Volume 33 Issue 2

VOLUME 33

ISSUE 2

NOVEMBER 2021

MAKING A NEW HOME Desi immigrants finding their place in Coppell

Pages 12-13 Story by Sreeja Mudumby Photos by Angelina Liu and Nandini Muresh

PILOT PATEL

WHAT’S INSIDE PG. 11

STUDENT LIFE: Junior prepares for Air Force with pilot’s license

COPPELL HIGH SCHOOL 185 W. PARKWAY BLVD, COPPELL, TX 75019

GUITAR HERO PG. 16

ENTERTAINMENT: Musician rocking way through guitar, singing and songwriting

www.coppellstudentmedia.com

NOVEMBER 2021

QUESTIONS, COPPELL?

Letter from the Editor I’m learning to play the piano at 17.

I’m not very good. I take lessons right after a 6-year-old, so heading into the little classroom after her and having to move the stool backwards to make the correct amount of space - it’s pretty humbling.

My issue with the instrument is that I want to be good now. And that means with maybe 15 minutes of practice a day and a weekly lesson, I expected myself to be somewhere further along in progress than I am currently.

It’s a problem of mine and always has been: my hard time understanding that I cannot be the best at everything I do - not immediately, at least, and not without any effort. That’s not to say that I am typically the best at things, or have been for any activity I have done (I was pretty terrible at soccer and never picked up my violin outside my weekly lessons). Yet for some reason, I have this pressing, deep desire to be the best at something effortlessly.

I envy those who are actually effortless, like the guy in my art history class whose essay is 12 times better than mine despite never having read the content and the girl in my calculus class who comes to every lesson unprepared yet is explaining the concept before class ends.

I was named the sports editor of The Sidekick through an odd series of events involving a friendly editor and my intense desire to please her. I had applied for it but was secretly hoping to be put in another spot. Yet when I was given the position, despite knowing how hardwon the spot was and how thrilled I should have been, I was worried - or maybe angry. I don’t know sports, barring my family’s beloved tennis and a child’s rec soccer knowledge, and looking retrospectively, maybe that was why.

My editor position became another thing that wouldn’t come effortlessly.

Writing was something that always had been rather effortless, purely handed to me from my being an avid reader. I was good at The Sidekick, in a way that felt effortless to me: the writing aspect. But sports was not. The first soccer match I ever covered was a flop one that ended with me in tears - and though I improved, it couldn’t help but look like a foreshadowing of the upcoming year.

But the program had been my life, and I couldn’t imagine leaving writing behind, even if it did mean something difficult.

So I stayed.

It didn’t come effortlessly, not in the least.

I learned who to interview, how 10 different sports worked and how to teach something I had just barely grasped myself. It meant hours of coverage and more work than I had ever imagined myself being able to do.

I’m learning piano now, at 17, and I go in after a 6-year-old. She’s much better than me.

I’m learning piano now, at 17, and I show up every week and practice every day. I’m not expecting it to be effortless. And when everything comes together - the pedal, the rhythm, the messy downbeat - it’s so much more satisfying than if it would have come with ease.

Questions, Coppell? is a Sidekick series in which executive news editor Akhila Gunturu answers readers’ questions about Coppell and Coppell ISD.

Mapping Coppell’s historical markers

T

he first known settler in the area that became Coppell was James Parrish, who established a homestead near Moore Road in 1848. Years later, the city was established at the intersection of Bethel Road and South Coppell Road in the late 1870s. Since its founding, Coppell has amassed multiple historical markers to commemorate the history of the city. The Sidekick’s executive news editor Akhila Gunturu profiles four below.

Coppell Heritage Park The Coppell Heritage Park is located at the southwest corner of Bethel Road and South Coppell Road. Coppell began in this location in the 1870s, and it served as downtown Coppell before being revitalized as Old Town Coppell in 2014. The Coppell Heritage Park houses several attractions, including an antique windmill, the Kirkland House and the Minyard Store. The marker was established in 2013.

Coppell School Coppell School refers to what is now Pinkerton Elementary, located on Southwestern Boulevard. This location served as the school for first through eighth grade in seven rooms beginning in 1928 until the building burned down in 1949. In 1967, following the founding of Coppell ISD in 1958, the upper grades moved to Coppell Middle School West, and the building became Coppell Elementary School. The marker was established in 2014.

Grapevine Springs Park Grapevine Springs Park is located at the entrance of Park Road. In 1843, Sam Houston camped in this park to negotiate with Native Americans, and in 1936, Dallas County accepted the land to build picnic, park facilities and foot paths for residents to enjoy. In 1993, it was restored in name by Dallas County and by Coppell as a historic park space. The marker was established in 2005.

Bethel Cemetery The oldest of the historical markers, Bethel Cemetery, is located on Christi Lane. It was established by James Parrish, who moved from Ohio to Dallas County in 1848. Prior to his death in 1853, he set aside land to create a community cemetery. Bethel Cemetery was estimated to house at least 200 graves, but only two remain due to vandalism and development of the area.

The marker was established in 1989.

Anjali Krishna Editor-in-Chief

Photos by Sannidhi Arimanda

MORE THAN JUST LUNCH P. 5

YOUNGER PEOPLE, OLDER DECISIONS P. 7

Driver shortage causing bus delays

Coppell ISD and Durham School Services are struggling to find bus drivers for the 2021-22 school year. Coppell students have been affected by inconsistent pick-up and drop-off times. Photo by Angelina Liu

Sruthi Lingam Staff Photographer @sruthi_lingam

For the past few weeks, Coppell High School associate principal Melissa Arnolds has been coming onto the intercom to notify students that buses 121 and 109 have been moved to another bus route.

“Good afternoon CHS, please pardon this interruption. This is your daily bus change announcement. Bus 121 will be riding with bus 109 today.”

Arnold’s message reflects a larger con-

flict among Coppell ISD and Durham School Services that causes this inconvenience for students.

“My bus route told me to come to my stop at 8:20 a.m., but the driver came at 8:10 a.m. which caused me to miss my bus on two separate occasions,” Coppell High School junior Maalini Chandrashekhar said. “This happens relatively often, and I have to wait around 10 minutes in the morning.”

Chandrashekhar faces issues with her bus’s schedule in the morning, but the afternoon schedule does not have as significant delays as the morning. This is because the bus services provider, Durham

School Services, is forced to combine some routes due to a shortage of drivers.

Because Durham’s first priority is student safety, students may face delays.

According to CISD director of communications Amanda Simpson, CISD works contracts with Durham School Services to provide the district’s bus transportation services. While the buses belong to CISD, they are driven by Durham School Services employees. “[Our drivers] may have to split a route’s list of stops to pick up riders based on capacity and timing for arrival to the campus,” Durham School Services operations supervisor Miguel Campos said.

“Getting students to and from school safely supersedes timeliness.”

Some students may have to ride on a different bus route after school for this reason. Campos finds that the bus driver shortage can most likely be attributed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Up until now, we have not experienced a driver shortage since Durham School Services took over as the school bus operator for Coppell ISD,” Campos said. “We have to look at the entire labor shortage that is affecting North Texas.”

SRUTHI ‘23 can be reached at sxl2131@g.coppellisd.com

Administration reinforces existing dress code, tardy consequences

Since Oct. 4, the Coppell High School administration has been strictly enforcing dress codes and tardy sweeps. Students caught in a tardy sweep will receive a detention. Photo by Nandini Muresh

Anjali Vishwanath Daily News/Assignment Editor @anjuvishwanath

Familiar issues have come to the forefront of the Coppell High School administration’s focus as students return to in-person learning: tardiness and the dress code.

On Sept. 30, CHS Principal Laura Springer announced tardy sweeps and stricter enforcement of the dress code effective Oct. 4. “[These are] things that are just important to me that I teach [students] because you’re going to go out into the business world, and you’re going to have to dress accordingly,” Springer said. “And that’s how [potential employers] look at you. One

of the first things I look at on every person “We’re starting tardy sweeps because we I interview is what [they are] wearing, be- are struggling with the amount of kids not cause they’re going to be a model for our in a classroom where the tardy bell rings kids in this building.” and missing parts of instruction,” Springer The dress code, a part said. “What happens if you’re of the CHS Student caught in a tardy sweep is, Handbook, prohibits [no matter if] you’ve nevCoppell High School’s students from wearing er been in trouble before, a dress code includes: their hair dyed, hats tardy sweep is an immediate and sunglasses, pants • Appropriate footwear 30-minute detention.” must be worn shorter than their finThere is only one exgertip length, cloth- • Secondary students are ception to this rule: bus required to wear their ing with explicit dedelays. Students who arrive school ID badge on signs, spiked boots or to school late after riding their person jewelry and shirts that • Hems of skirts, dressa bus will not be assigned expose the midriff. a 30-minute detention. es, shorts and slits in “We have some Though these sweeps do not garments may not be higher fingertip length kids in this building take place each passing periwho are into gender • No sunglasses may be od, they are randomized and worn in the building identity and those teachers will be informed by types of things,” an overhead announcement.

Springer said. “I don’t These detentions, Keep care if you’re a young Everything Beautiful (KEB), woman and you dress more like a young are dedicated to cleaning up litter around man. That stuff is not what I’m talking the CHS campus. about; what I’m talking about is making “I am not doing my job if I don’t hold sure that we are modestly covering our a standard in this building that I belive body in a manner that people can’t see in,” Springer said. body parts.”

Tardy sweeps, which were last in effect ANJALI ‘22 can be reached at in the 2019-20 school year, also returned. axv0529@g.coppellisd.com

Instagram: @thesidekickcoppell

NOVEMBER VETERAN’S DAY // NOV. 11

THANKSGIVING BREAK // NOV. 22-26

2021

Booster shots available at local pharmacies Anette Varghese Student Life Editor @AnetteVarghese

On Oct. 7, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended a single booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine be administered at least six months after completion of the two-shot preliminary series.

This was the first of the three pharmaceutical COVID vaccine producing companies to advise booster shots following complete vaccination cycles.

On Oct. 14, a Federal Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee unanimously recommended giving booster shots of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine to people ages 65 and older and other vulnerable Americans.

Based on CDC recommendations, third vaccine doses are available now for people who fit the following guidelines: individuals who are 65 or older and 18plus individuals who live in long-term care settings, have underlying medical conditions, or work or live in high-risk settings.

On Oct. 15, the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) unanimously voted 19-0 to recommend Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for adults aged 18 and older at least two months following initial vaccination with the single-shot vaccine.

Booster shots are available to eligible individuals at all locations that also offer COVID-19 vaccinations. Available locations in Coppell include Tom Thumb, CVS pharmacy and Walgreens on N. Denton Tap Road.

“I am all about [everyone] being vaccinated,” Coppell High School pharmacy tech

and EMT teacher Gary Beyer said. “When I was a small child, they did mandatory vaccinations for smallpox and polio. I felt fine, and I then and now qualified for a third booster. My thought is that a year, five years, 10 years down the road, you get a flu shot. Every year you’ll get a COVID shot.”

CHS students still voice their concerns about safety at school while the vaccine’s long-term efficacy is being questioned.

“The school is still very crowded, and the chance of contracting COVID-19 is still high,” CHS senior Uma Uppuloori said. “I would rather listen to the major pharmaceutical companies, because they know the scientific backgrounds of their products the best. I’d rather take [a booster shot] earlier than later. I’m glad that [vaccine production companies are] underestimating the efficiency to be safe.”

CHS senior Lily Arancheril plans on receiving the booster shot as soon as it is available to her age group. She is opting to receive the booster because her grandparents, who are immunocompromised, live at home with her.

“The booster shots were introduced at a good time, [because] they were presented when people were beginning to lose more immunity after being fully vaccinated,” Arancheril said.

“I want to be more cautious, especially as people begin to meet that point.”

On Oct. 20, the FDA authorized the use of each of the available vaccines as a heterologous (or “mix-and-match”) booster dose in eligible individuals following completion of primary vaccination with a different available COVID-19 vaccine.

Sri Achanta

Staff Writer @sriachanta_

Coppell ISD parent P

RN

Child tests positive for COVID-19

The parent of the infected student is recommended to email their child’s school nurse about the positive test.

School Nurse

Re: Child tests positive for...

Who has your child been sitting with at lunch?

How long have they been showing symptoms?

School Nurse RN

Number of positive cases Nurses send the data about positive cases to the CISD communications department daily.

Communications department then uses this data to update the dashboard.

Google Forms GF

Your form, Staff Case Reporting, has new responses Positive CISD staffers must report their cases via a Google Form. Communications department then updates the dashboard.

C

Coppell ISD Sources

CISD director of communications Amanda Simpson and Coppell High School associate principal Melissa Arnold.

ANETTE ‘22 can be reached at atv3765@g.coppellisd.com

COVID-19 dashboard reporting same-day cases “We are notifying you that an individual in your class is confirmed to have COVID-19” is the beginning of an email all contact traced Coppell High School students have received in the past nine weeks.

Yet, the Coppell ISD COVID-19 dashboard states that there are zero daily test-confirmed positive COVID cases per grade for CHS. The keys to deciphering this seemingly incongruous information are two things: the word “daily” and the voluntary reporting system.

The dashboard only tracks the number of test-confirmed positive cases each day. For example, if a student tests positive, the tracker will increase the number of cases for the student’s campus and grade by one, and also increase the total student cases by one.

The next day, however, the dashboard for the grade levels and staff will reset back to zero, but the totals columns will be kept as is, as they are cumulative numbers, stating exactly how many students and/or staff have contracted the virus since Aug. 17.

Though tracking active cases seems like an ideal option for a more

in-depth report about the COVID-19 cases, numerous problems can arise.

Another crucial aspect of the COVID-19 dashboard is voluntary reporting. According to the Texas Education Agency, parents are not required to report whether their child has tested positive for COVID, but are highly encouraged to. “[This process is effective] if you are honest,” CHS associate principal Melissa Arnold said. “When [people] get COVID tested [and] it comes back

positive, my hope is that [they] report it, so we can have the conversations we need to have to keep everybody safe.”

When a student tests positive, their parents are encouraged to email the school nurse. The nurse will follow up with a phone call home, asking the parent questions such as who their child was sitting with at lunch and when the child’s symptoms started. The nurse will then send out information regarding the number of COVID cases at the school to CISD’s communications department every school day by 4 p.m.

Cases that are reported by parents on the weekends are sent to the communication department with the coming Monday’s numbers.

The communication department will then post these numbers on the COVID-19 dashboard page and report them to Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS).

When a staff member tests positive, they are to fill out a staff Google Form. The district then reports those numbers to DCHHS and adds them to the CISD dashboard.

SRI ‘24 can be reached at ska3430@g.coppellisd.com

YA NOVELS ARE NOT FOR CLASS P. 7

STUDENTS ROMANTIZE OVERWORKING P. 8

THE BEAT FROM CHS9

Catna curbs freeze with science Iniya Nathan CHS9 Editor @iniya_v

L

ast February will be remembered for a record-setting freeze leading to power outages and pipe bursts; a desperate time filled with desperate temperatures.

CHS9 student Arya Catna, then Coppell Middle School West eighth grader, noticed more than just people were impacted by the winter freeze: her plants were affected, too.

An avid gardener with an interest in environmental science, Catna decided to find a way to protect her plants from

the next time frosty temperatures came her way. It took her a few months to do her research and record data before she came up with a rudimentary solution. She created a mulch blanket. “[With my] initial research on types of soil and organic materials that are helpful to plants, contain moisture within the plants and pick the ideal temperature within plants, I found that wood chips are much better than soil,” Catna said. “They moderate the soil temperatures, control weeds and they’re overall really sustainable and more resistant to environmental stresses. So I decided to implement a solution that uses wood chips and realized that making a blanket with landscaping fabric was an easy way to [do so].”

Catna submitted her research and solution to the 2021 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge and was selected as the Texas State Merit Winner.

She attributes some of her success to all the people in school who supported her.

“All of my teachers were really supportive,” Catna said. “My science teacher encouraged people to participate in science fairs and competitions and encour-

Photos by Shreya Ravi

aged people to do what they can to help the community positively.”

The people who know her are not surprised at her success.

“Her creativity is out of this world,” CMS West science teacher Holly Millar said. “She’s very creative and innovative with her ideas. She could [just] think of something and be able to create it.”

Her mom, Ramya Kumar, is her strongest supporter.

“My [role] is providing whatever [Catna] needs and supporting her,” Kumar said. “It’s what I’m here for supporting her [and] the idea. Sometimes she just wants to bounce back ideas, [asking] ‘Should I try this?’ and [my response is] ‘Yes, go ahead, whatever you need.’”

Catna’s interest in environmental sciences and helping the environment started in middle school, and she currently volunteers for Keep Coppell Beautiful, affiliate of Keep Texas Beautiful dedicated to keeping Coppell green. However, science is not her only passion.

Catna has always been a strong artist, starting classes at the young age of 5. In the sixth grade, Kumar got the opportunity to display her art at the Valley Ranch Public Library. She currently is not taking art at school, preferring to hone her skills in her own time.

Her mulch blanket is currently a prototype, and she continues to work on it,

currently looking into ways to create a blanket that can cover larger areas, although since school started that time has been limited to the weekends. She hopes to keep improving on her idea and help the environment with sustainable solutions.

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

Secret behind Hour Block Lunch Shrayes Gunna Staff Writer @shrayesgunna

At 11:59 a.m., CHS9 students can be found wandering the halls to find a comfortable nook to act as their haven for lunch. As some students enjoy their lunch for the full hour, others bounce around club meetings, attend tutoring sessions, amuse themselves with sports in the gym and laugh as they share conversations.

There is only one reason for this opportunity that is exclusively found at CHS9: Hour Block Lunch and Family Friday.

Hour Block Lunch is the hour lunch period split into two different parts: A block and B block. Students are allowed to sit in several halls around the school and manage their own time, providing them with greater freedom as they transition into high school.

“It’s kind of like recess for high schoolers,” CHS9 Principal Dr. Cody Koontz said. “At the fundamental level we want students to get a chance to unwind and breathe.”

Moreover, Family Friday, a program introduced to CHS9 last year, replaces the preexisting advisory period that was

taught based on a habitudes curriculum.

Family Friday is a direct extension of that curriculum which is divided into four pillars to teach skills necessary for students’ prosperity in the future.

The first pillar is student professional development, to create a space that cultivates organizational and professional skills to be used in educational and professional spaces in the future. The second pillar is community building through community circles, which allows students to reflect and build stronger connections with the students they share a campus with. The third is service learning, which the faculty is emphasizing this year through various service projects such as connecting ninth grade classrooms to kindergarten classes across Coppell ISD. The final pillar is a true advisory time allowing teachers the time to check in with students and tends with their social, emotional and academic needs leading to a positive relationship between teachers and students.

HBL was implemented at CHS9 when it opened in 2018, whereas Family Friday was established in September 2020, with the program spearheaded by assistant principal Robert Goff and social studies teacher Brittany Scruggs. “[CHS9] has revamped [its] processes [from] habitudes,” Scruggs said. “What has changed over time is that [CHS9] has switched and adapted programs to [les-

sons] that are more focused and specific to students and the needs that we have seen rather than a predesigned curriculum.”

Moreover, the programs contribute to the culture of CHS9 in a vital way by emphasizing character and professional skills in each opportunity they provide.

“They embody what we see as goals and what we see as important on our campus of being a community, a global citizen and productive member of society,” Scruggs said.

HBL and Family Friday are practices unique to CHS9 and are a factor in producing capable students in the high school level and beyond.

“Going from a 30 minute period to an hour was very exciting and very useful,” Behera said. “It helps me relax and calm down before the next half of the day.

[HBL and Family Friday] help me grow to be more productive and useful with my time.”

This moment to recoup is the secret behind the excitement and memories that students cherish beyond their freshman year. The secret in the formula found in no other CISD school is that students have the liberty and time to explore their passions, resolve their needs and strengthen relationships.

SHRAYES ‘23 can be reached at sxg3526@g.coppellisd.com

Instagram: @thesidekickcoppell

Photo by Olivia Cooper

NOVEMBER 2021

STAFF EDITORIAL EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP CHASE WOFFORD Staff Adviser ANJALI KRISHNA Editor-in-Chief* TRISHA ATLURI Entertainment Editor* AKHILA GUNTURU News Editor* SREEJA MUDUMBY Editorial Page Editor* EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP ANJALI VISHWANATH Daily News Editor* INIYA NATHAN CHS9 Editor* ANETTE VARGHESE Student Life Editor TORIE PECK Sports Editor MEDIA TEAM LEADERSHIP ANGELINA LIU Visual Media Editor* NANDINI MURESH Photo Editor SRIHARI YECHANGUNJA Design Editor* AYANE KOBAYASHI Staff Cartoonist* COMMUNICATIONS AND BUSINESS TEAM MANASA MOHAN Advertising/Circulation Manager* ALIYA ZAKIR Social Media Manager VARSHITHA KORRAPOLU Communications Manager WRITERS SRI ACHANTA NATHAN CHENG ANUSHREE DE SHRAYES GUNNA YAAMINI JOIS JOANNE KIM SANIYA KOPPIKAR

MEER MAHFUZ MAYA PALAVALI BHASKAR PARITI DEEPTI PATIL HAVISH PREMKUMAR YASEMIN RAGLAND TRACY TRAN*

PHOTOGRAPHERS ALIZA ABIDI SANNIDHI ARIMANDA JAYDEN CHUI OLIVIA COOPER MEGHNA KULKARNI NICHOLAS LARRY SRUTHI LINGAM*

SREEHITHA MORAVANENI NANDINI PAIDESETTY* ASHLEY QIAN ASHLEY SCARLETT OLIVIA SHORT SHREYA RAVI AARINN VITTOLIA

DESIGNERS JOSH CAMPBELL* RACHEL CHANG NOOR FATIMA

MINNIE GAZAWADA ESTHER KIM AVANI MUNJI

*Indicates Volume 33 issue No. 2 page designer

Use classes as an avenue for exploring interests From forensic science to psychology, Coppell High School offers a variety of classes to accommodate students’ interests, no matter what that might be. Out of the 36 total Advanced Placement classes established by College Board, CHS has a total of 32 AP classes.

While this gives students opportunities to take on tougher classes, it also turns the courses tools to enhance their applications, rather than reflections of their interests.

At schools like CHS, where classes are categorized by levels based on difficulty, AP classes are considered level four classes and most other classes are level three or below, often level two. Similarly, International Baccalaureate classes are ranked as level four classes.

Effectively, a student in an AP or IB class who earns a 90 will gain a 0.5 point boost over a student in an honors class who received the same grade.

Students of all grade levels have started to take on more advanced classes to keep their grade point average above a number they feel will be competent with their peers while applying for colleges. This goal of academic excellence drives many students away from classes that match their interests because they feel that these classes are not as valuable to their transcript as an AP or IB class.

Many feel overwhelmed, disinterested and apathetic towards their classes as they fill their schedule with collegelevel courses that require a lot of work and are not geared towards the students’ passions. This apparent lack of interest further demotivates them to work for the class. This is the opposite of what students should be doing throughout their high school experience. Instead of taking classes based on a supposed benefit towards their transcripts, students should take the opportunity that high school gives them to explore their interests before college.

High school is the best time to explore one’s passions because it is the last phase in a student’s life where they receive support from experienced teachers and have the freedom to make personal choices.

Students can also make more mistakes

and learn from them in school, compared to the more rigid environment they will face after high school.

Students who pursue certain specialized classes in high school will gain increasingly advanced experience yearly and graduate with a stronger skill set than those who begin pursuing their interests later on.

Rather than discovering their passions during college, students should focus on figuring out what interests them earlier. Though taking a class in high school purely for interest may seem like a waste of time, students should view this as an opportunity for individual growth.

Even with the growing pressure of college and the standard of academic excellence placed on them, Coppell students should focus on classes that allow them to solidify their interests for their future. Taking advantage of the value offered by high school classes is a crucial part of making a student’s experience in high school more profound.

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 of 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

Corrections and clarifications Coppell scores new coaches (Volume 33 No. 1 p. 22) In our previous issue, Landon Wren is incorrectly identified as Coppell High School’s new track coach.

Wren is the cross country coach. The Sidekick regrets the error.

Age does not indicate maturity Varshitha Korrapolu Communications Manager @varsithakorrapolu

Far too often, adults, especially parents, claim that young adults are incapable of making good choices and showing signs of maturity. This is because of one number: their age.

There are so many numbers in life.

Birthdays, Social Security numbers, phone numbers, credit card numbers, test grades.

Age is just one more item on the list. It is an indicator that measures how long a person has been alive. Nothing more.

Adulthood is not a ticket to maturity.

There are middle-aged people that do not have the basic common sense of a high school student. There are employed adults that are not committed to their jobs and struggle to find stability. Thewre are parents that have fragile relationships with friends and family because they do not know how to act in society. These are signs of immaturity despite being part of an older age group.

Just because a person hasn’t lived for a very long time, it does not mean that they are

not mature. The experiences that a person adds to their collection influences a person’s mindset and perspective towards life, not age.

In order to craft innovations, these young people need commitment, focus and determination since the ideas they get are against the norm. If adults do not let such ardent individuals voice their perspectives and ideas, then our world is at risk for losing life changing innovations for the betterment of the human race.

Maturity should be observed through a person’s actions, thoughts or philosophy; not their age.

Parents often think that younger people need their guidance and advice for every single task. Adults have the tendency to ignore or downsize younger people’s opinions because of the idea that they are younger and are supposedly immature.

I understand that parents and other adults have the responsibility to ensure that their children are not going in the wrong direction and engaging in risky behaviors. But adults should not make a judgement or close their mind when younger people are voicing their opinions.

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

Adults tend to impose their opinions on teenagers. However, The Sidekick communications manager Varshitha Korrapolu thinks teenagers are capable of making good decisions on their own. Graphic by Avani Munji

Teach for English, not for fun Anjali Krishna Execituve Editor-in-chief @anjalikrishna_

The magic behind Donna Tartt’s famed The Secret History lies in the unlikability and wrongness of her six main characters - and just how confusingly lovable they are in spite of this.

It’s never stated that each character is so controversial, or that their actions are wrong. Even Bunny, who is so obviously hateful and insecure, is loved by those around him for his redeeming qualities.

Tartt, and all other adult literary fiction authors, require us to draw our own conclusions and think critically about texts. In that is the difference between Tartt’s novel, as adult literary fiction, and something like Harry Potter, a young adult book series.

It’s something young adult books cannot do - leave so much up to a reader’s interpretation, since these books are meant for younger minds and made for enjoyment, rather than analysis.

The point of high school English classes is to practice engaging with texts in meaningful ways and teaching students to take meaning from writing, then craft it themselves. Ergo, books that leave room for critical thinking and hold more material meant to be read into, are more effective in their curriculum. Then, why do we consider teaching young adult novels a viable alternative to teaching complex literature ripe for analysis?

The selected readings for literature classes are carefully chosen. At CHS, books for upper level literature classes are chosen by the class’s teachers together, and guided by lists from past years and the College Board in order to teach certain AP and Texas standards. Although the required readings are largely open to change, according to CHS teacher Alexander Holmes, the AP literature teachers have yet to find a young adult novel to encompass these standards.

While we can hope that learning English is enjoyable or at least something students feel worth pursuing, switching curric-

ulum to lower-level yet more purposefully fun books would not serve to motivate students already disinterested in the content, who typically dislike curriculum because it is school work, and instead cause intellectually curious students to lose interest for lack of challenging material.

While we can hope that learning English is enjoyable or at least something students feel worth pursuing, switching curriculum to lower-level yet more purposefully fun books would not serve to motivate students already disinterested in the content, who typically dislike curriculum because it is school work, and instead cause intellectually curious students to lose interest for lack of challenging material. The English literature

curriculum at Coppell High School focuses on these classics - and rightly so. Yet with students falling behind after a year of virtual learning in basic reading skills, discussion has opened up about worldwide curriculum switching to focus onw basics and reengage students in learning with more fun content.

But young adult novels are not interchangeable with tried-and-true classics chock-full of analytical material. If the question lies in whether these classics are relevant to today’s English classes, a more viable substitution would be modern day literature by writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Haruki Murakami and Tartt, who broach modern subjects with nuance.

In 500 years, the human will remember those who wrote of inner meanings and deeper thoughts. Words hold more meaning than others and learning about some provides value over learning others.

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

Young adult novels can seem to be a valid pick for analysis in English classes because they cater to high school students’ interests. However, The Sidekick editor-in-chief Anjali Krishna thinks YA novels don’t provide enough food for thought, rendering them useless in English classes. Photo by Sreeja Mudumby

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NOVEMBER DUTTON FINISHING OFF STRONG P. 15

2021

SANGANI AND HER SOCIAL MEDIA P. 15

Separate the art from the artist

Shrayes Gunna Staff Writer @shrayesgunna

L

There is one constant within each emotion I process, math problem I laboriously solve and soothing shower I take.

There’s a place I visit in my most troubling times that I return to at my highest of highs.

I know, it’s paradoxical, but there’s a familiarity in its tone.

The constant? Music.

The place? The Spotify playlist that I load with the hundreds of melodies I cycle through on a daily basis.

Music is a refuge many seek: the same grounding, consistently enjoyable experience every single time. However, in the unrelenting search for the perfect song, comes the question of whether it is OK to listen artists who have been deemed

problematic for several reasons: racism, homophobia, sexism, ableism or other forms of discrimination.

As social media platforms continue to forge insurrections of social activism, self-proclaimed activists continue to criticize more and more fans of celebrities for supporting a problematic artist. These situations have become the norm and rise in number with larger artists being brought into the spotlight and interrogated for actions or words that were perpetrated in the past.

For instance, DaBaby, a rapper who was beginning to pave his way in the music industry, was recently ‘canceled’ for his openly homophobic and misogynistic comments during a live performance at the Rolling Loud music festival in Miami.

The list of artists with similar stories doesn’t just end there.

Kanye West.

Azealia Banks.

Chris Brown.

Morgan Wallen.

And it goes on.

Though it’s not apt to reinforce the platform and the words of problematic influences within society, listening to their music for the purposes of enjoyment is unharmful.

However, in the circumstance that a song by an artist expresses harmful rhetoric or affirms the dehumanizing stances of the artist, there should be no case in which society streams and supports that

work of art. When we stream and buy music, we not only affirm the lyricism and stances of the song but we amplify its reach.

Streaming music doesn’t end at listening to the song, but we consume the messages and voices of the artists and it could potentially influence us—a situation in which problematic artists can be detrimental to our character.

“Everyone takes away from the music that they listen to,” Coppell High School junior Neha Vakkadala said. “[It] depends on the person and how they perceive [the] music.”

There is one common phrase used to justify these instances that is often twisted: the notion of separating the art from the artist. Though it should be recognized that this concept is admissible, when utilized to justify streaming problematic songs it can be ignorant. Their words have taxing implications for the groups of people that are being targeted in such music.

By perpetuating notions of separating the art from the artist or that streaming has no real-world implications, we are openly negligent to the adverse effects of our actions. Although the phrase can be permissible in determining whether to stream or not to stream problematic artists, we should be cautious in streaming the problematic fruits of those artists.

There isn’t a clear line in the sand and or signage in our periphery that lets us know to refrain from streaming hurt-

ful songs, but we should acknowledge the potential ramifications of the words we consume and the tones we allow to diffuse in our communities.

SHRAYES ‘23 can be reached at sxg3526@g.coppellisd.com

R

Unhealthy normalization of overworking Aliza Abidi Staff Photographer @CHSCampusNews

As stress from high school, grades and social life builds up, teenagers tend to prioritize their grades and academics over their well-being. With everything they have on their plate, taking care of their own body starts to lose importance.

Since talking about this is so common among students, the fact that one has had only three hours of sleep is not a cause of alarm.

The environment that students are constantly surrounded by is the root of this struggle of overworking. It has become normalized to a point where students have forgotten the negative impacts not taking care of themselves has on their bodies.

As workload and extracurricular activities build, students rarely get time to focus on themselves. Trying to balance academics, other engagements like playing in a band and trying to maintain a social life is a struggle a vast majority of students face. Instead of normalizing that one should feel this way,

Graphic by Rachel Chang

students should know that their sentiments are real and working to an unhealthy degree is not, nor should it be, normal.

Personally, taking honors and AP classes and getting all my work done to the quality I want causes me to barely have time to think about myself and my body. Very often, the mindset of getting the task done is what drives me to finish it as a priority over my health.

Talking to each other about the amount of time we spent doing that one assignment and the loss of sleep we got as a result of it has become a usual part of our lives. Frequently, I think that high schoolers forget that they should have at least nine to nine and a half hours of sleep to be healthy.

Since we complain about and exaggerate our lack of sleep and overworking habits with our friends so much, we don’t even

realize what we are doing wrong.

The normalization of overworking commonly creates the mindset that if one is not working to an unhealthy degree, they are not working hard enough. Seeing my friends constantly working hard induces the need for me to do the same and push myself to the limit. I find myself not feeling like my efforts are validated unless I go beyond what I am comfortable with.

Some may argue that discussing stress can be comforting to students and help them feel that they are not alone. But in my experience, the lack of voicing these struggles is not what is unhealthy, but the subconscious comparison of these struggles amongst students.

The numerous times I have heard people comparing the time they slept or the averages they have in a class is shocking.

Even though we know it’s not a competition of who has it worse, the sense of satisfaction when you tell someone you struggled more than them is the root to invalidation and more mental health issues.

“I feel like everyone struggles with the lack of sleep and putting school over their health,” Coppell High School sophomore Rachel Andreas said. “At this point, it is seen as normal which it should not be; it should not be relatable to not take care of yourself.”

The best way to prevent struggles like these from becoming normalized is to take care of yourself. Participating in unhealthy activities does not mean you are working harder or that your achievements are more valid. Having a healthy and balanced lifestyle is what high school students should strive to achieve and the lack of it is not something to boast about.

In the future instead of agreeing and adding on to the comment of surrounding peers, ask yourself, Are my struggles really something to be proud of?

ALIZA ‘24 can be reached at asa2591@g.coppellisd.com

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

Taking back our bodies Maya Palavali Staff Writer @mvpalovalley

Scrolling through social media, careless words echoing the hallway and conversations over lunch have one thing in common: they negatively impact our image by shining a constant negative lens on our bodies.

Panic is the only emotion I feel as I try on every item of clothing in my closet. The clothes are too tight, too loose; I feel too little, I weigh too much. My head swims and I have to sit down as the tears start to flow.

“If onlys” plague my mind as I get ready for the day; and it hasn’t even begun.

Coming back to school was hard on everyone, myself included. I have been struggling to accept myself and I was saddened by the situation at hand. Our school is riddled with body image problems. From the passing periods to lunch and everything in between, there is a negative atmosphere with snarky comments, constant comparison between students and promotion of unhealthy eating habits.

Before acknowledging the problems of body image, understanding what it is needs to be a priority. As Coppell High School sophomore Kristen Remidez puts it, body image is how somebody thinks and feels about their body. The term in and of itself does not have a positive or negative connotation, but society has a tendency to twist words.

When further asked about what body image means, Remidez went on to say that she sees body image as typically negative, based on what she has experienced.

Society has placed extraneous standards and is profitting off of negative body image. The Sidekick staff writer Maya Palavali thinks no one should feel the need to fit into a box and embrace themselves as they are.

Photo by Nandini Paidesetty Thinking poorly about ourselves is a universal message that we’re sent from an early age. Magazines, commercials, fad diets, TikTok trends - the list goes on with one main similarity: profiting off of body insecurity. It is a problem on a local level too - herbal remedies to lose weight are easily accessible throughout Coppell, fitness centers are a breeding ground for talk

about the ideal standard, gyms are advertised everywhere, calories are put on every menu and “skinny living” menus provided.

Negative self body image has many consequences, with a main one of neglecting self care and basic necessities. Eating disorders, obsessive compulsive tendencies, sleeping inconsistencies can all be linked to the lack of a positive body image. It looks

on surface level as skipping lunch every now and then, but the reality is much more devastating. People die due to the horrors brought onto them simply because they don’t think they’re good enough. Negative body image has the ability to consume anyone’s thought process and make them do actions to harm themselves.

With the disordered behavior around body image, companies and anyone trying to profit off of others have been able to use it to their advantage. One of the main causes of the behavior is comparison to others; in being able to create trends based off of this fact, a select few are able to benefit while the majority suffers. Competition is also another driving force, which allows the media to grab onto it by creating the ideal body image through postings on their platforms.

Society has latched on to many parts of our bodies to try and control who we are. Being told we’re “too much” or “too little” can result in a cycle of negative thinking. With what we’re taught, it’s almost natural to repeat the phrases we hear. In Coppell, we have no major clothing stores, let alone any tailored to fit plus sized individuals. We have no required education about health other than the rudimentary puberty talk we got at the end of elementary school and a unit in middle school. So many small parts add up to a big weight on everyone’s shoulders.

The negative view of a person’s body is not the fault of the people who face insecurities; it is the fault of people who support the ideal body standard by shaming other people. The battle of body positivity is one we need to face as a community.

MAYA ‘23 can be reached at mvp9128@g.coppellisd.com

Facing the true value of your education

Graphic by Rachel Chang

Nathan Cheng Staff Writer @WalterBotell

Education is important.

That is one statement that seems to be held sacred by those deemed “older and wiser” by society. And as such, it is an idea passed down from older to younger generations. As students, many of us have received the standard lecture about the importance of working hard in school from our parents.

But how many of us are truly compelled to work hard by a belief in such values?

From my own experience as a student, I can say with certainty that I have heard few advocates for education and the benefits of academic labor among my peers.

Such advocates instead constitute a rather small minority of students, sometimes

deemed “nerds” for seeking knowledge on their own.

While the insult is not usually used to mean actual offense, the fact that such a term has been used with the frequency I have heard demonstrates that those who truly care about their own education are simply considered different.

“The level of maturity in a high school setting is not quite there and it is a matter of having perspective as we get older to understand the opportunities that we get out of [education],” Coppell High School algebra teacher Alec Bui said.

Without the experiences of older generations, the values we are taught as students are not as likely to have the impact as they would on older individuals.

Instead, they have been distorted and relegated to a much lower spot on our value hierarchy. As a result, many students seek to pass classes solely because they think that doing so will supply them with an

academic currency with which they can purchase a successful future.

In other words, traditional values are distorted in the minds of young students and they thus, do not pursue education in the spirit of broadening their minds or academic development, but instead for the grade they receive for work completed.

Now, the total value students see in education has been reduced to the numbers detailing their performance rather than the actual improvement in academic prowess. It seems to be all students can talk about after they all finish one important exam or project. “What did you get on it?” is one commonly asked question that exemplifies what students think they ultimately get out of their work: a grade.

It is because of this misconception that students tend to cut corners, doing only bare minimum to receive a grade they are satisfied with, especially if the subject in question is one of obscure real life appli-

Instagram: @thesidekickcoppell

cations. But this is precisely the problem.

School is not meant to be skimmed over simply because one finds little value in what it has to offer. There are always new opportunities to improve one’s character in the classroom.

Our value hierarchy is twisted. We constantly neglect opportunities to seek wisdom if it means getting out of work.

Many of us fail to understand that beneath the exams and hours of homework, there are much deeper lessons to be learned.

It is time for us to recognize the incredible blessing of education, one that we all take for granted. It is a critical asset we should make the most of everyday. So challenge yourself to think more broadly about the value you place in your academics, and you might just find some joy in things you never have before.

NATHAN ‘23 can be reached at nxc2037@g.coppellisd.com

NOVEMBER 2021

A

MASCOT and more

Cowboy Carl defines school spirit through dedication Saniya Koppikar Staff Writer @SaniyaKoppikar

Up in the bleachers at a football game, high enough for the wind to bite and the announcer’s voice to echo in the air, Coppell High School esteemed mascot Cowboy Carl’s head stands out against all others.

The mascot’s outfit is a classic cowboy look––jeans, chaps and a wide-brim hat––but the head, an amalgamation of newspaper, paint and plaster, is especially eye-catching. It’s gone through several looks, but each one has left an impression on Carl’s eager audience.

Coppell varsity cheerleading coach Alexis Irons says it is time for another makeover, and the plan comes on the heels of another major change: a new student under the head.

When former Cowboy Carl, senior Kelly Wheeler, graduated in May, the search for someone to fill those time-honored red chaps renewed with a recruitment post on Twitter.

Because Cowboy Carl doesn’t speak, applicants must understand how to express emotion nonverbally, but it’s not necessary to play a character identical to those who have worn Cowboy Carl’s costume before.

“It really is a reflection of the different

types of students we have[at CHS],” Irons explains. “Carl is not just one personality; Carl is all of us.”

One trait that has remained throughout the years, however, is Carl’s presence.

A smile might be permanently drawn on under his mustache, but Carl’s tradition of friendliness is predominantly honored through the mascot’s actions and demonstrations of not just excellence and athleticism, but approachability and a signature Coppell value: togetherness.

And it is exactly that––togetherness–– which allows Carl’s audience to be so diverse.

Spectators at athletic and pep events

tures––some people couldn’t even get their kids to look at the camera because they were too busy looking at Carl,” CHS Principal Laura Springer says.

Though Carl might not evoke the same sense of whimsy in teenagers as in toddlers, his impact isn’t insignificant.

“It gives somebody another

c ove r a wide range of ages, but it doesn’t matter when it comes to appreciating Carl’s demeanor.

“We had our cheerleading camp, and when [parents] were taking pic-

chance to get involved in the school,” said CHS chemistry teacher Chris Stricker, who leads pep rallies at CHS. “It’s important to have that school spirit, that person to look out to.”

The number of eyes constantly on Carl is intended to increase, so the mascot’s anonymity will hinge on the efforts of all involved with him. Eventually, though, as most secrets entrusted to an army of 4,000 high schoolers tend to not keep, the cat gets out of the bag. Irons doesn’t think that’s truly detrimental.

“They do want to know who Carl is,” Irons said. “[But] once that outfit is on and that head is on, it doesn’t matter if [anyone] knows who is underneath.

They become Carl. Once Carl is there, it’s just Carl who’s there.”

Photo by Angelina Liu SANIYA ‘23 can be reached at ssk4423@g.coppellisd.com

Teacher of the Issue

Pearce pens dream job into real life Anette Varghese Student Life Editor @AnetteVarghese

Photo by Olivia Cooper

Coppell High School AP English literature and composition teacher Kim Pearce was selected by The Sidekick staff as its Teacher of the Issue. As a 1979 Florida State University graduate who spent three years teaching in Jacksonville, Fla., Pearce found her place in Coppell and has been teaching here for 38 years. Pearce has also been CHS’ sole AP facilitator for nine years and works to make the AP environment inclusive.

Did you always want to be a teacher?

Yes, I can remember playing school in my bedroom. [I remember] lining up my stuffed animals and dolls, and [my] papers and [my] little books. But, I can also remember my father saying, if you get into teaching, you won’t make much money, it is not a well paying position. When I first started teaching in Florida, I made $8,000 a year.

How has teaching changed since becoming the AP facilitator on campus?

As the AP campus facilitator, I help other teachers who are getting into AP and getting their training. We’ve evolved a great deal, the College Board is trying to make these classes accessible. And for a long time, AP was more exclusive rather than being inclusive.

What is your favorite piece of literature?

I absolutely love Frankenstein. It is [a] classic, but [it is] also timeless in that it was published 203 years ago, and it’s still relevant today. It’s beautiful, the idea that an 18-year-old wrote this novel. One of my favorites to teach

is Shakespeare. No English teacher would be without Shakespeare.

What is the craziest memory you’ve had teaching AP literature?

We were in here in the room working and all of a sudden, this bird flew into the window.

It was one of those suicide missions, made the loudest noise, a little girl named Carly, I can still remember her sitting there she screams.

And we realized that it was the bird that had hit the window, and you could look down and see this dead bird down on the pavement. In that year alone, we had three birds that hit the windows, it’s just one of those weird memories.

How is there anything else you’d like to add?

I was the only AP teacher for English literature for awhile, and only in the last couple of years have we added additional teachers. Our AP English team works really well together, we can each still be autonomous as teachers and still do things that we know are good for our kids. Kids will look at me going, you really do like this stuff don’t you?

ANETTE ‘22 can be reached at atv3765@g.coppellisd.com

VIRTUAL SPILLS OVER P. 12

BRIDGING THE GENDER GAP IN STEM P.12

Limitless mindset propels Patel towards Air Force Varshitha Korrapolu Communications Manager @varshitha1128

Coppell High School junior Adi Patel enters the pilot’s seat of the Czech Sport Cruiser N919TM aircraft at Thrust Flight flight school on Oct. 23 at Addison Airport. Patel is obtaining his pilot’s license and wants to join the U.S. Air Force. Photo by Nandini Paidesetty While most high school juniors are working towards getting their driver’s licenses, Coppell High School junior Adi Patel is up in the sky learning how to fly airplanes to receive his private pilot’s license.

Patel has had an appreciation for aviation ever since he can remember. When he was younger, he loved going to air shows, flight museums and watching YouTube videos of people flying airplanes.

However, he did not always want to be a pilot in the U.S. Air Force.

When he was at Coppell Middle School West, Patel wanted to pursue aeronautical engineering. He was able to learn more about aeronautical engineering through his mother’s cousin, who was studying the subject.

“I think I knew that I wanted to fly when I wanted to be an aeronautical engineer,” Patel said. “I just didn’t think that it was realistic. I thought ‘only certain people can do this.”

He shares the love for aviation with his father, Ritesh Patel.

“I was pretty happy because that’s what I wanted to do initially,” Mr. Patel said. “But I had some health issues so I couldn’t qualify, but I’m glad he’s doing it.

I’m glad he is taking those steps.”

When Adi realized that becoming a pilot is realistic and practical, he decided that he would rather fly planes than study aerospace engineering.

In order to eventually achieve his dream of joining the Air Force, Adi is currently part of the Civil Air Patrol, an organization that stems from the U.S. Air Force and prepares aspiring pilots for the military. Adi joined the Civil Air Patrol between seventh and eighth grade and started taking flight lessons this January.

When Adi learned he was promoted to the position of cadet commander, he was beyond thrilled.

“I never really expected that,” Adi said.

“Our squadron was going to get shut down.

I was going to have to move to a different one. But in what I thought was going to be the last meeting, the new squadron commander came up to me and said, ‘We can stay open as long as we find people to keep it running. Would you like to be the cadet commander?’ I had the biggest grin on my face while trying to still keep my military bearing. I was like, ‘yes sir, of course.”

The factor that compels Adi to fly airplanes, like the Czech Sport Cruiser, is the black and white nature of the craft.

“When you’re flying, you either know it or you don’t,” Adi said. “There is no in between. You have to know what every switch does, all the numbers, the power settings, everything. Just knowing that I can properly manipulate the machine is a good feeling.”

Despite not having the ability to fly as frequently as he would like, Adi utiliz-

es what he learns in his flight lessons to progress as a pilot.

“The passion and the love is really there,” flight instructor Jonathan Purcell said. “It shows with all the hard work he does at home. He only flies [once] a week, so there’s a lot that he does at home to be productive.”

Adi’s friends and family think that he is capable of achieving his goal of joining the U.S. Air Force and has a bright future ahead. “[Adi] doesn’t look like he has limits,” Mr. Patel said. “He wants to try everything, do everything. If you limit yourself before you even get started, you’ve already failed. He likes to challenge himself and he’s very self-sufficient.”

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

About Adi Patel • He really likes country music.

• He has one blue eye and one green eye • He loves fishing.

• His favorite plane is the P-51 Mustang.

• He learned to fly before he learned to drive.

Photos by Nandini Paidesetty Instagram: @thesidekickcoppell

Desis diversify district

Story by Sreeja Mudumby Photos by Angelina Liu and Nandini Muresh

Detailing the flux of South Asian immigrants in Coppell

COPPELL

The term “South Asian” refers to a total of six countries: India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan.

When the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, also known as the Hart-Celler Act, was established in the United States, a flux of South Asians immigrated to Coppell primarily for better opportunities in education and the workforce.

As of 2021, Asians are the second largest race in Coppell, making up 26.5 percent of the population.

“Not only are we surrounded by a higher population of ethnic people, it was easy to just become part of the family at [Coppell High Schoool],” CHS junior Anoushka Kishore said. “They are very welcoming and I have experienced very little racism as a whole compared to North Carolina or Iowa.”

Though Kishore hasn’t experienced any form of racism, prejudice against South Asians is still prevalent in Texas through the form of public hate speech, social media and word of mouth. CHS junior Sowbarnika Morsa has experienced first hand racism from both other races and her own.

“I definitely think there is a problem,” Morsa said. “When it comes to racism, it’s more like people not accepting the fact that I am Indian. I’ve heard many times in my life where people will be like ‘you’re not [Indian], you’re lying about it, when I try and consistently follow the journey that is the type of racist. Not only are people of different ethnicities racist to each other, but people of their own kind too, so it’s pretty ironic how a person of the same [race] as you is racist towards you.”

CHS Principal Laura Springer also acknowledges these issues and hopes to make CHS an inclusive and kind community.

“The problem is not being willing to change your viewpoints on things,” Springer said. “Our goal is to try to find everybody and meet them in the middle. I’m not trying to change anybody’s culture. I want you to be happy about your culture. I want you to be proud of your culture. I want to be proud of your heritage. What I want is to bring a group of people together from all parts of our world and make sure they realize when you come here, it’s our differences that make us better. It’s what makes us stronger.

That’s what we have the FISH Philosophy for. That’s what we have GRIT for.”

Both Springer and Morsa think informing the community about these issues in order to fix them.

“Especially in classrooms where we could do choice readings to give different choices so we open up kids’ minds with the opportunity to see the fact that when we come in this building, we have always taught one way,” Springer said.

“And we don’t always have to teach one way. It makes others feel welcome in this building, too. And make everybody feel like they have a place and a home within our school.

It doesn’t mean we have to change our life to be like that, but it means it helps us to understand each other better to understand the things that we’ve each been through. We need to realize how lucky we have it and how wonderful our community and our school system is, but also to be

very cognizant of what others have gone through before they’ve come to us. And let’s hear about that experience.

Let’s learn from that experience. Because we know that’s not something that we would ever want to have to live through ourselves.”

Implementing diverse curriculum into classrooms is one way the school is seeking to increase inclusivity. Coppell High School IB English teacher Richard Orlopp has chosen Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian, a South Asian focused novel, for the summer reading book for his students.

“I thought the issues would resonate with many of the students I teach,” Orlopp said. “I think it’s important to teach [inclusivity] because it helps us have a window into other cultures. The greatest thing about reading fiction is that it creates that sense of empathy in people, and I just get really interested to see other places, other ways of life.”

With the rise of South Asian immigrants also comes a need to recognize cultural holidays and celebrations. Festivals such as Navaratri and Diwali are prominent and widely celebrated in the South Asian community. Officially recognizing these South Asian celebrations have become a civil rights debate for many years, questioning the value of diversity that has been placed in the Coppell community.

Asians are the largest racial group in Coppell ISD, making up 51.6 percent of the population. With the flux of immigration also comes the double standard of being South Asian-American, battling issues such as racism and fighting for civil rights.

Being the dominant population in CISD, the pressure for academic achievement increased among students.

Phrases such as “The Asian A” trigger these expectations that trail into a heavy portion of the student population.

These increased academic standards are displayed in past and recent years’ STAAR scores, with Asians being one of the highest-scoring groups in CHS. “I definitely think there is a higher level of competition, and that’s just because of the expectations and standards we have within our culture,” Kishore said. “But I think that we all understand that these are the expectations we have.

It is kind of like a race to the top but at the end of the day, we all know what we’re going through, we all know what’s going on at home so it’s nice to know that you’re not feeling alone.”

While CISD offers many types of co-curricular and extracurricular activities, Sethi thinks South Asians tend to gravitate towards and away from the same types of ventures in school.

“Every culture has a way of upbringing their child and their priorities may differ,” Sethi said. “Asian families have a higher priority towards academics compared to non-Asian communities, where there is importance to sports and extracurriculars. But that doesn’t stop us. There are students like [CHS senior and Stanford commit Ryan Agarwal] who was the second Indian to receive a basketball scholarship to a [Division I] school.”

Accommodating to everyone in Coppell is one of the most important factors for Manish to consider when making decisions in the school board.

“When it comes to focusing on different communities we need to make sure we are making policies for everybody,” Sethi said. “When given so many choices, it does come with a share of challenges as finances become an issue, but these are good challenges. It forces us to give so many choices to our entire CISD community.”

With a school that provides so many options for every student, it can be tough to decipher which path is right for each individual. Immigrating from South Asia, located halfway across the world and adjusting to a new environment can be daunting. CHS special education teacher Hemalatha Bhatt thinks a large school such as CHS needs to make new students aware of everything it has to offer in order for the students to optimize their time in high school.

“Many parents come and they have students that are not born here,” Bhatt said. “[Students] come at the age of 11 or 12, and [parents] don’t know what kind of opportunities they have for their students, [especially] those who are special ed. So I think they need to learn more. All the information [can be] overwhelming. The teachers and staff can contribute when people come to CISD and we can give more information.”

Bhatt, Kishore and Sethi have immigrated from India to Coppell for better job opportunities for them or their families and have settled into the Coppell community with people of similar ethnicities surrounding them. Every community has challenges, but overall, CISD continues to develop a more diverse and inclusive culture to accommodate incoming citizens. With more and more immigrants, South Asians in Coppell have started to form tighter bonds and embrace their culture freely.

“Represent your culture, promote and come forward,” Bhatt said. “Some of our community are hesitant to come forward and show what our heritage is. Whenever we have a culture night, all of [the students] should participate.

Whatever specialty they have in their own culture, they should [share], so other people can understand what we have in our roots and what we inherit.”

As South Asian immigrants continue to rise, Coppell recognizes that it is also important for cultural education to rise parallely.

“The thing about living in a Metroplex that we live in is we’ve always been a migrant community almost, where we have people and different cultures coming in,” Springer said. “For me, it’s been fantastic because I think South Asian culture is all about education. It’s also a new culture that I’m learning so much about. You’re a person I want to learn from and I hope you learn from me and we become fast friends and we understand each other. It’s been really good and not just academically but socially and emotionally and I’m thrilled that we have the rise of our South Asian immigrants.”

P A K I S TA N

INDIA

STAAR performance rates, all grades, all subjects

Asian American Indian White Hispanic African American

35%+

N E PA L

SRI LANKA

N A T U H B

of Coppell ISD students speak a South Asian language Source: Coppell ISD

Maps by FreeVectorMaps.com

98%

94%

At Approaches Grade Level or Above

At Meets Grade Level or Above

63% At Masters Grade Level

Source: Texas Education Agency

NOVEMBER PAGE TURNERS BOOK CLUB // NOV. 8

INDIE AUTHOR FAIR // NOV. 13

2021

OUT OF ROUTINE

Teachers across Coppell readjust to in-person learning Saniya Koppikar Staff Writer @SaniyaKoppikar

As Cottonwood Creek Elementary librarian Cynthia Alaniz rolled her ‘bookmobile’ down the elementary school hallways, ready to deliver joy through her decorated mobile library, thrilled elementary students gave her a round of applause.

Cottonwood Creek’s library services were limited during the 2020-21 school year, but Alaniz didn’t let that stop her.

“I wanted to communicate to our school community that I was still there to support them in their learning, no matter if the physical library space was closed,” Alaniz said.

Alaniz began Zoom sessions, Flipgrid book talks and choice boards. She changed the book delivery system and devised a system of curbside library book pickup for virtual learners, recognizing that change was needed to keep the library and all of its services to Cottonwood Creek Elementary students the same.

Coppell is almost two years into the pandemic, several months from a mostly online school year and nine weeks into an in-person one. Changes, such as those made by Alaniz, continue throughout CISD schools.

“I am relying on Schoology more than in the past, for grading and communication,” Coppell Middle School North history teacher Julie Bottom said. “[My students] feel more confident with online tools. In the past when I’ve talked to students about online [applications] like No-

tability or Pages, there were a lot of questions. Now, I feel like students are pretty savvy when it comes to technology.”

The eighth grade U.S. history team at CMS North balanced technology usage for in-person and virtual students by requiring both to complete the same activities. “[It] was the only way we could really be fair,” Bottom said. “We didn’t want the kids who were at home to feel like they were missing out.” The eighth grade U.S. history team at CMS North balanced technology usage for in-person and virtual students by requiring both to complete the same activities. “[It] was the only way we could really be fair,” Bottom said. “We didn’t want the kids who were at home to feel like they were missing out.”

Some changes made on account of accommodations for virtual learners have remained, even after students have returned to the traditional classroom. Alaniz still wants to continue the choice boards and book giveaways that began last school year. Bottom plans to incorporate more written and creative assignments into the curriculum.

Coppell High School IB English teacher Stephanie Spaete has learned more about her students. “[Virtual learning] made me realize that not everyone is comfortable talking, and seeing a different approach was encouraging,” Spaete said. “[The class] was still about the content, but it was more about knowing my students and knowing what made them excited.”

Spaete’s IB English class is a predominately discussion-based course.

Coppell High School IB English III teacher Stephanie Spaete collects her students’ posters at the end of seventh period on Oct. 4. Like many Coppell ISD educators, Spaete has adjusted some of her teaching strategies based on her virtual teaching experiences of the past year.

Photo by Meghna Kulkarni

She only had 10 in-person students during the 2020-21 school year. Spaete had to adjust to not being able to see and hear the expressions and voices of her students.

Student-teacher collaboration is leading the way in terms of speeding up adjustment across Coppell.

“Zoom helped – it definitely made a difference to be able to communicate with [students], but it was not the same as when you were in class,” Bottom said. “Now almost all students are in-person, thetions [between teachers and students] have gotten better.”

Virtual schooling exemplified the

importance of being able to ask questions, provide feedback and have fun in the classroom through the distance and fatigue that came with being parked in front of a screen at home.

However, it also revealed valuable truths to carry into the future classroom experience.

“Last year was an adjustment online, and now it’s a different type of adjustment, trying to relearn how to interact with people,” Spaete said.

SANIYA ‘23 can be reached at ssk4423@g.coppellisd.com

Sun bridging the gender gap in STEM Minnie Gazawada Staff Writer

@mridinigazawada

The world of science, technology, math and engineering (STEM) is dominated by males with a disproportionate number of women, however that does not stop girls such as Ellen Sun, a Coppell High School senior, from entering the field and succeeding.

“Ellen’s got the type of mind, the creativity, and the curiosity that is [an] exemplary type of student in the STEM field,” CHS computer programming teacher Joe Musgrave said.

Sun was first exposed to the world of STEM from observing her father’s work, Paul Sun, in information technology (IT) as a child.

“He would just type in a few command codes into the command prompt and a bunch of things popped up and I thought that was really cool,” Sun said.

That interest led her to exploring STEM through various classes, camps and groups.

“I found myself [liking] coding a lot, and I knew that maybe this is what

Coppell High School senior Ellen Sun is a former GIGAWOT camper, VEX VR daily sessions instructor and a part of Technibots, an IBM team pro group. Sun, along with her instructors and teammates, discuss past experiences in STEM and voice their opinions on women in the field.

Photo illustration by Meghna Kulkarni and Esther Kim

I want[ed] to do; [being] a programmer,’” Sun said.

GIGAWOT, Girls Inspire Greatly About The World Of Technology, is a four-day camp in Coppell for middle school girls recommended by teachers to learn about different pathways in STEM. showed talent in the STEM field.

As Sun developed her interests in the camp, she showed talent in the STEM field. There were a number of activities, but with the robotics team [Sun] stood out from when they were doing the programming,” Hill said.

After following her fascination with STEM to high school, Sun later applied

for a robotics team in tenth grade.

Technibots is a competitive robotics team where each member is designated a role; Sun’s position is the scouting lead.

One of her tasks is to gather data on other teams, as competitions are designed to collaborate with other teams.

Sun and her team represented team USA for the 2021 First Global Challenge, an Olympic-style international robotics competition. Her team ranked 25th out of the 160 countries’ youth teams. “[Technibots] taught me to be a leader. I had to communicate in order to get our work done and the presentation part of robotics,” Sun said. “[The opportunity] taught me a lot more than just coding, it taught me about team collaboration and [time management] speaking and interacting [with] others.”

Sun thinks there needs to be more promotion to STEM pathways, as the unbalanced ratio of men to women still exists today, Sun describes smaller numbers of women in computer programming classes.

“Women need to be included and part of the conversation, part of the solutions.

We have great ideas,” Hill said.

MINNIE ‘24 can be reached at mxg0355@g.coppellisd.com

TEEN BAKER RISES TO THE CHALLENGE P. 16

HOLIDAY HOUSE // NOV. 7

Dutton graduating to retirement Anette Varghese Student Life Editor @AnetteVarghese

Beginning his teaching career at Coppell High School in 1994 after teaching at Mansfield Middle School for two years, International Baccalaureate History of the Americas teacher Kyle Dutton has taught for three decades in the same building.

For Dutton, his 30th year is the ideal time to retire.

“It’s a round number,” Dutton said.

“You get to a time when you realize it’s time. There’s a point in your life [when] you play with toys, and then you [don’t]. [When you] pursue something, and then you don’t.

When you realize it’s time [to retire].”

Dutton has planned on retiring for two years, and feels this year is right for him.

“We like to joke about it in our home, instead [of saying retirement we say], I’m going to graduate to retirement,” Dutton said.

“I just accidentally said it that way. My wife said, ‘That’s what we’ll call it from now on.”

CHS was authorized as an IB world school in December 2008. IB classes started being taught on campus in August 2009. Dutton has been involved in every CHS IB graduation class.

“When the IB program started [at CHS], he and I started the history course,” IB diploma programme coordinator Michael Brock said. “I remember a lot about planning what we were going to do to make it a different learning experience. Of course, I’ll remember probably what his students will remember most and that is his fondness for holidays.”

Coppell High School International Baccalaureate History of the Americas teacher Kyle Dutton and his older brother Kevin Dutton in 1969. Dutton

Coppell High School International Baccalaureate History of the Americas teacher Kyle Dutton and his older brother Kevin Dutton in 1969. Dutton has continued celebrating Halloween through his classroom decorations. Photo courtesy Kyle Dutton

has continued celebrating Halloween through his classroom decorations.

Dutton is known throughout CHS to have specific holiday-themed playlists.

He also recognizes holidays by decorating his room, especially for Halloween.

“His music is the first thing I think of when I think of him,” CHS Principal Laura Springer said. “I love all of the different songs he has for Halloween, Thanksgiving and for Christmas. I love his love of music, because I love music, too. [It] speaks to my soul.”

In preparation for Halloween, Dutton covers his walls in black butcher paper that is more than 20 years old. Following the butcher paper he adds drawings from former students. This school year will be his last year covering his walls before his decorations go into storage and remain there as the seasons turn.

While Dutton has made plans for retirement, he acknowledges that he

has not perfected the art of teaching history. Still, he has left resources and wisdom for his future replacement.

“We all learn things in hindsight,” Dutton said. “I mean, that’s the irony of it, I’ve finally figured out a whole bunch of things just at the very end [of my teaching career].”

Dutton ends his time at CHS leaving a mark on the students he taught and the staff he worked with.

“He’s a good teacher, [a] good man [and] watching him grow and become a better teacher was a pleasure,” Springer said. “Knowing he’s getting ready to retire is very sad for me. This will be his last year with us and I just wish him the best.

He’s done so much for CHS and [together we have] done a great job of taking care of kids along the route.”

ANETTE ‘22 can be reached at atv3765@g.coppellisd.com

Coppell High School International Baccalaureate History of the Americas teacher Kyle Dutton provides a lesson overview during fourth period in classroom B221 on Oct. 21. Dutton has been teaching at CHS for 28 years and is retiring after the 2021-22 school year.

Photo by Nick Larry

Sangani weaving passion for art, business Manasa Mohan Advertising/Circulation Manger @Manasa_Mohan_7

The computer buzzes as she finishes up her design and prepares the infographic to be exported. Yet another infographic complete, ready to publish on social media.

This is a constant process for Coppell High School junior Siya Sangani, a social media intern for DiLucci, a certified public accounting firm. As a member of DECA since

Coppell High School junior Siya Sangani designs social media posts on Canva for DiLucci CPA Firm.

Sangani makes Instagram, Twitter and Facebook posts and has been an intern for DiLucci CPA Firm since May. Photo by Nandini Muresh

ninth grade and involved in art since first grade, Sangani intertwines her passion for business with art in her internship by creating infographics for Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Sangani was an International Career Development Conference [ICDC] competitor in the personal financial literacy category for DECA in April. After competing in ICDC, CHS DECA adviser Richard Chamberlain reached out to competitors and offered them several internship opportunities, one of which was the DiLucci CPA social media internship position.

Sangani quickly took interest in this position, scheduled an interview and became the firm’s new social media intern in May. “She’s very motivated for the right reasons in terms of creating quality work not for the extrinsic reward, but for more so her own pride and her own enjoyment of the creative process and the artistic ‘create from nothing’ aesthetic that happens with social media,” Chamberlain said. “She’s very well spoken and takes instruction well and that’s a key when you work as a local intern. ” Sangani works with the firm to create anywhere from two or three informational posts per week with a main focus on policy changes about tax resolutions or business tax information. Using her skills and

background experience in art, Sangani thoroughly enjoys being able to weave these two interests together.

“I enjoy this internship significantly more because of my art experience because I have creative license over whatever I produce and I’m able to tie in a lot of aesthetic purposes through my color decision making, graphic design and seeing how I can transform art and graphics into content of business,” Sangani said. “It makes my work a lot more enjoyable because otherwise it would feel like I’m just researching something and putting information out there.”

In addition to her love for art and business, Sangani is an avid debater and has competed since seventh grade where she competed in a team policy event in the DFW Speech and Debate Organization. In ninth grade, Sangani joined the Coppell speech and debate team and competes in Lincoln-Douglas debate. Her enjoyment of debate stems from the relationships she has built over the years, the ability to research current events and policies and to look at history as a whole.

“Any debater can regurgitate arguments, however, good debaters are able to be creative,” CHS debate teacher SunHee Simon said. “It’s not surprising that she’s not only good at things like debate, but

Instagram: @thesidekickcoppell

also art because she is able to be creative in the things she thinks about and how she decides to convey them. I’m sure [that creativity] helps her with how she makes [designs that] visually represent the [information] she is trying to go for. All of those things go hand in hand and they all relate back to creativity and communication.”

Sangani has been involved in...

- debate since eighth grade - youth politics collective - ICDC Competitor

MANASA ‘23 can be reached at mxm8830@g.coppellisd.com

NOVEMBER 2021

“To thine own self be true”

Senior guitarist finding unmatched feeling in music Anjali Krishna Editor-in-Chief @anjalikrishna_

F

or Coppell High School senior Nehal Khan, life, or music, which are synonymous to him, began in his dad’s BMW to the soundtrack of Dokken, a-ha, Madonna and the Pet Shop Boys.

As 1980s pop cemented itself in his mind at age 4, Khan discovered his first musical love in songwriting. Although Khan can pinpoint a million other times when his musical tastes changed and grew more important to him, this instance planted the seed that allowed his songwriting to grow into what it is now.

“Poetry, lyrics, I’ve always been into that even since I was a little bitty boy,” Khan said. “I was super into words. I’ve always been good at English [in school], and they make you write all those reflections and essays. I just did that in my own time any-

ways. That’s what started it, before I was into guitars or singing or anything like that. I wrote lyrics and I got so good at it that it’s natural to me.”

Khan, now lyrically influenced by 1990s hip hop, with his favorites being the classics (NWA, Eminem, Nas) soon combined his songwriting with his current focus: playing the guitar.

But at first, Khan wanted to play the drums.

“I just thought hitting stuff was cool,” Khan said. “I wasn’t super interested in the music I am interested in now; it wasn’t really guitar music. But I ended up playing Guitar Hero at some guy’s house and I was like ‘I suck at this but what if I played real guitar?’ I thought about it and was like, ‘I’ll do it, why not?’”

As Khan branched out to heavy metal and rock music, guitar became the perfect outlet. Starting with acoustic, as most beginners do, he soon graduated to playing electric guitar.

“Nowadays, if you play a video game, it takes 30 minutes, then you’ll get it,” Khan said. “But with guitar, I’m slaving away and I’m getting nowhere and you get so angry at it but eventually, when you get it, it feels so good. The feeling of actually learning something on the guitar and playing it with the song, or playing a lick that you’ve been working on for hours and hours and doing it perfectly or as cleanly as you can is

unmatched by anything I’ve ever felt.”

Though the drums are still something Khan hopes to pursue, he is currently focused on different musical avenues: singing, playing piano and finding a band to play the thrash metal he writes.

“I spend my time writing music,” Khan said. “Mainly, it’s just what I go through on a daily basis. I try to find a way to mix softer, more emotional things into the stuff I like. But any subject you give me, I could write you a song, right then and there. All I have to do is put a chord progression and melody to it and you have a fully written song.’”

As part of the technical theater program at CHS, which is currently in the process of getting a new sound system, Khan hopes to learn mixing and production, which he feels will serve as “mixing 101.”

“The music I listened to as a teenager is the music he listens to, so he and I have a lot of similar musical tastes,” CHS content mastery teacher Linda Jurca said. “Some of his [songs] are a little more hard metal than mine, but we know a lot of the same artists. He’s very dedicated to his music and playing guitar - he loves to learn more about it.”

The dream for Khan is simple: be a modern rockstar, selling out arenas. But realistically, being a music therapist, helping people with what he loves in the day, and playing in a band on the side would satiate his musical desires. Khan met CHS English teacher Matt Bowden in his creative writing class, and they connected over heavy metal and skate punk music, as well as a shared love for the language. “[Khan] is brimming with personality,” Bowden said. “You never have to wonder what [Khan] is thinking. He’s so obvious and outward and outspoken about what he’s thinking but I appreciate that he is unabashedly himself and unique in that way. He doesn’t care what anyone around him thinks. He is himself and he reminds me a lot of a quote from Hamlet: ‘To thine own self be true.’”

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

Coppell High School senior Nehal Khan began playing guitar five years ago. Khan focuses on combining softer lyrics with his interest in heavy metal and rock. Photo by Anjali Krishna

FLUTIST GROWS FROM COPPELL TO CARNEGIE P. 18

FALL FAVORITE RECIPE WITH A TWIST P. 19

Band takes third at BOA St. Louis Manasa Mohan Advertising/Circulation Manager @Manasa_Mohan_7

On Oct. 23, members of the Coppell marching band were on the edge of their seats as they anxiously awaited their results at the Bands of America St. Louis Super Regional competition.

When the announcer declared that Coppell placed third in the finals, the roaring from the band members was overwhelming, as they realized they scored the highest score Coppell has ever received.

“It’s a really good feeling, not just the fact that we placed third, but watching the students celebrate that and having that be celebrated amongst themselves because that’s not necessarily something that’s happened here before,” CHS associate band director Riaz Mohammed said.

“Watching [the band’s] reaction on how they received that third placement is really rewarding as an educator.”

The Coppell Marching Band traveled to the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis to compete at the BOA Super Regional competition. Coppell placed second in the preliminaries in the 4A class and finished third overall out of

34 schools from 12 states with a score of 88.875.

In addition to scoring the highest ever in the finals, Coppell also made history in the preliminaries as the highest rank in preliminaries the program has ever achieved. However, these feats were not without obstacles along the way. During the finals, the band experienced technical difficulties with electronics cutting out and microphones failing to work.

Last year, students did not compete at BOA, making this the first year for freshman and sophomore members of the band to compete in BOA and the first year competing for juniors who weren’t on varsity marching band in their freshman year.

“For about 18 months, we did band online and it’s hard to do band online,” CHS Principal Laura Springer said. “So to see that first production of them all coming back together on the field in person, it was so emotional for them and for us. You think we’re not really ever playing as a full band together at the same time and to come back and hit the ground running and knowing because of that lag of time we had, you’re going to have to work even harder to put it together.”

MANASA ‘23 can be reached at mxm8830@g.coppellisd.com

Coppell Band performs “Carousel” at the Bands of America Super Regional Championships at Pennington Field in Bedford on Oct. 10. The program made history with its third place award in the BOA St. Louis Super Regional competition. Photos by Shrayes Gunna

From home cooking to Food Network National television showcasing Neufeld’s tried and true recipes Tracy Tran Staff Writer @AnhImtracy

As the oven timer rings, a bright smile lights up New Tech High @ Coppell freshman Issi Neufeld’s face when she opened the oven to take out her baked goods. The delicious aroma of banana bread and cookies fills every corner of the house.

For Neufeld, baking has been her hobby since she was four years old.

Her grandparents, Priscila Cueva and Roddy Cueva, raised her with family recipes, instilling in her a love for baking. She brought her love for the kitchen to Coppell when her family moved from Bismarck, North Dakota when she was seven years old. “[Taking the cakes out of the oven] is the most satisfying feeling,” Neufeld said. “You spent so much time in the kitchen, you’re sweating and finally it turned out good, so you’re just proud of yourself.”

Apart from watching YouTube videos and experiencing different foods from cultures, Neufeld develops her culinary skills by forming good relationships with bakers and chefs.

New Tech High @ Coppell freshman Issi Neufeld enjoys a cookie and milk in her living room on Oct. 10. Neufeld has gained competitive baking experience on “Kids Baking Championship” and “Chopped Junior.” Photos by Angelina Liu and Tracy Tran

In June 2020, after being recommended

by MasterChef Junior third season contestant Ryan Kate, she judged entries for the Teen Pastry Lab baking competition in Coppell.

“Through baking, I learn that everything doesn’t always work,” Neufeld said.

“You don’t have to be perfect for everyone.

When your baking doesn’t work, you can try it again and learn from that.”

Among various types of desserts she can make, banana bread and chocolate chip cookies are her two favorite recipes. Her chocolate chip cookies recipe was perfected in January.

In the past, when she was eleven years old, Neufeld competed in Season 5 of “Kids Baking Championship” and got to the semi finalist. She also competed in Season 9 of “Chopped Junior” when she was twelve years old and got to the finalist.

“The ability to cook and bake really well helped me get far in both shows,” Neufeld said. “The practice and repetition of doing it at home helped me [as well].”

Neufeld brought home not only her experiences from those competitions, but also her unique memories during her time with other contestants.

Instagram: @thesidekickcoppell

Being an important part of Neufeld’s baking journey, her mother Valentina Neufeld has always supported her.

“She’s so creative and usually has fancy-looking dishes and they’re always so good,” Mrs. Neufeld said.

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

Issi’s Baking Notes

NOVEMBER RESPIRA CHOIR CONCERT // NOV. 5-6 // 7 P.M.

MIDDLE SCHOOL ALL-CITY BAND CONCERT // NOV. 18 // 7 P.M.

2021

Lord Huron long lost in time’s blur Angelina Liu Angleina Visual Media Editor @angelinaliuu

Familiar arias that sail and sink evoke nostalgic and melancholic emotions, unearthing distant memories never experienced, yet close enough to cherish. Introspective lyrics echo romance and heartache, the pace unhurried and the phrasing exquisite.

Long Lost is Lord Huron’s fourth studio album released on May 23. The album features 16 tracks beautifully engineered and produced by lead vocalist Ben Schnieder, drummer Mark Barry, guitarist Tom Renaud and bassist Miguel Briseno.

Lord Huron’s recording studio, the Whispering Pines Studio, is the inspiration for the album. Rumoured to have been built for American singer and songwriter Sam Cooke, it is a vintage refuge of mystery and intrigue.

Although in-use for several years in the 1970s to 1980s for various recording ventures, the studio was abandoned for decades before Lord Huron bought it off Craigslist.

Long Lost follows the stories of fictional ghosts that may haunt the WP Recording Studios’ murky past. Each song is written from the point of view of different characters from varying time periods. Throughout the album, listeners are introduced to characters Leigh Green, The Phantom Riders, Roy Casey, and iconic lovers Donny and Midge.

Tubbs Tarbell is the main fictional narrator and producer of this album, starting the WP Studio after hearing Donny

and Midge’s intertwining harmonies at a dive bar called the Broken Bottle.

Tarbell dedicates his life to allowing others to experience the pleasure he felt that night and scouts many more acts from the bar.

The album begins with a reference to Lord Huron’s third studio album, Vide Noir. Fictional cowboy character Roy Casey (sung

by Schneider) laments leaving his lover for an emerald star in the sky.

The same tone is repeated in “The Moon Doesn’t Mind” and “Mine Forever” as Casey lusts for his lover to the unsympathetic heavens. “Love Me Like You Used To” is a continuation of this longing.

“Meet Me In The City’’ is an outlier in the album, taking on a darker and heavy-hearted tone with an alluring persistent riff.

Lord Huron’s fourth album Long Lost released MayAd 23fortero and is ractorte, Porum delum avenihil hilstudio tatatum vivicie nihilieme num sendis The narrator of the song composed of 16 tracks.

Lord Huron’s recording studio, the Whispering sim omponde reo. sensimus cut poruntemquam iideriam.

Photo by Name Here. asks a woman to leave her Pines Studio, inspired the album with its vintage aesthetics and eerie old “ball and chain” relaclouded history.

Graphic by Josh Campbell tionship to be with him for a wild night of adventure in the city.

Ultimately, Tubbs Tarbbell said it best al love story between Donny and Midge, In lead singles “Long Lost” and “Not Dead Yet,” the imagery whose characters are sung by Ben Scheinder on the Alive from Whispering Pines radio paints a lustrous and captivating depiction and Allison Pontheir. What was originally show. “Time washes away what man creof traveling away from what is known. The irrevocable love between the two has now ates, but ‘Long Lost’ might convince you intoxicating rhythms in Long Lost are distorted to where both parties in the rela- that a note can live on. May you live until performed by fictional characters signed tionship realize neither of them can keep you die!” to WP’s Leigh Green and Hauser Godwin. the promises they made. This painstaking “I Lied” channels an unmistakable track features the mellow beauty of an elec- ANGELINA ‘23 can be reached at axl0728@g.coppellisd.com 1960s era sound, detailing the ephemer- tric guitar weaving loss throughout the song.

Won wins way towards Carnegie Sri Achanta Staff Writer @sriachanta_

After months of fine-tuning her solo, Coppell High School sophomore flutist Lindsey Won’s hard work pays off as she is to play at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie in July of 2022.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were limited in-person competitions available for Won, so she decided to look more into online competitions.

With the help of her flute teacher Monica Song, she found The Golden Classical Music Awards competition.

“I turned in a recording [for the competition],” Won said. “I didn’t think anything of it because it was just for fun, and then a month later I got an email back saying I got first [place].”

To enter in this competition, Won sent in a 10-minute recording of her playing Carl Nielsen’s Concerto for Flute and Orchestra First Movement. To Won, recording was a struggle at first. “Recording, it’s so much pressure,” Won said.

“Once you get an OK recording, you know you have the opportunity to make

another recording. When I don’t do bet- wise describes Won as talented and dili- but that’s really not possible, especially ter, I get frustrated and [the recording] gent. He hopes to see her grow as a flutist with music. Nothing is ever deadset so becomes worse and I have to let myself and sprout into her own inspiring person. you just have to work towards improveknow that I [need] to take a break and “I have never seen a young flutist this ment and know everything can’t be the start again.” good,” Booker said. “It has been very help- way you want it to be.”

With this midset, Won completed ful to learn from her, and it’s cool to see her recording within one hour. her doing all this great stuff.”

SRI ‘24 can be reached at To Won, playing at Carnegie Hall is Won’s improvement over the years as ska3430@g.coppellisd.com a major source of inspiration. a flutist has helped her reach aspiration“After playing at Carnegie I’ll be al goals. a lot more motivated and driven to do “What you’re striving for shouldn’t more competitions and work harder be perfect, it should be for improvethan I usually do,” Won said. ment,” Won said. “That is something I Won credits her mother, Eunyoung had to learn along the way [be]cause I Kim, and her friends as her other main always wanted everything to be perfect, motivators.

“My friends are motivating me to bCHS sophomore Livia Thomas, one of Won’s closest friends, describes Won as dedicated and never willing to give up, both as a friend and a flutist. “[Won] is very determined,” Thomas said. “She [works] very hard at succeeding at flute. She is always there for you and no matter what happens you can depend on her.”

Coppell High School sophomore flutist Lindsey Won practices in the CHS Band Hall on CHS senior Wes Booker, Oct. 27. Won placed first in The Golden Classical Music Awards competition, qualifying Won’s fellow drum major, likeher to play at Carnegie Hall next July. Photo by Shrayes Gunna

FRONT & CENTER: LISA LING // NOV. 21 // 6 P.M.

THEATRE COPPELL’S IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE OPENS // DEC. 3 // 8 P.M.

PUMPKIN CHIFFON PIE

Reimagining a classic dessert Aliya Zakir Social Media Manager @aliyafza

As the holiday season looms, the traditional pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving dinner can be bland. With a subtle twist incorporating classic pumpkin flavors and light and airy textures, this hearty pumpkin chiffon pie is the ideal recipe to make for your dinner guests. Serves roughly eight people. Keep covered at room temperature for a maximum of three days.

Filling: In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, milk, egg yolks, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger powder and salt. In a separate glass, fully dissolve gelatin into water. Transfer pumpkin mixture into a double boiler and add in the dissolved gelatin. Bring water to a boil and consistently stir mixture until it thickens similar to a custard. Once thickened, remove the mixture from the stovetop and transfer to the previous bowl. Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature for at least two hours. In another bowl, add

in egg whites and start beating until it begins to foam. Add in cane sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form.

Once pumpkin mixture has cooled, pour egg whites into the bowl. With a spatula, fold egg whites into the pumpkin mixture until fully combined. Do not whisk as it will cause the egg whites to deflate. After allowing the crust to cool for at least two hours, transfer the filling into the dish and spread evenly. Chill pie in the refrigerator overnight to allow the gelatin to set and enjoy the next day.

Ingredients Crust: - 10 graham crackers - ¼ cup unsalted butter Filling: - 1 cup pumpkin puree - ½ cup brown sugar

Crust: In a food processor, add in the graham crackers and butter. Pulse until mixture is combined without any clumps.

Once combined, add mixture into a pie dish. With the back of a spoon or a cup, spread and firmly pack the mixture evenly throughout the bottom and sides.

Refrigerate pie dish for at least two hours to allow the crust to harden.

- ⅓ cup milk - 3 eggs (separate yolks and whites) - ½ teaspoon cinnamon - ½ teaspoon nutmeg - ¼ teaspoon ginger powder - 1 pinch of salt - 1 teaspoon gelatin powder - 1 tablespoon water - ⅓ cup cane sugar ALIYA ‘23 can be reached at afz5471a@g.coppellisd.com

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Kumon is an after-school math and reading enrichment program that unlocks the potential of children, so they can achieve more on their own. The learning method uses an individualized approach that helps children develop a solid command of math and reading skills. Through daily practice and mastery of materials, students increase confidence, improve concentration, and develop study skills.

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NOVEMBER 2021

Breaking down COLLEGE RECRUITING Torie Peck Sports Editor @torielpeck

It is paramount for athletes to correctly navigate the college recruitment process if they wish to continue their sport at a collegiate level. However, many high school athletes lack the advantage of family members who have gone through this process and find themselves learning as they go.

“A lot of basketball players have older siblings who have gone [through the recruiting process] but I had nobody who had gone through the process for basketball,” said Coppell senior small forward Ryan Agarwal, a Stanford commit. “I was clueless, to be honest, but I had people I knew [who helped].”

Many athletes rely on relationships with their coaches to guide them through college recruiting, including Agarwal, who says 3D Empire Coach Shawn Ward and Coppell basketball coach Clint Schnell helped him navigate this process.

“The relationships that a high school coach has with college coaches is paramount,” Coppell athletic director Kit Pehl said. “It’s important for a high school coach, for the sake of recruiting, to have relationships with [Division II] caliber coaches, because you’re going to have more players that are going to need your help finding a place to play at that level than you are at the [Division I] level. If a coach doesn’t watch college practices and

doesn’t have any contact with college coaches, then a kid is more on their own. It’s not impossible, but everything you have working in your favor that can help you is best.”

College coaches cannot begin recruiting athletes until June 15 going into their junior year.

“I started emailing colleges I thought I would be interested in based on the soccer level they were at in the major I want to go into in my sophomore year, we went on a bunch of showcases where you would email the coach and then they’d come out to watch you play,” said Coppell senior midfielder Bailey Peek, a Rice commit. “But they couldn’t respond at all [until June 15]. They could read the email but they couldn’t respond, if they did respond, it would be a generic response. They couldn’t give you a specific or personalized response until June 15. It’s really stressful because you want to play your best and you want to show off. You want to be on the field and show how you play your game [but you wouldn’t know if the coaches were coming or not].”

After identifying the type of programs that fit best, athletes start reaching out to colleges within that division.

“The first step you have to take is having people reach out to coaches for you and knowing the right people that can get you in contact with coaches,” Agarwal said. “Then, once they get in contact with you, the next step is building a good relationship with coaches. They’ll come out to watch you play or if they see you’ve been playing

[well] you’ll eventually gain an offer or scholarship to play for a school.”

College recruiting can turn into a domino effect as recruiters talk with each other and learn of new players to scout, finding more high caliber athletes through this process. This can lead to added pressure for high-caliber athletes as more and more coaches reach out to them as the recruitment process wears on.

“The closer you get to committing, the more coaches are calling you, the more they’re pressuring you to commit to them,” Agarwal said. “The week before I committed, I was on a Zoom call at least four to five times a day for hours. It is a lot of time and gets stressful, but it’s a good stress to have.”

Once an athlete decides where they want to go and verbally commits, it stops the rush of college contact.

“Neither party is obligated with a verbal commitment, but it essentially tells everybody else ‘I’m going here, leave me alone,’” Pehl said. “It stops the process temporarily, unless they’ve opened the process back up. In fairness, if colleges are allowing commitments and they renege on a commitment, that wouldn’t go over well in the recruiting community and other schools would use that against them.

But kids change commitments all the time as it’s not binding [until an athlete has signed].”

An athlete should be confident in their decision both while signing with a college and in the following years as they may be required to sit for a year,or not be allowed to play, after transferring schools.

“The transfer market is so real right now that it actually hurts high school recruiting,” Pehl said. “D2 schools love D1 fall-downs. There’s a lot of D2 schools, depending on the sport, that tend to recruit less high school kids these days and are more interested in D1 fall-downs, which makes it even harder on a high school kid to get a scholarship or get an opportunity to play.”

Recruitment is based on a recruiting budget, meaning that some schools - with smaller budgets - will be limited to the amount of recruiting they can partake in. In these cases, recruiting is often based on an athlete’s interest in the school. If an athlete wants to compete at a large D1 school, they may have more opportunities than athletes committing to smaller schools with smaller recruiting budgets. In other cases, such as larger schools, coaches will fly to scout athletes in-person.

Athletes face additional pressure to perform at high standards throughout the recruiting process.

“Having to deal with hearing a coach saying, ‘oh, yeah, I’ve seen this game’ or going into a game knowing a D1 coach is going to be watching you is pretty stressful just because of the fact that you want to prove to them that you can play basketball,” Agarwal said. “Committing doesn’t necessarily make you just be like, ‘oh, I can chill out now.’ You’ve gotta know you’re also proving you belong to that school.”

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

Graphic by Anjali Vishwanath

TWO BROTHERS, TWO JOURNEYS P.21

PUTTING PERSONAL GOALS P. 22

LIKE FATHER, LIKE FAMILY

Polk finding own way in tradition Meer Mahfuz Staff Writer @meer_mahfuz

Sitting in a Colorado duck blind in 2018 were three inseparable brothers, Coppell High School 2020 graduate Hudson Polk, Coppell senior Walker Polk and Coppell freshman Weston Polk - brothers tied under the

Polk tradition and united under the spirit of competition.

The brothers’ bond is more than just fishing, hunting or riding mountain bikes together; it is supporting, competing and pushing each other to excel at what they do best: athletics.

Ever since they were little, the brothers would go out with their father, CHS 1993 graduate Chad Polk, and spend a majority of their time competing with one another.

This competition grew the brothers closer together into a brotherhood. Mr. Polk, who played football for Coppell and had a stint in the minor leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998-2000, introduced the boys to baseball and football early on in their lives.

Hudson decided to follow the path of his father, giving up football and

now playing baseball at the University of Oklahoma. Walker followed suit, and committed to play baseball at Baylor. Weston, however, decided that he didn’t like baseball as much as he did football and forwent it entirely.

The expectation in the Polk family was never that all the kids had to play baseball just because Mr. Polk played professionally. Weston remains unwavered in his decision to stick to football.

The Polk family may be known for the hyper-productive athletes it has produced but, holistically, Mr. Polk wants his family legacy to be as great off the field as it is on. Athletics, for Mr. Polk, has been an intrinsic asset in the develop-

ment of his and his sons’ lives but he believes the way you perform on Friday night doesn’t define who you are. Rather, the way you treat other people is the true definition of the Polk family legacy.

“I am very thankful that I am a Polk and that I am surrounded by competitors in my brothers and my dad,” Weston said. “I’m thankful to have parents who are supporting; they’re always cooking for me and bringing me to workouts. I’m very thankful that my parents are prioritising me and my sports and I have a whole family behind me that’s helping me out.”

MEER ‘22 can be reached at smx4577@g.coppellisd.com

Coppell coach Michael DeWitt addresses the Coppell football team after a loss to Prestonwood Christian Academy on Sept. 3 at Buddy Echols Field. Polk decided, at 10 years old, that he would forgo baseball and has become a cornerstone in the Cowboys’ defense since promotion to varsity. Photo by Meer Mahfuz

Instagram: @thesidekickcoppell

NOVEMBER CLASS 6A STATE XC MEET // NOV. 6 // 12:10 P.M.

2021

COLLEGE SIGNING DAY // NOV. 10

Two brothers, two journeys, two goals Iniya Nathan CHS9 Editor @iniya_v

Coppell senior Vinay Patel, tennis team captain, has one goal for his high school tennis career: make it to state this year. CHS9 student Shay Patel, a varsity player as well, has a different goal for his high school tennis career: follow his brother’s footsteps and become number one on the tennis team and become varsity team captain.

Vinay started playing tennis at 8 for fun. At 10, Vinay realized he wanted to play the sport competitively.

“I loved playing a lot of sports as a kid,” Vinay said. “When I was younger, my mom knew that as well and she would have me play a bunch of sports.

I tried soccer, basketball, and a lot of [other] sports. Then, one of my friends at the time played tennis and recommended I try it. So I tried that as well and tennis was just the sport I loved the most.”

While they both played many sports when they were younger, when Vinay decided that tennis was for him, Shay was inspired by his brother to choose the same.

“I saw how much fun he and his friends were having going to all the trips and hanging out after practices,” Shay said. “I thought it would be really fun so I decided to work hard to get on the team.”

As the brothers are three years apart, they only get this school year to be on a team together, a chance they took eagerly.

“In the past year I was working

harder to go on varsity so we could be on the same team together,” Shay said. “[And] it’s really fun being on the same team because I get to see [Vinay] every day and we get to play tennis with each other more.”

Watching them interact together, it is very obvious that the brothers have a tight bond.

“They get along tremendously,” Coppell coach Rich Foster said. “We’ve played them together in practice for fun. A lot of times, brothers and sisters say no to playing together but they get along tremendously, and chemistry is not a problem.”

When Vinay’s high school tennis career started he was the only freshman on the varsity team during his freshman year. However, after the first few weeks of the fall season, he shattered his kneecap and did not return to play until mid spring season.

“His recovery time slowed him down,” Foster said. “He was not able to hit, but he wanted to be out there.

Once he recovered to where the doctor said he could hit, he hopped right back in, didn’t miss a beat. I was worried; sometimes after people have had a severe injury like that they tend to be a little more timid on the court and don’t push themselves as hard. He did not.

He went full force.”

His work ethic and personability has made him well liked by his teammates. Because of this, he has been voted as team captain by his teammates for two years in a row.

“He’s a very good captain because he is vocal,” New Tech High @ Coppell senior Cason Cole said. “He tries to include everybody and is a very talkative

person. He’s also very honest and competitive. Everybody likes him. Vinay is a person that leaves good impressions on everybody.”

Making it to state has been a bit of a challenge to Vinay. As a sophomore, he and then his doubles partner CHS 2020 graduate Clark Parlier, won nearly every tournament.

“We were in the championship at the Midland tournament and we beat the [Southlake Carroll] team in three sets,” Foster said. “[Carroll] was going to be the top seed in our region and we knocked them off. So we came back from Midland excited that we were going to be the top seed, [since] in regionals, the top two go to state, so we for sure had the best shot to go on to state since I’ve been here.”

However, due to COVID-19, the tournament was canceled. During his junior year, he and his partner CHS 2021 graduate Matthew Abbey were not as close to making it to state and lost in the regionals semifinals. Nevertheless, Vinay is confident he will make it this year.

“The biggest goal that I had in all these four years was to make state,” Vinay said. “That’s the big thing because around five people from Coppell have ever done that. So [the tournament being canceled] was actually really disappointing. But I’ll make it this year; I’ll excel. That’s the plan.”

Vinay is working hard to make this goal come true, not to the surprise of Foster. Vinay has proved to both his teammates and coach that he has the skills to be both team captain and on varsity.

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

VINAY PATEL Player Profile

Height: 6’2’’ Weight: 150 lbs Likes to play volleyball Nickname: MonkeyBoy Started a YouTube channel with the team in 2019

SHAY PATEL Player Profile

Height: 5’7’’ Weight: 110 lbs Likes to play video games and table tennis His favorite drink: boba tea His favorite food: sushi Photos by Sruthi Lingam

Vaulting from one sport to another Ortigoza switching from gymnastics to running Sri Achanta Staff Writer @sriachanta_

Photo by Sanni Arimanda

With chalk dusted on her hands, beads of sweat dripping down her head and a defiant smile pasted on her face, Coppell senior Izzy Ortigoza flipped her way through most of her childhood on bars and beams.

But by the end of seventh grade, after struggling with mental blocks, gymnastics took a sharp turn for her.

Instead of withdrawing from sports as a whole, Ortigoza swiftly switched from gymnastics to cross country, using her talents as a gymnast as a basis to develop as a runner.

Ortigoza started running cross country in eighth grade at Coppell Middle School North, immediately after taking a break from gymnastics. “[Gymnastics] just became too much,” Ortigoza said. “I got a lot of mental blocks and it was too mentally draining so I eventually just quit and joined running. The day seventh grade was done, I started cross country. Both of my parents [David and Monica Ortigoza] are very big runners, so I wanted to feel connected with my parents.”

The switch between these two seemingly unrelated sports may have been hard for others, but Ortigoza’s physical strength from seven years as a gymnast helped her

acquire a strong basis as a runner.

“In gymnastics, we do so much conditioning and you get really strong, so that base muscle has always stayed with me,” Ortigoza said.

Gymnastics, as well as being very physically demanding, requires mental fortitude. The internal thoughts that occur in a gymnast during their routine can make or break their performance. Through gymnastics, Ortigoza was able to strengthen her mentality, assisting her during her journey through cross country.

“Running is a very mental sport, even though you may not think about it [like that],” Ortigoza said. “All you have to do when you’re running is think. You have to be very strong mentally to be able to push through the pain of running six miles and running in a 5K race.”

Throughout high school, Ortigoza’s enthusiasm for running has only increased. She recently finished her final meet as a high schooler, yet she continues attending practices, which are optional now. Her passion for cross country is shown through her dedication and willingness to help underclassmen during practice. “[Over the years] she has become a supportive teammate who’s been able to

work alongside people and care about the girls [in cross country],” Coppell senior runner Avery Hancock said. “I would give her the title of the ‘mom’ of the team. [She] keep[s] up with the girls, making sure they understand the training, how to eat healthily, how to hydrate properly and [more]. She definitely is one of the team leaders.”

Ortigoza’s leadership role extends past cross country. Though she took an extended break for five years, she returned to gymnastics as a senior with a different role. Currently, Ortigoza coaches aspiring gymnasts at Texas Dreams Gymnastics. “[Ortigoza] is dedicated as a coach,” Coppell junior and fellow gymnastics coach Mary Roach said. “If she wants her kids to get somewhere, they will get somewhere because she won’t give up on them. [With Ortigoza], they can learn and laugh at the same time.

[Even] when she was a gymnast, she was one of the leaders of the group.

She has always been a leader and she’s always been someone to look up to for any other teammate or kids.”

SRI ‘24 can be reached at ska3430@g.coppellisd.com

‘THE BATTLE’ // NOV. 12 // CHS ARENA

COPPELL TIPOFF CLASSIC // NOV. 18-20

Allison hitting personal goals Nandini Paidesetty Staff Photographer @n_paidesetty

Ever since Coppell junior Rylie Allison was 9, she had her mind set on accomplishing one dream. One day, she would be an NCAA gymnast. Allison worked at this goal for hours a day, persisting and training at Texas Dreams.

However, this changed for Allison as the unthinkable happened. Just like any day, Allison began by warming up for a long practice. After running into a front twist, she immediately knew something was wrong.

Crack.

She knew something wasn’t right.

However, she couldn’t let herself down, so she continued to train.

“I didn’t really tell the coaches, I just kept going because I wanted to be able to compete during the season,” Allison said.

After a few weeks, the pain became unbearable. After visits to the doctor, it was revealed that she had fractured two low vertebrates and herniated four discs.

“She was always really tough; the sport of gymnastics is so tough and they do tend to hide injuries and everyone was injured at some point,” Rylie’s father John Allison said.

The injury started a new chapter of her life.

After the injury, she was in shock and nervous, but it never stopped her from pursuing something different.

Her perseverance allowed her to look past her injury and find something else she could succeed in: golf.

“She’s always upbeat and tries to put a good spin on everything,” Coppell coach Gary Beyer said.

Throughout this whole process, Rylie’s biggest supporter was her dad.

“He was with me the whole time and never let me think that I couldn’t do it and was always motivating me,” Rylie said. “He wanted me to fight and even in the back of his head he knew that it would be okay if [I stopped competing in gymnastics].”

The injury changed her life. Rylie went from constantly moving during five hours practices to barely being able to sit down. From a homeschooled environment to a public school. From gymnastics to golf. Rylie’s family friend, Russ Holden, encouraged her to try golf from a young age.

When Rylie was about 9, her father took her to a golf course for the first time.

“She was hitting dead straight,” Mr. Allison said. “It wasn’t very far but she was hitting it dead straight, even during her first time picking up the golf club. I knew there was something in there.”

Mr. Allison’s tuition was correct; Rylie has a gift.

“You could tell she had talent and the desire [to improve],” Beyer said.

Rylie had three months between the end of her physical therapy and school golf tryouts. She practiced rigorously.

Now, Rylie is on the varsity girls team.

“You have to trust that if you work hard and put your mind to something there is nothing that’s going to tell you that you can’t,” Rylie said.

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

RYLIE ALLISON Player Profile

Height: 5’4’’ Weight: 115 lbs Allison recorded a hole-inone on the 125-yard No. 12 at Riverchase Golf Course in Coppell. She used a 9-iron.

Coppell junior golfer Rylie Allison practices on Oct. 20 at Hackberry Creek Country Club. Allison has been playing golf since freshman year after an injury from gymnastics and despite the late start, she exudes a real passion for the sport. Photo by Sanni Arimanda

Instagram: @thesidekickcoppell

NOVEMBER 2021