on my own and make sure that I was doing everything I could to help him out.”

The pair rehearsed every Tuesday night from 6 - 9:30 p.m.

Meanwhile Hanson felt pressure when working with the professional.

“I just felt like he was so amazing and I wasn’t as good as him,” Hanson said. “But he was supportive and it was a great experience.”

Hanson also received support from her friends backstage.

“We are so close,” Hanson said. “Even if I was going to a public school I would much rather hang out with my dance friends.”

Passion for dance creates close ties and lifelong friendships, including the possibility of a friendship between polar opposite characters - the beloved Snow Queen and an abominable Mouse King, Micheal Garcia, a 14-year-old attending Coppell Middle School North.

The young dancer rehearsed with the same amount of rigor as Hanson. For the both of them, their experiences and stress for their parts were similar.

“It really depends on the rehearsal if it was fun or stressful,” Garcia said. “Sometimes our director would get a little stressed and critique us more than we were used to and you start to stress out more than you used to. It is fun if you really know what you’re doing and you get out there and perform.”

For this year’s production, Garcia also played a lead in the Spanish and the Russian dance. But to perform as Mouse King, theatrical tactics were involved.

“I wasn’t supposed to stand up straight the entire time,” Garcia said. “You have to change your posture and your attitude even though you cannot see your face. You have to act.”

Before the Battle Scene, Garcia clears his mind.

“If I know a part as well as I knew the Mouse King, I just don’t think about it,” Garcia said. “Occasionally I will get really nervous.”

Nerves or no nerves, Garcia has a family behind him.

“Because of the Nutcracker

if anything I have gotten closer to more of the younger kids,” Garcia said. “I formed better relationships by knowing most of the people.”

Garcia’s experiences with his friends and his passion for dancing have inspired his personal goals.

Behind the inspiration is director Lisa Slagle, who is dedicated to encouraging her students to perform their best, do what they love and challenge themselves.

Slagle opened the Ballet Academy of Texas in 1999. Ever since then, there has always been a Nutcracker show.

“We used to also perform in Coppell on Thanksgiving weekend at Coppell High School and we did that for many years,” Slagle said.

“But it was so hard to tear down and set up the sets and rehearse all of the kids in different venues.”

A beloved classic, families in Coppell look forward to the Nutcracker. If the tradition were to end, dancers and Coppell families would be disappointed.

“It’s a very popular tradition that we started,” Slagle said. “A lot of the students in the school look forward to grow into new roles each year. It keeps them inspired to keep dancing.”

With one production each year, Slagle has a set plan for how it will always be organized.

“This was my 21st one to direct so it is kind of in a routine in a way,” Slagle said. “My office manager is an amazing help too as far as organizing the details. As far as organizing the rehearsal schedule I look at what has worked in the past.”

Part of the plan is a non-audition process, the only requirement being that the student is in ballet and at a certain age and level.

“We find a part for them,” Slagle said. “If we have to make more costumes, double cast it, we make sure that everybody who wants to

be involved can be. We know our students; we know what they are capable of. The only thing I try to do as a director, if possible, is make sure everybody involved gets to do something new.”

Slagle firmly believes that the only competitiveness is with each dancer themselves.

“They are competitive enough w i t h thems e l v e s ,” Slagle said. “The last thing I would do is to put them against one another. It is like being a part of a sports team. They need that same encouragement and camaraderie. They are all important and they all have a role to play.”

When the cast list is set, it adds up to around 200 students.

With such a big production, mishaps will happen.

“This year went pretty smoothly,” Slagle said. “Other years we have dealt with more injuries and this year we didn’t have too many of those or illnesses.

The Irving Arts Center Crew and theatre had such a nice facility for us so there is usually never any problem technically down there.”

Overall, it takes a rigorous amount of time and effort to put the Nutcracker together. It is all worth it.

“How do you put together such a big production?” Sla-

gle said. “You dump the thousand piece puzzle on the table. You start looking for the corner pieces and you slowly start putting it together.

That’s the best way to describe it.”

Determined to fine tune her skills and improve her photography techniques, Witham has enjoyed using her position on the yearbook staff as a beneficial learning tool to pursue her passion.

“Leah shows enthusiasm in everything she undertakes,” Round-Up adviser Sallyanne Buckley said. “She has passion for photography and when she has passion for something she pursues it with gusto.”

In discovering her love for photography, Witham has turned

her passion into a business.

“When you take pictures of people you have to incorporate their personality in them,” Witham said. “Pictures describe the words that are unsaid; it is always fun to look back at old ones when you grow up. The feeling of knowing I made someone else happy using my photography skills is just something that you cannot get through anything else.”

Von Strohe has likewise developed a personal business for her photography.

For Von Strohe, her business began with the help of New Tech High @ Coppell facilitator Melissa Flanagan. When Flanagan asked Von Strohe to help out with her personal business, she began to drop hints about starting her own business because of the skill she saw in her.

“I feel like anyone can buy the equipment and have the best camera, but to be a great photographer, you have to apply yourself,” Von Strohe said. “You need to connect with and understand

the person or thing you are taking a picture of. It takes a special person to capture personalities in photos, and those photos are the best.”

Taking Flanagan’s advice, Von Strohe started her business by making a Facebook page for the pictures and telling friends and family about it.

In regards to a future career, Witham sees photography as a future driving force in her life.

Witham wants to minor in photography in college and have her own studio after graduating. She hopes to run it from her house so she can use her own backdrops and props.

Although Von Strohe is passionate about photography, she sees it more as a hobby than as her main job. Instead, she wants to pursue a career in special education or interior design, keeping her interest in photography active on the side.

Just like any hobby, activity or business, to succeed you must have a passion like that of Von Strohe and Witham. For these girls photography is more than snapping a shot at the right moment; it is capturing the emotions, environment and atmosphere in the pictures that will preserve the moment for years to come. They prove that regardless of how old you are, if you have passion and dreams, anything is possible.

Sophomores shooting for success as photographers SHIVANI BURRA Staff Writer Many people use activities such as music and dance to express their feelings, but for sophomores Leah Witham and Sydney Von Strohe photography serves as a creative outlet to ultimately freeze a moment and capture feelings of joy, sadness and serendipity in a single picture to be forever treasured.

Witham’s interest in photography was incited at a young age, although she began to take it seriously about a year and a half ago when she bought her own camera.

As she developed into the budding photographer she is today, she started by practicing her skills on family and friends through personal photo shoots. Witham, however, believes it takes more than a few picture sessions to become a real photographer.

“Someone who is a photographer really needs to have a true passion for [their photography], and a drive to pursue it,” Witham said. “I have taken photography classes to learn all the functions behind each button on a camera and have invested my time to improve certain skills, rather than just play around with my camera.

But to be a true photographer, one needs to think outside the box and be original with poses or angles.”

Photo by Rinu Daniel

Sophomores Sydney Von Strohe and Leah Witham experiment with a camera for their photography business.

18 entertainment

DECEMBER 2012

Frost to begin ‘New Life’ through musical endeavors Following release of single, junior pursuing career as indie, acoustic artist

It’s the winter of 1998 and longtime Coppell resident and father Jon Frost swiftly slips into the car in effort to escape frosty December winds. He joins his wife Cheryl and 2-year-old daughter Alyssa; completely dumbfounded by the sweet, gentle harmony that greets him within, in perfect pitch and unison with both the Christmas music playing on the radio and his wife.

“The first time I heard [Alyssa] sing, I really had to turn around and look at her because she was in the car seat,” Frost said. “I was stunned, totally surprised—when her and my wife, who has a great singing voice, were singing in harmony in the car.”

Ten years later, Alyssa received her first guitar. The simple hunk of mahogany stained oak and intricately woven nylon strings along with a piano, paper and a pen would ultimately help her begin composing music and lyrics, a natural talent that she has never had to wrestle with.

“Alyssa and I have been best friends since we were 5, and I feel because I’ve known her for so long, I’ve watched her grow up maturity wise—her voice definitely, because she’s always been interested in the arts and she’s incredibly good at it,” junior Rachael Wooldridge said. “She’s put a lot of effort into it, because it’s her passion, it’s what she loves to do; it calms her down and it gets her into this place of serenity, and I can see that in her—I can see that she’s relaxed and in her element when she’s singing or playing guitar. Like if she’s really super stressed out about something and she’s playing guitar, I can see the stress melting away—it’s just what she loves to do.”

Soon after the purchase of her guitar, Alyssa joined Septien Entertainment group in Addison (training home of Demi Lovato, Jessica Simpson and Selena Gomez) and began taking guitar and songwriting lessons. Septien has served as an outlet of exposure and

“Last year I was going through a phase, kind of like a ‘dark time’ for me, and I would get these random urges to write poetry,” Alyssa said. “I was just thinking about it and I just poured out how I felt, and how I really just needed something to hold on to and look forward to, and then I kind of just left that aside, didn’t really think about it—got over all that, then [Jennifer] saw the poem and she said, ‘this is perfect.’”

Many have been able to recognize the success reflected through lyrics.

“The way the song was written is very good for her voice, it made her sound amazing—she has a beautiful voice and I think that song just highlights her talent,” Wooldrige said. “I think in a way it’s relatable more to her passion and her talent than it is to anything else, because when I listen to that song, I think about how it makes a statement that she’s reached her goal, and that she finally has a song out there on iTunes.”

Alyssa is taking a different approach to her music by going for an indie, acoustic feel that will allow listeners to connect with the tune. She believes this is the key to success.

“I think that one of the things that sets my music aside, is the fact that I’m extremely honest; I’m an idealist when it comes to my views, and I am very blunt,” Alyssa said. “I don’t sugarcoat anything, so I think that will be interesting, I’m not going to make everything like bubblegum pop, I want it to be something like, ‘yeah, this is what I’m going through, and it sucks, but that’s OK’ kind of thing.”

So what’s next now?

“Next year I want to produce a miniature EP, five or six songs, and that would be me on acoustics and I want to eventually do a full production, a full album,” Alyssa said. “I guess wherever it takes me whatever happens will happen. I mean I have aspirations to create lots of albums and be very successful, but if that’s not what I’m supposed to be doing then that’s OK with me.”

FROST under the

spotlight

Ph oto ost courtesy Alyssa Fr

Entertainment Editor

promotion, providing informational workshops on competitions such as American Idol and pointers on how to live and survive in the entertainment industry.

This past month, Alyssa concluded work on an independent film entitled “Faith,” written and directed by Jennifer Besser.

She was cast as Jewel, a troubled teen on a desperate search to find a glimmer of hope after her father abandoned her as a child.

“My character is a songwriter, and everything bad happens to her, so she feels like there is no hope. And so [Jennifer] told me to write a song about finding hope,” Alyssa said. “And I had this poem I had written about what it means to follow Christ and renewal, and how you leave your old life behind: a new life, and that’s what my song is called. Pretty much it’s through my characters eyes, but I think anyone can relate about finding hope in something, feeling like nothing good is happening in your life.”

After the production of the song alongside her guitar teacher Jonathan Comacho, who wrote the music for the track, Alyssa initiated the process of copyrighting the song and distributing it to publication companies such as iTunes, Spotify and Radio Airplay.

The single was released on Nov. 14 on Spotify, and was available to purchase on iTunes Dec. 4; it has had much success thereafter.

“She’s on this other site called Radio Airplay, and they play her song as part of the publishing deal we got; the song is played after a certain group of artists we select, like Casting Crowns or the contemporary Christian genre, so what they’ll do is they’ll play an Amy Grant song, then they’ll play [Alyssa’s] song,” Mr. Frost said. “The last time I checked it’s been played 700 times in about two weeks worldwide.”

This song is symbolic to what Alyssa has accomplished in her own life, and what it means to have faith and believe.

The emotional aspect reflected in the lyrics, set the song apart and have helped her overcome an obstacle through her music and thrive.

M ia Fo rd

KIMBERLY DEL ANGEL

by tos Pho

19 entertainment

DECEMBER 2012

Coppell graduate continues to discover love of art CORRINA TAYLOR Staff Writer

The sun beats down on the small backyard of Andy Scott; he busily stirs the black paint and dips his brush in his paint can to accumulate the cool dark substance. He turns back to his yard to face an empty canvas sprawled on the grass.

With a smile he begins to fling the paint at the canvas from all angles. He lets his imagination loose as the splatter begins to form on his canvas.

Scott is a 2012 Coppell High School graduate who has worked under art teacher Tamera Westervelt’s wing for four years; during his high school career he discovered his love and talent for art. It was during this time that he realized he wanted to study art in college, more specifically study to become an art teacher.

His journey as an artist started freshman year when he entered Advanced Art I, at this point in Scott’s life his focus was on friends and not on thinking four years ahead of time. In this class he learned more about techniques and started to progress as an artist.

Once he reached his junior year he was hooked, he had been continuously exposed to art and had become to embrace it. It was in this time he found his talent and found he could have fun with art as well.

“I encourage [my students] to become experimental,” Westervelt’s said. “One of the assignments I gave them was to take paint and a piece of paper and start pouring it on the surface, then they had to start drawing on top of the surface and for him that looseness and freedom of just doing that process really opened him up to a lot of possibilities.”

With the newfound freedom of an AP art class, he had 12 assignments on different themes to complete in any way he wanted to. He was now able to allow his personal ideas to manipulate his art in whatever what he saw fit. He flourished and began to rise as an art student and looked for more challenges.

“In high school I would use [my classmates] for competition if they had a lot of skill to drive me and them to be better,” Scott said. “It’s hard to put all your effort into something when you’re already going to get a better result, so competition helps.”

CHS graduate Andy Scott helps students at the high school use their artistic talent to express themselves.

Fellow classmate and close friend senior Austin Huens witnessed firsthand the competitive nature of Scott and worked with him for three years as they developed as friends and competitors. Huens watched Scott grow as an artist through the years and was not surprised when he finally decided to study art.

While visiting the University of North Texas, Scott was discouraged by the art program and ventured over to Texas Woman’s University and immediately found a connection with the school. When he attended, he was opened up to a whole new world of college life and art. Luckily, due to the extensive teaching methods of Westervelt he was beyond prepared.

“Mrs. Westervelt taught us too well,” Scott said. “Westervelt over prepared us, we’re set. I’m not competing with undergrads.

I’m competing with graduate students” Scott’s work has even been invited to an exposition on TWU, an opportunity reserved mostly for upperclassmen. He presented a painting of his and made it his goal to make it to competition at least once a year.

“He has surpassed what I ever thought what I thought he would be willing to put effort in,” Westervelt said.

After being at school for a couple of weeks Scott wanted to take the next step and better prepare himself for a career as a teacher by getting hands on experience. He came to Westervelt and they agreed he could visit CHS on Fridays and help out in the classroom.

During his time at CHS he helps Westervelt prepare for lessons and anything else that needs done and has even had the chance to teach a lesson that uses assignments from college to help demonstrate ideas. He also works personally with some of the students by helping with

Photos by Lauren Ussery

Andy Scott’s unique tattoo reflects his thoughts on creativity and artistic expression.

their assignments.

“He Gives [the students] a more variety in the teaching style, shows them another point of view on the lessons,” Huens said. “Andy has the unique position of having Mrs. Westervelt as teacher which helps them.

He is very friendly and is much closer to their age which makes it easier to learn from him.”

Having this experience under his belt, along with the 17 college hours he already has Scott is ahead of the game.

With this new experience with

teaching and his own artistic background he is sure to hit the ground running after he graduates college.

“I think it’d be really cool for him to start off teaching at a high school,” Huens said. “Later I know he could go beyond that and could open private teaching studio or teach at a college level.”

Just like the splatter painting, Scott has let his creativity and determination drive him closer to his dream and is sure to be a success in the art world.

“There are times that being exposed to

“I have to say that Kerli was a lot better before she became popular,” junior Mary Claire Phillips said. “[Kerli’s] music used to be dark and different, but since last year, her singles sound like any other thing you would hear on 106.1 and it’s no longer original. “ Unlike Phillips, other students have had some good experience with their favorite bands, being exposed to the mainstream world.

“The best example that I can think of would probably be Ed Sheeran,” senior Taylor Crumpton said. “Even though most would consider him mainstream right now, he actually started off as an Indie artist. Once his hit single, ‘A team’ became popular, I feel that his music has actually gotten better regardless of his mainstream success.”

Various people with different and interesting music tastes have enjoyed Indie music for quite sometime. The mainstream music realm is growing larger everyday and has thus influenced some Indie bands in both negative and positive ways.

Indie music becomes more mainstream, popular TOLU SOLAKO Staff Writer

“Mainstream music” is commercialized music that is extremely popular among the masses – usually teenagers. It is the music that plays on the radio nonstop and consists of

Graphic by Kimberly DelAngel

songs with light-heart meanings and a great beat to dance to.

“I took the liberty one day to listen to my daughter’s playlist and I was quite surprised,” Coppell mother Andrea Visoski. “I was surprised to actually be listening to music that I enjoyed. Even I am starting to like this whole ‘indie phase.”

Years ago, if one looked at

charts. Some of these artists include The Kooks, Kimbra, Washed Out, Foster The People and Sondre Lerche.

“Indie music has always been associated with hipsters, but I have to admit that even I get defensive when someone knows my f avor-

the iTunes top 1 0 0 , every song were all from mainstream artists or bands such as Ke$ha, Britney Spears and Eminem. Today, however, the indie genre has gained some popularity and has broken the “mainstream wall” and has earned its spots on the top 100

it e i n d i e a r t i s t ,” junior Kailey Visoski said. “I guess it’s the hipster in me, but I always have that lingering feeling that if my favorite band becomes popular, it might even become mainstream, and no one really wants that. I don’t want to be the kid that only listens to mainstream music.”

For quite a long time, many Indie artists have tested the waters of the mainstream pool and many fans were not too happy about this concept.

t h e mainstream world can be a good thing for indie artists,” junior Lilly Balsamo said. “Take Kimbra for instance, she’s a great artist and her music career took off once she featured in, Gotye’s single, ‘Somebody that I used to know.’ Kimbra really didn’t change her sound since then, and she still has kept her ‘indie roots’ despite her mainstream popularity.”

Not only has Kimbra associated herself with mainstream artists and gained “mainstream success,” other artists such as Kerli is an example that a student used of a person who is greatly influenced by the mainstream world in a negative way, making dedicated fans very disappointed.

20 sports

DECEMBER 2012

Area football team’s tweets spark unusual alliances Years ago, high school football stayed on the field, but now it has spread to a whole new world: Twitter. Whether it is trash talk or praise, it is no longer isolated to the cheering section.

Coppell High School athletics is known for its presence on the field, but now CHS athletes are showing their presence online as well. It is not uncommon for a rude tweet to be thrown around on Twitter before a big game, but recently before the Cowboys last playoff game against DeSoto, Coppell did more than just a little trash talk.

The tweets shared between the two schools were more than just about a playful rivalry, but used sensitive issues such as race and the recent losses at Coppell to attack both sides. One Coppell student tweeted a racially insensitive comment while DeSoto students retaliated with a tweet that read “Sorry for the lost at

Coppell #JLO… buh it’s gone take WAY more than that Saturday…trust me”.

From a Coppell stand point it is embarrassing to think that our students are setting this kind of precedent for our school. Students will always be tweeting about Coppell or trash talking another team, but a word of advice for all those overactive tweeters, there is a difference between being confident and supportive and being disrespectful and rude.

Though it is nearly impossible to control, many coaches encourage their players and students to avoid trash talking on social media. Following tweets between Coppell and DeSoto, coach Joe McBride tweeted “Coppell football players…Be humble! No social media trash talking” and even called out a student saying “please don’t make remarks and trash talk on Cop-

pell’s behalf about DeSoto game.

I appreciate your support”.

DeSoto coaches were doing the same as a DeSoto student tweeted “Coach Mathis (DeSoto football coach) said everyone from DeSoto please don’t tweet bad about Coppell jus let the game play out Saturday. No talking.”

Despite being a source of trash talk, Twitter also serves as a way to bring teams together and share praise between players.

Following the loss of two Coppell seniors earlier this year, Twitter served as a way for students to show their support tweeting #prayforCoppell and countless other words of comfort to the Coppell community.

Even after the Cowboys season ended in a devastating loss to DeSoto, the players used Twitter to praise the DeSoto players for a good game. Junior Solomon Thomas tweeted “Shoutout to

DeSoto. Y’all are a great team. It rival teams that had just spent was an honor to play you. Go win week’s trash talking each other. state.” Multiple Coppell football It was one team that knocked players had tweets from other the other one off of their road to school complimenting them on state. These teams had no reason their talent, incredible season to like each other, but they do.

This revealed the effect that and perseverance through hard a few students can have on the times.

And later Twitter brought reputation of an entire school. It these two rival teams together is a lesson for any school that has again. After Allen High School a presence on Twitter. Choose students used Twitter and In- your words wisely and think stagram to post disrespectful about the effect it could have.

One Coppell student said it comments towards Coppell students about Jacob Logan, DeSoto best when they tweeted “people fought back in support of Cop- worry about technology’s effect pell, and Coppell students be- on our genera- tion but tell gan to support DeSoto tweeting me if two fami“Coppell+DeSoto=one big fami- lies could have ly. #loveyouall” and “dear DeSo- come together to, Beat Allen, sincerely Every like this before #DeSotoU kid from Coppell.”

Though it started as trash #Coppell.” talk, this side of students on Twitter was different from any- Sammy Robben thing anyone had ever seen. It Sports Editor wasn’t just two teams; it was two

C ppell on twitter

Pin it to win it Cowgirl wrestlers in Knockout Sportswear Meet Friday Nov. 30 at Coppell High School in the large gym, girl wrestlers from all over the district came to wrestle and compete. The Coppell Cowgirls wrestling team showed their strength, winning the majority of their matches. Photos by Mia Ford.

Heli Dave

Kim Tran

Coppell Cowgirls

Erika Lozano

Cara Romeike

DECEMBER 2012

Top 5 sports stories of 2012 Arriving on Oct. 25, the Coppell varsity team began preparation for the regional tournament in Abilene. At the regional tournament, the rules change. Rather than playing the standard 19 matches, matches are played until a team wins 10. The first team to do so advances.

In the first round of playoffs, the Cowboys took on Duncanville where they only lost one match, continuing to the quarterfinals to play Grapevine. Against Grapevine the dominance continued as the newly seeded team did not allow a single match, taking ten matches to none.

As they continued to advance to the semifinals, for the first time in Cowboy tennis history a highly competitive Cowboy team took on Lubbock Coronado. Against the Lubbock team the Cowboys started with a struggle, with Lubbock eventually leading the Cowboys nine matches to three, meaning Lubbock only needed one more match to win. However in the midst of near loss, the Cowboys made an extremely impressive comeback, winning seven straight matches to put away Lubbock Coronado in very clutch fashion, 10 matches to nine.

For the first time, the Cowboys had made it to the regional finals where they faced off with El Paso Coronado, who, at the time was ranked No. 5 in the state, whereas Coppell was ranked 12th. In the end, the Cowboys fell in a very hard fought battle, 10 matches to three.

The Coppell tennis team finished the season ranked fifth in Class 5A, the highest in the program’s history, after winning district and regional champonships.

Sam Rice 2012 State Champion

sports 21

By Alex Nicoll, John Loop, Tanner McCord and Sammy Robben

Tennis in regional finals 10 / 27

Just like the Cowgirls volleyball team, 2012 graduate Sam Rice brough a state championship back to Coppell. “[CHS wrestling coach Chip Lowery] used my loss at regionals to motivate me to do better this year,” Rice said. “Look how that worked out for me.”

Rice also played football as an offensive tackle for the Cowboys and signed a letter of intent in February to play at SMU. Because of his size, he thought wrestling would be a good sport to get into.

“I was big and strong so wrestling just seemed like a natural fit for me,” Rice said.

In the moment of his final match, Lowery had a feeling that Rice would win.

“In his finals, I was confident that Sam would win once he scored the first points,” Lowery said. “He is very difficult to score on, so I knew we had the advantage.”

After Rice’s last pin for the match point, much congratulation was in order.

“When Sam won, I said ‘there you go’ to coach Kirk McBride,” Lowery said. “Then I went out and held out my hand and Sam slapped me five. It stung a little bit.”

Starting as a freshman, Rice impressed all of the coaches with his size and strength, including Lowery.

“There were definitely times were I was nervous that my streak was going to be broken,” Rice said. “But I pulled through all of that adversity and finished unbeaten. I completed all of my goals. I was undefeated, I am a state champion, but it is also kind of sad because I won’t be wrestling again.”

2/21

Coppell VS. Allen 9 / 28 In front of a sold out crowd at Buddy Echols Field, the Coppell Cowboys remained undefeated, winning a nail biter in overtime against the top ranked Allen Eagles, 27-24, in overtime.

The opening drive, Coppell drove the field behind the legs of junior running back Gavin McDaniel. The drive ended in a 35-yard field goal by junior kicker Adam Centers.Their next drive for Coppell led to 39 yard field goal for Centers.

Following a 28-yard pass from Coppell senior quarterback Colby Mahon to senior wide receiver Cameron Smith, Mahon punched in a one yard touchdown run on their next possession. After the extra point, Coppell took a 13-0 lead over the Eagles.

Late into the second quarter, Coppell fumbled and Allen finally got onto the board after a three-yard burst from senior quarterback, wide receiver and running back Oliver Pierce.At the end of the third quarter, Allen sophomore quarterback Kyler Murray led a drive for the Eagles that ended a four yard touchdown run by Murray himself. Allen took the lead 14-13 over Coppell going into the fourth quarter. Then the next Allen possession ended with a 49-yard score by Murray, giving the Eagles a 21-13 lead Coppell responded with Mahon who threw a 35-yard bullet to Smith for a Cowboys touchdown, after being set up by a McDaniel 20-yard run. Coppell went for a two-point conversion in which Luke Jenner trotted into the endzone to convert the two points. The score stood at 21 apiece with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, and eventually forced overtime.

“I do not even know, it was crazy, I was like ‘Oh my gosh we are here, we can do this. This is our time”, Jenner said.

Coppell won the coin toss in overtime and chose to play defense first.

Coppell junior defensive end Solomon Thomas and the defensive unit stuffed the Eagles on the first two plays. After an Allen penalty that moved them back five yards, Murray’s pass was caught in the end-zone, but after one of the most suspenseful moments in the game, it was ruled incomplete. Allen kicked a field goal to take a 24-21 lead over the Cowboys.

Coppell took over at the 25 yard line and it took just the second play for Mahon to connect with Smith for the second time that night, for a 23-yard score.

Coppell VS. DeSoto 11 / 24

The DeSoto Eagles were just too quick to take down for the Coppell Cowboys, as the Eagles put 42 points on the scoreboard in a convincing 42-14 victory in the Class 5A area playoffs.

DeSoto running back Dontre Wilson, a University of Oregon commit, scored on the first Eagle possession to pull out in front for a 8-0 lead.

The Cowboys took the ball and started to work, but mistakes would halt the offense’s progress. Four costly penalties, totaling 25 yards, forced a Coppell punt early in the first period of play.

“We just started nervous,” head coach Joe McBride said. “You cannot have miscues, like we started with, against a great team. Give DeSoto a lot of credit.”

Coppell senior quarterback Colby Mahon had a tough time finding his receivers early, though he threw a pass to senior Cameron Smith from 13 yards out to make the score 14-7.

Wilson found the endzone a third time on a 71 yard run to push score to 20-7 to end the first quarter of play.

The scoring would not stop for DeSoto. Wilson trotted in on a 46-yard pass from junior quarterback Desmon White to increase the lead to 28-7 at halftime.

“The Lord put me here, and he knew what he was doing when he put me here,” Mahon said. “[The game] did not turn out how we wanted it to, but to God be the glory every single time, no matter what the outcome.”

Through the season’s ups and downs, the Coppell team has had to battle adversity from the start.

Photos by Rachel Bush, Rinu Daniel, Rowan Khazendar and Mia Ford Photo Illustration by Julianne Cauley

Back-to-back volleyball state championship 11 / 17 After defeating the New Braunfels Lady Unicorns 3-2 (25-14, 25-17, 22-25, 23-25, 15-10) on Nov. 17, the Coppell Cowgirls can say they are state champions again.

The match was challenging for the Cowgirls who had not dropped a set in nine matches, six of which were playoff matches. After being consistently up in the first two games the Cowgirls fell short in the third and fourth. The Lady Unicorns ran a slide play repeatedly that hurt the Cowgirls defense. Despite these losses, and being down four points in the last game, the Cowgirls fought their way out and took home the gold.

“They are great player,” Coppell coach Julie Green said. “They are smart and competitive and they know what they have to do. You take a timeout just to catch your breath and then you come out here and just say ‘hey we are going to take it one ball at a time. We are going to play this ball for this point and then we are going to let it go. Good or bad.’ You have to get to 15 so you can’t put the whole game on ball. You have to chip and put and get yourself back up there.”

See pages 12-13 for more information.

22 sports

DECEMBER 2012

Freshman skates to the top, stars on varsity hockey ALEX NICOLL Sports Writer

Usually athletes in high school rise through a program starting at the freshman level and winding their way up, but sometimes you get that rare athlete that jumps all the way to the varsity level.

Meet Rasmus Raikaa, or Raz as he prefers to be called, a young confident freshman at Coppell High School, and one piece of the formidable front line of the CHS hockey team.

Raikaa, a left wing, plays along with sophomores Lucas Mendes and Matt Lasky. Their line is responsible for 44 of the team’s 152 points this season and Raikaa is one of the top scorers on the team with seven goals.

“We are considered one of the top-scoring lines in the state,” Mendes said.

It has been a long path for Raikaa to be a starter on the varsity line. His love for the game began way back at the age of two in Finland. It all started with just skating on ice.

“When I was 2 years old, my dad took me out to skate on the ice and pretty much loved skating,” Raikaa said. “It then went to meet skating with a stick and then after that I started to play hockey.”

His family then left Finland to come to America because of his dad’s new job at Nokia.

Now hockey is not what you would say a well-broadcasted sport in America compared to Finland, and the style of play is different, so Raikaa had to adjust to the new environment. Hockey in Finland is much more competitive as well.

“Most people there [Finland] are into hockey and watch it, so I would go to a lot of games.

I also played on a team, but they were better than me. I did not like it when they were better than me so it made me want to get better,” Raikaa said He had no problem fitting in already joined with one hockey team, the Alliance Bulldogs travel team, and making friends with the hockey upper classman at CHS. “Our team is really young,” Mendes said. “The majority of us are sophomores, and we have a few juniors along with seniors so they were fine with it especially since Raz and I play on an older team with guys like Hank (Howard) so he was comfortable with playing with them.”

However, this is not to say that he never gets hazed or messed with by the team.

“Before games he gets pumped up by listening to dubstep and the whole team messes around with him because everybody hates dub-step,” Mendes said. “So whenever a dub-step song comes up in the locker room, we all yell ‘Raz!” So much in fact that they were not surprised when they learned Raikaa made his way to the varsity team. Most have seen him play before and knew his skill and style of play.

“We are on the same line so it is really fun because we play select together so that way our line dominates,” Mendes said. “He brings talent tour team and is a good goal scorer.”

Raikaa was not even surprised. He was confident in his abilities to play.

“I was not really surprised.

I was happy that I was on varsity but at the same time I was not that surprised,” Raikaa said.

This style of play, he says, has helped him dominate at this level.

Since he is more skilled-based than based in brute strength, he is better equipped to score and get assists as he can weave through defenders because of his quickness.

The size and strength of American hockey players was something he had to overcome when he got to the States. Raikaa said he relied more on his experience and speed to avoid defenders that, as he put it, “looking to take your head off.”

“Raz and I go way back. I played with him my first year ever playing hockey. We are the same age so we have been playing select and high school hockey together,” Mendes said.

Surprisingly, Raikaa thinks of himself as a passer and less of a scorer “I do look to score on my own, but I do not have the hardest shot because I am still one of the youngest guys out there. My teammates are usually already at the net so I look to pass it to them because I know that they can score just as good as I can,” Raikaa said. “I trust my teammates and give them the puck when they have the opportunity.”

But his teammates have different inclinations.

“He usually gets more goals than assist and he can bury the puck, so usually I want to find him so that he can score goals,” Mendes said.

Raikaa has seven goals and only four assists, so his teammates seem to be right in this situation, but that does not stop him from producing points on his front line.

“They move the puck really well and always find each other in the right spots,” Howard said.

He owes much of his good fortune to the head coach Ty Hennes and his coaching staff.

“He should trust me because I will not let him down,” Raikaa said. “I work hard and practice hard when I am out there. I will always do the best I can.”

Raikaa has been a major factor for the Coppell Cowboys varsity team helping them to an 10-2 record and second place in the Varsity West MHSHL standings, and his teammates know it.

“Raz’s work ethic is intense and he is going to do what it takes to win,” Howard said.

“I am really looking forward to going to state because I know we are a good team and should not have lost the few games we have lost,” Raikaa said. “We will and can beat many of the teams we have played so far, and we should be able to beat every team in the state.”

He does not hope to stop just with a state championship.

His goals are set even higher to achieve the ultimate goal of all athletes. Raikaa would like to play college hockey at Boston College or at a school in Alaska. Right now though he is more focused on the season.

“I am really looking forward to going to state because I know we are a good team and should not have lost the few games we have lost,” Raikaa said. “We will and can beat many of the teams we have played so far, and we should be able to beat every team in the state.”

Photo by Regan Sullivan

Rasmus Raikaa, number 44, is the only freshman on the Coppell High School varsity hockey team.

Graphic by Haley Madigan

Neff joins girls basketball as experienced head coach STEPHANIE GROSS Sports Writer

With the new 2012-13 basketball season comes a highly experienced head coach. After being a head coach for the past nine years, coach Ami Neff tackles her first year as head coach at CHS. Prior to coming to Coppell, Neff served as head coach at both Humble High School and El Paso High School.

Neff got started in basketball when she was in second grade, and she has been involved ever since. Neff honed her bas-

ketball skills by competing in Amateur Athletic Union leagues in middle school and high school.

Neff then went on to play college basketball at New Mexico Junior College and Oklahoma Panhandle State University.

Neff ’s main goal as coach of the girls’ basketball team is to build the girls basketball program.

She wants to ensure the success of the high school program for years to come.

“My staff and I are going beyond our campus and reaching out to coaches and our younger basketball players at our three respective middle schools,” Neff said.

Her goal is for the three middle school teams to develop into competitive squads that will enable the girls to compete for a district title when they reach the high school level.

When Neff first came to Coppell, her intentions were to make the girls team the absolute best that it could be.

“I thought Coppell was a great community,” Neff said. “It is very supportive of its high school, and I thought coming here to coach was a great opportunity to build a girls basketball team.”

So far, Neff has been working on building not only the varPhoto by Rinu Daniel

sity team but the freshman and JV teams as well. Neff noted the varsity team is made up of mainly juniors, and is learning how to play at a highly competitive and successful level under Neff.

“I am very excited about Coach Neff and what she plans to do for our girls program,” Coppell ISD Athletics Director John Crawford said. “We realize that we have a lot of work to do with the program. Our girls varsity team is improving and doing well as our JV and freshman teams are doing very well too.”

“Our varsity squad is still relatively young, and they are learning what it takes to win at the varsity level,” Neff said.

The girls basketball program also has very strong players who are developing on the freshman and junior varsity squads who will help the program in the upcoming years.

Neff is the third head coach for the Cowgirls in three seasons. Coach Nicole Collins was only head coach for the 2011-12 season, followed by Neff for her first

Coach Ami Neff

Coach Hodges, Coach Neff, and Coach McKinney smile with good hopes for the girls’ basketball team.

Photo by Rowan Khazendar

year at CHS for the 2012-13 season.

“Anytime there is a head coaching change for the team, it takes a period of time for the athletes to adjust,” Crawford said.

Although the coaching carousel has continued to spin for the Cowgirls, the girls are sure that Neff is here to stay.

sports 23

DECEMBER 2012

Goesling shoots for, scores point guard position JOHN LOOP Sports Writer

In a basketball season that seems to be full of new beginnings for the Coppell Cowboys, junior point guard Landon Goesling fits right in.

He, his Baylor-bound sister and his parents moved to Coppell from Bakersfield, Calif. last year.

Goesling, a two-year varsity starter for Garces Memorial High School in Bakersfield, still knows that Texas will be nothing like what he had in the Golden State.

“It was very hard to leave my teammates,” Goesling said. “I had a close relationship with all of them. It was a hard decision, but I feel like it was the right one.”

Goesling stepped right into the gym as a newcomer this season and earned the Cowboys’ starting point guard spot.

Like Goesling, Coppell coach Kit Pehl knows it is not easy to play in a new gym. When former coach, Brad Chasteen, retired from coaching at Coppell High after last season, Pehl left Keller Central High School to coach the Cowboys.

“Transferring to Coppell at the time that he did, it was new for everybody,” Pehl said.

“I think the transition has been easier for him, especially because everything has been new to ev-

erybody, as opposed to the Cowboy basketball system just being new to Landon.”

Initially, Pehl’s new system was a little overwhelming for Goesling, but the junior settled down after he began learning the intricacies of the offensive and defensive sets.

“The system back in California was more of a controlled system, you know, a ‘you have to do this, have to do that’ [system],” Goesling said. “Here, if you see it, do it.

There is a lot more freedom here.”

With eleven games having come and gone, the junior’s scoring average sits at 12.9 points per game.

B u t the stat that counts the most as a point guard is the passing record, and Goesling has had his share.

“That has been my role since Photo by Lauren Ussery

I was a kid,” Goesling said. “All the point guards I watched growing up, I liked what they did. But I always enjoyed the pass, the nice pass. Scoring is always good too, but I think that [passing] has always been my role, and I hope to continue it.”

Goesling’s teammates embrace the fact that he can make the right pass when it counts.

“When you think you are not open, he can find a way to get you the ball to where it looks like you are open,” junior guard Ike Obialo said.

The process that envelops the point guard position involves watching the example of others.

In Goesling’s case, the player of his affection is Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo. “ H e [Rondo] can completely dominate a game without even scoring,” Goesling said. “He makes his teammates better, and I try to model my game a little bit like him.”

Apparently thinking like a pro has paid

Photo by Jessica Rivera off. Pehl has already seen steady improvement in Goesling’s decision making, although there is always room for more.

“I think at times, and this a compliment to a degree as well, Landon wants to share the ball so much to the point that the guy that he is going to share it with doesn’t know, and it will end up being a turnover,” Pehl said. “His turnover-to-assist ratio is a little high on the turnover Junior Landon Goesling looks to make a pass durside at the mo- ing the game against Duncanville. ment, but I think With Goesling at the helm it is a role that he is growing into.”

Pehl also sees an inkling of on the court, and Pehl in the his old playmaker, 2011 Keller driver’s seat on the sideline, the Central graduate Warren Sledge Cowboys, along with their newest member, could be poised to Jr., in Goesling.

“I think both of them, make a deep playoff run.

“I feel like I have grown when the ball is in their hands, it doesn’t occur to them that some- as a player [through three years thing might not work out,” Pehl of varsity basketball],” Goesling said. “They play without fear, and said. “I have become more mathey just play the game. They are ture of a player, grown as a teamalmost surprised when something mate, [and] grown as a leader. It has been a great journey.” does not work out.”

influence, as he has a father who played college basketball for a small Division III school in New York called St. John Fisher. Barden does not quite know if college basketball is in his future, however it is definitely an option.

“If the opportunity is there and it is the right situation for me, then I would think about playing in college,” Barden said.

For now, however, Barden will maintain his role as a forward for the Coppell Cowboys. As a senior, Barden has moved up to take a leadership role amongst the players. This year’s team is a very young team, and with first year coach Kit Pehl and overall change of the program, a sense of leader-

ship is a necessity. Especially with the graduation of last year’s senior class which was one of the strongest classes to pass through Coppell in years.

“Last year we graduated a very strong class,” junior guard Brandon Watson said. “Patrick and the rest of the seniors have stepped up to fill that position.”

Barden takes court as leader of fresh varsity team

TANNER McCORD Sports Writer

For some athletes, especially those who are younger, choosing one sport and sticking with it can be quite the process. Even Michael Jordan retired from basketball to play baseball in midst of his legendary NBA career.

However, for others, after all the little league and middle school days are over, high school is the beginning of student athletes’ single sport focus.

For senior forward Patrick Barden, basketball has been his sport of choice since day one.

Barden grew up with a basketball

Photo by Jessica Rivera

Photo by Lauren Ussery

Senior Patrick Barden leads the varsity Cowboys basketball team this season. (Left) He stays open to intercept a pass from South Grand Prairie on Dec. 11. At the same game, Barden scores a two point layup.

Barden agrees, as he feels that although the last group of seniors was a very strong group, the 2012-13 seniors know what it means to be leaders, and even some of the younger players have been stepping up to take on the vital roles needed for a successful team. The team as a whole agrees that Barden in particular has stepped up for the squad, as he received the most votes in the running to become a team captain.

Not to mention the new coach that has stepped in to take over this varsity basketball team.

Pehl took the head coaching job after long time coach Brad Chasteen decided to leave the Cowboys. Pehl’s new strategy and overall theory has brought great change to the Cowboy program and although every team needs some time to adjust to a new coaching style, the team seems to be picking up the program nicely.

“Not only is he capable of telling guys what he wants them to be, from his own standpoint he’s never short of giving everything he’s got,” Pehl said. “Its easy to jump in when things are going well, but [Barden] is a guy who’s voice is heard even at a point of adversity.”

Although it is still early on in the season and there are still a few kinks here and there, Barden has a positive outlook on the future of this 2012-13 basketball squad.

“I think we got off to a bit of a rocky start with a new coach and basically a whole new team,” Barden said. “But we’re turning things around and I can see things getting a lot better for us as the season moves on and we continue to learn from each other.”

24 the sidekick Nov. 17

Photo by Rowan Khazendar

DECEMBER 2012

Jan. 20

To read more about 2012’s most memorable moments, visit coppellstudentmedia.com

March

Photo by Rachel Bush

Photo courtesy NBC

CHS hosts Souper Bowl of Caring and nationally televised pep rally.

Coppell Cowgirls volleyball wins second consecutive state championship.

Nov. 6

Th

dekick Prese e Si nt Coppell’s

2010 graduate Sharon Mathai joins NBC’s The Voice as a contestant.

Apr. 3

s

most memorable moments

Photo by Lauren Ussery

Photo by Rachel Bush

of

Marching band advances to the state competition, claiming 5th place.

Oct. 14

2012

Hail storm strikes North Texas, damaging many vehicles and homes.

Oct. 16

Staff photo

Sept. 12

Sept. 28

Photo by Rinu Danial Photo courtesy Kiley Bratton

Photo by Lauren Ussery

A record of 21 seniors qualify for National Merit Semifinalist based on PSAT scores.

Loss of seniors Jacob Logan and Jonah Blackwell

Coppell Cowboys football beats the Allen Eagles and finishes with undefeated season.

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