Volume 29 Issue 3

Coppell High School 185 W. Parkway Blvd. Coppell, Texas 75019 Issue 3

Volume 30

December 2017

pages 12

h e

13

to uch a life Rediscovering purpose, passion through tragedy

Inside

A new look

Wearing support

Holiday treats

An in-depth look at changes in Old Town Coppell

CHS demonstrates student unity through t-shirts

Two easy, savory recipes for this Christmas season

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Page 14

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www.coppellstudentmedia.com

2 news

the sidekick

december 2017

TEACHER OF THE ISSUE

Pickrell immerses students in language written by Christine Zacuai Staff Writer @chriszacuai Coppell High School Honors Spanish II/III teacher Trent Pickrell breaks through the challenging and tedious boundaries of learning a new language by actively engaging his classes, making him The Sidekick’s December Teacher of the Issue.

Now in his following year, Pickrell is known for his welcoming, lighthearted personality.

“He makes sure there are a lot of fun activities in class, but at the same time, makes sure we’re still on task and focused,” CHS senior Avery Davis said.

Extending student-teacher ties beyond the classroom is vital to Pickrell as they are able to grow through class trips, such as the annual SPI Coppell High School Costa Rica Program.

The study abroad program consists of a weeklong trip that allows students to learn and develop Spanish in an independently paced and intimate classroom in Monteverde, Costa Rica.

“We all just became a giant family,” Davis said. “He made us so comfortable even though we were in a different country, speaking an unfamiliar language.”

His natural ability to connect and form relationships with his colleagues is recognized by both students and teachers alike.

“I’m brand new to Coppell High School and he’s served as a mentor for me,” Honors Spanish III teacher Devaki Dave said. “He really works hard to make things better for students and faculty.”

Pickrell believes in using attentive and caring methods in order to help his students and allow them to be immersed in the language with ease.

“The reason I’m here is to have influence on the kids and just build relationships,” Pickrell said.

“Classroom management wise you get rapport with them, show them you care about them, and in return, they care about you as well.”

The Spanish II/III teacher has been acquainted with the language since his high school years and is learning by the day. His dedication as a teacher

and in learning as a student himself allows him to understand his students.

“He has really grown in the past years and is maturing into a great teacher,” Spanish III/IV teacher Derryl

Lee said. “He is getting an honor he deserves and worked hard in trying to understand and perfect his craft.”

Congratulations to the December Teacher of the Issue Trent Pickrell.

photo by Laura Amador-Toro Honors II/III Spanish teacher Trent Pickrell connects with students in his classroom C121.

Pickrell is The Sidekick’s December teacher of the issue because of his engagement with students.

Providing a unique blast from the past Coppell Historical Society preserves timelessness of community, engages citizens written by Claire Clements Staff Writer @cclements825

When walking through downtown Coppell, an area citizens know as Old Town, it is common to grab a burger, get a coffee or walk past the oldest

photo courtesy Coppell Historical Society The Coppell Historical Society, along with preserving historical sites of Coppell, collects old photos of citizens from the past. The Historical Society’s main purpose is to educate the community on the history of Coppell.

remaining house in Coppell, the Kirkland House.

The house, along with the Ihnfeldt House and the Minyard Store, were all projects of the Coppell Historical Society, whose goal is to preserve the rich history of Coppell.

“I’ve observed suburbs that have grown up so fast that they didn’t preserve much of their history, and so many years ago, we set out to make sure that didn’t happen here,” Coppell Historical Society secretary, Wheelice Wilson Jr., said.

“We think that preserving history is very important, because you can look back and see what your roots are for your community, and it’s just a valuable addition to what the city offers, in addition to things like parks, playgrounds, things like that.”

The Coppell Historical Society’s purpose was not always to preserve the invaluable aspects of Coppell.

The society started about 20 years ago, when the city council created an overlay historical district, which

meant that there was an area of town in which there were certain rules for how you could build buildings or maintain them. The Coppell Historical Society was created for the purpose of protecting some of the historical landmarks of Coppell.

Beyond preserving buildings in Coppell which are considered historically significant and collecting old photographs of Coppell in the past, the Coppell Historical Society interacts frequently with the elementary schools of Coppell.

“We particularly participate with the fourth grade classes in Coppell ISD because that’s the year they study local history,” Wilson said.

Finally, the Coppell Historical Society offers various activities throughout the year. An example of an activity is the archaeological digs that occur once a year. The society invites the public to come and dig in a place that is considered historically different in an effort to try and find something that might be there.

december 2017

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enterprise 3

Community connects to history photos courtesy Joe Shirley photos courtesy Joe Shirley Old Town Coppell is home to the farmers market, dozens of business, Coppell residents and restaurants. The area has grown immensely since the 90s and Time cited the planned development as an contributing factor to the city’s ranking as the eight best place to live.

Council balances development of Old Town Coppell while maintaining city’s roots written by Tanya Raghu Enterprise Editor @tanya_raghu

S

aturday mornings at the Coppell Farmers Market bustle with energy as children run through the torrents of water, the pavilion fills with folk music and dozens of vendors are set up in the heart of Old Town Coppell.

In 2007, the Coppell City Council initiated the idea of developing the area known as Old Town located at the historic intersection of Bethel and Coppell Roads, which is centered around the beginnings of the town dating back to the 1800s.

According the city’s Old Town Masterplan adoption in May 2002 and prepared by the developer Looney Ricks Kiss, the architectural design is intended to capture the rural style of North Texas in the early 20th century.

In 2015, Time ranked Coppell as the eight best place to live in the nation and cited the family friendly vibe of the small town as one the contributing factors to the city’s ranking.

“Last year a downtown revitalization project brought much-needed walkability—and a boost up our list, from No. 32 in 2013. Construction is still underway, but a town square, complete with a pavilion, playground, and splash pad, buzzes with activity, especially during the Saturday farmers’ market. Houses and eateries line the perimeter, with two more restaurants on the way. New buildings in prairie style match the original 1900era architecture,” the article states.

Historical beginnings According the narrative of the Coppell Historical Society, Coppell’s documented history begins in the 1800s.

It was first settled by James Parrish and Coppell was part of Peters Colony. Before it became a town, Republic of Texas President Sam Houston also established Grapevine Springs as his camping grounds when working out a treaty with Native Americans.

“The city has a tremendous amount of money in order to restore those buildings and maintain them going forward and when a development comes along, there have only been a few examples of when an existing building was going to be torn down,” Coppell Community Development Director Mindy Hurley said.

The Kirkland House is the oldest house remaining in Old Town and in 2011, was moved west from its original location and restored by the Jean and Price Daniel Foundation.

“In years to come, I believe we will see that Coppell’s decision to rebuild it’s old downtown is what kept the community strong and gave it a unique character. It gave us ‘roots,’” Jean Murph said.

Initial development As the city became a sprawling city especially experiencing large growth after the construction of the DFW International Airport in 1974, it expanded to suburban oriented commercial districts and the Old Town area was left undeveloped.

The City of Coppell approved development of a mixed commercial and residential development which

includes a neighborhood, retail area, restaurant, offices and park.

“We are trying to get people to shop Coppell and we know that its centered here and to shop Coppell first,” Coppell Mayor Karen Hunt said. “We want people to realize that when they spend money in our city, that helps our city.”

Within the centrality of the development lies a 1.5 acre grass park which is surrounded by residential homes built by Darling Homes, restaurants and the farmers market pavilion.

“The vision for Old Town all along has been to create a pedestrian friendly development that incorporates residential, commercial, restaurant, retail, open space in a way that brings pride in new development with existing development and creates it into a destination for the community,” Hurley said.

The developer proposed the concept of mixing retail, restaurants and housing while maintaining periodic architecture which was approved by the city.

“Since the mid-2000s, we were aware that they were talking to a developer about something but it was confidential so the city would really not disclose what they were doing and this went on for three years so I guess around ‘07, ‘08 they came out about what they were going to do with Old Town,” Coppell Place 1 councilman Cliff Long said.

Modernizing history In 2013, Old Town lost an notable historically intact building, the Coppell Deli, built in the mid-1940s, following World War II and served as

a grocery store and service station.

During the May 2013 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, Coppell Historical Society members argued to delay the demolition and to consider alternatives as they claimed it is one of five historic buildings left in Old Town.

According the May 2013 meeting minutes of the Coppell Historical Society, the executive committee mailed letters to the Coppell City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission in support of preserving the building.

“The question becomes what is the definition of a historical property?

Just because it was built 30, 40 years ago doesn’t meant it’s historical,” Long said.

Looking to the future Recently, the council approved the building of a $12 million, 22,425 square foot center which includes a black box/flexible theater, performance hall and multipurpose space.

“There is interest to attract more restaurants to the area and businesses in general the proposed arts center will be relocated down there. With that we will continue to host our events to make it attractive to the community,” Coppell City Manager Mike Land said.

The residential sector in the area is mature while the city is looking for more restaurants to occupy the available spaces.

“For those that are here, the development itself is a success to this point but there’s more work to be done because we need to finish the properties that are still around here,” Long said.

To read more, visit coppellstudentmedia.com.

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december 2017

A look into four CISD school names written by Reid Valentine Staff Writer @reidv9 Coppell ISD has recently named the long awaited freshman center, Coppell High School 9th Grade Campus (CHS9). It will open for the 2018-19 year along with a yet to be named middle school located in Cypress Waters.

Here is a look at the four CISD schools named after prestigious Coppell residents.

Pinkerton Elementary is named after the late Woodrow Wilson Pinkerton, a World War II veteran who in 1963 became the first CISD superintendent.

Through his guidance, CISD grew from an 8 grade system to a full 12 grade school. The Coppell School was built in 1928 after Pinkerton’s great contributions to CISD, the name Pinkerton was given to the school in 1967.

CISD opened Wilson Elementary school in 1992, naming it after former school board member, city council leader and historical commision executive Wheelice H. Wilson Sr. Wilson was on the first water board that brought in the first public water supply for the city. His old white house is located in the Heritage Park area of Old Town, where it is preserved by the Coppell Historical Society.

Barbara Austin moved to Coppell in 1936. Both of her children attended Coppell School and after encouragement from CISD’s first superintendent Woodrow Wilson Pinkerton, she ran for school board and eventually became president.

Her days on the board were in a time of change, she worked for bonds and aided the high school’s building plans, where Coppell Middle School West is currently located and where CHS9 will be located next year.

In 1987, after decades of service to the community, the school board made the decision to name an elementary school after her that sits on Moore road.

In 1945, at age 10, Richard J. Lee began attending Coppell School, eventually graduating from Carrollton High School in 1953. After 10 years in the Marine Corps, he returned to Coppell and served on the school board for 20 years from 1962-82, he also founded the volunteer fire department that he served as chief for 17 years. In 1983, the CISD school board named a new Elementary school after Lee, the campus that is currently New Tech High@Coppell.

In 2014, Lee’s name was given to the newest elementary school in CISD that is located on Chaparral Waters Way.

photos by Ale Ceniceros and Varsha Kanneganti

Coppell ISD announces 9th grade campus name photos by Quyenh Phang Construction in Coppell Middle School West continues as of Dec. 3. CHS 9 is being constructed due to overpopulation at Coppell High School and will open at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year.

written by Anika Arutla Staff Writer @anikaartula The workings of the new Freshmen center has been going on for months with minimum information being put out. Finally, the Coppell ISD Board of Trustees addressed some points.

During the school board meeting on Nov. 27, the Coppell ISD Board of Trustees approved the official name for the new ninth grade center: Coppell High School 9th Grade Campus. Its abbreviation will be CHS9.

“I love the name,” CHS9 Principal Cody Koontz said. “It may seem very simple at first glance, but I think it perfectly encapsulates the idea that we are still connected to CHS, but that we are also a unique campus as well. I love the idea that our colors will be the same and that we will still be Cowboys and Cowgirls. And with the new name, it just seems to fit for people to affectionately refer to it as CHS9.”

There were two final naming

options, with the second being Coppell High School Freshman Center.

“We wanted to tie the ninth grade campus to Coppell High School since it’s an extension off of that,” CISD Board vice president Judy Barbo said.

“We figured Coppell High School 9th Grade campus flowed better than Coppell High School Freshman Center.”

The CHS9 Campus will be located at what is currently Coppell Middle School West, which is currently under renovation.

“Naming a school is an important decision since it’s long term and is most likely permanent,” CISD Board President Tracy Fisher said.

As a result of the opening of the campus, the CHS hallways will be less crowded next fall.

“I continue to be amazed at the staff, students, parents and community of Coppell ISD,” Koontz said. “I am very honored to be a part of the district and I cannot wait to open our new campus next fall.”

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news 5

Officer Tee winning over hearts of CMSE students, faculty written by Amelia Vanyo Editor-in-Chief @ameliavanyo Coppell Middle School East student resource officer Tonard Warmsley, better known as “Officer Tee,” dumps a bag of cards and letters onto his desk and looks up, a goofy smile on his face.

The students at CMSE are more than happy to make cards for Officer Tee, who is as much a friend and mentor as he is a police officer.

“He walks through the halls, he high fives the kids, he goes to their games on the weekends,” eighth grade math teacher Leia Poskey said. “It’s just unlike anything I’ve ever seen. You will never see him not smiling. He’ll go out during lunch and play basketball with the kids.”

On July 7th, Tee was awarded SRO of the year from the Texas Association of School Resource Officers. He was nominated for the award through a letter Poskey wrote to the organization.

At the conference where Tee was honored for his award, the letter was

read aloud.

“I had no idea that the award existed,” Tee said. “They actually read that letter [when they gave me the award].

I was looking down as she read the letter, and I remember looking up and seeing the whole room full of tears.”

Last year was Tee’s first year at CMSE, but he has already proved his dedication and love for the school.

For Tee, it’s all about the kids, and simply being a good person. “[An SRO] needs to be someone, regardless of if it is a dark stormy night or a bright sunny day, that you have the same amount of trust in everyday,” Tee said.

Tee has a bright, friendly demeanor, and leads with a firm but loving hand. “[Students] respect him and don’t want to disappoint him,” Poskey said.

“I had a student who wasn’t working, and so he called him out into the hall and told the kid they were going to do 20 push ups. And it wasn’t you’re going to do 20 push ups, he got on the floor and and did those push ups with him.

He was like, ‘we’re in this together’.”

While some SROs may stick to their assigned duties, Tee does his very best

to go above and beyond.

“I remember last semester exam time, he walked into my classroom and he sat down, got a paper and he started working on it right alongside the kids,” Poskey said. “He needed a

little help figuring out the calculator, but he sat down and worked for the entire class period. Not just for show, not just for five minutes, for the entire class period and was doing the work with them.”

photo by Ale Caniceros Coppell Middle School East student resource officer Tonard Warmsley displays his award on Oct. 29. Officer Tee was awarded the SRO of the year award from the Texas Association of School Resource Officers.

Parker wins Teacher of the Year for charisma, inclusiveness written by Claire Clements Staff Writer @cclements825 Coppell High School Physical Education and Outdoor Adventures teacher Bill Parker set the crystal ball on his desk. “Anytime you’re confused about your grades, ask the ball, that’s where they come from.”

Parker is engaging in the way he interacts with students, and his charis-

ma as a teacher and a leader help him stand out among CHS teachers.

“He makes a relationship with every single one of his students, and he makes sure everyone always understands,” CHS senior Gavin Monroe said. “He makes the class fun every single day. Somehow it’s always interesting.”

On Dec 4, Parker was awarded Coppell HIgh School Teacher of the Year.

He was selected out of 13 nominees,

two in LOTE, two in English, four in History, one in Math, two in Science, one in physical education and one in Special Education. The amount of nominees this year was a hallmark for CHS, considering the amount of last year’s nominees was only five.

The nominees were chosen through the vote of their colleagues, who answered questions regarding the teacher’s interactions with their students. “[We considered] how he used as-

sessments, engagement, relationship building, learning environment, a lot of the things that are based off of the learning framework for Coppell Independent School District,” CHS assistant principal Ryan Lam said.

Parker may have won Teacher of the Year, but he kept a modest attitude.

“There are a lot of people here that deserve this award more than I do.” said Parker, following the announcement in the CHS Arena.

photo by Karis Thomas

6 editorial page

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december 2017

#MeToo old and new: Recent sexual assault allegations bring light to power of people On Oct. 5, The New York Times published an article that exposed accusations of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s of rape, sexual assault and harassment of dozens of women. A day later, Defy Media senior vice president Andy Signore was accused of sexual assault and harassment. Less than a week after that, Head of Amazon Studios Roy Price was exposed for sexual harassment. The allegations did not stop there.

More than 30 high-profile men have been accused of sexual misconduct over the last two months.

While the allegations are just beginning, this behavior is not anything new.

In many cases, individuals are being exposed for inappropriate behavior that took place years, or even decades ago. So what exactly sparked this movement? Why have people decided to start speaking up now?

It all started after the allegations against

Harvey Weinstein gained press, leading to a worldwide movement #MeToo. The Me Too movement began in October, encouraging people to share their stories of sexual assault or mistreatment on social media.

By the end of the month, millions of people from more than 85 countries had shared their stories.

Not only does this movement reflect the courage it takes to stand up about another’s mistreatment, it shows a shift in our society all together.

Allegations that would have been brushed off a couple of years ago are now being handled with extreme care.

Actor Kevin Spacey was immediately suspended from his show, “House of Cards,” after being accused of rape and sexual assault.

Weinstein has been fired from his own company and expelled from the Academy of Motion

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

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Student Life Editor

Chase Wofford

Farah Merchant

Executive Editor-in-Chief

Graphics Editor

Amelia Vanyo

Elena Gillis

Ale Ceniceros

Executive Design Editor

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Tanya Raghu

BUSINESS LEADERSHIP Business Manager

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Sofia Guerrero Jess Hernandez Pramika Kadari Siraj Mahmud Molly McGill Nishant Medicharla Arman Merchant Nicholas Pranske Reid Valentine Akarsh Velagapudi Christine Zacuai

Sruthi Boppuri STAFF WRITERS Tara Ansari Anika Arutla Renata Barona Andrés Bear Anthony Cesario Claire Clements

PHOTOGRAPHERS Akif Abidi Laura Amador-Toro Rylee Ferguson Bren Flechtner Varsha Kanneganti Disha Kohli Quyenh Phang

Pictures Arts and Sciences. NBC news anchor and “Today” host Matt Lauer was fired due to a sexual harassment allegation.

This is just the start. Slowly but surely, society is making progress by encouraging people to spread awareness.

Whether it be the Me Too campaign or any other social movement, we now live in an environment where it is no longer OK to shove mistreatment or injustice to the side. Anyone who has a phone or access to social media has a platform to speak out and share their story.

No one is alone in their struggles any longer, even if one feels alone, there is bound to be someone else in the world going through the same thing. All it takes is just one

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person to stand up and do something about it to raise an army of those who have been wronged. Even if not everyone has expressed their concerns, there is strength in numbers.

It is important, now more than ever, to utilize any and all platforms available. Continue voicing opinions, addressing concerns and uncover the truth.

The world will continue to right the many wrongs that have been hidden for so long. They were never OK, and even though they were never addressed in the past, we are on the right path towards handling them.

The Sidekick is the student newspaper for Coppell High School and is published six times per school year.

The newspaper is a member of National Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association, and Interscholastic League Press Conference. The editorials and columns presented in this paper reflect the views of its student writers and not Coppell High School or Coppell Independent School District.

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

The Sidekick welcomes all letters to the editor. Letters can be emailed to cwofford@coppellisd.com or delivered to the D115 newsroom at Coppell High School. A current email address and first and last name for the writer must be included for the letter to be considered for publication.

Contact The Sidekick: 214-496-6239 cwofford@coppellisd.com 185 W. Parkway Blvd Coppell, TX 75019

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december 2017

the sidekick

opinions 7

A look at a promising life tech tool

written by Andrés Bear Staff Writer @andresbear

A

rtificial Intelligence. Let’s break that term down. Could it stand for fake smart? Unreal wits? Instead of finding synonyms to use, let us find an application for A.I. in our everyday lives.

Apple and Google have pursued consumer level usage of A.I. for the past couple of years.

From advances in voice recognition services to deep learning programs, each company has made its own contributions to the field.

Both companies have integrated A.I. with the phones that the respective companies make and operate. Apple is known for their technology and pop culture icon, Siri while Google is simply known as “Assistant.”

“I don’t use [Siri or Assistant] but I do know they are used for marketing sometimes,” Coppell High School sophomore CJ Konwe said.

An example of such marketing would be when Burger King triggered Google Assistant to respond to the employee’s “Ok Google, What is the Whopper burger?”

I personally found this marketing campaign to be distasteful. Many people use Google Assistant as a “helping hand” in the way that they speak to it instead of having to rely on manual input. These people have disabilities or inconveniences that allow the “Hey Google” Assistant feature to shine. Burger King was wrong to abuse that on every level.

Let us delve into the Google ecosystem a bit further. Its current developments in the field have made ripples in the industry leading to Apple playing catch up.

Google Home is Google’s foray in having a smart assistant in your living room.

There are three options available for people wanting to make their house smart. These include the Google Home Mini, Google Home and Google Home Max. As their name implies, the main difference be-

graphic by Elena Gillis

tween them is size. The features offered by the different devices vary slightly. The Mini is meant to be used as a desk companion, while the flagship Home is for the living room and the Max is a bigger audio-focused variant.

All speakers are equipped with Google Assistant and compatible with other speakers in the vicinity. In other words, if you have multiple Mini’s lying around they could be paired together to play music simultaneously.

I would recommend the Mini as it is considerably cheaper than the baseline Home throughout markets across the world. Not only that, but it has all of the useful functions the Home has.

Google Home Max appears to be a very unconvincing investment however. The audio quality might be lacking due to the absence of a signature sound. The speaker is tuned by google and not a dedicated audio company to the likes of Bose or Audio Technica. The software is what makes the devices what they are.

With one simple gesture I can speak to my phone, or Google Home device, and ask what Thomas Jefferson’s height was. After I do that I can follow up with “What was his birthday?”.

I personally tested Assistants capabilities by going from that first question to, with gradual steps, his grandmother’s birth date.

“Following up” with questions previously asked allow for the tool to reach new heights.

That is where Siri and Google Assistant are different. Siri is for commanding while Google Assistant is for conversing.

While it is more visually appealing for some, Siri is considerably inferior as an A.I. companion for my daily life. I use Google apps so the integration is there for me.

“Google Assistant is very good at figuring out what you need even if you ask it to do the same thing in entirely different ways,” Android Authority writer Joe Hindy said.

Assistant’s biggest shortcoming is the fact that integration with third party apps is rare and wonky.

This is partially due to the fact that Google almost exclusively made Assistant to be used with Google apps.

You cannot call someone on Skype or play songs from Pandora while using Assistant.

That doesn’t knock it down however Google Assistant is miles beyond Siri when it comes to pure features and performance. It has its flaws, but Google Assistant is the future of technology. The sheer power of the A.I. companion is bound to raise some eyebrows.

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december 2017

CHS SPEAKS

Ranging from business to medicine, students exploring future endeavors written by Sofía Guerrero Staff Writer @sofia_i_g

Name: Gabe Vinluan Grade: Senior

“Growing up, I’ve always watched socialites like Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian, and it always amazed me how they were able to capitalize and monetize off of attention. Growing up during the social media age, I saw so much opportunity to invest in. Viral marketing is a big thing. Things that have to do with capturing people’s attention and being innovative and creative really interests me, and all of this is under the umbrella of business. I hope business can serve as a vehicle for me to use my talent and my skills to help other people in life.

Right now, I identify with social media as my niche. I’ve narrowed down my path and hope to go to UCLA; they have a very strong business program, but I’m also focusing on the connections I will receive after graduating college.”

As teenagers grow into young adults, interests, jobs and college come into play. Many students start getting part time jobs from as early an age as 15 to earn money from their paycheck and possibly save for college.

Name: Cameron Coover Grade: Junior

“One of my main goals is that I want to go to a four year college, I think Texas Tech, and get a degree. I want to do something with engineering, maybe industrial or civil engineering, and then do that as my career. I want to do engineering because I’ve been doing the engineering endorsement here at the high school for the past three years, and it’s a pretty interesting and enriching program. I feel like I’m more prepared for going into engineering than I would be without that.”

Students have the opportunity to visit colleges during their junior and senior years and have representatives come to the school to see what college [option] they might like.

At Coppell High School, students choose a career-based endorse-

Name: Savita Kannan Grade: Freshman

I love singing and performing.

I’ve been singing since I was little, but I started choir in seventh grade.

My family sings, so that’s what got me into it. I plan on pursuing choir throughout high school. It’s really fun. I like listening to music, so singing is an extension of that. It’s fun, especially with other people.

Having friends in my class makes it fun when singing and performing in pop shows.

ment in which they take classes that correspond to that endorsement.

For example, CHS has programs such as band, choir, art, HOSA(Health Occupations Students of America) and CNA(Canadian Nurses Association).

Name: Penelope Gummelt Grade: Sophomore

“I plan on going to college, my dream college is Berkeley. I’m not sure on my major yet, I maybe want to be a dietician, maybe work with people, or sociology. I like people, I like knowing how they work, and I like psychology a lot.”

december 2017

the sidekick

Sanctuary cities: bad for equality?

opinions 9

Undocumented immigrants, criminals continue to walk in while we all debate

written by Nishant Medicharla Staff Writer @nishantnm1 The term “sanctuary city” has caused a huge storm within the political world. It has not only caused Democrats and Republicans to have differing viewpoints, but also everyday people.

So what exactly is a sanctuary city?

A sanctuary city is a city that limits the local police cooperation with federal agencies to enforce the immigration law. Meaning, police will be limited on how much they work with federal agencies, to deport peo-

ple who are undocumented. In a sanctuary city, police or federal authorities are not able to ask the status of an immigrant, if it does not relate with the topic, according to The Washington Post.

With the spread of sanctuary cities, many problems arise.

Undocumented immigrants who enter the country illegally and settle in a sanctuary city can live and work without the same deportation concerns. Since authorities cannot ask these people about their status, they have a shield. Say for example an undocumented immigrant who lives in a sanctuary city is speeding gets pulled over by a cop.

That cop can only ask questions related to the speeding and not questions related to their immigration status, such as where they are from.

Within the state of Texas, there have been almost 12,000 crimes committed mostly including drug trafficking, according to The Hill.

Having more sanctuary cities can also create a ripple effect causing millions of Americans to lose their jobs.

When undocumented immigrants enter the country, they need money to support themselves. Although, they take jobs meant for Americans and people who come here

legally. According to Pew Research Center, a staggering eight million American jobs were taken by illegal immigrants.

Do not get me wrong, immigrants and people of any race and ethnicity should be allowed in the United States as long as they follow the rules to settle here. It is the undocumented immigrants and criminals that are protected by sanctuary cities which are causing a big problem in the United States.

Although, many people might state that the federal immigration deportation policies are unjust because they target undocumented immigrants, deport people who have lived in the United States since childhood, deport people who have committed no crimes, separate families, and cause people to live in constant fear of deportation and its devastating consequences.

But if these people were documented immigrants who came here legally and followed all the rulers, then there would be nothing to hide, right?

Sanctuary cities should be put to a stop, because it can allow for undocumented immigrants to enter the country. If there is a decrease in sanctuary cities, the country will have less issues dealing with immigration, and can focus on other things.

Leash dogs for safety of all written by Akif Abidi Staff Writer @akifabidi Dogs are often regarded as an ideal pet and man’s best friend in our culture. They are often treated as family members and are the most popular household pet across the United States.

Owning a dog comes with a lot of responsibilities, you must control it and make sure it behaves in public, and one of the most essential ways of doing so is putting the dog on a leash or a harness.

Dogs can be aggressive animals, at least 4.5 to 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs yearly according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A majority of bites occur when dogs are not leashed by their owners, a leash on a dog keeps it under control. Any dog may get excited in public and feel the urge to run or chase something, or a dog might register an

innocent jogger on the streets as a threat and decide to chase after it.

Dogs do not know what is right in our society and what wrong; we cannot make them learn laws and our ways and they must be controlled.

Doyle Walters is an owner of two Labrador Retrievers and a regular at the Waggin’ Tails Dog Park in Coppell.

“The dogs own safety and the other dogs safety along with people feeling comfortable around them is important; since most dogs have a very outgoing personality, they want to meet new people and other dogs,” Walters said. “This can [cause] even friendly encounters to be awkward for some people who aren’t comfortable around dogs. But dogs are animals and they do need their freedom, but that’s why we have dog parks.”

Dog owners must have their dogs on leashes at all times in the public. Various public parks across Texas have created leash laws for the safety of the committee.

Several states prohibit dogs from running or roaming at large; however, they do this by directly giving local governments the authority to enact ordinances that prohibit dogs running at large. States including Texas, Mississippi, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia, Wyoming and Oklahoma all have such laws.

photo by Nolan Sanders Dogs enjoy the shade on Nov. 3 at Coppell dog park, Waggin’ Tails. Since the dog park is an enclosed area, you can bring your dog without a leash.

By Coppell laws, unless the dogs are service animals, they are required to be confined or restrained when they are off of their owner’s property, including parks and walking trails. If an animal is off leash and at large, you could be issued a ticket and a fine.

Coppell High School sophomore Alex Patrick is one of many dog owners in Coppell.

“I can understand [why] people do not want to have dogs roaming around as some people are afraid of them, and although most

dogs are nice, some can be aggressive,” Patrick said.

Patrick’s dog was recently attacked by a larger unleashed dog. The scuffle left Patrick’s dog bleeding and wounded. Patrick is an advocate of leashing dogs in public and wishes to see a stricter and firmer laws in the future.

We must not deny a dog’s need for enjoying the outdoors and companionship. However, we must also be considerate of others, both for the animal’s and the public’s safety.

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Local students use art to spread awareness Seniors Bankole, Perez work with organizations to raise money for cancer research written by Sofia Guerrero Staff Writer @sofia_i_g

L

anterns were thrown into the air by people who travelled to the Shine Festival near Denton, and people enjoyed lemonade and art.

This was Coppell High School senior Ruqiya Bankole’s view on Oct. 7 as she and two friends, CHS seniors Mateo Perez and Grace Kompany, held an art exhibit and sold lemonade at the festival.

Her purpose for attending the festival was to raise money for research of cancer treatments.

“It started out as a Community, Action and Service (CAS) project (a requirement for the International Baccalaureate diploma) because I’m an IB student,” Bankole said.

“We needed to take a leadership role and do a service to help the community. I decided on selling artwork and lemonade to people to raise money for children with cancer.”

She first contacted Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), a foundation that sells lemonade to raise money for cancer treatments, and asked it to allow her to sell her art.

The foundation agreed to assist her and she was then able

to go to festivals and raise money through art and lemonade.

Bankole and fellow IB student, Perez, participated in the CAS project through the exhibit.

Both Bankole and Perez were inspired by the opportunity to raise money for cancer.

Knowing cancer treatments are expensive, they wanted to contribute to this important cause.

“Cancer needs more words,” Perez said. “People already know about cancer but the actual research part of it needs more words.”

Bankole’s friend, Kompany, assisted as well, but for different reasons.

“I thought an opportunity to get NHS hours is great, but I also wanted to kickstart my own organization,” Kompany said. “I need to know how to do that through doing these community services so I can get my organization up and running.”

Kompany’s organization is called CongoEd and its focus is supplying Congolese children in privately funded schools with school supplies such as backpacks, pencils and others.

Bankole contacted the Shine Festival and it allowed all three of them to be a vendor. Her plan was to set up at the event and get people to buy art and lemonade.

“We set up the art and lemonade stand there,” Bankole said. “We had a few brochures that the [ALSF] sent us.”

The ALSF also provided some infographics that allowed people to see what their project was about.

They made $150 in sales, and are going to use that money for their next fundraiser, which will take place in the next two weeks.

They are then planning on sending the money they earn there to ALSF. Through selling art and lemonade, they learned that helping an im-

Cancer needs more words. The actual research part of it needs more words.

Mateo Perez, senior

graphic by Sruthi Boppuri

photos by Nadia Scalzo Coppell High School senior Ruqiya Bankole works on her clay artwork. CHS senior Ruqiya Bankole sells artwork she has made as well as artwork donated by students and teachers to sell at festivals for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation to help children battling cancer.

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Two seniors making wise change in diet written by Pramika Kadari Staff Writer @pramika_kadari Two years ago, Coppell High School seniors Giulia Caramellino and Ariana Ramirez stepped up to made a life changing decision: going vegan.

Veganism is a lifestyle prohibiting use of animal byproducts, including but not limited to meat, dairy, egg, leather and wool, as well as any product that was tested on animals.

B o t h students a g re e that the benefits

to animals, the environment and their own health are the three main reasons they made the change.

“I saw a documentary at school about veganism and how it could fix a lot of problems, including environmental issues,” Ramirez said. “Then, after I looked into it more, I decided going vegan was a really important thing to do.”

Cowspiracy, Earthlings and Forks Over Knives are three examples of popular documentaries that dig their way into viewers minds and refuse to leave, causing many who watch to question their views on supporting the meat, dairy and egg industries.

“A lot of people are ignorant about how cruel factory farming is,” CHS CHETA (Coppell High for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) sponsor Angela Barnes said. “Some of the video clips and documentaries about the reality of these farms are really shocking, and can have a huge impact on people.”

In the dairy industry, female cows are repeatedly abused through “rape racks”, narrow devices that restrain the cow as she is forced to be artificially impregnated, which increases the number of babies she gives birth to annually and makes her more profitable to the industry. Because of the brutal impregnating, confining and overworking of the dairy industry, dairy cows begin to have a premature reduction in the amount of milk they produce, and are then slaughtered because the industry does not see them as worth their cost anymore. “[Veganism] is a guilt free lifestyle because no one has to get harmed to give you food,” CHS senior Erin Folk said.

Folk is not vegan herself, but she supports the cause and is thinking about going vegan in the future.

As aforementioned, cutting meat, dairy and eggs out of one’s life can also improve his or her health, which is a big reason Ramirez and Caramellino find the lifestyle attractive. In America, Ariana Ramirez

the average non-vegan male’s chance If one is daunted by the thought of of heart disease is 50 percent, while turning vegan overnight, there are many the average vegan male’s chance of ways to support veganism in less exheart disease is only four percent. treme ways.

Despite their love for veganism, “Try to limit your meat one day out both Ramirez and Caramellino ac- of the week, then maybe increase knowledge the difficulties that come that number gradually,” Carawith the lifestyle, and offer their ad- mellino said.

“Also, just make vice regarding methods to deal with people aware of why these struggles effectively. going vegan is a “Sometimes I just really want to eat good idea.” something with dairy in it,” Caramellino said. “But then I can just go to the store and get a vegan version of it, so it’s not that bad.”

As more and more of the world goes vegan, the number of vegan alternatives for non-vegan foods are increasing. Almond milk, daiya cheese and fake meat are common alternatives vegans enjoy, especially if they are struggling with cravings.

With only six percent of America following a vegan diet, doing so is certainly not society’s norm, which can cause complications to rise during social situations.

“Going out with friends or family to eat can be hard,” Ramirez said. “I’m Hispanic, and it can be hard for my family to adapt.”

In spite of this hardship, Ramirez’s friends and family are supportive of her choice to go vegan, and do what they can to help her follow it. Additionally, partly because of the fact that vegan food is relatively less abundant, Ramirez has began cooking food herself more often since going vegan, which has allowed her to discover how much she loves cooking.

Ramirez and Caramellino are both members of CHETA, a club at CHS that focuses on fighting for animal rights and helping environmental issues. CHETA is divided into multiple sectors, including a group that promotes veganism, a group that helps rescue animals and a group that focuses on animals in the entertainment industry and zoos. w, the club members are planning a bake sale intended to raise funds for their cause.

“Being involved in CHETA lets me show how important animal rights are to me,” Caramellino said.

Guilia Caramellino

12 centerspread

finding value through pain

written by Tanya Raghu Enterprise Editor @tanya_raghu

Growing up, if asked what she wanted to be, former Coppell resident Pam Cope did not say a doctor, teacher or astronaut. She said a wife and a mother.

When she made her vows to unconditionally love her husband, Randy Cope, she was sure to fulfill her promise.

Even if it meant tirelessly cleaning to maintain their house, staying up through the night to ensure her daughter won the award for best costume, helping a friend decorate her kitchen or cutting someone’s hair at her hair salon even if she wanted to desperately stay home.

She attempted to construct her own version of reality but overlooking the superficially of life - the beautiful, expansive house, perfect family and self-owned hair salon - there was an underlying sense of unfulfillment.

Soon, the satisfaction she found as people admired and envied her seemingly perfect life became tainted and her source of pride, joy and will to live disappeared on June 16, 1999 when her first child, Jansten, died at age 15 from an undiagnosed heart problem.

The unexpected journey As the family recovered from its loss, the gaping hole in their life would unexpectedly be filled by giving - in the form of donations, time, overseas trips and even an unforeseen expansion of the family from three to five members.

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Using $25,000 for son’s memorial, Cope helps hundreds in Ghana through Touch a Life “Anytime you experience loss or trauma you need to turn that around to something positive,” Cope said.

“You want your pain to have purpose.

It was very healing and it did give me purpose and I felt like it was the perfect way to build Jansten’s legacy and for me, building a legacy for him.”

Eventually, she mustered the strength to take the first step to take control of her life and soon the lives of countless others as she found her calling overseas.

“We went on the trip to Vietnam looking for a cause, and when we were over there we saw just so many needs,” Cope said. “It was just a no-brainer like we need to do this and we’ll start small, but we need to start giving back and we also had $25,000 as a memorial fund of my son’s when he died so it was kind of like we were sitting on money and we needed a cause.”

Pam, Randy and Crista, adopted in St. Louis in 1987, went to their friends’ Carol and Marvin Harlan’s shelter in Phan Rang, Vietnam to find countless helpless and innocent children needing love, a family and belonging after abandonment, trafficking or abuse.

“I remember seeing Van first.” Cope said. “He was about seven months old, and he was in a room all by himself and it was kind of fascinating because he was all dressed up in this little suit and it looking he was waiting for somebody, it was like he was waiting for company. He had this little teacup sitting next to him. It was just so interesting an orphanage as room full of children, and they are relying on the caregivers to meet all their needs and that can be overwhelming.”

When Pam showed Van to Randy for the first time, their tears were not of grief, but of deliverance. The family adopted Van in August 2000 and Huong, Tatum Diane Cope in October 2011 and they attended Coppell Middle School East.

“I [felt] like I’m not done parenting and I have a lot of love to give,” Cope said. “I knew my husband and my daughter, have a lot of love to give so, that’s when we were open to the idea of adopting and growing our family through adoption.”

In the Cope’s case, it cost approximately $20,000 to adopt Tatum and Van and living almost seven weeks in Vietnam to adopt them both.

“I think it’s a shame that corruption shuts down those countries,” Cope said. “It would an utopia world if everyone had pure motives and everybody had the best interest of the children because I feel like a lot of children would be finding homes.”

Founding Touch a Life Bernard Fianku’s childhood was non-existent, instead filled with harrowing stories of child labor until he was one of the few in his situation able to obtain an education.

He was born a small village lake along Lake Volta in Ghana, the same lake where Mark Kwondo was photographed for the New York Times as a child fisher and inspired the Copes’ work in Africa.

“Whatever I had gone through was a preparation for a bigger task ahead,” Fianku said via email. “I got to a point in my life where I have to forgive

ho pe

myself and all those who hurt me one way or the other. That’s my healing process. I took a lot of consolation from the story of Joseph, and I made it my own. I tried to inculcate this lesson in the children to fast-track their healing process.”

In November 1999, the Copes founded Touch a Life, an organization dedicated to helping poverty stricken children. In 2014, Fianku joined Pam as the Touch a Life Ghana Country Director.

“The most rewarding part of my job is trying to fight for the interest of the children, instilling assertiveness and helping and guiding them to develop smart goals and they [have] hope for the future,” Fianku said via email.

“The hope to become anything they can dream about. They aspiration to become what God has destined for them. Seeing them grow and mature in the way they think is something one can reckoned with.”

According to Pam, it is difficult to estimate the number of children Touch a Life has impacted but she approximately 300 children who have been identified to be in a vulnerable crisis situation.

“You just want to help them because of what they have gone through and their parents sold them into slavery,” Touch a Life volunteer Rula Peinando said. “I go to the care center for what its done for these kids and how thankful they and how happy they are and how hard they work to better themselves so it’s the kids who always be want to help and want to give back and Pam Cope for what she has done is an inspiration.”

Fianku oversees the children who all come from poverty stricken backgrounds characterized by illiteracy, broken homes, lack of protection and have been identified as high risk through Ghana’s social welfare problem.

In 2009, the construction of the Village of Life was completed in Kumasi, Ghana and is home to more than 100 Ghanaian children. Touch a Life also has a partnered with organizations in Cambodia and Vietnam to provide children with services such as an art center, life skills and coping with trauma.

Looking to the future In October, Pam visited Kumasi and casually discussed the future plans of high school graduates who are all college bound.

Touch a Life has a hand in halting the perpetuating cycle of desperation in a country where 40 percent of the population lies under the poverty line and according to a 2013 report by the International Justice Mission, more than half of the children in the southern waters of Lake Volta were trafficked into forced labor.

While it is a problem mainly been left to non-governmental organizations, the current president Nana Akufo-Addo has recently made secondary high school free for students in September 2017.

Able to empathize with the tragedies of the children, Pam continues her work with Touch a Life, offering shelter, an education, comfort and a sense of belonging to hundreds of children who were left in the world with nothing.

1984

2000

2001

2009

2012

Jansten Cope is born.

Vinh (Van) Cope is adopted in August.

Huong (Tatum) Cope is adopted in October.

The completion of the Village of Life in Kumasi, Ghana.

Touch A Life Care Center in Kumasi, Ghana opens.

photo courtesy Touch a Life Foundation

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Stylish support Uniting fellow students by giving the shirt off of their backs written by Claire Clements Staff Writer @cclements825 Walking through the halls of Coppell High School, it is common to see colorful shirts with clever alliteration, such as ‘Hoop Hotties’ or ‘Swimming Sweeties’ on them. These shirts, known as supporter shirts, are a CHS tradition students and teachers proudly wear.

“In high school, and just in life in general, relationships are one of the most important things to us, and so anytime we get to show our support, it’s kind of just a fun thing,” CHS se-

nior Madi Olney said. “My favorite part is wearing them on Fridays and then seeing other people wear the same shirt, and then we’ll start talking like ‘Hey, who’s your friend?’”

While the initial point of supporter shirts was to raise money for different organizations, ranging from lacrosse’s ‘CLAX Cuties’ to the Respira choir’s ‘Respira Royalty’, buying the shirts are a way of bonding, both with strangers and friends.

“Being able to wear these shirts are kind of a way to show unity, with your friends, and with other people,” CHS freshman Presley Abercrombie said.

As popular as the shirts are, they

have risen as a Coppell tradition.

“I’m just really proud of seeing it,” CHS debate coach Brian Bloss said, who graduated from CHS in 2005. “I kind of wish we had had it back when I was a student, but we didn’t because we were not nearly as creative.”

The shirts may act as a way of demonstrating school spirit, but for the organizations selling them, the money and attention received from the shirts is invaluable.

For example, the debate team uses the money to help pay for tournament judges and its secondary assistant coach. This results in lower competition fees for students.

photo by Mari Pletta Coppell High School senior Ashna Pathan shows off her supporter shirt for senior Riya Mahesh on Saturday in the commons. Students wear their “Mad for Mad” shirts to support the Madrigal singers at the Madrigal Feast.

Tips and Tricks Social Media written by Gracie Blackwell Business Manager

Twitter: Use hashtags If you want your tweet to be seen by more than just your followers, use hashtags. Tweets with hashtags generate more buzz and more engagement because the tweet becomes searchable by other Twitter users.

Instagram: Utilize Instagram Stories If you want to share content that you do not want to show up on your Instagram feed, use Instagram Stories. The story stays for 24 hours, then disappears, a feature that is just like Snapchat Stories. It also allows you to be creative with what you post, whether it be a slow-motion video, a Boomerang or a photo.

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Q AND A

Holmes takes yearlong retreat to national park written by Christine Zacuai Staff Writer @chriszacuai Big Bend, Mount Rushmore, Great Sand Dunes, Rocky Mountain, Zion and Yosemite are just a few of the many national parks AP English IV teacher Alex Holmes visited last year.

An avid traveler and nature enthusiast, Holmes traveled to Dickinson, N.D, a small town with a population of 25,000 year round, last year in June.

He shares his experiences and lessons from his trip with The Sidekick.

What was the reason to venture out on this trip?

Near the year of my second year at Coppell, my girlfriend had been rigorously trying to apply at National Park Service jobs and had a lot of trouble doing that but she got one in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. It was a chance in a lifetime, so we decided: why not do it when w e ’ r e young?

How does touring these scenic locations contrast to life in Coppell?

The first thing is that I never realized the beauty that middle America held. Being able to be so close and so immersed in nature was astounding.

There was also a culture of America that I was completely unexposed when I went there. People in the Midwest who live in these 2,000 population areas just have completely different mannerisms to living their life. It’s both laidback but not; both isolating, but unifying. The people you meet there are very close knit but at the same time, it’s harder to become part of that close knit group because these families have been in these towns for generations. Interesting and challenging was conversing and communicating with them because they come from an utterly different background than myself. Here, you have so many types of people with different backgrounds.

Even with those types of people, I’ve never met anyone who was like the people who I met up there.

What did you learn from your experiences of touring across the Midwest regions?

I learned that I am someone who thrives by isolation when learning, but someone who cannot sustain them-

Senior JB Petroviak “Parker and I met back in kindergarten, so we’ve been friends for a pretty long time. And ever since then we’ve been involved in basketball, classes and other stuff together.”

selves in a place that is totally void of culture. If I am going to be in a place that is completely out of my comfort zone, then I need to do more to bring my comfort zone with me.

How did this trip impact you as a teacher?

I am a little more laidback. I had students who would complain to me that I was a hard grader, beforehand.

I’ve taken a step back and that I don’t need to be as much of a perfectionist.

What were some of the main challenges you experienced on the trip?

Primarily, there wasn’t a lot of culture there I could attach myself to. There’s all these little things you could do, but ultimately, being unable to attach myself to the community there was very difficult. The normal methods of presenting myself weren’t working and not being my normal self was weird.

How did you adjust to your return from leaving for a year?

Ultimately, we were very happy to come back. My return has been extremely serendipitous. It’s funny that I was struggling so hard to find a place up north, yet the place was already waiting for me when I came back.

Friends Since

photo by Laura Amador Toro Coppell High School English IV teacher Alex Holmes left Coppell to visit a national park in western North Dakota in April 2016. Holmes visited the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which is well known for the wildlife viewing, scenic drives and opportunities for many outdoor activities.

Senior Parker Rodman “We are both involved in the same stuff and like the same things. We also live pretty close to each other too so we hang out a lot.”

“Basketball has also made our friendship better because we spend an hour working out together everyday in basketball.

We definitely have chemistry on and off the court which is really important and helps a lot.”

“Just being able to have somebody who I can relate to as far as basketball is concerned, or if I want get some shots in at 11 o’clock at night is nice, I’m like always confident he’ll come.”

photo by Karis Thomas

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G ROW G ROW G ROW G ROW photo by Akarsh Velagapudi

december 2017

Visit the official Portrait Publication website to learn more.

Channeling creativity, passion though comprehensive project “Portrait”

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written by Kelly Wei Art Editor, Entertainment Editor @kelllywei

or as long as I can remember, I have been a “jack of all trades” sort of girl.

In elementary school, I took ballet classes, performed in my fifth grade musical – as an evil body trainer who forbade Santa from milk and cookies to whip him into shape – and even played on a basketball team for a season.

Moving into middle school and high school, I sang in choirs, acted in plays, competed at speech tournaments, bought a guitar, learned how to tap dance, wrote poetry and short stories, picked up digital art, joined The Sidekick as a journalist, then transitioned into a graphic designer, started interning at a design firm, and most recently, am in the process of learning DSLR portrait photography.

Of course, there is a joy in having experienced so many things at a relatively young age. My tendency to dabble in a little bit of everything has enabled me to see just how wide the world is; how many doors of possibility are laid out before me at 17.

But having passion in so many places means never being able to fully enter one single door. More often than not, I feel like I have one foot in 20 of them.

It means spending $200 on tap shoes, only to leave them sitting in the back of my closet after the eight-week production of “42nd Street” has ended.

It means owning a bookshelf of sketchbooks, all of them filled only with pencil-sketched portraits because I never bothered taking classes to expand my mediums. It means suffering periods of doubt, then overconfidence, then doubt again when it comes to my writing.

I feel both integrated and excluded from my interests. I have had the privilege to live in so many worlds, but I often do not stay long, or I do not travel deep enough into the land. My passion feels shallow, my excitement unauthentic.

This was the largest problem I faced going into my junior year: figuring out just what it was I wanted to give my time to. I knew all too well the importance of time management and not spreading myself too thin to compromise the quality of my work.

Yet, it was difficult for me to make decisions about what to cut. I am always so afraid of closing doors and limiting myself, because I want to do everything in life.My solution – though I hadn’t recognized it as that initially – came to me in July.

Portrait Publication was a simple thing in the summer: a platform for creatives like myself to share their work in whatever mediums. Inspired by the annual creative writing competitions I entered, I wanted to carve out a space in Coppell for artists, writers and photographers alike to express themselves in the presence of like-minded individuals.

This fall, the idea has solidified into something more concrete: a magazine that would accept and feature student submissions.

Now, on the brink of winter, Portrait is an al-

most-real, full-fledged arts magazine, complete with managing editors, features directors, business managers, photographers and graphic designers. It has become so much more than what I originally intended it to be, transforming from a simple opportunity to feature student talent to a multi-headed beast that I am miraculously heading.

This is how I choose to preserve my passions, while simultaneously narrowing my focus. In the approaching two years I have spent on The Sidekick staff, I have learned a great deal about myself, one of the most significant being that I love print publication, and the sensation of working alongside journalists and designers in a newsroom. It is a feeling I want to hold onto for the rest of my life, and it is a door I never want to close.

However, as much as I love print publication, I am not really a traditional journalist in the sense that I regularly write articles. I am a designer, and by default, an artist. Portrait, then, is a merging of two things I love the most.

Through this project, I have managed to stay close to my established passion for art and design, while also venturing into unknown territory, such as business.

I do not know what my interests suggest about my future yet – a non-traditional journalist who loves the newsroom, an artist who only draws pencil portraits – but for now, I am also OK with that.

In March, I will hopefully be holding the first printed issue of Portrait.

I am piecing together who I am and what matters most to me bit by bit, and though it is a messy, uncertain process, the byproducts that come out of self-discovery are beautiful.

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entertainment 17

Rockin’ around the holidays

Modify your traditional holiday playlists with these festive, alternative suggestions

written by Andrés Bear Staff Writer @_andresbear Christmas songs are a force to be reckoned with. They infiltrate our lives come Thanksgiving. From car commercials to bad YouTube parodies, they all feature a rotating set of 10 songs.

That is where “Unconventional Christmas Songs” comes in. UCS is a playlist showcasing lesser known Christmas songs, ranging from singer-songwriter ballads to sprawling, emotionally charged pieces.

With six songs, the cliché status of Christmas music can be shifted in a completely new and bold direction.

“Silver Bells” by The Flaming Lips (2014) The Flaming Lip’s rendition of “Silver Bells” is anything but conventional. It introduces harmonics and wind instruments which add much needed layers to the original mix. The original “Silver Bells” piano ballad plays in the background.

“Winter White Hymnal” by Fleet Foxes (2008) The structure of your average Christmas song is present here. However, with vague lyrics spanning the track, the listener is left wondering and piecing together a narrative.

That narrative is up to your personal interpretation. The opening lines catch your attention and the over present winter setting holds it. The song is far from a throwaway track on the band’s debut album.

“That Christmasy Feeling” by Johnny Cash (1972) People usually write off Cash’s Christmas songs. He is a gravel-voiced cowboy, how can he…people often

think. Cash is just as much as a Christmas singer as Elton John. Cash’s rendition of the song blends country and rock in his usual respectful and fun manner. The track has a life of its own without needing to stand in context of a Christmas album.

“Christmas In The Room” by Sufjan Stevens (2008) Stevens is an outspoken Christmas lover. With help from his friends, he has released 10 albums solely based around the holiday. “Christmas In The Room” paints the festivity as “just another day”, which contrasts the usual grandiose nature of the holiday. Instead of going all out, Sufjan sharpens his emotional edge and delivers a timeless classic.

Christmas marks the end of the year in its loud and bright nature. The songs listed before may elicit self reflective thoughts due to the nature of their lyrics. With help from music, one can reach a state of awareness - awareness of your mistakes, shortcomings and triumphs.

Tis’ the season of comfort food As the temperature drops, cozy up by the open fire while indulging on these treats Tortellini with Basil Pesto Servings: 4 Any pasta fan will love this dish each bite is delicious, will leave you wanting a second helping. written by Anthony Cesario Staff Writer @ anthony_SK2017

2 cups fresh, chopped basil ½ cup olive oil 2 tablespoons pine nuts 2 minced garlic cloves 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup grated parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons softened butter 1 pound tortellini pasta 1. Cook tortellini and set aside.

2. Combine basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic and salt in food processor and blend, scraping down the sides occasionally until well blended. Transfer to a bowl.

5. Slowly add parmesan cheese by hand around the bowl (do not mix) and then add softened butter.

6. Mix with cooked tortellini.

photos by Quyenh Phang

Bubbles (Apple Fritters) Servings: 8 These light and crispy apple “bubbles” are a perfect dessert that are not too sweet.

2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt ¾ cup evaporated milk 2 large eggs 1 medium apple, cored & shredded Canola oil Maple syrup 1. Whisk dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. Fold together.

2. Heat oil in large pan to 375 degrees.

3. Drop by spoonful (about 3 tablespoons each) into hot oil.

4. Fry for 3 minutes until crisp and dark brown.

5. Drain on paper towels.

6. Serve immediately with warm syrup.

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photos

by Nolan Sanders

Instant film revival captures imagination of young photographers written by Nolan Sanders Staff Writer @nolan_sanders_

Taylor Swift’s sixth studio album, Reputation, released on Nov. 10, solidifies her as a pop mastermind: it is filled with catchy hooks, a broad range of sounds and her trademark self-awareness. Reputation is Swift at her most mature and personal.

Reputation is her most consistent album to date, yet each song is unique in its own way.

On “Don’t Blame Me,” Swift sings a soaring chorus over gospel instrumentals, her voice as powerful and soulful as ever; on “...Ready For It?,” Swift raps over an industrial-sized beat, displaying her bolder, more confident style; and on songs like “Delicate” and “King of My Heart,” Swift experiments with vocal distortion to craft some of her most complex, intimate songs to date.

Swift takes many risks in Reputation, and for the most part, they pay off. For example, songs such as “End Game” and “So It Goes…” have their moments, but they both fall short of their potential.

However, longtime fans need not worry: Swift’s signature lyrical imagery and the personality that kept people listening has not disappeared, as evident in songs such as “Call It What You Want” and “New Year’s Day.” Altogether, Reputation is a solid sixth album from Swift, ranging from emotional complexity to tongue-in-cheek humor and will surely be appreciated for years to come.

To read more, visit coppellstudentmedia.com.

A 17-year-old Darren Qi rushed to the Target store nearest to his house. He was going to purchase a Polaroid camera using the money he had earned from his first paycheck after recently stumbling upon a gallery of Polaroid pictures taken by a friend of a friend on Myspace.

Qi, who lives in Las Vegas, had been immediately intrigued with how the photos looked; the vibrancy of the colors along with the distinguished quality of timelessness each picture possessed.

10 years later, Qi continues to shoot Polaroid with the same One600 Ultra camera he purchased in 2007.

“Polaroids are magical,” Qi said. “You get to see a photo that you’ve taken develop before your own eyes, in real time. It’s a unique and fulfilling experience every time you take one. You get to watch it go from a blank slate to a finished product in a matter of minutes with an end-result that’s always different, but a piece of art nonetheless.”

The dawn of the new century brought new digital cameras, which made it easier than ever to take and develop photographs.

However, some photographers, such as Qi, have not quite made the switch from analog to digital yet. Polaroid cameras appeal to many, regardless of generation, because of the idea that kicked the company off in 1937: instant gratification.

The remnants of the old Polaroid Corporation and the Impossible Project have united under the name Polaroid Originals together in an effort to keep this idea in the viewfinder of many young photographers today, as well as bring back what once was for the ones who were witness to the collapse of the company in the early 2000s.

On Sept. 8, Polaroid Originals released a new instant analog camera that blends classic design with contemporary style.

It was given the name OneStep 2, after its predecessor released in 1977. On Nov. 1, the camera sold out across North America.

Despite the camera being fitted with an optical grade lens and high performance lithium-ion battery, it has a nostalgic, retro feel to it, perhaps because it is so aesthetically similar to its 40-year-old counterpart.

In recent years, Polaroid has had some trials and tribulations. In 1960, approximately 50 percent of American households owned a Polaroid camera. 10 years ago, however, the company ceased production of all instant analog film products. Despite the decline of the corporation within the past 20 years, the beginning of Polaroid Originals has launched a new era of instant analog photography and has begun a revival for everything that once was in the Polaroid golden age.

Polaroid is unique because each exposure comes with its own developing atelier. Black-and-white film has only one layer which is coated with silver compound. Color film has three layers. The top layer is reactive to blue light, the second reactive to green and cyan light, and the last layer is sensitive to red light.

Despite the complex chemistry involved in each exposure, the simplicity is what draws people to shoot Polaroid.

This method of photography continues to draw in both seasoned shutterbugs and novices alike.

Coppell High School art and photography teacher Cameron Tiede thinks the comeback of instant analog photography is all thanks to millennials and the teenagers of today.

“This generation of kids has grown up in a digital world,” Tiede said. “Whether it’s something like a Polaroid or a record player, even typewriters, these things have had a resurgence of interest in recent years because they’re so foreign and interesting to a generation that mainly uses digital media.”

This method of photography has continued to thrive over the past 80 years, despite all of the technological advancements that have surpassed instant film along the way. These cameras and this method of photoshooting is a time machine of sorts. People are brought back to this time and time again in remembrance of our past as a people.

To say that this technique will prosper for another 80 years is not impractical.

graphics by Kaylee Aguilar and Britain Stanley

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WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO WATCH DURING WINTER

Dallas Arboretum, Cozby Library, Galleria bring unique events for winter

written by Anthony Cesario Staff Writer @anthony_sk2017 Winter break is almost upon us: a perfect time to create memories with friends and family. This holiday season, explore these four holiday events in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, all for $20 or less.

12 Days of Christmas at Dallas Arboretum This collection of immersive Victorian-style gazebos brings the well-known Christmas Carol to life inside the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. In December, the Arboretum is open for lighted nighttime viewings, with holiday treats and hot beverages available for purchase. The daytime viewing is open every weekend until Jan. 7 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., free with paid general admission.

Holiday Crafternoon Visit the William T. Cozby Library

on Dec. 18 from 3 to 5 p.m. for a fun afternoon of holiday arts and crafts.

Have fun with family and friends as you create a variety of holiday projects that will be perfect stocking stuffers or gifts under the tree. To attend this free event, sign-up is required. Stop by the library, call 972-304-3658 or email cozbyprograms@coppelltx.gov to register.

Illumination Celebration See “the nation’s tallest indoor Christmas Tree” for yourself at the Galleria Dallas with a special daily tree lighting event set to music around the ice skating rink. This event is free for everyone to attend. The Illumination

Celebration can be seen from all levels in the Galleria around the Christmas Tree. The showtimes are daily at 12 p.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. with no 8 p.m. shows on Sunday.

Tiny Food Party Nothing is better than dessert during the holiday season. The William T. Cozby Library provides a unique twist to this on Dec. 21 from 6:30- 7:30 p.m. At this event, for teens in grades six to 12, meet new people and have fun making and eating miniature treats. Even better, this event is free to attend.

2018 brings excitement for movie fanatics death. Sometimes it feels like there aren’t enough moments like these, but luckily, 2018 promises a lot.

written by Anika Arutla Staff Writer @anikaarutla Nothing is better than butter melting onto your tongue, the fizzy feeling in your throat as you take a sip of an ice cold coke and adrenaline rushing through your body as you watch your favorite character escape

January: The Maze Runner: Death Cure In January, our favorite optimistic dystopian character, Thomas, returns to the big screen to conclude the epic Maze Runner series. The series features a group of kids who are stuck in a maze and must escape to survive.

During the end of the first movie, they escape only to find out their reality was much worse. Now they must choose between saving themselves and saving the world.

The movie was set to come out in

February 2017, but Dylan O’Brien (who plays Thomas) got run over by a car during a stunt. This postponed production for a year. However, you can catch The Maze Runner: Death Cure running into theaters on January 26.

February: Black Panther Marvel introduced Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War. Now Marvel is taking his story and bringing it to life on the big screen with his own independent film. Prince T’Challa, played by Chadwick Boseman, is the new king of Wakanda, an advanced African society. There is not much Marvel has said about the plot of

Black Panther but we can all safely assume it will be action-packed and full of moments that will have us more hooked on Marvel than ever before.

Black Panther will claw into theaters on February 16.

March: A Wrinkle in Time I still remember the time my 4th grade teacher read my class A Wrinkle in Time. I remember absolutely praising it and when I heard Disney was making it into a movie, I screamed.

The story centers around a young girl, her brother and her classmate as they try to find their father, a scientist trapped on another planet. This movie will hit theaters on March 9.

January

The Maze Runner: Death Cure Jan. 26 February

Black Panther Feb. 16 March

A Wrinkle in Time Mar. 9

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Moving from S.Korea to Texas, Chang transitions to swimming from taekwondo written by Farah Merchant Student Life Editor @farahmerchant_

H

is legs hurt from pounding against the water, yet he continued to swim, thrusting his arms to gain a meter more.

At that point he was so acquainted with the cool water that it had become his second home. But this was not the case a year and four months ago.

When he was about 11, Chang moved to South Korea from Austin.

In South Korea, he chose to pursue taekwondo. He practiced taekwondo for five years, building discipline and dedication to the sport.

When he moved to Coppell his junior year, he shifted from the combat sport to swimming. Though these

sports work different muscles and have different working resumes, his experiences with taekwondo helped his transition to swimming.

“Taekwondo taught me mentally how to never give up; I can always go one step ahead even though I think that I can’t,” Chang said. “In terms of that, I think that type of mentality training helped me in swimming.

Even though it was really hard, I decided not to give up and try a few more sets of swimming.”

Initially in Coppell, he was thinking about going into either wrestling or football, sports that mimicked the environment and skills he had experienced with taekwondo. But his mother, Jiwon Chung, feared for his safety and encouraged Chang to join swimming, which he ended up enjoying.

“It’s a sport that you can always have fun in,” Chang said. “Many of the people who swim think of it like a gentleman sport because of how sportsmanship can be shown throughout a tournament.”

Chung knew her son had a passion for sports and would enjoy swimming, which is why she encourages him to choose a safer alternative.

“It doesn’t matter [what sport he plays] because he likes to do sports,” Chung said. “He’s been doing swimming since he was 6 years old. It’s just a form of sports.”

According to CHS swim coach Marieke Roberts, Chang does not have a strong swimming background but his dedication proved he would make a good captain for this season.

“He is a very natural born leader,”

Roberts said. “Part of leadership is setting the right example. In practice, he pushes himself to his limits.”

Another quality adding to his character is his long-run mentality that pushes him to look ahead and work for the future. In practices, he looks forward to dropping his time and works to make his goals tangible. “[It’s] who you think will do a good job leading the team and being so outstanding and a leader like Daniel,” Roberts said. “Every time you find a swimmer like Daniel, you’re just plain lucky.”

For Chang, the transition from taekwondo to swimming was difficult, and in order to adapt he had to put in twice as much effort just to become an adequate swimmer. But to him the work was worth it.

The lone diver: Koshy brings national experience as sole member of CHS diving written by Lili Lomas Excecutive Digital Content Editor @chscampusnews

C

oppell High School sophomore Ethan Koshy has a section of Coppell sports reserved specifically for him. He is the only diver for the CHS team so he quite literally puts the “diving” in “Coppell Swimming and Diving”.

Not only does he uphold the name of Coppell diving but he represents it well. Last year, Koshy competed at the USA Diving Nationals Championships for his club team, GC Divers, meaning he passed through several elimination rounds and placed 10 at the zone meet to qualify. This team is also the No.1 ranked team in the nation.

The Sidekick recently sat down with him to discover what it is like to be the lone diver on the CHS Swimming and Diving team.

What are competitions like being the only diver on the CHS team?

At first, I was a bit worried for my first competition but everyone is super supportive when you go there and even if I did a bad dive they started

cheering, so it was pretty fun.

How do you mentally motivate yourself for meets knowing that you are the only representative of your sport at our school?

It’s kind of difficult because [coach Marieke Roberts], she admits to it that she doesn’t know much about diving but the other people at [meets] are super supportive but other than that, it’s nice when other [teammates] are there watching because it keeps you going.

How would you describe your relationship with the swimmers on the team?

I don’t know a lot of them that well but if I see them in the hallway, they always recognize me. They’re definitely supportive. I remember the first time I got on the bus because we had to go to the YMCA really quick so we could change, they were like ‘wait, are you the diver?’

What is your favorite part about diving as a sport?

When you go in the water and you don’t go over or short, you can feel it right when you go in. You know when you come up and people are cheering.

photo by Lili Lomas Coppell High School sophomore Ethan Koshy practices diving off of the three-meter platform at Westside Aquatic Center on Dec. 6. Koshy is the only diver on the CHS swimming and diving team and outside of school is on the No. 1 diving team in the nation.

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photos by Ale Ceniceros, Karis Thomas, Aubrey Phillips

Football flashbacks

Coppell Cowboys show strength, unity in defining 12 moments of 2017 season written by Nicholas Pranske Staff Writer @Nick_Pranske8 Eleven wins, two losses and three rounds of playoffs.

That is what the Cowboys football team has to look back on for the 2017 season.

Starting every game with a kickoff from junior Caden Davis or the occasional kick return by juniors Jonathan Mc-

Gill or Blake Jackson. Ending every game - win or lose - with something positive to take home, if there was one takeaway from this season as a whole, it would be this: big plays.

But there is not just one takeaway, there are hundreds, from the short runs by junior running backs Ryan Hirt and De Heath, to the 40-yard breakthroughs, all of which was made possible by the offensive line.

But, what backed up the offense happened on the other side of the ball: defense. With multiple tackles, fumble recov-

eries, sacks, interceptions or even a combination of everything in a game, the Cowboys defense could hold its ground.

To a dedicated fan or a Coppell High School student, it seems like yesterday that the Cowboys were running through the big ‘Wreck the Raiders’ banner prior to their first game of the season against the L.D. Bell Blue Raiders.

Between then and the final snap of the season, a multitude of big, small, nerve-racking and relieving moments have been made.

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Coppell athletics team up to volunteer CHS soccer, tennis donate time, money to community this holiday season written by Akif Abidi & Nishant Medicharla Staff Writers @chscampusnews

This year, Coppell High School athletic programs have upheld their tradition of giving back to the community. Athletic programs, such as CHS soccer and CHS tennis, have volunteered at charity events throughout Coppell in order to give a helping hand to society.

The soccer program participated in a service project near Fair Park held by the Valley Ranch Baptist Church, partnered with the Cornerstone Baptist Church.

The churches worked together to hold the Christmas Store 2017 photo by Karis Thomas for the Coppell Cowboys soccer team volunteers to carry boxes of wrapping paper and public other supplies on Dec. 6 at Valley Ranch Baptist Church in order to pack toys for for children in need. JV and Varsity soccer teams volunteered to help give back to disadvantaged children.

two days. The store is held in the VRBC church, and distributed donated gifts and toys to less fortunate children.

With hundreds of donated gifts, the less fortunate children can also enjoy and spread the delights of Christmas.

The boys and girls soccer teams helped in the preparation of the Christmas store on Dec. 6 by transferring more than 600 donated gifts from storage units on the property next to the VRBC and placing in the church where the children from the financially disadvantaged family could collect it.

CHS freshman JV soccer player Zach Vazhekatt is one of the many athletes who volunteered at the event to help out and volunteer locally.

“I feel good that our whole team is coming together to give gifts to children and families in need this Christmas season,” Vazhekatt said. “It’s a really good thing that we did it because it shows that we are united as a soccer team and we can unite the community through giving.”

The generous toy donations came from the locals in Coppell and its neighbouring areas, ranging over children of all ages and reaching more than 1,000 less fortunate kids.

CHS sophomore JV soccer player Muhammed Ali was also excited to participate in the event.

“It is a great way to give back to the community as well as a good way to include those who maybe don’t have as much as others,” Ali said. “It’s a great community bonding event.”

The Coppell High School tennis team is also giving back to the community.

The tennis players were encouraged to donate at least $5 which would then be transferred into McDonald’s gift cards. These gift cards would be given to the homeless and people in need by Coppell High School.

Not only that, CHS tennis players were also encouraged to donate $2 to the Make A Child Smile Foundation. This money goes towards buying toys for children whose families do not have enough money to afford them.

“Christmas is a time of giving, and comparing myself to others, I think that people could use a helping hand this holiday season,” CHS sophomore tennis player Arielle Bardwill said. “Two to $5 is honestly not a lot, and when you give back something, you truly feel like you’re earning something.”

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Kellett’s drive culminates in TCU scholarship written by Anika Arutla Staff Writer @anikaarutla Hardworking, fast and competitive are some of the many adjectives Coppell High School girls soccer coach Ryan Dunlevy uses to describe sophomore goalie Lauren Kellett.

Kellett, who orally committed to TCU on Oct. 31, plays on the CHS varsity soccer team and Sting club.

“It’s a thrill, to just be in goal, diving every w h i c h way,” Kellett said.

Kellett has been playing soccer for

10 years and the position of goalie full-time for seven. She has been playing with the same club coach, Beau Brown, for six years, who is also an assistant coach at TCU. “I heard about her before she even got [to CHS] as a player, so when she got here she already had expectations and she’s done a very good job meeting those expectations and even exceeding them this year,” Dunlevy said.

Not only does Kellett practice with the school team each morning, but she also practices outside of school almost every day of the week.

Her most remarkable characteristic on the field is her speed and her ability to command the defense line.

“She tries to be the best player that she can be” sophomore teammate Allison Scrivner said.

Her inspiration and motivation does not just stop at her love for soccer, as it

extends to her dedication to her parents whom she did not want to burden with paying for her college.

“I’ve known for a long time that I have to work hard to get scholarship money like to help them [parents] pay and I just try to make it easier,” Kellett said. photo by Nadia Scalzo Coppell High School sophomore Lauren Kellet goes through goalie drills during practice on Dec.1. Kellett plans to continue her soccer career at TCU.

Competitive spirit leads Priest to SMU soccer commitment written by Anika Arutla Staff Writer @anikaarutla

The Sidekick file photo Coppell High School senior Wyatt Priest dribbles downfield during last year’s soccer match against El Paso Soccoro. Priest will continue his soccer career at SMU.

Since he was 4, Coppell High School senior Wyatt Priest had a soccer ball in between his feet. For the Cowboys soccer team, he has led it to a Class 6A state championship and more recently committed to SMU. “He’s one of our [CHS boys soccer team’s] complete players, he understands the game, he’s great on the ball; dribbling, shooting, passing,” Cowboys soccer coach James Balcom said.

Priest plays the main position of attacking midfielder but you can see him on the field playing just about any position. Out of the many reasons that motivate Priest, his family plays a large role. Priest’s father played college

soccer for Butler University and Priest wanted to follow in his footsteps.

From the many qualities that Priest possesses, his ability to play the game and score during the most inconvenient times is the most distinct.

“He reads the game very well, he’s a great competitor, he always has to win, and he always finds a way to score a goal no matter it being with his head or with his feet.” senior defender, George Ackling said.

Although, in the end it was up to him to push himself.

“The biggest thing is just me not giving up with it and I think the harder I worked, more opportunities opened up for me which eventually led to where I am today,” Priest said.

Priest and the Cowboys open the season Dec. 29.

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Humans of CHS