Volume 27 Issue 1 by The Sidekick

c o p p e l l s t u d e n t m e d i a . c o m Volume 27 | Number 1 | October 2015

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEXT? After a new arena and field house, what students should know about necessary campus renovations PAGE 12-13

photo by Mallorie

Munoz

INSIDE Trump in Dallas

Do we need to take down the flag?

Poppinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for Popchata

Experience the Donald Trump rally among supporters, protestors PAGE 5

Rousseau and Venkatraman shed light on the pros and cons of flying the Confederate Flag PAGE 8

Student created website features music news, reviews and playlists PAGE 19

THE SIDEKICK

Teacher of the Issue

Yakubovsky’s passion for engineering and science allows his students to reach their full potential

written by Lina Pyon Staff Writer @linalinaapril

The leading figure in the STEM program, Mike Yakubovsky, has helped Coppell High School in many ways regarding the math, engineering and science fields. Yakubovsky transferred from being a science teacher at Coppell Middle School East in 2006 to teaching at Coppell High School in order to expand the engineering program. He won a Tech Titan of the Future High School award this August, which recognizes teachers who innovatively teach and inspire students. During his first year, he took over the engineering program and expanded it to a longer, more in depth four year plan for students. His passion for wanting his students to be the best they could possibly be shows in an unconventional, yet noticeably prosperous way. When asked what he does to get students to reach their highest potential, Yakubovsky said “giving [students] the opportunity to grow.” What distinguishes Yakubovsky from Photo by Farah Merchant most teachers is that he centers his class Coppell High School STEM teacher Mike around letting his students thrive and learn Yakubovsky helps students understand instructions on their own, which includes students on an assignment during fifth period at Coppell High teaching themselves and others. Both situations allow students to gain confidence School on Sept. 22. Yakubovsky’s students are working on designing a solar car using by using the that they enjoy and recognize an opportunity to excel. technology provided in class. “He knows when to help us but he won’t

october 2015 do everything for us,” CHS senior Zane Erickson said, “He’ll step in when he’s needed but he lets us make our own mistakes and grow outside of the regular classroom ways.” Yakubovsky knows how much he needs to push students into something they might not be comfortable with: just enough so that once they have that start, they realize their own abilities to take things further on their own. And that is exactly what Yakubovsky strives to do everyday. In the busy, ever find changing environment of a classroom, especially one such as engineering, change is something not to be avoided but embraced. He sees this as his favorite thing about being a teacher. “It’s never the same thing. Everyday it’s new and different,” Yakubovsky said. “It’s really the most fun part for me, that day to day challenge of figuring out how to get them to where they need to be and ... watching them learn all kinds of new things they never thought they would know.” In his classes there is a similarity between student learning and science; both continually advance and upgrade. “[The students] tackle challenges and learn new things and overcome difficulties,” Yakubovsky said. Independence, improvement and innovation are his gifts to his students as a teacher and is a great plan for success. Congratulations to the Teacher of the Issue, Mr. Mike Yakubovsky.

Caviness receives presidential honor for outstanding teaching written by Amy Roh Student Life Editor @rohmyboat Coppell High School math teacher Jessica Caviness has been recognized for many accomplishments throughout her teaching career. Now, she can add meeting President Obama to the list. On July 1, Coppell High School math teacher Jessica Caviness was chosen as one of 108 recipients of The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. In addition, she received $10,000 from the National Science Foundation and a trip to Washington D.C. for the awards ceremony. Recipients were hand-picked by a panel of national scientists and mathematicians seeking to find the best teachers in their field. However, Caviness does not see this as a singular feat. “Winning this award was a group effort,” Caviness said. “I won this award on behalf of the math department and Coppell ISD. Everyone in the district has made me who I am so I don’t want the award to be all about me. It’s a joint effort.” In February 2013, Caviness was nominated for the award by Coppell ISD director of mathematics Mary Kemper and CHS Principal Michael Jasso. “I recognized Mrs. Caviness’s intentionality as a reflective teacher, always seeking to improve,” Kemper said. “I chose to nominate her, knowing she would persevere

through the application process, reflecting on her practices and communicating what makes her classroom worthy of such an award.” After completing the lengthy application process, which included a 10 page essay and a video component, Caviness sent it to the state to be evaluated. “The state level chose four math and science teachers out of the big pot of applications to be state winners,” Caviness said. “From there, they sent those four winners to Washington and The National Science Foundation read through them all and graded us. They chose one math and one science to be the national winner.” Caviness then flew to Washington D.C., where she received her award, toured the White House and met President Obama. “We had an agenda which was packed with staff development, we met with different speakers, and we collaborated on different educational topics,” Caviness said. “Then the following day, we toured the White House and got our picture with President Obama and shook his hand. He was very outgoing, very supportive of education and very cool.” Caviness’ husband David Caviness was there to experience it all. “I was very proud of my wife and excited for her,” David Caviness said. “She goes above and beyond the call of duty, of which I witness behind the scenes.” Washington may be noticing it now, but CHS students and faculty have always recognized her ability to go above and beyond.

Photo Courtesy Jessica Caviness Coppell Teacher Jessica Caviness is awarded the 2013 Presidential Award in July at the White House in Washington D.C. The award recognizes science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) teachers for their creative use of technology in the classroom.

“I’m not surprised one bit that she won this award because she is an amazing teacher and anyone who has had her would agree,” associate principal Kayla Parker said. “Students are always begging to be in her class and excited after they’ve had her.” The students, before anyone, have known her best teaching. Not only does her teaching affect the students, but the community as well. “What she does spreads beyond the classroom, into the community and the community sees that and recognizes it,”

Mathematics department chair Ian Vanderschee said. As for her future plans, Caviness is here to stay. Potential opportunities may come after her receiving the award, but she is in no rush to leave CHS. “A lot of people who win this award do go on and a lot of doors open for us,” Caviness said. “But I don’t have any urge to leave the classroom right now. I love teaching and I love what I do. I don’t want to go onto any other field right now.”

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

CHS Breaks with Record

written by Mallorie Munoz Managing Editor @munoz_mallorie

A Coppell ISD record-breaking 36 National Merit Semifinalists were announced on Sept. 9, a large increase in comparison to the 24 students named in the 2014-2015 school year. To enter this prestigious competition, seniors took the 2014 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQ®). Based on their scores, students were then named Semifinalists. Approximately 16,000 students nationwide, one percent of the nation’s high school seniors, were announced as semifinalists, with 15,000 of these students are expected to continue on as finalists. Students in the running as finalists must submit a scholarship application, academic records, letters of good standing, a record of community involvement, a high SAT score and a written essay. With an outstanding application, students can expect to move ahead in the competition. Photo Courtesy Coppell High School “The biggest ben-

National Merit Semifinalists

efit is the scholarships, and I am grateful for the opportunity to earn them,” said CHS senior John Alberse, a National Merit Semifinalist. Besides recognition on a national level, benefits to being a National Merit Semifinalist include scholarships, both small and large, with some schools offering close to full rides just for achieving the semifinalists standing. Alberse hopes to attend the University of Oklahoma in the fall, which has the highest number of National Merit Scholars enrolled in the country. As with any accomplishment, hard work and dedication were required from each semifinalist and for CHS senior Julia Sircar, hard work is precisely what she owes her achievement to. “I seriously spent my entire summer at KD,” said Sircar, in reference to the Karen Dillard College Prep program that many CHS students attend. Sircar’s number one college choice is the University of Southern California, which she hopes to attend after earning scholarship money from holding National Merit status. National Merit Finalists will be named in February and the 2016 National Merit Scholars will be named starting in April.

Coppell High School 2015 National Merit Semifinalists John Alberse • Zachary Begland • Dhathri Bobba Jarrad Cisco • Asutosh Dhakal • Tanvi Gupta • Inamdar Hrishikesh • ShaoPo Huang • Ayoung Jo • Ethan Judd • Tejas Kalanithi • Vinay Kalvacherla • Taeeun Kim • Daniel Koh • Raghav Kotha • Surbhi Kumar • Anna Kustar • Sydney Legee • Anushka Limaye • Pooja Marella • Joseph Overman • Sriram Palepu • Shivani Patel • Giselle Peng • Zachary Pranske • Neha Purandare • Sajani Raja • Ananya Rajesh • Surabi Rao • Vishaal Sakthivelnathan • Prinon Shahed • Robert Shi • Amogh Singhal • Julia Sircar • Dev Thimmisetty • Katherine Yut.

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

New definition of

OVERCROWDED

‘‘

All-time high population leads to bigger classes, changes in procedures

We can complain

about it, we can let it

‘‘

bring us down or we can fight

through it and

still get the

best experience..........

possible..........

Michael Vergien International Baccalaureate English Teacher

written by Sakshi Venkatraman News Editor @oompapa1 With the increasing population of Coppell and continuous pull of Coppell ISD’s exemplary status, Coppell High School’s ever-growing population has reached an all-time high. Pushing 3,300 students, CHS is, for the first time, seeing classes of 40 or more become increasingly common. While the district is hard at work trying to solve the problem, instructors and learners have had to adapt to a vast amount of changes in their everyday routine. A few teachers, including International Baccalaureate (IB) English teacher Michael Vergien, whose seventh period class contains over 40 students, have had to move his larger classes to the lecture hall. “Classes have gotten larger every year since I started here,” Vergien said. “It’s hard to have meaningful conversations with students because there are just so many of them.” As one of the primary facets of the IB program is its extensive amount of writing, Vergien also expressed that the larger overall amount of students he has prevents him from assigning as much writing as he would like. “It does make it difficult for me to give [my students] meaningful feedback in a timely manner,” Vergien said. “And I think across the whole school [students] don’t even try to ask questions anymore.” Students across all grade levels are

adapting to the change, as well. Many have never experienced a classroom with over 30 students until this year.” “I think any class size more than around 22 is ineffective,” CHS junior Soumika Karusala said. “Forty plus people in a class kind of makes it harder to learn. [In the bigger classrooms], you don’t really get to know everyone and it’s important to know people in your classes so you can collaborate with them.” In concurrence with the seemingly explosive core-class growth, many extracurricular courses are also feeling the effects of the mass amount of students coming to CHS. “I have three classes with 40 students each back-to-back,” KCBY adviser Irma Kennedy said. “I’m fortunate to have a little bit more space because of the [KCBY] studio but I don’t have all the resources that I need for that many students.” As the number of students in Kennedy’s classes is larger than ever before, she has two distinct advantages over most other teachers facing this issue: her classes can expand into the KCBY studio and, since her classes are a mix between KCBY I, II and III, the older students and directors can mentor and help teach the younger ones. “I remember the day when people would say ‘no more than 25 in a class’ and that was big,” Kennedy said. “Last year we thought 35 was that magic number and I was at 36. Now it looks like 40 is pretty common in many classrooms.” Although many students and faculty members are unhappy with the changes, the district and the CHS administration team are working hand-in-hand to try and take the first steps in solving the problem. “It’s pretty clear we need more space,” Principal

Mike Jasso said. “However, we will always welcome students to Coppell High School. Whatever we do, we want to maintain that environment.” Whilst the rumors of new high schools and freshman centers have spread rampantly since day one, the district has not yet made any final decisions as to how they will address the problem of overcrowding. “The board is currently looking at different options of how we’re going to handle student growth,” Coppell ISD assistant superintendent Sid Grant said. “There is nothing specific to report yet but there will be a workshop to talk about the different options. We’re looking to have a bond election possibly this next year in order to pay for any additions we make.” Although, for a short-term fix, Jasso said, the CHS administration will try to make sure every classroom is being used during every class period. This will be accomplished by a greater number of “floating teachers” moving from classroom to classroom throughout the day. Jasso also said when scheduling especially large classes, administration makes sure to schedule them with teachers that can handle it. “Having the right teacher is important, also,” Karusala said. “We have Mr. Vergien, and he is a great teacher. So even though we have [such a large class] he manages to take care of all of us and talk to each of us.” Vergien, while adjusting to the new load, is also grateful for his students, who are taking the changes in their stride and working through issues with him. Overall, he is optimistic about the future and has complete faith in his superiors. “We can complain about it, we can let it bring us down or we can fight through it and still get the best experience possible,” Vergien said. “I feel confident that the school and district are trying to make the situation better.”

photo by Chelsea

Banks

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

Trump rally in Dallas draws big crowds, both supporters and protestors rector Scottie Nell Hughes, who addressed the crowd as either people who are “here to make America great again” or to “see the Trump phenomenon.” As Hughes left the platform, the audience held a collective breath, waiting for either their political hero or pop culture icon. When Trump finally stepped out a few minutes past schedule, his supporters from all sides of the arena roared with excitement. Trump wore a navy suit and red tie, which was fit for his fiery speech that soon followed. As soon as the crowd calmed down, he jumped right into it. He addressed how “the hatred is so incredible” from people who don’t support him, asking the audience if he should mention the names of individuals he discussed.

written by Meara Isenberg Staff Writer @mearaannee DALLAS - At 6 p.m. on Monday, the American Airlines Center was littered with posters and American flags held by an estimated 15,000 people, all waiting for one particular person to step up to the podium. The rally for R epublic an presidential candidate D ona ld Tr u m p, held in downtown Dallas, sold out in only four days, and featured the longest speech to date. But the true reason for the tremendous turnout was stated by introductory speaker and Tea Party News Network Di-

Trump took the unanimous cheering as a yes and proceeded to call Washington Post writer George Will “a disaster” and Republican political consultant Karl Rove a “total incompetent jerk.” As far as the press was concerned, Trump didn’t stop there. He asked the audience to give a thumbs up if they liked the press. When the crowd became quiet, he asked if the opposite was true, leading them to cheer in agreement again. He was angered by a headline that presented another candidate as a close second to him in the Republican polls when he was in the clear lead, saying “where’s my name?” As for the race, Trump made it clear to the audience that he was in it to win it, “Unless I win, it’s been a total waste of time,” Trump said. “Nobody’s going to be able to do the job that I’m going to do.” After discussing controversial topics from his past speeches such as his opinion of women, Trump stated that, “I cherish women; I’m going to take such great care of women’s healthcare.” The biggest reaction then came when he addressed perhaps the most sensitive topic he has taken a side on so far in his campaignimmigration. “We have to stop illegal immigration.” Trump’s brash statement was met tremendously by the audience, who gave him a standing ovation. “We have to build a wall,” Trump

said, referencing Israel’s West Bank Barrier, “walls work.” He was very optimistic about his plans for the wall and what it would mean for future immigrants, “We are going to have a great border; we want people to be in our country, legally,” Trump said. Meanwhile, right outside of the rally, more than 1,000 people couldn’t disagree more. Protesters marched from the Dallas Roman Catholic Cathedral to the AA Center, chanting “dump the Trump!” and “sí se puede!,” which translates to “yes we can.” The protest, organized by the North Texas chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, involved passionate Dallas citizens such as protestor Mike Jefcoat, who had some strong points to make against Trump’s immigration plans. “Donald Trump is coming about in our country right now in an opportune time for a racist, fascist, type of approach against the people of this country,” Jefcoat said. “He’s talking about deporting 11 million people over two years. If you think about the logistics of deporting 11 million people, you are talking about families and homes and creating more disaster in its wake than we have right now. We do need smart immigration, we need an immigration that allows people a right to citizenship.” Jefcoat spent the afternoon on both sides of the battleground, and what he witnessed only added fuel to his argument. “I was in there,” Jefcoat said. “I’m out here and in there, and I can tell you that unless people get involved in their local politics and grassroots, there’s not going to be a change in this country.”

ogh

kick

ide he S

on lly M

the Sidekick

Kelly Monoghan

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

EDITORIAL

mixed messages

You unlock your iPhone; you slide over to Twitter and you open up the oh-so familiar app. Why do you open it? To see your friend’s tweets, see the newest celebrity Twitter rant, or to read about current events? If this last option seems out of place, perhaps we should discuss why Twitter is a news source for some, and whether it really should be. As journalists, we are constantly watching, reading and reporting the news. The way in which we disseminate this news has changed drastically in the last 10 years. As a staff, we utilize Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to spread news

in addition to the conventional newspaper and website sources. But for many, perhaps the way they read about the news on Twitter is inefficient and may even be a misleading way to obtain news. Twitter spreads news through the moments page. A combination of news, sports, entertainment and fun, this section on Twitter encompasses all aspects of news. Unfortunately, many teenagers will only pay attention to the fun page. Why? The fun page will combine everything: celebrity news, pop culture and trending hashtags. But is this page a good way to read news? An example

Social media provides misinformed news for the public

of the misuse of this page is the McKinney police brutality controversy. The “twittersphere” only saw a small portion of the alleged “police brutality” video which created much backlash. With just one video, taken out of context, the story had already taken a life of its own before any real reporting had been done. In fact, the officer involved also detained a white female teenager, but this was not in the video. Obviously, if you only watched the 30 second video of the McKinney police officer using force towards an AfricanAmerican girl that circulated around Twitter, it would be very easy to cry, “racism.”

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP Adviser

Managing Editor

Editor-in-Chief

Managing Editor

Chase Wofford Rachel Buigas-Lopez

Mallorie Munoz

Managing Editor

Joseph Krum

Sloane Samberson

EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP News Editor

Student Life Editor

Editorial Page Editor

Sports Editor

Sakshi Venkatraman Emma Cummins

Amy Roh

Webmaster and Graphics Editor

Manu Garikipati

Marcus Krum

BUSINESS LEADERSHIP Communications Manager

Shannon Morgan

STAFF WRITERS

T.J. Andres Gracie Blackwell Victor Carrasco Eric Cashimere Pranathi Chitta Avery Davis Favor Emenyi Aisha Espinosa Valeria Gil de Leyva Elena Gillis

PHOTOGRAPHERS Chelsea Banks Sruthi Boppuri Ale Ceniceros Alexandra Dalton Riley Galloway

DESIGNERS

Austin Banzon

Nicholas Henderson Meara Isenberg Jesse Jun Jamie Kimbrell Wren Lee Lili Lomas Farah Merchant Lina Pyon Tanya Raghu Thomas Rousseau

Kathryn Rudd Gabby Sahm Alex Smith Grant Spicer Meha Srivastav Jasmine Sun Briana Thomas Chisom Ukoha Reid Valentine Kathryn Wiener

Amanda Hair Dani Ianni Ayoung Jo Kelly Monaghan

Aubrie Sisk Jennifer Su Maggie Theel Megan Winkle

Teenagers need to be extremely cautious in this world we live in. By using Twitter, and only reading short excerpts from significant events, the way news travels to us can be altered significantly. Journalists have an important job but with only 140 characters, it becomes that much easier to slant a story. With sources like Twitter, Facebook and other easy-to-access news sites, the opportunity to change a story becomes even more tempting as well as the ability to change a story with one misleading headline. This can only lead us to one conclusion, in this day and age, both journalists and

their audiences must be even more cautious. Teenagers should not draw conclusions from Twitter, rather, they should form an opinion by doing research. Not to such a point that they will become an expert, but at least knowing the full story from one or two sources can help things immensely. This is by no means meant to discourage teenagers from using Twitter or even from getting news from it, but we want to emphasize the importance of being informed which involves more than social media sites. Twitter is just a stepping stone to better, more informed sources.

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

graphic by Manu Garikipati

caution CELEBRITY ADVICE ahead

Vaunted advice deserves no special attention from teenagers, society

written by Emma Cummins Editorial Editor As teenagers, we tend to draw advice from a variety of sources. Our family, teachers, and most importantly, the people we look up to, which for teenagers can more often than not be a celebrity. For me, I have a lot of celebrity favorites, but sometimes the distinction between a positive role model and a fun celebrity

crush can be blurred. The best example of this is the popularity of Jon Stewart, the American comedian, whose political satire has rallied much support, in particular, from the younger generation. Why? Is his political satire especially witty, sharp or insightful? I would say no, but rather his advice and political commentary runs on the comic appeal and the fallacies are apparent when you dissect his monologues. But if it makes you laugh, and Stewart seems to be doing that pretty well, there has to be some truth to it. Unfortunately, Stewart’s popularity is so powerful that even an online petition has been set

up that wishes to choose Stewart as the moderator for the first presidential debate. My only question is why? Other than his popularity and celebrity status can Stewart offer anything substantial in the field of politics? The dissemination of popular opinion by popular celebrities is constantly bombarding teenagers, thus inhibiting their ability to think about any topic without the guise of humor or taint of popularity. Amy Schumer is another example of a celebrity who is using her fame to talk about political issues with her having no prior experience in politics. Her recent efforts, partnered with New

York Senator Chuck Schumer, to increase gun control has been given much attention by the media. Celebrities have a unique position. Armed with an army of devoted followers, millions of dollars to devote to whatever they wish and a voice to talk about whatever they desire, celebrities often choose buy into the liberal propaganda that utilizes witty and simple fallacies to trick the majority of the population into buying their sound bites. I, too, have fallen prey to heeding a celebrity’s advice as well as many of my friends. With no intention do I write this col-

umn to bash anyone’s favorite celebrity or the way they choose to form their thinking. I only caution you to take advice from someone who has fame and fortune with an acute sense of discretion, and to understand why this person may be giving advice on this topic. Celebrities have the right to say whatever they wish, but this does not mean they have the insight or expertise to be taken seriously. While celebrities may have something valuable to say, like any other person, we should take their advice as such, just like we would from a neighbor or average person you would meet on the street, not as an expert.

Coppell

VOICES

Wesley Viera, junior “Be careful to take celebrities’ advice because sometimes they might not have the same experiences as you do. Just because they have made it doesn’t mean that they can help you make it in your life.”

Murphy Scott, junior “I think that if that celebrity has had multiple cases showing upstanding character then they probably have respectable advice in contrast to a celebrity who sings songs about getting drunk and partying and wears promiscuous clothing 24/7’”

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

WE SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO FLY THE

CONFEDERATE

written by Tommy Rousseau Staff Writer The confederate battle flag should remain an important part of history, and a prominent symbol of southern culture. Although history is written, and sometimes rewritten, by the victors, they do not get to determine the truth. What’s giving the rebel symbol the most attention it has seen since the Civil War, is people attempting to viciously censor it due to its involvement in unfortunate recent events. One of which being its unlawful removal from South Carolina’s statehouse. A symbol is not always defined by those who carry it, especially when organizations

FLAG ‘‘

If you really want to censor history that includes racism, you might as well ban every flag of every nation on Earth.

that do nothing but propagate hate do so. Those who pollute the meaning of the flag while not benefiting society in any way do not deserve to fly it. Let us take a few steps back and deconstruct the whole politically correct movement pushed so fervently by many in the left. First, you can not offend people. Next, you have to be nice so you can not offend people. Then, you have to be their version of nice so as to make sure no single entity may ever feel left out of any one of your opinions. People hate the battle flag of

Photo by Nicolas

‘‘

PRO:

the Confederacy because they have been told it stands for racism. If they are not white, they will be offended by this knowledge. If they are, they will be offended on a minority’s behalf. Offense is never given, it is always taken. The battle flag has become much more than that, however, it symbolizes a period in history, as well as one of the distinctly separate cultures within America. Southern culture is different than that of the Northwest, or the East Coast, and deserves to control the symbols of its heritage and a history that people are proud of. Both sides of the Civil War were racist, especially by today’s standards. If you want to censor history that includes racism, you might as well ban every flag of every nation on Earth. Yes, that includes the United States. The Confederate flag holds no threat to national safety. Individuals, businesses and state governments should have every right to fly the Confederate flag. Whether it is a sign of protest, or a sign of culture. The flag can be taken down or changed by a majority vote from the people of the state, but not by the federal government, and not by a vocal minority of activists.

It is illegal to have legislation that discriminates by race, so states flying the flag are not miraculously enabled to bring back the Jim Crow laws. The only consequence left by flying the flag is people being offended, which is merely a byproduct of having an opinion. Those who wish to keep the flag in museums fail to realize that history is not confined to by textbooks and glass cases. A people and their history are inseparable. All people should be proud of their own history, not because it is the paragon of moral righteousness, but because it is theirs.

Henderson The confederate battle flag flying alongside the American, and Texan flag over a general store in Graford, Texas.

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

CON: Time to

take down Coppell

VOICES graphic by Manu

Garikipati

Displaying the Confederate flag is a leap backward for America

written by Sakshi Venkatraman News Editor @oompapa1 We are living in an extremely dynamic time period. This past summer alone, gay men and women were given the right to wed. Now, we are standing in the wake of possibly the first female president in our nation’s history, just after completing two terms with the first black president. The Confederate flag goes against everything that the United States of America stands to represent; freedom, unity, diversity, equality, security. So much so that flying it alongside the American flag almost makes both symbols appear meaningless. America is finally starting to overcome the bitter oppression that characterized much of its history. But on the issue of the Confederate flag, many refuse to let go. The most common theme heard from people who support the flag’s display is that it is a symbol of “Southern culture and history.” Particularly, that removing it would be equivalent to “erasing history.” To clarify, the removal of the flag from public property and government buildings is not a measure to erase the Confederacy from our history, but to contain it there, where it belongs. The fact that history must be learned from is unarguable. However, there is a difference between appreciating something as a part of history to be preserved and learned from and appreciating something as a symbol of an existing “culture”. Slavery happened; in its history, millions of African men, women and children died and millions more suffered. There was a Civil War; hundreds of thousands

died and hundreds of thousands more suffered. That facet of our history has long since passed. It happened, and we will never forget, but it is over. Now, in this dynamic time period, as the descendants of men and women who were once in chains shake off the last of their shackles, we decide to cling to one of the instruments of their oppression like a child to a blanket? It seems like a leap backward for mankind. Although the flag holds no direct “threat” to our nation, it does threaten the unity and the feeling of security among the American people. It encourages the prominence of sectionalism- holding the ideals of a particular area, the South, over the values and ideals of the nation as a whole. Why parade around a history we have spent hundreds of years trying to overcome? Yes, there are some people who genuinely do not have malicious intentions in displaying the flag, however, America does not have the same demographics as it did in the 1850s. The white majority America has kept for most of its history is beginning to decline. We are becoming more diverse. Maybe the flag does not represent oppression for Caucasian people but it does for many others. Millions of people who live in America today and are accepted today would not have been during that period in history. With diversity increasing everyday, a symbol of hatred towards people of color should not be displayed on public or government property. Also, many racists hide behind the “culture” in the Confederate flag to justify their underlying racial intentions. Indeed, flying a flag, burning a cross or screaming “Heil Hitler,” whether for the “preservation of culture” or not, falls under the constitutional right to freedom of speech. If someone wanted to tattoo the Confederate flag onto their forehead, it would not be my place to tell them not to. All I am saying is that the flag needs to be removed from government buildings and public institutions. We must stop to ask ourselves who we want to be and what we want to represent, as individuals and as a nation.

Jihae Choi, sophomore “I don’t think the Confederate flag should be used, even though you have freedom of speech and action. As a citizen living in America, you should pledge allegiance to only one flag. Supporting the Confederate flag is basically going against the whole idea of being ‘United’ states.”

Asad Lakhani, junior “It’s a representation of our past, it doesn’t mean that it defines us today. Instead it shows the development of our state and how far we’ve come.”

Amruta Deole, junior “I don’t agree with the Confederate Flag because it supported the disunity of the nation and the cedeing of the states [and] was primarily caused by the divide between the South which promoted slavery and the North which was more liberal. I don’t really know how I feel about it other than that it represents a push for human servility which I don’t agree with.”

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

THE GIRL THE MAKEUP MASK WITH

Stiff displays talent through art of creative makeup written by Aisha Espinosa Staff Writer @aishaespinosa Coppell High School senior Taylor Stiff lays her makeup out on her counter and sets her camera up to get the perfect angle. With her face paint and other tutorial essentials at her disposal, she starts the creative process leading to her next video. Her website dedicated to makeup tutorials, The Makeup Mask, started with drama class in middle school. Watching clips from well known musicals inspired her to create a Halloween costume based on the musical “Cats”. Stiff planned her costume nearly a year in advance, and surprised her mom when she came down with makeup replicating Victoria, the all white cat. “I was shocked,” Roma Stiff, Taylor’s mom, said. “She was just preparing for a Halloween costume in the bathroom, and when she came down I was amazed at what I saw because nobody taught her anything. She just looks in the mirror and does this, and I think that’s really a talent.” After that Halloween costume, Taylor explored different kinds of face paint and makeup. When an English project came around focusing on what a student wanted to do in life, she took the opportunity to look at a career in makeup. “I made a video of the ‘Cats’ makeup and put it online for the project,” Stiff said. “And I kept it on there, because why not? It got over 45,000 views. That’s pretty cool.” Junior year, Stiff joined an independent study for art and decided to create a website to display her work for makeup enthusiasts and colleges. With the help of CHS art teachers Elsa Reynolds and Tamera Westervelt, Stiff was able to launch the website. Reynolds and Westervelt also helped Stiff by showing her different Photoshop edits for picture backgrounds.

“I got into pictures after that,” Stiff said. “And I tried to do a face paint every other week so I could edit the video and photos, and pick what to put on the website.” Her site is full of her photos and tutorials, ranging from Haunted House work to pieces for her art class. One of the art pieces she worked on qualified for the state level of the Visual Art Scholastic Event. Stiff won the area competition held at CHS. “It’s the one with the macaws in front of Student Services South, and she did a long photography shoot with one of the other students in the class that agreed to pose with her,” Westervelt said. “I was not surprised at all because she was a level three student, and for that level, it was an exceptional piece of artwork.” For now, Stiff is focusing on her senior year and looking ahead to what may come. There are many career options she is considering, including broadcast journalism, art, and even something in the makeup industry. “I would love to do this as a career,” Stiff said. “I think it would be really cool if I could be a makeup artist for movies or broadway. That would be really fun.” Both her parents and her art teacher can see her pursuing a career that would let Stiff showcase her talent. “That’s a contemporary thing going on right now, all the body painting, with models and even with forensic science,” Westervelt said. “Or if she wanted to do fashion, I think she’d be very successful in that too.”

To watch Stiff transform herself into Victoria from Cats, scan here

photos courtesy Taylor

Stiff Coppell High School senior Taylor Stiff paints faces, including her own, for art shows, Halloween and other events. Stiff entered the photo on the left in an art competition, and qualified for the state-level of the Visual Art Scholastic Event, winning the area competition held at CHS.

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

written by Nicolas Henderson Staff Writer @happenstance98 Coppell High School students have been known for being a generous group, with multiple fundraisers, charities, and cultural events occurring throughout the year. While these CHS students are making a tremendous impact locally, one student took her charitable actions a step further this summer. When senior Surabi Rao heard that she would be visiting India over the summer, she decided to seize the opportunity to give back. Rao is the president of the Dallas chapter of the Akshaya Patra organization, a nonprofit established in 2000 that runs school lunch programs across India. Their mission is, “No child in India shall be deprived of education due to hunger.” “Recently we held a college panel that raised over $500 dollars for schoolchildren,” senior Ajay Prabhu said of the organization. “I’ve wanted to visit a school that Akshaya Patra helps feed for years,” Rao said. “When my mom told me that we would be going to India, I contacted Akshaya Patra and they set me up with a tour of a kitchen in Bangalore and a government (public) school that gets meals from Akshaya Patra.” Though the experience of giving back is always rewarding, that does not mean that there is no hard work involved.

Crossing borders Rao travels overseas to support charity

“First, I visited an Akshaya Patra kitchen in Bangalore,” Rao said. “The kitchen was a huge facility with several floors, and gallons of curries and hundreds of pieces of bread were produced every hour. Then, my mom, sister, and I went to a government school in Bangalore that had 1st graders through 10th graders. My sister and I talked to the children about what they wanted to be when they grew up, what

their favorite classes were, who their favorite actors were, and more.” Rao’s trip brings a sense of unity in a way that it shows how even across the globe, students are talking about the same things we are . “I think it is incredible that these students are so similar to us,” Senior Manali Gore said. “Her stories from India are really amazing.” Unfortunately, Rao’s trip also reminds us of where there is not as much unity - in our quality of life. “Afterwards, I talked to the teachers and the principal of the school,” Rao said. “They told me about how difficult it could be to teach all these children without proper funding. A teacher told me that every month, every teacher in the school donated

a portion of their salary to buy supplies for classrooms.” The hard work did pay off though, as Rao explained. “The most rewarding part of my trip was actually seeing the faces of kids that I am helping through my nonprofit work,” Rao said. “When you live in Texas and you’re volunteering to help children in India, it’s really hard to lose sight of what you’re working towards. Meeting the children certainly helped me strengthen my purpose.” “I joined Akshaya Patra because I wanted to bring luxuries to those kids in India who do not have them,” Prabhu said. This gesture of kindness shows how easy it is to have a deeper connection with cultures that are different than our own and how similar we really are. “I remember when I was leaving the school, one of the girls grabbed my hand and said, ‘Please promise me that you’ll never forget us.’” Rao said.

Photo Courtesy

Surabi Rao

Coppell High School Senior Surabi Rao visits a school in Bangalore that Akshaya Patra has impacted with their meal plans. A $15 donation feeds a student for an entire year.

To visit the Akshaya Patra website, scan here

CHANGE

WHERE WE NEED IT? The Sidekick explores what is next for Coppell High School construction and development

Within the past couple of years, construction projects at Coppell High School have been an everpresent phenomenon. From a new gymnasium, to a new turf room in the field house, to a cafeteria that looks like the inside of a modern buffet, Coppell ISD is making an apparent effort to keep CHS great, academically, structurally and otherwise. However, while students are utilizing and enjoying the new developments on campus, there are still areas of concern that often inconvenience the high school’s large population throughout the day. For amongst the modern, technologically savvy environment which CHS presents, there are a few areas of the school that have not been addressed for years. These along with the fast paced, constantly changing design of the high school leaves everyone eagerly wondering: what’s next? A direct example of these issues-- the bathrooms, which have been untouched by machinery since

long before the time of Mike Jasso’s tenure as principal. In an investigation conducted by The Sidekick, on a given day, 19 percent of the sinks in all student bathrooms at CHS do not function, 19 percent of the stall doors do not lock, 15 percent of the urinals do not work properly and 11 percent of the toilets do not flush. There are also often soap dispensers that do not contain soap.

‘‘

I don’t think anyone would disagree with [restrooms needing renovation]. Mike Jasso, Principal

‘‘

written by Sakshi Venkatraman News Writer @oompapa1

“I think that the bathrooms need to be addressed sometime soon,” junior Rohina Aslam said. “They either don’t have locks or they don’t lock properly or they don’t flush properly. It’s really an inconvenience. It would be helpful to more people if [the district] ad-

dressed stuff that we use more commonly.” Another potential next step, along with the bathrooms, might be the athletic locker rooms, which have not had any work done on them recently. Varsity tennis player, Nicole Crumpler, claims the cramped state of the tennis locker rooms have caused further problems such as stealing, overheating and pests. “The tennis locker rooms are absolutely tiny. There are well over twice as many students as lockers,” Crumpler said. “Everyone has to at least share a locker; some people don’t even get lockers and they have to leave their bags out in bag slots which are just spaces above the lockers. [This creates] a problem with people stealing or using other people’s rackets and shoes. We have had issues with pests such as mice and ants and the locker rooms often get really overheated because there isn’t good [air conditioning] in there.” According to boys soccer coach, Chad Rakestraw, the lack of space and showers in locker rooms have been an inconvenience for coaches and players for several years. In his first year at the high school in 2011, the boy’s soccer team, which consists of around 75 to 80 kids,

shared a locker room with track, cross-country and Physical Education (PE). This problem persisted until his second year, when the team took over an old PE locker room. “We still have 75 kids in a space that should hold around 30,” Rakestraw said. “During fourth period athletics, we have wrestling, PE and soccer all at the same time and we only have one toilet, one urinal and one sink for over a hundred kids.” The biggest issue for Rakestraw’s team, especially during fourth period, is shower time. “There is a [shower] line, that’s probably around 15 kids deep every single day just waiting on a shower,” Rakestraw said. “There are only around 7 working showers for all three locker rooms to share. The kids don’t have time to eat lunch. Sometimes they are eating on the run; sometimes they just go straight to class.” According to Rakestraw, the original bond plan that included the constructions on the field house and the new gym included new locker rooms as well with separate shower sections and enough space for all the sports. This aspect of the bond was cut due to a shortage of funds.

“My hope is that in the upcoming bond, that we can get [the new locker rooms] approved,” Rakestraw said. “Hopefully they can see the need for it and get behind it for the kids. I want to be able to walk [administration] through the locker rooms during the craziest time of day and show them what it’s like.” Although these issues have not been addressed for years Jasso supports resolving the issues, especially if it involves the restrooms. “If the question is bathrooms, I am in total support of [renovation],” Jasso said. “They probably, at this point, need to at least be repaired and probably renovated and updated.” However, there is a lengthy process behind any decision made by the district, especially if the district is as large as Coppell ISD. “Usually any district our size, before they would go forth and present their plan, they have to get input from all the people that would be impacted,” Jasso said. “I don’t think anyone would disagree with [restrooms needing renovation]. The process to initiate change begins with the citizen’s committee, which includes parents and citizens of

the district. This committee would tour the part of the building that needs additions or renovations. If the school board determines they need to construct or renovate something, it would go to a vote of the taxpayers called a bond election. The wheels of this process are already turning. According to Coppell ISD assistant superintendent Sid Grant, the CISD Board of Trustees is working with district administration to solve issues concerning student enrollment growth. They hope to hold the next bond election in May 2016 to determine whether the district can fund changes or renovations to the schools. “These improvements and renovations to the existing CHS building, including any classroom additions and/or locker room repairs, would likely be a part of the same [May bond election],” Grant said. According to Grant, construction on the new gymnasium is projected to finish in November and then in five months the bond election is set to be held. Students, faculty and administration may be in the wake of another change before too long.

photo by Mallorie Munoz

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

Kelly captivates the crowd as new spirit leader

Passing the Plunger

photo by Mallorie

written by Chisom Ukoha Staff Writer @uchisom3

Munoz

Coppell High School senior Ben Kelly leads the student section in a chant during the football game versus Mckinney Boyd on Sept. 4 at Buddy Echols Stadium. Kelly was chosen by his predecessor CHS alumni Daniel Jones.

Being in front of the entire Coppell High School student section, parents and teachers, can be quite nerve racking, especially when you are tasked with getting them hyped up. It is a task that only a few are capable of, and senior Ben Kelly is one of them. “You get a little bit nervous before kickoff like right before you start the ‘I Believe’ chant,” Kelly said. “But right after you do the ‘I Believe’ chant all the nerves go away. You always get nervous, but it always goes away.” Kelly is the 2015-2016 Plunger Boy at CHS. He was assigned the duty by last year’s Plunger Boy, Daniel Jones, who is currently a freshman at the Air Force Academy. “My senior year, there was a

group of about 10 of us, juniors and seniors that would decide on what is going on with the student section and student body, and Ben Kelly was part of that,” Jones said. “So when it came down to who would be the next Plunger Boy, it had to be someone that was a good leader, someone that I could trust to be a good Plunger Boy. And going with that there are a lot of political things that go with it. It isn’t just who can yell the loudest, but who is responsible, who can sit down and have a meeting with the superintendent. I thought Ben was the best candidate for that position.” Kelly played on the varsity baseball team with Jones for three years, and they have been close friends ever since. In order to qualify as a Plunger Boy, one cannot participate in fall or winter sports so that they can perform at the games and pep rallies. “It’s really fun,” Kelly said.

“You get to be on the sidelines during the football games and get to lead the best student section in Texas. It’s just a thrill. It’s something that you look forward to all week and can’t wait until Friday or for Tuesday night to come.” Not only does Kelly enjoy his role, but his friends all think that Kelly is a perfect fit for Plunger Boy. “I have played with Ben my whole life, pretty much since we were about eight or nine.” senior Charles King said. “I think Plunger Boy is a good fit for him. Ben is really good at making people laugh and he is really energetic. He really gets the crowd going. Seeing him down there looks like a really good fit for him. It looks like he is having a lot of fun. It is good to see him there, because I think that he deserves that role and it is fun to see him down there every game day having a blast.”

Starry Night Anatomy, Earth/Space science classes leave students starry-eyed with sky watching party written by Aisha Espinosa Staff Writer @aishaespinosa1 As the sun sets over the Coppell High School parking lot on Sept. 23, a telescope is set up, and students start arriving. The rest of the campus is quiet, but the Astronomy and Earth/ Space Science students quickly make up a crowd, ready for a night full of stars at the first Stargazing Party of the year. “I try to organize as many of these as I can,” Astronomy and Earth/Space Science teacher Angela Barnes said. “It benefits my Astronomy and Earth/ Space Science classes, because at the beginning of the year we are all learning astronomy.” The astronomy students presented a range of topics, including constellations and the

scales of the universe, while the ESS students moved from station to station, filling out reviews about each group. “We present our projects about the different topics that we were assigned,” senior Vanshika Ganga said. “We also get to use the telescopes to look at the stars and the different lunar phases of the moon.” Most groups had interactive stations, using anything from physical objects displaying scale to digital presentations, and even online quizzes. “I taught about constellations, which are really important because they can be used for navigation,” senior Melody Siebenmann said. “They also have really cool stories behind them that could still be used today.” Her group used black paper and flashlights to display the dif-

ferent constellations, which other students found interesting. “That was really cool,” senior Catherine Connolly, an ESS student, said. “I also found that the zodiac signs came from the constellations, and had really interesting stories.” Barnes and new science teacher Gulshan Mir ended the night past 9 p.m., after all the students had stored their projects and all the potluck had been consumed. Barnes is hoping they can hold more of these throughout the year as the students go more in depth about astronomy. “My favorite part?” Barnes said. “I’m crazy about the moon. I love geeking out over the moon, and seeing students’ reactions when they see it through the huge telescope for the first time. They look in the scope, and they are just awed.”

photo by Alexandra

Dalton

Coppell High School Senior David Kim looks through Angela Barnes’ reflector telescope, named Beast, to view the moon during the star party on Sept. 23 in the CHS parking lot. “Although it’s only a sliver, you can see all of the textures on the moon,” Kim said. “It’s completely insane.”

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

Big Fish, big preparations

AINM

Coppell High School theater gets ready for this year’s musical front of their peers and director Lisa Tabor, hoping to get a certain part. After a week of grueling elimination and callbacks, the cast list was posted the first Friday after school. “This is the first real competitive audition for incoming theater kids,” senior Preston Straus said. ‘I was quite overjoyed when I got the part [of Amos]. It was the one I was hoping for the most.” The cast is made up of students of all grades including sophomore Katie Love as the female lead Sandra, Ty Dalrymple as the male lead and Edward Bloom and twin brother Jack Dalrymple as Edward’s son Will Bloom. Other roles include a witch, schoolteacher, barber, mermaid, cheerleader and a frustrated fisherman and many more. These characters may not have as big a part as the main three but they are vital for the success of the musical. “No role is minor in the theatre,” junior Alex Eason said. “Tasks assigned to individuals aren’t small; they are tailored to

written by Lili Lomas Staff Writer This is a busy time of year for the Coppell High School theatre department as it has begun preparing for the 2015 musical season. Preparations for Coppell High School’s annual musical production is underway with students and teachers dedicating several hours a week for the perfection of this year’s first musical, “Big Fish.” The Broadway show premiered Sept. 5, 2013, and will soon make its way to the CHS auditorium. However, as any theatre student or teacher can tell you, putting on a great show is no easy task. Before the 2015-2016 school year began, future “Big Fish” cast members were already hard at work learning songs over the summer, researching the musical and attending a workshop the weekend before school started. Next came the auditions. The first week of school, CHS actors and actresses sang and danced in

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

the capability of the person.” Since learning which part they will play in the musical, the whole cast has been going to rehearsals almost every day after school taking away valuable time from homework, family and sleep. “You do homework when you are not on stage and you really have to know what days you have rehearsals so you can plan,” senior Mayuri Raja said. During the tiring practice sessions, the actors work on practicing scenes, working on songs with musical director Gary Okeson, and perfecting dances with choreographer Whitney Bollinger. They practice scenes over and over until perfected, dance until their legs are sore and sing until their throats are dry. “The hardest part about rehearsal is that it’s at the end of the day and you have to give full effort even though you’re tired,” Raja said. “You have to push aside everything that happened during the day and get into character but I would say that’s also the most fun part.”

for fall

written by Gabby Sahm Staff Writer @gabbysahm

DIRECTIONS: 1 cup of walnuts (optional)

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1 teaspoon milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup canned pumpkin puree 2 cups all purpose flour 1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

photo by Alejandra Ceniceros Big Fish cast member and sophomore Macy McCready goes through her tap dance during rehearsal Sept. 22 at the Coppell High School Auditorium. McCready has been dancing for 10 years.

The time has come where we finally need to accept summer is over, and that school is back in session. Do not be too sad though, because fall is here. That means cozy fireside chats, falling leaves, and most importantly, cooler weather. If that does not cheer you up at fall, then this recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies from Allrecipes surely will.

that will PUMP you up

2 teaspoons baking powder

Perhaps the busiest person in the musical is Tabor, who oversees everything from costumes to props, hiring the musical director and running rehearsals. Tabor has been doing this for eight years. She takes on the most crucial task, which is directing the many moving parts of a musical. “It is worth seeing the audience happy,” Tabor said. “[Opening night] is just great because you finally give it over to the students at that point. You’ve done all you can and it becomes their show”. Working towards the “Big Fish” musical is very demanding for a high schooler with enough on their plate, but to them it is worth the thrill of performing on stage. Audiences will be able to see the fruit of their hard work on show nights which are Oct. 24, 26, and 30 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 25, 31, and Nov. 1 at 2:30 p.m.

1 cup of sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 3 4

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is preheating, mix the pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, sugar and egg in one bowl. After that mix the flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt in another bowl. Pour the baking soda into a cup with the milk then stir it into the flour mix. Finally, stir in the pumpkin mixture. By the spoonful, put the cookie dough onto a baking tray. Cook for 10 minutes or until cookies brown. Let them cool for a five minutes, then enjoy with a glass of milk by a toasty fire.

photo by Gabby

Sahm

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

THE HOUR HAS COME:

HYNDMAN PUBLISHES FIRST NOVEL

To preview or purchase Hyndman’s book on Amazon, scan here

written by Gabby Sahm Staff Writer @gabbysahm A lot has changed since Aimee Hyndman graduated from Coppell High School in 2013. Now a junior at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, she is about to have her biggest dream come true. She is having her first novel published. Hyndman released Hour of Mischief on Monday, September 7. The date could not come soon enough. The process has been going on since the fall of her senior year at CHS. “I have been writing basically since elementary school and I decided that I was going to be a writer in third grade,” Hyndman said. “It happened when I wrote my first book, that was 30 pages, creatively titled the third grade.” It was one tweet that sealed Hyndman’s fate, and brought her book to life: a simple “pitch tweet,” where writers tweet a summary of their story idea to an agent in hopes of them becoming interested for more. Once she caught the eye of one, the waiting game began. “It is one of those things that brings that avalanche of emotions,” Hyndman said. “One day you will think I am really excited and the next you will feel terrible and everyone is going to hate it, so I am always going goes back and forth.” CHS creative writing teacher Matthew Bowden taught Hyndman when she was a sophomore. He always had a feeling that Hyndman would do more with her writing, and always wanted to give her a place where he could nurture and encourage her writing. “Often times when she was supposed to be working on an assignment,” Bowden said. “She would be working on one of her novels, but you don’t discourage that because I had a vision in my head of where she was going.” Bowden could not be more proud of Hyndman and the future she has ahead

of her. Having a student achieve their dream is one of his favorite parts about his job. “I like to believe that I played a tiny part,” Bowden said. “I always knew she was going to be a writer regardless of if we met or not, but to think that I was apart of the journey is a really good feeling.” Bowden had Hyndman talk to his creative writing classes on Aug. 26 to tell her journey and the steps you must go through to publish your own book. Junior Sam Norris is a part of Bowden’s second period creative writing class. She has always enjoyed writing, and it is one of the things she has a true

passion for. Hearing about Hyndman’s journey showed her that she could turn that passion into something more. “It was really interesting to hear her talk about her journey because I never thought someone so close to my age could do this,” Norris said. “I always thought you had to be older so it did inspire me.”

Photo by

Alex Dalton

AINM

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

Local alternative rock band : m u b l Flood the Walls releases fir a ” t n w st album i r e n p e h u s l B Fre e h T “

photo courtesy Sunil

written by Sloane Samberson Managing Editor @SloaneSamberson With grungy love songs, raspy vocals, funky drum beats and intense guitar riffs, alternative rock band Flood the Walls is a breath of fresh air for rock music. After being put on the shelf for two years, it has released its first album, “The Blueprint.” Flood the Walls is made up of drummer and Coppell Middle School East eighth grader Chico Roy, vocalist and Coppell High School senior Adreesh Roy and guitarist and University of North Texas freshman Prashan Jeyarajah. For band members, the process of releasing “The Blueprint” was very smooth and stress free, for One Take Studios producer, Mark Cozart handled it all. “He [Cozart] said, ‘Give me two weeks,’ and began putting our music on different platforms,” Chico said. “He started with iTunes then a week later put it on Spotify and YouTube. It was really nice of him to do all of that for us.” Cozart’s nephew, Adam Dodson helped in designing “The Blueprint” album cover. “It took a couple of tries to perfect our album cover,” Adreesh said. “He [Dodson] made an initial design, then we changed it because it started out really corny. We toned it down by changing the bright colors to more subtle ones. After six different designs, he had created the perfect one.” Since the release of “The Blueprint”, band members have received a very positive response. “I have heard many good things from people regarding how different the sound is,” Jeyarajah said. “One of our goals was to make

people happy by trying out a new sound.” For Chico, he is awestruck when complimented about the album. “People will come up to me and say, “Hey, I listened to your album, it was really good.” I get baffled on what to say like, ‘Thanks?’ I don’t know how else to respond,” Chico said. Just like in any album, certain songs are listened to more than others. “Fresh”, “Miss Guided” and “The Blueprint” are three fan favorites that have been downloaded most frequently. Releasing an album has been very surreal, even nostalgic for the trio. “It is weird, five years ago I would have never expected to have an album, ever,” Adreesh said. “Just knowing that other people can hear me, is so strange. It’s also funny, hearing myself on the album I sounded like such a child. I recorded that sophomore year and I am a senior now. My voice had changed a lot.” Flood the Walls is taking a hiatus as Jeyarajah gets acquainted with college and Adreesh completes his senior year. Fans, do not worry though, it has hopes and plans for the future. “If we were to do another album, I would be all in, but I would want take a different approach rather than keeping our style the same,” Adreesh said. “No two albums from a band are exactly the same, ever. I would take a less punchy, hard approach and take a more mellow approach, with intricate sound.” While talking with band members, I was given an inside look on the experiences linked to and the meaning behind each song. I have provided that insight for you:

Roy

Songs It Was Good for the Time The Prowl Testing the Waters Being This song resulted from a “jam The most intense song on Based on a good friends experience, this is the second most intense song on “The Blueprint”. You see a girl or guy and they immediately catch your attention. You really want to be with them, and once you are together, things are not meant to be. “You are thinking, “It was fun for the meantime, but it wouldn’t work out in the long run. We just don’t click,” Adreesh said. “With such a humorous story came such a dark song.”

session.” “Chico was playing the songs opening drum beat and we just went with it,” Adreesh said. “After a while we made up lyrics to go along with the music. I don’t know why we wrote those lyrics, it just kind of happened. It was more about the music rather than the song.”

the album. You don’t want to get caught up in something, so you are testing the waters for it. “An on the surface example is you are wanting to date someone and you talk to their parents for the first time,” Adreesh said. “You think, “Wow her parents are a little insane, is she gonna be like that?”

Miss Guided

Promises of a Compulsive Liar

Crazy, passionate love. “You know like the new relationship feeling? That is what this song is about,” Adreesh said. Black and Blue “At the beginning you can’t get Is about not letting people get enough of each other.” you down. At some point in high school you feel like everything and The Blueprint everyone is against you. Written back in 2012, “The “I remember feeling like that Blueprint” is about loss. during sophomore and junior “At the time one of my best year,” Adreesh said. “I hated being friends had lost a parent to cancer, around people, I just wanted to and one of Prashan’s friends lost close myself off from people. In a friend from a terminal disease,” the song I use the metaphor of, Adreesh said. “We felt really bad, “everything was bruised on me.” I we couldn’t imagine life without cut myself off from a lot of people. someone so dear to us, so we For a good month or two I was just translated that feeling into a song. by myself, figuring things out.” We made the song for them with a message of: you can find solace in The Maps this, we are here for you.” Sometimes you find yourself in a situation where a person thinks Rock a Little, Roll Away you are oblivious and tries to take It is about feeling the music. advantage of you, but you are They reference a girl in that song, aware of what they are doing. It is but it is more about the music about being the stronger person itself, not the person. and not getting taken advantage of. “This song is just so grungy,” Adreesh said. “When we first Devil’s Got a New Disguise wrote it, we played it much dirtier “A wolf in sheep’s clothing,” than it sounds on the album. We Chico said. “Someone you think is used much more distortion on going to be cool but you find out stage. When I start playing this they are not who they actually are. song, I jive to it much more than They put on a really good mask.” any other song. I can just feel it.” artwork by Adam

“I was very mad at a girl who I felt played me,” Adreesh said. “I felt like she was not as committed as I was. I was putting in much more effort than she was. I felt as if she made a lot of promises that were completely untrue. When you get into a relationship, you are supposed to do certain things, and she didn’t do those things.”

Fresh

This song embodiesFlood the Walls’ opinion on teenagers in Coppell. “We feel like everyone dresses and acts the same,” Adreesh said. “Nobody is original anymore, and the very few people that are, I am friends with them. I look at certain people like, “Why are you all exactly the same? Be your own person!” Before I wrote this song I had visited somewhere, and it was just so weird how different the rest of the world is. We live in such a bubble that we are surrounded by the same people every day and we don’t really notice how uniform everything is until you see it from the outside.” You can buy “The Blueprint” on iTunes for $9.99 or listen to it on

Dodson | facebook.com/AdamDodsonDesigns

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

The Sidekick file photo

AINM

r i A k o o B c a M iser

, o fundra r o g P in B o r e e G , nual Ch s n a e s ’ r z a e i y r p ig at this h b s in W a C

written by Sloane Samberson Managing Editor @SloaneSamberson

Your palms are sweaty. The crayon in your hand is close to snapping in half. Your board, almost completely black, shows that you need to color in one more square to get a blackout. Preparing yourself for absolute defeat or sweet victory, you listen to the facilitators’ muffled voice through the speaker. “B4, that is B4.” In triumph you yell out, “BINGO!” For many Coppell citizens, this

is a familiar scenario they have experienced firsthand or watched close by at Coppell High School’s cheerleading team’s annual Cheer Bingo fundraiser. Whether you love bingo, are feeling lucky or just want to partake in some oldfashioned fun, Cheer Bingo is just around the corner. Cheer Bingo is to occur Friday, Oct. 9 from 6 to 9:30 p.m. in the CHS Commons. Along with bingo there will be raffle drawings throughout the evening, where you have the chance to win prizes such as a three month membership to the YMCA, an AT&T Stadium tour, a GoPro and a MacBook Air.

Attendees can buy iFratelli pizza by the slice, as well as drinks and baked goods, which will be served directly by CHS cheerleaders. Cheer Bingo has been an annual event at CHS for over 20 years. All money goes towards funding cheerleading expenditures, such as cheer competition travel and fees. For senior and varsity cheer co-captain Ashley Burgess, this year’s Cheer Bingo will be bittersweet. “I’m going to miss seeing everyone in the community come and play bingo, and just have fun,” Burgess said. “There are people

that come every year, and to see them keep coming is really cool. I hope that in the future Cheer Bingo continues to grow. I think it is a great activity for the community to come together and have some fun.” Freshman and junior varsity cheerleader Graysie Flynn is eager to run her first Cheer Bingo. “I’m excited to serve my friends and see who shows up, as well as see my friends who I don’t see as often because they’re not in high school yet,” Flynn said. If you do not already have your bingo or raffle tickets, there is still time to buy them. Bingo tickets are

$15 each and raffle tickets are $5. You can purchase multiples of both. “The best way to get bingo or raffle tickets is to ask any cheerleader, because getting them from a cheerleader is cheaper than getting them at the actual event,” senior and varsity co-captain Sydney Lambert said. If you do not know a cheerleader or do not have a way of getting in contact with one, you can contact varsity coach Tiffany Ganss at tganss@coppellisd.com, or junior varsity coach Reagan Richmond at rrichmond@coppellisd.com, and they will help you get in contact with one.

Jewelry, clothing and gifts,

OH MY! 20th annual Holiday House expected to be record-breaking written by Jesse Jun Staff Writer @jesse_jun16 On Sunday, Nov. 15, Project Graduation will be holding its 20th annual Holiday House craft show from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Coppell High School. Each year, over 100 vendors with unique items purchase booths in Coppell High School to sell their merchandise at the Holiday House show. “I’m very excited about it this year because it’s the 20th year

since this has been done,” chairwoman Shannon Samberson said. “I expect to see a lot of new vendors and new items that have not been seen before and I hope to see a record-breaking attendance and a record amount of vendors.” Along with the vendors and volunteers, many Coppell students attend the show with their friends and family. “I’m so excited for the Holiday House this year,” junior Hannan Sylla said. “Last year, I was so amazed by all the work the parents and kids put into making the

Holiday House really special, and I expect that the Coppell Community will do everything in their power to make this year’s Holiday House just as good or even better.” Any student or adult can apply to purchase a booth for the event.

To apply or for more information about the show, scan here

The Sidekick file photo

CHS Project Graduation put on its 9th annual Holiday House last year on Nov. 9, 2014 at Coppell High School. During this event, vendors from all over come and fill the school with their booths, selling clothes and spirit wear, jewelry, holiday decorations and so much more.

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

Big Fish, big preparations

AINM

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

for fall

written by Gabby Sahm Staff Writer @gabbysahm

DIRECTIONS: 1 cup of walnuts (optional)

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1 teaspoon milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup canned pumpkin puree 2 cups all purpose flour 1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

that will PUMP you up

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup of sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 3 4

photo by Gabby

Sahm

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

STUDY HARD, PLAY HARD

photo by Mallorie Munoz

Athletes putting in hard work on and off the field

written by Joseph Krum Sports Editor @JosephKrum Wake up. Practice. Go to school. Do homework. Go to bed. Repeat. The life of a high school athlete can get repetitive. No one enjoys waking up early four or more days a week for a multi-hour practice. Then, after practice each morning, going through a seven hour school day with hours of homework can be extremely exhausting. So why does society view athletes as jocks who just breeze through school and only care about their sports? One of the main reasons athletes are portrayed in such a manner is because of the media. I have personally seen multiple times in television athletes portrayed as “dumb jocks”. For example, in the popular TV show “Friday Night Lights”, Tim Riggins is a football player that is shown to not care about school at all and has a fairly low intelligence. Although it is all in good laughs, it has placed a standard in people’s minds that all athletes are this way. I have even seen other students look down on athletes academically, even though most of them, in my opinion, are hard workers. It is not just that people just think athletes have a lower intelligence. Many think teachers and coaches let failing grades slide just so athletes can play in their sports, since they would be academically ineligible according to UIL rules.

As a football player (football seeming to be the sport under the most scrutiny) I have witnessed our head coach, Mike Dewitt, express multiple times the importance of grades. We would not be eligible to play in any games for at least three weeks if we had a failing grade in a class at the end of a grading period. He always says that it’s on us to raise our grades, and is even lenient when we have to miss practice time for tutoring. A football player who has certainly broken the stereotype of the “dumb jock” outlook and, like Coach Dewitt has preached, takes his grades seriously is Seattle Seahawks’ star Richard Sherman. In high school, he earned himself a 4.1 Grade Point Average according to a story written by The Washington Post, and even supposedly pushed his teammates to do better and tutored them. Even though he is seen as a trash talker and a “thug” to some, he is considered to be one of the smartest players that is playing the game. After high school, Sherman attended Stanford University, which is one of the top academic schools in the nations. Just like Sherman, Coppell’s own Solomon Thomas is attending Stanford on a football scholarship as well. Even at Coppell, there are athletes who do not fit along with society’s view of them. Jarrad Cisco, a senior cornerback, is a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist. Cisco is one of only 36 semifinalists from Coppell and 16,000 nationally. For football, we have a total of eight practices a week and three of them are early in the morning before school. I’m not saying this for you to pity me, but it is a daily struggle to work through school and multiple hours of homework and even staying up late to get it done, just to have to wake up early to practice the next day. Also, the work that we put in mostly goes unnoticed. All summer, while most people are hanging out by the pool or with friends, we are either working out or practicing. I may be biased, but athletes have to be some of the hardest working individuals of the school in order to keep up.

photo from The Sidekick archives

Coppell High School alumni and former defensive lineman Solomon Thomas takes on Denton Ryan in his senior year. Thomas was able to balance high academic standards with great play on the field, earning him a scholarship to Stanford.

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

Football: Midseason Report

written by Marcus Krum Sports Editor @marcuskrum

In the first four games in this season, a new look has begun to form in this Cowboys team. A new identity has taken shape. This team has gone from one of the worst in rushing defense in the area to being the top team in the district in the category. The large sums of unnecessary penalties are no longer taking place. And although a difficult nondistrict schedule has put them at 2-2, this team looks built to win down the stretch. In a mirror image of last year’s 2-2 start, the Cowboys went into district play at .500, looking to get a win on Sept. 25 against an L.D. Bell team (0-4) that has struggled to put points on the board the last few years. In this year’s matchup, the Cowboys rolled in a 42-10 rout, putting them at 3-2 going into Southlake to play the rival

Dragons. Last year’s game against Carroll was lost on a last minute touchdown from Dragons’ running back Lil’ Jordan Humphrey, giving them the 28-24 win. This year, Humphrey and the highpowered Southlake offense (33 ppg) came to Buddy Echols and snuck away with the 38-37 2OT victory over the Cowboys after a failed two point conversion on the final play. Next, after a bye week, the Cowboys go to Richland on Oct.16 to play the 1-3 Rebels, who finished at 3-7 last season, and lost to Coppell 62-7. This game is going to be key for momentum going into the next week against Trinity. The following Friday, Euless Trinity comes to town for yet another home game against a top-tier opponent. Earlier this season, the Trojans defeated De la Salle, the then top-ranked high school football team in the nation.

In the final away game of the season, the Cowboys travel to Colleyville Heritage (2-2) on Oct. 30 in what could be a key game in deciding the third and fourth ranked teams in the district. Last year, in this crucial game, Coppell came up big, putting up 21 points in the first quarter then holding on to keep the 32-24 victory and the third seed sealed. On senior night and the final game leading up to playoffs, the Cowboys finish off the regular season against Haltom, who, after going winless last season, has already improved on their win total from last year, winning in week one against Grand Prairie. In a district known for stellar play from its two top teams, Coppell is a sleeper. This is a team that, once several things get cleaned up, looks poised to make some noise in district play.

written by Maggie Theel Staff Writer @magggggiee How many years have you played volleyball? Rogers: I’ve played volleyball for seven years and I’ve played club for four years. I’ve played at Instinct, Victory and Texas Advantage Volleyball (TAV). Myers: I’ve been playing volleyball since sixth grade. I’ve played club for four years now. I’ve played at Instinct, Madfrog and now I’m at TAV. I went to nationals with my club team over the summer and we won nationals. It was unbelievable, it was just the best feeling in the world to win nationals at such a young age. Osuji: I’ve been playing volleyball for three years now. This year will be my third year playing club. I played for Coppell Juniors my first club year and I played for TAV last year and this year.

photo by Amanda

Hair Coppell High School freshman outside hitter Amarachi Osuji goes up for the kill during the Cowgirls’ home match against the Richland Rebels on Sept. 22. “We’re doing really well and we’re working really well together,” Osuji said.

photo by Amanda Hair Coppell sophomore quarterback Brady McBride runs across the 30 yard line during the beginning of the third quarter, going towards the end zone for the second down with about nine minutes left in the quarter of the Cowboys’ week one 26-20 win over Hebron. At 3-3 going into the bye week, Coppell is looking for big district wins against Richland and Trinity.

What did you imagine high school volleyball to be like? Rogers: I knew it was going to be a lot of running, but I also knew it was going to be fun. Myers: I imagined it being tough and challenging, a lot different from middle school because we would be playing much harder teams. Osuji: I thought it was going to be exciting and really hard and it’s turned out to be both of those things.

What was your reaction when the coaches told you that you made varsity? Rogers:They took us in a back room and she had this whole speech and then she said, “I put you on my varsity team”. It was kind of embarrassing because I started crying. Myers: I was really excited and happy because I reached the goal I made for myself over the summer, which was to make varsity. I worked really hard over the summer, I went to Nationals with my club What was your reaction when the coaches told team and I also went to Iowa for high performance you that you made varsity? training. Rogers: They took us in a back room and she had Osuji: I was really shocked. I didn’t really think that this whole speech and then she said, “I put you on The Coppell volleyball team has not had a freshman on its varsity since it was going to happen, and so I was really excited. my varsity team”. It was kind of embarrassing berecently graduated star setter Kylie Pickrell. Currently a freshman setter for the cause I started crying. Arizona State University Sun Devils, Pickrell made the Cowgirl varsity team as Myers: I was really excited and happy because I a ninth grader in 2011. How is the season going so far? reached the goal I made for myself over the sumFour years later, there is a record-breaking three freshmen on the varsity Rogers: I think it’s a lot of fun; I really like the mer, which was to make varsity. I worked really hard over the summer, I went to Nationals with my club team. They include setter Mallory Rogers, starting middle blocker Mykayla coaches because they help and push you to get better. team and I also went to Iowa for high performance Myers, and outside hitter Amarachi Osuji. Having so many fresh faces on the varsity team is a sure sign that the Cowgirl Volleyball program is focused on Myers: We’re doing really well. We just started training. district on Sept. 11 and we beat Haltom in three Osuji: I was really shocked. I didn’t really think that building a foundation that will keep growing and improving in the future. Cowgirls coach Julie Green’s roster decision is certainly reflecting posi[games]. it was going to happen, and so I was really excited. tively on herself and the program, with the recent celebration of her 400th win Osuji: The seasons going really well, we’re actually and the team on a six-match winning streak. on a winning streak right now. We’re doing really Being a freshman on a team that is such a big name in the high school volwell and we’re working really well together. leyball world comes with a lot of pressure, but these girls are tough.

3 freshmen shine on varsity volleyball

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

there is a TIME AND PACE The Coppell High School varsity boys cross country team run a time trial early Saturday Sept. 26. The team runs every morning before school to prepare for upcoming meets.

photo by Jennifer Su

left Coppell High School cross country coach Nick Benton instructs the team after running a time trial early Saturday morning at Buddy Echols Field. The varsity team is preparing for a meet on Oct. 2 in Round Rock. The junior varsity team is attending the Jesuit Invitational.

photo by Jennifer Su

right Coppell High School junior Alan Huo attempts to better his mile time during the time trial on Sept. 26 at Buddy Echols Field. The team has been on a new regimen since cross country coach Nick Benton, new to Coppell High School, was hired.

photo by Jennifer Su

above Coppell High School senior Kaleigh Keyes and freshman Catherine Kimball run a mile the morning of Sept. 26 for the cross country time trials at Buddy Echols Field. Time trials are held occasionally to help runners improve their best time. photo by Ayoung

2015-16 Cheerleading Roster

Varsity Back Row (Left to Right) : Landry Jorski, Meghan McAdams, Riley Hopper, Coach Tiffany Ganss, Murphy Scott, Avery Zaves, Allison Cary Middle Row (L to R) : Kamryn Rogers, Delaney Winkler, Hollee Rogers, Mackenzie Dennis, Avery Mullins Front Row (L to R) : Nicolette Boaz, Sydney Lambert, Ashley Burgess

photo courtesy Kristi Hopper Junior Varsity Back Row (Left to Right) : Hillary Bellah, Ashley Fidler, Saige Culler, Sydney Reynolds, Kaitlyn Sork, Nicole Jordan, Addison Sork Middle Row (L to R) : Preslie Ladusau, Chloe Eubank, Graysie Flynn, Coach Richmond, Tessa Cisco, Madison Thomas, Maddie Brock Front Row (L to R) : Laurie Sanford, Ashlyn Judd

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

The judo

WAY OF LIFE

written by Marcus Krum Sports Editor @marcuskrum

At 9 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday, after several hours of instructing his students, Coppell High School Outdoor Education teacher Bill Parker steps off the mat and heads out of the Chamberlain studios of Martial Arts. However, the influence the sport has on his life extends well beyond the dojo, and, coming this October, will be extending right into the halls of CHS. Parker began his interest in Judo at a young age, and has fell in love with it since. He has been involved with the sport for over 50 years now. However, in recent years, he has been disappointed in the modern teaching of the sport. “I’ve been seeing over the years a decline in the quality of Judo instruction. It’s disturbing. You grew up with something, and you’re watching it, just year by year, get worse, and worse, and worse,” Parker said. “Yeah, there are some people out there that are good, but generally speaking, it’s been getting worse.” Parker has been instructing Judo to people of all ages for the last 35-40 years. Recently, he has found a way to teach it the right way - without forcing money out of people’s pockets. “I had a group of people, and I took them to a particular dojo. The person who owned it said ‘how much do you want to be paid’ and I said ‘nothing. I don’t want anything,” Parker said. “I want my guys that I’m bringing in to get a lower rate.’ So they don’t pay as much as other people who take karate classes.” This club, while it may come with a small fee, will also be a great instructional opportunity on the basics of the sport without having to pay the high expenses that may come with lessons from professional dojos. “At the end of last school year, I mentioned to [CHS wrestling coach Chip Lowery] that I wanted to start a club. Over the summer, I spent some time formulating how I would do that,” Parker said. “One of my friends, a long-time Judo buddy of mine, I asked him if he wanted to come and help and he said yes.”

23 Parker’s traditional martial arts knowledge leads to new club

Parker’s friend, Arthur Zwolski, has been training and teaching with him for years. The two want to show students the right way to learn the sport, rather than the modern form based solely on competition and winning. “We want to teach the old-fashioned, good Judo,” Zwolski said. “People will see how much value they get for themselves, not only how much they win, but how they approach the problems in their lives. It was designed not for fighting, but more for growing people.” Zwolski has over 40 years of experience in the sport as well. Growing up in Poland, he too loved Judo from the beginning. In college, Zwolski got qualified to be a certified instructor of the sport. For him, the physical aspect is not the only important part. “The most important part is that Judo is a way of life. The sport is very important, but also, I want to show the value that Judo has, not on the mat, but also show how what you do on the mat translates to your life,” he said. “It is very tight, the relationship between Judo and your life. It is like the back and the front of your hands. The good parts go between your life and the mat.” The applications to life, going back to when Judo was first started as an educational system, is one of the key aspects of what this club will bring to the high school. “It gives people an opportunity to learn the way it was originally meant to be taught. Right now, everything is geared on competition,” Parker said. “You go out and win, a lot of times with bad technique. “It’s a cultural thing, it’s a health thing, it will help you with all those other aspects of life other than trashing people out.” As a sport, as a way of life and as a high moral standard, the Judo club will provide an outlet for all students. “When you move in and throw somebody and they are in the air, and they’re a whole lot bigger than you but you got them, that’s a pretty cool feeling,” Parker said. The club will officially began in the wrestling room on Monday, Oct. 5 and will also meet on Thursday, Oct. 8. For more information, contact Bill Parker at bparker@coppellisd.com and room H107.

photos by Amanda Hair

Coppell High School Outdoor Education teacher Bill Parker preforms Judo moves at Chamberlain studios of Martial Arts. In October, Parker will be starting a Judo club at CHS, meant to provide an outlet for all students and instill the Judo way of life into its members.

THE SIDEKICK october 2015

HUMANS OF CHS photos by Pranathi

“I want to be a midwife. I have a really big extended family. I have lots of aunties and older cousins so when they get pregnant and give birth they give me their children to baby sit. I love babies. I love taking care of children. Last year I wanted to know what I was going to do in college. I just didn’t want to sit there and tell myself I’ll figure it out senior year. I was researching jobs that involve health science since I want to take care of myself when I’m older. I saw midwifery and it involved taking care of the mother and child. Whenever I have questions I ask Ms. Castro, my health science teacher since she has experience in childbirth and labor. She always gives me good feedback.”

Tiffany Adedayo, junior

“[I want to be] a chemist, a hobby of a novelist, a philosopher and I want to direct a play. I want to take a lot of majors in college.” “I like to do a lot of things. I like to read, I read like 300 books each year. I like to draw and I won multiple awards. I’m most passionate about chemistry because my dad is a chemist and a professor. I kind’ve just inherited it from him.”

Paul Kim, freshman

Chitta “On September 12, I competed in the Spy Girl Triathlon. It was only women, there were 971 women. We had to bike, swim and run. I finished in one hour and forty eight minutes. Training was very rigorous after school every day. I had to do all three of the sports like I had to in the race. Since swimming was the first competition, I would begin with swimming, then ride bikes and finish with running. After swimming and riding, my legs were like logs. But it was something great to accomplish at my age. It was very unique that it was all women. You don’t have to worry about all those macho guys. It was fun just having women to compete with.”

Linda Adams, Student Services receptionist