Volume 26 Issue 5

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Coppell High School 185 W Parkway Blvd Coppell TX 75019 VOLUME 26

ISSUE 5

IN ISSUE

Caussey aspires to leave mark at national level Passionate about politics, Chris Caussey begins the process of being one of 38 state electors in the 2016 Presidential Election.

NEWS Page 4

April 2015

Adoption always an option

Pg 11

Pg 22

Chess club Hurdling his taking way to classic game to success new heights

www.coppellstudentmedia.com

Dealing with It

Pro/Con: Gay marriage Staff writers Sakshi Venkatraman and Emma Cummins discuss the validity of legalizing of same-sex marriage in Texas.

OPINIONS Page 8

Sophomore excels as an esteemed dancer CHS student Wendy Bede pursues a pre-professional career at the renowned Ballet Academy of Texas.

STUDENT LIFE Page 10

Harris, Meyer, Goode brings new sound, style Local student band releases a new extended play on iTunes of alternative rock music for fan base.

ENTERTAINMENT Page 17

Crawford era coming to a close after long tenure CISD athletics director John Crawford will retire from his position in August, but before he goes, he reminisces on his career dating back to 1983.

SPORTS Page 20

Top high school athletes facing pressure to be great on and off the field > see page 12-13 The Sidekick // Nicole Messer

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Irma Kennedy

news

Teacher of the Issue: KCBY adviser finds dream job in teaching JENA SEIDEMANN Managing Editor @jena_seidemann The Sidekick recognizes KCBY adviser, Irma Kennedy, as teacher of the issue. Her passion for journalism has groomed many successful broadcast journalists and has built a solid foundation to a prestigious program.

“Mrs. Kennedy seems intimidating, but that is just because she knows what she is doing,” junior sports editor Nick Wilson said. “She always expects you to be a certain standard. She’ll always be honest with you and will push you to your potential.”

Having worked for ABC alongside Barbara Walters, Hugh Downs and John Stossel in New York and at NBC in Charlotte, North Carolina, KCBY advisor Irma Kennedy has a wealth of experience, but as her life changed, so did her priorities.

After 10 years of working for large networks, Kennedy moved back to her roots (Texas) and took on a job as a Spanish teacher at Mockingbird Elementary. Once the program was cancelled, she looked for another job. Two weeks later, the position for the KCBY advisor opened up.

“I had always dreamed of a job like this, but there are few and far in between, when people have them, they aren’t going anywhere,” Kennedy said.

The Sidekick // Kelly Monaghan

Debaters break record placing second at state

The Sidekick // Mallorie Munoz Coppell High School senior Mustafa Neemuchwala orates his rebuttal speech in a practice debate round with his fellow teamates.

Neemuchwala and his partner junior Joseph Overman, made it to octofinals at the Texas Forensics Debate Tournament on March 5-7.

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THOMAS ROUSSEAU Staff Writer

ut of 121 teams, Coppell High School’s seniors Francesco Scivittaro and Adhitya Ganesh scored second at the Texas Forensics Debate Tournament in El Paso, the best in program history for Coppell.

A second CHS debate team comprised of junior Joseph Overman and senior Mustafa Neemuchwala made it into the octofinals of the tournament, which ran from March 5-7. Scivittaro and Ganesh debated a total of 22 hours interspersed throughout the days of the competition.

The debates are based on cross examination or policy debates as they are also known. This structure is meant to mimic government decision making.

The overreaching subject of the debates was the government’s exploitation of the ocean. Various bills were proposed and the advantages and disadvantages were examined.

“All of the top teams in the Texas area know each other, so you keep an eye on those teams, and try to figure out who it’s more likely that you’re going to hit in the late preliminary rounds and the later elimination rounds,” Scivatarro said.

The teams face off in a sequence of eight total speeches. Four constructive speeches and four rebuttal speeches, two for each team. The partners in the team each get one constructive and one rebuttal speech.

Scivityaro and Ganesh had been paired since the beginning of the 201415 school year, a comparatively short time span compared to other teams.

Between debates, the teams were able to congratulate each other on their performance. The elation felt after Overman and Neemuchwala beat one of the top 25 teams in Texas was comparable to the accomplishment.

“After the round, Aditya saw and

hugged Mustafa, he ran at him and broke his glasses,” Overman said.

The subjects of certain tournaments remains the same throughout the year.

This allows the teams to compile larger amounts of research and have a good familiarity with the topic.

“It’s very experience based, as you debate with someone longer,” Ganesh said. “At the beginning of the year me and Francesco hit a lot of roadblocks because there was a lot of miscommunication.”

Some teams choose their partners, and others are paired according to the coaches. Sometimes the choice lies somewhere in between, with agreements beforehand from both parties.

“At some point we really embraced the underdog feeling,” Ganesh said.

“Coppell is definitely well off, however some of these private schools [like] Greenhill [and] St. Mark’s in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, you sort of learn to develop this feeling that even if you’re the underdog if you’re better than them at debate you will win.”

Some of the private schools present at the event had substantial resources in the form of paid databases, extra coaches and researchers, available to them. These were resources that Coppell’s team lacked during the competition.

Ganesh and Scivittaro were told by the judges that they were “winning the spin” during the competition, thus making up for the disparity in research value and propelling them forward in the competition.

“The squad has gotten better as we’ve gone along; I came here 12 years ago and we had something like 11 varsity debaters and now we’ve got 30 or 40 varsity and we’ve got three novice classes,” debate teacher and coach Glenda Ferguson said. “The quality of kids we’re getting is excellent, they are used to doing well.”

news

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Too much makeup or not enough

Culture of makeup growing, changing in Coppell schools

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Priiya Desai Staff Writer @priusdasani

irls wearing makeup in high sch Coppell resident Maria Stone is the mother of two girls, one in middle school and the other in high school. In their house, makeup isn’t something that’s uncommon.

“Maggie is almost 17 and Megan is 13 and a lot of time they use each other’s makeup,” Stone said. “They really use all the same makeup.”

Without a huge distinction of makeup use or amount applied between the two, wearing makeup has now become something present in Coppell Schools. With wearing makeup at school comes the concern of what kind of reaction will come with the decision to pick up that powder brush. Too much makeup, not enough of it or a bare face has all means something in the eyes of a student.

Coppell High School senior Evana Flores is someone who friends now come to for advice about makeup with her extensive experience with dance and show choir makeup since a young age. While she’s become someone who truly respects what makeup can do for a girl, she used to be one that use to come up with conclusions about girls based on whether they chose to wear makeup or not.

“Often I believe that people associate a lot of makeup with insecurity, especially when it is worn daily,” Flores said. “I know I have been guilty of assuming that.”

Through this change she has been able to see the preconceptions put on girls, with or without makeup.

“People make assumptions about girls regardless of makeu p .

T h e y c o u l d be bare faced and people will still assume something about her because of it. If you wear too much makeup then you are insecure, if you wear just the right amount then you have your life under control, maybe you are a little on the fake or perfectionist side. If you wear makeup sporadically then you are a mess.

If you never wear makeup then you are either a tomboy, innocent or don’t care about society,” Flores said.

When you search the phrase “makeup in school” on the Internet, entangled in the multiple video tutorials and product recommendations are articles and forums asking how much makeup is too much for high school students. Girls have taken to the Internet rather

than themselves to find the “correct” amount of makeup they feel they can wear.

Webpages like these are trying to show young girls a standard for how much and when it’s appropriate to wear makeup.

New Tech High@Coppell senior Savannah Patrick wears makeup everyday and is proud of it, often getting compliments on her long lashes which she spends most of her makeup application time on.

“Some people do only wear makeup to impress, but that’s something that isn’t the girl’s fault, it’s the people that they are surrounded by for making her think she has to do that,” Patrick said.

An article from The New York TImes tells the story of a young girl’s transition into using makeup. By age 11, Alyssa went from Lipsmackers to lipstick, eyeliner and mascara.

Like Stone, Alyssa’s mother helped this transition rather than prohibit this. Using some statistics from the NPD Group who specialize in industry tracking. There has been an increase of more than 18 percent from 2007-2009 in the use of beauty products in girls aged 8-12. The article not only credits this change to parents condoning makeup use, but the change in marketing for makeup.

While walking through a typical Walgreens makeup section you see spokespeople such as Miley Cyrus for MAC cosmetics, Katy Perry for Covergirl, and Rita Ora for Rimmel London. All these celebrities have a high attraction for

teens as these are the singers that are played on repeat from their playlists.

Marketing of makeup has taken a turn by starting to pick these spokespeople more carefull y abandoning those like Queen Latifah for Covergirl in the past and replacing them with popular musicians like Katy Perry who have a large fan base consisting of a significant number of teens.

In March 2014, a group at Plano Senior High School students caught the attention of both ABC News and NBC’s

The Sidekick //Mallorie Munoz The decision to wear too much, too little or no makeup at all can be a challenging one for Coppell girls. Common marketing strategies use celebrities to endorse their products in order to appeal to an even younger female audience.

“The Today Show”. Nicknamed “Operation Beautiful”, over 1,300 girls went for a day without makeup to encourage others to love their “inner beauty.” While most expected the day to be embraced by the school for its positive message, some of the boys were against it, encouraging their peers not to participate.

While this school needed an entire day to get everyone to stop wearing makeup to “love their inner beauty”, there are people like CHS junior

Pratyusha Manthena who has

never worn makeup to school and never felt the need to.

“I have thought about it, but I never thought of it as a something I could pull of or need right now,” Manthena said. “I might feel compelled to wear makeup if every single girl wore it to school, but I don’t.”

Wearing makeup can sometimes draw attention not in-

tended.

“Sometimes that attention [from wearing makeup] can be positive from people who admire the girl’s confidence or artistic abilities, but more often than not it is a negative attention,” Flores said.

Whether applied well or not, the attention can be the same to f r o m b o t h parents

and students alike.

“There are some girls in high school that wear a lot of makeup and to me they put themselves in a different category of a girl that cares too much, a little bit more high maintenance where other kids or parents might have a certain opinion of them if they just really wear a whole lot of makeup.”

Stone said.

Stone is a mom that allowed her daughter to wear makeup starting in middle school and it seemed like this was the norm.

“They both started wearing mascara and a little bit of

eyeliner in sixth grade,” Stone said. “There were some moms that really felt strongly that sixth grade was too young to start wearing mascara.”

Rather than restrict their access to the makeup, she decided it was better to give her daughters the opportunity to wear it to feel more in touch with their friends as Stone explains that the influence was “from their friends” in middle school.

“I didn’t want them being the oddballs who weren’t allowed to use it,” Stone said.

For students like Flores, they see the need to wear makeup as a way to hide some undesired feature sand bring out what makes them beautiful.

“It can give a

l o t o f people confidence with skin or beauty insecurities when it is used to enhance your features, and it can be used as literal art on the face,” Flores said.

There is no question that makeup use is prevalent in Coppell schools today. With girls starting from a younger age, this trend can only be seen going up.

“If it’s minimal use I don’t really notice a big impact on my girls [at school]”, Stone said.

“In high school it’s OK.”

news Making history: teacher striving to claim spot as national elector

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ALEX NICOLL Editor-in-Chief @NicollMac

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hen someone is passionate about a topic, idea or activity, they will do whatever it takes to campaign for it, even if it could cause them pain.

Coppell High School AP World History teacher Chris Caussey can attest to this. In May 2010, days after he had his appendix removed, his wife, CHS instructional coach Clara Caussey, drove him to vote in his community’s local election in Flower Mound.

“I waited in line for over an hour to vote, went home,

picked him up, and let him sit in the car while I waited in line again for him,” Mrs. Caussey said via email. “He was miserable, but determined to do his civic duty.”

This civic duty, coupled with a love of politics and history, has led Mr. Caussey to be active in the political process, even now trying to become a national elector in the state of Texas for the 2016 election.

Starting in 2002, and with a background of going with his dad to state conventions, Caussey has been involved with multiple campaigns, mostly on Dallas County judgeships.

“I really enjoyed [being] involved with campaigns whether it be with judgeships

or grassroots campaigns,” Mr. Caussey said. “The experience is what makes it so fun. Whether it’s calling potential voters or making campaign paraphernalia, holding up signs, talking to people about what this person believes in is so important. Some people in the United States feel so disengaged and their politicians don’t pay any attention to them, that’s why we have less than 50 percent voting in national elections.

There is a lot of political apathy.”

For the upcoming presidential election, Mr. Caussey has been in the process of attempting to being elected to the Texas state caucus to become an elector for the state.

The Sidekick // Amanda Hair During second period, Mr. Caussey researches for a lesson he is preparing for when students return from spring break. Caussey has a passion and love for history and truly enjoys sharing it with his students.

The Sidekick // Manu Garikipati

Because of his job in edu- vention. cation and not wanting to In 2010, Mr. create an atmosphere Caussey was of bias teaching, able to Mr. Caussey “Down the line, locally, I f o l l o w has asked not canto include might take the opportunity to d i which porun. To me, my family is numlitical party he ber one, so I want to see how is running for. that affects my family but my However, his wife is great, she supports me love of history in everything I do.” and politics trickles down to his dates - History teacher classroom. to see Chris Caussey “I just love histhis protory as a whole and cess firsthim teaching it makes it a lot hand and learned of fun,” sophomore Christina valuable lessons that will help Davidson said. him in his future endeavours.

The process of becoming an He was able to see these canelector is a long and arduous didates answer questions and one, with time commitments learned what the interviews being the most difficult aspect. would be like.

“The time,” Mr. Caussey In preparation for his camsaid. “It takes some dedication. paign, Mr. Caussey has focused For me the time is a tough on getting his name out to the component of this whole pro- public. Establishing a repercess.” toire with city council memBut at this point in the pro- bers, mayors and citizens in cess, it has not affected his Lewisville and Flower Mound family much. are paramount in building his “He has been a delegate to credibility and campaign. the state convention the last “If you’re just a regular guy, two years, but the state conven- like I am, you’re going to need tion is in the summer. That’s a little bit of funds and in polieasy for both of us. Most of the tics its all about name recognirest of it is on Saturday morn- tion, so if you’re known in the ings and an occasional late community that always helps,” weeknight. This is his thing, Mr. Caussey said. and I support him doing it,” If the national convention Mrs. Caussey said via email. does not pan out, Mr. Caussey “Next year, however, we will has another plan in place, but have a little one at home, and is wary of the effect it could that might change things a bit. have on his family.

I can’t say what that will look “The grassroots process like until it happens though.” is so interesting to me that To become an elector in the it would be fun to run for an state of Texas, one must be a elector one day,” Mr. Caussey registered voter, not hold a said. federal position in the national His dedication to his famigovernment and be registered ly does not go unnoticed. Mrs. with the political party of their Caussey understands the time choice. it takes and supports him in During the primary elec- this endeavour and whatever tions, a convention called a course of action he pursues. precede convention comes “I’m proud of him. He is right before it. Here candidates very passionate about politics, apply to the senatorial election. and he takes every opportuniAfter this, the party interviews ty to participate in the politthe candidate to be up for the ical process—from voting in state delegation. every election, to bigger roles At the state delegation, par- with the county and hopefully ties elect a chairman and vice the state. I know that it would chairman and vote on changes be a dream come true for him to the party’s platforms. Every if he got to be an elector for four years they meet with the the state of Texas at a national senatorial delegates and vote to convention,” Mrs. Caussey said elect them to the national con- via email.

news

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InvenTeam students bring Gateway project UIL Academics team to South by Southwest conference places 2nd in District 7-6A GABBY SAHM Staff Writer @gabbysahm

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hen someone says they are going to South by Southwest (SXSW), you instantly think about the music portion. Little do people know that SXSW is actually a set of music festivals, conferences and films all rolled up into one.

The event also has a section called SXSWedu, which is a conference and festival that houses different innovations in learning.

The Disruptive Innovation Lemelson-MIT Inventeam, one of the many teams in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program at Coppell High School, traveled to SXSWedu in Austin on March 11 to display their innovation, Gateways.

Gateways is an invention incorporating new technologies to develop an interactive training device capable of being personalized for each student suffering from a disability. The team has worked on the project since the summer of 2014, and will continue it through the next school year.

It is designed for special education teacher Eileen Higgins to help her let her students work freely. The students press certain buttons according to what is being shown on the monitor. The data is then recorded via the kinect attached on top which collects data on their actions.

The team traveled to SXSW during spring break in order to get new feedback regarding its latest version of Gateways, which was module V3. Junior team leader Zane Erickson spoke alongside senior executive lead Erin Payne to the community about their project and the plans they have made so far.

“To have the opportunity to speak with other administrators from around the area gave us the ability to view our invention in a brand new perspective,” Payne said. “Lately we have been constrained to the needs of our school’s special education department, so to speak with other educators from a completely different district has really helped us.”

Junior technical lead Nino Teruya travelled along to aid in

Photo Courtesy // Ruth Fernandes Juniors, Ruth Fernandes (far left), Nino Teruya (middle left), Zane Erickson (middle right) and Elbio Guedilla (far right) discuss technical aspects about Gateways before it is their turn to present at SXSWedu on March 11.

Photo Courtesy // Travis Washmon (Left to right) Junior Daniel Koh, sophomore Apurva Gunturu, sophomore Shayrin Oad, junior Taddie Cook, and junior Will Harrington stand with their awards received at the UIL competition where the Literary Criticism team won first, second, fourth and fifth.

TOMMY ROUSSEAU Staff Writer

C Photo Courtesy // Ruth Fernandes Junior Zane Erickson (left) and Senior Erin Payne (right) speak to the crowd at SXSWedu about their teams innovation Gateways. transportation and assembly/ disassembly of Gateways. He enjoyed seeing his fellow teammates present along with hearing the feedback from the community.

“While we did not get as much feedback as we would have liked, the people that gave us feedback gave us very good tips,” Teruya said. “It allowed us to further increase our knowledge of what we needed to do to make [Gateways] more user friendly.”

The team also got to speak with and see other innovations

Photo Courtesy // Ruth Fernandes The Disruptive Innovation Lemelson-MIT Inventeam poses for a quick team photo after they finish presenting.

and presentations from other teams at SXSW, including inventions that are not common to see everyday.

“I really enjoyed speaking to the different people along with seeing the other exhibits that people had there,” Erickson said.

“Like one exhibit showed an Arduino, a tool making computers that can sense and control more of the physical world, being used as a satellite.”

STEM coordinator Mike Yakubovsky hopes to continue the team’s’ work into the following school years. He plans for future students to be able to build upon what the team has accomplished this year.

“Where we are going in the next years is making improvements to the existing model but then also expanding it to make [Higgins’] room more user friendly and more customized versus just having one module,” Yakubovsky said.

At the end of the day, when it was time to pack up and leave, the team reflected on the day and all the feedback they had received.

The team hopes to have the next module, V3, complete by April 10.

“I learned how unique our Gateways truly is,” Payne said.

“To receive so much positive feedback from so many different people has really made me hopefully for the future of our invention.”

hosen students specializing in their own fields recently participated in a contest with the area’s best in a fierce competition to determine the skills of each participant in a controlled environment.

The Coppell High School University Interscholastic League (UIL) Academics team finished second overall behind Southlake Carroll High School at the District 7-6A Academic Contest, which concluded on March 28.

Coppell accumulated 408 points, second to Southlake Carroll’s 439.

CHS coach Kim Thibodeaux’s Spelling and Vocabulary team, coach Travis Washmon’s Literary Criticism team and Glenda Ferguson’s Cross-Examination Debate teams all claimed district championships in their events.

The individuals who scored third place or higher advance to the Class 6A Region I Contest on April 23-25 at UT-Arlington.

Some teams grow closer as a result of working together in preparation for the competition.

The Literary Criticism team practiced twice a week in order to prepare. As well as reading two books that would be required in the contest.

“I think my team is fantastic, they’re all really really smart and they know what they’re doing,” sophomore Shayrin Oad, who scored fourth in Literary Criticism, said. “You know they’re coming from a standpoint where they have a lot of experience.”

Many factors alter the performance of the teams, and how they view the contest and what they believe they are working towards has played a part in their success.

“Last year there were a lot more seniors, at the end they were kind of not motivated so there wasn’t really a team dynamic, but this year we’re all coming back next year so we’re all motivated to keep going,” Literary Criticism district champion, junior Daniel Koh, said.

Preparation for other teams is more of a solitary endeavor, but students must pay attention to the overall skill of their team, or risk having their own performance hindered.

“It’s kind of nerveracking, handing in your paper, and seeing everybody else, I was the last one to finish so it was like ‘Did I do as well as everybody else?’” sophomore Meara Isenberg said.

Isenberg is district champion for Headline Writing and fourth in News Writing, not only doing as well as the other participants, but better.

“Going [to the district contest] with all these other good writers who are passionate about journalism will be really nice,” sophomore Marcus Krum, who placed second in Feature Writing and 4th in Editorial Writing, said. “It’s one of my hobbies, I really like doing it, I think that really makes it more interesting, it makes it better.”

Computer Applications deals with the Microsoft Office Programs and judges a student’s ability to use them efficiently.

“We are high schoolers, and soon we are going to be working in jobs and this is really preparing us for that,” sophomore Nimit Kalra, who placed first in Computer Applications, said. “I think UIL is moving towards that, especially with this program and I hope more in the future.”

Thibodeaux has coached Spelling and Vocabulary for eight years in total. Six years at Royse City High School, and two years at CHS. This is the first time Spelling and Vocabulary has placed, as a team. Many coaches and students think last year’s district realignment placed CHS in a more favorable district in regards to competition.

“We had a good group competing, we’re not in a district that’s as difficult as we had been, and there weren’t as many entries, but I don’t want to diminish the accomplishment, I’m very proud of [Journalism team] getting second place,” Sidekick adviser and Journalism coach Chase Wofford said.

opinions

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editorial

Racial stereotypes, humor taken too lightly by society

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acial apathy is not complicated, it is conversational. Walking through any school, workplace or social setting, phrases like “Oh my god, I can’t believe you made a 100 on that test; stop being so Asian,” to “seriously, Starbucks and Uggs? You are such a white girl today,” roll off the tongue far too common for comfort.

It seems harmless, and most of the time it is, but many times when we make stereotypical statements, we do not realize

who we are hurting or offending.

The problem with this generation is that racial apathy has become so common, we do not even recognize it when it is right in front of us, or worse, when it is manifesting inside of us. Even our thoughts are conditioned to be racially stereotypical, from the way we view terrorism to the way we view a latte and a pair of fluffy boots. The former is much more harmful but both display that our subconscious is

trained to respond in racist ways to stimuli that can vary greatly.

We are a product of the society we are raised in and our numbness to these apathetic statements results from the everpresence of them in the modern world and the perpetuation of them by mediums such as the Internet. This generation believes them to be a normal part of everyday life, and we should not. There are times when the underlying racial stereotyping tailored into our everyday con-

versation cannot be ignored.

Since the Enlightenment era, humanity has worked towards a goal of equality and statements that portray a certain group of people as less than everyone else cannot be tolerated; it is simply a medieval philosophy that race changes a person’s personality, aptitude or abilities, and it cannot be resurfaced in this day and age, even in a joking manner.

Following that, language and religion are sacred to some people and putting a group down for their practices or the way they talk cannot be justified by any amount of humor. Also, racial slurs should never be okay.

Why should a stereotype be created because a girl likes Starbucks? There are white girls who like Starbucks and white girls who do not, something that can be said for every other race as well.

If something so unnecessary ends up hurting someone, there is no need for it. What will lift this flaw from ourselves is if we become aware of when jokes are becoming attacks and nip them in the bud.

The emphasis we put on race in our seemingly “modern” world makes little sense. We have moved so far as a body of people that it is almost a step backward for us to regress to stereotyping for humor of all reasons.

Many of us are guilty of state-

ments like this, and it may seem that labeling something meant to be funny as “racial apathy” is overkill. However, it is incredible how fast something intended innocently can turn into something genuinely mean, and that is where we need to draw the line.

Amongst students, the phrases “brown girl” and “white girl” are used lightly and most racial groups do not take offense.

Teaching society to be overly sensitive will not solve the problem of racial apathy, what will move us in the right direction is making people aware of when the fun and games are turning into something far more serious.

The thing that many people seem to be confused on is, “When is racial joking okay?”

It all boils down to simple human character. Do not be mean nor ignorant.

On the other side of it, solving this problem is certainly not a one way street. There is another side that has a responsibility: the side that is being targeted. No one can expect an issue to just evaporate into thin air because we want it to. There has to be someone taking a stand, which is why it is necessary for people who are hurt by racist jokes to step up and speak about it.

Being silent will not get anyone anywhere, especially when it is the talking that is the problem.

Comments From Coppell Student Media Cheer for all student section, not just top sports by Alex Nicoll // Published on March 2, 2015 Username: Softball Dad

“Great article Alex. I hope the students take note. The softball team, while struggling in non-district play, is now 4-1 in district and hopefully headed for the first trip to the playoffs in several years. I know the girls would love some support as they work towards that goal and especially when the playoffs roll around. Thanks again.”

Lowered drinking age allows for less secretive teens by Shivani Burra// Published on March 23, 2015 Username: Jacob

“I completely agree. In addition to the prospect that it may make teens less secretive, it has always baffled me that at 18 years old, an American citizen is considered old enough to serve and die for their country in the army, but not old enough to have a drink.”

Executive Editors

Adviser Chase Wofford Editor-In-Chief Alex Nicoll

Managing Editor Jena Seidemann Enterprise Editor Kara Hallam

News Editor Summer Crawford Student Life Editor Allie Arnold Entertainment Editor Stephanie Alexander

Design Editor Rachel Buigas-Lopez Graphics Editor Josh Martin Photography Editor Nicole Messer

Editorial Editors

Photographers

Chelsea Banks Amanda Hair Mallorie Munoz

Kelly Monaghan Aubrie Sisk Sarah VanderPol

Graphic Designers

Taylor Bond Manu Garikipati

Christianna Haas Nicholas Brigis

2014-2015 Sidekick Staff Staff Writers

Shivani Burra Pranathi Chitta Emma Cummins Alexandra Dalton Dominic DeCello Priya Desai Aisha Espinosa Nicolas Henderson Alex Irizarry Meara Isenberg Joseph Krum Marcus Krum

Chloe Moino Shannon Morgan Shruthika Pochampally Amy Roh Thomas Rousseau Gabby Sahm Sloane Samberson Sai Seshadri Hailey Siegrist Chisom Ukoha Sakshi Venkatraman

Business Staff

Business/Public Relations Manager Tuulia Koponen Business Staff Chris Sheldon

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 their student writers and not Coppell High Schoool or Coppell Independent School District.

Adverstisements 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

opinions

7

New bill would lead to increase in violence on college campuses

SHRUTHIKA POCHAMPALLY Staff Writer @shruthreddy

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n a self-serving first-world culture where alcohol-induced poor decisions are not unheard of, some legislators are attempting to push the free use of guns on college campuses to help prevent rape.

According to the National Conference of State Legislature, the primary reason for implementing the acceptance of guns on campus is to help facilitate self-defense if a school shooting were to occur. While officially, school shootings seem to be the reason for pushing gun use, many legislators have been arguing that the same implementations would also reduce sexual violence as well in order to help build support towards this bill. For many, this seems like the perfect solution: fight one violent act with another violent act. However, there are several reasons why this idea could go awry.

If one or more people involved in a rape incident were inebriated to a point where they are unable to rationally think, then involving a gun into this scenario could be very detrimental to the lives of the individuals involved and moreover, it could put those surrounding them at risk as well. It is a given that teenagers under the influence tend to make impulsive decisions. Allowing kids in such a vulnerable state to utilize fatal weapons would end badly.

Another factor that many advocating this idea seem to overlook is if a gun is available to a vulnerable woman going out for a night of barhopping, it is just as easily accessible to a man who is lacking in good judgment. If an abusive situation is taking place, a gun involved would be fatal regardless of whose possession it was within. It is unreasonable to think that the assaulter could not get ahold of the same gun and

threaten their victim.

Another downside is the message this idea promotes to the youth of America. With violence being an issue in many areas of daily life, educational facilities should remain places of pure, unobstructed and safe learning.

Guns on campus could slowly result in an increase in acts of terrorism or other violent ideas.

With protected and legal acceptance of firearms on campus in the name of ‘protection’ or ‘self-defense’, there is no guarantee that guns would be used solely for goodwill.

We should teach America’s youth that rape is never OK. However, there are many better ways to do so. Children educated from a young age about the rights and wrongs about sex would benefit largely from being informed at an early stage. These children would have the opportunity to develop the correct mindset and morals before social media, pop culture and corrupt society could try to convince them that violent and abusive acts such as rape are acceptable. If even half of the parents in the world sat down and educated young boys and girls about respect, sex, rape and rape statistics, it may diminish in the coming generations.

“The deterrent for rape should not be the threat of getting shot, but rather the inherent moral recognition that rape is wrong,” Isabelle Leipziger said in a Letter to the Editor of the New York Times in response to an article discussing this legislative push.

Preventing young people from thinking, defending, performing and initiating non-consensual sex in the first place is far more effective than trying to stop rape through external and dangerous means.

Allowing guns on campuses may occasionally prevent a rape from occurring, but it

does not help dispel the rape-tolerant thoughts going through the minds of many of America’s youth.

Girls and guys alike should realize that guns may not be a very effective solution before jumping on board with the idea in the name of protecting themselves.

Law enforcers and college boards should realize that there are many more reasonable ways to reduce rape cases on campuses than to encourage violence like anti-rape awareness to all genders and promoting a safe culture for females through better emergency tactics throughout campuses. In peaceful and safe ways, we may be able to make a real effort towards ensuring safety of all genders against abuse and rape, without having to counter with fatal weapons.

Even if you look at the initial defense of this idea - defense during

school shootings, you may agree that it is not pragmatic to equip students with weapons when statistically, schools are not that common for acts of terrorism.

“With an average of 300 shootings every day, it should be no surprise that a few of them occur in or near schools,” a Washington Post

article says. “There are more mass shootings in restaurants than in schools, but no one has called for waitpersons to carry guns... Children are almost 100 times more likely to be murdered outside of school than at school, which makes massive expenditures for school building security seem like a misallocation of tax dollars.”

If this is true, it does not make much sense to equip students with violent objects in the hopes that should a shooting occur, which is highly unlikely, they will be able to counter it by shooting back. It seems like a trivial solution when compared to “prevention programs” and “quality...of mental health services,” as suggested by the article. Moreover, The “UT System” told KXAN News that Senate Bill 11, which approves the use of guns at public Texas universities, estimates an additional cost of $40 million for campus security, stronger police departments and established protocols, taking into account that adding a violent scene to campuses is not only not an effective solution, but also costs them a lot of extra money.

The Sidekick // Josh Martin

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n

opinions Texas’ first legally sanctioned gay marriage turns heads 8

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SAKSHI VENKATRAMAN Staff Writer @oompapa1

very revolution begins with a small victory; the point where the struggle becomes a fight; the point where people realize things are starting to change.

In Texas, that change came Feb. 19, with the first legally sanctioned same-sex marriage in the state. The lesbian couple has been together for 30 years, and were wed in the office of a Travis County clerk with their 18 and 13-year-old daughters.

Although the union of these two women seems like a step forward for Texas’ Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) community, the issue that has seemingly traveled the state through whispers is whether or not there will be any more steps taken.

Immediately after the women were married, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed to the state Supreme Court, which agreed to block all other same-sex couples from getting their marriage licenses.

As it stands, Texas has a strict ban on gay marriage and a policy of voiding any marriage licenses that same-sex couples received in other states. With intensity increasing within the past 10 years, the end for this ban has been continually protested throughout the state.

Although Texas is one of the largest and most diverse states in the country, it can hardly pride itself in being one of the most welcoming. Starting from the Civil Rights movement and segregation of the 20th century, the Lone Star State has always been one of the last to accept the new norms and the first to turn a blind eye to the human aspect of cases like these.

The same pattern follows suit with the issue of gay marriage. To me, it is surprising that out of the 26 million citizens in Texas, most of them have made the decision to keep two people who love each other from legally unifying. When you further delve into that subtopic, it becomes clear that most people are against it because of the overwhelming Christian majority of the state.

The bottom line to this whole issue is that there is supposed to be a separation of church a n d states but so far, in Texas, peoples’ religion is d i c t at i ng our laws on marriage. The marriage between these two women was called “a moral failing” and an “abrogation of states rights” by Texan

leaders.

“I believe the only [moral] violation is not letting people get married,” Coppell High School sophomore Gay Straight Alliance vice president Grant Spicer said. “We are all citizens; I mean, all men and women were created equal so why are we put down by that definition? We should be able to marry who we want and there is really no justifiable reason as to why we can’t.”

There is a limit to how far people can take their religion, and my belief is that when it impedes another person’s constitutional rights, it needs to take a seat. Following that tangent, no matter how much a person or a body of people think they are protecting the world from “deadly sin,” the morality of love is not an issue that should lie in the hands of the people for them to say “yes” or “no” to.

In 20 years, we will view the issue of gay marriage just like we now view interracial marriage, as something normal and unquestionable. Whenever I hear people talking about the sacrilege of same-sex unions, I have a sickening feeling that my grandkids are going to read about it in their history textbooks and think, “Wow, my grandmother sure did live during a awful, barbaric time.”

The question, “Why didn’t the government let other people love?” will soon be analogous to the question, “Why didn’t the government give black people equal rights?” or “Why did the government tax people for their religion?”

Zooming out, it seems so simple. Love is simple. But legality is complicated. I think it is safe to say that the two do not coexist well.

With regards to Texas’ first same sex marriage, what seems to be the icing on the cake for some skeptics is that the marriage was only sanctioned because one of the women had “immediate health issues”. These “issues” took the form of a deadly ovarian cancer, diagnosed a year prior to the marriage.

To put it simply, it saddens me and angers me greatly. Although it is fantastic for these women, we have to acknowledge the fact that there are millions of others like them who are not willing to fight as hard to get their name on a piece of paper. And the bottom line is, they should not have to.

Fixing this issue is not black and white, either. But the one thing that I am sure of is that change begins with us: the people. We live in one of the most mixed countries in the world, yet still, we need to learn to open our minds and our hearts to our fellow humans and see it from their eyes before any change can be made.

We cannot deprive people of life’s essential nutrient and call it “morally right”. Love, in whatever form, should be clung to and c u lt i vated, especially in a time of such hatred and war like the one we live in right now.

For the millionth time in our cyclic history, we need to be accept differences and move on.

The Sidekick // Nicholas Brigis

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EMMA CUMMINS Staff Writer

or years now, gay rights activists have called for the right to marry and have cited discrimination and inequality.

Now, federal judges in 37 states, have changed legislation in favor of gay couples and are recognizing their marriage as being on equal grounds as the marriage of a heterosexual couple.

On Feb. 19, in Travis County, Texas, the first gay marriage license was issued to a lesbian couple, who has dated for 30 years. This significant landmark in Texas history has raised much controversy in our predominantly conservative state.

One question I would first bring up is that if gay marriage is constitutional, why was polygamy ruled unconstitutional? A polygamous relationship is one in which a man may marry

These are two very important factors.

First, heterosexual marriage “serves the key interests of the state,” in so far as a man and woman are objectively the best combination in which the state is served, through the recognition of the benefits of the nuclear family unit, the ability to have children naturally, and the raising of healthy children for full participation in our society.

And so by redefining marriage and refusing to uphold standards well established by a coherent and well-functioning society, many states have embarked on a destructive course.

Never mind facts or long term effects, the social climate is pressuring judges to overturn bans that have served to keep our country on a steady path.

Unfortunately, in our over-sensitive and politically correct world, many judges are now making decisions without objectivity.

Changes such as these are never simple. In the past, issues have been black and white but in our increasingly complex world, this is no longer the case. The decision to legalize gay marriage should be thought about carefully.

Deciding to not legalize gay marriage has nothing to do with religion. While many may have a religion in which this lifestyle is prohibited, that in no way means that the opposition to gay marriage is ungrounded and purely religious. Logically, the decision to legalize

The Sidekick // Rachel Buigas-Lopez several women, or vice versa. Could we not make the case that if a man says he loves several women at once, why shouldn’t he be able to marry all of them at the same time?

Gay rights activists have claimed that 30 years ago people thought the same way about marriages between interracial couples, and that gay couples are equivalent to interracial couples back then. This logic doesn’t hold, though, because homesexuality is not identical to race.

Of course, banning interracial marriage was a terrible travesty, but there are no radical and inherent differences between a couple with different ethnicities. A man married to a man is a distinct and inherent difference compared to a man and woman and is therefore something completely different. Progress is subject to logical limits.

This path towards, “equality” is a slippery slope. Marriage has been traditionally defined as being between a man and woman, as defined by a district judge in Louisiana, “The traditional definition of marriage serves key state interests and….states ought to be allowed to see how redefining marriage goes elsewhere.”

gay marriage is ungrounded.

Religion may be the driving force behind many opposers but wouldn’t that be a difference we must respect? In addition to respecting their opinion, many refuse to believe that perhaps their opposition comes from a logical place and is now part of their religion? Logic and religion are not mutually exclusive.

There is nothing illegal about being homosexual. It is wrong and unconstitutional to force citizens to give up their personal freedom to do as they choose.

The government is not denying essential rights to homosexuals nor are they dictating who they should love. Rather, they are doing what is objectively the best option which serves the state. When it comes down to hard facts, gay marriage is extremely different and does not have the same effects of a traditional family unit.

Therefore, denying a gay couple a marriage certificate is not discrimination but a logical and well-thought out decision. There is a large difference between the state supporting marriages that do not serve the state and persecuting individuals based upon personal and private rights.

opinions

“Flesh and Blood”

9

SHARING DNA SHOULD NOT BE WHAT MAKES A PARENT

JENA SEIDEMANN Managing Editor @jena_seidemann omewhere in the world, scientist are manipulating the genome of a future human being, and as we are heading towards more technological advances, are we digressing in morals?

In The Dallas Morning News, British legislation decided to allow women predisposed to passing down mitochondrial diseases to receive donor mitochondrial DNA, essentially creating a human from three people. Afterwards, the DNA would be inserted into the egg and the woman would go through In Vitro Fertilization and carry out the gestation.

A few months ago, I wrote it was dogmatic to think In Vitro Fertilization was wrong, but they are not the same thing. The joining of sperm and egg is not a new phenomenon, but manipulating someone’s genes is.

Who is going to stop some-

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one from manipulating genes to make the “perfect child?” We have the right to use science as a preventative measure from debilitating genetic diseases but not the right to pick and choose how they look or how tall they’ll be.

Should I ever be faced with this dilemma or any form of infertility, I would adopt, instead of going to unbelievable lengths to have children of my “flesh and blood.”

There’re many misconceptions about adoption, which is from being misinformed. One is that there may be a “rift” between the parents and child because they are not made from the same DNA. Sure, I do not look like my parents nor did I come from the same background, but as I grow older, I see pieces of them within me: my dad’s kindness and sense of humor but my mom’s determination and passion.

People will know who your children are by their physical appearances, but there’s more than one way to pass down your legacy, and it is not by how your children look, but by how they shape and view the world.

Adoption is an emotionally and financially draining process, which eliminates people who cannot afford the hefty price tag. However, there is

always foster care. The government gives a stipend to foster parents to cover the essentials such as clothing and food, and if you chose to adopt one of your foster children, there is no cost.

Over the years, I’ve been humbled to hear foster and adoptive stories. When Robin Liefeld was dating her husband, they decided they wanted to open their home to children in need and have their own. However, Endometriosis prevented them from having their own children. Even though she was heartbroken she couldn’t have her own, she found peace knowing it brought her down another road.

“I remember crying myself to sleep because I wanted a baby to love – and when I found out that there were babies out there that just wanted a mommy to hold them and love them I knew it was meant to be,” Liefeld said.

“The first time I held Kayla and rocked her to sleep, I felt a healing of my broken heart like God was waiting to give me this little girl. I was so thankful to Him for having a better plan than my own.”

Their initial reason for wanting to adopt was from seeing others open their home when they were younger, which is what we need to do.

People admire those who

adopt but it isn’t something most people would want to necessarily pursue unless its a last resort.

It stems from many things, specifically the old belief children must have the same DNA to pass down the family name or your worth as a woman is if you can have children, but its not.

Fertility is a very fragile thing to rest your hopes and dreams in because it is never guaranteed. There is nothing

wrong with wanting your own children, but adoption should also be in our minds, regardless of our ability to reproduce because millions of children are growing up without parents, and each of them deserve to be part of a family.

If you want to go through all the drugs and testing such as IVF, it is your choice. But I know there are many children in the world who would love to call you their parents.

Photo Courtesy // Jena Seidemann This is the moment where The Sidekick’s managing editor, Jena Seidemann, met her mother for the first time when she was adopted from Kunming, China. As a former orphan, Seidemann will continue to be an advocate for foster and adoptive children.

Pet adoption takes commitment, accountability from owners

AUBRIE SISK Staff Photographer @aubrie_sisk

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hen I originally had the idea for this column, it was going to be against the shelters that euthanize animals, but when did I some more research and conducted some interviews, I realized the problem isn’t the shelters. It’s us.

Yes, us. It is the humans who love animals and think that we can do no wrong. Many people claim to be animal lovers, and when we think about our pets, we cannot imagine ever abandoning them.

But we do, whether it’s tying them to a pole and leaving them in bad weather or dropping them off on the street corner near a shelter. It just happens, it may have not been the original plan when you first got your dog or cat, but it is the end result of some furry friendships.

It is easy to blame shelters for “heartlessly” euthanizing animals without realizing that it is our own fault.

“Something else we have to be concerned about is the quality of life for the dogs, if I take a dog on and he’s here for three months.

What kind of quality [of life] is that for him,” Carrollton Animal Shelter senior animal care special-

ist Joe Skenesky said.

Keeping dogs in shelters isn’t only about money, it’s about the dogs health too. Sitting in a kennel alone for months is not good for a dog, as they need to be loved, just like us. Volunteers and workers in shelters give as much love and affection to them as they can, but it’s not the same as a houseful of kids would give.

A lot of the time, we do not fully understand the process, and we are apathetic because it is not “our problem.” We are not the ones having to put the animals down.

Euthanization is often the preferred method because of how efficient and painless it is for the animals. As opposed to gas chambers, which used to be common, but are now banned in several states because of the inhumane process.

“When I euthanize an animal I have to hold them, I am holding him in my arms, at his paws, and someone’s injecting medication in them,” Skenesky said. “I can tell when that medication hits. With a gas chamber you don’t have to do

that. They go in a big cage, you hit a big button, and walk away. People who use them that’s why they swear by them, there’s no human interaction.”

Many animal shelters like The Carrollton Animal Shelter, have limited space but they legally aren’t allowed to turn any animals away, especially strays. “[It] depends on our space availability, there’s an automatic seven day holding period and they’re here for about 10-15 days, but others have been here for months,” customer service coordinator Erica Martindelcampo said.

Even “no kill” shelters like Operation Kindness can not afford to keep all the animals that come their way. Only very few of the same breed can be accepted and there is very limited space in their facility.

“Non-profit shelters with no kill policies depend on donations and volunteers. They’re not able to accept every animal because they don’t have unlimited funding and facilities. But they have

a very high intake and adoption rate that’s been growing,” Coppell High School sophomore volunteer at Operation Kindness Maggie Theel said.

An easy solution to this is to neuter and spay puppies and kittens. It may be cute to have a litter of puppies, but it will not be as nice when they are immediately left to live in the shelters. And even so, they do not face the imminent euthanization.

The reality of this is that rarely puppies or kittens get euthanized unless they are sick, it’s mainly the adult animal; the

ones who have been brought to the shelter because you found a younger, more energetic furry friend.

It is easy to immediately become attached to puppies, because let’s face it, who can resist those puppy dog eyes? As they grow older our love tends to lessen and somehow you find yourself driving them to a shelter where you expect them to find a great home.

Shelters are not great homes.

Ask yourself: Am I willing to make a long term commitment?

Because only you can keep animals out of kill shelters.

The Sidekick // Aubrie Sisk Animals, such as the ones pictured, face the risk of euthanization every day. When looking to find your new best friend, look into adoption centers first.

10

student life

Bede pliés her way to the top

Passion inspires teenager to pursue dance as professional career EMMA CUMMINS Staff Writer or sophomore Wendy Bede, going to a studio every night for two hours and having a passion for dance makes this student’s hobby a second profession.

Bede has been dancing for 11 years, and started dancing in her home, Oahu, Hawaii.

Bede’s mom, Nana Bede, also did ballet as a child and noticed Bede’s potential at an early age.

“Wendy is very dramatic and very expressive, and, since I did ballet, I thought she could be good at it,” Mrs. Bede said.

Mrs. Bede also loves to support Wendy in whatever way she can. From making costumes for performances to sending her daughter to extra programs, Mrs. Bede hopes Wendy will be successful in whatever she wants to do.

“I support [Wendy] as much as I can because that’s her happiness and she gets so much joy out of it,” Mrs. Bede said.

Bede has a special love for ballet and her passion continues to motivate her to improve.

“You will never get bored in ballet. You are always striving to become better,” Bede said.

“There’s no limits ‘cause you can always make yourself do better and there always ways to make [the dance] more beautiful.”

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After moving to Texas last year due to her father’s job transfer, Bede joined the Ballet Academy of Texas and is dancing as a pre-professional.

Most dancers become professionals at 16 or 17 years old but for Bede, attending college at Brigham Young University in Utah comes first, because she is of the Mormon faith. Bede hopes to attend college on a dance scholarship and join a dance company after she graduates.

Bede’s dance instructor, Jenny Johnston, believes Bede has the ability to go professional.

“Wendy is a very mature, beautiful and elegant dancer,” Johnston said. “She possesses the discipline, dedication and hard work ethic required to be a serious, committed ballet dancer.”

Johnston is very passionate about ballet and also believes that Bede shares that same passion.

“Ballet is magical and transports the audience to many places,” Johnston said. “Dancers convey their feelings and stories by use of their bodies and no words.

Wendy has the ability to do all of this.”

Throughout the years, Bede has done many ballet programs, many of which are extremely strenuous.

Bede has gone to Utah for the Ballet West Summer Inten-

sive Program, since she was 12 years old. For an entire month, the dancers usually spend six to seven hours a day dancing on the weekdays and spending their weekends living on the dorms at the University of Utah.

The dancers spend most of their time under the tutelage of many renowned teachers from around the world helping motivate the dancers who are part of the program.

“It’s always so surreal to be surrounded by so many young people who share the same passion and love for ballet as I do.”

Bede said. “It’s pretty much my favorite month of the year.”

Bede has also competed out of state. Last January, she competed in the Youth American Grand Prix. Out of 500 dancers, Bede placed in the top 24.

“I was honestly so shocked because I had seen the level of my competitors in our classes and on stage and I had never gotten any awards or been formally recognized for my dancing before,” Bede said. “It felt amazing and I knew exactly who had helped me get there and how it wasn’t just me that had won the award it was the support of my dance family, real family and coaches.”

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For many this type of devotion can seem intense, but for Bede it is all worth it.

“Each dancer is unique in their own way, they all are able to express steps and moves in different ways,” Bede said. “It’s not like who can run the fastest, you can count turns but it’s really up to who’s watching whether or not it’s beautiful.”

The Sidekick // Kelly Monoghan Sophomore ballerina Wendy Bede dedicates her after school hours to practicing ballet and working towards a dance schollarship. She has been taught by many honored teachers and has put in countless hours into the art.

student life

11

Students bring Order to the court

Underdog mock trial program revitalizes under new leadership

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ALLIE ARNOLD Student Life Editor @_alliearnold

t is common knowledge to study and learn the ropes of any job one plans on pursuing later in life. However, some things can only be truly learned by diving in and experiencing the real thing hands on.

The young aspiring lawyers at Coppell High School grabbed at the opportunity to do just that by getting out of their comfort zones and performing the process of a real court trial.

CHS has had a mock trial team for years, but it could never seem to do very well in regional competitions. It was not until Dr. Lowell Johnson stepped in to be the sponsor that things took a turn for the better.

“This year I made it a point to start early and find a good teacher sponsor,” senior captain Dheera Dammana said. “I asked Mrs. Green at the front desk for any suggestions and she mentioned that [Johnson] was very interested in law and had been an attorney for several years.

After speaking with him about it and seeing his enthusiasm, I knew he was going to be a great sponsor.”

After recruiting other CHS students with flyers, posters and word of mouth, it was not long before Dammana and Johnson had a team of eager young lawyers.

“Once we had our team, we

Photo Courtesy // Lowell Johnson The Coppelll High School mock trial team smiles proudly after reaching the semi finals of the Region 10 Mock Trial tournament. The group has been practicing court room as well as acting skills October. practiced our testimony and re- said. “It was really interesting would be the defense and which hearsed it,” Johnson said. “We learning different types of cas- would be the prosecution. had some students standing up es as well as learning all of the Although knowledge and and making objections while specifics and official terms. Our critical thinking were key comothers would be responding. practices prepared us very well ponents in the success of the Meanwhile, we had other stu- for competition.” team at regionals, it was makdents playing the part of a witBy the time regionals rolled ing it believable and realistic ness. We just kept doing it and around back in January for all that the group really had to fodoing it until we got it right.” mock trial teams in Region 10, cus on.

The repetition of the prac- the group was introduced to a “A lot of it was acting which tices as well as the process of criminal case that concerned a made it that much more fun,” learning new strategies and le- man being pushed out of a win- Dammana said. “The judges gal terms allowed the students dow. The argument was wheth- look at how well you question to fully learn the ins and outs of er or not the defendant did it your witnesses and how well the a real courtroom. on purpose or out of self-de- witnesses respond to the ques“I loved getting introduced fense. For every round, a coin tions, so you have to be into it.” to the legal field,” Dammana was flipped to see which team After several rounds, the

group made it to the semifinals and lost. However, despite the disappointment, they took it as an accomplishment considering the CHS mock trial group had not made it that far at regionals in several years.

“Our team was just gritty,” Johnson said. “They were scrappy in making evidentiary objections in the trenches and that’s what did it. That is how we made it as far as we did.”

Although Johnson was the leader of the group, they could not have gotten as far as they did without the help of theatre teacher Maleda Kunkle and attorney Riley Massey.

After spending an estimated total of about 40 hours teaching the team everything from how to move around in a courtroom, to how to address the witnesses and make arguments, Massey is impressed with the team’s determination and smarts.

“Every single one of those kids is as sharp as a whip,” Massey said. “They went up against some of the best teams in the region and beat many of them. They even beat some teams that had made it to state in past years. I expect that with [Johnson] teaching them, by next year they could go to state, or maybe even nationals.”

With more practice, Johnson is confident and determined to better the team and help them reach their goals on multiple different levels.

“I’ll get them there,” Johnson said. “I’ll get them there.”

Chess dominates, comes together as team advances to state SLOANE SAMBERSON Staff Writer

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new powerhouse is emerging at Coppell High School, but this team does not collect its victory on the field.

The Coppell High School chess team was crowned regional champions on January 31st, at Collin County Community College Frisco.

Formed in 2003 by avid chess players and lovers of the sport alike, CHS business and marketing teacher David Phillips was asked to sponsor the club and has sponsored all chess teams since.

“I have competed in many chess tournaments myself,” Phillips said. “I have an expert rating at chess and was former state champion of Arkansas. I have a lot of experience and passion for chess.”

The chess club meets every Wednesday after school where Phillips teaches members, interactively, vital chess techniques. “[Phillips]

teaches us different tactics used by grandmasters at the beginning of the club,” said freshman Karthikeyan Lakshmana Doss, who is the No. 1 ranked player on the team. “After that, he lets us play chess with each other. He checks on how we play against each other now and then to recommend some strategies.”

There are many chess club members at CHS. Because club meetings are not mandatory, attendance can be sporadic.

“We have two types of players in the chess club and we need both of them,” Phillips said.

“One is your casual chess player, who likes to come and play chess every once in a while, the other is your tournament player who will take it to the next level and give up some of their weekends to play in a competition.”

Some regular attendees inzlude Lakshmana Doss, junior chess club president Dev Thimmisetty, sophomore vice president Ram Nandula, and junior

treasurer Vishual Sakthielnathan.

“I have actively played chess for about four years,” Nandula said. “I realized I had a passion for chess in middle school, as I started playing more and more tournaments. My father helped instill this passion in me because he was very interested in the game and is also a good chess player.”

Chess club is not only a place to improve chess skills but to make new friendships with people who share the same passion as you. “[Chess club] has brought me together with others who share the similar interests of playing chess, competing and improving their chess,” Nandula said.

“Chess club has also helped me grow as a team member.”

With four tournaments down and a first place win at regionals, the 2014-2015 chess team has had great success so

far.

They won first as a team at the Scott Watson Memorial a tournament in Irving which honors Irving High School’s chess coach, who died in 2009.

First as a team in the junior/ senior and sophomore categories and second as a team in the freshman category at State Grade, a state tournament held by the Texas Chess Association on Nov. 1 and 2 in 2014.

First as a team in the Scholastic Chess Tournament held in Lovejoy ISD, a tournament for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Senior Nikhil Kesarla placed first as an individual at the Eagle Chess Classic Tournament held on January 24th at Universal Academy in Coppell.

Those who partook in regionals are very proud of their win, giving thanks to Phillips’ instruction and the hours of practice they spent preparing.

“It feels great that we’ve won first place at regionals be-

cause we prepared and worked hard as a team,” Nandula said.

The chess team placed second overall at the Texas State Scholastic Championship in McAllen on March 28 and 29.

Chess is a sport that anyone can learn, and everyone can learn from.

“If you enjoy chess, I think it can teach you some lessons about life. It can teach you patience and how to plan things out, not to make quick decisions before thinking things through,” Phillips said.

Phillips encourages all students, who even have a little bit of interest in chess, to come to a chess club meeting and check it out.

“I’ve always enjoyed the game, and I think the game is a fun game, a challenging game, probably the oldest game that is still around,” Phillips said.

“We have players of all levels in the club so if you don’t feel that you’re that strong of a player I wouldn’t want that to discourage you from coming and playing t h e game.”

The Sidekick // Josh Martin

in-de

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SOLOMON THOMAS

KYLIE PICKRELL

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TO BE

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ake up.

Go to school for eight hours.

Race home to grab a track uniform for an hour practice. Squeeze in a quick dinner between practices.

Endure a five and a half hour club practice. Then it’s back home for hours of homework.

Repeat.

“There were definitely times in junior year where I would stay up 24 plus hours because I was either catching up on stuff or because of workouts,” senior and Arizona State volleyball commit Kylie Pickrell said.

This is a typical week day for Pickrell. Pickrell, one of the most highly touted athletes to

“

People hear about how time consuming being an athlete is or of the work ethic required to be performing at such a high level. People empathize with these kids and the struggles put on them to be the best.

However, they may not realize the scrutiny these same athletes are put under, especially in high school.

They are expected to dominate their sport, have a social life, make good grades, all while being an upstanding citizen of society. There is little room for mistakes and the fall from grace is long and hard for high school athletes.

Former Coppell football coach Joe McBride, now at Dripping Springs High School, has years of experience dealing with these star athletes and he has seen the good

in high school, too.”

While McBride has had experience with these kids, it is sometimes lost on people the effect that these expectations have on the parents of the athletes.

“It’s not an easy thing to say what this kid is going through because to others it would seem like a dream,” mother of 2014 CHS graduate and current Stanford defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, Coppell Middle School North history teacher and coach Martha Thomas, said. “But there is a constant pressure to do what’s right and to live in the straight and narrow path, whereas if they were doing something else or they lived somewhere else nobody would care.”

Thomas is no stranger to the

We really talk about leadership and try to serve

the whole group, to serve others in that group and in your school. When you serve others and are putting others before yourself it causes you to be thankful for where you are at and what you are able to be a part of.

- Chad Rakestraw, Coppell coach

come through the halls of Coppell High School, is not alone in this time-consuming schedule.

Most high profile athletes mimic a similar routine, whether it be going to an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) practice, finding time to add a couple of hours of conditioning workouts or private training sessions.

with the bad, and he has some advice for those future athletes.

“I always tell them don’t get caught up on the ego side of things, being on ESPN or stuff,” McBride said. “Be humble and understand that you are starting at the bottom again. Nobody cares how good you were in high school once you get to college because they were all good

pressures put on star athletes. Her son was a five-star recruit with offers from top colleges from all over the nation. He played in the Army All-American game and was a three-year starter for Coppell.

The challenge is to keep these athletes grounded which can be difficult to do when everybody around them elevates them to star

status. Kids seem to want to emulate them because of their prowess in sports, yet once they stoop to their level, they can become hostile towards them and these athletes lose their star status in their eyes.

“There’s a target on your back because a lot of people don’t like athletes, surprisingly; they feel that we all love the attention, and if you make one mistake, everybody is going to know and try to fire you up for it,” senior and Oklahoma State University pitcher commit Jensen Elliott said.

There are pressures to be social, which could involve making poor and illegal choices.

“I don’t drink, I have never done drugs and I try to keep my distance from that,” Pickrell said. “When I go out in public, and if someone saw me doing something like that, they would think differently of me, and I don’t want like a freshman or anyone saying ‘Oh yeah she’s great at what she does but she’s just like every other athlete that plays high school sports but goes out and drinks’.”

“I can’t be going out and messing around like that.”

Pickrell and Elliott are not alone in their stance; many athletes rise above the rest and are role models for others.

There are multiple reasons why these kids choose to not partake in these extracurricular activities.

Pickrell has dreams of playing overseas and then playing in the 2024 Olympics. Elliott attempts to emulate his brother, University of Oklahoma pitcher and 2012 Coppell graduate Jake Elliott, as a strong Christian and baseball player.

Athletes are under more scrutiny for people who attack them because

High standards high schoo

by Ale Editor@Nic

of their skill. Either they struggle and fans expect more from them or people think they are not as good as what they are described to be.

“Pressure definitely comes from all different angles,” Pickrel said.

“Pressure from the coaches because they see me everyday and know what I am capable of and then pressure from fans as well because I’ve been successful with volleyball for a long time. So if I don’t play well, I can get heat from many ways, saying that I am boosted as a player when I’m not.”

Once this happens, athletes know that they will be called out for a poor performance.

“If I don’t succeed or have a bad game people are going to remember that and use it to try to bring me down if they don’t like me,” Elliott said.

Athletes attest to feeling the pain and sting from these negative comments. Professionals catch flack but can be judged because they are paid to play; high school students are not.

“It definitely gets tough at times,” Pickrell said. “There are days where I just think about it all and feel down on myself because it makes me upset that people try and make fun of me for being successful at something. [Volleyball] is something I

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enjoy, why would people make fun of that?”

However, for just as much as they can take the abuse and judgment, athletes are adept at defending themselves and being having to deal with critics all the way back in high school, they have time to work on it.

“If there comes a time that people try to rip on me, I can look at them and say ‘Look, stop don’t make me lay out everything I have been able to do because of [volleyball],” Pickrell said. “The success that I had is not something I just wear a sign around with all my accomplishments on it. I am not going to flat out tell you how great I am.”

Athletes either directly confront their so-called “haters” or they can take a different approach altogether.

“I just ignore them; it gives me motivation to get better,” Elliott said.

In today’s rise of social media, high school athletes are able to connect with more and more fans and are more accessible to coaches, fans and the media.

“People know who you are and know your story better than other students,” Elliott said.

Athletes are prevalent everywhere on social media. Once fans of a school learn about a possible

recruit, the athlete becomes flooded with new followers and people waiting for their decision. This popularity, while flattering, sets dangerous precedents.

“Be careful with all the social media. Kids get in trouble with that,” McBride said.

Not only do athletes have to walk the straight and narrow at school, they have to do it online as well in fear of something unfavorable being posted about them.

“When [Solomon] had decided to pursue college football, we showed him stories of players who had gone kind of wrong on social media,” Thomas said. “That was huge. Keeping his circle small and to reminding him that his decision to play college ball were business decisions and not emotional decisions.”

Differentiating between business and emotional decisions for Solomon meant that his parents wanted to make sure he understood that wherever he went, he would be “paid” to play there; in other words, he was paid by scholarship to play football there.

Another facet of being touted as a high school star athlete is the recruiting process. Many with aspirations to go pro in a sport dream of going to a Division I school on a scholarship. Yet, they sometimes can be in danger of losing all eligibility because of being taken advantage of from coaches or other people that try to exploit them.

“The whole recruiting process has become socialize now and blown up on the media. It’s easy for a kid to become a diva,” McBride said. “You have been blessed to have these opportunities; you don’t need to be arrogant about it.”

The Sidekick file photos // One of the most important ways to bypass this is to follow the NCAA Recruiting Rules, and more importantly, to have a support system of family and friends that keep them out of trouble.

“People knew we were pretty straight-cut and a friend of ours had worked previously in the NCAA, and he told us that we need to read the recruiting policies for football,

“

Coppell head soccer coach Chad Rakestraw has brought the soccer program into the forefront of being one of the premier teams in the area. Back-to-back state finals appearances with a title in 2013, Rakestraw is known for his leadership policies that he attempts to instill in his players that foster a family environment that brings the team together.

shown on the field, court, rink or any other place they play.

From possible recruiting violations to a video leaked to Twitter of someone drinking at a party, athletes are raised on a pedestal in the public eye.

“There’s actually a girl that I waved to once and she started to cry,” Pickrell said. “We were at a tournament in Frisco and

There’s a target on your back because a lot of

people don’t like athletes surprisingly; they feel that we all love the attention, and if you make one mistake, everybody is going to know and try to fire you up for it.

- Jensen Elliott, Senior

so I copied them and had them out all the time,” Thomas said. “I knew if something wasn’t right so I would say. ‘Hey, we’re uncomfortable with that.’ We had problems a little bit but not that much.”

Outside of family, athletes rely on their coaches or mentors as well.

These individuals come with experience and usually have the best interest of the athletes at heart when dealing with problems.

“I’m kind of like an agent,” McBride said. “I coach him up on how to act and protect him from the Internet and media stuff. The second thing I do is to make sure the coaches are being honest with what their expectations are and I want them to lay out exactly what they have for my athletes.”

Coppell pitcher

“We talk a lot about our kids’ character and who we are off the field, in the classroom and in the community,” Rakestraw said. “To keep the guys grounded it starts with them understanding that it is a privilege and honestly a gift to be able to play for a program and part of a team.

“We really talk about leadership and try to serve the whole group, to serve others in that group and in your school. When you serve others and are putting others before yourself it causes you to be thankful for where you are at and what you are able to be a part of. That’s where it starts.”

High school athletes go under a lot more pressure than just what appears on the outside or what is

she was watching us play. She kept saying ‘Kylie, Kylie!’ and I turned and waved and said ‘Oh hi’ and someone tweeted picture of her crying to me.”

While these athletes deserve respect and admiration for their skill and perseverance, it is difficult to understand that these are still young kids who are still learning to navigate being a high profile athlete. Elevating kids to superstar status can be detrimental to their development. Some can overcome, while some succomb to these pressures to do it all.

“Pride is always followed by the fall,” McBride said. “That’s in Proverbs in the Bible and that will be your downfall.”

student life

14

MEARA ISENB ERG Staff Writer @mearaannee

to go and mee t pe to people becaus ople and talk “I played so cc e that’s the way I the big spor er there which was was raised.” t. Lacrosse is fun, defiSome students nitely a lot of ru nning.” move around often and cons n the morning W hile both Turn tantly experien of er and ce han attend 26, 2013, Nic August many differences ed international Meein their lives. k Turner Hav schools where they found him ing lived ing he had ne self in a build- CHS sophom in four countries, glish, fr were able to speak Eneshm ver ore Hannah Mee rounded by peop been to, sur- is no strang han doza, who an Christian Mener to change. le he did not recmoved to Dalla ognize. This soph s from “I’ve lived in A Mexico in 2011 omore, who had th and transferred en s, G re just moved to C ec e; Br to us Coppell High Sc sels, Belgi op hool this semes Arabia, began hi pell from Saudi and Washi um; Paris, France ter, had ngto spoken Spanish s fir his whole pell High School st day at Cop- said. “My pa n D.C.” Meehan life befo re the move. . rents work for the After living in Sa government, fo Although CHS r ud th i e A D ra ep bi is a his of State, ar whole life, the so that’s why I m tment of many cultures an made up decision to mov d ov is ve e a lot.” verse, En e from Saudi Ara Meehan moved bia glish is spoken pr ry dito Coppell last made by Turner to Coppell was July from B imarily, which proved to ogota, Colombi ’s pare be a pr ob a, an lem for d “My mom neve nts. ha d some trou Mendoza. over there beca r really liked it picking up w ble academically “It’s hard,” Men us here she left off doza said. “I . were rising,” Tu e the conflicts “The hardest like meeting ne rner said. “Plu w people, [but] thing coms ing here w my brother ha I don’t speak muc as the fact that d h English.”

I high school, an just graduated to come in However, Men to all my classe had d my mom’s lik doza is taking s not steps to e knowing an ‘OK,’ she kind ward having an of used that as yone and not kn an en excuse to get ou ow- experien ing at all where t of there and sa ce at the high joyable I was school-wis id, because I ‘We’ll move to school. e, He has alre just mov Texas along with ady my brother.’” ferent country,” ed from a dif- enjoys soccer made friends and , whi Meehan said. “I Turner had visi think that was playing next year ch he plans on te re d al C ly op . ha pe rd ll , be w fore on vacatio hen they referenc Movin n to see where he had learne ed to things that you other is g from one school to anwould be living, d in on so he knew a fe w I didn’t know previous years and a school e thing, but moving to people upon en tering CHS. Still from the other si an y of th at . ” at de of the first, he found it Although the w or ld is bound to have hard to adjust to transition may a the atmosphere, ha ve ca se nt t eff her back a bit, ect on any studen signifiw at CHS t. sociable than hi hich was more Meehan has “I t’s a bi s prev found another ar ea to adjust to t different, I had to “I was really qu ious school. excel in: sports the customs an . d things ally talk to peop iet, I didn’t re“I started lacros here,” Turner sa le because that se here, which id. “People are ’s is an Amer how I’d grown a lo t m or e open and it’s ican sport, and up,” Turner said been a big “I didn’t go out . definitely co you change. and adventure ou I’ve had to ch uldn’t play that ange, my over- way of t seas in Col life. In the long ombia,” Meeha run I think n said. it’s be tter here.”

O

The Sidekick

// Josh Martin

New yearbook layout creates anticipation for final product STEPHANIE ALEXANDER Entertainment Editor @stephanierose2u

A

fter countless hours spent in front of the computer and behind the camera, the Coppell High School yearbook staff is sending in the final layout of the Round-Up to the printer for the 2014-2015 school year.

Past CHS yearbooks have been traditional style, but this year is different in more ways than one.

“This year we went with a chronological book,” Round-Up adviser Sallyanne Harris said.

“Every spread for the first half of the book shows what went on that week. So it’s like a weekly showcase starting from the summer up till now.”

“It was easier because we built the pages around what happened rather than scrambling to find pictures. We feel like its a better picture of the year.”

Popularly seen as comic relief on social media, another first time for the yearbook is the addition of senior quotes.

“The senior quotes went really well, way better than I thought,” Harris said. “There are funny, witty ones and some of them are tender and sweet. We might do them differently next year, but the seniors seem really excited about the quotes and they did a great job.”

When asked what parts of the book stood out, Harris was quick to answer.

“The senior section this year is just awesome, we have some huge feature stories on people you wouldn’t expect,” Harris said.

“Overall the design this year was really powerful, the entire team of editors are mini machines, they work together so smoothly.”

As it is all winding down, senior editor-in-chief Caroline Boynton looks back on the year with a smile.

“Watching other staffers and editors grow as leaders and bond was really cool. I’m so thankful for all of them,” Boynton said.

One class period a day, five days a week is not enough time to get all the content in, so yearbook makes a ‘late night’ out of it, with food of course.

“For about a month now we have met every thursday from 6 p.m.to 9 p.m. in the yearbook room for what we call our ‘late nights,’” senior design editor Bobby Manning said. “We do a large round of edits and someone’s mom always brings us dinner and desserts. The best part is we always have leftovers and eat them in class the next day.”

Manning and the rest of the staff are immensely proud of their work and now patiently await the arrival of their books.

“I’m excited for the entire book because I can truly say that it is something I, design wise, created from scratch with the help from the staff and editors, and you can’t help but love what you make,” Manning said.

Photo Courtesy // Emma Ginell Junior yearbook staffers Lainey Berlin and Emma Ginnell, along with adviser Sallyanne Harris and Josten’s Coppell representative Tread Sheffield, stand outside of the Josten book plant in Visalia, Calif. on March 30. The staff completed the yearbook on March 6.

15 student life Cafeteria staff appreciates job, responsibilities despite tedious work TAYLOR BOND Page Designer

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The Sidekick // Chelsea Banks Food Specialist Diane Lanier works hard everyday before school and during lunch in the Coppell High School store.

Food Specialist Diane Lanier and Betsy Clos check students out Tuesday afternoon during A lunch.

tudents know the food specialists as the women that make the lunch everyday and serve it, and then tell us our lunch account is negative. But there is more to their job than students would ever think to realize.

“I do enjoy working here. I love the hours, I enjoy my co-workers, and our customers,” Coppell High School food specialist Betsy Clos said.

The caferia staff members come to work everyday with a smile on their face ready to greet all the students at Coppell High School. How do they do it? They simply love their jobs.

They come to work everyday at around 8 a.m. and leave around 2 p.m. They switch jobs from time to time, sometimes working as a cashier, stocking food for the school store, cooking and then everyday cleaning up.

CHS juniors Jariah Delagarza and Travis Scott think food specialists are mistreated for no reason. Some believe that others take them for granted, and that not everyone is as respectful as they should be.

“I’d like to think [the food specialists are respected], then knowing some people they probably don’t because they might look down upon them just because they are lunch ladies,” Delagarza said. “This bothers me because I feel that everyone in the school deserves respect especially the lunch ladies.”

The food specialists are kind to everyone and always have a smile on their face. They provide a meal to students everyday and deserve respect that others do as well.

“They do a pretty good job about making lunch everyday, and they do an all around good job, and they’re pretty nice…

I make sure to say thank you to them and also pick up my trash after I’m done eating, ” Scott said.

Even though some students may not appreciate the food specialists as much as they should, Clos has had good experiences with the students she states.

“I think the customers, the kids, appreciate me a lot. I think my co-workers feel I do a decent job, so yes I feel appreciated,” Clos said.

Over the years, a few things have changed in the cafeteria of CHS, but, the food specialists are still the best in the business.

“The lunch ladies at Coppell High School are always smiling and nice to us all, so I feel they deserve as much respect as anyone,” sophomore Lara Collins said.

Everyday over 3,000 students come to the CHS cafeteria to eat and socialize with their friends.

It is a part of the day almost everyone looks forward to. But with this many students eating lunch and some not taking the time to throw away their trash, it adds to the work load of the cafeteria staff and custodians.

“The kids are very polite here in Coppell, they’ve been raised to say please and say thank you, yes ma’am and yes sir, but what their not good at is picking up their trash, to me thats very disrespectful for the custodians,” assistant principal Melissa Arnold said.

Custodians must clean and sanitize the tables already between every lunch, and then adding having to pick up the students trash as well is not very efficient.

A simple task as picking up your trash after you can show at least a little respect for the staff at CHS. Go to www.coppellstudentmedia.com for an exclusive look from KCBY

Señora Whiting saying adiós to illustrious 40-year teaching career EMMA CUMMINS Staff Writer

F

rom inspiring students to study medicine or learning to love the Spanish culture, Holly Whiting’s retirement will be a bittersweet farewell for the students who will miss her and for those who will appreciate her forever.

Whiting has been teaching for 40 years, 26 of them being at CHS and 22 as head of the Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Department.

Twenty-six years is a long time to have spent teaching and Whiting has had many special moments at CHS. In the early 1990s, Whiting wore a Buffalo Bill T-shirt to CHS. The Dallas Cowboys were playing her hometown team, the Buffalo Bills, which prompted a bit of a prank from the school.

“During fifth period the school policeman came to my class to arrest me for wearing the wrong T-shirt and they handcuffed me and everything. That was pretty memorable,” Whiting said.

Whiting went on to say that while the police came she knew it was most likely a joke, but she was still nervous. She remarked about how it was a short prank, but one that made everyone laugh.

In addition to having many fond memories of her own, Whiting has left a lasting mark on many of her former students.

Dr. Brent Lacey was one of Whiting’s students. Lacey took Spanish II his freshman year and a senior taking AP Spanish, both of which Whiting taught at the time. Lacey is now a physician working for the Navy in San Diego, but he still remembers how important Whiting was in his life.

“She really placed a major emphasis on being able to speak, write, and read Spanish equally well. [It] accelerated our learning and made it easier to pick up Spanish after high school,” Lacey

said.

Lacey said Whiting has had a special impact in his life. His freshman year in college, Lacey decided to take a medical mission trip to Juarez, Mexico based upon his familiarity with the Spanish he learned in high school.

“During that week, I really felt like God was calling me to a career in medicine,” Lacey said.

“Learning Spanish the way I did was one of the big things that got me on the career path I went on.”

It has been 10 years since Lacey has seen Whiting but they still exchange emails and letters, and in some of which, Lacey expresses his appreciation for what a great teacher she is.

Another former student of Whiting’s, Eddie Ngo, is now living in Mexico and studying to become a priest.

“I liked Spanish culture, [it] appeals to me naturally. She would foster that appreciation,” Ngo said. “She thought differently and brought in a new perspective to the school.”

Ngo uses Spanish every day, and is planning to spend time in a parish in Mexico with the help of Whiting’s excellent teaching.

Whiting chose to teach Spanish after visiting Spain as a student from Bethany College in West Virginia. After struggling to decide between teaching music or Spanish, she felt she would rather keep music as a hobby and prefer to teach Spanish. This decision was made easier after being fully immersed in Spanish culture.

“When I got to college and have a chance to meet native speakers that’s when I began to associate Spanish with the Spanish culture.” Whiting said.

Whiting experienced the many aspects of Spanish culture, including the customs, people and began to have a love for the language once she experienced the culture firsthand.

“The immersion setting gave me the confidence to pursue teaching and major in Spanish,”

The Sidekick // Nicole Messer Spanish teacher Holly Whiting is retiring after 40 years in the classroom, including the past 26 at Coppell High School. “I’m ready to spend time with my grandchildren and family and travel,” Whiting said. “And just have the freedom to make a decision to something different every day.”

Whiting said.

The decision to teach Spanish turned out to be a good one.

Whiting won Teacher of the Year in 2004-05 in the district and at the high school.

Whiting will leave many memories behind as she retires, but her students and teachers will always remember the positive impact she made at the school.

“She’s just a really understanding teacher, she’s better than other teachers in terms of workloads.

I’ve really enjoyed having her as my teacher,” CHS junior Anna Sneed said.

Spanish II teacher Judy Garrett has taught Pre-AP Spanish for eight years and has enjoyed having Whiting as a department lead. “[Whiting] is very open and

nonjudgmental. She really listens to what your problem might be and she helps you resolve it,” Garrett said.

Garrett anticipates how difficult it will be without Whiting, but wishes her luck in whatever she decides to do in the future.

“She is a wonderful leader and a true friend, not just to our department, but to the students.”

Garrett said.

Despite her retiring, Whiting will be busy with finding ways to remain working in the field of education. Whiting has been in touch with SMU to become a language docen and give tours of its Spanish art museum. Language docens conduct tours throughout the museum and discuss the many different aspects of each

piece with their group.

In retirement, Whiting plans to enjoy her many hobbies. She expressed an interest in becoming a learner again and wants to take piano lessons, jazz lessons and art lessons.

“I’m ready to spend time with my grandchildren and family and travel,” Whiting said. “And just have the freedom to make a decision to something different every day.”

Whiting has nothing special planned for the rest of her year other than to make sure her students succeed in their work and that the Language Department makes a smooth transition.

“I want to support the teachers anyway I can, and just ride into the sunset,” Whiting said.

entertainment

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Females in the spotlight

‘Girl Power’ in entertainment creates good role models SHRUTHIKA POCHAMPALLY Staff Writer @shruthreddy

Beyoncé: Singer

“M

en and women balance each other out, and we have to get to a point where we are comfortable with appreciating each other,” most earning artist of 2014, Beyonce, said.

One of the biggest names in music today, and for the past decade, Beyonce is known for making a true difference in society today – through her music and other facets of society.

While many praise her for her natural talent, multiple Grammys and stark beauty, they fail to realize what Beyonce has done for society.

Her feminist approach towards her career and life has helped influence young fans to understand the equality of genders and the importance of that balance, as Beyonce herself explains in her short film, Yours and Mine, in which she also explains her empathy towards men and women alike, because of the challenges they must face in society.

“I consider myself a humanist,” Beyonce said to her massive fan base. “Happiness comes from you.

You make you happy.

No. 1

Emma Watson: Actress

W

atson first began her acting career before the age of 10. Since, she has paved the way for many abnormal but innovative ideas.

Brown University graduate and Top Celebrity Feminist of 2014, according to TIME Magazine, Watson is most popular in the feminist realm for her recent speech to the United Nations as the U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador, where she launched her campaign, ‘He for She.’ Her spectacular, decade-long role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series aside, Watson makes a statement to young, influential and innocent young people. She reminds men that they too, should take interest in the feminist campaign, and that they too, should worry about society’s increasingly polarized views towards genders.

“We don’t often talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes, but I can see that they are and that when they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence,” Watson said when she addressed the United Nations. “It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum, not as two opposing sets of ideals.”

Through her sheer dedication towards helping the United Nations achieve gender equality, Watson has established a name for herself, now not only because of her award-winning acting, but because of her establishment as an intelligent, cultured, and clear-minded young individual determined to enlighten thousands of other young people.

No. 2

Rainbow Rowell: Author

A

uthor of award winning novel Eleanor & Park, Rainbow Rowell is a one of a kind writer, who is able to utilize real world problems and equip them with refreshing characters with a subtle but eccentric sense of humor to spin tales that not only entertain, but make a difference. Rowell sends a message of utmost importance – one that is about standing up to bullying and the binds of conformity, as well as the acceptance of all races and sizes and interests. Eleanor is a large, red-headed girl with a quirky fashion sense. She learns to make do yet take pride in her character, despite an abusive and suffocating home environment.

Park is an Asian-American teenager, who loves his music and feels embarrassed by his parents. At a glance, Park’s character seems to fit the mould of the average teenage book character, but Park is so much more. He grows with compassion, and he learns the art of love and sacrifice far earlier than most around him. Together, Eleanor and Park embark on a cute, bubbly, yet realistic love tale, one that leaves Eleanor skipping town and Park left to pick up pieces. Nonetheless, Rowell shows what it truly means to show diversity in characters; what it truly means to be a strong independent girl who is firm in her decisions, indestructive in her life-altering choices, and optimistically soulful despite coming with the worry and doubt and insecurity that we all grow up to have.

No. 3

Kangana Ranaut in Queen: Character

B

eing an Indian-American teen, I could not pass the opportunity to include one of my favorite Indian movie characters on this list. Kangana Ranaut, a big-name Bollywood actress, is known throughout the nation’s multi-crore movie industry for the brave and risky roles she takes on. In Queen, Ranaut plays Rani (translating to Queen in the Hindi language), the complex character of a girl who craves freedom and life stuck inside the body of an obedient, stereotype-adhering girl in a modest, strict, backwards (yet typical) Indian community.

Though defiant at first, Rani becomes victim to the charm and unwavering dedication of Vijay, and eventually falls in love. After being left stranded at the altar, though, Rani, left with little dignity amongst her friends and family, decides to embark on her honeymoon…by herself. An inspiring journey of exploring and getting lost and building relationships, even falling in love, that takes the audience from Paris to Amsterdam, Queen translates the true reality of being born into stereotypes, and the insane amount of heart it requires to escape these stereotypes and bloom into the free-spirited and self-sustainable girl that Rani, and many of us, were always meant to be. Find a copy with subtitles and watch this movie.

You’re sure to be left with a strong dose of courage to stand up to those around you and conquer the world.

No. 4

Miuccia Prada: CEO of Prada

No. 5 M

ario Prada first founded Fratelli Prada with his brother Martino in 1913. Mario was a strong believer that women had no place in the business industry, thus preventing his female family members from participating in the business. However, an ironic turn of events led Mario’s daughter, Luisa to inherit the business. And then, Luisa’s daughter Miuccia, who revolutionized the branded name to become what it is today – a multibillion dollar empire that dominates the international fashion industry with experimental designs that manage to uphold the generations of history laced within the Prada brand.

At her Spring Summer 2014 fashion show, Prada told Elle magazine that her latest line took into regard “women and the strength of women,” stating that “we are here, we are strong, we are visible, we are kind of fighters…”.

Prada also told Stella Magazine that when she started, “fashion was the worst place to be if you were a leftist feminist”. She claims she felt guilty for not doing something “important” or “political”, and has since utilized her brand to promote feminist ideals through fashion.

Haim: Indie Band

“W

No. 6

e’re a band. Not a girl band,” the Haim sisters said to the Daily Beast in an interview last year.

The girls claim that they are all about “girl power,” and are true to their statement.

While many females in the music industry are accused of exploiting their gender and utilizing misogynistic lyrics to gain radio play, Haim are not like that. The girls are bold enough to tell off people who call them a girl band. If The Killers are not called a boy band, then they are not a girl band, they say.

With their bold characters, distinct styles, and indie chart-topping music, the Haim girls are a statement in and of themselves. They are not only taking up the indie music world by storm, but are also keeping in mind to use their fame as a social statement, and remind people that they can play the drums yet be “passionate about being a woman”.

The Sidekick // Rachel Buigas-Lopez

entertainment

17

sad cops : teens fulfill musical dreams Student band releases extended play on iTunes

KARA HALLAM Enterprise Editor @KaraHallam

M

any teens try to form their own bands in high school in attempts to make it in the music industry. However, high school band Sad Cops has already got a head start after it made its grand entrance with the release of the extended play (EP) Best Friends in January.

What started out as the single work of Coppell High School junior Grayson Harris soon turned into a connection that will last after graduation.

CHS senior and bass player Christian Meyer, singer and guitarist junior Grayson Harris and Trinity Christian Academy senior and drummer Taylor Goode formed the band after Harris wrote and recorded the EP with a different drummer and bass player.

“I’m the tech director at Gracepoint Church and I work hand in hand with the youth ministry,” Gracepoint Church tech director Wes Ashworth said. “I told [Harris] for his birthday one year, I would record a song for him so I told him to write a few songs and he ended up writing five songs and I couldn’t pick between them.”

With the help of two professionals, drummer Austin Cope and bass player Carlos Schilinsky, Harris recorded the EP. To help promote it and continue his music career, Harris formed the band Sad Cops with Meyer and Goode. They practice and perform the songs that are on the EP and plan on building off this platform as a new and permanent group.

“I wrote the EP my sophomore year, and I go to Gracepoint Church in Coppell,” Harris said. “Wes Ashworth, the tech director there, asked me about recording an EP in an actual studio. So we did it in August and finished it in December.”

The EP’s namesake was after one of the songs on the track.

The five songs; “Allen Road Park”,

“”Best Friends”, “Philly”, “Nouns” and “Stained in Red”, were released through TuneCore.

“The reaction was good,” Meyer said. “We kind of promoted it to all of our friends and any activities we had and they shared it with their friends.

Now we have an article written on Central Track, which is the D Magazine of music.”

All of the feedback they have received from peers has shocked and humbled the three.

“People at my school who don’t even know [Harris and Meyer], were like ‘oh you’re on Sad Cops? That’s so cool,’” Goode said.

One thing was for sure, they didn’t expect so much popularity to come with the release.

“I was really surprised by how the EP did,” Harris said. “I was expecting myself to buy it and my parents to buy it – to do more than that feels really good.”

The EP maintains a slower alternative vibe and can also be classified as emo pop rock. From the five songs, the band likes to emphasize the diversity of each song. Each title was inspired by personal beliefs and memories of Harris.

“I live on Allen Road and there’s a park me and my friend would always go to and hang out in and it’s actually become a big part of my adolescence,” Harris said. “Then ‘Philly’ is about institutionalized racism and police brutality and ‘Stained in Red’ is anti-war.”

“Best Friends” seems to get the most attention; Harris explains that it is his favorite because he gets the most questions about the lyrics. Even so, each of the five songs is special to him. “ ‘Nouns’, I like how it’s put together. For drums I’m playing the whole kit, so it is all built together and it’s a lot of fun,” Goode said.

However, now that two of the members of the newly formed band are now in their last semester of high school, the band has been figuring

out its future.

Meyer plans to major in graphic design at the University of North Texas because there is a larger market for it than music. Meyer, before joining Sad Cops, attempted to start up his own graphic design selling business online.

“Both art and this band are something that I really love to do,” Meyer said.

Goode on the other hopes with the help of his coach he can try out next year and pursue a drum major his sophomore year at UNT. Harris, a year younger, hopes to join them at UNT in the fall of 2016.

“I’m pretty sure we’re all going to UNT,” Goode said. “By the time [Harris] goes to UNT, we’ll have a house, and then we’ll all just live together.”

Harris suggested he planned on choosing what he considers a more practical major like Business.

He hopes to continue writing songs and may even create another EP. “I think he’s got an incredible amount of potential and the passion that he has will take him places,” Ashworth said. “He’s already gotten some good feedback from some music critics who write blogs online so I think from that standpoint it’s done really well. “ However, despite all heading in different directions their music will always unite them.

“All of us are just huge into just listening and just collecting different music styles and we just like playing music, it’s just fun, it doesn’t feel like work at all,” Meyer said.

Harris, fellow band mate, looked at Meyer and smiled upon this remark.

“It’s not work because we’re not getting paid,” Harris said. “It’s just something we love.”

When asked what the next step for Sad Cops would be the three all responded resounding and excitedly at the same moment with “Shows!”

Photo Courtesy // Harley Barns Coppell High School junior Grayson Harris, senior Christian Meyer and Trinity Christian Academy senior Taylor Goode performing in Meyer’s garage on April 4. The band plans on staying together through college.

The Sidekick // Rachel Bugias-Lopez

The Sidekick // Kara Hallam

entertainment

18

Ch o c o l ate C ove re d K atie

Healthy dessert blogger cures sweet tooth with new recipe book SLOANE SAMBERSON Staff Writer

F

olate-Covered Katie was born,” Mrs. Higgins said.

Once Katie graduated from CHS, she was thrown into the world of junk food, fast food and the freshman-15, college. Katie was not used to this. “[Katie] quickly figured out she better learn to cook, and she began to experiment with creating recipes of her own,” Mrs. Higgins said.

This is when Chocolate-Covered Katie transformed into a healthy dessert blog and the creating process began.

“I am constantly thinking of new recipes,” Katie said. “I brainstorm as I’m eating, while exercis-

ten incorporate flavors and ideas from the places she had lived or visited,” Mrs. Higgins said. “She has always been an adventurous eater and that carried on to her creativity with food.”

Creating the perfect recipe is done tediously through trial and error.

“Some recipes are perfected on the first try, but most take two or three tries, and some take even more than that,” Katie said.

In 2012, a publishing house approached Katie. Now three years later and “Chocolate-Covered Katie: Over 80 Delicious Recipes That Are Secretly Good for You”, finally arrived in stores.

book.

“The best part has actually not been the crazy amount of press and publicity with fans I’ve never met, it’s been the reactions from people in my real life,” Katie said.

“Friends who threw me a surprise launch party or who bought copies of the book for their own family members.”

There are many delicious recipes in the cookbook, but Katie has a few she likes in particular.

“Anything chocolate,” Katie said. “I especially like the Secretly Healthy Fudge Brownies (page 38 in the book), and surprisingly, I also really like the pistachio ice cream recipe.”

Katie Higgins

rom email address to blog URL to cookbook title, Chocolate-Covered Katie has evolved to be one of the most well known sources of healthy dessert recipes.

Created by Katie Higgins back in 2007 around the time she graduated from Coppell High School, Chocolate-Covered Katie did not originally start as a healthy dessert blog.

“It started as a way to keep up with friends when we went off to different colleges,” Higgins said.

“It was not originally intended

“As a child, while other kids ate pizza and drank cokes, Katie ate Nutella sandwiches, which she called chocolate sandwiches, and a water bottle,” mother and CHS special education teacher Eileen Higgins said.

As a child Katie was always creating things.

“She made me a fantastic birthday cake when she was three,” Eileen said. “Her dad was traveling and Katie felt bad that we would need to celebrate my birthday a few days late. She took cookies, layered nutella and marshmallow between and topped it all with sprinkles. It was a perfect 7 layer cake for

Photo Courtesy // Katie Higgins Chocolate Covered Katie is a healthy diet inspired cookbook created by Katie Higgins, daughter of Coppell High School teacher Eileen Higgins. There are various delicious recipes for your favorite desserts, as well as some new ideas with added twists. The book is available in most book stores. to be a food blog at all, Chocolate-Covered Katie was actually my email account name when I was in middle school.”

Higgins was born in England, but has lived as far as Japan, as close as Coppell, and now currently resides in Washington D.C. “I grew up in a household that stressed the importance of vegetables and healthy eating, but I also can’t remember a time in my life where I wasn’t eating dessert at least once a day,” Higgins said.

Chocolate has always been Higgins’ favorite food.

one.”

Chocolate-Covered Katie was developed around the same time the Internet was really taking off. “[Katie’s] love of food, her creativity and her exposure to digital graphics with [Cindy] Wolfe, her senior year at CHS, all came together and Choc-

ing, at the grocery store, or even in bed at night. There are little scraps of paper all over my apartment on which I’ve jotted down ideas for new recipes.”

Having the opportunity to live all over the world, Katie was exposed to many different foods.

“Katie’s experiments with cooking of-

“I still can’t believe it,” Mrs. Higgins said. “Several years ago Katie said she hoped a publisher would notice her blog and offer her a cookbook deal. Now that cookbook sits on my desk and in our school library, I feel like it is all a dream sometimes.”

Katie has received great amounts of praise from her hometown friends, students and faculty at CHS, through Amazon reviews and comments on Face-

Katie’s success online and offline did not happen overnight.

Her dedication and creativeness attracts foodies nationwide.

“I’m passionate about my job, and I think people can feel that,” Katie said. “Excitement is contagious.”

If anything, Katie would want her readers to take away this: “Dessert does not have to be something you save for a oncea-week treat,” Katie said. “And healthy desserts can taste just as good as their traditional counterparts, they just need to be prepared correctly.”

The Sidekick // Rachel Buigas-Lopez

entertainment

19

Nationwide chain brings new, unique chill to Coppell community SAKSHI VENKATRAMAN Staff Writer @oompapa1

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little bit of color was added to Coppell when the popular yogurt franchise The Country’s Best Yogurt opened its doors on Denton Tap Road.

The retailer is one of the largest in the country, along with Orange Leaf, located on MacArthur Boulevard.

“We are the only yogurt place that carries dairy and gluten free products,” Coppell TCBY manager Tina Jariwala said.

“We make our yogurt with silk, which is a milk free of dairy.

Our yogurt is made healthy without changing the flavor.”

Along with the traditional tastes of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, TCBY offers a wide variety of creatively fashioned flavors that do not immediately come to mind when thinking about yogurt. For example, Mrs. Field’s Chocolate Chip Cookie, Silk Almond Nog and Tropical Tart are among the unique tastes offered.

“I used to get TCBY all the time in the summer before freshman year when I lived in

North Carolina,” Coppell High School sophomore Aparna Bejoy said. “I like how they have a lot of different options for toppings.

They have a lot of different types of candy you can put on top of it, so you can really make whatever type of cup you want.”

The popularity of frozen yogurt among teenagers draws a lot of CHS students to the new location.

“My friends and I were driving down [Denton Tap] and we saw TCBY,” junior Surabi Rao said. “We all love [frozen yogurt] so we started freaking out.

Its accessibility to the school

may allow it to attract many high schoolers and young people, and also since it is really inexpensive, a lot of people will go there. It could be like a convenient community hangout.”

Rao considers frozen yogurt a stress reliever and a fun pastime, even jokingly attributing her high SAT score to the yogurt she ate afterwards.

“Everyone loves it,” Rao said.

“After the SAT, I ate, like, 20 ounces.”

TCBY’s close proximity to the high school attracts a predominantly teenage crowd but their goal is to appeal not just to stu-

dents but to everyone.

“We have a fun, friendly environment where students can hang out,” Jariwala said. “We offer free wifi which I know is something that other yogurt places don’t. TCBY’s goal is to attract everyone: whether they’re lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, or need sugar free/ low fat.”

The yogurt chain’s long hours make it easily accessible to the majority most times every day.

From Monday - Thursday, it is open from 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday, it is open from 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

The Sidekick // Aubrie Sisk

Tea cafe becomes favorite hangout spot SHRUTHIKA POCHAMPALLY Staff Writer @shruthreddy

The Sidekick // Nicole Messer

T

ea2Go, Coppell’s latest new business, is part of a chain of tea cafes that promotes “healthy tea 4 healthy living”, and brings in consumers with attractions such as a laptop bar, free wifi and cheap refills.

The Coppell location consists of a unique tea bar where customers can fill their cups with their flavored tea or iced tea and flavored syrups of choice. It also sells loose tea and healthy tea to order from, as well as “Tea2Go” in packages. Customers can bring back Tea2Go cups during their next visit for a discount on their new drink.

First time customers are walked through the tea experience by friendly employees. First, they show you their vast collection of loose leaf tea flavors. Customers can walk past the shelves that take up an entire wall of the store, smelling each flavor of tea until they find one they like.

Then, they can customize. A personal favorite from Tea2Go’s loose leaf teas was the chocolate and cream iced tea with milk.

While ordering from the loose leaf teas is considerably more expensive, it is worth the extra $3 for a large cup of good, freshly brewed

and customized tea.

If the customer is too overwhelmed by the variety provided by the loose teas, or simply wants to quickly grab a pre-brewed drink before work or school, they are directed to the tea bar. Here, they can fill their cups with one of eight pre-brewed teas of the day, and add flavored syrups or sugar of choice.

Most importantly, Tea2Go boasts of an extremely unique variety of choices to pick from on their menu. Some eccentric and fascinating options include gooseberry pie tea, bengal chai, kenilworth ceylon black tea and banana macaroon fruit tea. It would take months just to try each of these unique flavors, and even longer to be able to identify each one, with very specific and captivating flavors to please lovers of tropical, chocolate, herbal and odd flavors.

The extensive menu is broken down into categories of herbal, green, fruit, oolong, chai, rooibos, weight loss, white and black.

The best part of Tea2Go is that it is the perfect healthy replacement for coffee enthusiasts.

A personal caffeine-lover myself, I am slowly but surely falling for Tea2Go’s charm because it is the healthiest alternative to spending hours upon hours at franchise coffee shops where small drinks with large calorie intakes will invariably damage my circadian rhythm and blood pressure levels. Tea on the other hand, is not as detrimental to my health. It is light and easy.

sports

20

AthleticS director hangs hat

after 38 years

For Crawford, lasting legacy not as important as helping coaches

I

ALEX NICOLL Editor-in-Chief @NicollMac

n 2004, Coppell, a rather unknown Class 5A school at the time, scored the hiring of a lifetime. Somehow they attracted the head football coach from powerhouse Plano East High School, which was the pinnacle of Texas Class 5A football, to become the new Coppell ISD athletics director.

Eleven years later, Coppell will seek out another AD after John Crawford decided to close the doors on an illustrious 38 year career in education to enjoy retirement.

Let’s start from the beginning.

The 10th winningest coach in Texas high school football history according to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football with 189 wins is impressive enough but even more so when it turns out Crawford almost was never a coach at all.

Initially going to college at Stephen F. Austin State University to be an engineer, Crawford had a change of heart.

“I got further into college and taking classes I began to imagine what my daily life would look like as an engineer and I came to the realization that, that was not what I wanted to do on a daily basis,” Crawford said. “Through deductive reasoning I eliminated a number of careers I was not interested in and then settled on teaching and coaching.”

Starting out getting an assistant coaching job at Pineland West Sabine in east Texas, Crawford’s coaching career almost came to a halt again.

This time it was to take over the family business.

When his father died, Crawford and his brother came back to Carthage, Texas to run his dad’s propane business. Yet that wouldn’t keep him out of coaching for long as they sold the business and he came back to his true calling. “[The job] solidified in

my mind that I wanted to go back to teaching and coaching,” Crawford said. “I’ve never regretted it.”

Crawford started his head coaching career in 1983 at Lorena High School, a small Class 2A school in east Texas.

The first few years were what some would call a challenge. They won two games total in the first two years Crawford was there.

“We weren’t very good when we first started,” Crawford said.

But then things started to click.

The third year the team won six games. Then the next season it was

“

perks. Accolades come in, people recognize your name and you are put on the radar for future career advancement.

“It afforded me other opportunities for other jobs and ultimately landed me in Coppell as the athletic director,” Crawford said.

After his second championship season, Crawford landed in Tatum, Texas to become the head coach and athletics director Class 3A Tatum High School in 1990.

He was moving up in the world of high school football.

Tatum was his longest stop as a

Working with Coach Crawford was

a joy because he always cared about his coaches and what was going on in their lives. His personality was so supportive and he wanted you to have the very best and not have to worry about anything. He really served us.”

- Joe McBride nine. Everything looked like it was moving in the right direction.

In 1987, it finally all came together. Crawford took his team to a 14-1-1 record and the Class 2A championship, beating Refugio High School, 8-7. Two years later they made it back to the championship but fell to Graviton High School, 20-13.

“It changed my life forever, winning the state championship and then going and playing for it again,” Crawford said. “I always thought I would be successful but until it actually happened for me I knew, then that the things we were doing was the right way for us to be doing things.”

Wi n ning a championship and maki n g another has its

head coach and he even took them to the 1996 Class 3A state championship against Sealy High School but lost 36-27.

Moving is difficult for any person, but making your wife and three boys move can be strenuous all relationships.

“They usually weren’t very happy with dad because we would move schools to go to another,” Crawford said.

Luckily Crawford’s sons, James, 38, and Jason, 36, only had to attend two schools with both graduating from Tatum. Jerod, the youngest and former assistant coach at Aledo High School from 2008-2013, graduated from Burleson.

“At first I didn’t like it but looking back on it I realize he did the right thing for me and for us,” Jerod said. “I really appreciate all the experiences. For me it was an easy transition for going to college.

A decade later, he moved on to take the head coaching and athletics director spot at Burleson High School for two years. This was his last stop before he was hired to be

the head coach at Plano East High School, the zenith of Texas high school football.

It could not get any better than this Crawford thought.

“Honestly I thought that would be my last stop,” Crawford said.

“It was the largest high school in the state of Texas and you kind of think ‘Where can I go from here?’”

Even coaches he hired at Coppell knew of him at his time at Plano East and even before.

“I knew well of him,” former Coppell head football coach and current Dripping Springs High School football coach Joe McBride said. “He won everywhere he went.”

He had it all: a state championship, the recognition that comes with it and the top high school football coaching job in the state.

But then he got a phone call from Dr. Jeff Turner, former Coppell Independent School District superintendent, to become the athletics director for Coppell.

Turner and Crawford already had a past and this was the second time he hired Crawford to be an athletics director of his school district.

Turner and Crawford worked at Burleson at the same time and both left initially at the same time with Crawford going to Plano East and Turner at Coppell.

“I probably changed my mind 100 times during the course of that decision making,” Crawford said.

As an athletics director only, the transition was difficult for Crawford. Being a head coach, he got to interact with players everyday and got to be in the limelight of fans.

“It was a very difficult transition, I loved coaching and was very passionate about it,” Crawford said. “Not having that close association with student athletes and my relationship now with our coaches is far different than what I had with my coaching staff when I was a head football coach. When you are in the trenches so to speak, side-by-side everyday you just have a special bond together.”

“It took me awhile to not be in front of the athletes everyday,” Crawford said.

Summer of 1983 - March 1990 March 1990 - February 2000

At Coppell, his role became somewhat different.

“He was a behind-the-scenes kind of guy,” McBride said. “He really cared about everything, every sport, every competition.”

Even if his job was not the same, his personality remained on constant display with everybody he interacted with.

“Working with Coach Crawford was a joy because he always cared about his coaches and what was going on in their lives,” McBride said. “His personality was so supportive and he wanted you to have the very best and not have to worry about anything. He really served us.”

That support helped lead Coppell to four state titles during his tenure: 2009 Class 5A girls soccer, 2011 and 2012 Class 5A volleyball and 2012 Class 5A boys soccer.

When asked about his role in this titles, he smiled and responded humbly that he just wished he contributed to the success in a “small way”.

Coaching for almost four decades, his influence has impacted the lives of former players, fans, colleagues and, most importantly, those close to home.

“Absolutely,” Jerod said when asked if his father was a role model for him. “I saw the relationship he had with former players and the influence he had not just on me but on my friends’ lives and it pushed me into that environment.

He was most absolutely the main influence for me in that aspect.”

Ask around and everybody says the same thing about Crawford. That he was more focused on helping coaches build successful programs than furthering his own agenda, that he was fair to all sports, that he was always willing to talk about anything and everything that crossed your mind.

Loyalty, humility, selflessness: that is John Crawford’s legacy at Coppell High School.

But for now, Crawford is content with finishing out the school year and hanging up his duties and responsibilities for a 9-iron and his grandkids.

“It’s time for me to move on.”

h and AD Headcoac l h Schoo ig H a n e Lor Headcoach and AD Tatum High School

H arch 2002 eadcoach and A M 0 0 0 2 ry thletic C Februa ordinato r Burleso n High School March 2002 - January 2004

Head Coach Plano East High School January 2004 - August 2015 Athle tics D Cop pell irect or Hig h Sc hoo l

sports

March Unites Fans, Viewers

21

Within all of the madness, Duke arrives at the top of 68 competing teams

MARCUS KRUM Staff Writer @marcuskrum ver since I first began to follow sports at around age 7, I have been infatuated with statistics. Batting averages, field goal percentages, winning streaks, you name it. While soaking all these statistics up like a sponge, I have become increasingly better at predicting outcomes of all kinds.

However, once the temperatures start rising, flowers blooming and March (and the madness that comes with it) rolls around, all this data in my head goes out the window. No longer will the team with a higher three point percentage or more offensive rebounds prevail. The NCAA tournament and the wild, volatile and absolutely unpredictable results coming with it are what makes this month of sports what it is: universally appealing.

The only other sporting event that can compare to the tournament in regards to its widespread participation in the United States is the World Cup in recent years.

Even though the Super Bowl creates more viewers than any other sporting event worldwide (Super Bowl XLIX roped in a record 114.4 million views), the sense of unity that came with the 2014 World Cup and, in a sense, with March Madness.

While most people watching

E

the Super Bowl have no particular ties to either team, last year’s World Cup provided the national unity that makes it unique from any other sporting spectacle, giving many people who are not soccer fans a reason to watch. March Madness gives viewers a very similar experience, but in a slightly different way.

As a triplet, I am accustomed to not agreeing on every decision that my brother and sister make. Sometimes, this can be a hassle for my mother and father when we are trying to decide on things such as where to go out to eat or what to watch on TV. However, the NCAA tournament takes these different viewpoints and makes them into entertaining competition for anyone. Just this year, after Duke defeated Wisconsin in the national championship game my sister, who is not a basketball aficionado by any stretch of the imagination, defeated me in our bracket group.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, about 40 million Americans will make a total of about 70 million brackets this year. The brackets range from sports gurus who spend hours picking teams, to others who do not even follow college basketball or sports in general. The best part about it is anyone can win. No matter how much time or effort you put into your bracket, the upsets will always be there, and therefore so will busted brackets.

For me, this is the first year that I have thoroughly followed college basketball. Any time I turned on the TV and saw that a game was on, even if it was between two teams I had absolutely no ties to, I would still tune in to try to get a

Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his team celebrate their 68-63 win over Wisconsin in the NCAA National Championship game on Monday, April 6, 2015, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (Sam Riche/TNS) feel for how they play. sure to be a “cinderella” team. This across the nation. Florida Gulf After watching Kentucky romp year, it was Michigan State, who Coast’s near impossible Sweet 16 Arkansas 78-63 in the SEC cham- knocked out my second place appearance as a No. 15 seed, bepionship game, I knew they had Virginia team in the round of 32, coming the only team to do so, to be included in my final four. making it all the way to the final wrecked anyone’s chances of a My favorite to come out of the four. perfect bracket. The nature of the East is the defensively stout VirAfter Wisconsin was taken beast is this: Sports fan or not, ginia team. I picked Iowa State to down by the Blue Devils of Duke everyone has an equal chance of upset Duke in the Elite Eight and in the ever-so-close national winning. make it to Indianapolis, My team championship game, my bracket And now more than ever, to come out of the wild west was had officially finished with a re- making a bracket takes little to no Wisconsin. spectable 840 points, better than time. With websites such as ESThis year, the only team with 53.8% of the nation, good enough PN’s Tournament Challenge, one a legitimate shot of beating Ken- to finish in second place in my can create their own bracket and tucky was the Badgers, and I’m family’s bracket group. join groups with friends easier took the upset over the undefeatIn recent history, there have than ever before. Because it is no ed Wildcats. They were my pick to been plenty of “bracket busting” longer necessary to print a bracket win it all this year. teams. Just last year, Dayton’s im- out and make your picks by hand, However, even through the probable run to the Elite Eight as March Madness has grown into a (limited) research I did, there was an No. 11 seed destroyed brackets can’t-miss event.

The Blazer Files

I like computers and I want to make a lot of money.

I hear North Lake College has Tech programs that take 2 years or less to complete.

“OMG!”

I sense confusion in the distance!

But my counselor told me to go to a 4-year college.

I dunno what to do...

Prepare to be blazered!

North Lake College is the smart choice.

North Lake College I can earn a certificate or degree and transfer to a 4-year university when I’m ready.

Affordable quality education close to home

#BlazerFiles

22

sports

Mitchell leaps across finish line

Senior track star sets new record in athletic endeavors CHISOM UKOHA Staff Writer @uchisom3 enior long jumper, triple jumper, and hurdler Marcus Mitchell is an extremely talented, skilled and hardworking athlete, who is known by many to be a star track athlete and has already received multiple track offers from schools.

“Marcus does Marcus,” Junior varsity track hurdler Allen Slette. “There is no other way to describe what he does and no one can do it like him, he just does Marcus.”

Mitchell, star track & field athlete, is a senior this year at New Tech High School. Mitchell started track and field when he was in seventh grade so that he could get out of having to participate in spring offseason. He participates in hurdles, long jump, and triple jump when he started, because his middle school coach, [Kristi] Walthall suggested it to him since he had long legs for a middle schooler. But since the day he started, track & field started to grow on him, until he started to love it. By the end of seventh grade he had already improved dramatically and started placing in meets.

But seventh grade was only the beginning on his path to success.

“Marcus is blessed with a great jumping ability,” Coppell track & field coach Karl Pointer said. “I have seen a few jumpers that are

S

able to be as natural as he is, and with his work ethic I think, really, the sky is his limit.”

Mitchell participates in the 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles, long jump and triple jump. Personally, Mitchell said that he enjoys the triple jump the most.

“Long jump is enjoyable, but it’s not my calling,” Mitchell said.

“Triple jump I like because you have three good consistent jumps to get a good more, unlike long jump where you run fast and throw yourself up there. Basically, triple jump is more technique.”

Triple jump is also the event in which Mitchell dominates the most in. Mitchell has broken the record for triple jump multiple times. His first time to break it was as a sophomore and he now holds the record at 48 feet 5 inches.

As of now Marcus is working on improving his strength for future track meets.

“The biggest area in which Marcus can improve in is the area he is focusing on right now, getting stronger,” Pointer said. “Everyone thinks that track athletes don’t have to be in the weightroom and lift weights. But the truth is that’s how you get stronger and faster and jump higher.”

Mitchell has already started to receive offers from colleges, with his top choices being the University of Oklahoma and University of Arkansas.

“Marcus is a great young man and has a lot of talent in him,” Pointer said. “The future is his.”

The Sidekick // Sarah VanderPol Senior track athlete Marcus Mitchell competes in the Varsity Boys 110m High Hurdles during the CFB ISD Relays at Standridge Stadium on Friday, March 20. Mitchell also competed in the Varsity Boys Triple Jump and the Varsity Boys Long Jump.

CISD middle schools to integrate first ever youth soccer teams

JOSEPH KRUM Staff Writer @joseph_krum

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he Coppell Independent School District is piloting middle school soccer this spring in an effort explore adding this sport to middle school athletics departments.

Athletic Director John Crawford and the Board of Trustees, which voted unanimously at the January board meeting, decided that soccer, a prestigious sport for the high school, should be added to the middle schools. The main goal behind bringing soccer to the middle schools is to form a relationship with the coaches and build the program to continue it’s success.

“This is something that has drawn some interest for some time now,” Crawford said.

“There seemed to be a genuine interest especially from the school board members who

approved the funding of it. We are going to offer it as a pilot program this year, we will see how it goes, and then determine whether we’ll move forward with it in the future or not.”

As a new program this year, the board members and Crawford are hoping to get lots of support so that the program can continue in years to come. Per Crawford, the practices for soccer, which will be around three times a week, will start on April 13 at each of the middle school. However, instead of playing other school’s soccer teams within their district, the middle schools are having a new game schedule to start off the program.

“This year, we will only play games with our three middle schools, especially since it is a pilot program and the uncertainty of the numbers we’ll have,” Crawford said. “Since we’re only playing with the three middle schools, we can maneuver the game schedule to however we want it to fit.”

With the Coppell girls soccer team nationally ranked and the boys within the top 10 of the state, both of the programs are elite at Coppell. Crawford wants to continue that tradition and thinks that this will help with not only

soccer but other sports as well.

“Obviously both of our boys and girls teams are very strong, and we want to continue that,” Crawford said. “Helping our high school coaches developing a good relationship with those kids should be a good benefit for us. Also, we want to help the kids with lesser skills to improve their abilities to some degree. I would hope that

implementing soccer in the middle school will lead to the implementation of other sports that we offer at the high school but not in the middle schools such as wrestling, golf and swimming.”

Cowgirls soccer coach Chad Stricker also thinks that the implementation of soccer will end up being beneficial to the high school teams.

“Instituting soccer should be really helpful for us,” Stricker said. “First, the students will get to meet the coaches and see what it’s like to play for the high school.

Also, since kids used to be good and have a three-year break for middle school, now won’t have that break. And now instead of the kids falling in love with soccer, hopefully this will make the kids love soccer at a younger age.”

Also at a younger age could be the creation of bonds for the kids, and senior forward for the Cowboys Stephen Tower thinks that this is what could end up benefiting the soccer team.

“Middle school soccer will be a good way to start working with all of the talent that you’ll see in high school earlier,” Tower said.

“Instead of playing just 4 years of high school soccer, you can play more with some teammates and you’ll get to meet guys earlier and develop the bonds with them early on.”

At Coppell Middle School East, the school has already made big plans in the installing of a

soccer program. With all three of the original sports, football, basketball and track taking up the whole year for the three-sport coaches to coach, none of them will coach soccer. CMSE has already found a teacher who can coach girls soccer, and is looking into a coach for boys soccer as well.

This year at East, the practices will be held after school on the football fields at each of the middle schools according to CMSE athletic coordinator Michael Erickson. Also according to Erickson, the attempt at bringing soccer to the middle schools should be a success.

“It’s a good idea to do this,” Erickson said.

“Any time you can get more kids participating in some kind of disciplined activity it’s a good thing. I think it’ll really work out well.”

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Ohio-based organization provides opportunities for Christian athletes ALEX NICOLL Editor-in-chief @nicollmac

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hat is Empire Trust?

This is the question that so many athletes and students have in Coppell.

They are big on social media and kids love the shoutouts they get but not many people know the mission behind this organization.

“We really try to give it to that Christian leader who go through their high school career and no one really acknowledges them and they just do that good work of being a light. We want to encourage them and let them know they are appreciated,” Empire Trust executive director James Imhoff said.

Empire Trust was not always prevalent in Coppell. The organization was also not as big as its presence is now.

“We started out as a little church club scholarship and we grew out from there,” Imhoff said.

“It grew into one of the biggest scholarship opportunities in our county up here. Then it started to sustain a little bit. We were a Christian organization but it didn’t center on anything, it was more of a good student thing.

“Four or five years ago, we changed it to more of a Christian sports organization and that’s when [Coppell] picked us up somehow.”

Even though it serves the Coppell community, Empire Trust actual is based out of Ohio, servicing Wayne County for over a decade.

Imhoff ’s theory is that an athlete in Wayne County was friends with an athlete from Coppell and that is how the connection started. Empire Trust had no direct contact with anybody from Coppell until Coppell resident Elizabeth Adkins contacted them about nominating an athlete for the Pay it Forward scholarship.

Once the organization started to grow, they began to expand from the Grace Lutheran Church of Wooster, Ohio, its involved church and became its own entity. Now Empire Trust works with Coppell, Wayne County and Pulaski Academy, a private school in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The organization provides numerous scholarships for athletes described as expressing “Christian honor, integrity and kindness in high school sports”. Most of the scholarships are awarded to athletes in its native Wayne County, Ohio and in Coppell. In fact, they have specific scholarships for each location.

The Athlete’s Club Scholarship is unique to just Wayne County and Coppell. It cannot be applied for and recipients are chosen based on the discretion of the organization’s board.

While this scholarship has been up for grabs since 2004 in Wayne County, it is fairly new to Coppell, dating back to only 2014.

Since then 2014 graduate and

former safety Chris Adkins has won, as well as this year’s recipients, senior Parker Wilson and former Coppell High School student Quentin Dormady, who is know a senior at Boerne High School. Wilson was also selected as a finalist for the NAtional Football Foundation Gridiron Club of Dallas 2015 Scholar-Athlete Award.

“I felt very honored whenever I received the award,” Wilson said.

“I knew Chris Adkins who won it last year and also I knew Quentin Dormady so to be recognized among those guys is a big deal.”

While the Athlete’s Club Scholarship cannot be applied for, the Athletic Integrity Scholarship is one that can be. By sending in just a letter describing one’s testimony and a recommendation from a community leader, an athlete can win a scholarship of $500.

This scholarship is between both Wayne County and Coppell and the sole winner from Coppell so far was 2014 graduate Killian Bresnahan in 2014.

Parents and coaches can be involved in the scholarship programs by participating in the Pay it Forward Scholarship by nominated and athlete themselves for a chance for a $250 scholarship.

This year’s winner includes senior Jacob Pierce.

“Empire Trust, if anything has been a motivator for me to act in certain ways that are honorable to my community and my Christian faith,” Wilson said.

The organization tracks student athletes through student representatives at each respective school. For Coppell there are four: senior Connor Galloway, junior Hunter Bureau, sophomore Ryan MacDonald and freshman Pierce McFarlane.

“They give out scholarships to student athletes who are Christian and have great character, so mainly what I do is to keep track of kids that are on [Empire Trust’s] radar and if [the athletes]

do anything bad I let them know that and things you can’t tell from just looking at their profiles,” Galloway said.

Galloway got started in the organization mainly because he was approached first from the organization.

“They said ‘Hey you seem like a good kid. Do you want to be a

student advisor for us?’,” Galloway said.

Empire Trust has provided multiple opportunities for kids in its hometown and more surprisingly, Coppell.

“Our following in Coppell is bigger than our following in our own county,” Imhoff said.

Besides just the birthday shout

outs and the scholarship chances, Empire Trust has had more profound effects on kids that they might not even be aware of.

“It’s made me be a better person because there is someone watching me and what I do,” Galloway said. “I am able to be an example for others, which makes me a better person.”

The Sidekick // Aubrie Sisk Senior Parker Wilson fights for extra yards after dragging two Euless Trinity players during one of his final high school games for Coppell High School. Wilson is the most recent recipient of The Athlete’s Club Scholarship presented to him by Empire Trust. The scholarship is based off his Christian leadership and impact on and off the field.

Photo Courtesy // James Imhoff

The Sidekick // File Photo

Scholarship recipient and 2014 graduate Chris Adkins pose with Empire Trust representative and Coppell senior Conner Galloway and student director Zach Vaugn at Cool River Cafe last year during the annual Empire Trust awards ceremony.

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DALLAS LLAS MUSEUM OF ART

Photos courtesy // Dallas Museum of Art Senior Josh Martin, junior Brady Warren, senior Sagar Ramesh and junior Avery Pietrowiak had the chance to display their award-winning artwork at The Dallas Museum of Art. The Young Masters Exhibition will last until April 28 in the Concourse Gallery.