Volume 32 Issue 3

2020 marked with extensive change pages 12-13

Story by Sally Parampottil Photos by Lilly Gorman and Samantha Freeman

VOLUME 32 • ISSUE 3

C O P P E L L H I G H S C H O O L 1 8 5 W. PA R K W AY B LV D . C O P P E L L , T X 7 5 0 1 9

COPPELLSTUDENTMEDIA.COM

DECEMBER 2020

W H AT ’ S I N S I D E

ROLLING FOR 25 YEARS

PG. 3

N E W S KCBY-TV celebrates its anniversary as a student broadcast station after launching in 1995.

CYANIDE PILL

PG. 20

S P O R T S Junior guard Devank Rane shapes his game around his 5-foot 7-inch height.

DECEMBER 2020

Letter from the Editor I didn’t make my senior overalls over the summer.

I thought if I did, I would be unhappy, because it would be a constant reminder of the fact I wasn’t going to school in person. They would just hang on the back of my door and remind me of the experiences I would be missing.

This is supposed to be one of the best years of my life. There is such an intense pressure to enjoy it - to make the best of things, to look on the bright side - that I felt for a good portion of this year I would be wasting my opportunity if I was anything other than happy.

Despite my efforts to keep a smile on my face and keep a positive attitude throughout everything that happened, I have cried more this year than any other school year.

Looking for the silver lining doesn’t prevent the sense of being stagnant. I’m kept busy nearly all the time from the work I take on, yet I cannot help feeling useless because of all the things I can’t do that I would have been able to do normally.

The word “year” has been a big part of my problem. I can accept having a bad day or even a bad week - but a bad year?

I didn’t want to accept it. Not when I’m a senior. Not when I’m the editor-in-chief.

Not when I had such big plans for my last year of high school. This couldn’t be the year where I sat around and felt miserable.

Except it has been.

I wake up every morning at 8 a.m. and sit at a desk in my parents’ bedroom at 8:40. I sit there until late at night when my mom or dad comes in - the only break being lunch.

Then, I retreat to my room, sit on my bed and keep working until I’m either finished or too tired to continue. I don’t even have the urge to make more time for myself; I don’t spend time with my friends in person, so what else would I even be doing?

Yes, I am grateful for the fact that my situation isn’t worse, but when it comes down to it, I am sad more often than I am happy.

It’s taken me a few months to accept it, but I can’t make 2020 anywhere close to the year I wanted it to be. When it comes down to it, I am going to be unsatisfied with the year I lost, especially because I know nothing I could have done would have changed its course.

Balance doesn’t always mean an equal share of two sides. When it comes to this year and my experiences, there are joyful moments and times when all I can think about is how life isn’t anywhere close to fair.

I’ve finally realized my mentality moving forward is that forcing myself to be happy won’t result in happy memories, but as long as I make some happy memories to look back on, it’s OK to have a bad year.

I ordered supplies for my senior overalls.

I may not ever wear them to school, but the experience of making them is something I might regret not doing in the future.

As for next year, I know the world won’t magically be fixed when the calendar flips to 2021. Regardless, I can take what I’ve learned from this year in dealing with my emotions and hope for the best.

EDITOR- IN-CHIEF

Fronts of Coppell Matt Young A Sidekick series in which executive news editor Shivi Sharma profiles a Coppell business owner to bring awareness to community-based establishments.

C

oppell handyman Matt Young’s skill set is just as extensive as his toolset. After a career consisting of writing software applications for the finance industry, Young established his own company 27 years ago, just like his father’s accounting business.

He has been working in Coppell for 11 years, doing remodeling and repair work including building fences, plumbing and structural drywall repair.

What is appealing about running your own business?

I like having that control; your destiny is created by yourself. A lot of people can go out into the world, get a job, work for somebody else and have great meaning. But if you don’t work with the right people, it’s not really fulfilling. A lot of people move around jobs and their careers until they find a good, fulfilling place that they feel like their two cents are counted. This fulfills my need to help others.

How did you acquire your handyman skills?

Trial and error. The desire to learn something, even on your own is valuable. A lot of these skills can’t be taught in a classroom – it’s more of a trade. My expectations are higher a lot of times than a lot of my clients’. If I don’t feel that it’s good enough, I will rip it apart and redo it.

What is unique about your approach to being a handyman?

I look at people, not as customers, but clients. There’s a huge difference between those terms. I focus very highly on relationships because my clients put their trust in me to help them. That goes a very long way. I’m not here for the one-time benefit of, “let me fix this for you, and I’ll never see you again.” That’s just my mentality.

Coppell handyman Matt Young looks through his toolbox at his home on Dec. 2. Young has been a handyman in Coppell for 11 years after writing software applications for the finance industry. Photo by Pranati Kandi

STREAMLINING VIRTUAL LEARNING P. 4

SPAETE SHINING IN IB P. 4

DUAL DISCOURSE P. 5

celebrating 25th year Shivi Sharma

EXECUTIVE NEWS EDITOR @_shivisharma_ It all started with a cream-colored desk.

A single microphone poking out of the boxy model, built on a 12-inch platform by the Coppell ISD maintenance department and embellished with a red Coppell Cowboys logo. KCBY-TV’s first anchor desk in 1995 is where the program began, as daily announcements broadcasted at Coppell High School. Twenty-five years later, the original anchor desk has been replaced with a sleek, mahogany model in front of a green screen where weekly shows take place.

The broadcast journalism program’s first show released on Oct. 10, 1995; this year, it celebrates its 25th anniversary. Not only has KCBY’s classroom space and technological capabilities expanded, but so have its audience, offerings and overall impact.

KCBY adviser Irma Kennedy is in her 15th year of leading the program. During her tenure, KCBY has covered a multitude of issues and events, such as political rallies and red carpet festivals.

“It’s been a wonderful ride,” Kennedy said.

“Those beginning years were sweet in that we didn’t have much. We had four Dell computers and we used to edit on Final Cut Pro. We’ve been able to stand in the press corps with real media and I remember how kind everyone in the news has been. That was a very warm feeling; they knew the kids were learning and growing.”

When Kennedy arrived in 2006, the program’s emphasis was on its special features, or short, comedic pieces. Since, the addition of sports, news and feature segments with a focus on the community has made each of the 25 annual shows eclectic and all-encompassing.

CHS 2010 graduate and current KSAT-TV San Antonio reporter Alicia Barrera served on KCBY for three years and helped start KCBY Español. Barrera’s desire to be a journalist began when she watched

Coppell High school seniors Mark Santuae and Hailey Wilkins go over some graphic designs in the anchor room on Dec. 9. This year, KCBY hit their 25 year anniversary as a student broadcast station.

Photo by Lilly Gorman

Univision Channel 23, the only Spanish-speaking news network available state-wide in the 1990s.

KCBY gave her the skills and real-world experience to pursue her dream.

“KCBY taught me that this is not a walk in the park; it’s not glamorous and [I was] going to have to make sacrifices,” Barrera said. “I didn’t let the errors or the nervousness tell me I wasn’t cut out for it.

Here I am 10 years later, and I still love what I do.”

In October, the staff put together Show 4 as a throwback show, commemorating the program’s immense growth. It examines the transformed studio,

discusses CHS’ evolution and includes messages from KCBY graduates that have gone on to work at companies such as ESPN and Disney.

“It’s very easy for a big program like this one to fall into a pattern or be the same thing year after year to simply put something out,” KCBY program director Juliana Thompson said. “But every single year since 1995, we’ve been tweaking things to give the community the end product we have now.”

SHIVI ‘21 can be reached at sxs1578@g.coppellisd.com.

Bellish starting virtual tutoring Avani Kashyap

DAILY NEWS/ASSIGNMENT EDITOR @AvaniKashyap03 For the past 32 years, former Coppell High School algebra II and advanced quantitative reasoning (AQR) teacher Michelle Bellish would walk into her classroom greeted by smiling students.

For the past 32 years, she would interact with each of her students, looking over their shoulders to watch them work, joining in the classroom camaraderie.

This year, for the first time, her day begins online. She logs on to her laptop as she works on her newly launched service, Michelle’s Math Tutoring.

Bellish was originally hoping to teach in the classroom for five to 10 more years. However, when COVID-19 hit, everything changed.

As she had elderly parents to take care of and didn’t feel safe coming into the classroom, Bellish decided to retire after the 2019-20 school year. Despite the new circumstances, she was not ready to stop teaching. Her passion led her to create an alternative solution: tutoring.

Bellish launched Michelle’s Math Tutoring in September through a Facebook page and is currently accepting students.

“She was actually my sister’s old teacher so that’s how my mom heard about her and signed me up,” Coppell Middle School East eighth grader Drew Minnick said. “She can see when I mess up and goes back and explains it really well. I’m always ready to learn something new and she helps

Former Coppell High School algebra II teacher Michelle Bellish prepares materials for her tutoring classes on Dec. 2 outside CHS. Bellish recently retired after 32 years of teaching because of COVID-19 and now has her own math tutoring service. Photo by Tracy Tran me understand better.”

While tutoring is new to Bellish, teaching online is not. Throughout the years, she has posted more than 100 videos explaining concepts to her YouTube

channel and has garnered more than 10,000 views.

To CHS algebra II teacher Reagan Richmond, who worked alongside Bellish for six years, her skills extend beyond mathematical expertise.

“She has a unique way of holding students accountable,” Richmond said. “She was a second mom to kids and somebody they could come to. She always had a passion for not only her subject, but her students.”

Bellish can be contacted at tutoronlinemath2020@ gmail.com and plans to continue tutoring for the next several years.

“I have always made it my job to work with kids who struggle,” Bellish said. “If I can help one student a year know their potential and that they can do this, even though they’ve been told they can’t, it gives me joy.”

AVANI ‘21 can be reached at ask6068@g.coppellisd.com.

DECEMBER CHS ADULTING DAY // JAN. 7

STATE OF THE CITY // 11:30 A.M. - 1 P.M. // JAN. 31

Spaete awarded Teacher of the Year Avani Kashyap DAILY NEWS EDITOR @AvaniKashyap03

At 9 a.m. on Dec. 3, cheers and applause greeted Coppell High School IB English teacher Stephanie Spaete.

She had just been named the 2020-21 CHS Teacher of the Year.

Spaete was nominated with AP English and Graphic Novels teacher Alex Holmes, AP and Honors Chemistry teacher Courtney Crosby, AP World History and AP Comparative Government teacher Shawn Hudson, AP English Emily Pickrell, Transitional Pathways teacher Brooke Coch, AP Chemistry teacher Amy Snyder, PE Coach Jay Jones, Astronomy and Earth and Space Science teacher Angela Barnes and IB Chemistry teacher Susan Sheppard. All were nominated by other teachers in their departments who recognized them for their hard work.

“When I found out, I was shocked,” Spaete said. “I felt very honored to be nominated, especially by a fellow English teacher [Courtney Orloff] who I admired.

I didn’t think I was going to get it because there were so many other amazing educators on the list, and I was blown away.”

To celebrate, Spaete was taken on a scavenger hunt, where she read clues to decipher four different locations, which included the teacher’s lounge, the library, the cafeteria and the auditorium. At each location, coworkers including Orloff, English teacher Alexis Irons, IB coordinator Michael Brock and lead counselor

Ann Cinelli expressed their gratitude for Spaete’s work.

“You are amazing in so many ways and such an inspiration,” Orloff said. “We can walk by your door any day and you are dancing in your room, talking to your kids and spending your lunch with the one kid who doesn’t have anywhere to go. All of those little things mean so much to them and it does not go unnoticed by your peers, families and friends.”

At the auditorium, Spaete was surprised by her parents and twin sister, as well as a video made by former students who thanked her impact.

“You are a light shining throughout our whole staff and your energy, love and care is so beautiful and amazing,” IB Principal Laura Springer said. “You take those kids and you teach them to be not just students, but people of character that understand life doesn’t always give them the easy road. You are a difference maker, in this building and world.”

To Spaete, receiving the honor means her work is being recognized, and it inspires her to work harder and become a better teacher.

“It’s a big testament to my students, because that’s why I’m here, and it shows the work that I’ve put in, the level of conversations I have with them and the connections I make,” Spaete said. “It meant the world to me to see that it’s recognized and that I’m making an impact.”

AVANI ‘21 can be reached at ask6086@g.coppellisd.com.

“It means the world to me that I’m making an impact.”

S T E P H A N I E S PA E T E ENGLISH TEACHER

Coppell High School IB English teacher Stephanie Spaete is awarded roses and a certificate in the CHS Auditorium on Dec. 2. Spaete was named CHS’s 2020-21 Teacher of the Year. Photo by Lilly Gorman

edPal tackling virtual learning with app

Coppell High School senior Anish Devineni and the rest of the team created the edPal program, a resource for virtual students. This resource will help navigate students through difficulties by making learning more motivating, accessible and centralized. Photo by Lilly Gorman

Drishti Gupta STAFF WRITER @drishti_gupta_

The loud noise of the computer fan, the overwhelming number of tabs on the screen and the vigorous clicking across several platforms and tabs is the experience many Coppell ISD students have to

grapple with as virtual learning becomes more and more prevalent.

Since schools closed in March, students have spent more time navigating through the world of virtual learning. With virtual learning, however, come several challenges including lack of motivation, decentralization of schoolwork across multiple platforms and unproductivity. To address these problems, a team of six members

across the world constructed a program known as edPal. The edPal program is a centralized, all-in-one encompassing learning platform which integrates features from other learning management systems including Schoology, Blackboard, Google Classroom and Canvas.

“We all thought of problems that we were currently facing, and all of us were

going through this new experience of e-learning,” said Coppell High School senior Anish Devineni, edPal Chief Technical Officer (CTO. “We developed our pitch and eventually we got to pitch it to investors through the program. Through that challenge, we won third place and received about $3,100.”

The e-binder is the main feature the team is working on which allows students to organize their work based on due dates, relevance and their own preferences.

“It looks like a binder, but virtual,” Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology senior in Alexandria, Va. and edPal CEO Adit Pareek said.

“You can click on tabs and go into subtabs.

We’ve seen that, visually, if it looks like a binder, it gets you into that school-mindset. Also, if we can have an online binder, it reduces the need to buy those big, heavy three inch binders.”

Along with eBinder, the team is incorporating an interactive, entertaining aspect in the program to allow students to get help from other students in the United States. edPal hopes to create a competition-like game feature in their product to see who can earn the most points.

“We plan to add gamified features to improve people’s motivation,” Devineni said. “We want to do this so it’s incentivized for students to use the product.”

DRISHTI ‘23 can be reached at dxg1823@g.coppellisd.com.

COURSE REGISTRATION OPENS // JAN. 13

CISD BOARD MEETING // 6 P.M. // JAN. 25

THE BEAT FROM CHS9

Debate dominating competition at tournament despite novice level “I really like the public speaking and political aspect debate gives. Whenever I have to research something, I can educate myself on newer topics.”

Angelina Liu STAFF WRITER @angelinaliiu

CHS9 students Akshita Krishnan and Nidhi Illathalaivan anxiously watch the debate tournament management system, Tabroom, to see results of the debate tournament. After a few tense seconds, they see their names on the bracket. They have made it to the finals.

In the John Gosset Memorial Tournament at the University of North Texas in October, Krishnan and Illathailaivan placed as finalists.

First, debaters are assigned a judge and opponent through Tabroom. Then, they compete for four rounds and the winner is decided by who wins three out of the four. This process occurs for preliminary rounds, quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.

Although both Krishnan and Illanthailavan have never taken a formal debate class before freshman year, they are not unfamiliar with the principles behind it. At Coppell Middle School West, Krishnan and Illathaliavan both participated in Youth & Government where they excelled and learned about effective public speaking. Krishnan, who moved from New Jersey to Texas in seventh grade, competed in Model UN, which served as a building block for what was to come.

Krishnan and Illanthailavan both

draw major inspiration from senior debate captain Natasha Banga. They admire her work ethic, skill and overall attitude towards debate.

“One thing that would really describe them well is being receptive to feedback and their willingness to improve,” Banga said. “They were asking me all the right questions in order to set themselves up for success at tournaments, which is something pretty unique.”

In the virtual setting, it has become difficult for teachers to get to know their students. However, this is not the case for CHS9 debate teacher Eric Melin who has seen the work ethic of the two freshmen. “[Krishnan and Illanthailvan] have emerged as two of the more eager ones to get into debate tournaments early on in their freshman year,” Melin said. “They sign up for every tournament that they have the opportunity to.

They compete in varsity events which most of my kids do not want to touch with a 10-foot pole. That kind of courage is what I look for in debaters.”

Outside of debate, Krishnan and Illathalaivan both began putting time into other art forms Illathailvan enjoys painting for the relaxation and creativity it provides.

“[Congressional debate is] fun. You don’t have to rely too much on evidence and you get to interact with people. It is similar to what I did last year.”

ANGELINA‘23 can be reached at axl0728@g.coppellisd.com.

Photos by Angelina Liu

Health science students plant roots for community garden, food pantry Akhila Gunturu CHS9 EDITOR @akhila_gunturu

Coppell ISD houses gardens on several campuses across the district, providing fresh and healthy food options for students. Joining the district garden initiative this year is CHS9, with a grant to fund a campus garden and food pantry.

Projected to be completed in May 2021, the CHS9 campus garden is funded through the CISD Give for Grant’s initiative. Give for Grants was launched last year by the district as a way for donors to give funds directly to the grants of their choice, which are created by teachers. The CHS9 community garden and food pantry grants were creat-

ed by CHS9 Principles of Health Science teacher Bill Borowski, whose students came up with the idea of a community garden for a year-long service learning project that begins in the fall semester.

“What we’re building here in [CTE classes], it’s great,” Borowski said. “The kids are interested in healthcare, and I want them to learn about it, but there are kids in my class that won’t go into healthcare. So we’re teaching them how to be citizens, employees, people that care about the community and move things forward.”

The idea for a community garden originated with former CHS9 students and Coppell High School juniors Ravina Panaparambil, Poojitha Diggikar, Kaitlyn Pham, Rosanna Jees and University of North Texas Texas Academy of Math and Science (TAMS) junior Vignesh Sanagala. For their service learning project, they focused on hunger and sustainability and developed a plan for a garden as a way to pass the project on to future health science students.

“We thought it would be a good way for CHS9 to make some of their own produce,” Sanagala said. “I was there when we built the [Pinkerton Elementary]

garden, as well as the [Lee Elementary] garden. School is one of the only places where [low income students] can maybe access healthy food. So the initiative to try to make sure that everyone is getting their balanced diet is really important.”

As part of the service learning project, the students also researched and developed in-depth plans for the garden, such as a location, the types of plants, construction and costs.

“It was a very, very detailed plan,” Borowski said. “I was really impressed by the end of the year. They are kids that are smart; they’re passionate; they’re able; they’re learning all these skills that they can do, but they can actually make an impact.”

For Borowski, the most important lesson students learn through the garden is how they can make an impact.

“Being able to be a servant leader and help each other is one of the most important things we can teach the kids,” Borowski said. “They’re gonna forget the paper they did on Hippocrates, but these [service projects] are bigger things; these are life things that they can do. And when they get into the real world, they’ll be able to make a much bigger impact.”

AKHILA ‘22 can be reached at axg0588@g.coppellisd.com

PLANT PATRONS Romaine lettuce

Carrots

Lemon balm

Basil Onions

For more, watch this video!

Video by Akhila Gunturu

DECEMBER 2020

2020-2021

Staff

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

CHASE WOFFORD Staff Adviser SALLY PARAMPOTTIL Editor-in-Chief* SHIVI SHARMA News Editor* SAMANTHA FREEMAN Design Editor* SHREYA BELDONA Enterprise Editor CAMILA VILLARREAL Editorial Page Editor EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP AVANI KASHYAP Daily News Editor AKHILA GUNTURU CHS9 Editor* VICTORIA HERTEL Student Life Editor NEHA DESARAJU Entertainment Editor ANJALI KRISHNA Co-Sports Editor MEER MAHFUZ Co-Sports Editor LILLY GORMAN Visual Media Editor* TRACY TRAN Photo Assignment Editor

STAFF EDITORIAL

Writing Writing off off COVID-19 COVID-19 Creating Creating expectations expectations to to stop stop the the spread spread

COMMUNICATIONS AND BUSINESS TEAM TRISHA ATLURI Advertising/Circulation Manager* BLANCHE HARRIS Social Media Manager SREEJA MUDUMBY Communications Manager WRITERS ANETTE VARGHESE ANGELINA LIU ANJALI VISHWANATH ANUSHA PANDA DRISHTI GUPTA EVA WHEELER INIYA NATHAN JACOB MUNIZ JOANNE KIM MANASA MOHAN

MEL VENEGAS NANDHITHA NAGAVISHNU PRECIOUS ONALAJA SAPNA AMIN SARAH HABIB SHRIKA VURIMI SREEHITHA MORAVANENI TORIE PECK VARSHITHA KORRAPOLU YASEMIN RAGLAND

PHOTOGRAPHERS ALIYA ZAKIR AVA GILLIS* CAMILA FLORES JADEN MOORE KYAH JONES NANDINI MURESH NANDINI PAIDESETTY

NEVEAH JONES NICK LARRY OLIVIA COOPER PRANATI KANDI SANNIDHI ARIMANDA SNEHA SASH TANVEE PATIL

DESIGNERS ALEX JIMENEZ ENERO AYANE KOBAYASHI DIVYA JOSHI

JOSH CAMPBELL SRIHARI YECHANGUNJA*

*Indicates Volume 32 issue No. 3 page designer

THE SIDEKICK is the official student newspaper for Coppell High School. Its purpose is to inform, entertain and provide an educational resource for its readers. This newspaper is a public forum for student expression with staff members (with assistance from their adviser) making content decisions. The editorials and columns in this paper reflect the view of their writers.

The Sidekick is a member of Interscholastic League Press Conference (ILPC), National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) and Southern Interscholastic Press Association (SIPA).

The Sidekick welcomes all letters to the editor, but letters must be signed before consideration for publication. Send letters to cwofford@coppellisd.com or bring them by D115.

Advertisements are sold as full, 1/2 page, 1/4 page, 1/8 page sizes in black and white or color.

CONTACT US (214) 496 6239 / cwofford@coppellisd.com 185 W. Parkway Blvd. Coppell, TX 75019

S

ince March, Coppell has been forced to limit daily life in order to protect its citizens and keep businesses alive, all in order to restore normality sooner rather than later. This is due, in part, to group gatherings and ignorance throughout the community as well as the student bodies of Coppell ISD student body.

We all want our lives to return to normal, but if we continue the same patterns we have shown over the past few months, it will create a lethal cycle and more lives will be compromised.

We are tired of being indoors. We are tired of being isolated. We are tired of not having the joys school can bring.

After our schools reopened and a low number of cases were recorded, students grew hopeful that the end was near.

Over Halloween select groups gave in to disregarding COVID-19 guidelines by attending Halloween parties and large homecoming gatherings, which took place the same weekend. Within two weeks after Oct. 31, more than 80 students tested positive for COVID-19, and many more were quarantined. School temporarily went fully virtual for five days, games were canceled and seasons delayed.

CISD guidelines, including social distancing, limits on large gatherings and mandatory use of masks, are based on information from the Center for Disease Control and the Dallas Health Department. While these can easily be implemented in school settings, CISD cannot control students outside of school.

Though these issues are not only prevalent in CISD, it is important to adjust our standards.

We need to follow guidelines together as a community.

CISD strives to make school a safe place by implementing COVID-19 guidelines.

Student behaviors are regulated in the school setting, causing cases to rise outside of CHS at things such as parties and club games where safety measures are not monitored, whereas very

few cases originated from the school itself, according to CISD Superintendent Dr. Brad Hunt.

With guidelines being followed in school, we need to shift our focus to out of school activities. This can easily be seen in CHS’s student section. Many schools, including Allen, found ways to incorporate social distancing measures at their football games, whereas students at Buddy Echols Field can be seen standing shoulder to shoulder, masks on their chin and yelling onto the field. Any safety measures that exist are not being upheld.

By social distancing, wearing masks, limiting group gatherings and holding others accountable at out of school events, we can begin to hope for a better second semester.

Students have already missed out on nearly a year of their high school experiences.

With the holiday season, there are many uncertainties with impending celebrations, travel and family events.

We need to resist the temptation of large gatherings.

Imagine if we didn’t partake in these gatherings and followed guidelines for a few more months. Could our community return to normal?

People in our community are fed up hiding behind closed doors, angry with our peers who do not follow guidelines and sick of the fluctuation of cases. Our futures should not be so substantially defined by certain students deciding that safety measures don’t apply to them. Overall, we are all tired of our lives being put on hold.

However, instead of acting on our frustration, which only continues the struggle for those who abide by the regulations, we need to fight the urge and stop being selfish. The more we ignore regulations, the longer this will continue. If the price we pay for a normal world is a few more months of following simple guidelines, it should be a price we should all be willing to pay.

Education has become a business Na n d i t h a Na g a v i s h n u STAFF WRITER @nanditha__n

D

ecades after the Title IV of the Civil Rights Act prohibiting discrimination in public schools and higher education based on religion, race or national origin, education continues to be elusive and disadvantegeous to students who are not financially privileged.

In 1983, when the US News & World Report started publishing college rankings and using SAT and ACT scores as a factor, colleges fighting for prestige and elitism admitted students with the highest scores. Colleges continue to consider the scores as an objective way to assess student capability, though they have potential to be favorable for high-income family students.

“If you look around, [SAT test prep classes] are what a lot of people are trying to sell you,” Coppell High School testing coordinator Dr. Rachelle Hill said. “In reality, especially in the public school sector, you can get that stuff for free, all you have to do is just ask for it. If you pay [some number of] dollars, you’re going to go to the classes and do all the assignments. [Companies] know that and they take advantage of that.”

With the hindrances COVID-19 has imposed on testing, more than 400 colleges have gone test-optional, making including scores with applications optional. Regardless, determined students and families have been unwavering, some who are privileged enough travelling across states to ensure they have the chance to take the SAT/ACT. For students, the common wisdom is it would give an edge in applications because universities are not enforcing testblind policies instead, which would nullify standardized test scores. With this move, colleges have created a hazy system that confuses students on whether or not it is advantageous to take the tests.

If it is possible to assess students’ merits without a standardized test score, why not completely do away with it?

“Test-optional [is vague],” CHS senior Tony Shi said. “People will still sign up for them because they want to get the score that’ll make them stand out.”

Trust in our admissions and institutions is important. The Varsity Blues case in 2019 saw various celebrity and elite parents paying the operation organizer, Rick Singer, to influence their childrens’ admissions in prestigious colleges. Singer would bribe coaches to admit students as recruited athletes or pay test moderators to change a student’s SAT/ACT score. This scandal displayed the decreased integrity of higher education.

In the heat of this scandal, former University of Southern California student Olivia Jade, in a now deleted

YouTube video said, “I don’t know how much of school I’m going to attend, but I’m going to go in and talk to my deans and everyone and hope that I can try to balance it all. But I do want the experience of game days, partying – I don’t really care about school, as [my subscribers] all know.”

The fact that students like Jade got spots in accredited universities they didn’t want because of economic privilege shows how higher education’s priorities can slowly crumble under profits and corruption, and how change starts from people on both sides of admissions.

With easily accessible federal and private student loans, colleges have

also holds the threat of students joining another university for the availability of in-person classes, which would risk income from tuition fees. We can always blame universities for being too focused on economic profits, but we should acknowledge this stems from their lack of safe funding and the supposed prestige attached to higher tuition fees.

Out of colleges offering in-person classes, only 25 percent are conducting mass or random COVID-19 testing. Only six percent regularly test all students.

For the colleges that are already suffering financially, the cost of tens of thousands of tests, even with aids and partnerships, is too much.

Nationwide, undergraduate enrollment has dropped in nonprofit universities and grown in for-profit ones, most likely due to the flexibility and accessibility their online classes offer. In Texas, 60.5 percent of forprofit students are low-income. They are less likely to graduate and more likely to take on student loans and collect college Source: NPR debt compared to students in nonprofits, a consequence of the poor educational the freedom quality at these colleges. Lower-income students may attend to concentrate on getting these colleges for proximity to their homes, convenience and national recognition and prestige. their less selective admissions.

Universities do not need to lower costs to ensure Some economically privileged students are allowed to more applicants since their revenue is guaranteed by secure be indifferent to education because of the security their tuition loans. This means a leniency to cut federal funds since money entails, while students from lower-income families universities get most of their money from tuition and fees. For may not even get the chance to appreciate education. This students, though, this means a conventional education comes manifests from the lost integrity of higher education; is with higher debts. it merely a business with the sole purpose of providing The pandemic has shed a a degree? Maybe not yet, but it is destined to be if we light on this issue. A number continue with these priorities. of Texas public schools, “It’s unfortunate that we have to [discuss] this in the first such as Texas A&M, place,” CHS English teacher Alex Holmes said. “Education University of Texas at is one of those things we sometimes leave out in our human Austin and Texas Tech, rights. Everyone desires to learn, everyone desires to improve offer a percentage themselves and the fact that there’s a certain price tag of courses online. associated with it is upsetting and unfortunate. [It Universities are wary is troubling] for students who feel like they’re being to go completely cheated out of a system that was made for them.” online since it might reduce needed income NANDITHA ‘23 can be reached at generated by amenities nxn8271@g.coppellisd.com. like student housing. It

only , s e s s a cl n o s r e p n i OVID-19 g C s s Of colleges off erin a m t c u d of funds con k c a l o t e u d g n i test

25% % 25

Colleges have progressively become more inequitable for students, leaving them and their families in debt. The Sidekick staff writer Nanditha Nagavishnu explains how in light of COVID-19, this issue has become more apparent. Photo by Sneha Sash.

DECEMBER 2020

Passion prevailing over peril in healthcare field Va r s h i t h a Ko r ra p o l u STAFF WRITER @varshitha1128

Imagine if there weren’t any doctors, nurses, medical assistants, paramedics, residents and people willing to pursue a career in the medical field right now.

Where would our world be?

Currently, medical professionals are being stretched to their maximum capacity due to the global surge in COVID-19 cases. This has resulted in a decrease in healthcare employment because of the pressure and mental toll the pandemic has placed on healthcare professionals. Added stress is never a benefit, as it could lead to dangerous, life-threatening mistakes in the field.

Pressure. Anxiety. Risk. Death. These are just a few risks that a medical professional regularly encounters. If a global pandemic is added to the list, how would aspiring doctors like me feel?

Ever since I was little, I always imagined myself with a career in medicine. I knew I was innately destined to become a doctor because I wanted to be that doctor who put a smile on patients’ faces. I knew it was the right career for me because anatomy and physiology always enthralled me. Working towards fulfilling my desire to become a doctor is the right way for me to serve the community.

When I looked at pictures of healthcare professionals’ depressed, worn out faces after working in COVID-19 wards in hospitals, I wasn’t scared or shocked. I felt that these people deserve all the goodness and respect in the world because they

are sacrificing their lives to help others.

When I was younger, I had pneumonia, so I understand how traumatizing it can be to have an illness. I was around 5 years old when I got pneumonia, and it strained my body by weakening my immune system, making me more susceptible to other diseases. I vividly remember crying in the middle of the night about getting sick.

I know that getting sick is not pleasant. Watching people die isn’t satisfying, though it happens in hospitals. Working in the industry is difficult partly due to the amount of suffering and death healthcare professionals witness.

Determination and love for something is always greater than the perils and negativity, whether those perils are working extra hours or working during a global pandemic. Analyzing medical reports, evaluating treatment options and supporting patients to defeat diseases indubitably outweigh the risks and dangers involved.

Do not give up on your dreams despite the challenges COVID-19 has thrown at hospitals, instead work towards pursuing your desired career.

Perseverance

Determination

Courage

VARSHITHA ‘22 can be reached at vsk5901@g.coppellisd.com.

The Sidekick staff writer Varshitha Korrapolu thinks healthcare workers are truly heroes because they continue to fight COVID-19 for the greater good.

Korrapolu’s interest in becoming a doctor outweighs the dangers that healthcare workers face.

Graphic by Blanche Harris

Sally Parampottil EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @SParampottil

To: My teachers this year I am sorry. I truly am.

I know this isn’t the year you wanted either. Dealing with a pandemic as an educator is something I can only imagine being beyond difficult, from having to rework lesson plans to solving technology problems to trying to console masses of virtual students who are all dealing with mental fatigue and burnout.

I’m sorry especially for when class relies on student participation. When half the class is in their beds and the other half is multitasking to the max, it doesn’t always make for the most vivid of discussions. The awkward silence that fills the Zoom whenever you ask a question - even something as simple as

“how was your weekend?” - is uncomfortable for all of us.

It’s not from a lack of effort on your part; it’s clear you’re doing your best to keep us engaged. If it makes you feel any better, it’s not that I don’t care or that I don’t know. Sometimes, it’s just nerves that hold me back from speaking.

To all my teachers: I appreciate you.

Teaching is one of the most important yet unacknowledged jobs in America, and the additional burden falling on your shoulders this year must make everything so much worse. There was a lot of reworking curriculums, a lot of cleaning between passing periods and a lot of silence in near-empty classrooms involved thus far, and I don’t know how much longer this reality will last.

I can’t change the way this year has been, but I want you to at least know you still inspire me.

Years in the future, when I’m teaching - because yes, my dream career is to become an American history professor - I will think back to the resilient teachers who didn’t give up or slack off despite a global pandemic. I will think of you: the ones who worked hard to give us an education even when we were miles apart, the ones who put up with technology issues on a daily basis, the ones who proved their value to society once again when the job is already tragically underappreciated.

Respectfully,

SALLY ‘21 can be reached at scp7918@g.coppellisd.com.

HAVE AN OPINION? CONTACT US TO WRITE A GUEST COLUMN AND BE PUBLISHED ON COPPELLSTUDENTMEDIA.COM

Don’t fear to tear Tr a c y Tr a n

PHOTO ASSIGNMENT EDITOR @AnhImtracy

This story is written for my cat, Lily, who died in 2016. It became one of my unforgettable memories and I experience judgment from other people when I cry every year in remembrance of him.

As tears ran down my face, my emotions were displayed to everyone who walked past me in the hallway. My mask had acted uselessly as the weak shield to hide emotions inside without letting other people know.

I should try my best to hold back tears and all of these weaknesses, I thought to myself - but maybe not.

Maybe tears deserve to be appreciated, just like happiness, thankfulness and other emotions that we think of as positive.

Crying is a symbol of trust. When people feel safe and know someone is trustworthy enough for you to show them your true feelings, you are willing to cry in front of them.

Many times, people cry because they seek comfort and want to release their emotions, not because they are weak and incapable of holding them back.

People are brave when they don’t fear the judgment of others.

Coppell ISD provides counseling services by letting students schedule meetings with their counselors. Yet, there are no official lessons being

applied specifically for normalizing crying other than the concept of emotions in psychology, which is an optional course.

By introducing new lessons about the norms of expressing emotions and promoting the benefits of doing so to relieve stress, Coppell High School students can take a step in the right direction to develop their empathy and defy the norm against crying.

I learned that crying makes me feel stronger. When I first moved to Coppell, everything was new to me.

With the limited ability to speak English, I could barely communicate with anyone.

At that time, my worst enemy was presenting, which we did often in my business class.

My first presentation was on markets and exchanges. I nervously presented my slides with a bunch of texts and graphics.

After crying several times in front of my teacher, CHS9 business teacher Marieke Mastebroek, who used to have the same difficulties as me when it came to a new language, I set a goal to keep working hard and follow Mastebroek’s advice to “enjoy what you do, do your best, and, most of all, believe in yourself.”

Thinking back about that moment, I’m glad that my tears were there and they helped me build my confidence.

“I learned that crying made me feel stronger.”

Crying is stigmatized in society and is often perceived as a sign of weakness.

The Sidekick photo assignment editor Tracy Tran thinks the stigma around crying in public should be removed. Photo by Sally Parampottil

TRACY ‘22 can be reached at alt0592@g.coppellisd.com.

Remember: we have work to do

Biden’s victory first step of many towards building better America Camila Villarreal

EXECUTIVE EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR @fliipthewriter

When Joseph R. Biden was declared the projected president-elect of the United States, supporters took to the streets to celebrate the end of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Naturally, when Biden won the election, the majority of the country was satisfied. Many view Biden as the destined hero of the nation, others rejoiced as Kamala Harris became the first woman of color to be the vice president-elect and some simply sighed in relief after the whole ordeal was over.

I am here to ask that you please hold your breath.

Politics has been slowly evolving into an unspoken war between political sides. It didn’t begin with Trump, but tension between those who support him and those that do not has grown

thicker throughout the last four years.

It is more than simple disagreement – it is pure hatred.

In 2016, Trump ran on a campaign that drastically polarized American citizens. His “us versus them” strategy stoked the fire of division, and he attempted that same strategy in this presidential election. It wasn’t

just Trump himself. His supporters showed an unforeseen kind of loyalty, refusing to withdraw support no matter what troublesome and anti-Democratic things he did.

We should consider this the blueprint for what to avoid when Biden is inaugurated.

We must remain critical of our leaders.

We must remind ourselves constantly that

true equality is the goal. Justice for all is the goal. These are ideologies that America was founded on.

There are many days when I am ashamed to say I was born in this country, but I love America just the same. Because I love America, it is my duty to point out a flaw when I see one and advocate for improvement. It is not enough to say this is the best country.

We have to earn that title.

Now that we have seen what the power of voting means in this country, we can utilize our right and elect local leaders that benefit more than just the economy, but the people, too.

We have work to do. Let’s get to it.

CAMILA ‘21 can be reached at cxv8266@g.coppellisd.com.

Joseph R. Biden was elected the 46th president of the United States. The Sidekick executive editorial page editor Camila Villarreal urges Americans to remain critical of political leaders despite political affiliations.

Graphic by Ava Gillis

DECEMEBER 2020

LISTEN UP

Debate club given platform to discuss mental health Anjali Vishwanath STAFF WRITER @viola_swan

F

rom mental health advocacy to the importance of looking back, the eight speeches of the Nov. 7 conference captured major concerns of life in 2020. Of the eight speakers at the TEDx Youth @ ArchesPoint conference, three are Coppell students involved in speech and debate.

Coppell High School junior Natasha Banga gave a speech entitled ‘Broken Leg vs. Broken Brain’ on mental health. She urges a major shift from the popular mindset of stigma around mental illness towards more open and informed conversation.

“I’ve been passionate about mental health advocacy since a young age,” Banga said. “I’ve gotten involved with organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).”

Using Banga’s passion for mental health advocacy, she was able to obtain an internship with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, as well as participate in fundraising and awareness walks for NAMI. “I definitely want to continue learning more about mental health,” Banga said. “I really hope to participate in the Health Occupations Students of America’s (HOSA) behavioral health competition learn more about neurology.”

Banga hopes to change the conversation about mental illness to one of greater acceptances.His speech on the topic promised to increase efficiency through the use of his strategy.

“First, you think about what’s going to happen,” Pranav Krishnan said.

“There are two categories: either you know whatto expect, or you don’t. You’re supposed to take note of what you are going to if you don’t understand something. Another great way of finding the end of the string is anticipating your needs just in case something goes wrong,

or you don’t understand something.”

Krishnan applies this tactic to math tests. When he encounters a word problem he finds confusing, he anticipates needing extra clarification.

Before taking a test on the subject, he attends tutoring and figures out how to reframe the problems in a way that would make more sense to him.

Finding the end of the string allows for higher quality due to planning ahead. The step-by-step process also serves to decrease stress and ensures productivity at every stage.

CHS sophomore Zachary Li gave a speech on the importance of looking back and reflecting on one’s achievements at the event.

“People are so concentrated on what’s ahead of them and how far they need to go,” Li said. “They don’t really look back at how far they’ve come from where they started.”

Li’s analysis finds students are often frustrated with peers who complain about not getting perfect grades because those peers choose to focus on the points they missed rather than their high grade.

“My speech is about people only seeing a part of the big picture,” Li said. “We get locked into a really narrow mindset if we don’t see the big picture. At that point, you’re only seeing such a small part of your entire life in which you failed.”

ANJALI ‘23 can be reached at axv0529@g.coppellisd.com.

Graphic by Blanche Harris.

HISTORY OF HUDSON P. 14

YEARBOOK ADAPTING DURING PANDEMIC P. 15

HAPPY MAIL P. 15

Cohen creating culture of inclusion NAHS president teaching youth importance of responsibility Eva Wheeler

STAFF WRITER @CHSCampusNews

Coppell High School National Art

Honor Society senior Jordan Cohen leads the group’s efforts to find artists in the community and to help those in need.

art I really enjoy, and so have several of my peers. It’s really helped me find what I am passionate about.

How has NAHS helped you grow?

It is definitely helpful having [CHS art

teacher Michelle Hauske] as our sponsor. She is always considerate of volunteers and officers alike, and spends so much of her time helping us out when we need it. By being a member of the club, I’ve improved my communicationskills as well as my artistic skills. From [my role as] historian and president, my

How is NAHS giving back to the community?

What’s special about NAHS is that we are able to give back to Coppell and the Dallas area through art. Not only are [we] helping out at events and festivals, but [we are] creating pieces that have a lasting impact, like our mural at Cottonwood Creekwood Creek Elementary and sunflower paintings, which are annually given to the residents of the Gatehouse Women’s Shelter.

Is NAHS open for inexperienced artists to join?

NAHS forms a really great sense of community within CHS’ art lovers, whether they are still taking art classes or not. It’s a chance to get to know people, but also serve your community doing something you love. Through the variety of opportunities offered in the four years I’ve been in the club, I’ve been able to figure out what kinds of

ability to quickly organize and manage events has improved greatly. I’ve become more responsible and quick thinking.

Why is having artistic skills important?

It gives you a chance to express your self, learn about the integral to our society than people realize, and it’s very therapeutic to make. As for the art we do as a club, it’s a wide range of difficulties, from more laid-back crafts to detailed illustrations. We’re happy to have artists of all talents and skill levels.

EVA ‘23 can be reached at egw1795@g.coppellisd.com.

Coppell High School senior National Art Honors Society president Jordan Cohen sets up Halloween bags for the CHS teachers on Oct. 27 in the teachers lounge. NAHS gives back to teachers every year by doing an interactive event, but due to COVID-19, they are giving the teachers Halloween goodies in bags decorated by the NAHS members. Photo illustration by Nandini Muresh and Samantha Freeman

MIXING IT UP

Special students serving coffee with a smile Victoria Hertel STUDENT LIFE EDITOR @veh37936

The aroma of flavorful coffee and sweet creamer replaces popcorn, candy and Dr Pepper in the commons concession stand. Students, parents and teachers alike gather for fresh treats and conversations, but behind the scenes Traditional Pathways classes facilitate these interactions.

“With COVID-19 and the lack of job training opportunities for our kids and everything being in lockdown, we wanted to get something here at CHS that could provide on the job training, so that our learners are more employable as they go out into the world,” said Coppell High School assistant principal Chris Gollner, who organized the coffee bar. “I started thinking of ideas and [the coffee bar] popped into my head, let’s start a coffee bar and see how this goes.”

Gollner wrote the grant, which was from the Coppell ISD Education Foundation and funded by Coppell community members. Special education teachers ran the campaign in October. bar together and got the grant approved.

“Getting the coffee bar approved by the amazing [Education Foundation] that we have in our community was huge,” Gollner said.

“It is exciting to have this opportunity; it can help our students gain skills

Coppell High School special education students and faculty are starting a coffee bar that will be located at the concession stand outside the cafeteria. The coffee bar will be open to CHS students and employees starting in January.

Photo by Nandini Muresh in a realistic setting that could open up doors to jobs in their futures,” CHS special education teacher Juli Springer said.

The coffee bar provides Traditional Pathways and special education students

with increased interaction with the CHS community. Traditional Pathways students will gain job experience inside school, while many special education students are currently employed outside of school.

In the future, there are hopes that the coffee bar will continue to grow to make treats, sell CHS merchandise and offer homemade cards.

Behind the scenes work for the coffee bar has included weekly meetings, as the coffee bar will be a business. Coch and Gollner will ensure they are in compliance with Child Nutrition. The special education students will hopefully be getting food handlers licenses, making the coffee bar a business.

“As [our kids] go off from CHS, we want to make sure that we’ve given them everything that we can in this ever changing global environment,” Coch said. “I can’t tell you one thing that’s not going away and that’s coffee, so I want them to take these skills that they learn and bridge it into whatever they do. I hope that they are able to come back and say: ‘thanks for showing us this and teaching us this’ and [it] helps them get a job wherever they’re going to be.”

TO READ MORE VISIT COPPELLSTUDENTMEDIA.COM VICTORIA ‘21 can be reached at veh7936@g.coppellisd.com.

Pandemic defining election year in Coppell Story by Sally Parampottil

I

t was meant to be the best of times, it was warped into the worst of times, it was the age of social activism, it was the age of polarization, it was the epoch of pandemic, it was the epoch of politics, it was the season of scientific discovery, it was the season of environmental disaster, it was the spring of change, it was the winter of resignation.

It was the year 2020.

The beginning of a new decade brought hope to many for a new period of prosperity. Instead, COVID-19 hit the United States in March and has not left. A postponed Olympics, a presidential impeachment and a wave of new awareness and activism through protests marked a year of ups and downs. As the west coast is scorched by wildfires, the east coast is battered by hurricanes, and even places like Arlington, Texas, which saw a tornado touch down in late November, are afflicted by natural disasters.

Election season across the nation heightened political tensions tensions which have yet to settle despite the election being over.

Protests and riots alike took place throughout Texas in the wake of George Floyd’s death over the summer. North Texas Food Bank gave away more than 600,000 pounds of food in November, with thousands of cars lining up. Coppell High School released for spring break on March 6 and has yet to see its full population return to campus.

It was a year of analyzing and playing the cards dealt, a year of weighing options and gambling accordingly, a year of persevering and refusing to fold.

COVID-19: the global wildcard

CHS senior Maggie Castranova had her high school dreams come true during halftime on Oct. 30 at Buddy Echols Field. Donning her Lariette attire and mask, she was crowned

homecoming queen by CHS Principal Laura Springer.

Exactly a week later, she tested positive for COVID-19.

“I was asymptomatic for the first week of it,” Castranova said. “I got tested because I knew I was in contact with other people who got it. I went in on Nov. 6, and ended up testing positive, which was a shock to me because I felt 100% fine at the time. Symptoms hit later that week.”

Castranova is only one of more than 100 CISD students and faculty who have tested positive for the coronavirus in the span of the school year. The total number of cases has risen since in-person school began and took a sharp rise over homecoming weekend, which coincided with Halloween.

Castranova experienced symptoms for one week after testing positive and some lingering symptoms, such as her sense of taste, and she is now fully recovered.

“I had one pretty bad night where I had a really bad piercing headache,” Castranova said. “I know it affects everyone’s body differently, but the way it affected my body was more so through headaches and congestion. And of course, I had the loss of taste and smell, and I can’t complain about that. It could have been a lot worse.”

Coppell ISD offers a hybrid model of learning in which students may choose online learning, in-person learning or online learning where a student attends physical school for specific classes, such as fine arts or athletics. At the beginning of the school year, 73% of students were virtual.

“The biggest thing is engagement, teaching teachers how to engage students,” Springer said. “And with hybrid, you know that group sitting in front of you, teachers are so used to performing to their students when they’re sitting right in front of them.

When [students] show up on Zoom, the majority of people are just staring at you, and they’re on mute, so trying to get that engagement on both sides has been a huge challenge.”

With students not in the building, CHS’s renovations were completed during the end of last school year and over the summer. Updates to the auditorium, flooring, walls and stair railings were put into place. However, most students have not had the chance to view these renovations in person, with many current sophomores having not yet had a class in the high school building at all.

For teachers, the experience with virtual learning has been a series of adjusting teaching styles to fit the new format. Initiating classroom discussions and building the same connection with their students over a screen has not been easy. CHS social studies teacher Shawn Hudson teaches both AP comparative government and politics and AP world history - the former being a single semester class.

“I hate the fact that we are never ever going to have an in-class experience where most of us are in the room,” Hudson said. “I’m always going to regret not having that interaction that would come from having the face to face. I don’t know that [the second semester classes will] get that second semester either. All my classes may fall into that category this year.”

With Pfizer’s vaccine approved for emergency usage on

Dec. 12 and Moderna’s vaccine approval expected to follow, there is a chance more students may be able to attend school in person again. Until that point, CHS simply has to take in each new change and keep in mind the constants that remain even in these times of uncertainty.

Defeating the Trump card

Though “unprecedented” had been the word used to describe COVID America, the 2020 Presidential Election was historic just the same.

Either former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden and Republican incumbent President Donald Trump (the only impeached president to ever run for reelection) would be the oldest president to take office in American history. In addition, Senator Kamala Harris (Biden’s vice presidential nominee) would be the first woman of color to hold the position. The results of the election would be historical, no matter the victor.

Biden’s 306-232 electoral win over Trump, called by the Associated Press on Nov. 7 (four days after Election Day), was uncertain. With votes in states such as Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan and Georgia still being counted, it sparked controversy around the nation as to whether the results of the election were valid due to concerns of voter fraud and miscounts.

“The general population, for the most part, has accepted the result, there’s just a small group of Trump supporters that, even though they know it’s a done deal, [will not] say that yet,” CHS AP U.S. government teacher Kimberly Lee said. “So you’re going to have a small portion of the population that’s never going to accept the results, which is unfortunate because that is the democratic principle that we have: we win with grace, we lose with grace.”

CHS senior Calen Halcom voted for the first time this election. Halcom believes that though the city of Coppell is conservative, the student population of CHS leans liberal. This is supported by the results of Coppell ISD’s mock election, in which the Biden/Harris ticket won with 65.2% of the vote, followed by Trump/Pence at 27.6%, then Hawkins/Walker (Green Party) and Jorgensen/Cohen (Liberatarian) at 4.3% and 2.9% respectively.

Seen even more in recent months with student-organized protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, there has been a new wave of social activism seen in Coppell, a trend represented across America.

“At least over the years that I’ve been in school, I’ve definitely noticed a shift towards the progressive side,” Halcom said. “I know that a lot of expression amongst the gay com-

“I’m always going to regret not having that interaction that would come from having the face to face face.”

CHS social studies teacher Shawn Hudson

munity, as well as LGBTQ+, has seen a a recent rise over the years. And that’s a great thing, because it’s showing the rigidity of richer cities are going away.”

However, political expression does not always flow as free. America has grown more politically polarized, and there can be heightened tensions in addressing anything political.

“I had to really watch some of our young men,” Springer said. “They were walking our halls with Trump flags and Trump signs and yelling at other people. I brought them in and made it very clear that you have every right to support him and I will back that 110% but you are not going to come through our buildings and degrade other people because they have a different opinion. That is America, that’s what we have our freedoms for: to be able to have our own opinions and you are trying to take that right away from the people that have that right. I said I will not allow that.”

Moving forward, Coppellians will see a mix of old and new. As Biden takes the presidential office, Texas Republican John Cornyn keeps his seat in the Senate. On the Board of Trustees, Dr. Neena Biswas defeated incumbent Thom Hulme for Place 4 and incumbent David Caviness ran unopposed for Place 5.City Council keeps incumbent Wes Mays for Place 3 and after a runoff race against Jim Walker, newcomer John Jun takes Place 5. All officials, returning and newly elected, have a lot of work to do in the wake of this year’s events.

“You have an economy to rebuild following a pandemic,” CHS associate principal Melissa Arnold said. “You have an educational system that has basically been broken down to the bare bones that you got to ensure is built back up to where it needs to be to support all kids. The next president of the United States is going to have an uphill battle to make sure that we’re OK as a country and to ensure that we come out on top of all that has happened because of 2020.”

Reshuff le, regroup, redeal

Just prior to Thanksgiving Break, Hudson asked his students to fill out a Google Form.

It was in place of the physical papers he had asked his students from the previous year to write on, papers he gathered, balled up and burnt in what he refers to as “Ventsgiving.” The instructions for the anonymous form read: “Identify or describe things in your life, at school, in the world, wherever that are causing frustration, making you angry, or just annoying you enough that you want to see them go up in flames.”

Hudson received nearly 60 responses to his form.

As the fire engulfs each crumpled slip of paper, each source of frustration does not go away. Entering 2021 will not erase all that has happened, and the return to what is perceived as a more normal state of life may take many months to come.

Still, with each printed word swallowed by the flames, the year is left behind and people move forward. With an incoming president and projected mass distribution of vaccines, 2021 symbolizes a new round, another hand to be dealt.

One can only hope the cards are more in our favor.

March 6 - last day of school prior to spring break May 28 - Virtual graduation May 31 - In-person graduation at Globe Life Field

June 6 - Black Lives Matter protests in Coppell Aug. 18 - first day of school, entirely virtual

Sept 8 - first day of in-person school Oct. 30 - Homecoming, the beginning of a sharp spike in COVID cases Nov. 3 - Election Day

Nov 12-18 - CHS and CHS9 go virtual for deep cleaning of campuses Dec. 8 - John Jun wins City Council Place 5 in runoff, ending election season in Coppell

Photos by Lilly Gorman and Samantha Freeman Graphics by Sally Parampottil

DECEMBER WINTER BREAK // DEC. 21 - JAN. 5

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY // JAN. 18

Project Querencia serves with humility to make a difference

Project Querencia members and Coppell High School junior Gautam Rao, sophomores Sanjitha Sreemushta and Shraavya Pydisetti and junior Revant Kanakamedala put together care packages for teachers at CHS. Project Querencia was founded by Pydisetti in June. Photo by Precious Onalaja

Sreeja Mudumby

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER @sreejamudumby Bags sealed.

Mask on.

Boxes delivered.

Community served.

Mission accomplished.

This is a frequent routine for Project Querencia, which means safe space in

Spanish, a non-profit founded by Coppell High School sophomore Shraavya Pydisetti. She founded the club in June, wanting to make an impact in her community while volunteering.

Pydisetti made a starting step with a sign up Google form, and with fast, incoming responses, Pydisetti made Project Querencia. Project Querencia is an independent group and not an official CHS club with a faculty sponsor.

“I sent [the Google form] out to every-

TEACHER OF THE ISSUE

one in the community and a whole bunch expanding slowly. of kids responded.” Pydisetti said. “We “There’s a speeding limit but some of had our first meeting in my house with the parents or drivers don’t necessarily masks [while following] social distancing follow it,” Pydisetti said. “There are kids [guidelines]. [At the meeting], I was like, and they run all across the road and we ‘There’s so many people here who want to decided to be high school cross guards do so many things, so why not start an or- and [Project Querencia] would watch over ganization which can allow other kids to them. That was our first project and then join and also help?” we slowly started Inspired by Pyprojects and builddisetti’s goal of helping our website.”

WHAT'S BEEN ing the community, According to DONATED? CHS sophomore CHS junior Gautam Sanjitha SreemushRao, members of ta joined the club.

Project Querencia To the Dallas “ W h e n formed a connecLife Foundation COVID-19 hit, I tion deeper than the wanted to make a surface level. StartHomeless Shelter: difference, I wanting an organization ed to volunteer, but from scratch is no that was difficult, easy task, but Py• Disinfectant wipes so I joined Projdisetti believes that • Disinfectant spray ect Querencia,” a few qualities can • Deodorant Sreemushta said. go a long way when “During one of the forming a club.

• Sanitary pads first meetings we Project Queren• Soap were like, ‘We’re cia continues to ingoing to find a way spire, keeping their • Beans to still make a difmission to serve.

• Tomato soup ference even though “Change starts there’s a pandemic with us, and we’re going on.’ It was an the leaders of tomoropportunity for me to make change, and row,” Pydisetti said. “It’s never too late that’s why I joined the club.” or too early to start making a difference.

Project Querencia has many aspects If you see something that needs to be to their organization, including rais- changed, you should start the change, and ing awareness through social media and shouldn’t wait around for someone else.” hands-on projects. The organization inaugurated the crossguards initiative to keep SREEJA‘22 can be reached at kids safe from on going traffic and began sxm4577@g.coppellisd.com.

Hudson’s near-two decades of experience shaping B201 Eva Wheeler

STAFF WRITER @CHSCampusNews Coppell High School AP world history and comparative government and politics teacher Shawn Hudson was selected by The Sidekick staff as the December Teacher of the Issue. Hudson, who has been teaching for 19 years, with four years at CHS, crafts his teaching style from a variety of experiences.

Why did you become a history teacher, specifically AP world history?

Before I was a teacher, I worked in TV news and I hated it. The reason I hated it was not that it was stressful, but on a daily basis, you were grinding through deadlines. Every day, some corporation would be able to charge more money for ads, and that didn’t motivate me. A year into [it], I realized I’m not made to [work in] a job that’s just not worth it. While it might sound cheesy, I wanted to have a job that made a difference. I’m interested in people and how we work. There’s a big

picture of how people and systems behave.

What high school stereotype were you?

In high school [Carl Albert High School in Tulsa,Okla.], I was a little bit of everything, but I didn’t belong to anything. I made the all-state jazz band as a sophomore and also played volleyball, so everyone knew I was the tall and athletic kid of the group. I believe I had the highest SAT score in my senior [class]. I was in all honors, so I was definitely that nerd kid. So was I a nerd? Yes, of course, but I don’t think people understood how much of a nerd I was.

What is your favorite thing to do outside of school?

Spending time with my 18-month-old daughter. But I’m a bit of a gaming nerd.

Since COVID-19, I haven’t been able to get a Dungeons and Dragons (DND) group together in years. We have an online voice chat on Wednesdays. I enjoy the narrative storytelling.

EVA ‘23 can be reached at egw1975@g.coppellisd.com.

Coppell High School AP world history teacher Shawn Hudson teaches document-based question writing with his class on Zoom. Hudson is The Sidekick Teacher the Issue for December. Photo illustration by Lilly Gorman and Srihari Yechangunja

SPRING VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE // JAN. 20

WEATHER DAY // FEB. 15

Round-Up continuing traditions

Round-Up yearbook sophomores Elena Ramey, Yasmine El-Ali and Belen Campos work on their assignment about creating content during secnd period on Nov. 11 in A107. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been changes and regulations made within the yearbook program. Photo by Tracy Tran

Shrika Vurimi STAFF WRITER @shrikavurimi

Last summer, junior Round-Up editor-in-chief Melinda Munshi met with representatives from their yearbook company, Jostens, to form a plan for the 20202021 yearbook. The staff’s main conflict was being able to get a school with 4,000

students to get their pictures taken when a majority of them have gone virtual.

Josten’s is a yearbook making service that works with schools on their design and cover of the yearbook over the year.

By collaborating with the photography company, Legacy Studios, the Coppell administration department was able to safely create a plan for students to take their yearbook photos.

“It is basically just a hand-in-hand

partnership with [Josten’s],” Munshi said.

“They make sure that we are on time for any deadline and have the certain amount of pages we need turned in.”

This year, yearbook editors are using social media to advertise the multiple photo opportunities for students. “[The events] have made it challenging,” Round-Up advisor Sallyanne Harris said. “We really didn’t think we were going [to get] through this.”

Social Butterflies Club forming bonds with senior citizens

Va r s h i t h a Ko r ra p o l u STAFF WRITER @varshitha1128

Coppell High School senior Social Butterflies Club president Jillian Richter writes a letter to senior citizens at Andy Brown Park on Dec. 3. Letters and other ongoing projects from the club provide the elderly an outlet to avoid loneliness. Photo by Sneha Sash

Elderly people in the community usually have warm-hearted, comforting smiles across their faces whenever young people greet them. They portray generosity and kindness through wisdom they share.

However, COVID-19 has drastically changed the way Coppell students interact with senior citizens.

Coppell High School senior Jillian Richter created a club at Coppell High School, the Social Butterflies Club, to form relationships with elderly people in Coppell. One of the goals of this club is to prevent senior citizens from feeling lonely during COVID-19.

Inspired by phone calls she has with her grandmother, who is a widow and experiences minimal social interaction, Richter felt the need to start a club centered on outreach and the Social Butterflies Club came to be.

“I felt kind of helpless because I wish I could have done something to help her, even if it meant I was stuck in the house

The yearbook team has four managers called “top tier” who are responsible for doing the main managing roles, creating the book and designing. With many events canceled due to COVID-19 and a shortage of students on campus, CHS’s yearbook team is becoming more resourceful in finding events and stories to cover.

SHRIKA ‘23 can be reached at sxv1088@g.coppellisd.com

with her too,” Richter said. “I just wish I could have been there for her.”

The Social Butterflies Club utilizes letters and a pen pal format to communicate with senior citizens, preserving traditional methods of interaction.

According to CHS senior Hailey Wilkins, the Social Butterflies Club was a creative way to stay involved in the community despite the majority of virtual events.

“Most people are focused on how they are affected by it and not how other people are affected by it,” Wilkins said.

“It was a really good idea to reach out to and help others who are negatively affected by the pandemic.”

COVID-19 has hampered elderly people physically and mentally. CHS forensic science teacher Sandy Kirkpatrick thinks that minimal social interaction can be harmful.

“When you are alone and older, [minimal social interaction] can dampen your mental health,” Kirkpatrick said.

VARSHITHA ‘22 can be reached at vsk5901@g.coppellisd.com.

DECEMBER 2020

Love of storytelling through generations

influencing Zeff ’s love of cinema Ne h a D e s a r a j u

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR @nehadesaraju

N

ew Tech High @ Coppell senior Isabella Zeff has posters of old movies in her room.

The styles contrast between decades—the 1930s-era posters look very black and white art deco, while 1950s posters set the stage for modern pop art. All stems from Zeff’s love of old movies—for Zeff, who has been an actress for almost seven years, movies represent an explosion of storytelling. “[Old movies] are definitely hard to relate to,” Zeff said. “You have to appreciate it for the way it was back then.”

Starting her theater career in sixth grade when she joined Coppell Middle School East’s theater class, Zeff remained in the program throughout middle school.

Now a senior, Zeff sees theater as the people she gets to put on a show with.

“There’s a sense of camaraderie, ‘we’re all in this together,’ when you’re working on a theater production,” Zeff said. “That kind of environment is my favorite thing, when everyone’s just a part of creating something really awesome.”

Theater is not the only

place Zeff appreciates the art of character and storytelling. While Zeff loves all movies, her love of old movies is a family tradition.

“My dad [watched old movies] with me when I was a kid,” said Susan Zeff, Isabella’s mom. “He and I, back then, we would go to theaters where they would show old movies, and every time they would come on television he would record them. [Isabella] probably first started getting interested when she was 12 or 13. I started writing lists of movies that we wanted to watch, and she started to buy books about movies.”

Thus began Isabella’s appreciation for old movies. She started with movies such as “The Thin Man” and “Citizen Kane,” eventually enjoying nearly all genres of old movies, from film noir to comedy.

Isabella—an avid reader—sees the stories in old movies for the time they were told. But Isabella demonstrates her knowledge of storytelling, film

and books in other ways.

“She has written some of the most beautiful and moving and powerful pieces I have ever read from a student,” CHS theater director Karen Ruth said. “Last year, she wrote this unbelievable monologue about her experience with the loss of her grandmother. We were all crying-slash-astonished. She understands how to create suspense and how to pique interest from somebody and understanding of storytelling, and those are things you have to have knowledge of to be a solid writer.”

NEHA ‘21 can be reached at nsd4173@g.coppellisd.com.

New T prog ech Hig h ram in St @ Copp e udio Prem ll senior Is ab ier. A story ella Zeff h teller a at hea s been an act rt, she loves ress for six ye film an Sidekick file photo d book ars, completing h s and d elights in er last year in the Coppell High School theater a well-writt en story. Photo b y Angelina Liu

Scates bringing rooms to life through design Na n d i n i P a i d e s e t t y STAFF WRITER @n_paidesetty

Grey walls, tall light wooden mirror, blank white pillows, knitted blanket, floating square shelves. She has a vision and now she is going to make it happen.

Coppell High School senior Isabel Scates utilizes color swatches to determine a palette for her artwork in her kitchen on Nov. 14. Scates highlights interior design throughout different decades in her sustained investigation for the CHS art teacher Cameron Tiede’s AP 2D Design class. Photo by Samantha Freeman

Since seventh grade, Coppell High School senior Isabel Scates was attracted to interior design.

“My mom was an interior designer and my dad has a construction management degree, so I grew up in a house full of people who are in the same field,” Scates said. “Throughout the years, I fell in love just by watching my parents work.”

Her parents, Kristi and Aaron Scates involvement in her passion for interior design helped Scates strive towards making it her career.

Isabel is currently working on a sustained investigation in which she finds significant concepts in each decade and incorporates it in her interior design.

“I would think to myself, during that period, ‘what was the most popular thing in the 1960s?’ And obviously, hair was very popular, so I thought a hair salon would be so fun,” Scates said.

Scates’s personal style has also influenced her work.

“I like interior designing because of the way you can make the place feel; you can feel so many different emotions going into different rooms, and that feels

special to me,” Scates said. “My style is Scandinavian and Bohemian, and I like to do restaurant designs. I’m mostly drawn to that.”

Mrs. Scates admires her daughter’s work ethic, affection and enthusiasm towards interior designing, as well as her versatility and how she is always able to stand out in a crowd.

“Isabel is prioritized, organized, goal oriented,” Mrs. Scates said. “She’s unique. She knows what she wants and what she doesn’t. I’m thrilled she is interested in pursuing a career that our family is also passionate about.”

NANDINI ‘23 can be reached at nxp2861@g.coppellisd.com.

COLORING COPPELL P. 18

QUARANTUNES P. 18

COFFEE SHOP CONFECTION P. 19

Benevolence in every necklace To r i e P e c k STAFF WRITER @torielpeck

Coppell High School seniors Mariez Luka and Nausheen Ahmed have been friends ever since they walked through the doors of Coppell Middle School East.

Over the span of seven years, the two have grown an unbreakable friendship through their mutual love of art and benevolence. Inspired by their community, Luka and Ahmed decided to start a business benefiting charities helping with COVID-19 relief.

Currently, both are members of Artemis, a CHS club to discuss current events, and National Art Honor Society, which implements art and volunteering into a singular organization. Through these extracurriculars, the girls have learned how to use their love of art and kindness to help others.

“We were discussing the state of the current pandemic and how people were contributing by making masks,” Luka said. “We wanted to make something creative on our own to contribute and make a small impact [towards COVID-19]. We came to the idea of jewelry making and fell in love with it.”

After lots of research, hardwork and determination, Luka and Ahmed created their business: Benevolence By Design. They sell small, handmade necklaces via Etsy and 100% of profits are donated towards COVID-19 relief.

“We did a lot of research on beneficial charities that would’ve made a good impact on the problems that are happening because of the pandemic,” Ahmed said. “We brainstormed ideas of the theme behind the business, the goal and the aim. We also researched how to manage the business, marketing and everything.”

Benevolence has a line of seven necklaces, each for $15. The necklaces are made using resin, gold chains and other materials which they buy in bulk from Amazon and Hobby Lobby. Once the necklaces are made they sit for two days in order to allow the resin to settle.

“We weren’t old enough to open an account to sell [the necklaces] on Etsy. My dad [Nasim Ahmed] opened the Etsy account for us, and that’s where we sell all of our products,” Ahmed said. “We also got help from [CHS senior photographer Yusra Mohammed], who photographed all of our products on different models.”

Luka and Ahmed have been friends with Mohammed for several years. Once Mohammed heard they were starting a business, she reached out to see how she could help. Mohammed used her own client base to find models who would be willing to shoot Benevolence products.

Over the summer, Luka and Ahmed created most of their products and photos and prepared for a blossoming business. Over the weekends, Luka and Ahmed spend

time to ship orders and plan ahead for the coming week.

With most of the necklaces already made, the girls can focus on school, extracurriculars and college applications throughout the week.

“We make time over the weekend or breaks to focus on Benevolence [in order to] run efficiently,” Ahmed said. “It does get overwhelming at times, but for the most part we manage it well.”

Each week, the girls update the business’s social media accounts with pre-shot photos.

“We wanted to contribute to [charities] that aid in the coronavirus, whether with food or PPE for healthcare workers,” Luka said. “Once we reach our money goal we will decide on a specific one to donate to and post about it on our instagram.”

The company’s goal is to collect between $400-500 which will be donated to a carefully selected charity.

The girls are currently leaning towards Operations USA and Action Against Hunger.

Over the past few months, Luka’s and Mohammed’s efforts have allowed them to create a successful business and come close to reaching their goal.

“Being able to actually start [a business] in the middle of the pandemic and giving money back to these charities to help people around us, it’s something that’s very difficult to do,” Mohammed said.

“It shows that we are very motivated and determined, to start something and actually make it work.”

Coppell All profits for donation to coronavirus relief charities.

Review “Beautiful! I really love it”

TORIE ‘23 can be reached at vlp0601@g.coppellisd.com.

CHS senior Fiona Lopez

About the Shop Owners Nausheen Ahmed “The main purpose of our company is to help others in a kind way, like giving.”

Mariez Luka “We wanted to make something creative on our own to contribute and make a small impact. We came to the idea of jewelry making and fell in love with it.”

Photos by Samantha Freeman

Holguin achieving singing dreams Angelina Liu STAFF WRITER @angelinaliiu

Laughter and chatter subsides as the choir begins warming up together.

Coppell High School senior Annelise Holguin knows these scales by heart, and each note fills her with satisfaction.

Holguin’s obsession with choir began in sixth grade at Coppell Middle School East. Her schedule was just about filled up with cross country and art, but after seeing that she had one free period left, she decided to sign up for choir.

That decision grew into a neverending love Holguin has for music today.

“She always looks forward to choir and it’s truly one of her favorite activities,” CHS senior Jessica Yang said.

Going into high school, music was on the back burner as she planned on

competing in cross country.

In July prior to freshman year, plans changed.

Holguin suffered a stress fracture to her leg and was unable to compete for most of her freshman year. The setback in

Coppell High School senior Annelise Holguin is the 2020-21 Coppell Choir president. Holguin originally had a focus on sports but suffered a stress fracture before her freshman year, leading her focus to shift to Coppell Choir. Photo by Tracy Tran

cross country pushed choir into the forefront of Holguin’s mind, and she knew before the first semester of freshman year that she would be taking choir for all four years.

“I will never forget my first impression of Annelise,” Coppell choir director Bona Coogle said. “Everytime during rehearsal, I would look up and see her singing with such great vowel shapes. Her lips were rounded, and she was so passionate.”

In the future, Holguin plans on attending Texas State University because of its excellent choir program and size.

“I really love choir and I can’t see myself ever not doing it,” Holguin said. “As of right now, my plan is to minor in music, or do choir in college and then after college, go to community choir. That way, it’s not where I’m making my living but I still get to do what I love.”

TO READ THE FULL STORY, VISIT COPPELLSTUDENTMEDIA.COM ANGELINA ‘23 can be reached at axl0728@g.coppellisd.com.

DECEMBER DALLAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA DRIVE IN // 7:30PM // DEC. 26

CITY OF COPPELL SCAVENGER HUNT // UNTIL JAN. 4

Three talents collide in making music Na n d i t h a Na g a v i s h n u STAFF WRITER @nanditha_nx As eighth graders at Coppell Middle School North, singing and travelling together in a performing choir, Faiza Rahman, Raghav Vemuganti and Joseph Mathew would discuss forming a band, but it was almost three years later that they would come together to produce music on their own.

“When quarantine came around, we then created our first song, Bittersweet Boulevard,” Rahman, now a junior at New Tech High @ Coppell, said. “It was great. Since then, we try to spend all our free time making music.”

Because of concerns related to COVID-19, they resort to FaceTime calls to brainstorm and put out melody or lyric suggestions.

“Usually, if you were to make music, you’d get together, and you’d talk and write,” Vemuganti said. “The difficulty for us was finding time and coordinating calls. We had to make sure we were all on the same page with what we wanted the song to sound like, and [the process] felt [disorderly] at first.”

Rahman is fond of poetry and is thus responsible for most lyrics, while Vemuganti and Mathew, both juniors at Coppell High School, incline to experimenting with melodies on their instruments. “[Vemuganti] sent me one of their tracks early this year,” Coppell associate choir director Aaron Coronado said. “I’ve never seen them as a group, but [their collaboration] is obviously working because their music was really good.”

Piano melodies and chords, string

instrument backgrounds and percussion dominate the instrumentals in their songs.

“We take inspiration from influential bands like The Beatles, ABBA and Queen,” Mathew said. “I might describe our songs as a mix of modern pop-music and classic rock.”

Vemuganti figures out most basic chords and motifs for their songs, which he and Mathew then develop. Rahman composes lyrics that compliment the tone of the instruments. After an outline of their song is formed and the instrumentals taped, each person records their vocal parts.

Though making and producing music needs time and dedication, Rahman, Mathew and Vemuganti do it for its satisfaction and as a means to bring them together.

“It’s always rewarding to see a whole song come together,” Vemuganti said.

“Recording is a long process, and building your way up into something that you like and knowing that we’re not going to change anything, that’s the most fun part. I love listening to a song and being proud of what we made.”

Because of increasing responsibilities as they go through their last years of high school, they do not know how long they plan to continue making music together. However, their virtual collaboration space makes it relatively easier to continue with producing music as a hobby after high school and through college.

“The best part of producing music is doing it with people you care about,” Mathew said. “It brings us together, and it’s just a lot of fun.”

NANDITHA ‘23 can be reached at nxd3565@g.coppellisd.com.

Coppell High School juniors Faiza Rahman, Raghav Vemuganti and Joseph Mathew get together for the first time since March, when they last played together, at Andy Brown Park East over Thanksgiving break. Vemuganti, Rahman and Mathew have created and released music together without meeting in person over the summer.

Photo by Tanvee Patil

Connell adds color to Coppell through sculptures A n e t t e Va r g h e s e STAFF WRITER @AnetteVarghese

Local sculptor Russ Connell welds a piece in his studio in Denton on Tuesday.

Connell has two sculptures in Coppell, one in Old Town and the other at Andy Brown Park East. Photos by Lilly Gorman

Old Town Coppell is the destination for Instagram photos, but the abstract seven-foot sculpture of a metallic red pony adds another layer to the appeal. This is even more so the case after learning about the sculptor who created the now popular piece of art that has remained in place for almost five years.

Red Pony is a metal sculpture crafted by Russ Connell that was introduced to the area in 2016 as a part of the Coppell Art Council’s Old Town Art Splash project, where the metal work was displayed as part of a two-year exhibition. However, many Coppell residents took a liking to the red sculpture and worked to keep it in its place. With the help of a generous sponsorship from Coppell-based ETS [Event Technology Services], the Coppell Arts Council was able to purchase the sculpture and gift it to the City of Coppell.

“Red Pony was the first piece I would [call] a large-scale public piece,” Connell said.

“My real passion is showcasing in the public sphere. I really like seeing my work in a city where I can walk past [the sculptures] on the street and interact with different people.”

Connell has multiple pieces scattered throughout Coppell including Wawoo locat-

ed in Andy Brown Park East. According to Connell, the sculpture is named by a young passerby named Katie, who named it after her stuffed giraffe. Connell found the best working process was to create the things he wants to make the most so people can see the passion through his sculptures, and instead of making work to sell, he aims to make work that stays true to himself and his roots.

After graduating, Connell reached out to a former UNT classmate, Mick Burson, who is known for his abstract approach to paint.

Together they designed a collection of sculptures where Connell moved past his usual monocolored pieces and welcomed a colorful splash to his steel metal works. These works were displayed at Connell’s first official gallery with the Craighead Green Gallery alongside his other bronze pieces in 2018.

To date, Connell’s favorite piece is Ascension, a two-year old 24-foot tall, 10,000 pound metal sculpture at Hall Park in Frisco.

“It’s fun to see your work and ideas come together with these large machines and build it on a large scale,” Connell said.

See more of Russ Connell’s work at russconnell.com ANETTE ‘23 can be reached at atv3765@g.coppellisd.com.

“ALL I NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN” PREMIERE // JAN. 22, 23, 24

COWBOY THEATRE CO. SENIOR SHOWCASE // FEB. 26-28

Brewing up cappuccino muffins Lilly Gorman

VISUAL MEDIA EDITOR @lilgormet

Coffee shops: the place for cuddling up with a book as smells of dark espresso and London Fogs fill the air. I know I miss my favorite local spots I cannot go to now like George Coffee and Provisions, so let me take you back with these cappuccino muffins.

Instructions 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

3. Pour coffee and milk together in a separate glass.

4. Combine eggs, sugar and oil in another container, then add the coffee and milk mixture.

5. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients and add chocolate chips.

6. Pour into cupcake liners or a greased muffin tin about ¾ of the way full. Bake for 20 minutes.

7. Serve once cool.

Making cappuccino muffins can be an easy way to bring you back to the coffee shop atmosphere. The Sidekick visual media editor Lilly Gorman encourages all to take a shot at making these espresso loaded muffins. Photos by Lilly Gorman

Ingredients 2 ⅓ cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 5 shots of espresso or 1 cup coffee ¼ cup milk 2 eggs 1 cup sugar ¾ cup vegetable oil ⅓ cup chocolate chips

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DECEMBER 2020

Rane slipping through cracks in defense Anjali Krishna CO-SPORTS EDITOR @anjalikrishna_

A

slight wave of confusion rolls through the court as a 5-foot 7-inch figure muscles past the defense and up to the free throw line, trailed by his opposition.

From there, with moving arms covering his eyes and aggressive hands pushing him when out of the referee’s line of sight, he manages a shot straight into the basket.

That was unexpected - particularly as it came from one of the smallest players on the team, often regarded as only a backcourt shooter. His opponent’s coaching staff shake their heads, then make a note on their papers, remembering not to make the mistake of underestimating Coppell junior guard Devank Rane again.

D4S Hidden Gemz tweeted: “Devank Rane is a cyanide pill. He’s small, easily concealable but deadly when used. This kid has a lethal jumper, strong handle, and confidence on court. We will hear more about him soon.”

For all that is said about his top tier shooting, even among a team of comparative giants, there’s more to Rane than his statistics suggest.

His

defensive capabilities and ball handling especially, are aspects of his play that go unnoticed.

“Sometimes people look at him and go ‘he’s just a shooter’ and that’s just not giving him enough credit for all the other things he does too,” Coppell coach Clint Schnell said. “Despite his size, he can get inside, score inside and he’s a tough person to guard because he can do both of those things. They look at his lack of size and don’t worry about him as much but they only do that because they don’t realize all the things he does.”

Standing 5-foot 7-inches, an average height in most areas except the basketball court, Rane typically ends up being one of the smallest players on the court.

Still, measuring up to his teammates has never been a problem.

“People see me as like, not the tallest kid, not the biggest kid, not the baddest kid and I’ll never go on

to a court in a game this year where I’m going to be one of those things,” Rane said. “But that’s something I really can’t control. So I put all my effort into things I can control.”

What Rane can control is the effort he puts into basketball and how much he’s willing to give up for the team.

Termed a “gym rat” by Schnell, Rane also practices with an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) group over the summer and during off season, practicing skills and getting ready to demonstrate them with Coppell once the season begins.

When a play needs to be made, whether it’s a hustle play of diving on the floor for a loose ball or taking a charge, Rane is unselfish and unafraid of sacrificing his body for the team.

Though many players struggle to

stay in their own lane, especially if their own role has been determined to be one that doesn’t put them in a position to be the highest scorer, Rane lacks the ego to be one of them.

“I accept the fact that I’m probably going to be one of the smallest - if not the smallest player - on the court at all times,” Rane said. “I go out and play how I do. I have the ability to contribute to my team to help them win games so I don’t try to do what I’m not capable of. I care about the team, more than my individual goals so whatever I can do to help our team win and get as far as we can in the season, that’s what I’m going to do.”

ANJALI ‘22 can be reached at axk8800@g.coppellisd.com.

“Devank Rane is a cyanide pill.

He’s small, easy to conceal but deadly when used.”

D4S Hidden Gemz Tw i t t e r @ R a m J a m 8 2

Coppell junior guard Devank Rane is one of the top shooters for the Cowboys. Rane shapes his game around his 5-foot 7-inch height, adapting to the team needs. Photo by Lilly Gorman

STAY-AT-HOME’S STAR P. 22

WRESTLING INJUSTICE P. 23

NEW SPORT, NEW CHALLENGES P. 23

Duck hunter building memories through furniture construction I n i y a Na t h a n STAFF WRITER @iniya_v

Ryan Dunlevy is the head coach for the Coppell girls soccer team and teaches Money Matters, a personal finance class, at Coppell High School. Along with being a teacher and coach, he also builds furniture and hunts ducks outside of school.

How was your first duck hunting trip?

I bet I annoyed the crud out of my dad while I was there. I’ve got a 6 year old and I take him. It’s less about the hunting at that point, more about just spending time with him; much like for my dad, it was the same. And then, as I got older, doing it with my dad, I learned how to actually hunt, and then it became a little bit different to actually hunt rather than just spend time with my dad out in the woods and sit down with my son.

Why did you start making furniture?

Whenever we first moved into the [CHS field house] after they did all the construction, we didn’t have any shelving or hanging rack for our uniforms in our storage room. We have a weird size [and] shape for our storage room so I decided I would just build them myself so that I can custom fit them. I kind of enjoyed doing it. Then, I just kind of snowballed from there. Whenever I started making [the] first couple tables for other people, they really enjoyed getting them and getting the updates as I was building it. They really enjoyed the process, and I really enjoyed building it and making a piece I knew they could sit down with their families and have dinner with forever.

Where do you usually hunt?

I go all over the Metroplex. I’ve got a couple different boats that I use for duck hunting, and I drive up to three hours sometimes to go in the mornings. I get out there pretty early in the morning and sit in the dark for hours on end just to shoot some ducks. But it’s my favorite thing to do. I absolutely love it. It is my number one true love outside of teaching and coaching. I do it every opportunity that I get.

Photo by Tracy Tran Graphic by Blanche Harris

INIYA ‘23 can be reached at ixn3618@g.coppellisd.com.

Team loyalties: lifelong or adaptable?

Anjali Vishwanath STAFF WRITER @viola_swan

It is hard to be a New England Patriots fan in Texas. Sports are typically a connection point; people commiserate over the shared joy of a win and sit in silence together after a major loss.

How do you do any of those things when you support one of the most hated football teams in the league?

I’m from Boston. When I lived there, I used to walk into school the day after a big game – especially a Super Bowl – excited to gush about the game-winning plays the Patriots had made. Now, I walk into school in my Patriots sweatshirt, and people roll their eyes at me.

Should I have changed my loyalties when I moved here?

I always thought I would be a Patriots fan my whole life. I grew up watching their games. I never wanted that to change, because even though I’m not in Boston anymore, I feel connected to my roots there when I root for the Patriots or Red Sox. I am not, however, the only sports fan in this boat. Coppell High School AP world history teacher Michael Erickson is a fan who hails from Ohio.

“I was born up there, and my dad was a fan of Cleveland teams along with my grandpa and all my uncles,” Erickson said. “It’s in my blood.”

Sports have always been a family tradition for Erickson. Although he was the biggest fan in his family, everyone around him followed, watched

around, I haven’t raved about a miraculous game or an amazing player outside of my house. If I supported the Dallas Cowboys instead, that wouldn’t be the case. Making friends with other football fans would be simpler, because there wouldn’t be an initial barrier created by supporting different or rival teams.

“It’s a catalyst for people to sit there and be with one another,” said CHS Coppell assistant football and baseball coach Lincoln Hanke, a fan of the Dallas While most associate with the teams of their hometown, this can cause a disparity for Cowboys and Texthose who move away. The Sidekick junior staff writer Anjali Vishwanath moved from as Rangers.

Sports are uniMassachusetts to Texas in 2018, but finds that her loyalty remains with New England fying.

There is no teams. Graphic by Josh Campbell better human draand supported the same teams. When the love for the game can conjoin even ma on television. I may remain a fan of he moved to Texas, it was unfathom- the deepest of rivals.

New England and Boston teams for the able for him to change that tradition, It’s almost undeniable that it would rest of my life, but I get excited about to cheer on another team. be easier to start a conversation with a any game-winning play, regardless of While sports usually unite people, fan when you have more than the sport what team made it. rivalries can get in the way of friend- in common. When you have the same Unless, of course, they were playing ships. Rivalries don’t always get person- favorite team as someone else, the con- against one of my teams. al. However, when the game is on, it’s versation moves past the game and into every fan for themselves, and insults the team itself.

ANJALI ‘22 can be reached at and jabs can – and likely will – fly. But As one of the only Patriots fans axv0529@g.coppellisd.com.

DECEMBER BOYS BASKETBALL VS. FLOWER MOUND MARCUS // 8 P.M. // JAN. 22

CLASS I 6A REGION II SWIMMING AND DIVING MEET // JAN. 23

Childhood bonds building team Tr i s h a A t l u r i

ADVERTISING MANAGER @trishatluri For Coppell senior defender Garrett Greaves, long drives to soccer games when he was younger were made enjoyable with the company of his best friend, Coppell senior defender Collin MacDonald.

To pass time, the two would quote “The Office” and make jokes no one else would understand.

This enduring friendship started in 2012, when MacDonald’s mother Kathy Peck started the Andromeda Soccer Club. Greaves and MacDonald joined the team in fourth grade and played together until sixth grade. The club merged with the Solar Soccer Club in 2016.

“The difference between on and off the field is knowing there’s a time to compete,” MacDonald said.

“We have no problems going against each other and even talking trash, because we can walk off the field and forget about it.”

As freshmen, they tried out for the Coppell soccer team together and made it. Since, they have formed an intimate connection that draws from their experience on the club team.

“While we’re playing, we can Coppell senior defenders Garrett anticipate what the other person Greaves and Collin MacDonald is doing,” Greaves said. “We can began playing soccer together in the communicate without talking, and Andromeda Soccer Club in fourth then off the field, we have basically grade. Photo by Sally Parampottil the same sense of humor.”

For MacDonald, growing up with soccer is a family tradition. Peck, who is the substitute coordinator at CHS, played soccer throughout her childhood and in college at the University of North Texas and San Diego State University. His older brother, CHS 2017 graduate Ryan MacDonald, played soccer at Coppell for all four years of high school.

“It started out where we would go to the park and I would always bring a soccer ball, because that was second nature to me,” Peck said. “I played in the adult league at Andy Brown, and the kids would come watch and hang out at the park while I played games on Sundays.”

Greaves started soccer when he was 4. He was coached by his father, Tim Greaves, who played the sport in his teen years at Pine Tree High School.

However, his experience with the sport goes beyond local games—in 2018, Garrett played international tournaments in Finland and Sweden.

“We played teams from all over the world who didn’t speak the same language as us, but who were competing for the same trophy,” Garrett said. “We were united through soccer.”

Greaves and MacDonald enter their last season of high school soccer.

As seniors, they set an example for the underclassmen on the team.

“We both bring a really good energy that fuels other people,” MacDonald said.

“That’s one of the ways we’ve been able to lead this year.”

TRISHA ‘22 can be reached at tra2735@g.coppellisd.com.

Greaves and MacDonald have remained teammates since their time at the club, using their connection to strengthen the Cowboys. Photo by Camila Flores

A THOUSAND SHOT EFFORT

Potter making strides on court I n i y a Na t h a n STAFF WRITER @iniya_v

“She’s consistent. Everyday, every week,” Coppell coach Ryan Murphy said. “7 a.m., shots. 7 a.m., shots. 7 a.m., shots. It’s just what she does.”

Four hours was the time that Coppell sophomore guard Potter Potter dedicated to basketball each day during last spring’s stay-at-home COVID-19 orders.

“I would wake up early in the morning and shoot for probably two hours and then in the afternoons I would do running, biking, weightlifting for another hour, hour and a half,” Potter said.

Potter started on the freshman basketball team, yet never played a game before quickly moving to the JV team.

Due to injuries on the varsity team, she got to play in a varsity game and scored 11 points – nine from three-pointers.

She ended up playing varsity for the rest of the year.

“[That] never happens,” Murphy 5 inches, opposing players have the tensaid. “Going from that freshman ath- dency to underestimate Potter. letic period to [play] JV for part of the “It’s actually a huge motivation for season [and then] once we get to dis- me,” Potter said. “I have to work extra trict play, jumping up to varsity, it’s hard to be successful. A lot of small very rare.” players give up and don’t think After school and practice was can- they can play in college but I celed for the rest of the school year want to prove that I can and because of stay-at-home orders, Potter anyone can if they work for decided to figure out what she wanted it.” to do in her future.

Potter is taking her hard “[Stay-at-home orders] really got me work from stay-at-home orders to now thinking about what I want to do af- and putting it into this basketball seater high school,” Potter said. “I decid- son. ed I want to play in college so I really “We’re in shutdown and all that and started getting more serious about my [Potter would] get up at 7 a.m. everytraining.” day, go shoot thousands of shots,” MurShe has been making thousands of phy said. “She’s come a long way in 12 shots. Not just shooting them, but mak- months.” ing them, according to Murphy. “[Potter’s] definitely a team player,” INIYA ‘23 can be reached at Coppell senior guard Emma Sherrer ixn3618@g.coppellisd.com. said. “She’s our point guard, so she kind of runs everything. She’s a really hard worker [and] always Coppell sophomore guard Allyssa Potter practiced during last spring’s stay-athome orders to refine her basketball skills after deciding to pursue basketball stays after to shoot.” in college. Spending her free time working out and taking thousands of shots, As one of the younger players Potter became a key player to the Cowgirls this season. Photo by Tanvee Patil and on the shorter side at 5-foot-

BOYS BASKETBALL VS. PLANO WEST // 8 P.M. // FEB. 12

GIRLS SOCCER VS. HEBRON // 7:30 P.M. // FEB. 5

Husain grappling for human rights Sreeja Mudumby

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER @sreejamudumby A volunteer. A fighter. A Helper.

Aggressive. Kind hearted.

Quitter? Never.

Coppell High School junior wrestler Maria Husain has wrestled since freshman year, and joined the team to try something new with the provided high school opportunities. “[When] you wrestle another person and when you beat them, you feel stronger,” Husain said. “It just makes me feel a sense of community because I have a team with me.”

Husain had to fight to win her spot on the varsity wrestling team last May with Coppell High School 2020 graduate Trinity Zapata and won her way to the team, along with being able to advance to state. According to Coppell junior wrestler Mya Keys, Husain’s dedication is prominent and inspiring.

“I’ve been friends with her since third grade [at Austin Elementary] when I moved here, so I’ve known her for a long time, and we’ve always been in the same classes and growing up from middle school elementary - all of that,” Keys said. “She always keeps going. She never stops until her reps are done or until she completes her goal, which is really good because it shows everybody else to keep going.”

Wrestling requires strength, skill and a winning mentality.

“As a wrestler, she’s very tactical,” Coppell senior Dorian Villalba said.

Coppell junior wrestler Maria Husain pins Coppell senior wrestler Ananya Sampathkumar during practice at the CHS field house on Dec. 7. In addition to being a key wrestler on the Coppell team, Husain is social outreach manager of Amnesty International, a human rights organization.

Photo by Anjali Krishna “She is very strategic, and she has to be aggressive when she’s wrestling, but outside of the sport as a person she’s a really kind, really smart person.”

Husain is also in the Coppell branch of Amnesty International, an organization advocating for various world issues around the world, including human rights and passing bills to support people in detention centers. Husain is the social outreach manager of the

organization, which means she manages the organization’s social media and community involvement. “Right now we’ve been doing more detention stuff because there are some detention centers near the border, and now we’re doing this campaign for rights where you write letters to help bring awareness to people who have been wrongfully imprisoned and attacked and help them get justice,” Husain said.

Husain has always been involved in community service, and has grown up with constant encouragement to always do better.

“My biggest role model when it comes to helping people is my mom [Rizwana Husain] because she always got me to volunteer when she was little, and she always showed me the importance of everything about volunteering and understanding how lucky I am to be born in such a good family,” Maria said.

Maria thinks anyone can create a diverse profile for themselves if they put their mind to it. Being in both wrestling and a leader for Amnesty, Maria fills up her plate with tasks everyday.

“It’s all doable if you manage your time properly, especially because you know when you need to get stuff done,” Maria said. “If you just plan out your day, plan things properly, it’s not as bad as it can seem.”

Maria continues to push herself as an athlete and make a difference in her community.

“We’re going to have to inherit the world soon anyways so it’s important to get involved now rather than later to know what we have to do,” Maria said. “To be involved in these types of things is good because you get to learn, your perspective grows and you grow as a person too learning about other people’s circumstances and it really puts everything into perspective.”

SREEJA ‘22 can be reached at sxm4577@g.coppellisd.com.

Diving into uncharted waters Drishti Gupta STAFF WRITER @drishti_gupta_

Surrounded by the cool water, the familiar scent of chlorine and the sounds of water splashing, Coppell sophomore Asher Johnson felt his anxiety, stress and tension dissipate as he swam down the lane.

In the beginning of his freshman year, Johnson switched from football to swimming.

“One thing that influenced [me] to switch was being injured because I got a concussion and broke my arm,” Johnson said. “[Swimming] has one of the lowest injury rates. Another thing was that there were a ton of people in football. Any big success out of football is a minority of the group that plays. I felt like I could grow more in swimming.”

When Johnson’s friends heard of his injury, they encouraged him to make a change.

“He agreed to try out, and since he didn’t have much competitive background in swimming, I didn’t expect much, but he works really hard and has made his way up to varsity A in just one year.” Coppell junior swimmer Scott Moyer said.

Johnson also found swimming more appealing than football

Coppell sophomore Asher Johnson practices his breaststroke during practice on Nov. 19 at the Coppell YMCA. Johnson switched from playing football to swimming after an injury, rising to the varsity A team after just one year. Photo by Nandini Paidesetty because he thinks swimming is more beneficial for his health.

“Swimming is good for your health and good for your joints,” Johnson said. “During that time, I was struggling [emotionally], so swimming was a way to take that away. ” Being 6 feet and 180 pounds, Johnson faced several challenges.

“In swimming, compared to the other people, I’m bigger and bulkier than they are, so there is a big difference and I keep comparing

myself to them,” Johnson said.

“Sometimes, I’ll go slower over long sets or I won’t get the same interval [time], so seeing that and not getting mad at myself was one struggle.”

“Asher’s greatest motivation to keep swimming is his desire to better himself,” Moyer said. “His desire to stay in good physical shape keeps him trying his hardest.”

Although swimming competitions were new to him, Johnson found they are very rewarding.

“Getting to go to someone else’s pool and show them what our school is made of or what we have to offer is really a pleasing part of competing,” Johnson said.

Johnson was also an accomplished athlete during his previous time in football, which he has carried on in his swimming journey. His coaches had noticed his hard-work from the start and this effort transferred to swimming as well, ensuring success for him.

“Asher was a kid that showed his attitude in the way that he played,” Coppell Middle School East athletic coordinator and football coach Ryan Melson said. “He wasn’t the most vocal athlete, but I remember his very first scrimmage in the seventh grade when he flew around the field making tackles. Even in the offseason, he would be among the top performers in the weight room or during conditioning.”

Melson said. “He wasn’t the most vocal athlete, but I remember his very first scrimmage in the seventh grade when he flew around the field making tackles. Even in the offseason, he would be among the top performers in the weight room or during conditioning.”

DRISHTI ‘23 can be reached at dxg1823@g.coppellisd.com.

DECEMBER 2020

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