Volume 33 Issue 3

THE SIDEKICK NEWS Sidekick Online @CHSCampusNews

Building inclusivity

Muslim students practicing weekly Friday prayers in library Anette Varghese Student Life Editor @AnetteVarghese

J

um’ah (Friday) prayer, refers to when Muslims gather for congregational worship during Friday midday prayer time. Prayer is before a sermon (khutbah) from an imam. Group Friday prayer is encouraged for everyone, but can also be conducted individually. Establishment of the Friday prayer is a commandment found in the Qur’an.

Coppell High School junior Summayh Hasan, female co-president of the Muslim Students Association (MSA) recognized the organization as a way to practice their faith publicly.

Beginning Nov. 5, CHS Muslim students began performing Friday prayer in the CHS Library during passing period prior to fourth period.

“I am a Muslim myself, and a lot of my friends are Muslims,” Hasan said.

“I thought it was a great way to get together with my friends and involve others. Our religion teaches us to always connect with one another and be with one another, so I decided to run for the position.”

The CHS 2021-22 Student Handbook states students have the right to pray as long as it does not interfere with school activities: each student has a right to pray individually, voluntarily, and silently or to meditate in school in a manner that does not disrupt school activities. The school will not encourage, require, or coerce a student to engage in or refrain from such prayer or meditation during any school activity.

“There were many people in MSA [telling] me they wanted to pray,” Hasan said. “The library was always open for us to pray, but now we have a scheduled time. We have a mentor named Sister Humah Husain, who helped us out. We also talked to [Principal Laura Springer], and both she and the librarians were supportive.”

Varshitha Korrapolu @varshitha1128

@thesidekickcoppell

When Rohina founded the club as a junior, alongside now CHS graduate Nesma Hasan they faced hurdles that today’s organization no longer struggles with, including not being allowed to meet on campus because they were a religious organization.

During her senior year at CHS, Rohina was also at the forefront of a major change for minorities on campus. She was the first hijab (a garment worn by Muslim women outside of their family) wearing Muslim to win homecoming queen. Opening doors for all minorities present at CHS, and dispelling any unwritten rules that were present in the past. “[Rohina] was the first hijabi Muslim to show that she can have both school [sucess] and be president of [a] Muslim club,” Abdullah said. “She was a big Muslim influence on a lot of

students, so we had a baseline.

We’re constantly meeting new people and focusing on creating a welcoming environment for them, where they can come and talk.”

Both the current co-presidents and former MSA president agree these are welcome changes and are just the beginning to creating as inclusive of an environment as possible at CHS. “Muslim kids are more and more comfortable being Muslim outwardly at CHS,” Rohina said. “The administration has empowered [Muslim students] and the MSA by allowing Friday prayer to take place. There is progress and a very good environment of embracing people for who they are at CHS.”

Graphics by Esther Kim

Booster club supporting IB Program through multiple avenues Communications Manager

DECEMBER 2021

CHS graduate Rohina Aslam founded the organization in 2015 in order to further her faith while in a school environment. Rohina’s younger brother, Abdullah Aslam, resolved to become a leader in the program because he saw how necessary the role was, thus he became the male co-president of the organization.

“I wanted somewhere where we could pray in school, because our prayers lie in between school timings,” Abdullah said. “I wanted to change the standards for the next [MSA leaders], rather than doing the bare minimum, [we wanted] to give the members the support that they wanted. [Such as a] place where they feel like they can come [and] talk in a welcoming environment, through Friday prayers I’ve seen a lot of new faces.”

Many co-curricular activities, from sports to fine arts, have booster clubs at Coppell High School. But did you know that the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, an academic organization, has a booster club?

The CHS IB Booster Club members are parents of students currently enrolled in the IB program, graduates or students who aspire to take IB classes. The main purpose of this club is to organize events and fundraisers and offer academic resources to students taking IB classes.

Although the IB program began at CHS in 2009, the right moment for forming a booster club was not present until the beginning of this school year. After receiving an evaluation from IB in February, IB Diploma Programme Coordinator Michael Brock noticed the program could foster connections with the community.

“It is a requirement from IB that there are connections between the program and the community that it’s not just [the school] offering classes,” Brock said. “Even though [the booster club] is in its early stages, [creating a booster club] was a quick way for us to start that process.”

The IB Booster Club differs from other booster clubs as supporting an academic program is different from supporting athletics and performing arts.

“Many of [parents] are doing the jobs that our students want to do when they grow up,” Brock said. “Being able to provide expertise about working and living abroad or how to manage moving around in your career will be valuable for these kids.

It’s not just about providing a cake for a ceremony or being there to build fi-

nancial support for the program. It’s really more of a way for parents to be more involved in the educational process for their students in the IB program.”

As the IB program was at risk for being removed last year, the booster club plays a significant role in garnering support and interest of Coppell residents in order to keep the IB program alive at CHS. One method that the booster club has chosen to captivate people is selling IB merchandise.

The CHS IB Booster club has run into some challenges in terms of publicizing IB despite utilizing social media and other digital platforms.

“Even in this age of social media, it is hard to reach incoming freshmen and sophomores about making the decision to choose IB,” Place 1 trustee Leigh Walker said. “When you have a great product to sell and amazing educators that really believe in IB, it makes all of this worthwhile and pretty easy. #BrockRocks. He has an incredible heart for the kids and this program. The IB educators are all top notch.”

However, Coppell High School senior Shreya Premkumar thinks the club could emphasize how IB is a unique learning experience at the events it hosts.

“The only reason I joined IB is that they were holding an IB fair where a bunch of the IB teachers and students came and explained to me what IB was,” Premkumar said. “We didn’t really have that during COVID-19, so a lot of people missed out on the opportunity. The IB Booster Club can hold more events for people to learn more about IB because I know it’s very daunting at first and seems like a lot of work. In reality, if you are an IB person, it doesn’t feel like work and it’s a really enriching curriculum and I wish more people knew about it.”

Graphic by Angelina Liu

Letter from the Editor: New spoons, new me There was a little friendly competition between the kids in my neighborhood when it came to getting spoons at Tappy’s Yogurt. We’d first pull our yogurts off the weighing machine, carefully crafted from the two toppings our parents allotted us, then wait anxiously for the bored teenage cashier to hand us the array of colorful spoons that came with them.

Those spoons were one of the highlights of Tappy’s, a place I consider essential to what makes Coppell mine. I was a fan of the blue; I was something of a tomboy, so the green would suffice as well. It is when it came to the pink, which was a kind of ugly bright pink, that the competition between us kids became fierce.

Tappy’s changed its spoons this year. They are something vaguely sustainable looking, the kind of recycled gray-brown plastic created from old shoes or bottles and the like.

As much as I love the place now, I go only because I want yogurt. It doesn’t hold the same joy, the kind I would get when my friends’ parents made a detour on the way home from a leisurely pool day, or when they would offer tasting cups before we even asked. It is not just because of the spoons, obviously. I do hate that they changed those spoons an irrational amount; but it’s more than that, and I think that something more is just my getting older. I think I hate that, too.

It is funny to say that now, though.

I love the friends I have now. I love that by the time this is published, I’ll be 90 percent done with college applications. I love that I’m heading into the second semester of my senior year. I think I love, for the most part, the person I am now.

It is fair to say that this is the time I should be the happiest I’ve been in my life. All the components are there, and most of the pieces are coming together for those components which aren’t here. But there’s something, some underlying thread or feeling that makes me sad when I try to evaluate my current happiness. Everything’s changing: our paper with the redesign, my life moving into its next phase.

I’m a Taurus - we hate change, and right now, change is all that’s happening. It is about to be 2022, the year I’m going to graduate. I’m wondering whether I’ll go to college with my best friends and what I’ll end up doing for the rest of my life. There’s a question mark, prominently, where the answer should be.

I won’t get answers until April, maybe. There aren’t any replies to questions about my future to have wrapped up prettily in a bow, or even to be topped off with brownie bites. For now, I’ll wait for answers, and hope the next frozen yogurt place I love doesn’t go sustainable.

QUESTIONS, COPPELL?

Amos by George Hensely depicts a jubilant man playing the trumpet as Hensely Witnessed in his frequent trips to Louisiana. The massive 11-foot statue draws inspiration from the popular street art found throughout Louisiana and celebrates the joy of street concerts. Hensely utilized scrap metal and long-established blacksmith techniques to construct the artwork in an embracing of his pastimes beyond serving on the Mesquite Police Department as a lieutenant.

Titled after a popular Jerry Reed song, Amos now towers over the children that prance around him in Andy Brown Park East.

Questions, Coppell? is a Sidekick series in which staff writer Shrayes Gunna answers readers’ questions about Coppell and Coppell ISD Red Pony is a painted steel sculpture welded

by Denton-based artist Russ Connell. The piece has called Old Town Coppell home for more than six years and was introduced to the city as a part of the Coppell Arts Council’s Art Splash project, a biennial art exhibition that takes place in Old Town and Andy Brown Park East. Standing seven feet, Red Pony is a poignant and prominent work marking Connell’s introduction to publicly exhibited artwork, more of which can now be found around Coppell’s parks.

The Damascus Nawa Ship is a 32-ton limestone sculpture found on the periphery of The Sound at Cypress Waters. Sculpted in Syria, as alluded to by the title, the piece was created by Abdullah Al-Sayed in 1993. It was then brought to the United States and therein Coppell by the Billingsley Company, land developer of Cypress Waters. The sculpture is adorned with etchings of traditional images from the Middle East, such as a man playing the flute and a multitude of animals. These etchings were done in the subtractive method, in which a large block of limestone was manipulated to create the symbolic and multidimensional piece found today.

Photos by Anjali Krishna and Shrayes Gunna

Astroworld crowd surge claims 10 lives, leaves several injured Angelina Liu

Visual Media Editor @angelinaliiu

one exit had everyone pushing one another from one direction. I couldn’t raise my arms and I had to lean on people at one point. I saw three people pass out.”

Crowded conditions at concerts are not uncommon. Incidents such as the Neutro Shorty concert stampede is a prime example of how dangerous a large uncontrolled crowd can be.

Due to the size of the venue, Purimetla and Bhaktha were unaware of the severity of injuries until the morning after.

“My heart dropped,” Chavarria said. “I could not believe I was there during that, knowing I could have been one of those people. I was alone the whole time. I lost [sight] of my friends in the very beginning, and I couldn’t believe it happened. I felt sick and nauseous about the fact that I was there.”

On Tuesday, Chavarria attended the Tame Impala concert at the American Airlines Center.

“I was scared to go,” Chavarria said. “There were parts of me where I was freaking out a little because people were so close. I went to the merchandise lane at the end of the concert and people were leaving and squishing to [leave], and I was freaking out. I was going to get pit [tick-

ets] for Tame Impala but thankfully I didn’t because on the way there I was having a panic attack.”

Online videos are circulating with members of the Astroworld crowd screaming for help.

However, many in attendance could not hear these cries.

Scott ended the night 30 minutes early and jogged off stage.

“One of those who died was a 9-year-old,” Bhaktha said. “Other people were my age, ordinary people having fun going to a concert to have fun. That could’ve been me if I had stayed where I was.”

CHS student resource officer Byron Mitchell has experience with handling large crowds as he helps directs students during events such as pep rallies where thousands of students crowd Buddy Echols Field.

“Practice awareness,” Mitchell said. “Know where your exit points are and stay with your friends. Make sure to have your phone on you. If you’re packed in like sardines and your movement is restricted, protect your head.

Avoid falling on the ground. Most of the time you won’t have the choice but to follow the flow. If you do get knocked to the ground, get into the fetal position. Tuck in and don’t leave your hands out as someone could stomp on them and break your fingers. The main thing is to protect your head. Try to be as calm as possible, but get out [of the crowd].”

DECEMBER 2021

Graphic by Rachel Chang

www.coppellstudentmedia.com

What was meant to be a night of delight and joy with a lineup of artists including SZA, Lil Baby and Drake turned deadly as Astroworld gasped for air and fought against the pressure of thousands of bodies.

Some were able to move towards the back.

Others were not as fortunate. Concertgoers chanted and pleaded for the show to stop as many collapsed and struggled for air.

The show continued.

The latest victim is a 9-year-old boy from Dallas, bringing the death count to 10 people.

“People were forcing their way upwards [towards the stage] before the show started,” 16-year-old online school student Krisha Bhaktha said. “When everyone was jumping, the crowd was shifting back and forth. I didn’t know anything was going on. I saw medics and I saw many people trying to get out. I was getting pushed so much to the right that I almost fell.”

Astroworld is a music festival founded by Houston native rapper Travis Scott. This year marks the third year since the conception of Astroworld in 2018, the same year the studio album with the same name was released. According to a press release, the theme for the 2021 Astroworld concert was to “open your

eyes to a whole new universe.” The festival is meant to bring back the “spirit and nostalgia” of the now closed Six Flags Astroorld Scott visited as a child.

As the day unraveled, Coppell High School junior Sree Purimetla could sense the lack of security as vaccination cards were merely glanced at and bags brought into the stadium were not thoroughly examined.

“There was a person while I was walking in who didn’t have his vaccination card and was using his friend’s,” Bhaktha said. “He had asked [my friend and I] if we wanted to have a digital or physical copy of a [vaccination card]. It wasn’t safe.”

Theme park attractions such as a fun house and a swing ride were nestled on the far left of the field , with a smaller stage positioned on the left and the main stage in the center. Scattered throughout the park were food vendors and restrooms.

As the sky began to darken, crowds gathered in front of the main stage, anticipating Scott’s 9 p.m. performance.

“There were two walkways that separated VIP and the right and left section of [general admission],” CHS senior Daniela Chavarria said.

“Having one entrance and

YouTube: Coppell Student Media

Waterfall created by local artist Pascale Pryor is a stained glass sculpture that reflects the light glistening over Andy Brown Park East’s waters.

The piece was initially introduced to the city as a part of a juried exhibition entitled Art Splash held by the Coppell Art’s Council. Pryor sought to replicate the organic shapes and natural rhythm found within water features of the natural world utilizing translucent and variegated shades of glass to mimic the fluidity of water. The artwork and many others created by Pryor are her attempts to better the world around her, fueling her sense of purpose and drive to create.

NEWS THE SIDEKICK

Local art contextualizes world history

THE SIDEKICK NEWS Sidekick Online

News between the issues Coppell ISD Board of Trustees approved academic calendars for 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years; three options were shared for the public to vote on and the option most similar to current calendars prevailed.

Shrayes Gunna Staff Writer

@shrayesgunna

The City of Coppell Connected mobile app is available to download on both the App Store and Google Play Store.

Coppell has been posed with the challenge of keeping all 41,590 citizens knowledgeable and aware of changes, events and governmental officials. With this in mind, communication has become more crucial.

On Oct. 14, the city launched a mobile app to connect its residents with the government and resources accessible to them such as utility bills, notices and a calendar of events.

The app provides access to a hub of information, making it more accessible than navigating the city’s website. According to the city’s chief communication strategist Hannah Cook, the app has amassed approximately 650 users in the month following its launch, who now have more efficient and direct communication with local officials through the app’s notification system.

“We are always looking for ways to meet our residents where they are,” Cook said. “We [want] to improve communications to make sure our residents can stay up to date with what is happening in their local government, [know] where to go to find certain information and they’re aware of the really awesome programs we have going on.”

The app allows residents to perform a range of tasks, from paying their utility bills to browsing the city’s libraries’ catalogs in one location.

“Local government really is integral to daily lives; we provide water services, we provide the streets you drive on, all these little things [that] get overlooked,” Cook said. “My goal is to educate our community about everything going on [so] they are aware of all of the amazing services the city offers.”

The app also informs residents about city council meetings and other important dates. For students, the app connects to volunteer opportunities and the educational centers of Coppell such as the Biodiversity Education Center and the Cozby Library and Community Commons.

“Through the notification system, [a student] can easily know what’s going on inside their community and what opportunities are available to them without having to research,” said Coppell High School senior Shruti Shukla, a Keep Coppell Beautiful teen steward. “The Coppell app helps cater to [students’] interests, be an active member of the community and volunteer.”

Through various tools, Coppell residents are positively influenced by a better understanding of community interactions. “[With the app], I am more aware of what is going on around me and it helps me recognize that within this small city joy is brought out [through] community events,” CHS junior Priyanka Bhutani said. “Knowing there is somewhere to find FAQs, newsflashes or information about safety or the mask mandate has positively impacted my family through unity among the community and [the city government].”

DECEMBER 2021

@thesidekickcoppell

@CHSCampusNews

Sidekick Shortcut

Coppell City Council switched utility billing company; payment portal moved from eSuite to Citizen Self Service.

Board ruled that all CISD staff seeking resignations must submit notices to Superintendent Dr. Brad Hunt or the designated board member.

CISD band and choir students performed winter concerts and shows ahead of holiday break.

The Dec. 4 SAT date was canceled at Coppell High School due to supply chain issues; test booklets were not delivered in time for test day.

named Best of Show

Anjali Vishwanath Daily News/Assignment Editor @anjuvishwanath

The City of Coppell released a new mobile app, City of Coppell Connected, as a channel of communication to connect residents and the local community. City of Coppell Connected provides all the features available on the city website with the addition of notifications to keep residents informed. Shrayes Gunna

On Nov. 13, the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) announced its list of Fall 2021 Best of Show winners. KCBY-TV topped the list, taking first place in its category.

“I was actually at lunch with [The Sidekick adviser Chase Wofford] and some others when I found out,” KCBY adviser Irma Lazos-Kennedy said. “[Wofford] came in and told me, ‘Congratulations!’ I thought he was talking about [KCBY being named as an NSPA] Pacemaker finalist, but then he told me that we [KCBY] won Best of Show Broadcast.”

The win was for KCBY’s Show Three of the 2021-22 season, broadcasted on Oct. 7. According to Lazos-Kennedy, this is the first time a staff has won Best of Show for a fall semester broadcast.

“We typically win in the spring semester, after [the staff] has had time to get used to working together,” Lazos-Kennedy said. “That [they won in the fall semester] makes this staff really special and shows that they have potential for great success in their future endeavors.”

The winning show was CHS senior program director Conner Escobar’s first show producing as a KCBY program director.

“We’ve been at it for nine shows

already, so people were starting to get drained, but Ms. K [Lazos-Kennedy] just gave us this super happy announcement, and it energized us,” Escobar said. “[And] the Best of Show award really exemplifies the hard work we put into that show.

That show means a lot to me because it was our breast cancer awareness show, and I know a lot of people who have had breast cancer.”

KCBY was accompanied on the Best of Show winner list by Coppell Student Media, which placed eighth in NSPA Website (large school) Best of Show.

In addition to their Best of Show win and Pacemaker finalist status, several former KCBY staffers and members of the CHS class of 2020 are up for three categories of individual awards in the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Emmy (NATAS) competition.

Individual nominees include producers Daphne Pham, Riley Wall and Amrin Haque for Honoring Preston Point, and current broadcast engineer Robert Bizacky for Best Director and Sandesh Bharthur for Best Editor for Coppell Rewind.

“It [the Best of Show award] creates good momentum to keep on going [for the rest of the season],” CHS senior KCBY special projects director Jay Vanam said. “It was for show three, so it’s a good starting point for the year, and for more awards to come.”

THE BEAT FROM CHS9

Iniya Nathan CHS9 Editor @iniya_v

Practically raised in his mom Nita Patel’s Subway sandwich shop, CHS9 student Om Patel always knew he would one day take over. While most high school students would be working behind the counters, Om works behind the scenes, running the store.

“Since I was a little kid, I’d always go to the [Subway],” Om said. “When I grew up a bit, around age 11, I started helping out around the store. And eventually, I worked more and more and got the full experience of how the store works.”

He describes his job as a manager as doing everything that needs to be done. Ranging from cleaning the lobby, preparing sandwiches, working the register, assisting other employees, ordering supplies and creating manuals, he learns a lot from his job.

“I have learned how to manage money,” Om said. “[For example] supply, I can’t order too much of something for us to sell [because] it

will expire. I’ve learned how to talk to employees, how to manage them, and how to find the right employee.

I know how to respond to an emergency situation.”

He does mention, however, that he is not entirely in charge, or experienced in everything.

“My mom helps with [shift schedules and wages],” Om said. “It’s easier for her to do that stuff because I haven’t learned that yet. I’ve been learning from her.”

Nita is more than happy to teach him how to run the place. Having owned the establishment for 16 years, she has been putting more and more responsibility on Om’s plate to teach him how a business works.

“When he was 5, I started taking him to work since I didn’t have anybody to take care of him,” Nita said. “So he was at the store while I was working and then he grew up and slowly started observing. Then according to his age, I slowly started exploring [what he could do] and getting him involved at a very small level. Slowly, his interest grew more and more, and I was showing him more and more.”

Currently, she is teaching him about the financial side of running a business. One of the more fun memories she has of teaching Om was when he first started working.

“When he started working at the front, sometimes he would get emotional and a little excited,” Nita said.

“So he was offering free cookies to all the customers. And I told him, this is a real business. We are here to make a profit, not to give freebies.”

While he shoulders plenty of responsibility at work, at school he still acts like any other teenager.

“He’s very loud, very rowdy,” CHS9 English teacher Christopher Arney said. “But he does know when to take class seriously. He knows when to take his academics seriously, but he’s also a very fun personality.”

When Om is older, he wants to continue owning a business.

“I want to attack some sort of business larger than the Subway,” Om said. “Because of Subway I’ve learned how to manage a business.

It’s like little tiny blocks [I need to] build up. I [want to] keep expanding in the business area because I’m already experienced.”

Photo by Shrayes Gunna

Om Patel - Favorite Subway sandwich: Veggie Delight - Fun Fact: Learned to ski over Thanksgiving break - Favorite game: Valorant

NEWS THE SIDEKICK

Patel learns business skills through managing Subway

- Wants to visit Hawaii

YouTube: Coppell Student Media

Yadavalli lends her mic to quiet talents

Photo by Meghna Kulkarni

Deepti Patil

Photos by Shrayes CHS9 language acquisition specialist Ashton Wright assists freshman Olivia Feng with her biology assignment during fourth period in C104 on Nov. 10. Wright provides academic support to students whose native language is not English. Sruthi Lingam

Sri Achanta Staff Writer

@sriachanta_

and backgrounds and things that make them unique and so it’s definitely inspired me to want to learn another language [as well],” Wright said. “I have students that can speak three, four [and even] five languages and it’s amazing because they are going to have so many experiences and so many things that they can do with that knowledge.”

Teaching students who are well versed in languages other than English has its challenges. The first one of many challenges is the obvious: the language barrier. To overcome this barrier, Wright uses different strategies such as using pictures to communicate objects and feelings, speaking with simplified language and using gestures. She also uses technology, including translators, to translate conversations on the spot, making the communication process easier for both her and her students.

With this year being Wright’s first year as a LAS, she is still working on learning the different aspects of her job.

“Right now, the biggest challenge for me is learning all the facets of the job,” Wright said. “When I was teaching English last year, my sole job was to teach my students. Now, I’m not only teaching students, but I’m also ensuring that they are getting the support they need if they need them.

[I am also] helping teachers and finding the time to go in and support in the classroom and in team times.”

Even through all of the challenges, Wright’s determined personality shines through. “[Wright] is really smart [and] very dedicated,” CHS LAS Colleen Lowry said. “She loves her learners and she’s very attentive and careful that she’s doing [her work] right.

CHS9 student Sri Mayukha Yadavalli has begun her journey to create her own talk show outside of being a high achieving student.

Yadavalli hopes to one day have her own talk show and wants to follow the footsteps of her idol James Corden. She has started creating her first talk show project for her show, which she will probably publish to YouTube, and soon wants to begin another. Yadavalli is also an exceptional student who was named CHS9’s Student of the Month for October and collaborates with her teachers and peers daily.

What ideas will your talk show focus on?

I want to try to bring the lives of other people that impact the world in perspective to a normal person, such as doctors during COVID-19, first responders and people who work in a field that is hard and risky. I want to try to make sure people can appreciate their efforts and gain perspective into their lives by interviewing these people and allowing them to share their life experiences.

Where did you get your inspiration for starting a talk show?

James Corden helped me find passion in talk shows and hosting them. He is my role model and when I think about where I hope my talk show goes into the future, I hope it can be a reflection of his.

But, watching him really enticed me into making my own talk show and finding a passion.

How do you think COVID-19 has impacted your school life and work ethic?

As a student, [COVID-19] really hit my stamina on how long

What do you enjoy most about school?

Spending the day with my friends and collaborating with teachers. I know that might sound a bit untraditional, but I like to be friends with everyone, not only students but also staff.

My most enjoyable subject in school would be math because starting high school algebra wasn’t only easy for me, but it was also fun to do and solve. I love pairing algebra with escape rooms, [in ways] such as finding x to make [them] more engaging as well.

What are your goals in life?

My lifelong dream has always been to become a talk show host, and have been [beginning] that dream with my own talk show. I want to be a talk show host because I feel that I have that sort of personality, I can make good jokes and I can understand people very well. However, my goals for high school would be to simply pass and get through high school and just have fun throughout the journey.

I want to have balance through high school both academically and socially. I also hope to make new friends and collaborate with new people both during high school and further after.

DECEMBER 2021

The most common example of a teacher is a student’s day to day math, science, social studies or English teacher. But there are so many more teachers who go unnoticed, even though they are just as vital to the education system. One example of a teacher with an overlooked job is CHS9 language acquisition specialist (LAS) Ashton Wright.

Wright started her teaching career as an English I teacher at Coppell High School. When the freshmen center was established, Wright moved over to CHS9, continuing to teach English.

After five years of teaching English, she was asked by CHS Principal Dr. Cody Koontz to become the school’s LAS and she accepted.

Wright used her previous knowledge as an English teacher to smoothly transition into being a LAS since there are a lot of similarities.

A language acquisition specialist, formerly known as an ESL facilitator at CHS9, is a position where English is taught to students whose first language is not English. Not only do LAS’s teach students, but they also work to provide support to other educators, helping them guide their students who are foreign to English as well.

Wright was able to learn a lot about her role as a LAS from her mentor: CHS9 assistant principal Jessica Lynch. Her reason for switching jobs was based on the things she saw her mentor do as a LAS. “I had gotten to work with a few specific students [who weren’t fluent in English] as I was teaching ninth grade,” Wright said. “That sparked a

love for helping students who were learning English. I also had my mentor [Lynch] at that time who helped me as a ninth grade English teacher.

I had gotten to see her hands on and all the things she did for her students and it just was interesting to me and something I wanted to pursue.”

Lynch has seen Wright grow as an individual and as a teacher. “[Wright] was a fantastic English teacher and she knows how to use a lot of [communication] strategies,” Lynch said. “She’s taken the role [of being a LAS] on and made it even better. She’s been able to reach out to a lot of teachers this year and really help them to understand why they’re doing what they’re doing.”

Wright utilizes her skills as an English teacher while teaching her current students, but instead of just teaching content such as the correct grammar or sentence structure, she focuses on teaching English as a language by teaching how to communicate verbally with ease. The enormous amount of support she puts in for her students can be credited to her love for teaching them.

“I get to work with a smaller group of students than what I worked with last year,” Wright said. “The relationships I get to build with my kids and the conversations that we get to have on a daily basis make the classroom environment more fun for the both of us. It’s a fun experience being in class and being with my students.”

Wright is able to grow from her interactions with her students. While she teaches them English, they are able to teach her more about their own cultures, inspiring Wright to learn even more.

“I get to learn a lot about their different languages and their cultures

@CHSCampusNews

www.coppellstudentmedia.com

Teaching more than a language

Staff Writer

I worked whether it was school work or a project. I had a lot of overdue assignments and [online school] was a very hard time for me because my grade had dropped as well. My focus on school and in classes was also a struggle by not understanding the material being taught.

As in-person learning has now commenced, school has gotten better for me, mostly because I can finally collaborate with others and because I can finally focus on the things that are top priority.

@thesidekickcoppell

@CHSCampusNews

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THE SIDEKICK EDITORIAL

Drill in on safety

Students, teachers should take school safety seriously

O

n Oct. 6, an 18-year-old student opened fire at his high school in Arlington, killing one student and wounding one teacher. This is one of 21 high school shootings in the United States since August.

On Nov. 9, Coppell High School held its first lockdown drill of the 2021-22 year, and when asked if students took drills such as these seriously enough one week later, Coppell High School Principal Laura Springer answered “absolutely not.”

Springer also added that teenagers react accordingly the moment a crisis occurs, but the idea among students that school drills are a waste of time reflects a larger issue. Issues concerning school safety seem far-off and fictitious, like something that would never be relevant at their own school. Students, as a result, do not take school safety seriously enough, and this allows incidents such as letting strangers into the school building and a lack of seriousness in safety drills.

Coppell ISD’s safety protocols are led by former CHS school resource officer and current CISD coordinator of safety and security Rachael

Freeman. District protocols are supplemented

by CHS’s regularly meeting safety team, which in the event of a crisis, would work to mitigate any possible danger in a timely manner. The administration takes our safety seriously; why are students not doing the same?

It is similar to if there were one final chance to review for an exam. Would you not take the time to look over the material one more time? Though students can hope a crisis or serious instance of school danger will never occur, taking preventative action, such as following school rules about check-in/check-out and entering and leaving through approved exits is the only certain way to protect themselves.

CHS tries to funnel its visitors into one main entrance from the Horseshoe. But with doors surrounding the building, non-CHS students and strangers have been allowed access to the building, bringing in theft, drugs and fights. Many students feel comfortable opening the doors for people, whether they are friends who need access from outside or adults who look like parents and teachers.

Students opening doors for strangers, who

DECEMBER 2021

2021-22 STAFF Executive Leadership

Writers

Chase Wofford Staff Adviser Anjali Krishna Editor-in-Chief* Trisha Atluri Entertainment Editor* Sreeja Mudumby Editorial Page Editor*

Sri Achanta Nathan Cheng Anushree De Shrayes Gunna Akhila Gunturu Yaamini Jois Joanne Kim Saniya Koppikar

Editorial Leadership Anjali Vishwanath Daily News/Assignment 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 & Business Team Manasa Mohan Advertising/Circulation Manager* Aliya Zakir Social Media Manager Varshitha Korrapolu Communications Manager * Indicates Vol. 33 No. 3 page designer

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Photographers Aliza Abidi Sannidhi Arimanda Jayden Chui Olivia Cooper Meghna Kulkarni Nicholas Larry Sruthi Lingam

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Minnie Gazawada Esther Kim Avani Munji

could be just about anyone, poses an obvious threat of danger. The doors of CHS are all posted with signs stating to not let anyone inside, but this still occurs frequently. Any exception to this rule creates a domino effect, with more students seeing and normalizing letting people into the building, and more danger ensuing.

School drills not only tell students where to go in the event of an emergency, but build a muscle memory in students and staff that should take over during the event of an actual emergency, while in a stressful situation. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) requires each high school to complete one lockout, evacuation, shelter-inplace for hazmat and shelter-in-place drills for severe weather, two lockdown drills and four fire evacuation drills per year in order to build this muscle memory.

How you practice is how you perform. When in a real instance of a crisis, knowing the exact spots to go to and directions to follow are essential. Though many students feel they have learned these directions, reinforcement is key to preventing any confusion in a time of true

stress. It is also upon teachers to direct a class to follow directions and a protocol of drills. It is up to them to set an example, one that will be followed during an actual crisis. Consider a drill to be a dress rehearsal for a big play. It is not the time to play around or take things lightly - it is serious, just as the event of a drill would be.

Just on Nov. 30, a 15-year-old student opened fire at his high school in Oxford, Mich., killing four and wounding seven. This is the deadliest school shooting since May 2018.

School shootings may seem unreal, but given rather recent events, they are not as faroff as previously assumed. It would be naive to take drills lightly with the rise of school shootings in the return of in-person learning.

No matter how unreal a shooting at CHS may seem, taking care to ensure the school is prepared is a surefire way to mitigate any possibility of harm.

Given that taking drills seriously only requires a few minutes of somberness and compliance, it doesn’t feel like too much to ask in return to mitigate the possibility of harm in the future.

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

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

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

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Success through a personal perspective Manasa Mohan @Manasa_Mohan_7

B

Staff Photographer @aliza_abidi

From my perspective, my peers seem to know exactly what they want to do in the future. They seem so passionate about a topic or career and have a clear illustration of their ideal success in their careers.

As I look at them and try to imagine my future, I realize I cannot visualize what the future holds for me; all I can see is the stress piling up.

I want to make my parents proud. I want to live a comfortable life. But is that my dream?

As a sophomore in high school, I don’t have a dream college or passion I want to pursue. It is not that I feel incapable of acquiring a well-paying job or getting into a high-standard college, I just don’t know that I would be content with it.

Through hard work and dedication, I can achieve society’s standard goals and objectives, but I often wonder if that is truly what I want.

I know I will grow to enjoy a career field and that my hard work would not go futile. Yet, doing so feels a lifetime away. Though some jobs are interesting to me, I don’t know if I can spend the rest of my life doing them.

I noticed that I am not alone in experiencing this thought process.

“We are just so stuck in the present, [that] it is hard to think about the future,” Coppell High School sophomore Ananya Anupindi said.

“I cannot see myself doing anything beyond sitting at my desk [studying] and worrying about my SAT, I don’t see myself at a dream college or in a dream job. I just see myself stuck in school.”

Talking about this struggle with others and finding that they relate to my perspective helped me realize that success is not limited to just a career or passion. It can be as simple as achieving a mindset or fulfilling an emotion.

I realized that success in my eyes meant not having regrets. I want my future to reflect the diligence I put towards hard work and make sure no hardship is wasted. In the end, I want to utilize my past to secure my future, making every struggle worth it.

This showed me that the path to success does not have to be clear to be achievable.

Though I lack a vision of my future, it should not stop me from staying determined even as unknown obstacles come my way. In the future, my views on what I want

to pursue will change but I know that I will never regret pushing my limits while being a student.

Every high school student, myself included, needs to realize that nothing is set in stone and that it is OK to consider different environments and find what’s best for ourselves.

Students having limited experiences often cause them to bwwe unsure of the future. It is normal to develop different opinions over time and gravitate towards varying fields as we explore careers.

Success is far from a straight path, everyone has their own goals and struggles with their own problems.

I realized that I need to focus on the present and let the future build itself. Learning more about myself as I work hard towards an undefined future while making sure I won’t have any regrets about my past. I’ll use my current vague sketch of the future as a motivator rather than discouragement and with time, achieve my perfect success.

Aliya

Abidi

YouTube: Coppell Student Media

lood is thicker than water”: the phrase commonly associated with the “blood is family” mentality. It is ironic considering the phrase is simply an out of context fragment of the saying “the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb” meaning the family that is chosen is stronger than the one born into.

There is a belief held amongst people that family consists of people who are blood related, but that is not necessarily the case. Yes, you cannot change who your biological parents or relatives are, but you can choose who your family evolves into.

Familial relationships are vast and wide. Parents, cousins, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces and grandparents, the list goes on and on. But why can’t friends be added to this list? Relationships that people develop as they mature through life can be just as important as those someone is born with.

“For certain people, their friendships are so much more important than their relationships with their parents,” Coppell High School senior Purvi Dhasmana said. “That’s somewhat true for a lot of people I know because their parents are not accepting, and love has to come from a place of acceptance. Sometimes with [teenagers], the only people who can truly accept us and love us are people who are just like us and that’s our friends.”

Blood relation is not a free pass to be considered family. There are parents who do not have healthy relationships with their children due to a lack of communication, suffering from individual internal struggles and having excessive expectations for their children. These relationships make it so people turn to their friends and other people in their lives to fill the gap created by the lack of a healthy relationship with their family.

“It’s not just the people you are blood-related [to] that understand you, it can be anyone who is around you who can understand your situation and can be there for you,” CHS

Aliza Abidi

OPINIONS THE SIDEKICK

Advertising/Circulation Manager

senior Nishtha Tyagi said. “There are a lot of people who are more understanding of others and during hard times, [where] someone from their own family might not be able to be there for them because they don’t understand them as well. It’s all about matching vibes with others and it’s not always necessary that you feel as connected with your own family members as you do with others.”

A friend, teacher or community member can be there for someone just as much, or in some cases, even more than a relative can. As people, especially teenagers, mature and evolve through their life, they create their circles of people they choose to surround themselves with.

“Teenagers definitely find their community and find people who are like them and accept them for who they are,” CHS senior Tanmayi Akasapu said. “After-school or inschool activities like band, choir, sports, etc. you find your own community and that helps build a family outside of your own family.”

There are bonds strengthened by blood and those bonds can be unmatched in instances. But it is important to recognize that blood-related family is only part of the story.

The people in your life who you want to surround yourselves with are the rest of it.

Success can be seen from many perspectives. The Sidekick staff writer Aliza Abidi talks about feeling how her path to success is unclear and how she is not going to let that stop her. Aliza Abidi

Cancel culture prevents growth mindset Staff Designer

@anushree_night

Many students have canceled people, but don’t recognize how detrimental it can be. The Sidekick staff writer Anushree De explains the negative effects of cancel culture in school.

DECEMBER 2021

Coppell High School seniors Purvi Dhasmana and Tanmayi Akasapu enjoy a picnic at Andy Brown Park East on Nov. 24. The Sidekick advertising and circulation manager Manasa Mohan thinks family is more than just a blood-related bond between people. Shreya Ravi

Among the hushed whispers of school corridors, a familiar phrase passes through my ears: “They’re canceled”.

Canceled is a term that’s use has substantially increased in recent years, disseminated through the rise of social media.

And no, I’m not talking about being canceled as in a game being canceled because of rain. I mean cancel culture: the practice or tendency of engaging in mass canceling as a way of expressing disapproval and exerting social pressure.

Cancel culture is like a boycott, except in a less history, more Twitter kind of way. In theory, a victim of cancel culture loses their platform due to their controversiality coming to lwight. This can be in the form of unfollowing a celebrity or isolating oneself from a person.

In theory, this should work. In fact, it has. Celebrities who are canceled often apologize for their mistakes. Fans forgive them. Bam, we move on. But the solution to cancel culture is like a band-aid on a bullet wound: it’s a temporary solution, but it sure doesn’t last forever.

And that’s because of the effects of cancel culture. Polarization is a problem, and it’s only exacerbated by social media. When we cancel individuals, often in masses, an individual can dig into their heels and try to maintain their reputation. In those cases, the individual is unable to learn from their mistakes.

Others that are canceled become isolated from their friends for having controversial opinions. In my

own school setting, I often see certain people afraid to mention their political beliefs for fear of condemnation. Others who do share their beliefs experience a loss in friends.

But, it isn’t just the victims of cancel culture that witness the effects of cancel culture. Ultimately, there are three stakeholders involved in cancel culture: the canceled, the cancelers, and the bystanders.

With social media, a problem might be exacerbated far more than it was intended to. Often, cancelers share something they disagree with to their friends via social media. And suddenly, that belief is airborne. A battle is waged. People choose sides, and then, the problem is much bigger than it should have been.

In school, I’ve seen people share thoughts through Discord, Instagram, or Messages. And though change can often occur in this manner, simply talking to the individual involved in the incident would bring enough change.

And to our bystanders: chances are that if you’re anything like me, maybe you shy away from that drama. ‘That’s a little too heated for me’, you say. ‘I don’t want to get swept into all of this.’ So, you accept the cancelers’ words with a tentative shrug.

Bystanders can be driven to fear, afraid that anything they say can be used against them. What we see is filtered conversations, where individuals skip certain topics. Soon enough, bystanders check. every. word. they. say, for fear of being grouped with the canceled.

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Anushree De

@CHSCampusNews

Sidekick Online

THE SIDEKICK OPINIONS

Confusion behind compulsions Yaamini Jois Staff Writer @yjois12

People view obsessive-compulsive disorder as a black and white condition. If you clean your room often, you must have OCD. If you like keeping the items on your desk in a certain manner, you must have OCD. If you wear a lot of hand sanitizer, it must be due to your OCD. Frankly, it is ridiculous to try and describe any mental health issue in just a few blanket statements, and this applies to OCD as well. There are seven defined categories of OCD with further specifications in each category. Not all of them have to do with cleanliness and not all of them are easy to spot in a person, so it is not possible to say that someone washed their hands or cleaned their room because they have OCD. From internet star Khloe Kardashian’s comments on “OCD being a blessing” to talk show host Stephen Colbert’s hand washing joke, the discussion of having OCD is wholly mistreated online and in daily conversations.

The problem with the condition being taken so lightly is it’s hard to change how people view something once they’ve viewed it as something else for so long.

People continue to see OCD in a certain way and make inaccurate statements.

The stereotypes of OCD perpetuate misinformation, which is damaging towards those who actually struggle with the condition. Constantly labeling actions as OCD invalidates real signs of OCD. Someone struggling with lesser known effects is not likely to get the help they need because they don’t understand they could possibly have OCD due to misinformation online.

In the past decade, more light has been brought to various mental health conditions and a greater effort has been made to treat them more seriously. Even so, OCD continues to be seen as what a person who loves to clean must have. It is possible that someone who loves cleaning might have OCD, but it’s not always so

@thesidekickcoppell

that every person who cleans frequently must have OCD. Perfectionism is not OCD. Though they both may have similar appearances, OCD is an anxiety disorder and driven by a need to get past a certain compulsion or intrusive thought. Perfectionism is driven by high standards and a want to make something happen a certain way.

OCD is not one thing. Jokes about OCD always gravitate towards “being so OCD,” a statement which warrants an eye roll.

It is not possible to condense a condition down to a few things especially when it manifests itself differently in everyone.

Yes, wanting something to be in a specific order can be a sign of OCD, but it doesn’t have to be. The difference between an action triggered by OCD and a normal behavior is how intrusive it is.

People struggling with OCD cannot move past certain compulsions while people without OCD don’t feel like they have to complete the action before moving on.

Arranging pencils on a desk can either be a compulsion in a person with OCD or a random habit that someone has, but none of those situations require others to call it “so OCD.” To a person struggling with the condition, jokes about it are not helpful. A joke casually made by someone else can not only mock a struggle of another person but also label it wrongfully as a cleaning disorder or a handwashing disorder.

These stereotypes only set us back in better understanding different mental health conditions including OCD. What we should advocate for is raising awareness on conditions like OCD so that

they aren’t so commonly joked about in our everyday lives. Doing so can encourage more people to learn about what OCD really is and understand if what they struggle with might be OCD. Let’s be more sensitive towards how our words can affect someone struggling with conditions, especially when we don’t have any knowledge of the condition other than stereotypes of it online. It is very much possible to make a joke without referencing how OCD it is.

Beauty in independence

Embrace the opportunity to spend time alone Angelina Liu

Visual Media Editor @angelinaliu

DECEMBER 2021

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a serious disorder that’s name tends to be tossed around casually, which harms people who are medically diagnosed with OCD. Staff writer Yaamini Jois thinks people need to be more cautious about what they say to avoid hurting those who actually have OCD. Avani Munji

cently, I went to my favorite coffee shop Summer Moon om Keller, then visited Tom Thumb to purchase ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies, alone.

While this activity could have been fun with a friend, there is a certain beauty and benefit in being independent. It allows for personal growth as you can choose what you want to do instead of making compromises.

Being alone also allows time for self-reflection and gives you a better understanding of yourself. Independence also boosts self esteem as it as an aspect of growing up. You feel free and capable as you are in a public place by yourself, without the need to rely on others.

Another activity I have been appreciating independently is visiting the Coppell Nature Park early in the morning. Enjoying the quiet solitude of tall trees and wildlife as the occasional light breeze ruffles the tree tops while listening to music allows me to process my thoughts, relax and overall boosts my mood.

Embrace the opportunity to spend time alone. When friends can’t hang out, choose to do the activity with yourself. You shouldn’t miss out on opportunities simply because you don’t have someone to do it with. Watch that movie. Go to that concert. Go to that restaurant.

Alone.

Want to watch a movie on Saturday?

I sent the message and put my phone down, impatiently waiting for a text back. After five minutes, I picked up my phone and found the same empty lockscreen. Were they busy? Or was I being annoying? Or even worse, were they purposefully ignoring me? I sighed and put down my phone.

Ah, sorry, I can’t. Next time?

As the notification lit up my screen, I couldn’t help but feel dejected as I realized that I wouldn’t be able to watch the movie that I had wanted to that weekend. I then accidentally screenshot this sad conversation and went about my day.

Recently, in an attempt to free up storage on my phone, I stumbled upon this screenshot from middle school and chuckled. Looking back on this exchange a couple years ago, I couldn’t help but cringe and feel silly that I had always depended on people for my own enjoyment.

I recently overheard a conversation during lunch: “Wow. I feel bad for people who sit alone at lunch.

They just look so lonely.”

As a society, we are conditioned to think being alone automatically equates to loneliness. Why does sitting alone mean that one is lonely? What if someone simply prefers to be alone at that moment?

One of my favorite things to do is visit my local coffee shop alone and read or work on homework while Although being alone is often seen as undesirable, loneliness tends to empower and help one to self discover. Visual listening to music. Most re- media editor Angelina Liu sheds light upon the beauty in being alone. Shrayes Gunna

Anette Varghese Students Life Editor @AnetteVarghese

“After today’s episode, if you need an extra fix, go to patreon.com, that’s p-a-tr-e-o-n.com and search Crime Junkies.”

This line is something I grew used to hearing repeated by the true crime Crime Junkies podcast co-host Ashley Flowers every Monday.

True crime content ranges from podcasts to Netflix documentaries, and recently an emerging community on TikTok. Under the guise of garnering widespread attention, gruesome, heart-wrenching situations are dissected under a spotlight by unresearched and malinformed members of the general public.

I, too, was caught in the true crime rabbit hole at one point. Jumping from podcast to podcast trying to get my fix, scrolling through pages of Reddit theories and ultimately defaulting to the most questionable of Discord servers for answers.

“I feel like the term ‘fix’ has become more of a label, where listeners are seen as addicts,” Coppell High School senior Saanvi Sachdeva said. “While I do not agree with that label, I don’t think it is intended to be dehumanizing like it is perceived.”

At face value, what I and many of my fellow true crime enthusiasts did was commendable. We were raising awareness and bringing attention to aspects of the criminal justice system that are flawed. Digging deeper, we pried into the lives of private citizens that went public; not in accordance with their own will, but because of tragedy.

A recent case that amassed all forms of media traction is the Gabby Petito missing persons case, later discovered to be a homicide.

TikTok itself was the foreground for much of the widespread information on the case. Viewers and content creators alike shared theories, police findings and eventually misleading information.

I came to know about the case not through my nightly 7 p.m. news broadcast, but while I was scrolling through my For You page. Why? because of Hayley Toumaian, a TikTok user, who dedicated herself to spreading awareness through a series of TiKTok videos. She was ultimately just one of the creators that brought the #GabbyPetito hashtag to 1.8 billion views.

Toumaian through her social media has delivered aggregated news from traditional outlets or FBI press conferences. This reactionary journalism opens doors to rookie investigators to speculate amongst themselves in comment sec-

tions, such as Toumaian’s.

One of the most widely believed facets of misinformation include Dr. Michael Baden, a well-known pathologist, who was thought to have performed Petito’s autopsy. Instead he only commented on the information the autopsy might reveal.

“The fact that [information] is spread on social media is both good and bad because it is so widespread, I think it’s easier to fact check,” Sachdeva said. “But, because there is so much information, it is difficult to get a hold of all of it, you might not be able to find it but it might be true. Releasing information, whether it be for the sake of views or clout, if they can in the end, help solve a case or recover a family member I think it is worth it.”

Jordan Wildon, a digital investigator tracking misinformation, disinformation, online extremism conspiracists and acts as an open-source intelligence analyst for Logically.AI aired his concerns on online speculation via Twitter.

“Those of us who do this for a living work to certain standards, we don’t publish information about active cases, there are laws and codes of ethics to adhere to and in critical situations when a case is open don’t speculate online, speak to law enforcement,” Wildon tweeted. “It can and does ruin people’s lives, as was the

case when Reddit incorrectly concluded that a Florida man was behind a U.S. astroturfing campaign.”

Consumers of the content often reject an empathetic approach because of their physical and emotional distance from the event itself. This leads to many ill-advised and unresearched theories gaining support and being upheld as pseudo-truths in a very large community. This proves to be a dilemma in the age of the internet, where very few viewers conduct their own research, rendering them unable to independently confirm information.

We as a community should be able to understand these issues on a human to human level. Trauma as entertainment that’s packaged to palatable is never OK; if we can’t be respectful, then we shouldn’t get involved.

OPINIONS THE SIDEKICK

Internet sleuths should stay in their lane

YouTube: Coppell Student Media www.coppellstudentmedia.com

DECEMBER 2021

True crime is a genre of media that has gained popularity over the last few years. Student life editor Anette Varghese thinks true crime fans need to take a step back from making unsupported claims and spreading misinformation. Noor Fatima

THE SIDEKICK STUDENT LIFE Sidekick Online @CHSCampusNews @thesidekickcoppell

DECEMBER 2021

Coppell High School United States History teacher Diane de Waal is Teacher of the Issue. De Waal, who was selected

by The Sidekick as its December Teacher of the Issue, has been teaching history at CHS for nine years. Shreya Ravi

TeacheroftheIssue Keeping score with one of Coppell's top

historians Anette Varghese Student Life Editor @AnetteVarghese

Coppell High School AP United States History, U.S. History teacher Diane de Waal has been selected by The Sidekick as the Teacher of the Issue for Issue 3.

Why did you decide to teach U.S. history?

I grew up in a family that was very interested in history. My dad, [Thomas William Wharton] was an amateur historian. A lot of our relationship was talking about history.

He nurtured that passion in me [for] United States history and the importance of knowing our history, appreciating the struggles, successes and the failures. It was a combination of being interested and always being fascinated by the stories. My dad told me a lot of stories. And that’s what I try to do with my [students] as well, teach through storytelling, because history is a story. [Then they can] look at the different perspectives of the different people who lived that story.

Do you have a favorite story told by your dad?

He was very interested in the Civil War. A lot of the stories that I heard from him were about his great aunt and his grandmother who lived in Richmond, Va. during the Civil War, the capital of the Confederacy. Knowing that our family lived [through] an event that has happened in our country was really personal for me. The stories about him visiting those relatives in Richmond and hearing their stories about where they were and what was happening there made it really come alive.

Would you consider yourself a mentor?

I have stepped into a mentoring position [for] a couple of our new teachers, because teaching is challenging. Teaching is hard. And we certainly all can agree over the last two years it’s been a completely different scenario. So to come into the profession at this point, and try and figure out after kids have been all over the place for 18 months, you’re also trying to figure out your teaching style.

Stepping into it, I do see myself as some kind of caretaker. The spirit of the department is to lift others up when we feel like we’ve hit barriers.

That’s something also that I like to do for our department.

What do your students not know about you?

My students know that I was not exactly a cheerleader. I was a supporter for the Dallas Chaparrals, which was the professional basketball team before the [Dallas] Mavericks. I was their score girl, and kept score very publicly.

What is your favorite aspect of teaching history?

My favorite thing about American history is what I try to communicate to the kids about a shared history.

And about the danger of looking at history through a single narrative.

So many diverse people participated in the development of our country in the past. In U.S. history and AP both, it’s a survey course, we go along the surface and try and drill down where we can. That’s my favorite thing about teaching history, [being able] to open kid’s eyes to the fact that we have a shared history, and we need to listen to many different voices tell that story. I love that.

Park's pencil exploring

patterns, prose

If you could travel to any time and place in history, where would you go?

I would pick a time when my parents, especially my father, [went] to visit his relatives in Richmond and hear their stories. He was born in 1918. He was also a child of the Great Depression, but they made ends meet and if I were to go back in time, I would go back to grow up with my dad.

What made you realize teaching was the right career choice?

I got into teaching as an intermediate piece of my career between college and wanting to work in history at a museum or be a museum curator. [In] teaching, you get to talk about history every day to a captive audience who has to listen to me.

After about three to five years, I realized what I really am is a teacher.

I ended up falling in love with teaching and I’ve done it for 30 years.

What is one life lesson you want your students to take away from you?

There is nothing that is not eroded over there. History is multifaceted and multi-storied, and can’t be reduced to a single story or answer.

There’s not a single answer to the complexity of history.

There are universal truths that drive ethical human behavior. And we have the responsibility as human beings to act in an ethical way. And part of what we learn from history is examples of how that was done.

[And] examples of how that wasn’t done, and use those examples to make a better today and tomorrow.

Coppell High School senior Rose Park, sophomore Sarang Goel and junior Jeffery Wang work on their sustained investigation project during their second period AP drawing class. Park has taken art classes since elementary school and is currently a graphic design intern for The Dallas Morning News. Sreeja Mudumby

Sreeja Mudumby

Executive Editorial Page Editor @sreejamudumby

Fun Facts About de Waal

Met Kareem Abdhul-Jabbar as a 17-year-old score girl for the Dallas Chaparral.

Has been working at CHS for 9 years.

Texas Middle School Association Region 10 Teacher of the Year in 2007.

Sitting in a corner of the classroom, her mind drifts to the edge of Switzerland, where she sits in her standard hoodie. In her imagination, a picnic basket filled with neat rows of strawberries lies next to a pile of sketchbooks. Her pencil scratches against the rough paper, streaking as pieces of lead sprinkle away. The others around do not know these scribbles form stories.

Stories created with both letters and pictures.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and Coppell High School senior Rose Park delivers stories through both art and writing.

Park’s devotion to art began in elementary school and fully developed when she joined the Coppell art program at Coppell Middle School East.

Although most artists have a specialty, what differentiates Park from other artists is her lack of niche.

“I’m the type of artist where I like to be very diverse with the mediums I use,” Park said. “I’m not particularly a fine artist or a digital artist, I’m more of a multimedia artist. Each medium that I use has its overall advantages, but in class I would mostly focus on fine arts such as painting or drawing.”Park chased opportunities to express herself artistically outside of CHS art classes. As an intern for The Dallas Morning News, Park works with a mentor to design data-driven graphics to supplement stories. along with some of her own creative projects such as designing magazine covers.

“I was not expecting [the internship],” Park said. “I dream for the best but expect the worst. I put my effort into it all, [my art is] all equally made, and high school art made me think outside the box.”

To get this internship, Park had to go through two application processes.

One with the University of North Texas and one for The Dallas Morning News. Though this seems tedious, completing the application was one of Park’s favorite parts of the experience.

“Doing this process was a lot of fun,” Park said. “I really enjoyed it because along the way, I did what I like. Writing letters, creating new artworks to show them and talking with people. But this whole thing just fascinated me and my motivation and consistency is what made me be here today.”

Apart from art, Park also writes stories in her free time. Though this is not a hobby she is developing, writing also helps Park express herself.

“I just write for myself,” Park said. “Whenever I think of stories [at any] time of the day I’ll be like, ‘oh, that’s a really good idea’ and I start rambling on the keyboard. I edit my own [pieces] because it’s also a skill to know how to edit or be more creative in how I can respond with words.”

Along with her passions, another factor that drives Park is her determination.

“One of the things I really like about [Park] [is that] she has a go-getter attitude,” Coppell High School senior Mrinmayee Jana said.

“When she wants something she’ll do it, and she’s independent.”

These same attributes are ones that left a lasting impression on CHS digital art teacher Cameron Tiede, who taught her for two years. Though Park is unsure about her future, one thing she is certain of is carrying both art and writing with her.

“A lot of people think if you have two passions, you have to choose one,” Park said. “I don’t necessarily think it’s true. You can major in one and work on the other one during your free time and have both of them along the way. You don’t have to throw [your interests] away.”

There are many things Park hopes to accomplish, but one thing she hopes to nail down is her niche.

“One thing that’s on my bucket list is to find more of my own style,” Park said. “I have a lot of friends that have their own unique style and sometimes I wish I had that. Even with storytelling, [I want] to find my own style, find more enjoyment and learn about myself.”

Awaiting her future, Park continues to drift into the hollows of Switzerland, where the heart of her peace lies between the blades of grass.

“I want to go somewhere peaceful and [not] think of any stress,” Park said. “ I think it’d be interesting to go around and just draw whatever [I] want. I heard that Switzerland is so pretty over there so I just want to lie in the flowers and just draw the whole day.”

Fun facts about Park Favorite kind of stories to write are young adult fiction.

Though Park will pursue a major in art, she wants to explore different fields before choosing a career focus.

Favorite art piece is a drawing of a panda she keeps on her desk.

Prathapam putting effort in the present Iniya Nathan CHS9 Editor

@IniyaNathan

Fun Facts About Prathapam Favorite food is watermelon.

Puts milk before cereal.

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YouTube: Coppell Student Media

Watching him build his CO2 dragster, it is very clear that Coppell High School junior Tanai Prathapam put a lot of extra effort and precision into designing the car.

Prathapam is an aspiring engineer and the CO2 dragster is an assignment for class that was given to the students last school year. The project carried over to this school year and the engineering students will be racing them soon.

“My favorite part of [engineering] is learning the ropes,” Prathapam said. “One of the big things about engineering is the teacher doesn’t actually give you lectures; he gives you a brief idea of your objective and you figure it out along the way. So what I like about the dragster project is that there are a lot of things we didn’t know to do before [and the] process of trying to figure it out on my own and the satisfaction of finally getting it right.”

Prathapam plans to pursue engineering in the future, although he is not sure which specific field.

“I’m glad that he’s still looking around and seeing because engineering is always changing,” Coppell High School engineering teacher Michael Yakubovsky said. “By time he graduates from college there will probably be some new [engineering] careers and technologies and so the fact he’s still figuring it out leaves his options open. I see him doing really well with engineering [and] moving higher up into some type of management or executive position because he’s got that mindset of taking things further and making sure that things are done right.”

Not only do his teachers notice his passion, but so do his peers.

“He’s really dedicated to whatever work he’s doing,” said CHS junior Pranamya Pagedar, an engineering classmate of Prathapam since ninth grade. “He’s knowledgeable about most topics and he’s good at being a team player.”

Prathapam is also a UNICEF officer and vice president of the Club for the second year in a row. According to CHS junior Kanna Iyyappan, president of the UNICEF Club, he has been a part of the Club since he started it.

“He always does the tasks assigned to him,” Iyyappan said. “He’s always ready to lead committees and is dedicated and puts initiative into our mission. He’s really passionate about speaking or presenting, he just likes public speaking in general. He’s a great guy, he truly cares about everyone and wants everyone around him to improve.”

Since they were not able to do much last year during virtual learning, this year Prathapam is enjoying organizing events.

So far this year, the UNICEF Club has had a book drive and will have a movie night on Dec. 16.

“My favorite part [of UNICEF Club] is the freedom of the Club,” Prathapam said. “Our goal mostly is to fundr aise at least $1,000 to give to UNICEF but the method of how we do it is what we have freedom for.

There isn’t a set rule or basis on how we’re supposed to operate. So we’re extremely open to new ideas from any member. I like that flexibility and freedom that we have.”

While the UNICEF Club’s aim is to help people, Prathapam’s engineering skills can accomplish that as well.

“He really puts a lot of effort into designing things that make sense,” Yakubovsky said. “Things that are useful. Not just, OK this is kind of a cool idea, but this is a cool idea that will be useful too. Because engineers, their whole purpose is to build and design things to meet human needs and to make the world a better place for people and he really does a good job of it. He puts a lot of effort into that and it really takes time to do the level of work he does.”

Most of Prathapam’s time and effort is spent on engineering, and UNICEF Club.

“One thing I know is that I haven’t really decided in what field of engineering I’m going into specifically,” Prathapam said. “I just know for sure that I’m going somewhere and I’m pretty excited about what I might discover in the future.”

STUDENT LIFE THE SIDEKICK

to pursue future engineering

DECEMBER 2021

Responses from a survey

“Schools“

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“Proximity to work“ “Housing pricing“

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The buying/selling of houses in a certain area.

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Buyer's Market

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A market that is profitable for buyers.

Seller's Market

A market that is profitable for sellers.

Inventory Homes that are on the market; supply

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I was one of the rare few who enjoyed school - I went to Coppell Middle School East and CHS - and made a lot of connections. a lot of [my family's] heart remained here and I knew I would be welcomed back [after college].

[Coppell] feels like family." exas is notorious for breaking the rules; as the only state that was once a country, remnants of that independence remain in the form of Texas flags and pledges in classrooms. Texas doesn’t just break cultural precedent, though; it also defies economic standards.

As the real estate market crashes all over America, the market in Texas booms.

The real estate market is a living, breathing entity; it’s mercurial. The term is a broad one, describing the trends in buying and selling property in the United States seller’s market is one in which people are more likely to buy homes, making it profitable for sellers.

A buyer’s market is one in which many people are selling, so prices dip as supply increases, making it beneficial for buyers.

Texas is famous for attracting buyers with large, low-cost homes. However, in most cases, the COVID-19 market belongs to sellers, who are able to raise their prices in a time when few people are selling and many are buying; the buyers are willing to pay more due to necessity. “[It is] definitely [a] sellers [market],” Everest Homes realtor Priya Pazhayidathu said. “So that's what the pandemic brought, which is surprising. We were anticipating the market to go down and stay a buyers market, but then after a couple of months, people started venturing out to look for homes, [and] slowly started creating the demand.”

This doesn’t make the Texas market any less attractive for buyers, though. Many major technology companies, such as Oracle Corporation and Tesla, have moved their headquarters to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, bringing with them their employees. Texas has no state income tax and recently imposed an income tax credit, making it significantly less expensive to conduct business here than California, the long-established technology hub centered around Silicon Valley.

“Due to recent influx of young professionals moving to Austin with their companies, the demand [for housing] has gone up drastically,” Oracle principal software engineer Sourav Mohapatra said. “It’s still affordable, but prices are going up every year, and with more companies moving their headquarters to Austin I anticipate the prices increasing [further], and maybe 5-10 years from now it will be not be [as] affordable.”

The influx of corporate moves to Texas has made the state attractive to many other homebuyers, who contribute to Texas’ second-place spot on the U.S. Census Bureau’s list of states by population. Within Texas, Dallas County is the second-most populous county, after Harris County.

Americans have been traveling west for residential development since the 18th century, when Manifest Destiny ruled the land. The

trend continues as development in Texas booms; as of June 2021, several hundred construction permits were being submitted annually. Still, in spite of the large inventory, the market belongs to sellers.

“If a house is on the market, it takes less than three months to sell at this point,” said Coppell realtor Ryan Storch, a 2017 graduate of Coppell High School. “Honestly, in Coppell and the DFW area, it takes less than 30 days to sell some houses.”

The pandemic began a veritable domino effect that devastated the housing market and housing situation in the United States. With costs rising as workers were laid off all over the country, many Americans struggled to pay rent, relying on a national eviction moratorium issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stay in their homes.

When a bid from the Biden Administration to renew the moratoriums was denied by the Supreme Court on Nov. 4, the market got even tighter, with demand increasing exponentially.

In the midst of these struggles, though, one lone state’s market booms: the lone star state’s.

“Coppell is a family town,” Storch said. “The average cost of a house here is about $450,000 because of the school district, so there are not as many young people as families with middle and high school-aged children.”

America is a contradictory country. It’s a country of billionaires and a country with a homeless population of 580,466; Texas’ population includes 25,858 homeless people - 4.57 percent of the state’s population. This wealth disparity is reflected in many spheres of life, such as education and healthcare, as well as housing.

In smaller cities such as Coppell, that disparity becomes more evident. Coppell has housing options for all budgets, with the market ranging from under $100,000 to over $1,000,000.

“Coppell is always prime [real estate] because of the school district and the location,” Pazhayidathu said. “I would say it’s the niche - you have the airports close, all the highways are close by, so everywhere you want to go you can actually go in 15 to 20 minutes.”

Proximity to the city, a highly-ranked school district and a prevailing community atmosphere are among the factors attracting buyers and investors alike to Coppell. The city also contains the Cypress Waters development which promotes itself as the “heart of the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex” - wherein residential and commercial developments have emerged. Texas has been a magnet for commercial development for years, but residential development is booming as Americans flock to the south for lower taxes and warmer weather.

So welcome to Texas, snowbirds; drive friendly.

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Kimball announced as Teacher of the Year Staff Writer @yjois12

Along with the chemistry definition, Oxford Languages defines a compound as “made up or consisting of two or more existing parts or elements.”

For GT chemistry teacher and science department head Sorelle Kimball, being a teacher is a compound of consistent hard work, effective leadership and a genuine love for her students.

These same qualities won her Coppell High School’s 2021-22 Teacher of the Year award.

Kimball was a nominee along with football coach and physical education teacher Jay Jones, geometry teacher Phillip Smith, English teacher Emily Pickrell, social studies teacher Miranda Portteus and chemistry teacher Courtney Crosby.

Kimball has been teaching chemistry at CHS for seven years. Previously, she taught biology and chemistry for two years at Faith Family Academy in Dallas as well as two years at Berkner High School in Richardson.

Initially a biology teacher, Kimball was pushed to teach chemistry at Faith Family Academy. While hesitant in the beginning, Kimball found a new goal for herself as a chemistry teacher: to help her students feel more confident learning chemistry than she did as a student in high school.

“Chemistry was a struggle for me in high school, and I started off teaching biology,” Kimball said.

“Later on, I was pushed to teach chemistry, and I wanted my own students to feel more confident in my class than I did as a student.”

Kimball has found many ways to achieve her goal and teach a variety of concepts to her students in engaging ways. In the past, Kimball has used dinosaurs dancing to symbolize switching partners in chemical reactions and baked a recipe for zucchini bread to represent the recipe for chemicals in the stoichiometry unit. “[Kimball] is a special teacher because of how well she explains [the lessons],” sophomore Zayna Arif said. “She really cares about her students and makes sure they understand the concepts in an en-

gaging way.”

Chemistry teacher Rebecca Rosamond-Grammer has taught at CHS for a year and spent the 2021 spring semester working with Kimball as a student teacher.

“What [Kimball] is exemplary at is communicating,” Rosamond-Grammer said. “She explains complex concepts well and helps build a strong foundation for them in their learning.”

Kimball’s creativity isn’t limited to the way she explains lessons.

From storybook projects to VSEPR theory models, Kimball has created numerous interactive projects for her students every year to help them be more engaged with the content. This year, she hopes to implement a project for her students where they can create their own paint using chemistry.

“I really love seeing the lightbulb moment when I’m explaining something to a student,” Kimball said. “I want [my students] to feel confident and enjoy what they do in our class.”

In addition to her excellence as a chemistry teacher, Kimball also balances being the CHS science department head. “[Kimball] is a mentor for all of [the teachers],” Rosamond-Grammer said. “She juggles multiple responsibilities but is always organized, so she exemplifies the process of hard work.”

To commemorate her consistent hard work, Kimball was surprised with a marching band performance, gifts including flowers and a backpack, a visit from her family and a cheering crowd outside of C Hall after she was presented with the recognition on Dec. 3.

“It feels really good to be acknowledged,” Kimball said. “So many former students, fellow teachers and other staff members have come by to congratulate me, and [that]’s been such a nice sentiment.”

Kimball’s dedication as a chemistry teacher is noted by her fellow teachers and CHS Principal Laura Springer. “[Kimball] makes my heart sing,” Springer said. “No matter what she’s doing, she always puts her students first, and [that is] everything I want in a leader. To me, that’s what a teacher of the year is supposed to be.”

DECEMBER 2021

Coppell High School chemistry teacher reacts to Principal Laura Springer’s announcement over the campus intercom on Friday during fourth period. Springer announced Kimball is the 202122 CHS Teacher of the Year.

Angelina Liu

$90 ON SALE UNTIL JAN. 28

Kimball’s characteristics What is your biggest fear? spiders What high school did you attend?

The Oakridge School in Arlington Favorite teacher at CHS? Coppell High School chemistry Teacher Kimball walks the hall to applause from students and faculty. Kimball has been teaching chemistry for 7 years and was nominaed for teacher of the year. Angelina Liu

Ms. Courtney Crosby What is your go-to order at Sonic?

Unsweetened ice tea with lemon What music are you currently listening to?

The Unlikely Candidates If you could only listen to

Coppell High School chemistry Teacher Kimball celebartes in the halls of after winning tecaher of the year.

Kimball has been teaching chemistry for 7 years and was nominated for teacher of the year. Angelina Liu

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Yaamini Jois

one album for the rest of your life what would you listen to?

So Much For The Afterglow by Everclear What is your favorite place to shop in Coppell?

Market Street

The Bollywood Dance Club acts while dancing at the 2017 Heritage Night in the CHS commons. Heritage Night is where people of different heritages come together for one night and show off their talents and skills. File Photo

Coppell High School senior Elena Hewett has been in theater and art since the beginning of their sophomore year. Hewett is working on lighting design for the Cowboy Theatre Company’s upcoming production “Spongebob the Musical” and is in IB and digital art. Aliya Zakir

Saniya Koppikar Staff Writer

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Sreeja Mudumby Executive Editorial Editor @sreejamudumby

What does your piece “Tooth Fairy” mean to you?

“Tooth Fairy” is about how we view human bone fragments and ourselves. There’s been a lot of talk recently about American exceptionalism, and I think there’s a lot of human exceptionalism in our world. I wanted to look at how we approach human bone and how we view that as being somehow different from animal bone. This also ties into my identity as a nonbinary person, because I’ve had to think about

How has being a senior impacted your involvement in your various commitments?

How has being in theater and art shaped your high school experience?

I don’t really know what I would do without art or theater. They’re foundational to the way I approach and view the world. theater gives me a place to really blow off some physical steam. Like, I can run down to theater class and yell at someone in an Irish accent for five minutes, and that is very therapeutic [for] me.

Art has given me so much. It sounds cliché, but learning art and going day to day looking at things from an artist’s perspective changes the way you see the world. Something about it just helps bring the beauty back into the world. If I didn’t have art classes and fantastic art teachers to help remind me to see the beauty in the world, then I would not be the same person I am today.

www.coppellstudentmedia.com

Hewett’s piece “Tooth Fairy”

Hewett’s piece “Potato Head”

DECEMBER 2021

Heritage Night is a time where all cultures and ethnicities in the Coppell High School student body come together to celebrate their rich heritage. From ethnic food to cultural performances, the night is a time of honoring one’s roots.

However, due to the recent flood of college applications, Dec. 4 SAT date and clashing with other school events such as “Men on Boats,” Coppell High School seniors Tanisha Chaudhuri, Ilene Thomas and Naksha Nair took the concern to CHS Principal Laura Springer. “[Thomas, Nair] and I went down to Springer’s office and told her ‘here’s a list of five reasons as to why we don’t think it should happen now,’” Chaudhuri said. “Springer was incredibly kind; she let us look through her schedule with her. And so she said the best available time where there was nothing else was Feb. 11. So we got that changed and we let [CHS Junior World Affairs Council sponsor Mashal Khan] and everybody else know and now it has officially changed.”

One factor for Heritage Night being moved from the Dec. 3 date is many juniors were taking the SAT the following morning. “A lot of the performers were juniors,” Khan said. “We wanted to give a chance to everyone that wanted to perform to actually do it. [In February], we’re going to have lots of different booths for people to learn information about different parts of their cultures. There will be lots of performances like singing and dancing and there’ll be traditional games set up as well.”

Food was another big factor for moving Heritage Night.

“We had issues because our food trucks apparently [take] a few months to get approved,” Coppell senior JWAC president Tresa Alex said. “We didn’t have it a few months before for them to get approved. So that would be kind of annoying, if we

didn’t get the food trucks we wanted and had to rely on Costco.”

Chaudhuri and Thomas are emcees for Heritage Night. Though they practiced weeks in advance for the event and had a dance performance planned, they decided to move Heritage Night for the benefit of the school.

“I was kind of stressed about having to perform for people in like effort for weeks for us to learn dance,” Thomas said. “But now having this extra time allows us to add more songs or add more depth to make it perfect.”

With Heritage Night moved to February, JWAC is expecting more participation, better food options and an overall higher turnout. Some booths to be expected are henna booths, board games from different cultures and food booths.

“Since we gave it more time, people should have enough time to do a lot more performances,” Thomas said. “We had to get food trucks approved that we didn’t have enough time to so hopefully we’ll have enough time now we have I think two months to get those approved.

We had a fashion show plan and we wanted to figure out how exactly we’re going to do that. And now we have time so we can plan that out.”

No matter when, the focus of Heritage Night still remains inviting those with heritages from all over the world and educating peers about cultures in a fun, entertaining way. If moving Heritage Night means having more celebration, Chaudhuri and JWAC think it’s worth it.

“One thing for sure that’ll be better is that we’ll have a greater turnout,” Chaudhuri said. “It’s less about the performances, but it’s about people of different cultures and heritages being able to come together and truly celebrate themselves. The fact that a lot of people couldn’t participate or had other things to do made it a lot harder for us to be able to celebrate that. So now that it’s moved, it is going to be better because more people will be able to participate.”

What does your piece “Potato Head” mean to you?

I think it was back in June, the Mr. Potato Head franchise decided to rename itself the Potato Head because they didn’t want to have an inherently gendered franchise. The portrait takes that idea of deconstructing gender and places it on my own body, like the Mr. Potato Head, where you can pull out individual features and move them around. I have facial dysmorphia that makes it hard for me to see myself without seeing the individual parts. But essentially, the piece is about deconstruction of my own identity and how difficult it can be sometimes to see yourself as a whole when you’ve always been split down into fractions.

It definitely changed how I approach [them], simply because up until this point, I didn’t realize how deeply seniors care about the freshman, sophomores and juniors that look up to them. I would do anything for those kids. It’s giving me the chance to pass on this knowledge that I was given and to see these kids grow. I’m so happy to be a part of their lives.

YouTube: Coppell Student Media

Coppell High School senior Kirtana Kalavagunta strikes a pose at the 2017 Heritage Night in the CHS commons. Heritage Night is where people of different heritages come together for one night and show off their talents and skills. File Photo

Since moving to Coppell at the end of their sophomore year, Coppell High School senior Elena Hewett has been fervently involved with the art and theatre departments. Taking at least two art classes each school year, Hewett continues their creativity in the art room as well as on stage. Having recently participated in “Trap” and working on “Spongebob: The Musical” and IB Art pieces “Tooth Fairy” and “Potato Head,” they are spending their senior year as an inspiration and mentor to underclassmen in art and theater.

my identity and how I view myself a lot more than other people probably do. For me, it was about deconstructing my identity as a human and as someone who has, by virtue of their identity, been forced to examine what humanity means and what that is, both to me individually and to us as a species.

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Heritage Night In the Spotlight: Hewett rescheduled for Feb. 11 deconstructing gender through to increase turnout visual, performance art

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Respect the people

East Asian media has become increasingly popular throughout the years. The Sidekick staff writer Joanne Kim thinks people enjoy these forms of media while still contributing to Asian hate. Joanne Kim and Noor Fatima

Joanne Kim Staff Writer

DECEMBER 2021

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@joan_kimm

O

h my God, Joanne. I’m literally more Asian than you.”

I stared blank-faced at my white friend who currently had a K-pop music video pulled up on her phone.

She kept up with her favorite K-pop groups religiously and liked to talk about them with me.

And despite my lack of interest and knowledge, usually, I didn’t mind. But the words that just came out of her mouth made me clench down on my teeth It sure is a good time to be Asian, am I right?

As East Asian media grows in popularity in the West, the Hallyu wave is booming. Watching anime is considered normal and “Squid Game” has gained international success, generating nearly $900 million for Netflix. It is almost like our elderly didn’t get murdered at the start of the pandemic. It is not trendy to be Asian-phobic anymore - committing hate crimes against Asians and blaming them for COVID-19 isn’t cool - but objectifying us is.

Like most East Asian Americans, I grew up

being forced to accept microaggressions as the norm. The usual “what type of doctor do you want to be?” “your eyes are small,” “your food smells weird.” But the current glamorization of my culture is different.

More than once, people have said to me: “Joanne, I watched a K-drama yesterday. I wish I was Korean like you.” When I’m on Instagram, I see Korean and Japanese in bios as an aesthetic add-on despite the user not being of either ethnicity and not living in either country.

The internet is a cesspool of racism against East Asians, from cosplayers taping their eyelids to blatantly white people claiming to be transracial Korean to the ubiquitous ethnicity superiority claims after listening to K-pop (“I’m more Asian than you” jokes).

East Asian representation in the United States has increased alongside the popularity of anime, K-pop and K-dramas, but it isn’t enough. Consumption of a culture’s media and respect for the people behind it are two different things. While appreciating the former, Americans miss the latter.

Love and hate for Asian people occur simultaneously. In the same era that K-pop fans rule the internet and “Squid Game” reviews are

through the roof, Asian people face racism in both violent, overt forms and microaggressions that leave a lasting impact. It is wrong for people to care more about commercializing a culture and turning it into an aesthetic than about the violence and blame pinned on Asian people. Being human and treating humans right matters more than staying on-trend.

It seems to me that non-Asians tend to go through spurts of temporary racial acceptance driven by an appreciation for our culture’s art, with the length of such acceptance dependent on how long we can appease, entertain and cater to them through mass media.

Though it may appear to be a harmless interest in a different culture, this form of consumption is unhealthy. When you romanticize us, you are projecting a certain image across an entire race and treating Asian people as a monolith. Not only that, but it also makes us extremely uncomfortable, especially when these individuals assume they’ve had the same life experience as us just because they started listening to K-pop or watching anime.

Cultures do not exist for your aesthetic. You cannot pick and choose the parts of a culture you like while ignoring the parts you don’t.

As of the current status quo, East Asian media is more valued than the actual people.

Separating the culture from the people is inherently wrong, yet it is happening. Culture is created through ways of living that are upheld through generations. People and their cultures are intertwined; they cannot be separated in any context.

What we need now is effort. People who consume East Asian media need to put in the time to educate themselves and understand cultural context. And above all, they need to have compassion. They need to understand the Japanese and Korean-American experiences are not the idealized fantasies they expect. Consuming our media does not mean you know who I am as a person or what I’ve gone through.

Love us for our talents and respect our culture - even when it isn’t white-washed to suit your consumption.

Arts in the New Year Popovich Comedy Pet Theater When: Jan. 15 Where: Coppell Arts Center

Choir Voice Recital

When: Jan, 26-27 Where: CHS Black Box

The SpongeBob Musical When: Jan. 29-Feb. 6 Where: CHS Auditorium

Josh Campbell Staff Designer @JoshDC004

While spending time together as flatmates, Blur lead vocalist Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewllett came together after boring themselves of too much MTV to create their debut album. Gorillaz is a genre-blending masterpiece of alternative rock, hip-hop and elements of dub.

“Re-Hash” begins the album with a drum fill layered with acoustic guitar. It hooks the listener’s interest, allowing them to be drawn into the next track through Gorillaz’s ever-fluctuating sound.

In “5/4,” crunchy, heavy guitar riffs overpower the track then falling into the dreary simplicity of “Tomorrow Comes Today.” As a melodica whines across the song, Albarn speaks of feeling trapped. A beautiful song of self reflection, Albarn’s nasally voice paired with soft piano creates one of Gorillaz’s most introspective tracks.

Overall, most albums fall short of the melting pot that is Gorillaz’s self-titled album.

The White Stripes are known for its natural sound, and up until this album, it never recorded in a traditional studio. White Blood Cells is the third album of the duo, a genuine rock album. With Jack White’s guitar screeching complex melodies alongside Meg White’s rather basic drumming, the two musicians create an all-out, in-your-face album that refuses to be denied.

Opening the album, “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” greets us with heavy feedback and Jack White’s typical blaring chords that lead into a more casual verse. It is a poetic song of longing for his lover, as he sings about “Dead leaves and the dirty ground when I know you’re not around / shiny tops and soda pops when I hear your lips make a sound.”

With the duo’s basic approach to songwriting combined with an experimental folk sound, “Hotel Yorba” is one of the band’s most unique songs.

A song of true bliss and memories, The White Stripes perfectly captures the aura of the ease of childhood in “We’re Going to Be Friends.” Straying away again from their blues and garage rock roots, it’s an easygoing track.

You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath.”

DECEMBER 2021

Graphics by Maya Palavali

In Morning View, Incubus turns away from its nu metal roots, incorporating a more ambient sound to replace the funk aspects of previous albums.

“Nice to Know You” opens with a bass line and record-scratching that converges into silence before a heavy rock riff greets the listener’s ears. The song is about gaining perspective and leaving the once-clouded view behind. Lead singer Brandon Boyd wrote the lyrics after falling asleep on a plane to Europe.

Upon waking, he found his hand had fallen asleep. It would remain numb for almost 10 days. The moment led to an epiphany, leaving listeners with a heavy track about letting go as the second single off the album.“Morning View” presents the band’s most intimate songwriting. Channeling acoustic strengths, stripping down to strings paired with Boyd’s lustrous voice brings the creation of “Mexico.”

“You only think about yourself / You’d better bend before I go / On the first train to Mexico.”

Morning View is a rock album unique to the genre with its varying inspirations, the diversity along the different tracks creates for a distinctive listening experience that is lacking in today’s rock music.

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Graphics by Avani Munji

The revival of garage rock was singlehandedly led by The Strokes, fronted by vocalist and songwriter Julian Casablancas. The debut album of 11 tracks spanning 36 minutes of distorted vocals that feel both distant, yet completely immersive. In Is This It, these five come together to create the catalyst that pushed rock back to the top of the charts.

The title track provides a melancholy start.

What sounds like a record spinning to a halt fades into Moretti’s simple drum fill. Bouncy guitar licks accompanied by vocals follow along. While one of the slower tracks of the album, “Is This It” never feels too spacious or played out - it’s a minimalist, yet satisfying emotional tune.

Taking notes from Tom Petty’s “American Girl,” with a fuzzy rhythm guitar and Julian’s distorted crooning, “Last Nite” deals with the end of a relationship.

It is difficult to pinpoint what keeps me coming back to Is This It. While there are times when the album feels overplayed or empty, it only takes a listen of the opening track to be sucked back into the black hole of The Strokes’ gritty garage rock vacuum.

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thing / at 18 and nothing at 22?” feels painfully young. It is ironic to hear her trade prescient verses with indie pop phenom Phoebe Bridgers after Swift’s 2016 scandals, wondering “if they’ll miss me / Once they drive me out.”

Though the new production fails to convey emotion in parts, the title track, “Treacherous” and “The Last Time” turn into experiences: heady indunations of sound. It feels like Swift is into it, and the greater backing vocals in “Treacherous” Anjali Krishna impose an intoxication into the track. As Executive Editor-in-Chief “two headlights shine through the sleepless @anjalikrishna_ night / and I will get you, get you alone,” Swift zones in masterfully. What could Taylor Swift never forgets a thing. have come off excessive in an attempt Not her scarf, left in an ex’s drawer with to feel sensational, (as in “The Way I other things long passed, not the note on Loved You” and “Love Story” in her first the door with a joke she made and not a rerecording) stays muted in both tracks. new guy pulling out a chair for her on the In “The Moment I Knew,” a set of strings first date. back Swift, far more formally than in In her original Red, Swift draws on its original version. No longer in a reher ability to pincording studio, we’re point these motransformed and ments, the ones of sent into the bathcollapse or brightroom at Swift’s 21st ness, with painsbirthday party. As taking exactness. she cries, party muIt is a relationship sic meant for somein retrospect - curone much older than rent heartbreak she feels in the moon full display. ment, plays on in the Red (Taylor’s Verbackground. sion), the second “State of Grace” of her re-recordand “Holy Ground”, ed albums, is less both quintessentially precipitous; less Swiftian tracks, are heartache, more the opposite. Swift’s explanation. There voice is too loud and is no longer a nosthe backing drums talgic, achy feeling too inebriating. of confusion and Though she screams misery, and her with just the right TAYLOR SWIFT vengeful moments amount of devotion, and witty one lin“ALL TOO WELL (10 MINUTE her hopeful lyrics ers come off less (“Mosaic broken VERSION)” cutting for it. hearts / But this love is Red, listened to brave and wild”) are in order, allows a realization: each drowned out. “Holy Ground,” is slowed down, track adds up to the story told in and the rushing feeling of a new relationship, “All Too Well (10 Minute Version).” It the one she captured in the original, is lost. is sped up and from the get-go, less “Holy Ground”, a quintessentially Swifsad. For fans of Swift, it holds possibilitian track is slowed down, and the rushing ties for years of analysis. feeling of a new relationship, the one she For fans of her lyricism, it has “You captured in the original, is missing. Much kept me like a secret, but I kept you like of her anger is now spitting - replicated an oath” and “Just between us, did the resentment that doesn’t feel natural. love affair maim you too?” Gems like But on the final verse of “Sad Beautithis are sprinkled throughout as ful Tragic,” groaning background voshe decimates an ex, taking it from cals come to compete with her voice, a tone of heartbreak to one of as she forces “Would you just try to utter outrage. It is too personal listen?”, it’s like Swift is begging to be anything more than that, right in front of us. and the speculation about her In her original Red, when personal life emerging from Swift proclaimed “This is a the more definable moments golden age of something good overtakes the feeling of reminisand right and real,” we were all cence in “there we are again in rather confused. When she wrote the middle of the night / We’re her original Red, Swift was 22, dancing ‘round the kitchen in the heartbroken and growing into refrigerator light.” Even 10 years superstardom. Love, for her, later, the hurt is still there. was devastating, torrential and But the youth in Swift’s voice is all-consuming. What exactly is so lost, and so is the grit that came good and right and real in her relaalong with 2012 sound quality. Her tionships falling apart and breakpop tracks lose their charm with that, ing wide open in front of the and they don’t feel like respites to the fitworld? ting wistfulness of the album, or part of In Taylor’s Version, we the wild slew of emotions Swift was feelknow exactly what she means; we ing when she wrote the record originally, know she’s been through her heartbut rather beneath her ability. breaks and now has her fairytale The “From The Vault” tracks fill in the rest ending. As she said on Lover, “I of the story. Addictive pop tune “The Very used to think love would be burnFirst Night” tells the story of the polaroids ing red / but it’s golden.” And where from 1989 track “Out of the Woods” and she should be, and where she “Forever Winter” fills in the gaps from shouldn’t, Swift burns golden “Come Back…Be Here,” another song on Red (Taylor’s Version). on Taylor’s Version exacerbated by its strong production.

The cool millennial vibe that is lost in “22,” appears, oddly enough, in “Nothing New,” one of Swift’s best tracks to date. She’s 32 when she sings it, but “How can a person know every-

The best of 2001

ENTERTAINMENT THE SIDEKICK

Swift is golden on ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’

Rock Redux

Sruthi Lingam Staff Photographer @sruthi_lingam

Ingredients: Cookies • ¾ cup butter • ¾ cup sugar • 1 pinch of salt • ½ egg • 1 egg yolk • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour • Cornstarch for dusting • ¼ teaspoon baking powder Icing (optional) • 2 cups powdered sugar • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 2 tablespoons pasteurized egg whites

Deepti Patel

@CHSCampusNews

8.

9.

Staff Writer

@CHSCampusNews

As we enter, we are greeted with plentiful natural lighting and freshly brewed espresso. Above us hang several bamboo lanterns strung across the ceiling, and while we were seated, baristas pacing behind the bar steaming hot drinks.

We order the Veggie Ascension Omelette ($11), Veggie Sandwich with croissant ($9) and Hippie Bowl ($11).

The Veggie Ascension Omelet entraps a bundle of melted cheese and is accompanied by a side of potatoes. While the omelet is flavorful and filled with vegetables and layers of cheese, the side of potatoes is soft throughout and lacks flavor. Although the omelet is delicious, the portion size is not filling enough to qualify as a hearty brunch.

Classic delight with its origins in Scotland

Customize with icing and cookie shape

Named for its crumbly texture and high butter content

Icing (optional) 10. Whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla extract and pasteurized egg whites. Dye colors of choice and decorate cookies as desired.

11. Serve and enjoy.

The Veggie Sandwich includes vegetables, eggs and sauce sandwiched between a flaky, buttery croissant. While the croissant is delicious and the star of the show, the taste of the egg overpowers the dish and you are not able to taste any other flavors as a result.

The Hippie Bowl contains grains, roasted sweet potatoes, kale, avocado, roasted mushrooms, pickled beets and a sweet and sour red pepper miso vinaigrette. Although this strays from the classic brunch platter, each portion of this bowl is satisfying. The red pepper miso vinaigrette coated the entire bowl, causing each bite to be flavorful.

Overall, Ascension is definitely a restaurant to go to for Sunday Brunch if you love somewhat modern takes on brunch classics, and a bright contemporary cafe feel. We rate it a 8/10.

Photo by Sruthi Lingam

Who will win in a battle of Coppell’s best contemporary breakfast spots?

Wall to wall, the restaurant is filled with wood that gives the atmosphere a warm, cozy feeling.

Wide, large windows allow sunshine to spill onto our table.

We order the Eggs Benedict ($11) and the Breakfast Migas ($9.50), both of which are on the brunch menu only available on the weekends.

The Eggs Benedict is two large poached eggs on a toasted English muffin topped with Canadian bacon, cayenne citrus hollandaise and potatoes. The egg was very tasty and looked quite appetizing. The toppings of bacon and hollandaise are perfectly paired together with the egg as well. However, the English muffin was dry and diminished the taste of the eggs.

The Breakfast Migas is a satisfying meal, with its fire-roasted

salsa, feta and cilantro on top of four large eggs with fried tortilla strips. The eggs are cooked well with a nice mildly spicy flavor.

The salsa on top of the eggs is the perfect kick and balanced the flavors. Though the salsa is watery which made the overall dish soggy by the time it was eaten.

Black Walnut Cafe is a solid choice for brunch if you want a cozy atmosphere and delicious savory meals. We would rate it a 7/10.

Conclusion: Black Walnut Cafe exquisitely brought classic brunch with a kick, but at the end of the day Ascension’s contemporary twist on brunch and exciting flavors brought it home.

SCAN CODE TO WATCH VIDEO REVIEW

The Hippie Bowl

@thesidekickcoppell

DECEMBER 2021

7.

BRUNCH SHOWDOWN

Ascension

THE SIDEKICK ENTERTAINMENT

6.

Preparation: 1. Cream butter and sugar together in the bowl for around five minutes until the mixture is light and smooth.

Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to fully incorporate the sugar and butter.

2. Combine half of a beaten egg with one egg yolk. Pour egg mixture and vanilla extract into creamed butter. Incorporate the wet ingredients into the butter mixture.

3. Mix baking powder into the flour and sift into the creamed butter.

4. Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix until the dough is uniform.

5. Empty the dough onto plastic wrap and press it into a flat shape for storage. Wrap

and refrigerate for three hours or until firm.

Dust workspace with cornstarch or flour to prevent the dough from sticking.

Press dough with a rolling pin and roll out dough to quarter-inch thickness.

Cut out desired shapes and place on a baking sheet.

Continue rolling and cutting out shapes until the dough is used up.

Bake cookies at 350º F for 12 minutes.

Breakfast Migas

White Chocolate Mocha The Sidekick staff members Aliza Abidi, Deepti Patil and Sruthi Lingam review the food and environment at local brunch spots. Aliza Abidi

Black Walnut Cafe

Sidekick Online

Shortbread cookies to melt in your mouth

Minnie Gazawada Staff Writer

@mridinigazawada

Previous years the Holiday Tree Lighting took place at town center, now it is featured at Andrew Brown Park East with a 65-foot tree.

“This is kind of a new form with [Andrew] Brown Park [East]; it’s a gorgeous setting and we’ve got thousands of people here. I couldn’t be happier,” Coppell Mayor Wes Mays said.

The City of Coppell hosted its annual Lighted Parade on Samuel Boulevard and Tree Lighting Ceremony at Andrew Brown Park East on Dec. 4. after the event was cancelled the previous year due to COVID-19.

“We were very sorry to cancel the event last year, but we did it for the health and safety of our citizens,” Mays said. “I’m excited to see everybody out and enjoying themselves this year.”

The Lighted Parade brought decorated floats from local groups and businesses such as Girl Scouts, Coppell Fire Department, Mobility Credit Union. The parade included the Coppell Police Department dressed as Buddy from Elf, as they wished children through the parade. The three “Best Decorated” floats chosen Saturday were third place for Coppell Girls’ Softball, second with SteadFast Fitness and Per-

formance and first place was given to Mustang Marimba. Coppell High School Band led the parade with a marching beat through the event with Lariettes following “[The parade] was really fun. I haven’t done a Christmas parade since freshman year, so it was exciting to put the uniform back on,” senior Lariettes lieutenant Chloe Landefeld said.

After the parade concluded the Holiday Tree Lighting around 7 p.m. with the 65-foot tree and a countdown from Mays. The tree lighting was May’s first as mayor.

“It’s going to be our future. And I expect this to get bigger and bigger every year,” Mays said.

Andrew Brown East was filled with festive events for the Coppell community; holiday cartoons, such as “Shrek the Halls,” train rides, photos with Santa and magic shows.

Dow Sanders was hired to do two magic shows at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. to entertain children. The show engaged the audience as he called out a young girl to make a snowman.

“I handed the box and I showed her that inside the box was snow and I got her to say, I wish for a snowman,” Sanders said. “We kept doing it over and over and got everybody [a] chance. A snowman appeared in a different box and they were screaming and jumping up and down”.

Miss Teen Coppell and Miss Coppell ride atop a Chevy during the Holiday Parade on Parkway Boulevard on Dec. 4. The Holiday Parade started at 6 p.m. and was followed by the Tree Lighting festival and movies in Andy Brown Park East. Olivia Cooper

www.coppellstudentmedia.com

DECEMBER 2021

A Coppell Holiday Parade float wishes happy holidays to watchers during the Holiday Parade on Parkway Boulevard on Dec. 4. The Holiday Parade started at 6 p.m. and was followed by the Tree Lighting festival and movies in Andy Brown Park East. Olivia Cooper

YouTube: Coppell Student Media

Coppell Tree Lighting festival attendee sends a letter to Santa at the Tree Lighting festival at Andy Brown Park East on Dec. 4. The Coppell Holiday Parade started at 6 p.m. and was followed by the Tree Lighting festival and movies in the park. Olivia Cooper

CHS9 Silver Star Sydney Beach plays with her cousin Kolton Cooley at the Tree Lighting at Andy Brown Park East on Dec. 4. The Holiday Parade started at 6 p.m. and was followed by the Tree Lighting festival and movies in Andy Brown Park East. Olivia Cooper

ENTERTAINMENT THE SIDEKICK

Holiday parade, tree-lighting sparking hearts with joy

THE SIDEKICK SPORTS

DeWitt resigns as Coppell football coach

Coppell coach Mike DeWitt addresses his team after a 28-13 loss to Highland Park on Sept. 10 at Buddy Echols Field. DeWitt announced on Dec. 13 that he’ll resign from his position as boys athletic coordinator and head football coach at the end of the school year. Meer Mahfuz

Meer Mahfuz Staff Writer

D

ec. 13 marked the end of a football era at Coppell.

Coppell head football coach Mike DeWitt announced that he is resigning at the conclusion of the school year. DeWitt, who is also Coppell High School boys athletic coordinator, intends to finish his contract with Coppell ISD, which ends in June.

“I know I’m not going to coach here next year and so I think the best thing to do is to announce it now and for the sake of everyone so we can move forward,” DeWitt said. “I have an office full of coaches [and] obviously that decision affects them. The kids in the program, obviously that affects them. I want to make sure

years at Coppell.

Prior to his time at Coppell, DeWitt also served as an assistant at Frisco Liberty and Hebron.

According to DeWitt, his career, family and personal best interests all played a part in his decision to resign.

“I still want to coach and I want to find a place where I can put down the roots for my young family,” DeWitt said. “I’m looking forward to the next opportunity.”

Players reacted to DeWitt’s announcement with gratitude and best wishes for DeWitt’s future success.

“I just want to say thank you. I think he did a lot for me as a man; he did a lot for me in just teaching me everything I’ve learned [here],” Coppell junior kicker Nicolas Radicic said. “He also built some relationships for me through some college coaches and I just want to say thank you for that and

DECEMBER 2021

good luck to him in the future.”

Aside from DeWitt’s defensive mind, DeWitt’s message was to grow the players as men off the field.

“I’d like to say thank you to coach DeWitt; he’s taught me lots of lessons,” Coppell junior running back Michael Rodriguez said. “He’s definitely made me a way better man and he taught me a bunch of life lessons that I’ll probably carry on for the rest of my life.”

Coppell safeties coach Karl Pointer, who came to Coppell with DeWitt in 2009 and has worked with DeWitt for 13 years, expressed shock and gratitude after DeWitt’s announcement.

“Coming into Coppell, I had the opportunity to work with different defenses and I had a great opportunity to learn his version of the 3-4 [defense], the way we did it and to learn his thought process,

how he called defenses and how he prepared,” Pointer said. “He does a great job, he’s very thorough and meticulous in his thought process.

[He] just helped me grow as a coach and I appreciate the time and the things that he shared and the knowledge he gave.”

As his tenure at Coppell comes to an end, DeWitt echoes messages of gratitude.

[My time here has] been great,” DeWitt said. “I’ve enjoyed my time here. It’s great people here. The kids have been great. I’ve enjoyed my time and had a lot of great experiences. I’m grateful for my coaches.

Every year, we’ve got a great group of men that pour into kids and they’re in coaching for the right reasons. I’m really grateful for all their hard work and efforts. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be at Coppell.”

dren’s Health Stadium, that can rival it. Still, CHS Field House’s 120-yard indoor turf facility with an elite weight room has led the way in elite indoor facilities. Similarly, CHS Arena provides an elite venue for volleyball and basketball competition. However, CISD Baseball/Softball Complex, although currently receiving renovations, is located across the city and there is no aquatics center dedicated to the Coppell athletics programs.

“If you go facility for facility, we are on-par with any school,” Coppell ISD Athletic Director Kit Pehl said. “If you look at each school specifically and if you compared weight rooms, indoor [facilities], stadiums, arenas or main gyms in some cases, they would all land in different places but, in terms of generally speaking from a facilities perspective and weight rooms and competition facilities, we are top-notch.”

There are two main factors that go into any type of field construction/renovation: money and space.

Those aforementioned conditions have directly impacted the school’s ability to build facilities on campus.

But, there’s also more to it than just what we want.

There are a couple of solutions in my mind. The first of which is, when the turf at Buddy Echols Field or CHS Fieldhouse is replaced, you can take the old turf and line the grass field with it so that you’d have three turf fields for many teams to practice on.

“It would be perfect [to have a designated soccer field] because we wouldn’t have to worry about anyone else sharing time on the field,” Coppell senior midfielder Walker Stone said. “If we’d have our own facility then it’d be one less thing to worry about; we could just get after

training. We’ve had to work through [sharing fields with other teams] because, obviously, we want as much time as possible on the field but having to share is a bit of a struggle sometimes. We don’t have enough time or space to practice sometimes and it gets you less enthusiastic about coming to the period.”

There is, however, an issue with that idea. According to Pehl, we want to have that grass field, even though it gets used a lot less than turf because it provides us with flexibility.

For argument’s sake, let’s say that any turf sport has to play a game on a grass field. Then you need a grass field to prepare for the game and having both a turf field and a grass field for this scenario would be beneficial in the event of this occurrence.

In terms of space, the biggest impact has been on the baseball fields behind CHS Fieldhouse. According to Pehl, the parking lot behind Buddy Echols Field severely limits the ability for CISD to have an elite baseball/ softball complex on campus. As is, the current baseball field wouldn’t even have capacity for 500 people.

Maybe it isn’t a pressing matter for now but, with the continued growth of the CISD, there will certainly be more athletes and potentially more teams/sports in the future. Given the space held by CISD, it’s only in my natural inclination to say that all sports deserve their own facility.

A soccer specific stadium, a natatorium, a track and field stadium and renovations to the current facilities would be where I would start.

Give all athletes what they need

@thesidekickcoppell

@CHSCampusNews

Sidekick Online

@mahfuz_meer

Coppell has ample time to find my replacement and it gives me the opportunity to look for jobs and not feel like I’m trying to hide something.”

DeWitt, who previously served as the defensive coordinator for former Coppell coach Joe McBride, has been the Cowboys’ head coach since 2014.

In eight seasons, DeWitt compiled a 54-35 record. DeWitt led the Cowboys to back-to-back double-digit win seasons in 2016 and 17. Coppell made the playoffs in 2020, but finished this season with a 4-6 record (3-4 in District 6-6A) and missed the playoffs.

According to Texas Redzone Report, DeWitt is the winningest head coach in Coppell football history.

McBride accumulated a record of 50-10 in his five years at Coppell.

Former Coppell coach Mike Fuller, who was at Coppell from 2000-2006, earned a record of 49-30 in seven

Many Coppell sports are required to share practice space with each other on a regular basis, which leads to frustration among athletes. The Sidekick staff writer Meer Mahfuz thinks each sport should have their own facility for practice and competition. Nandini Muresh and Ayane Kobayashi

Meer Mahfuz Staff Writer

@mahfuz_meer

B

right floodlights, turf fields and precisely engineered buildings and stands. All elements contribute to the aura of sports. Obviously, football gets field priority and the glamour of the Friday Night Lights atmosphere, but what about us?

What about the soccer players who do not even get a field to themselves? What about baseball players who have to make do with 30 yards of fieldhouse space and have to travel across the city to host a game?

What about swimming, who has to go to Coppell Family YMCA for practices and can rarely host meets? Ten-

nis, who doesn’t have adequate facilities to house its participants and shower space for students returning to class? There are so many talented athletes but yet many of them have to scrap for training space.

Take a look at some of the best athletics facilities in Dallas-Fort Worth - maybe even in the state and you see the complexes of Prosper, Allen and Southlake Carroll ISDs with plenty of practice facilities that multiple sports can share.

Southlake Carroll has its Dragon Stadium a couple of miles from its high school. On-campus, there are several outdoor practice fields, baseball and softball fields, a tennis complex, an aquatics center and track/practice field.

Allen has one of the best public

school athletic complexes in the nation and certainly does have one of the best football stadiums. If you look at Allen’s campus on Google Earth, you’ll see that it has Eagle Stadium built for football, Allen High School Track and Field Stadium, Allen High School Tennis Courts, Allen High School Baseball Complex, Allen High Softball Field, a 27, 890-squarefoot auxiliary competition gymnasium and several other fields scattered throughout the campus.

This is not to say that Coppell isn’t blessed by any means. In fact, Coppell has led the way in sports facilities for many years and still is highly competitive in terms of facilities.

While Buddy Echols Field is extremely nice, there have been other stadiums, such as Eagle Stadium and Chil-

Coppell senior shooting guard Eric Lampkin cheers on Naz Brown against Woodrow Wilson at CHS Arena on Nov. 30. Lampkin’s eloquence has been praised by coaches and players alike as an uplifting force for the Coppell boys basketball team. Olivia Cooper

Staff Writer

@sriachanta_

When Coppell senior Eric Lampkin made his first shot at basketball in seventh grade, he failed to make a team. However, he currently plays on the boys basketball team at CHS. Though his basketball skills did improve over the years, aiding his way to varsity, his achievement can be largely credited to his undeterred personality.

Lampkin’s positive views and charisma can be seen wherever he goes. He started preaching at his church, Faith4Life, using his voice to help guide others. At school, he uses uplift-

ing thoughts to help lighten the mood, and on the court, his inspiring words help bring his team together.

Lampkin’s love for basketball started at a young age, but not as his primary sport. He played baseball more frequently, but gained interest in basketball through his mother, Tieja Lampkin, a former basketball player at Benedictine High School in Detroit. Eric pursued basketball over the years and was able to make the C team in his eighth grade year at Coppell Middle School North. This wasn’t where he wanted to be, though. He continued working, and only during the basketball season was he bumped up to the B team, and later A. In his ninth grade year, Eric played on the freshman B team. He then played on JV2

and JV in his sophomore and junior years respectively. Although Eric pushed through the years, he did feel at times that his hard work had not paid off.

Nonetheles, Eric used what he learned from JV to better himself and his attitude. The relationships he built with his team helped him become a better player and sport.

“JV was a pivotal point in my basketball career just because I had [former Coppell coach Landon Goesling] who made me understand how much confidence means in basketball,” Eric said. “[He] made me understand that you may not be the best [player], but if your confidence is up, you play [better].” Now on varsity, Eric continues to shine through his personality and skills. Not only does he better himself through his determination, he also betters the overall morale of the team.

“Throughout my three years on varsity, Eric’s been the first guy I’ve seen that brings this type of energy to our team,” Coppell senior guard Devank Rane said. “He’s that guy who’s always cheering for his teammates, always wanting other guys to be cheering, and he’s always looking out for people on the court, even if he’s not on it.”

Coppell coach Clint Schnell describes Eric in a similar way, notably his “Eric Energy.”

“I’ve known Eric now for four years and he’s always been very passionate,” Schnell said. “He’s the type of kid who walks around the room, and the room lights up.

He’s the kid who’ll dive on the floor for a loose ball, or run back harder than everybody else, he’s just a ball of energy when he plays.”

Eric models an optimistic attitude as much as he can, furthering his team and himself. He focuses on the positive, and constantly works towards making himself the best he can be.

“Things are not going to happen when you want them to, but when they do happen, it’s going to be bigger and greater than what you expected,” Eric said. “People always say that hard work pays off, which it does, but intentionally working hard is what’s going to pay off [more]. Realize that it’s OK to set your bar high, as high as you want to, because at the end of the day, if you set that bar high, it’s going to make you achieve higher than what you expected to achieve.”

Recap of The Battle

Meer Mahfuz Staff Writer

@mahfuz_meer

Altering a school day and selling out a facility for a game is not an ordinary occurrence for any Coppell athletics team, but this wasn’t just another ordinary game for the Coppell basketball team.

Its nationally-televised clash against Vertical Academy at CHS Arena headlined The Battle Basketball Showcase and provided quite the viewing spectacle for the neutral fan.

“I was just excited because I’ve never played on national TV; it was a dream [for me] and I thought that day would never come to be honest,” Coppell senior wing Ryan Agarwal said.

“Throughout the game, we never gave up: it was always, ‘we have to come back, we have to win’. Obviously, some injuries slowed us down but some guys stepped in off the bench. The whole mentality was to compete and never give up and that’s what we did.”

Despite battling through scoring runs by Vertical Academy and losing three starters to injuries late in the game, Coppell came up just short, losing to Vertical Academy, 73-65, on Friday.

“I was proud of our effort; when you have a game like [yesterday’s] in front of the TV [audience], huge crowd and it’s the first game of the year that is a big environment and a lot of fun to play in, the guy’s responded,” Coppell coach Clint Schnell said. “I’m sure there were a few nerves in there but I didn’t feel like we played with that, we came out, executed the game plan and put up quite a fight against a really good team.”

YouTube: Coppell Student Media

Sri Achanta

• Lampkin has five siblings • He sings and preaches at his church, Faith4Life • In Lampkin’s eighth grade year, his CMS North team won back to back district champions • He has met R.J. Hampton of the Orlando Magic and Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers

SPORTS THE SIDEKICK

When personality paves the way

FUN FACTS

COACH’S BOX

Shaw teaching athletes to have no limits Staff Writer

@nathan11110

After coaching college basketball at Stephen F. Austin for five years, Coppell assistant Nicholas Shaw began coaching basketball at Arlington Bowie. He came to Coppell in 2015, where he also began teaching ninth grade geography. He obtained his alternative teaching certification from Midland Junior College in social studies and started teaching geography at CHS9 as well.

Shaw strives to form good relationships with his students and teach them they can always do more than they think they can.

What does coaching mean to you?

As coaches, we want [our athletes] to be successful in the sport but at the same time, we want to prepare our kids to be adults and young men and learn lessons in basketball that they can use in everyday life as far as attitude and accountability and work ethic and all those things

that our guys can use in the future. Seeing our kids being successful is definitely something that drives me and makes me want to do this.

Why did you choose to also become a teacher?

I enjoy being around kids and helping them to be successful. I like teaching them, not just about geography, but also about life in general.

What is the most important thing you have learned as a teacher?

If we can build genuine relationships with our learners and our athletes, we can just ask them and they will push themselves more whether it’s in the classroom or on the court. Building those relationships [is] so important to accomplishing goals and having the ability to have that dialogue with people about what exactly they want to accomplish.

anything, it’s that they can do more than they think they can. Sometimes we put limitations on ourselves because people have told us we can’t do this or we tell ourselves we can’t do this, but we can do more.

We can achieve more when we really put our minds to it and we can accomplish those things if we have the dreams.

www.coppellstudentmedia.com

Nathan Cheng

Coppell senior guard Parker Clark is fouled by vertical Academy junior forward Tim Hall Jr. as he goes for a layup on Friday at CHS Arena. The Cowboys fell to Vertical Academy, 73-65. Torie Peck

What do you hope your students will take away from your teaching and coaching?

If I would want my kids to leave with

DECEMBER 2021

Coppell assistant Nicholas Shaw coaches a defense tactic to the Coppell boy basketball team during practice on Tuesday. Shaw coaches the boys basketbal team and teaches ninth grade geography. Shreya Ravi

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From Cowgirl to Tiger Alumna roars her way back onto field for championship success Photo courtesy Anton Noble

MAYA OZYMY She’s a PSYCHOLOGY MAJOR Favorite show: GREY’S ANATOMY Favorite fast food: CHIPOTLE

Favorite pastime: WATCHING

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MOVIES WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS

Pacheco named first COO of state’s coaches association Torie Peck Sports Editor @torielpeck

Coppell volleyball coach and girls athletics coordinator Libby Pacheco is leaving the program at the end of the semester to become chief operating officer of the Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA) and Education Foundation.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity [for Pacheco],” Pehl said. “They recognized the same greatness we did when we hired her; we would love to have had her a little longer, but her greatness is something they recognized.

She’s going to be the first female in the organization in its 92-year history.”

Pacheco was contacted by THSCA/THSCEF executive director Joe Martin following Coppell volleyball’s final match of the season.

“Coaching is kind of a small circle, and a pretty tight fraternity so [Martin and I have] run into each other in the past and he’s followed my career through coaching and administration,” Pacheco said. “He felt that I would be a good fit for the association and contacted me about the position. I quickly accepted the job once I knew the impact that I could have on the entire state.”

Pacheco will be the association’s first COO.

“Part of this association includes an Education Foundation,” Pacheco said. “That part of the organization is in charge, specifically of the educational pieces, and the character development of coaches. There’s a mentor program that pairs veteran coaches with rookie coaches. I will also be in charge of other initiatives to help grow the profession.”

With this being a full-time position, Pacheco will be resigning her position as head volleyball coach and girls athletic coordinator effective Dec. 17, having only held these positions for a singular season. Pacheco will assume her new role on Jan. 1.

With Pacheco leaving, the Cowgirls will have had three different head coaches within the past three years.

“We were all taken by surprise, we did not think we would get three new coaches in three years,” Coppell junior outside hitter Skye Lamendola said. “Most of us play club so we transition to a new coach every year anyway, so getting a new coach isn’t something that’s super out of the ordinary. But, I think we would definitely have a stronger bond if she had stayed and we would have adjusted as needed with Pacheco.”

According to Lamendola, Coppell assistant Haley Tippett will

Shrayes Gunna Staff Writer

@shrayesgunna

Eight weeks without playing the sport she loved—eight treacherous weeks—were not enough to deter Coppell High School alumna Maya Ozymy from getting back onto the soccer field with the same aptitude and drive she displayed in her past.

The same aptitude and drive that propelled her team to victory in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) with the score of 5-0 against Southwestern on Nov. 7.

Since playing soccer at CHS, Ozymy furthered her soccer career and educational career at Trinity University, where she’s a freshman majoring in psychology. In starting her first season with the Tigers, Ozymy injured her ankle before heading into conference play, to which she expected to be sitting on the sidelines for the rest of the season.

Ozymy suffered a high grade ankle sprain, going down immediately.

As she was dribbling the ball and changing directions, her defender, who was late to the tackle, stepped on the inside of her foot, causing her ankle to pop.

According to Ozymy, after about eight weeks of letting herself heal and get back on her feet, she thought that she wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to play let alone in a championship game due to how far the team was into the season.

“I had the mindset of wanting to get back as soon as possible without moving too fast and injuring myself be stepping up in the absence of a head coach.

“It’ll be easier having someone familiar with us just so we have something that’s like a foundation,” Lamendola said. “We’ll have something that we’re familiar with. having just come from Price to Pacheco, we’re kind of used to that.”

Accepting this new position was not an easy decision for Pacheco.

“One of my overall professional goals has always been to mentor coaches and build the profession,” Pacheco said. “While this is still in the realm of education and coaching, it still meant that I was going to have to resign my position at Coppell. That was a big consideration for me as well, especially since I felt like I had just begun my career [here].”

“The one thing we told the girls is that our assistant coaches are absolutely committed to being here and

Photo courtesy Blair Ashcraft

again,” Ozymy said. “It definitely put soccer into perspective for me, and I appreciated the time I got to play a lot more, even every single practice and every single lift.”

However, Maya’s injury nor time off from the sport thwarted her passion and drive for soccer, and she was back on the field just in time for the SCAC Championship game against Southwestern.

As a team, the energy among the Tigers was driven by the excitement and stakes of the match, according to Ozymy. Due to a loss previously in the season against Southwestern, Trinity was looking for redemption.

“It was a big game for everyone,” Ozymi said. “ I had just come off an injury from all of regular season so I was just excited to step on the field.”

The game marked a major victory for Trinity, being its 12th SCAC title in the past 13 seasons, as well as a momentous personal victory for Ozymi: she had overcome all that she had befallen to. “[Ozymy] has such a hard drive and pushes herself a lot,” said CHS senior Sadie Ozymy, Maya’s sister. “Whenever she got her injury, I knew she would be back because she pushes herself and knows what she wants to play.”

However, Maya’s list of successes and accomplishments do not begin at her time as a Tiger, but instead she has cultivated quite the reputation and impact on the CHS soccer team. Maya happily reflects on her memories at Coppell, going to the fourth round of playoffs and playing Southlake Carroll in preseason play of her senior year as

some of her most fond experiences and accomplishments.

According to Sadie, the Southlake Carroll preseason match was one of the few times that she was able to play alongside her sister while she was a senior in high school. Both Maya and Sadie scored goals adding to the decisive 7-2 victory, making the match a bonding and exciting experience.

Notwithstanding, it is clear that for Maya, and her team, that her most grand and influential accomplishment was being named captain both her junior and senior years.

As a captain, Maya always sought to put her best foot forward for the team by encouraging it and leading by example.

“She told us to keep going and keep trying hard no matter what the score or what was happening on the field,” said CHS senior Bailey Peek, Maya’s former teammate. “[Maya] was always positive but also held [us] accountable; she was both talk and action.”

These leadership qualities are lessons that she now carries forward into her college career, even without the title of captain attached to her name.

“CHS taught me a lot about leadership and being a leader without being an upperclassman or a captain,” Maya said. “That’s helped me in college a lot, teaching me to be the best teammate possible regardless of the situation.”

Maya’s imprint on CHS and Trinity is already well-established and highly revered not only because of several individual and team awards, but because of her leadership qualities and persistent, positive mindset that she maintains no matter the situation.

making the transition to the new head coach, that way it’s consistent depending on how long it is until we get our new head volleyball coach in here,” Pehl said. “Even if that time is a little longer than we’d like, knowing that we have committed assistant coaches that were their coaches this year, and will be again next year, that’s a big deal for those girls.”

Coppell volleyball coach and girls athletic coordinator Libby Pacheco was named chief operating officer of the Texas High School Coaches Association and Coaches Education Foundation. Pacheco’s last day in Coppell ISD will be Dec. 17 before assuming her new position on Jan. 1. Trisha Atluri

DECEMBER 2021

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Freshman bringing new game, familiar name to varsity squad Sreeja Mudumby

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LANDRY’S FAVORITES YouTube: Coppell Student Media

PASTA She doesn’t have a specific kind she prefers, though.

HYPE MUSIC It’s her favorite kind of music to work out to.

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QUOTE “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.”

— Michael Jordan

VACATION DESTINATIONs

Landry’s favorite vacation spots are Peru because of its unique environment that differs from her everyday life and Colorado because she likes to ski and thinks it is a beautiful place.

CHS9 freshman guard Landry Sherrer shoots a free throw against Richardson Pearce at Coppell High School Arena on Nov. 26. Sherrer is on the varsity as a freshman and has a twin sister, Mallory Sherrer who plays on the junior varsity team. Shrayes Gunna

DECEMBER 2021

She used to toss the ball, smiling at her sister to shoot.

She now tosses the ball to her teammates, with her sisters cheering her on.

She used to practice with her dad on her driveway.

She now plays with the varsity basketball team at CHS Arena.

CHS9 freshman guard Landry Sherrer has been playing basketball since seventh grade at Coppell Middle School East, but is now a varsity player on the Coppell girls basketball team. “[Being on varsity] is a really great opportunity for me to grow as a player,” Sherrer said.

“It’s been a lot of fun. As a freshman there isn’t a ton of pressure. It’s just for me to go out there and try my hardest and just learn from it, because I have three more years left to grow and develop as a player.”

But the name Sherrer appears not once, but on two backs of jerseys on the Coppell basketball, as Sherrer has a twin, CHS9 freshman point guard Mallory Sherrer. Mallory plays on the JV team whereas Landry is on varsity.

“I mean, it’s definitely more her,” Mallory said. “[Landry] works really hard, so I’m really happy for her. We’re both good at different things.”

Landry has been a key player since she joined her first basketball team. At CMS East, Landry showed her true potential as a player.

According to Landry, beating the record for most points scored in one game at 30 points was her biggest accomplishment.

“She’s competitive,” Coppell girls basketball coach Ryan Murphy said. “That’s probably her number one [quality]. She’s really competitive which allows her to not be scared of the older kids. She’s a good ball handler, she’s a good shooter. Her defense for the game is constantly improving [and] she’s got a good feel for the game.”

Landry and Mallory both follow the footsteps of CHS 2021 graduate and Oklahoma State University freshman Emma Sherrer, who was also on the basketball team during her time in high school.

“It’ll be really good for [my sisters] to experience being on the team and being part of the team atmosphere,” Emma said. “It’s really cool that they’re going to get to be friends with some of the people that I got to be friends with and get to know really well because honestly, a team is really what brings you together.”

Landry’s dedication to basketball comes from Emma, when they played together as children, and again, watching her perform on the court.

“When I first watched her, I knew that was something I wanted to do,” Landry said. “She just has such a passion for the game and you could tell by the way she played that she just gave it her all, and I wanted to do just that.”

Emma thinks Landry’s path doesn’t just mirror hers, but goes beyond it.

“I’m really proud of her,” Emma said. “She’s worked really hard [and] put in more effort than I did. [She’s] always out shooting [in the] driveway and putting up shots. I’m really glad that she made varsity.”

Both Mallory and Landry are competitive with each other, which served as an advantage to both twins.

“I love playing basketball with my sister,” Landry said. “We’ve always been super competitive. I love that about it and just playing with her. It’s a really cool experience because not a lot of people get to do that.”

No matter the challenge, Landry continues to try her hardest and play her best. “[Landry] has had to learn a different role,” Murphy said. “In middle school, she had the ball in her hands the whole game and she got every shot and she was able to do whatever she wanted. Now she’s got to play within the system because she’s our fourth or fifth option out there on the court.”

Landry continues to persevere and grow as a player despite any obstacles that come her way.

“There’s going to be ups and downs,” Landry said. “It’s not always going to be easy.

But if this is something that you’re really passionate about and you care about, continue to go at it and don’t give up even though it’s going to get hard.”

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