Volume 35 Issue 3

Volume 35 | Issue 3 | December 2023

THINKING FORWARD Students building their own brands P. 12-13

News

Opinions

Student Life

Entertainment

Sports

Surging and subsiding

Period of change

Playing his cards right

Mercado films

Lapsiwala aiming high

Increasing home prices reducing district enrollment

Senate Bill 379 bleeds deeper than politics

Dasari takes gavel to law firm as aspiring attorney

Looking behind the filmmaker and screenwriter

Shooting for success on the hardwood

P. 2

P. 8

P. 10

P. 16

P. 22

2

news n ews

@thesidekickcoppell

letter from the editor

Everything is intentional Sri Achanta

Executive Editor-in-Chief @sriachanta_

In IB English, we are learning how to write our Paper 2 essays. The premise is to ensure that we, as readers, understand how to properly analyze the content in our books.

But this analysis part always seems particularly challenging for me.

When writing The Great Gatsby, did F. Scott Fitzgerald intentionally describe the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg on a billboard overlooking the Valley of Ashes in order to represent God judging American society as a moral wasteland? Was this really what he wanted us to get out of his nuanced description or did we as a society overanalyze his words?

It took me a Reddit thread about Gatsby and a digital camera to finally figure it out: everything has a deeper meaning, and analyzing text has been our English teacher’s way of trying to get us to understand.

In November, I filmed a friend’s birthday with my digital camera. Trying to emulate the 73 questions that Vogue asks celebrities with a hint of “The Office,” I walked around the dinner table interviewing each one of my friends as they mingled, yelling at each other over the background music by Men I Trust and Steve Lacy.

Rewatching the videos, I realize every second of the film is intentional. I zoom into the birthday girl as she tosses her head back after we joke about her failed attempt at acting conceited.

This framing draws attention to the subtle twinkle in her eyes and her wide smile. Zooming into this moment was my way of forever capturing the warmth of this heartfelt moment.

I could have recorded the video on my iPhone with a quality that is better by tenfold, but I chose to record on my camera, hoping to evoke a sense of affection.

Even this mere choice has its own layer of meaning.

I’m oddly selective with the events I take my camera to, usually ones that I want to forever remember like last year’s Sidekick banquet, my DECA trips or even road trips I take with my family.

So what may seem like a fun recording of a birthday party actually holds a significance that’s more than what meets the eye.

And if there is this much meaning just behind a memory captured by my camera, an author must put endless amounts of thought into the words that flow to form their story. As fun as it is to joke about how an English teacher will never stop harping on about the green light in Gatsby, these specific details do warrant an analysis.

The Sidekick editor-in-chief Sri Achanta respects the importance of analysis after filming events on her camera. Achanta appreciates the examination of stories in her IB English class. Sameeha Syed

December

2023

@CHSCampusNews

Sidekick Online

coppellstudentmedia.com

Priced out playground

Rising home prices strains youth enrollment Manasa Borra Staff Writer @CHSCampusNews

Recess isn’t quite what it used to be with fewer kids than ever racing down slides and climbing over monkey bars.

As cafeteria tables become increasingly empty, the vacant seats pose one question: where did the kids go?

Coppell ISD is experiencing an overall drop in elementary school enrollment.

The number of kindergarteners, first graders and second graders enrolled in CISD public elementary schools has declined since 2018.

Zonda, a company specializing in providing data and market analysis for the housing industry, gathered specific data from Coppell that can shed light on this trend.

This year, according to Zonda, there is a 351-student difference between the kindergarten and senior classes. Over the next decade, as these kindergarteners grow into seniors, there will be smaller enrollment numbers throughout the entire primary education schooling system from K-12. Zonda projects kindergarten enrollment to decrease anywhere from 3-7% every year, as it has in the past few years.

“Ten years ago, we had an equal distribution of all ages of kids moving into and out of the district,” said Bob Templeton, vice president of the school district segment for Zonda. “Now there’s a large bubble of students exiting the district and a smaller bubble coming in.”

According to Templeton, one of the possible causes of this low elementary enrollment is the desire for alternative education in Coppell. According to Zonda, despite the 2017 birth rate in Coppell being the highest in over 10 years, only 64.3% of these kids chose to attend kindergarten in the city’s public schools this year. This is a record low for Coppell. Instead, Templeton says hundreds of parents opt for charter schools, private schools, homeschooling or transfer to different districts.

Even just four years back, 79.7% of students born in Coppell continued on to public schools. There is more than a 100-student gap in enrolled students between those four years.

Undeniably, alternative education contributes to the declining enrollment of young children, but more than anything else - it’s about real estate.

The average price of a new home in Coppell last year was $725,497, a price far exceeding the city’s previous housing costs. Over the past decade, there has been a withstanding upward trend in Coppell housing prices, but at an over $140,000 increase in average home cost from 2021 to 2022, there are concerns regarding the rapidly increasing house prices.

It boils down to the fact that Coppell isn’t just losing kids; it’s losing space.

“Coppell is built out,” Mayor Pro Tem John Jun said. “We don’t have any more room.”

A city with over 140 years of history, Coppell can no longer grow. The town is developed with buildings, businesses and housing with almost every rare parcel of empty land having plans for future development.

With little space left for new housing, families with young kids desiring to move to Coppell must buy a spot from a previous resident looking to sell their home. But these types of residents are becoming hard to find.

Although Coppell is known for its education, empty nesters seem to keep their love for the city long after their

Coppell’s Red Hawk neighborhood offers the opportunity to create custom homes. As a result of the high housing rates, less young families are moving to Coppell and enrollment in Coppell ISD schools has dropped. Maddy Park kids graduate.

“Coppell is a desirable area to live in,” Jun said. “I came to Coppell 24 years ago. From when I first drove in, I fell in love with the atmosphere, and I stayed because of the kids and I stayed because of the family-oriented community we have. The city will continue to provide a high quality of life as much as possible, and that means many residents will want to stay even after their kids are out of the house.”

With no space left for new houses and a declining supply of existing homes, the only opportunities newcomers have for a spot in Coppell are the housing developments currently being built. With excess demand for the city and so little supply of homes and land, these new communities have exorbitant housing prices.

Blackberry Farm, a gated community under construction, features custom homes ranging from $1.5 million to more than $2.5 million. Not lagging far behind, the new Red Hawk garden home community has house listings from $1.2 million to more than $2 million.

These listings are far from affordable prices for the average young family. It hinders a lot of newcomers who want to raise families in the Coppell community.

With the lack of new families and new kids entering the city, it’s inevitable that Coppell will continue to lose enrollment in public elementary schools.

The biggest problem this creates for CISD is funding.

“Adjusting for inflation and the increased costs of everything related to operating our schools would require an increase of $1,000 per student,” CISD trustee Nicole Bentley said. “That is how

insufficient per student funding under the current formula is.”

According to Bentley, the state’s educational funding is tied to the number of students attending school each day.

So, as kindergarten classes continue to dwindle, Coppell is sure to build a larger deficit per student.

Despite the predicament, Texas is doing little to support CISD. Last year, Texas had a budget surplus of more than $27 billion, a record-breaking high. But there have yet to be any bills passed to allocate a portion of the surplus towards education. This means that CISD has received zero additional dollars of funding from the extra $27 billion Texas had last year.

“The problem becomes how you handle and take care of the students that you have, knowing that enrollment is going to decline for the next five years at least,” Templeton said.

Past CISD budgets have already shown millions of dollars in deficits. If budgets take even further cuts, Coppell will have to take action, yet there only seems to be two possible solutions.

The Board of Trustees may be forced to propose increasing taxes, shifting the burden of education funding onto residents. Otherwise, they would have to decrease spending. This could mean redrawing boundaries, re-evaluating operation costs, cutting staff and shutting down schools.

For now, the district will pull from its financial reserves if it encounters a budget deficit according to a Board of Trustee decision, but there have yet to be long-term plans in place to keep funding stable.

news 3

The Sidekick @thesidekickcoppell

Sidekick Online

@CHSCampusNews

coppellstudentmedia.com

Make a Child Smile gives back to deserving children Sukirtha Muthiah Business Manager @suki_muthiah

From Nov. 1 through Dec. 14, the halls of Coppell City Hall are lined with black trash bags filled with gifts.

Every inch of the building is covered, signaling the arrival of an annual project.

Since 1990, the City of Coppell has been helping families in need through the Make a Child Smile (MACS) holiday program. Organized and coordinated by the city’s chief of staff, Christel Pettinos, this program encourages community members to donate gifts such as toys and clothing to deserving children in Coppell ISD. According to Coppell Middle School North counselor Kinsey McConnell, counselors and nurses start by identifying kids enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program. Then, as more children are deemed eligible, families are notified and can choose to participate in the program. As long as the counselors and nurses are aware of a family that may benefit from the program, the information is relayed.

“Any need that can be met, whether it is in a big or small way, is something we want to do for our CISD families,” McConnell said.

According to Pettinos, in order to be eligible, children must be enrolled in Coppell ISD or have a connection to a student in the district. For example, an infant with an older sibling who attends a CISD school is eligible to receive gifts.

The only information that Pettinos receives about the children is their age, gender, and household, or family.

If families miss the deadline to register for the program, they are then redirected to Metrocrest Services, and can receive benefits from its program.

Once information is collected regarding

the children, their age and gift of choice is then displayed on the MACS website, where community members can choose to sponsor as many children as they would like.

Volunteers are asked to purchase at least one piece of clothing and one toy per child.

Once the gifts are purchased and packaged, they can be dropped off at City hall. Prior to Christmas Day, city employees and residents hand-deliver all the presents to the respective houses.

This year, MACS is sponsoring nearly 330 children compared to previous years’ averages of around 225 children. This increase in volume is due to an expansion of the program.

Previously, MACS only accepted students who lived within Coppell city limits, which meant students who attended CISD schools located in Irving, such as Valley Ranch Elementary School, Canyon Ranch Elementary School and Coppell Middle School West, were not eligible for the program.

Now, anyone who attends a CISD school, regardless of where they live, is eligible.

“We have seen such a large increase in students this year, almost similar to the amount of kids we sponsored during the COVID-19 years,” Pettinos said. “It’s really exciting that we get to expand our reach and make sure that all of our students have access to these services.”

To accommodate the larger number of students, MACS has partnered with multiple businesses and organizations to ensure that every child who is participating has the opportunity to receive a gift during the holiday season.

Businesses can choose to either sponsor a certain number of children, or they can provide product donations, which volunteers will then separate and distribute accordingly.

Sometimes, businesses will choose to partici-

pate in this program in order to provide their employees with a team-building exercise.

Often, when employees deliver presents, they are spotted by other children who may not be a part of the program.

“It’s always a tricky situation because we don’t know if those children are part of our list so we can’t just hand them the presents,” Pettinos said. “We’re hoping that with the help of the businesses this year, we will have more toys to distribute so we don’t have to turn away any of those kids.”

In addition to larger businesses, many local organizations choose to participate as well.

Coppell Montessori Academy has been working with MACS for the past three years.

“We like to use this amazing program as a way to teach our kids the importance of giving back to the community,” Coppell Montessori Academy director Vickie Rice said. “It serves as a great opportunity for the kids, even though they are young, to learn important lessons about helping those who may be less fortunate.”

Whether many realize it or not, teaching children these lessons at a young age can pay off.

“Every year, I see kids who have saved up their allowance money to help someone else around them,” Pettinos said. “It’s such a good feeling knowing that these kids are wanting to give back to their community.”

Often, families who participate in the program are able to pay it forward and sponsor children once they are in a better position financially.

“Coppell is such a tight-knit community where everyone just wants to give back and support our folks,” Pettinos said. “It’s truly an amazing thing to witness.”

For more information regarding MACS 2023, visit makeachildsmile.org.

Donated presents sit under a Christmas tree in Coppell City Hall. Various locations around Coppell offer donation areas for Make A Child Smile, a Coppell-sponsored program that collects and delivers gifts to Coppell ISD students in need. Donations can be made through Friday. Maddy Park

Coppell Montessori Academy has a donation box next to its front desk for students and families to donate toys for Make A Child Smile through Friday. Various locations around Coppell offer donation areas for Make A Child Smile, a Coppell-sponsored program that collects and delivers gifts to Coppell ISD students in need. Maddy Park

Wofford acclaimed as Teacher of the Year Sahasra Chakilam News Editor @sahasrachak24

The Sidekick adviser Chase Wofford has been named 2023-24 Coppell High School Teacher of the Year. The announcement was made

by CHS Principal Laura Springer at Wednesday’s staff meeting.

On Dec. 1, nominees for Teacher of the Year comprising of AP English/Creative Writing teacher Matthew Bowden, Anatomy and Physiology teacher Jodie Deinhammer, AP/IB Art teacher Michelle Hauske, special education teacher Laura Hynson, health science teacher Ray Pool, band director Kimberly Shuttlesworth and Wofford.

Not expecting to receive the acclamation, Wofford was surprised t o hear his name be called Springer as she a n nounced the winner. “ I froze and I wasn’t sure what to do,” Wofford said. “After

The Sidekick adviser Chase Wofford was named 2023-24 Coppell High School Teacher of the Year on Dec. 6. Seven nominees were announced Dec. 1 and the winner was announced at the Dec. 6 faculty meeting. Wendy Le

seeing other teachers go through the same thing, in my mind I was thinking, ‘I am kind of glad I don’t have to stand up there and talk in front of everyone,’ but in the moment I was very honored. It was all a cool deal and once I saw my family in the auditorium, it made it even less uncomfortable to talk about myself, which is not my favorite thing to do.”

He thanked the Career and Technical Education department for its efforts in the school during his words.

“I wanted to recognize the CTE department just because I think CTE teachers work really hard for the class to be something that the kids like coming into,” Wofford said.

“We’re not the AP of IB class that stands out academically, but we do pride ourselves on developing skills that apply to real life.”

KCBY-TV adviser Kendra Carter spoke on behalf of Wofford during the meeting. She cites him for his kindness and dedication as an adviser.

“I talked about him being a colleague and how I appreciate working with him,” Carter said. “In between classes, we always hang out in the hallways and talk, and I enjoy

his sense of humor and his willingness to help. I also appreciate how whenever there is any student that walks by, he always speaks to them which shows the genuine relationship he has with his students, and how he is caring and puts in so much time in the program. He does this not because it is his job, but because he is passionate about it. He is truly teaching them, and it’s not just a class – he is preparing them for the future.”

The Sidekick executive-in-chief Sri Achanta said the staff is thrilled about Wofford receiving this recognition.

“There are not enough words to describe how proud our staff felt,” Achanta said “Everyone is so happy, because he works so hard for our program and this is the recognition he definitely deserves. As an adviser, he reads every single thing posted on coppellstudentmedia. com, and we post an extraordinary amount of things. Every single story that has been posted, has been through his eyes and what’s even more amazing is that he remembers every detail about it.”

Features editor Anushree De contributed to this report.

4

news

@thesidekickcoppell

December 2023 Sidekick Online

@CHSCampusNews

coppellstudentmedia.com

New boardwalk providing unique nature experience Sohana Singh

Staff Writer @CHSCampusNews

A long boardwalk passes over the crystalline waters of Moore Road Park, moving people to opposite ends of the park in a serene path.

“The City of Coppell is a place where a lot of folks enjoy and focus on the recreation and community experiences activities, and the boardwalk facilitates that,” Coppell Parks and Recreation board member Nick Paschal said.

On Sept. 1, the City of Coppell announced completion of the Moore Road Park boardwalk. The new boardwalk is a part of a larger trail system at the park and passes directly over the pond at the park.

The boardwalk is not entirely new; it is a reconstruction of an older boardwalk in the same area, which had been taken down around 10 years ago due to safety concerns. After years of waiting, the project to reconstruct the boardwalk was finally able to begin.

While the original boardwalk was made of wood and designed to move up and down with water levels, making it prone to weathering, the new boardwalk is constructed of a steel-concrete hybrid and sports a surface supported by 66 underwater piers elevating it above the water According to Paschal, one of the biggest parts of getting the project started was funding.

“It was about $1.9 million to fund the project, and when those funds became available through the American Rescue Plan Act, things really started to get moving,” Paschal said.

“That boardwalk was built with no local Coppell taxpayer money.”

Once the city obtained the funding and approval to begin the project, the roughly seven-month construction process began.

“It’s not a quick process, it’s very thorough,” Coppell Mayor Wes Mays said. “We make sure that we’re hiring qualified, competent and capable people at the lowest price that we can find them.”

According City of Coppell project manager Layne Cline, the process was intricate with many moving parts.

The preparations needed initially were to remove any fish and wildlife from the pond and to reduce the water level by pumping water into a nearby pond. Once that was complete, they started drilling shafts into the soil to create concrete piers that the boardwalk would rest on; these were various depths ranging as far as 37-feet deep. While drilling occurred, a section of large stormwater pipe was removed and reconstructed to maximize water conveyance and minimize erosion effects.

After those two steps were complete, the project wrapped up quickly with the sections of concrete panels and beams being placed on top of the piers and then the fencing that was installed on top of the boardwalk. When these steps were completed, the boardwalk was open for pedestrians and bicyclists to use.

“The implementation of the boardwalk will allow residents the ability to engage and interact in recreation over water, being able to view different types of species in their natural habitats,” Cline said.

In addition to the boardwalk, the project also included introducing new ecosystems into the pond. While the construction itself

had minimal environmental impact, as animals were safely removed or moved out of the area on their own, the project allowed for the introduction of new fish species into the area.

“Not only did we get the boardwalk, but we were able to improve the conditions for the wildlife in that pond and it makes it great for folks who want to go out there and fish,” Paschal said. “They’re going to be stocking the pond with certain fish species soon.”

According to Mays, the boardwalk is a cherished and frequented amenity of the community.

“It’s been one of the most asked for features out there, because our residents remembered the old walkway and the old boardwalk and they wanted it replaced,” Mays said. “The majority of the folks who use the trails every day are going to use the boardwalk.”

City projects often originate from community input and ideas. Citizens can provide input during board meetings or community input sessions which the City of Coppell hosts.

“We’re trying at all times to gather community feedback and ask, ‘What would be the next project that we engage in?’” Paschal said. “That insight is critical because we’ll get a lot more input, and that’s going to set the direction of our projects for the next five to seven years.”

According to Paschal, many similar projects are being worked on in Coppell to bolster community experience and enhance recreation amenities. Improvements to the Duck Pond Park, Thweatt Park, Magnolia Park Trail and the Veterans Memorial are all currently underway.

News Flash is a series in which readers receive updates on local news that has happened between the issues.

Holiday House brings winter spirit through handcrafted goods

Board implements new restorative practices, future renovation plans

TAFE teaches its way to state tournament The Moore Road Park boardwalk allows the residents of Coppell to view the foliage and pond at Andy Brown Park East on Dec. 3. The City of Coppell announced the completion of the improved Moore Road Park boardwalk on Sept. 1 of 2023 after it was taken down 10 years ago due to safety concerns. Maddy Park

Business Spectacle

Lash Lounge spreading allure through eyes Vibha Viswanath and Rhea Chowdhary Staff Photographer and Video Editor @CHSCampusNews

Ever wondered about the inner workings of a cosmetology business such as The Lash Lounge, operated by women who have devoted their time to perfecting the art of eyelashes? The Sidekick visual media editor Rhea Chowdhary and staff photographer Vibha Viswanath speak to general manager Linda Steinhaus to learn about The Lash Lounge.

Scan the QR code to watch Viswanath’s and Chowdhary’s video.

Digital art crafts fresh logos for Friends of Coppell Nature Park

A Lash Lounge stylist gives her customer a lash lift. The Lash Lounge is a cosmetology business that provides eyelash services to help customers feel as beautiful as they truly are. Vibha Viswanath

The Sidekick @thesidekickcoppell

CHS9 5 o CHS9

Sidekick Online

@CHSCampusNews

coppellstudentmedia.com

Chang guiding students through compassion Greeshma Marathu Staff Writer @CHSCampusNews

As CHS9 students step into C101, dim fluorescent lights create a painted ceiling with black, purple and blue to emulate a galaxy.

This is a glimpse of the environment teacher Shanna Chang has created to make her students feel excited for AP Human Geography.

Chang spent a significant amount of her life not knowing what her career would be. She attended Irving MacArthur High School and dedicated her high school years towards joining the military by training through ROTC. After graduating in 2005, she joined the Air Force. Due to a knee injury in 2006, she got discharged from basic training and proceeded to leave the Air Force.

Over the next 10 years she explored various careers, dedicating time to find what she enjoyed and what she did not. As she was exploring her interests, her friend mentioned she possessed teacher-like qualities leading her to pursue a career in teaching.

“I was actually helping a coworker learn about Abraham Lincoln,” Chang said. “As I was explaining this idea to her, she looked at me and said, ‘Wow, you would make a really good teacher.’ It was the first time I had ever considered it, I was kind of a slacker in high school so I never thought I could be a good teacher.”

Chang has a special bond with both her coworkers and students as they see the passion that she embodied to make a change in others’ learning experiences. Her ability to connect with her students on a personal level show-

CHS9 AP Human Geography teacher Shanna Chang is excited for her first period students to play a review game before their reading quiz. Chang is in her fourth year of teaching at CHS9 and has been recognized as Teacher of the Month multiple times. Rhea Choudhary

cases her level of understanding and connection, allowing her to actively engage in conversations and create a secure learning atmosphere.

“I admired how much she genuinely cared about her students,” CHS sophomore Reeza Koirala said. “She made sure that she knew so many different ways to explain one thing so that everyone would be able to understand almost every single situation. In general she was just a nice person to talk to,she felt like a friend to me sometimes.”

Chang incorporates multiple learning styles to best fit each student with different strengths. She uses competition as a motivating factor to encourage her students to be the best they can, using a Harry Potter point system throughout the year. Each class is split into the four Harry Potter houses Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin - and as students do homework they gain points with the winners at the end of the semester getting prizes.

“I definitely do think that the point

ly hard job. The day before the first day of school, I sat down with [fifth grade teacher Ashley Rhodes]. She wrote down a whole schedule for me and when I got in that room I remember thinking ‘Woah, OK.’ If it wasn’t for that paper I wouldn’t have known what to do. I still have it.”

Using that experience as an opportunity to grow, Harvey continuously strived to improve. He would observe other teachers on his breaks to see how he could enhance his classroom.

It is this mindset that has led to the creative ideas he has introduced.

“When I think about all the work we had to do from coordinating camping trips and spelling bees to co-planning, he was somebody that always brought something to the table,” Rhodes said. “He loved leading all the activities that we did and would always say ‘Don’t worry about it, I’ve got ideas.’

He added that extra layer onto whatever we did.”

A decade later, Harvey has

carried this creative mindset to CHS9.

“He takes things he has learned a n d makes them his own,” CHS9 assistant principal Jessica Lynch said. “For instance, we do Hour Block Lunch here and we got a new system this year called ‘enriching students’ to help organize the time. He has been able to use what he

system did help me improve because when you’re competitive, the main focus is to get something and do it right,” CHS sophomore Aanya Bhasin said. “I also had a motivation to actually do my work which paid off in the long run.”

With her work ethic and organizational skills, Chang is considered as “the maker” of the AP Human Geography education team. She is in charge of producing most of the assignments and activities. With the dedication and time she spends on AP Human Geography, her passion goes beyond what she does in her classroom.

“The enthusiasm and dedication she has for AP Human Geography is what makes her different from other teachers,” CHS biology teacher Hilary Schieffer said. “She just has this endless knowledge of the content about the subject that I could only ever dream about,” The classroom that she built is a reflection of her personality. The variety of vibrant colors are displayed through her lights and cartoon posters give insight into who she is out of class. Her desk is filled with textbooks along with play figures of her interests.

“You come in and it’s a good place, it feels good to be there,” freshman Sneha Mittal said. “Everyday when I come into class she finds a way to incorporate her humor while making the class fun. There’s been no other classroom that has been as inviting and welcoming as that room is.”

Chang’s attempt to put a piece of herself into every lesson and everything she does makes learning just a little bit easier for her students.

Harvey reuniting with former students as AP Nyah Rama CHS9 Editor @nyah_rama

A young boy sits in his mother’s English class waiting for the final bell to ring.

He observes the room, his eyes fixated on his mother as she delves into the complexities of literary works that he won’t read for another ten years or so.

It is in that moment that he realizes his calling – becoming an educator.

Today that boy, Nathan Harvey, has assumed the role of one of the CHS9 assistant principals. Harvey had been a teacher for nine years, teaching fifth grade at Austin Elementary School and STEM at Coppell Middle School North.

Both of Harvey’s parents were high school teachers. His mother, Lori Harvey, taught English I and III and his father, Larry Harvey, taught AP Biology.

Whether it was at Westwood Elementary School or sitting in Friendswood High School where his parents worked, Harvey has always been surrounded by the world of education.

“After about third grade I stopped putting ‘astronaut’ as what I wanted to be when I grew up,” Harvey said.

“I loved my parents and I wanted to be like them. School has always been a really fun, awesome place for me and I want kids to feel that as well.”

While his vision to become an educator had always been clear, his start in education was not as he had pictured.

“I started at Austin Elementary in 2013 and I was just a fifth grade teacher who didn’t know what he was doing,” Harvey said. “I thought I knew what I was doing because of my parents, but I quickly realized that it is a real-

knows about that and make it a system that works for us.”

Harvey’s creative spirit is not the only thing that distinguishes him, his relationships with his students have set him apart as well.

“He puts relationships first before academics,” Rhodes said. “That is something that is really important to him. While academics are a vital part of our jobs, without relationships he knows that there is no point. He always spent a lot of time making sure that the kids trusted him.”

The relationships educators form with students is what inspires Harvey to continue on his path.

“I always want kids and staff to know that I love and support them,” Harvey said. “Anybody in education is doing it because we want to impact future generations. We want to know we did what we could to love on kids and love them well. I’ve never turned my back on a kid and I am not about to start now.”

Harvey’s kind spirit has left a mark on his many students, a mark so permanent that even years later students still recall the fond memories created during the days spent in his classroom.

“He took the time to care for and get to know his students,” Coppell High School junior Chandana Pagadala said. “I remember one time when he called me up and made sure he knew how to pronounce my name for my fifth grade graduation. He did this with a bunch of the other kids in the class too, and nobody had ever really taken the effort to pronounce my name right like that so it made me happy.”

Harvey has been touched by each and every CHS9 hired assistant principal Nathan Harvey as an administrator for the 2023-24 school one of his students.

“I haven’t forgotten y’all and I never will,” year. Harvey hopes to connect with students in his new role while students reflect on their Harvey said. “You leave as much of an impositive experiences having him as their teacher in elementary school. Rhea Choudhary pact on me as I hope to have left on you.”

ediitori ed toria al pag page December 2023

6

@thesidekickcoppell

Sidekick Online

@CHSCampusNews

coppellstudentmedia.com

Staff Editorial 2023-2024 Redefining high school volunteering

staff

beyond college applications

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP Chase Wofford, Staff Adviser Sri Achanta, Editor-In-Chief* Avani Munji, Design Editor*

EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP Aliza Abidi, Editorial Page Editor* Anushree De, Features Editor Ainsley Dwyer, Entertainment Editor Nyah Rama, CHS9 Editor Sahasra Chakilam, News Editor* Ava Johnson, Sports Assignment Editor

MEDIA TEAM LEADERSHIP Minori Kunte, Staff Cartoonist* Rhea Chowdhary, Video Editor Wendy Le, Podcast Producer

COMMUNICATIONS AND BUSINESS Sameeha Syed, Social Media Manager* Sukirtha Muthiah, Business Manager*

WRITERS Sydney Araujo Isheeta Bajjuri Anvita Bondada Isabella Santos Rhea Choudhary Caitlyn Concepcion Elizabeth De Santiago Natalia Esquivel EV Kennard Deepika Kumar

Hamza Zakir Neha Nathwani Sanghika Pallela Katie Park Riya Prasad Ishana Sharma Yugaditya Talukdar Niharika Tallapaka Sabah Uddin Ishita Patra

PHOTOGRAPHERS Namir Awan Marli Field Neeharika Gajula Yepoom Hong Luke Jared Medha Kanamarlapudi Emmalee Jittasupo Kayla Nguyen*

Greeshma Marathu Emmy Moreno Eirene Park Maddy Park Sohana Singh Vibha Viswanath Aasritha Yanamala

DESIGNERS Safiya Azam Manasa Borra Jayden Chui* Noor Fatima Kavya Lokhande Nrithya Mahesh Taylor Pham

Pranavi Ramineni Ahana Roy Brody Sever Omega Tamang Sohalia Reddy Sofia Exposito Perez

*Indicates a Vol. 35 No. 3 page designer

The frigid weather encircles the scattered group of Coppell students as they pick up trash around the school. The cold reaches lightless eyes.

We have all heard the phrase “volunteering makes you live longer.” But looking at the students aimlessly dragging their feet in hopes for their hour of volunteering to elapse quickly, seems to suggest the opposite.

As the weight of volunteering increases in college admissions, with many colleges adopting a more holistic evaluation of admissions, the number of personal community service hours has become a concern to most high school students. Although this encourages students to contribute to their community, it feeds into a closed-minded perspective of volunteering.

Instead of looking for a positive impact, the time students contribute to their community is reduced to numbers on a piece of paper, another bullet point to add to their resume.

At Coppell High School, volunteer-based clubs are the primary route high schoolers go to fulfill their quota of volunteer hours, especially through the hundreds of charity-based clubs students create annually. Hours are added up through chores such as picking up chairs or designing shirts, but is this the definition of volunteering we should strive for?

As students pressure themselves to volunteer as a requirement for well-rounded college applications, they become more likely to put their time into volunteer-based organizations that seem the easiest to gain hours from, rather than seeking the best opportunities with a drive for positive impact.

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

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

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

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

Correction: Kumar compelled by global curiosity (Vol. 35, No. 2, Page 15) In our previous issue, sophomore Harshvardhan Vinoth Kumar’s name was incorrectly spelled in a story. The Sidekick regrets this error.

CONTACT US

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

This often leads students to join multiple clubs where they do not participate or hold an interest, to check off diverse volunteering experiences on their applications. Through this, volunteering is redefined and created to satisfy resumes, lowering incentives for students to take a step forward toward activism and communal reformation.

A single hour of volunteering, regardless of how simple or mundane, brings positive influence to the community. However, it should not be limited to the easiest or most effective way to puff up a resume.

It devalues the possible impact of volunteering and presents itself as a burden, rather than a means for personal and societal growth.

Therefore, students may miss out on the chance to develop meaningful connections as well as genuine intentions to give back to their community.

This redefinition of volunteering can negatively influence the expected moral and ethical drive behind service. Upon graduation, students may not seek or participate in volunteering opportunities like they may have in high school since it does not academically benefit them.

At CHS, this means that students should aim for more personal and impactful volunteering opportunities and strive for more than extracurricular validation.

Joining and serving communities they are passionate about and contributing directly to a cause will create an engaged community of youth in Coppell, one ensuring effective change.

Volunteering to prioritize the actual needs of the community highlights the effectiveness and endurance of real-world volunteer efforts and charity values. As a high school, encouraging volunteering that morally aligns with students’ values and passions will create a broader means of extracurricular activity in students.

If you are interested in gardening, volunteer at the Biodiversity Education Center. If you are interested in reading, volunteer at the library. Beyond high school and academic affiliations, actively engaging in one’s community, participating in initiatives addressing problems from a personal drive, embodies what it means to be a contributing volunteer.

If we volunteer with a genuine desire to contribute, learn and grow, it benefits the community and enhances our personal development, more than a goal for a compelling college application.

The Sidekick @thesidekickcoppell

opinions o pinions 7

Sidekick Online

@CHSCampusNews

coppellstudentmedia.com

Classroom content should not be driven by votes

Between the bustling hallways, tests and quizzes, I cannot say I have always loved school.

However, the rigor school provides is crucial in developing a better society, and school is an environment that should remain impartial.

Political parties use various aspects of

society as mechanisms to maintain power through votes. This can become dangerous when political parties change educational norms to garner more support from voters.

Throughout recent years, wealthier, more developed countries have notably seen an increase in their population who deem homosexuality as socially acceptable.

According to the American Psychology Association, this in turn has stirred up more activism and a louder opposition regarding sexuality in the United States.

Conservative lawmakers, who mostly appeal to voters by promising to uphold traditional values, often support the suppression of discussions regarding sexuality.

In order to appease their voter base, Republicans in Florida have effectively prevented thousands of students from attaining knowledge about AP Psychology due to its homosexuality topics.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been an advocate for removing sex education in schools across Florida, including talks about sexuality, in favor of reserving that right to only parents and guardians. In July 2022, Florida passed House Bill 1557, enacting this policy.

This summer, many Florida school districts decided to remove AP Psychology courses due to a disagreement between Florida lawmakers and College Board over

course material regarding how sexuality affects human psychology.

During the disagreement, Florida proposed that AP Psychology could continue to be taught if its sexuality chapter was removed.

The AP Psychology course has touched on sexuality since its inception in 1992.

The content includes academically accepted theories that explain how sexuality is shaped in individuals and what homosexuality is, something that College Board has deemed as important material which is also required for receiving college credit by the APA. The College Board saw no reason to cut out a topic that had been discussed since the course’s founding, and refused to offer the course with these modifications.

Historically, government intervention into education through politics is commonly seen in authoritarian regimes. It is a tactic that helps politicians cement their control over a population through long periods of time.

By appealing to a portion of the population that opposes education with topics related to sexuality, the effective banning of AP Psychology in Florida highlights how politicians are starting to use school as a means to maintain power.

Republican politicians in Florida have built a large following through policies banning discussions of sexuality in schools. To keep the votes steady, politicians have to prove their policies’ effectiveness through new legislation like House Bill 1557.

The adaptation of new policy serves as one part of the puzzle, but the implemen-

tation shows voters that politicians have had a practical impact on society. The effective banning of AP Psychology represents a Republican victory to traditionalist voters, showing them their voice is heard and encouraging them to vote red.

Tactics like these are fairly common among all political parties, but implementing them through education demonstrates how modern American politicians have become more desperate for votes.

The use of education as a political tool in America through the banning of AP Psychology introduces a dangerous precedent that other politicians might follow not only in Florida, but also in other states.

Politicians may use educational content as a way to farm votes, reducing the amount of knowledge available to students. If this trend continues, education risks becoming highly filtered, jeopardizing student’s learning for the sake of political power.

Students also should not be kept from discussing sensitive topics in school. In life, people encounter many phenomena, and knowledge can help to increase empathy and understanding. By barring students from discussing sensitive topics, they may view the world with more uncertainty, leading to further potential social issues and a lack of awareness.

Yug Talukdar Staff Writer @YugTalukdar

Un-Alienated: Embracing diversity within a community My third grade teacher taught the class that people from foreign countries were called aliens. All heads in the room turned to me. “Alien” is what my classmates started to call me.

From kindergarten through fifth grade, I don’t remember a year in elementary school in which I didn’t face racism.

Whether people made fun of the way I looked, the food I ate, the music I listened to, my religion, the language I spoke or enforced stereotypes on me, it was a part of my everyday life.

Bengali and Indian cultures are both so beautiful, but I started to hate being them. I stopped bringing Indian food to school. I would be upset whenever I had to wear Indian clothes.

I switched Bollywood music with Taylor Swift and I asked my parents almost every day, “Why did you name me Ahana? Couldn’t you name me something normal?”

I felt alienated.

“Ew, what are you eating?”

“You must be poor because India is a poor country, right?”

“Indians are so ugly.”

“You guys worship statues? That’s so funny!”

“Your skin is really exotic.”

“Why do Indians eat with their hands? That’s gross.”

“Hey, can you speak Indian?”

“India’s such a weird country.”

These are all things people have said to me in just elementary school. It was hard to like my background when all people would ever do was belittle it. Charlotte, N.C. did not have a lot of racial diversity, according to the 2010 population census, 5% of Charlotte’s population was Asian.

Therefore, I was always one, if not the only, Indian kid in my class. I was always the odd one out that looked different, that had a weird name or practiced weird traditions.

However, I didn’t have this negative perception of my culture forever. In the summer of 2021, I

moved to Coppell. There were people of many different backgrounds, especially a lot of other South Asian students. Here, no one has ever made fun of my culture.

In fact, I’ve seen people from other backgrounds celebrate Indian music, food and traditions. That’s something that I couldn’t even imagine would ever happen in my school in Charlotte.

Instead of people saying my culture and beliefs are weird, they ask me what different poojas are for, if they could have a bite of the food I’m eating or compliment me on my traditional Indian clothing. I’ve had friends celebrate Indian holidays or even make me Indian food. These moments may seem small, but they’re not things I’ve experienced before, and they did change my perception of my culture. In Coppell, I actually felt like I belonged – I’ve never felt estranged or isolated from others because of my culture.

Today, I feel proud to be able to speak Bengali.

I love to share the dishes my mom cooks for dinner, wear Indian clothes, listen to Bollywood, and to talk about South Asian history.

I learned that diversity is very important within a community. In Charlotte, people were not as open-minded, it was odd for someone to look different.

So while I was a student just like everyone else, I was treated differently because of my background.

In Coppell, since there is so much more exposure to a spectrum of ethnicities, no one sees mine as “odd” or “weird,” people are mostly open to cultures different from their own.

The difference in equity in Charlotte and Coppell is just one of many examples.

Racism is normalized in places with lower diversity, where people are very quick to judge others that aren’t the same as them.

Since they are not exposed to what’s not the norm, this judgment becomes a part of everyday life. As does being very ignorant towards other cultures, therefore normalizing racism.

There are people all over the world that feel isolated today because of their culture, but they shouldn’t. Many young people are desensitized to racism because it is so normalized, however internal racism can start to root within them. Children especially tend to be influenced by the thoughts and beliefs of those around them.

It is important to have diversity so that people stop believing their beautiful cultures are “weird” or “gross.” However, many minorities aren’t living in places with racial diversity, so how can they be proud of who they are? The internet is a place that connects people across the world, as people can find content about their culture which they cannot find in person.

Finding other people that practice or are interested in their culture is a great way to learn more about their own culture and the beauty of it. Finding local communities with the same culture in areas that are nearby will also help them be educated on and learn to enjoy their culture.

It is also important for people to be culturally aware of minority groups and have an open mind. For example, instead of having an ethnocentric approach and immediately judging someone’s culture, ask them about their culture, learn about it and discuss it. Every culture is beautiful and different and we should embrace that.

Ahana Roy

Staff Designer @CHSCampusNews

8

opinions

@thesidekickcoppell

Sidekick Online

December 2023 @CHSCampusNews

coppellstudentmedia.com

Breaking down the tipping taboo

“That’ll be $3.15,” the cashier said, her gaze briefly flickering to the screen asking for tips.

As my finger hovered above the miniscule “No Tip” option, I glanced at the cashier again before sighing and tapping 20%.

Tipping culture is a problem, and a uniquely American one.

In every other country except Canada, tipping rates are significantly lower or nonexistent. However, the United States adopted a unique approach to gratuity. While

tipping should be used as a method to reward good service, as it is in other countries, it has become a deeply ingrained economic and social system that many argue is problematic.

In the United States, tipping is not viewed as just a gesture of appreciation, but is a fundamental aspect of any service job. Even though the United States has the highest suggested gratuity rate in the world, failure to tip implies dissatisfaction with the service regardless of the actual quality.

Even if there is a reason for not

tipping, such as personal finances or unawareness of the U.S. tipping culture, there is a social stigma from deviating from the suggested gratuity. Almost half of U.S. citizens cited social pressure as a factor in deciding whether to tip or not.

If you are an American citizen, you may see the tipping system as normal or the status quo. In Europe, tipping is only occasionally customary in sit down restaurants or other service heavy establishments, whereas in the U.S. tipping is ingrained in almost every single commercial business, regardless of the level of customer service. In parts of Asia, like Korea and Japan, tipping can be perceived as rude; in most other parts of Asia, tipping is simply non-existent.

Although most American citizens adhere to the tipping system, there is a growing number of the population unsatisfied with the increasing tipping rates. In a recent study, when Americans were prompted with a choice to tip, two-thirds stated tipping is more of an obligation rather than a choice.

A common argument for American tipping culture is it helps employees by providing additional cash flow to workers that make minimum wage.

One of the major economic downsides of the U.S.’s tipping culture is employees are paid significantly less due to the unusually high gratuity. Therefore, the United States has a type of employment called a tipped employee.

The U.S. Department of Labor states “An employer must pay a tipped worker at least $2.13 per hour under the FLSA.” Compared to the federal U.S. minimum wage of $7.25, the wage for tipped employees is less than a third of that.

Considering many high school students work part-time jobs at local restaurants, this wage is far too low to sustain college savings, let alone adults who are working for a better quality of life.

Many CHS students work at local restaurants part time, and these wages diminish much of the time spent working to save for college.

In light of all of these issues with American tipping culture, it’s clear that change is necessary. Now is the time for individuals to speak up, raise awareness and advocate for fair compensation for service workers.

Through collectively challenging the status quo, we can help contribute to a more just system for both service workers and consumers. Every voice matters in reforming a system so deeply ingrained into today’s society.

While tipping should be used as a method to reward quality service, normalizing tipping without any correlation to actual customer service helps perpetuate an unfair system. It normalizes an economy where the base wage relies on societal pressure rather than fair compensation from workers. A lack of a tip should not dictate a worker’s pay, nor should it be socially unacceptable for someone to not tip.

Hamza Zakir Staff Writer @hamza_a_zakir

‘Tampon Tax’ removal lifts menstrual inequality 6.25 percent.

Until Sept. 1, 2023, there was an extra 6.25 percent tax in Texas for menstrual products. For every woman, every few weeks, everywhere, a healthcare product was taxed, regardless of its necessity or the millions reliant on it.

Considering an average woman menstruates for about 2,280 days of her life, she would spend approximately $4,752 of her lifetime, not including tax, just on menstrual products.

Already, women worldwide experience monthly financial impoverishment and are unable to afford menstrual care. The U.S. Congress finds that more than half of the U.S. population will likely menstruate every month for decades of their lives and one in four of these women report struggling to afford menstrual products.

This introduces a problem labeled as period poverty, the “insufficient access to menstrual products, education, and sanitation facilities” according to the National Library of Medicine.

‘Tampon Tax,’ the sales tax on feminine hygiene products, further burdens and exploits the medical necessity of menstrual products. This tax was lifted through Senate Bill 379 in Texas, which became the 33rd state to outlaw this tax, creating space for a national movement towards menstrual equality, awareness and acceptance.

The bill became a priority for Texas lawmakers when Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022 by the U.S. Supreme Court to support females for the cost of menstrual products. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott joined other Republicans in support of repealing taxes on menstrual products in August 2022.

The law was signed by Abbott in June 2023 and on Sept. 1, Senate Bill 379 went into effect statewide.

Regardless of the economic class a household is in, this bill affects more than

just monthly transactions, but creates a new societal perspective on menstruation.

Prior to September, while every product under the label of healthcare was not subjected to tax, menstruators paid tax for medical adjustments for health cycles they had no control or choice over.

Now, society and policy have come to terms with this biological phenomenon that affects billions worldwide, and the stigma around it is no longer reflected in the economic pressures of the sales tax.

This begs the question, what does this development mean for the said stigma and what, in American society, was the holdback for this change? Does this mean we are moving towards new, more inclusive political and societal perspectives of women’s right to anatomical choice?

The medical attention needed for menstrual cycles is no longer an exemption to healthcare laws. The thousands of women who have fought over its recognition as a necessity as well as body anonymity have been heard.

For many years in American culture, menstrual products and health were stigmatized. Looking back at the stereotype of blaming emotional women on their period or the normalized stigma of telling young girls to hide their experiences, menstruation-related discomfort that is culturally reinforced is now shifting. As society has accepted menstruation as a biological process requiring reinforcement in equal measures to other medical experiences, women can hope this bill is proof that menstrual cycles will be viewed without a negative, shameful connotation.

This can be the foundation for the acknowledgement of the harmfulness behind the age-old stigmas and can create means for a more inclusive and accepting future.

This shift marks a rise in menstrual awareness and acceptance for open accessibility of menstrual products and fem-

The sales tax on feminine hygiene products was lifted in Texas on Sept. 1 through Senate Bill 379. The Sidekick editorial page editor Aliza Abidi thinks the lift of Senate Bill 379 should lead to more acceptance and normalization of menstruation in society. Vibha Viswanath inine development. For example, a new law introduced in Congress this year, the Menstrual Equity for All Act, proposes mandating medicaid coverage of period products.

“Every woman knows that these products are not optional,” Republican Sen. Joan Huffman (Texas) said in a press release.

Aliza Abidi

Editorial Page Editor @aliza_abidi

opinions 9

The Sidekick @thesidekickcoppell

Sidekick Online

@CHSCampusNews

coppellstudentmedia.com

OCD isn’t a pretty title for perfectionism

He put ketchup on his burger.

He did it slowly and carefully, stopping every few seconds to ensure that the lines were straight. I watch him out of curiosity along with the rest of the lunch table, his focus and commitment contiguous.

“Oh my god, You’re so focused. Do you have OCD or something?” someone at the table quipped.

The fork digging into my ravioli wavered. Low chuckles surrounded me, but my heart dropped and my throat became dry. I closed my eyes and told myself to move on.

They didn’t mean harm.

The desire to complete daily tasks to their most satisfactory form is defined as perfectionism. Having the compulsion to repeat an action, in multiple areas of one’s daily life is diagnosed as Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) - the need for extreme perfectionism in everyday actions and the compulsion for control and structure. However, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is the compulsion to do the same action repeatedly, solely focusing on one aspect in one’s life.

Notice how it does not fit the labels of the definitions it is commonly correlated to.

The factor distinguishing OCD is people’s daily lives are disrupted by only a specific behavior or aspect, thoughts that interrupt their cognition about a single part of themselves. It is not a personality disorder, like OCPD, nor is it wanting to re-do an action but an eternal cycle of repetitive need.

Unfortunately, it has become a ‘fancy’ adjective people casually add to every-

day conversations without understanding the implications it carries. Having perfect handwriting is not OCD. Dressing neatly is not OCD. Double-checking your homework is not OCD, and it is ignorant and exploitative to call it so and create a false label.

OCD to me is the feeling of breathlessness and confusion. It is something I faced because I could not move on in my day without doing a specific action perfectly, a force that I fought within myself..

The label of perfectionism being continuously correlated to OCD feels like my experiences are invalid, making my struggles parallel to wanting a neat lifestyle.

I am not implying perfectionism doesn’t lead to harm or it is not something causing struggle in daily lives but it is not a synonym for OCD. If a person who struggles with obsessions, simply dismisses it as perfectionism, they may never gain the help or treatment they need.

This overgeneralization of mental health issues is broader than just the daily applications of perfectionism and OCD. Depression is not just sadness, anxiety is not just panic. It is the continuation of these factors and the disruption it creates in one’s daily life that defines it as a disorder.

Everyone should have space to speak comfortably about emotional struggles that they have but a mental disorder is not a label, not a description that is thrown around, an extreme condition mocked by daily situations.

Don’t underestimate the struggle you or someone else may be going through merely because the label of disorders is now characterized as common. It is our

responsibility to be aware of what these illnesses are and how they can be applied.

It is not funny to hear someone characterize an action as OCD for humorous purposes, just like saying “I’m going to kill myself” with sarcasm doesn’t remove from its ignorance and harmful consequences to bystanders.

Mental disorders do not exist for you to brush off, nor is it an extreme label for out-of-context behaviors. My OCD is not something that makes me a perfectionist.

It is emotional dissonance and your lack of acknowledgement is negatively redefining the meaning behind its diagnosis.

Graphic by Sohalia Reddy

Aliza Abidi

Editorial Page Editor @aliza_abidi

One-size-fits-all classroom rules stifle student potential

Head hunched over my desk, earbuds playing “lofi hip hop radio,” I furiously scribble the answer to a tedious derivative.

Although I had studied the night before, it is nice to feel an extra confidence boost prior to an assessment, so doing these practice problems before my test helps.

However, as I move on to the next problem, my thought process ends abruptly with my teacher snapping me out of my trance.

“This doesn’t look like your essay,” my teacher says.

As I reluctantly open my English essay, I sigh, knowing I could later write this essay at home as it’s not even due until 11:59 p.m. the next day.

In many classes, teachers have the expectation that their students should be working on their class or listening to their lectures.

Although teachers may enforce these rules to ensure students stay caught up, often these rules create unproductivity.

I often work on assignments that are not a part of the class that I am in because they serve to benefit me more than the current class. If I am scoring consistent high 90s on quizzes and tests while self-studying in a class, it makes more sense to work on a subject where I am struggling.

One of my favorite classes was where my teacher gave a lecture every class and the occasional class activity. I enjoyed this class because he allowed students to work on their own. If a student felt as if they needed the lecture, they could tune in to his presentations. If not, students were allowed to work at their own pace, and he even had videos for students that learned better that way.

Te a c h e r s

frequently say the content students are learning is important for everyone to hear and not something we should miss. Additionally, they say that if a student is not focusing on the lecture, teachers often will not answer their questions because they need to pay attention to the content.

While this expectation may be reasonable, if the student already knows the content or can learn it faster by themselves, they shouldn’t be held back to match the pace of the class.

However, not all teachers agree.

“Just because you have a 98 in a class doesn’t mean that you can necessarily put in your headphones and work on something personally gratifying like a college application,” Coppell High School business teacher Richard Chamberlain said. “Students should respect the 90 minutes that a teacher has for you to try to excel at the highest level and nobody should opt out simply because they feel that they have learned what they believe is the correct threshold.”

Although it is true that students can always improve their skills and knowledge in a particular subject, there could be subjects

that the students are falling behind in that they would rather work on, or activities that may have a greater positive impact on the student’s life. However, teachers choosing exactly what a student should be doing at all times during the class strips independence from students and does not allow them to manage their own time.

Even if a student has fallen behind in class, it is not the teacher’s responsibility to ensure that the student is taking the initiative to actively catch up. Instead, the teacher should both teach their content to students who want to listen, and be available for students that have fallen behind.

Students should have the options to either fall behind in their classes or be proactive about their work. This way, students have the opportunity to determine the outcome of their choices, creating both independent and driven students, rather than students who need to have their hands held by teachers every step of the way.

“The greatest benefit of allowing students more autonomy is that they are able to better explore their learning needs and curiosities,” CHS senior Kushal Kantharaju said. “We are often trapped into a schedule that forces us to be in certain classes for seven hours a day which is not the ideal learning experience for the majority.”

Expecting students to work on certain individual activities during class may exacerbate this trapped schedule, where kids are not optimizing their learning experience. Giving students the ability to choose how they spend their time promotes individualism and allows them to personalize their learning. If that is taken away from students, class becomes unproductive, the opposite of what school should be.

Jayden Chui Staff Designer @jchuiii

10

student life stude studen nt lif li fe

@thesidekickcoppell

Sidekick Online

@CHSCampusNews

December

2023

coppellstudentmedia.com

Jack of all trades: Dasari shaping his tomorrow Rhea Choudhary Staff Writer @rhea_choud

Coppell High School senior Rishi Dasari holds a clear vision of pursuing a career as an attorney, often described as a beacon of leadership and dedication throughout CHS. “I wanted to be an attorney because I was interested in mock trials – case studies were always interesting to me,” Dasari said. “In my junior year, restarting the Coppell Mock Trial Club helped me gain more practice and exposure to how trials work, as debate doesn’t fully stimulate the same feelings and preparation you have to do during a trial.”

Dasari’s passion for mock trials, however, manifested into a desire to become a lawyer. His passion for the courts brought him to an eight-week internship at the Dallas Bar Association’s Summer Law Internship Program in downtown Dallas during the summer of 2023. As part of this program, Dasari was paired with Immigration lawyer Yovanna Vargas, an immigration lawyer.

During this program, Dasari actively contributed to the legal world by organizing trial materials, compiling essential documents for clients and corresponding with prospective clients. The experience allowed him to assist with immigration documents, helping clients on their path to obtaining green cards.

“Reviewing case studies within the mock trial club and the internship was interesting, because it forced me to combine all of the fundamentals that I’ve learned so far, while also being able to add my spin,” Dasari said. “I remember when I was told to review any possible discrepancies within each testimony in an immigration law case during my summer internship, and I was grateful for the

practice I gained from practicing within Coppell’s mock trial team.”

Dasari’s work and volunteer experience doesn’t stop at the internship; it extends to several leadership roles. He serves as the president of the Coppell Mock Trial team, an endeavor he has undertaken since September 2022. At the Irving Teen Court, Dasari takes on the role of a teen court attorney, representing teen offenders or the state in trials.

Dasari is also actively involved in numerous clubs and organizations. He serves as the treasurer of the Coppell Speech and Debate Club, where he competes as a policy debater.

“Being Rishi’s debate coach since his sophomore year, I think of him as someone reliable and very competent, although sometimes it’s probably difficult for people to see the amazing activities he accomplishes.” CHS debate coach Dr. Jason Sykes said. “Rishi’s passion comes through as commitment. He has done a lot, including bringing back the mock trial on campus, as it was dormant for many years.”

In the CHS band, he leads as the varsity saxophone section leader, a role that extends to planning team-building activities. As a piano tutor with NoteLove, Dasari shares his musical talents with others, fostering a love for music. Additionally, he is a part of the CHS Red Jackets, where he acts as a student ambassador, promoting student outreach, organizing school events, and delivering announcements.

“I’ve never seen a selfish bone in Rishi’s body because he is a quiet leader and he has an ‘iron sharpens iron mentality,’ meaning you only get better if you surround yourself with people who are equally passionate, or even more so, about the same goals or activities you are,” Red

Jackets sponsor Courtney Crosby said.

“Rishi is always proactive beforehand before a problem occurs, which helps him communicate effectively.”

Dasari’s commitment to studying law is further highlighted by his involvement in the legal community, yet he still aims to identify his specific area of expertise within the field. His dedication is evident not only in his extensive extracurricular involvement but also through his academic accolades. With an impressive PSAT score, Dasari is a National Merit Semifinalist, along with earning the Gold Presidential Volunteer Service Award.

“I have learned that

be more efficient and have a better quality of work.”

Dasari envisions a future in business law, although he is open to exploring various subsets within the field. With a multitude of extracurricular activities and diverse experiences under his belt, Dasari is on the path to shaping his future as an attorney.

“Rishi is very quiet and capable, but he doesn’t like to put on a show or draw any attention to himself,” Dr. Sykes said. “He goes the extra mile to take care of his business to not only get his work done but to provide leadership for others.”

prioritizing activities is crucial to figure out which activity requires the most amount of time,” Dasari said.

“The easiest way to get overwhelmed quickly is to look at everything you have to do as a whole, however, if you work on each piece of work based on its deadline, you are more likely to Photo illustration by Sri Achanta and Kayla Nguyen

Smeda setting standards beyond the blackboard Caitlyn Concepcion Staff Writer @caitlyncion

Upon first glance, Coppell High School Algebra II teacher Christopher Smeda’s unassuming LinkedIn profile simply reads ‘Husband, Dad.’ To most, this would be an insignificant detail to have listed for potential employers — but to Smeda, it’s a worthy acknowledgment to prioritize, despite all the other accomplishments recorded one scroll below.

Whether it be assisting open-heart surgeries, working as a Loan Manager at Wells Fargo, or an Account Man-

ager at Google, Smeda is no stranger to a hectic environment.

Born and raised in South Africa, Smeda experienced a unique upbringing compared to most in the country. He credits these beginnings to his commitment to strive for a higher standard.

“My time in South Africa was a little different,” Smeda said. “I went to an all boys highschool. Because of that background, I was really pushed for high excellence when it came to education.”

Smeda first moved to the United States in 2001 as a teenager after his father had accepted a job offer with Wells Fargo.

“We moved on the same day as the 9/11 terrorist attacks,” Smeda said. “I was actually flying to America the exact same day, and our plane was diverted to Canada.

Coppell High School Algebra II teacher Christopher Smeda stands by a calligraphy drawing a student wrote for him. Smeda has held many different jobs over the course of his life. Elizabeth De Santiago

We stayed at the military barracks.”

Once settled in Iowa, Smeda attended Brigham Young University, graduating with a degree in business management while also studying marketing and finance.

While studying at BYU, Smeda also served as a rugby referee where he was first introduced to his wife.

Four months later, Smeda moved to Arizona to begin working for Wells Fargo.

After four years of successfully moving up the corporate ladder, Smeda took a leap of faith and decided to quit his job in order to pursue cardiology.

“The job treated me well,” Smeda said.

“But I was working ten hours a day, six days a week, and even on my off days, I was still in conferences and meetings. I’m a bit of a workaholic as well which is why I got promoted so quickly but for the sake of

my family, it wasn’t a good fit.”

With virtually only his wife’s unwavering support, Smeda was able to complete the necessary prerequisites for medicine at Arizona State University while finishing at the top of his classes for biochemistry and molecular biology.

“At that point, I was really enjoying my biology and anatomy classes, which is interesting because I never really cared for those subjects in school,” Smeda said.

Smeda went on to study at the Texas Heart Institute and Midwestern U n i v e r s i t y, where he performed his clinicarotations nearly every day. In 2020, Smeda was laid off from the hospital due to COVID-19.

Out of a job and needing to find a way to provide for his family, Smeda began substituting at a local highschool in Austin where he was invited to begin teaching full time. Despite only looking to teach chemistry and science-related subjects, that wasn’t what the principal had in mind for Smeda.

“The last time I had taken any math class was maybe twenty years ago, so I really had to refresh my memory,” Smeda said. “I could teach basically any science course, but they insisted that I teach math because that’s what was available. Within a year, I had my teaching license.”

Initially, Smeda had his fears about teaching math because it wasn’t an area he felt strong in. After his first few days on the job, he realized that there was nothing to be afraid of.

The Sidekick @thesidekickcoppell

studen stude nt lif life 11 Sidekick Online

@CHSCampusNews

coppellstudentmedia.com

Chanin channels cross-cultural connections Anushree De Student Life Editor @anushree_night

It’s 8:32 a.m. on a Thursday morning and Coppell High School history teacher Joshua Chanin wears a bright smile on his face.

As he makes impassioned remarks, his hands move expressively. Laughter spills from him as frequently as the students that pay a visit to his classroom. In his three years within this space, it’s become apparent that Chanin’s enthusiasm extends beyond his mannerisms.

His room, adorned with vital aspects of his identity - a photo frame with Queen Elizabeth, a photo gallery of his students, a notable wall of the 46 U.S. presidents has become an appendage of him. It is not always easy to know if a teacher enjoys their subject, but in the case of Chanin, it’s glaringly discernible.

Chanin is the physical manifestation of contradictions: he wears professional blazers as a man in his thirties, he is a first generation college student yet an educator, but most importantly, he teaches AP U.S. history and IB History of the Americas as someone from England.

Born in London, England, Chanin lived in the United Kingdom until the age of 10.

Chanin not only carries fragments of memories from England but his own voice: an English accent crafted from his experience within the country.

“Let’s just say that a lot of people made me say Harry Potter and other British type words because the accent was unusual,” Chanin said.

The accent has grown to become a trademark facet of his identity, recognized by each of his students.

“His accent is unlike other teachers here,” CHS junior Niyathi Yamunan said. “He posted an update on Schoology about a quiz we had. When I was reading it, I heard his voice in my head. I’ve never had that happen to me before.”

When Chanin moved to the United States because of his father’s job, his accent

Graphic by Noor Fatima

stayed with him.

“My dad was offered a job in the United States from Nokia,” Chanin said. “He loved the U.S. and could not refuse it. He was offered a job in either Dallas and Boston because that’s where the headquarters are. He took Dallas because of the weather and I’ve been here ever since.”

Chanin found the U.S. education system of the U.S. to be deviating in many ways, which often made him feel isolated.

“It was different adjusting to the school’s smaller system,” Chanin said. “In fifth grade, I went to St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, a private Catholic school.

I didn’t like the school, and I didn’t fit in.”

So, in January 2005, Chanin and his family moved to Coppell from Downtown Dallas, living in a neighborhood near Denton Creek Elementary.

“In fifth grade, we took a fifth grade science TAKS test,” Chanin said. “I actually failed it just because I didn’t know the information. I remember having a meeting with the principal and my parents.”

Chanin has a profound humility, as he acknowledges his imperfections as a lifelong learner. It is this self-awareness that followed Chanin to Coppell Middle School North, where his passion for history began to flourish.

“Angela Geiger, my eighth grade U.S. history teacher, was fantastic,” Chanin said. “She encouraged me to read every single book in the Cozby Library from child to adult history books. One of the first books I picked up was John Adams

by David McCullough. That is where my passion for history comes from. ” Through his experience in England, Chanin’s global awareness complements his penchant for identifying stories within history.

“I love biographies,” Chanin said.

“While I was in England, I loved learning about the history of monarchs. It is beautiful to narrow down a story to a person and see how they affect the lives around them.”

Soon, he found his place within New Tech @ Coppell, which true to its name, was new to him.

“The end of eighth grade came in May of 2008,” Chanin said. “I had a choice: Coppell ISD was opening up a new high school. All my friends were going to Coppell High School. I decided to take the jump and go to New Tech. It sounded different, and I like change.”

Despite the distance between New Tech @ Coppell and CHS, being the swim captain of his school team helped Chanin bridge the rift.

“That first year at New Tech was full of adjustments as we were testing the new project

2012

Photo Courtesy Joshua Chanin

2023 Coppell High School AP US History teacher Joshua Chanin holds a photograph of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Chanin embraces the different cultures that make up his identity and commits to teaching with enthusiasm and positivity. Natalia Esquivel based learning model,” said Chanin. “It was strange, but I still continued to swim with CHS’s swim team since New Tech did not have a team. My coach taught business at the school, so there were times I came here and saw my friends and this side of the city.”

More than being able to experience another school, swimming enabled Chanin to dive into becoming a leader as captain during his junior and senior year.

“Swimming became a big part of my life,” Chanin said. “The high school swim team was a good experience; it molded me into the leader I am today. It taught me not to quit as I keep on going through the challenges while lifting others up.

Whenever I saw someone on the opposite side of the pool struggling with a workout, I would help them understand why the workout was important and swim with them.”

When Chanin approached his senior year, he faced the rapid current of college.

“My mom and dad - like many people in England - never went to college,” Chanin said. “My parents didn’t know what AP classes were or what the SAT was. I was led into a field of unknowns in adjusting to the college lifestyle. Interacting with new people and acclimating to teachers being at the front of classrooms opposed to the project based learning system made the first year of college difficult.”

However, his abundant optimism helped him overcome his struggles. It is this light that not only led him to find peace but affected his interactions with those around him.

“Kindness is one of Mr. Chanin’s most prominent traits,” Chanin’s wife Dr. Carly Chanin said. “In fact, that’s what attracted

me to him. We met in college when he had a crush on my resident assistant and frequently visited my dorm. He came by one night and was bombarded by a group of girls asking him to put on a face mask. It impressed me he was willing to join in on girly things without hurting his masculinity, and I’ve had a crush on him since.”

But Mr. Chanin’s kindness, in his wife’s eyes, is also what makes him a successful educator.

“I think his kindness is why he is such an amazing teacher,” Dr. Carly Chanin said.

“It takes a special kind of person to handle a full classroom with grace.”

His wife’s sentiments are echoed by both students and teachers alike. As Mr. Chanin continues his experience as a teacher, he brings passion and connection in every interaction.

The ability to be a leader is not exclusive to the way a teacher treats their students but also their fellow staff. For first-year U.S. History teacher Mallory Sather, who has Mr. Chanin as her Beginning Educators and Mentors (BEAM) Program mentor, Mr. Chanin’s empathy could not be more valuable.

“Last year, I was a student observer in the fall and a student teacher in the spring,” Sather said. “So, I was here every day in the spring. Joshua was an integral part of my teaching experience. We were on the same team, so we would plan together. Nobody has to check on the student teacher except the mentor teacher, so he owed me nothing, but Joshua would check up on me every day. He offers support in such an empathetic way by showing how he’s been in these shoes before.”

Mr. Chanin’s room offers a refuge of kindness, authenticity and vulnerability. It is a place where students can laugh, cry or talk without judgment, knowing that Mr. Chanin will be there to listen.

BREAKING THE MOLD Student entrepreneurs thinking bold

S

Vasireddy’s detailing business hits the fast lane

enior Saikrishna Vasireddy examines his work, a 2019 Ford Mustang meticulously detailed from the exterior body to the interior center console. As the sun glistens on the newly polished vehicle, Vasireddy embraces pure satisfaction.

“Cleaning someone’s car might not seem like it makes a big impact,” Vasireddy said. “But, for example, take your room. If you clean it up, you feel

five times more productive. When my partner and I go out there and clean some hard-working parent’s car and they get in and feel ready, that’s what makes their day.”

After watching CHS 2023 graduate Yash Adabala detail cars, Vasireddy realized that starting a business with him was a no-brainer.

“Once we got together, it just made sense,” Vasireddy said. “I helped

Story by Sri Achanta & Sameeha Syed Photos by Rhea Chowdhary Design by Avani Munji Students at Coppell High School are known to prioritize academics throughout their high school career, but some students have taken an entrepreneurial route to pursue their interests. The following three students each initiated a unique business that showcases their innovative personalities.

Singhal captures community through photography

H

is phone just wouldn’t suffice. Sophomore Ansh Singhal needed something better to authentically capture the action of his brother’s volleyball game. He eagerly looked around for a solution to his problem.

“The mom of one of the players on the team had a camera and I asked her if I could use it,” Singhal said. “It all started from there.”

Singhal kick-started his photography business in March. Merging his love of sports and passion for taking photos, his work focuses on spotlighting student athletes around CHS. Athletes can book Singhal through Instagram direct messages to capture photos of them on game days.

This year, Singhal worked with the Coppell Cowboys Football Booster Club. He was given field passes by Coppell football booster club president Jennifer Cusano for JV games and worked with coaches to gain access to varsity games.

“Mrs. Cusano approached me at one game,” Singhal said. “She said ‘I saw your photography, if you want to come shoot for the Coppell Booster Club, I would love to see you shoot for us.”

Singhal enjoys the fast-paced nature of sports coverage. He enjoys the thrill of keeping pace with the players, analyzing the field and anticipating plays in hopes of getting the perfect shot. His favorite part of the job, however, is the

time he spends at home editing his work.

“The post process, I’ve always loved,” Singhal said “I love editing the photos and looking back on them.”

Through YouTube tutorials and constant trial and error, Singhal taught himself how to use Adobe’s editing software to enhance his photos, adding another layer of personality to his work. He continues to experiment with the effect of color curves and the impact of different lighting on his subjects as he focuses on perfecting his craft and curating a recognizable style.

Though Singhal’s portfolio largely revolves around sports photography, his skill set also encompasses portrait photography.

“I did a lot of graduation photos around April and May,” Singhal said. “I started photography in March, so it was pretty early. I’ve gotten a lot better since.”

As his business grows, Singhal hopes to expand the scope of his photography, finding new lenses to capture his passions.

“It’s always up from here,” Singhal said.

“I want to keep growing and expanding and get better.”

him start building the brand. I put together a website, social media and business cards, then started marketing our company so that we could actually go do things.”

From there came Knight Shine Car Detailing, Vasireddy and Adabala’s official mobile car cleaning service “where your car gets the royal treatment because cars deserve a knight in shining armor!”

After reserving a time slot through their website, Vasireddy and Adabala drive over to the customer’s home as early as 5 a.m. to begin detailing their car, which takes up to one and a half hours.

“Detailing is everything: the tires, the entire outside, the leather, all cloth interior, dashboards and more,” Vasireddy said. “We scrub them down and clean them with certain products.

We have special products that we buy and we know exactly what products we have to use on each part of the car.”

Most of Vasireddy’s knowledge on detailing cars comes from YouTube videos, but he plans on gaining certifications in the near future. Slowly, Vasireddy is working to reach his target market of higher-end car users.

“There’s a community behind these cars,” Vasireddy said. “The people who own those cars are trying to be something better. We already have a couple of premium cars, but the goal is to keep going up and up and clean cars.”

Sikder redefining genderless fashion

W

ithin junior Neha Sikder’s notebook is her latest sketch: a cropped black top with a crescent-like slit on the collarbone.

This is one of the many designs in her repertoire that aims to change the conventional look of genderless fashion while ensuring sustainability.

“Society has grown a stigma around men in feminine clothing and there’s this notion that clothes dictate your gender identity,” Sikder said. “I want to show that you can wear what you want, all while being ethical.”

Inspired by the idea of “fluid fashion,” Sikder set out on a journey to build a business that sells clothing empowering personal expression and utilizing zero-waste engineering. In June 2022, Desoire officially launched.

On the Desoire website is Sikder’s first creation, “The Cropped One.” “I wanted something that was a mix between masculine and feminine - something different but muted,” Sikder said. “The top is cropped and fitted, which is different than what you see with most baggy [genderless clothing].”

To turn her idea into a tangible prod-

uct, Sikder first created a few sketches that she sent to her patternmaker in Italy. This sketch was turned into a pattern and sent to Decode MFG, a manufacturing group in Brooklyn that specializes in using every inch of fabric to minimize waste when creating clothing. Sikder also sent them around 120 yards of cloth made out of fibers extracted from beech wood, a biodegradable material.

The Council Fashion Design Administration is a certified fashion group that Sikder used to find manufactures.

“That’s how I found Decode,” Sikder said. “It’s a group of [under 10] people – I like slower fashion because if you’re doing mass production, obviously that poses environmental concerns.”

After the garment was pieced together, it was sent back to Sikder for fitting, where adjustments to the pattern were made.

“Because the clothing is unisex, I had to account for both men and women,” Sikder said. “I had to pick both a man and a woman whose measurements I thought were suitable for my target audience and blend the two to create the actual measurement chart. It took about four sample runs to get the fitting right.”

After finding two micro influencers, Nicholas Cicio and Rebeca Tomescu, to model her product, Sikder officially released “The Cropped One” on Oct. 27.

Her second piece is already in its works.

“I put it off for a long time, so it was a mix of emotions,” Sikder said. “I felt bad before because I hadn’t put the product out yet, but it felt good [to finally] put it out. It was a bittersweet moment.”

14 stude studen nt lif life @thesidekickcoppell

Sidekick Online

December 2023

@CHSCampusNews

coppellstudentmedia.com

Selby serves community with canned canvases Anvita Bondada Staff Writer @anvita_bondada

In a sea of adult architects, Coppell High School senior Charlotte Selby stands on a ladder overlooking the people at NorthPark Center.

Meticulously placing can after can onto her latest creation, her eyes are laser focused on the sculpture in front of her.

Over 5,000 tin cans later, she steps back and admires the sculpture towering in front of her.

Once a year, nonprofit organization CANstruction hosts its competition at NorthPark Center, where it invites different companies to build a sculpture out of tin cans with a specific theme. They are judged on different things such as height, how many cans used, and artistic prowess.

Selby joined her dad, Dale Selby, and his company, BRW Architects, in building statues out of tin cans at North Park Center in her freshman year. Working alongside her dad and his colleagues, she has so far helped create three tin can sculptures.

These sculptures followed the themes, “Game Over for Hunger”, “Writing an End to Hunger”, and “Depart from Hunger.”

The statues are constructed in one day and displayed at North Park Center for one month. The cans are then donated to the North Texas Food Bank. This year, the theme was to recreate famous artwork and 115,833 cans were donated.

The community service aspect of the project piqued Charlotte’s interest as she aims to give back to the world, an attribute she credits her dad for. She volunteers in school organizations, such as CHS Student Council and is part of the Red Jackets.

“My dad is a very community oriented person, and he has really tried to raise me with those values,” Charlotte said. “I think that’s why I wanted to help build the statues in the first place.”

She was excited to work on the tin can

sculptures with her dad so she could get to know his profession better, and could have a shared passion with him.

“Seeing Charlotte volunteer to help out with CanStruction is just another example of her willingness to help out others who are less fortunate,” Mr. Selby said. “As her dad, I’m always proud of her, but to see her give her time freely to causes such as this makes me think her mom and I raised her right.”

Charlotte also attributes her own creative background as a dancer into the creation of the sculptures. Although many don’t credit dance as a creative outlet, her experience in dance stimulates the artistic side of her brain, and allows her to take on a creative role in the process.

“While I don’t have a huge role in the ‘architecture’ part of the process, I get to assemble it and decide how I want it to look, which is definitely a creative effort,” Charlotte said. “I dance, which isn’t necessarily a super creative thing, but gives me a kind of artistic side.”

Creating the sculptures also gave Charlotte the opportunity to exercise her leadership skills, which led her to gain confidence. Despite her being the only teenager building a sculpture, she was able to take command of the group and not let the age disparity intimidate her.

“It was mostly my dad and his colleagues working on the architecture part, but I got to sort of dictate where everything went,” Charlotte said. “It was weird being the only kid at first, but everyone was really nice and receptive.”

Her helpful and communicative spirit manifests into other avenues as well. As a Lariette, she strives to create a welcoming atmosphere, and the people around her cite her exuberant personality.

“She’s definitely very bubbly and likes to talk to everybody,” Lariettes coach Hayley Mitchell said. “She likes to stay busy and her helping others within the Lariettes

Photo Courtesy Charlotte Selby

Coppell High School senior Charlotte Selby gives back to the DFW community through participating in the nonprofit CANstruction’s yearly can sculpture competition, which was created to help provide food to local families in need. Selby has been teaming up with her father’s architectural firm to compete since August 2020. Marli Field

The Wrangler Times inspires young journalists Sameeha Syed

Social Media Manager @sameehasyed

It’s 9 a.m.

The halls of Coppell Middle School West are flooded with students as the bell rings, dismissing them to their study hall period.

Learners rush to get to their Wrangler Time classrooms, but four students turn the pages to another mission instead.

They converge in room 203 to discuss plans for the upcoming issue of The Wrangler Times.

The Wrangler Times, a magazine pro-

duced entirely by the Magazine Club staff, serves to tell the stories of CMSW students and share news across the community.

CMSW eighth grader and editor-in-chief of The Wrangler Times Arnav Arora proposed the idea of the Magazine Club to STEM teacher Jackie Zaback to inform the student body about events occurring around CMSW. “I want to make sure that everything that happens in school is recorded in this magazine so everyone is always up to date,” Arora said. “ I don’t want anyone

Photo illustration by Kayla Nguyen The Wrangler Times sports editor Sri Charan Pasala, editor-in-chief Arnav Arora and fine arts editor Sahaj Jaiswal run the student magazine program at Coppell Middle School West. The CMSW Magazine Club currently has more than 70 members and provides students with the platform to produce content and garner journalistic skills. Sameeha Syed

to feel pressured to go somewhere they don’t want to just so they know what it’s like.”

Upon hearing Arora’s passion for the project, Zaback agreed to sponsor the club without hesitation.

“It’s important that students who have a passion get the opportunity to pursue it,” Zaback said. “The boys are very passionate about this magazine and I wanted to give them the opportunity to publish something that they were really proud of.”

The club currently sits at more than 70 members, larger than almost any other club at the school. To accommodate the interests of this many students, the team decided to completely digitize the program.

“I thought, if it’s a digital magazine, the club should be digital too, ” Zaback said.

“Arnav suggested we open a Schoology course and it worked out really well. We can have this big club because we don’t physically meet.”

Four editors oversee the production of the magazine: Arora, sports editor Sri Charan Pasala, club section editor Purush Srivats and fine arts editor Sahaj Jaiswal.

The magazine covers concerts, sporting events, student life and even includes an advice column where writers can share tips on overcoming obstacles that middle school students may face.

Additionally, The Wrangler Times acts as a platform for clubs around CMSW to advertise their events.

The first edition of the digital magazine was published on Nov. 2, but achieving that was not easy. With such a large staff, the editors ran into some bumps during the editing process.

The Coppell Middle School West Magazine Club released its first edition of The Wrangler Times on Nov. 2.

“Our main issue was formatting,” Arora said. “My number one thing was consistency and some people didn’t know how to do that.”

The editors took what they learned from the process of creating the first edition and noted changes they could make.

To make the magazine look more cohesive and professional, for instance, Arora plans to make a template that automatically formats the stories, making the process for the second edition of the magazine smoother.

As staff on the magazine come back to school, they feel power in being part of a diverse community.

The Sidekick @thesidekickcoppell

studen stude nt lif life 15 Sidekick Online

@CHSCampusNews

coppellstudentmedia.com

Cansino blends international into local Lifelong learner incorporates local, global experiences in English classroom Sabah Uddin Staff Writer @sabah__uddin

After an unexpected vacancy for a Coppell High School’s English II Honors teacher, the scramble for a new teacher began amidst a teacher shortage two weeks into the school year.

Ericka Cansino took on the position in stride starting Oct. 16, two months into the school year.

“There is a teacher shortage, which makes it difficult to find new candidates,” assistant principal/English department dean Colleen Lowry said. “It’s like, ‘Oh gosh’, what are we going to do, and where are we going to find this needle in a haystack?”

According to Lowry, Cansino’s extensive teaching and educational experience lifted her a step above other prospective applicants in the hiring process.

“One of the reasons I liked her was because she had completed her graduate degree and is currently working on her Ph.D.,” Lowry said. “That told me she is a lifelong learner, and any teacher who is a learner is someone I want to have on my team because they are willing to grow and learn new things.”

Two decades ago, Cansino decided to pursue education as a career after interning at various school districts. Since, she has upheld 11 certifications and teaching experiences across different subjects and grade levels. Currently, she is an Abilene Christian University student finishing her doctoral degree in organizational leadership.“I am always growing as an educator, I don’t like feeling stagnant,” Cansino said. “I like being front facing to students in the classroom, and I think that allows me to perform at my best right now.”

Cansino has taught many grades and in

many schools, extending her educational reach internationally; she worked in the Belize Teachers for a Better Belize/UT Tyler Partner program, an internship from the administrative perspective, working with students of various ages inside of Mayan villages, Punta Gorda, Trinidad and Belize.

“I remember going up a mountain, and seeing all the students walking up the mountain to get to school as it was their only way to get there,” Cansino said. “It’s not something you see frequently, the conditions with the air conditioning and open windows. It was definitely different.”

Contrasting her traditional teaching experiences, Cansino has also worked as the Coppell Mathnasium Center Manager.

In addition to expanding her skill set into math and working with younger learners, Cansino worked with CHS students who were employees at Mathnasium.

“I got to know the Coppell population and understand that these are students going to school, living lives like employees, and then going home and doing homework,” Cansino said. ”That’s a lot to expect of a student. They are adults, managing real stress and performing at a level with so much responsibility for younger students’ learning.”

Missing the front-facing interaction with students, Cansino returned to teaching, eventually making her way back to the Coppell community at CHS. Under substitute teachers before Cansino’s arrival, students often lacked class structure and feedback, negatively impacting learning.

“Having a proper English teacher helps my grade overall, as we get proper lessons from her,” sophomore Aisha Qamar said. “Some teachers can be boring and it’s hard to listen to their lessons, but it’s easy to pay attention and understand

Coppell High School English Honors II teacher Ericka Cansino showcases gratitude towards her students. Cansino stepped into her teaching role two months into the 2023-24 school year with her unique background in education. Deepika Kumar what she’s [Cansino] talking about.”

Upon arrival to the classroom, Cansino had students write letters to get to know them faster, see where they were at and what they were feeling.

“They have responded well in terms of changes,” Cansino said. “They have taken everything in stride and gone with the flow.”

According to Lowry, new teachers such as Cansino are integrated slowly into CHS. They are first connected to resources and people, where they can find help with items such as taking attendance, Schoology, lesson planning, school policies and Home Access Center to input grades. Cansino has learned the ropes of the English department through regular sixth period meetings, where English II Honors teacher

Hannah Corley has gotten to know her.

“With her experience in various ages of kids, she brings valuable insight that the rest of us in meetings haven’t thought of,” Corley said. “She embodies FISH and GRIT, and even though she hasn’t known her students for long, you wouldn’t know that from her actions and caring for them.”

After being thrown into the new teaching role, Cansino hopes to navigate through the school year by implementing more consistency in the classroom and finding her own rhythm.

“I had to pick up everything really quickly, and so finding a rhythm where I am moving at a good pace rather than feeling like everything is coming at me fast would be nice,” Cansino said.

blocks of beginner-friendly code and numerous typing tests, Mehrotra developed her initial admiration for a world of creativity converged with logic.

“I was in middle school, and I really liked programming,” Mehrotra said. “It was relatively new to me, I didn’t know much about it. You could just do whatever way you wanted to and create programs and ideas out of thin air.

There wasn’t a set of instructions.”

M e h r o t r a ’s love for coding strengthened as she sat amongst her classmates in her first coding class, being instructed to create their first websites.

Through writing n u m e ro u s lines of code for her first

learn more complex languages later on.

“I had a lot of fun building that website,” Mehrotra said. “I thought it was really cool that I made it out of scratch.

The website solidified for me that I really wanted to play with coding more.”

Despite her formulating passion, her first coding class lacked the complexities of coding she desired. This became a barrier to Mehrotra’s knowledge.

Undeterred, she continued to explore her passions independently. Mehrotra started to do more programs and find what languages she preferred. Additionally, Mehrotra’s friends lacked an interest in computer science due to its laborious nature. She found herself isolated to learn on her own.

“Coding is so tedious and small that it can really frustrate you easily,” Mehrotra said. “They just didn’t like it enough to go through that much frustration. I would also get frustrated, but because I liked it, I moved on with it.”

Undaunted, Mehrotra decided to code her own path, turning to external sources for guidance. YouTube videos became her classroom, free coding camps her sanctuary and boredom a catalyst for coding projects to broaden her knowledge.

Currently, Mehrotra is immersed in a collaborative venture with an online group of high school students through STEM• E. Since March, Mehrotra along with others in the group have been building an app, currently unnamed, that requires players to race and answer educational questions in order to get points.

“I hope the app will help its users stay engaged when studying and progress towards their educational goals,” Mehrotra said. “It’s not flash cards where they show one term after another. We want it to be interesting because it can be boring to study that way.”

Mehrotra codes her way to radiance Neha Nathwani Staff Writer @nehann126

When Coppell High School senior Sameeksha Mehrotra walks into a technology-filled classroom, her smile illuminates the room, mirroring the radiant glows emanating from the computer screens.

In the dynamic world of STEM, where lines of code intricately weave the fabric of innovation, Mehrotra is propelled by an unwavering passion to navigate through the unknowns of computer science.

M e h r o t r a ’s

journey in computer science commenced at an intersection of curiosity and opportunity. The Coding course was introduced to the classrooms of Coppell Middle School West in 2019. Unaware that coding was a prominent career field, she anticipatorily took the plunge.

By immersing herself in the uncharted territories of Apple Swift Programming,

Coppell High School senior Sameeksha Mehrotra holds a passion for computer science, ever since her first coding class in eighth grade. Mehrotra has done various activities in computer science, and is currently working with a group to develop an app.

Neha Nathwani

website, she was able to learn new coding languages, such as HTML and CSS, which became the foundation for her to

16

entertainment e ntertain tertainm ment

@thesidekickcoppell

Sidekick Online

@CHSCampusNews

December

2023

coppellstudentmedia.com

Filmmaking is another day in the sun Marli Field

Staff Writer @CHSCampusNews

A metaphorical spotlight shines on Coppell High School senior Issac Mercado.

When Mercado is mentioned in conversation, people tend to smile.

Mercado has long been a lover of the performing arts. As president of the Cowboy Theatre Company Drama Club and involvement in theater since freshman year, Mercado has had his fair share of roles.

Mercado seems to be most known for his genuine demeanor.

“He’s just the type of person to walk into a room and light it up,” sophomore Makayla Arnold said. “Everyone kind of gravitates towards him.”

Mercado is an executive director for KCBY-TV, where he feels he truly rediscovered his passion for videography and w > }° “Issac is extremely creative,” KCBY-TV adviser Irma Lazos-Kennedy said. “Nothing is a challenge to him, which is something I love about him. He can take a concept and run with it.”

Kennedy also sponsors the CHS Film Club, where Mercado is president.

“Issac has charisma, people follow him,” Kennedy said. “I know he makes good decisions, and is someone I trust. Knowing that enabled me to support him when he wanted to start Film Club.”

Throughout Mercado’s childhood, he always loved movies. He was fascinated by the way something captured on a screen could have an effect on people. Mercado found comfort and inspiration through what he was watching, such as La La Land, and work by director Greta Gerwig.

After joining theater in high school, he became inspired by his fellow classmates and began writing screenplays of various genres for fun. However, the ideas were simply too good to remain as ideas.

Mercado has written and directed mul/ i w à i` «À iVÌ Ã > `Þ > V ÃÌ After high school, Mercado wants to Ì « i à ÀÌ w ð >ÃÌ Þi>À] à à ÀÌ w ] ry about a high schooler, played by 2023 «ÕÀÃÕi > V>ÀiiÀ w > }] > ` « > à Happy Birthday Sid, won an award for CHS graduate Jude Taylor, depicting his on doing whatever it takes to accomplish Best Comedic Actor at the Texas Thespi- journey of being wrongfully accused of a his goals. ans Festival and advanced to Nationals. crime.

“I think the pursuit of an artistic path is č Ì iÀ w ] Traitor, inspired by the -«À i` Ì À Õ} ÕÌ Ì i à ÀÌ w >Ài so admirable to me as a person who’s also music of American singer-songwriter Oliv- references to Olivia Rodrigo’s hit album an artist,” Kryzak said.“I just love to see > , `À } ] à iÀV>` ½Ã }iÃÌ Ã ÀÌ w ] Sour. people who are not afraid to pursue their running at more than 45 minutes. The idea -i À i ÀÞâ> wÀÃÌ iÌ iÀV>` dreams. I hope Issac wins an Oscar.” v À Ì Ã w V> i >L ÕÌ `ÕÀ } > « i in seventh grade at their individual middle call with Mercado’s close friend, senior Sid schools, but reconnected in high school, Gunasekaran. The two were brainstorm- bonding over their mutual love of theater. } `i>à v À > à ÀÌ w > ` i` >L ÕÌ “He’s very positive, he’s very funny,” ways to add humor to the plot.

Kryzak said. “But I think something he’s “At the time, Olivia Rodrigo was trend- especially good at is making everyone he ing,” Mercado said. “So we were like, encounters feel important in the conversa‘how funny would it be if Olivia Rodrigo tion. He opens people up.” came in?”

After com« iÌ } Ì i w > script in October 2022, Mercado recruited actors for the project, turning to his peers and classmates in theater.

After the main cast was put together, they started Ì i w } «À cess in November 2022, Mercado directing every scene.

Traitor was vwV > Þ Ã >Ài` with the public via YouTube on Sept. 7, the day prior to Coppell High School senior, Cowboy Theatre Company Drama Club president and KCBY-TV executive program dithe release of ÀiVÌ À ÃÃ>V iÀV>` Ài i>Ãi` à ÃÌ ÀiVi Ì Ã ÀÌ w $5 Û° n° iÀV>` iÝ«ÀiÃÃià à Ûi v À w > } > ` Rodrigo’s latest Ì i «iÀv À } >ÀÌÃ Ì À Õ} VÀi>Ì } Û>À Õà à ÀÌ w à > ` VÀi>Ì } Û `i à v À 9 /6° Isheeta Bajjuri album GUTS.

Laufey bewitches Gen Z with new album The trees turn to a shade of auburn, the perfect season to be bewitched

by Laufey, as the peaceful falling leaves coordinate to the comforting rhythms of jazz.

On Sept. 8, Icelandic-American singer-songwriter Laufey’s album Bewitched was one to commemorate its release date, as well as Olivia Rodrigo’s album GUTS. Laufey’s romantic, swoonful jazz music has become increasingly popular, but not as exceedingly as Rodrigo’s music, known for its indie-pop and rock sensation. Although jazz is not the expectational choice amongst Generation Z, Laufey’s modiÀ >ââ Õà V] ëiV wV> ly her new album Bewitched, is known for bringing jazz back.

When you think of jazz, you are likely to picture yourself in a cafe with bossa nova playing quietly in the background, maybe causing your mouth to yawn.

Laufey has proven otherwise, as her sophomore album Bewitched has revived and brought jazz into the interests of Gen Z, making them amid lovers of this genre of music.

Laufey Lín Jónsdóttir, known by her mononym Laufey, (pronounced “layvay”), was born in Iceland to a Chinese mother and Icelandic father

Laufey’s new album Bewitched is composed of both jazz and pop elements, attracting a more youthful audience. The Sidekick staff writer Katie Park discusses how Gen Z has become more engaged in the genre of jazz from listening to Laufey. Katie Park Ü iÀi à i }ÀiÜ Õ« Ü Ì Ì i yÕi Vi v music at an early age. She began playing the cello and the piano where her love for jazz grew.

Bewitched surpassed the record for most jazz streams on its day of release on Spotify with 5.7 million streams and has scored an entry on the Billboard 200 chart at No. 23 on all genres and No. 1 on both the Jazz Albums & Traditional Jazz Albums Chart.

“I like Bewitched because of how she is >L i Ì V>«ÌÕÀi Ì i vii } v >Û } > wÀÃÌ love and to be entranced by a person,” Coppell sophomore Akshara Pillai said.

Laufey expresses her love life and inner thoughts by incorporating light guitar strums, melodic chords and hums. Her song “Lovesick,” the sixth track of Bewitched, details her emotions of being entranced by her love interest, utilizing an upbeat rhythm with a catchy tune.

“I like this mystical world that she creates through her music and this unique ambiance that she sets as she incorporates her classical and jazz knowledge,” Pillai said.

New interpretations and aspects arise from Laufey’s music as teens appreciate it in different ways.

“I like Laufey’s music because of how complex her lyrics are yet they still have the function to be able to connect with so many people,” Coppell junior Sarah Nalkund said. “I really like how she incorporated bossa nova and scatting into her own popular style of music so it brings back some jazz aspects back into mainstream music.” / i Þ Õ } }i iÀ>Ì > Ã w `Ã V fort in Laufey’s songs as it can relate its struggles to the lyrics. In the song “Letter To My 13 Year Old Self,” the 13th track of Bewitched, Laufey sings about her insecu-

rities as a teenager and how she felt as if à i ` ` ½Ì wÌ ° She expresses, “I’m so sorry that they pick you last / Try to say your foreign name and laugh / I know that you feel loud, so different from the crowd / Of big blue eyes, and long blonde hair, and boys that stare,” portraying her self-doubt and insecurity as a 13-year-old.

“I love ‘Letter To My 13 Year Old Self’ because Laufey’s songwriting in that piece is just beautiful, she totally enraptured the feeling and she just completely draws a picture for you with the song,” New Tech High @ Coppell sophomore Lasya Raman said. i < V> w ` V v ÀÌ iÀ Ã }Ã] listening to words that relate to their everyday life.

“I started listening to her two and a half years ago, and something that caught my attention was the depth of her music,” Coppell sophomore Pranaesh Muthu said.

“Her song ‘Like The Movies’ really captures the melody and her voice overall.”

Laufey’s music has persuaded Gen Z to take an interest in jazz and made it a popular genre amongst the younger generation.

“I would like to start listening to jazz, and I think so would a lot of other teenagers,” Raman said. “Listening to Laufey is very refreshing as it allows me to enjoy some jazz elements which I don’t hear very often in other music.”

Katie Park Staff Writer @katiegpark

The Sidekick @thesidekickcoppell

entertain tertainm ment 17 Sidekick Online

@CHSCampusNews

coppellstudentmedia.com

Madrigal royalty rule with rhythm Johnson keeping choir in perfect tune Ainsley Dwyer Entertainment Editor @ainsleydwyer

L i w }iÀà Ûi Õ« > ` ` Ü Ì i iÞ° / i Õà V y ÜÃ Ü Ì ÕÌ > Þ ià Ì>tion suggesting the player has been playing for years. True to the style of jazz, the tunes are guided by the soul. The music y ÜÃ Ì À Õ} >à à > `à yÞ >VÀ Ãà the keys, as he fully embraces the art he creates.

Phones capture the spirited tune and the practice room at Texas Music Educators Association All-State Choir in Tenor-Bass rings with applause as Coppell Choir Madrigals King and New Tech High J ««i Ãi À *ÀiÃÌ Ã w à ià his jazz improv next to piano accompanist Ruben Reyes. With a laugh, Johnson lifts à w }iÀà vv Ì i iÞð “It’s the core memory of music for me,” Johnson said.

Listening to the song, Coppell associate director of choirs Aaron Coronado approached Johnson and asked him to join Coppell Choir Madrigals. Johnson played his way in. After he tried out, he made it and he loved it.

“I didn’t know what to expect coming into it,” Johnson said. “I just know that it’s one of the top choirs at Coppell and it’s an honor to be in it. You’re surrounded by really talented people, so that was enticing.

I wanted to check that out and when I did explore for a year, it was really fun. ” Johnson has been playing piano for al ÃÌ wÛi Þi>ÀÃ] LÕÌ Ì i > Õ Ì v Þi>Àà i½Ã Lii « >Þ } ` iÃ Ì ÀiyiVÌ Ì i hours he has put into piano.

Johnson was born with a rare ability that only 0.01% of the world population has: perfect pitch. Johnson is able to identify a given musical note without Ì i Li iwÌ v > reference tone.

“Before I [realized I had perfect pitch], I would know if someone was singing a song in the wrong key,” Johnson said.

He uses this talent to learn and identify elements in songs.

When others are lost in a song, they can listen to him sing and get back on track.

“He helps give us starting pitches,” Coronado said. “He’s always willing to help us lead rehearsals and get people focused.”

Johnson has an Instagram account

where he posts regularly of him singing to playing instruments. You can hear the talent in his voice, the range in different types of music he can sing and the overall musical skill he puts so many hours behind.

Johnson works regularly with the other half of the King and Queen duo in Madrigals, senior Ana Jesayen.

“Preston is very dedicated,” Jesayen said. “You can tell singing is more than a passion, it’s his entire life.”

Johnson has a second home within the refuge of the choir room, losing himself in the keys of the piano for hours a day. But, his true passion is shown in his desire to share his passion outside the borders of the classroom.

“Preston is one of the most talented musicians that I’ve ever met,” senior Coppell Choir president Roma Jani said.

“He is just so knowledgeable in art, and it’s not just the perfect pitch. It’s knowing the notes and rhythms, being able to sight read and knowing different chord progressions.”

Johnson enjoys having a good time while also working to improve the choir’s collective sound.

“He loves getting to know people, he is kind to all of his peers and he is very welcoming - which are the qualities needed in a real king, let alone a Madrigals king,” Jani said. “We’re all amazing, but Preston is just above and beyond.”

Johnson plans to major in music education at the University of Texas at Arlington. Johnson hopes to share the passion and appreciation he has for music with others.

“During COVID-19, I realized that I like performing in front of people and like teaching people and creating music,” Johnson said.

“I want to let others experience the same feeling that music gives me.”

Jesayen igniting emotion with song Anvita Bondada Staff Writer @CHSCampusNews

In church, a 1-year-old is unable to stop crying from the overstimulation of the vast environment around her. Her mother sings softly in her ear, pacifying her restless screams, as she allows herself to be enveloped in the calming sound of her mother’s voice, drowning out her intimidating surroundings.

Seventeen years later, the child, Coppell High School senior Ana Jesayen, harnesses a voice of her own, determined to touch the hearts of her audiences in the same way.

“I love when you can make an audience member cry from your music,” Jesayen said. “Whether out of joy or sadness, the idea that you can tell a story through music is so cool.”

Before joining choir in sixth grade at Coppell Middle School East, Jesayen sang Indian Carnatic music, a passion passed down by her mother. Her connection to her heritage is also demonstrated in her performance of Bharatanatyam and Bollywood dance as a child, but she gradually had a greater inclination towards singing.

Her fervor for singing enabled her to pursue both Carnatic and choir singing despite the discrepancy between the two styles. The sharp, pingy sound of Carnatic music combined with the sustained, mellow sound of Western music posed a vocal challenge for Jesayen.

“In Carnatic music, you are trained to sing more ‘forward’ and to sing out, while Western music advises against that, and you sing like in the back of your throat,” Jesayen said. “It’s hard at times to do both, but I love L Ì ÃÌÞ ià à ½ w i with it.”

Jesayen channels her love of singing through being Madrigals Queen, captain of Vivace! and vice president of Coppell Choir.

These positions

allow her to surround herself with singing > ` `iw i iÀ } ÃV iÝ«iÀ i Vi through the choir room in F Hall.

“I like to joke that choir is my whole life, but it genuinely is,” Jesayen said. “All of my closest friends are people I met through choir, and people have told me, ‘When I think of choir, I think of you.”

Joining choir allowed Jesayen to hone her talents and share them with a larger audience outside of her home. Though she already sang with the Dallas Tamil Catholics Church choir, she could experience singing with more people and gain a new perspective of music in a group setting.

“Choir gave me the chance to bond over singing with a friend group,” Jesayen said.

Jesayen leads the choirs by being a ÕÀÌÕÀ }] i «vÕ w}ÕÀi > ` } ÕÌ for her classmates. Her warm disposition makes her a person that anyone can conw`i > ` } Ì v À i «° “She’s kind of like everyone’s mom,” senior CHS Choir president Roma Jani said. “She takes care of us. If you need a bobby pin on show night, she’s the one you go to. If you forgot your lipstick, she’ll have an extra one.”

By her caretaking nature, Jesayen likes to lead by example, striving to be the best version so others will follow suit. Her organization and leadership skills never fail to go unnoticed by the people around her.

“She is very organized in regards to managing choir work,” Coppell Choir Head Director Bona Coogle said. “She knows how to settle the choir down, and she knows how to stay focused until she’s done with the task at hand.”

Beyond high school, Jesayen plans to continue singing in her church choir.

Following her m o t h e r ’s passion for music, she strives to evoke emotion from others through singing wherever she goes.

New Tech High @ Coppell senior Preston Johnson and Coppell High School senior Ana Jesayen serve as Coppell Choir Madrigal King and Queen. Johnson has been devoting VKOG VQ RTCEVKEG OWUKE HQT ƂXG [GCTU CPF RNCPU VQ EQPVKPWG VJTQWIJ CP GFWECVKQP CV 7PKXGTUKV[ QH 6GZCU CV #TNKPIVQP YJKNG ,GUC[GP KU KP JGT UGXGPVJ [GCT QH EJQKT CPF WUGU UKPIKPI to tell her story. Isheeta Bajjuri and Rhea Chowdhary

18 entertain tertainm ment December 2023 @thesidekickcoppell

Sidekick Online

@CHSCampusNews

coppellstudentmedia.com

Determination, dedication, devotion

Depew riding with rhythm of marimba Nrithya Mahesh Staff Designer @nrithya_m

Melodies flow like ocean waves, calming and emotive. Coppell High School junior percussionist Sophie Depew moves across the marimba, treating it as an extension of herself.

It’s hard to not be enchanted by the music.

Depew’s musical journey started in kindergarten as her mother, former percussionist Trish Wiese, wanted music to run through the family. When it came time for middle school, it seemed obvious for Depew to join the school band and follow in her mother’s footsteps.

“I went into the auditions wanting to do percussion,” Depew said. “I tried out all the instruments and did really well in all of them, but percussion was always the coolest one to me.”

Depew went through Coppell Middle School North treating band as nothing but another class. But in eighth grade, she found herself lured by the marimba after hearing it played during high school tryouts.

“I heard it and it was so pretty,” Depew said. “I saw that it was a percussionist playing the marimba, and I started to think about the instrument. I had no idea what it was, so I was very intrigued.”

It became her challenge to master the marimba. Staying at the high school until 9 p.m. practicing, music was no longer just an enjoyable class—it was a lifestyle.

“It clicked whenever I came into high school,” Depew said. “I realized this is my thing now, and I put in all this effort and time so I couldn’t be mediocre.”

Depew’s dedication is hard to miss in her performance. CHS percussion instructor Patricia Islas could not help but notice her expertise at the parent preview concert prior to her freshman year.

“I noticed that even after just a week of practice, Sophie was performing in a way that seemed very confident, musical

and mature for a freshman level,” Islas said. “That was a little sign of what was to come.”

She continued to practice her marimba skills to the maximum in ninth grade. When it came time for the North Texas Premier Solo Contest in May 2022, she participated in the solo contest with percussion with her marimba. Her performance won her the Outstanding Soloist award, which she also won sophomore year.

“It’s definitely not easy for a freshman, but she destroyed it,” Islas said. “The judge was a colleague of mine from another school and he would not stop talking about how amazing she was. He could see that there was a certain attitude and sincerity in how she played things that was unique.”

Wanting to challenge herself more, Depew decided to participate in the Percussive Arts Society Texas Chapter’s Day of Percussion high school individual competition in April with Heng Liu’s “Vermillion Bird” in marimba.

“She had so much emotion and intent when playing that solo,” CHS percussion instructor Randall Nguyen said. “It was really cool to see her perform at that level and ability.”

Depew exited the competition dissatisfied with her performance, even if others thought differently. Leaving before the awards ceremony, she returned home only to find on Facebook that she won first place for her marimba solo.

“I did not think it was real,” Depew said “I thought it was a mistake.It felt surreal because I was in the darkness of my home, alone, and I did not know who to tell.”

Winning the competition came with a $2,000 scholarship, a drum set and invitations to camps at the University of North Texas, presented by UNT coordinator of percussion Mark Ford. Depew attended the American Percussion Seminar at UNT in June and learned from professors around the country.

“I got to meet a bunch of other people

Coppell junior percussionist Sophie Depew performs “An Ancient Observer” at halftime on Nov. 10. Depew won the Percussive Arts Society Texas Chapter’s Day of Percussion high school individual competition in April for her marimba performance and plans to go into the music field after high school. Sameeha Syed. around my age that were just as dedicated,” Depew said. “I took a couple lessons with Mark Ford during that time, and he asked for my contact information so that we could continue lessons into the school year. It was crazy and incredible.”

Depew plans to take on music in her fu-

ture career.

“I can’t see myself doing anything else,” Depew said. “I just want to be a part of music and make sure that it is a part of my life for years to come. I want to make sure that all of this time and dedication doesn’t go to waste.”

Through animation, imagination has no bounds, and whatever it may be, be it a green sky or blue grass, would not strike as unusual or “wrong.” There are no constraints to reality, which helps the audience escape into a world of fiction for two hours. As closely as live-action movies capture these whimsical elements, it is strange to see such landscapes in real life because they clearly look artificial.

Animation gives room for characters to express exaggerated emotion, which enhances the story and helps to understand their personality better. When characters in real life attempt to act and speak the same way, it lacks the magic of the original. Sometimes, the actors do not display enough emotion, taking away from the feeling of that particular scene.

Live-action movies also take away people’s original perception of a character.

After I watched the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast, my perception of the Beast changed. It felt strange when I saw him portrayed as actor Dan Stevens.

The innocence and affection I associated with the animated Beast is replaced with the image of the real Beast or Prince Adams.

As visually appealing and close character compositions are in real-life films, they simply cannot replace the charm and magic of their original v e r sions.

Live-action movies lack real-life magic When I heard there was going to be a live-action version of Beauty and the Beast, one of my favorite Disney movies growing up, I was s k e p t i c a l at first, w o n d e ring how on earth the original magic would be replicated in the n e w movie.

A s b l o w n away as I was by the s t u n n i n g elements in Beauty and the Beast, it simply does not feel the same as its animated counterpart.

Seeing the characters as real objects and peo-

ple take away from the charm of the animated version.

The general setting, especially the castle, appears significantly darker than the original movie. The live-action version does not fully encapsulate the intangible magic of the animated version of Beauty and the Beast.

A few years later, when I watched the live-action of Mulan, I was taken aback and disappointed by the number of changes from the original animated film.

Mulan’s dragon companion, Mushu, is nowhere to be seen in the live-action. Mushu plays a key role in the original movie, helping Mulan through adversity, encouraging and comforting her, and most importantly, throwing in some humor within the seriousness of the movie.

Mulan’s love interest, Li-Shang, is also omitted in the live-action version. Instead, his character is replaced by a man named Chen Honghui, who is Mulan’s ally throughout the movie and then is weakly portrayed as her love interest in the end.

The absence of these two iconic characters makes the live-action version bland and less exciting. It takes away the light-hearted aspects of the animated movie and replaces them with a more serious and realistic tone.

No matter how hard movie production companies will try, they will simply not be able to incorporate the same magic and innocence of the original animated films into their live-action counterparts.

Ishana Sharma Staff Writer @_ishana.sharma

Graphic by Pranavi Ramineni

The Sidekick @thesidekickcoppell

entertain tertainm ment 19 Sidekick Online

@CHSCampusNews

Winter wordplay Spot the 15 differences

Word search

Comic What can self care look like?

BELLS CANDY CANE CELEBRATION CHILLY EGGNOG ELF FESTIVITY FIREPLACE FROST HOLIDAY JOLLY MISTLETOE NEW YEAR PRESENTS RIBBON SHIVER SLEIGH SNOWFLAKE SNOWMAN Mirror mirror

coppellstudentmedia.com

20

sports

@thesidekickcoppell

Sidekick Online

December

2023

@CHSCampusNews

coppellstudentmedia.com

Injuries no match for Spiller

Coppell senior guard Ella Spiller attempts to cross up a defender from Frisco Memorial at CHS Arena on Nov. 28. Having played basketball for 13 years, Spiller serves as a leader to the Cowgirls both in and out of the court. Kayla Nguyen

Namir Awan Staff Writer @namir_awan

Although Coppell senior guard Isabella Spiller has been through tremendous adversity, her dream of playing basketball rages on.

Now a varsity starter and one of the leaders on the Cowgirls basketball squad, Spiller was one of the main components in the team’s success a year prior, and is now a centerpiece.

“I feel glad that the coaching staff and my teammates trust me to this extent,” Spiller said. “They trust me to lead the team and that’s what I strive to do every day of the week.”

Spiller’s dream to play basketball started when she was a mere toddler. She would watch her older brothers Liam and Christian Spiller play and learn from them.

She would go to their games to watch, learn and fool around while her dad, Matt Spiller, was coaching their team.

“I always used to be with them and play around after practices and games,” Ella said. “They would help me with the fundamentals and I became pretty good.”

Starting in kindergarten, Ella joined an all-boys first grade team and immediately started dominating. Although she was playing with supreme talent, she would always hear fans and opposing teams parents make negative remarks about a girl playing on the team.

“I could always hear them in the stands and on the sidelines,” Ella said. “At first, it was demoralizing, but I blocked them out and used their negativity to motivate me.”

She played in the boys league until seventh grade, when she transitioned to middle school sports. Her seventh grade campaign at Coppell Middle School East

was very successful, winning a district championship. However, towards the end of eighth grade, doctors discovered an extra bone in her foot and immediate surgery was the only way to correct it.

“There always was a little pain,” Ella said. “It then got so bad that the doctors had to perform surgery to remove the bone.”

Wearing a boot for eight months definitely had an effect on Spiller’s strength and the road to recovery was a long one. Although she was coming off surgery, Coppell coach Ryan Murphy believed in her talent, energy and gave her a spot on varsity.

“When I came here [five years ago], I wanted to change the dynamic and the culture of our team,” Murphy said.

“Ella was one of those players that I have been watching for a long time and she would hustle.”

Coming back up slowly, Ella was starting to finally get back in her groove when she fractured her fibula sophomore year and was out yet again for an extended amount of time.

“It was very upsetting because I had just missed basically a full season,” Ella said. “I knew that I needed to come back strong from the injury and bounce back.”

Entering junior year, Ella was fully healthy and ready to roll. With many notable seniors, she played alongside them, giving the team a great helping hand in the deep playoff push they had.

“She was a clear starter on our team,” Murphy said. “Her energy, her tenacity on both sides of the ball and the fact that we run the ball through her and put her on their best player is the reason she’s our best.”

With the team looking to make a significant run this year as well, it will rely on the skill and the talent of Ella.

“I am truly grateful for my dad and the coaches who believed in me even when I was injured,” Ella said. “Even though I have been hit hard with injuries, I feel more confident than ever to play for the team and to help set up a legacy for the underclassmen.”

Coppell senior guard Ella Spiller shoots a jumper against Frisco Memorial at CHS Arena on Nov. 28. Having played basketball for 13 years, Spiller serves as a leader to the Cowgirls both in and out of the court. Kayla Nguyen

sports 21

The Sidekick @thesidekickcoppell

Sidekick Online

@CHSCampusNews

Comparin reaching for final bar Star gymnast prepping for final high school season

coppellstudentmedia.com

Kicking it off

Soccer Season Hamza Zakir Staff Writer @hamza_a_zakir

Coppell senior Davide Comparin practices his bar routine on Dec. 4. Comparin is a level 10 gymnast at Texas Dreams Gymnastics in Coppell, previously placing first at nationals, practicing daily from 3-7 p.m. Rhea Choudhary

Rhea Choudhary Staff Writer @rhea_choud

Texas Dreams gymnasium in Coppell echoes with the rhythmic thud of hands against resin-coated bars as chalk dust floats through the air. With fully stretched arms each in acute angles, Coppell senior level 10 gymnast Davide Comparin sticks his landing during his daily bar routine.

Comparin’s gymnastics journey began at age 7 when his parents, recognizing his limitless energy, enrolled him in the world of flips, twists and balance beams. Little did they know at the time that this decision would set the stage for a future respectable career spanning over a decade.

With a path etched towards West Point Military Academy beginning in 2024, Comparin’s commitment has remained consistent as the staple of his day. From 3-7 p.m., six days a week, he sticks himself in the gym, dedicating 24 hours per week.

Comparin focuses on perfecting each routine to reach his potential for the upcoming competition season, beginning mid-January. His efforts have earned him numerous accolades in the most recent competition season, where he obtained victory at state, regionals and nationals, acquiring first place all-around in each event.

“Winning first at nationals last year was one of the happiest moments of my life because it felt great to know that my hard work paid off, especially with all of my family being there,” Comparin said. “I don’t ever get tired of practicing gymnastics itself, however, I do expectedly get exhausted doing both school and gymnastics throughout the week, yet I probably push myself more within gymnastics rather than in school.”

However, Comparin’s journey wasn’t without its share of challenges. While a two-year hardship with a back injury from 2019-2021 could have been a career-ending setback or an expected reason to quit, it became a defining chapter for Comparin.

“After my back injury, all I could think about every day was getting back into the gym,” Comparin said. “I would wake up every morning and immediately start lifting weights to condition and would look forward to heading to the gym to do whatever form of practice I was capable of.”

Comparin is a part of a team of 15 level 10 male gymnasts and his favorite memories have always correlated to competing with his team. Aside from practicing with one another daily, and motivating each other, Comparin and his teammates are all close, hanging out at least once a week.

“When I first met Davide around five years ago, I thought I would never get to know him as he seemed a little weird, however, he always gives us a good laugh and has an outgoing personality,” said Texas Dreams level 10 gymnast Trey Thompson, a junior at Frisco High School.

“While Davide is very entertaining, he always puts lots of hard work into gymnastics and will only push you to make you better.”

In his junior year, Comparin knew he wanted to be a part of the Navy, Air Force or West Point Military Academy. Comparin then began his lengthy application process and was certain he wanted to attend West Point when he got his letter of assurance as his junior year concluded in May.

“When I first moved to this area from Ohio six years ago, Davide was the first friend I made at the gym, especially because I remember how he reached out to me,” Coppell senior and Texas Dreams level 10 gymnast Thomas Morrow said. “We remained close on the team because we all grew up together, and now it’s great to know that someone supportive like Davide will also attend West Point next year with me.”

As his final high school season approaches and with West Point in his future, Comparin is grateful for his gymnastics journey.

“While it is difficult to juggle school and a sport, I believe you have to put all your effort into what it is you truly enjoy doing,” Comparin said. “Even though it gets hard, it’s beneficial to figure out what works best for you.”

Coppell senior Davide Comparin practices his bar routine on Dec. 4. Comparin is a Level 10 gymnast at Texas Dreams Gymnastics in Coppell, previously placing first at nationals, practicing daily from 3-7 p.m. Rhea Choudhary

Anticipation runs high as the Coppell soccer season draws near and both the boys and girls teams get ready for the upcoming season.

“We’re very senior heavy,” boys soccer coach Stephen Morris said. “We’ve got 17 seniors on the team.”

Notable returning players include senior forward Sam Stone, senior forward Luis Mendez and senior midfielder Srikar Mulukutla. They are expected to be vital assets for the upcoming season. Senior John Campbell, a three-year starting goalkeeper, will start in goal this year.

“Jacob Campbell is gonna be one,” Morris said when prompted about the team’s leadership. “Sam Stone, Srikar Mulukutla, and Chaz Null are all going to be main names that are going to bring leadership to the team.”

Morris highlights the need for more consistency this season, reflecting on the ties from last season.

“We’re looking to be just more consistent,” Morris said. “More consistent with how we play.”

For the girls team, coach Craig Able seeks to build a positive environment.

“First and foremost, it’s important they have a positive experience and again, work on being the best humans they can be and the best soccer players they can be,” Able said.

Able believes in the growth of the team.

“Some girls that just are going to continue to grow in their roles,” Able said. “We should be a really strong cohesive unit this year.”

Able is confident in the talented freshmen in his team.

Notable additions include freshman midfielder Emeline Holder, who is described as a key returning piece.

Able highlights the team’s returning talent, mentioning players including returning district midfielder Summer Chen, District 6-6A Offensive Newcomer of the Year Neerali Kapadia and leading goal scorer Sadie Ozymy.

A significant challenge for the girls team lies in the competitive district where two state champions, Marcus Girls Soccer and Hebron Girls Soccer play. Able emphasizes how crucial it is to manage the game’s tempo and use basic strategies in order to remain competitive when facing strong opponents.

Both teams are preparing for a challenging schedule, by playing tough scrimmages to help gear up for the obstacles in their District 6-6A games.

Graphic by Manasa Borra

22 sports @thesidekickcoppell

Sidekick Online

December 2023 @CHSCampusNews

coppellstudentmedia.com

Jost aspires to reach new heights in swimming Yug Talukdar Staff Writer @YugTalukdar

Putting one arm forward, rippling through the water, Coppell senior mid-distance swimmer Katelyn Jost glides swiftly yet rapidly across the pool.

Jost holds multiple school swim records, which haven’t just come to her by chance. Her 500-yard freestyle time of 4:52.97 and her 200-yard freestyle time of 1:51.33 are records at Coppell High School.

In November, Jost made the cut for the Speedo Winter Junior Championships after placing second at the Lakeside Aquatic Club Fall Classic for her 500-yard freestyle time of 4:52.97. She also committed to swim at the nationally acclaimed University of Kentucky, a testament to her work ethic.

Last week, Jost placed 16th in the Speedo Winter Junior Championships with her 500-yard freestyle time of 4:54.56 and placed 30th for her 200-yard freestyle time of 1:50.99.

Starting to swim competitively in seventh grade for Lakeside Aquatic Club, Jost initially got into the sport because her friends were part of the club. She found swimming engaging and challenging, with the hours she put in paying off in competition.

“I like the people, the training and being able to race and see my times improve,” Jost said.

Swimming is a demanding sport, requiring someone who is constantly trying to improve. It takes mental willpower, focus and tenacity, as well as physical strength and endurance.

Jost often makes the best of what others see as rough monotonous practices. Maintaining a positive mindset and pushing hard through each stroke, she presents an

Shooting for the stars

example of great discipline and determination every day she swims. Her attitude has made an impression on many of her teammates, who have recognized her unique drive which allows her to achieve success.

“She knows that in order to do something, you have to put your mind and your heart to it,” junior swimmer Annie Chang said.

Her talent is also recognized by her coaches, who appreciate the progress she has made so far. Swim and dive assistant Lindsey Schultz was surprised to hear about Jost’s reputation when she first came to Coppell High School two years ago.

“She hadn’t swam as long as I thought that she had and she was already as good as she was,” Schultz said. “I was very impressed by her repertoire.”

Swimming, although an individual sport, also has a large team component. Jost has greatly benefited from the support of her teammates and coaches. To keep progressively improving, she makes sure to take input from her coaches seriously and continuously pushes her limits.

This mentality and her high standards allow her to thrive in Coppell swim.

“Even though swimming is an individual sport, you can still hear and see people cheering for you, and our team is always there for each other,” Jost said. “That just makes me want to go faster for them and for myself.”

However, due to the standards she holds herself up to, Jost can also be too hard on herself. Her teammates and coaches have helped her garner motivation even on days she isn’t in her mind positive.

“They’ve always been there, even when I do bad, they always help me not be so hard on myself,” Jost said.

“They just make it a lot more fun and it motivates me when my teammates do good.”

Moving forward, Jost aspires to reach even bigger dreams by competing in the NCAA swim championships and even qualifying for the 2028 Olympics.

“She is dedicated to the sport and does everything she can to get better at it,” Schultz said.

Coppell High School senior Katy Jost qualified for the Junior National swimming competition after placing second at the Lakeside Aquatic Club Fall Classic for 500 yd freestyle. Jost has swam competitively for over five years, and appreciates the progress she’s made and the rewards of her hard work. Jayden Chui

Lapsiwala taking the game beyond the basket Sabah Uddin Staff Writer @sabah__uddini

Now a university-committed and accredited basketball player, Coppell senior shooting guard Arhan Lapsiwala once struggled with making the middle school A team. His passion and drive, forged through years of experience and setbacks, were the pillars of his journey.

Raised as an LA Lakers fan by his father, Apurva Lapsiwala, Arhan developed a love for basketball at only 5 years old. From a childhood playing mini hoops in the backyard and YMCA games, Arhan took inspiration from Kobe Bryant’s work ethic and mindset towards attacking problems into account when creating his own basketball story.

Arhan’s first setback was failing to make the A team in athletics at Coppell Middle School East in his 8th grade year.

“Almost being babied in the capacity that ‘You’re the best, you’re good at basketball,’ and then not getting my name called out for A team was a huge deal for me,” Arhan said. “It hit me that I needed to get a lot better if I wanted to make varsity or play in college. It made me realize that I’m not where I wanted to be basketball-wise. That [moment] transformed who I was as a person.”

Taking advantage of an unexpected school hiatus due to COVID-19, Arhan seized the opportunity to refine his skills in terms of workouts and practice. Two years later, he progressed from a middle school B team player to a high school varsity starter.

That sophomore year brought a significant game against Vertical Academy that acted as a fuel for Arhan’s passion in basketball. As his first varsity start and first game of the year, the highly anticipated game was in front of a nearly sold-out crowd and televised cameras.

“It was nerve-racking to be a part of, but scary and exciting at the same time,” Arhan said. “I love that blend of being nervous before a game, but also excited that you’re a part of something so big and important that impacts so many people around you.”

According to Arhan, Coppell boys basketball head coach Clint Schnell was one of his biggest supporters. As a senior, he also took on the responsibility of being a glue for the team’s cohesiveness as a leader and role model. “[Arhan] does a really good job of holding guys accountable,” Schnell said. “He’s got a personality that guys listen to, and they know too that he’s got skins on the wall. He’s been through the trials and the hardships of crucial game moments, and so when he talks, it’s not just words, there’s experience behind it.”

As one of Arhan’s closest friends and teammate, senior forward Antonio Romo believes that their friendship actually evolved because of being on different teams their sophomore year, as different experiences and outside practice together created a close bond.

“He’s good at bringing people together,” Romo said.

“He knows what to say and how to say it to keep people

going in the game.That translates to off the court to where if you’re down, he’s there for you.”

As a student-athlete, Arhan exemplifies the ‘student’ as he takes academic performance highly, despite the significant struggle of balancing basketball and studies. In order to balance his responsibilities, Arhan plans out his days to stay organized.

“You can’t lack on the academic side of things if you want a career,” Arhan said. “You need to know what your goal is at the end of the day, and for me, that’s not a career in basketball. I have to put academics first and can’t slack off on that just because I know I’m going to play basketball in college.”

Choosing the University of Chicago for its top-ranked MBA business program, excellent academics and proximity to downtown Chicago, Arhan understands the fierce competition for scholarships and playing time at the collegiate level.

“There’s a million other kids who are fighting for the same scholarship as you, the same playing time and the same goals as you,” Arhan said. “The only reason college coaches will pick you over them is just because you’re better. You work harder than them, keep your grades up and they think you’ll be a better fit in that program.”

Arhan’s athletic trainer, Jarrell English attributes Arhan’s future career opportunities and ability to play in college to his outstanding work ethic.

“He’s always been very coachable, and that’s one of the things I enjoy about him. He finds ways to get into the gym by himself and get up shots. He doesn’t need somebody around him to get him working hard,” English said.

Coppell senior forward Arhan Lapsiwala drives down the court, Horn sophomore guard Clinton Jones and senior guard Ethan Williams blocking his path. Coppell defeated Horn, 57-55, at CHS Arena on Tuesday. Rhea Chowdhary

sports 23

The Sidekick @thesidekickcoppell

Sidekick Online

@CHSCampusNews

coppellstudentmedia.com

Time to step up

Wrestling dominates in early season matches Namir Awan

Staff Photographer @namir_awan

Boys wrestling looks to build on momentum Athletes in a circle talk amongst themselves as two wrestlers try to gain an advantage over another. The coaches look on to see which athletes will give Coppell the best shot of success during the season, and which athletes will step up and be leaders on the team.

Last year, Coppell had two state qualifiers, and they had a great showing at the District 6-6A Meet, placing third overall.

“We lost some real point-getters from last year,” Coppell coach Chip Lowery said. “However, we got some guys back and we got new guys that are ready to perform and help us.”

Entering this season, Coppell was looking to start strong with the Coppell Round-Up. Heading into the meet, there were a lot of expectations, especially since there were many state-level teams there.

Coppell placed third in the meet, and some returning members, such as senior Cooper Johnson and senior Ricky Gonzalez, went undefeated in their matches.

At the meet, these wrestlers were crucial in turning the tide for Coppell and allowed Coppell to maintain momentum to get ahead in points.

With a rise in newcomers on their team, this type of talent and leadership is precisely what Lowery is looking for.

“Looking back from last season, I wanted to have guys that could step up and compete at a high level,” Lowery said. “A lot of our returning guys are stepping up and becoming leaders, and that is what I wanted to see from last year.”

Their second meet was also very successful as the Cowboys placed second with many outstanding performances from key players.

As the season takes full swing, the Cowboys look to maintain their momentum with following matches.

The NYE Quads follow, also in Coppell High School Arena on Dec. 29, before going to Lewisville in the District Duals on Jan 3. Once that meeting is over, the Cowboys travels to Dallas Jesuit to compete in the Jesuit tournament.

In their final season meet, Coppell returns home for Senior Night at CHS Arena for the Fossil Ridge meet.

“Our goal is to win,” Lowery said. “It’s simple.

I expect these guys to go out there and perform to the best of their abilities and push themselves to new heights.”

Season starts victorious for girls wrestling As Coppell girls wrestling coach Ted Witulski faces off with one of his senior athletes, he swiftly works around his student, demonstrating the precise skills and tactics needed to hold a prominent stance and win the point.

In the past three years, the Coppell girls wrestling team has tripled in size and improved immensely. With the help of Wituslki, the program has gained popularity and has allowed individuals to grow enough to get recruited by big schools and set records.

“The amount of traction and the amount of talent that has joined the team in the past three years has been remarkable,” assistant Maxine Lisot said. “Coach Witulski has done just a great job with this team and with the way they have performed in the past few years.”

Starting the season with two dominant wins at the Coppell Round-Up and the Cowgirl Classic, the girls have made it their mission to continue on this path.

“Since I have been here, the culture is very centered around pushing yourself and being the best version of yourself that you can be,” Lisot said. “The expectation here is that students give their best and that they win.”

With many freshmen coming onto the team, the program is ecstatic about the future of their team and the amount of talent that is still to be nurtured throughout the year.

With numerous freshmen getting action, and two dominant team wins, the team is looking forward to their future matchups.

The NYE Quads follows in CHS Arena on Dec. 29, before traveling to Flower Mound Marcus to compete in the Marcus Mayhem on Dec. 30-31. With the conclusion of that meet, the girls will get a rest before heading to Tulsa, Okla. to compete in the Supergirl 64 tourney on Jan. 5-6.

With the Chicken Wing meet in Houston on Jan. 12-13 and the Texas High School Wrestling Coaches Association (THSWCA) 6A State Duels in Wichita Falls on Jan. 19, Coppell returns home for Senior Night at CHS Arena for the Keller Fossil Ridge meet on Jan. 24.

With its first two wins, Coppell looks to continue this surge.

“We want to show Coppell what girls wrestling can do,” Lisot said. “We want to win state and we want to put on individual performances that will last forever.”

The Coppell boys and girls wrestling teams has been training hard to ride their momentum, starting the season with the boys placing second in their second meet and the girls starting with two dominant wins. The teams will put their training to the test with the NYE Quads in CHS Arena on Dec. 29. Namir Awan and Ava Johnson

24 adv ertisements December 2023 @thesidekickcoppell

Sidekick Online

@CHSCampusNews

coppellstudentmedia.com