Volume 26 Issue 4

Pg 17

Pg 12-13

Undefeated Earthquakes Movie leaves viewers with girls soccer leave town in disarray empty promises photo gallery

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

ISSUE 4

Pg 24

February 2015

www.coppellstudentmedia.com

Community Clicks

IN ISSUE

LaFountain connects town through Facebook Senior helps less fortunate through creative service activity

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Jessica Moore collects used jeans to give out to the homeless to give back to the community because of strong faith.

NEWS Page 2

Only say it for their benefit Student Life editor Allie Arnold settles the dispute between being “real” with someone and being “rude” to someone.

OPINIONS Page 8

Young chef cooks on national stage Seventh grader Ryan Kate gets the opportunity of a lifetime with a spot on a popular Fox TV show.

STUDENT LIFE Page 11

Coppell actor’s work pays off with major role Trevor Kalina brings two passions together by landing role in the anticipated movie, That’s What I’m Talking About.

ENTERTAINMENT Page 16

Coppell resident Michelle LaFountain The Sidekick // Mallorie Munoz

SPORTS Page 23

he Coppell, Texas Facebook group has taken the community by storm by serving as a page where Coppellians can go to find and/or give any information needed at any time.

Whatever the question, whether it be help finding a lost dog or reccomendations for a plumber, the answer could be provided in a matter of seconds from one of it’s over 2,500 members.

Administrator of the group, Michelle LaFountain is a retired resident of Coppell who not only administers a successful Facebook group and monitors what is posted on it, she is also involved in multiple other clubs and organizations throughout the community.

“As soon as we moved here in April of 1999, I got involved with the Parent-Teacher Organization at Austin Elementary,” LaFountain said. “It strengthened my love for the community because I found, through getting involved, that there are incredible people here. There is an incredible presence in our community because so many people give and serve others.”

LaFountain’s daughter, Sarah, a graduate from Coppell High School and her husband, Stan Friend are very supportive of

her work in the community.

“I couldn’t do all of this without them,” LaFountain said. “My husband doesn’t understand Facebook much at all but he is very happy that I am doing something for the community. My daughter thinks it’s great and she always asks me about the group as well as my other activities.”

After getting involved in the PTO, LaFountain was introduced to a new Coppell club called Newborns In Need. After hearing about the club’s mission, she jumped right in.

The club’s mission is to crochet and knit clothes, blankets and bibs for newborns who were born into poverty and could not afford the necessities needed to take proper care of a newborn baby.

“Thirty-six thousand items ended up being donated to newborns who were in need of them,” LaFountain said. “I became a member of a group at the senior center where we still meet up a lot and just knit and crochet and then give it all away to those who need it most. Being a part of something great like that has extremely strengthened my love for the community and involvement with other groups in the city. There are so many people here that really care, and I love working with them.” > see Involved page 14

Athletes discover greater 10 students advancing flexibility with select teams to state health debate

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MARCUS KRUM Staff Writer @marcuskrum

he line between school sport and club sport, while it is often worn thin with many players participating in both, has begun to grow thicker again as the two have began to show distinct differences between each other.

Although most student athletes have the ability to participate in both University Interscholastic League (UIL) teams and non UIL teams, the significant difference is freedom. The UIL is in place to provide educational, fine arts and academic extra curricular competition for Texas schools. > see Overruled page 20

Sports in high school costs more than time Hockey and lacrosse are two sports requiring a large amout of time and money but what exactly are the costs of each sport?

Editor-in-Chief Alex Nicoll explores the fees associated with each.

ALLIE ARNOLD Student Life Editor @_alliearnold

The Sidekick // Kelly Monaghan Players sometimes have to choose between playing for a high school team or a club team for soccer, other sports.

KELLY MONAGHAN Staff Photographer @kellymonaghan

HOSA students compete in conferences all across America each year. The organization promotes leadership qualities as igh school Health Pro- well as other qualities necessary fessionals of America for the Health Science Educamembers, includtion instructional program. ing CHS, in Area III “The club offers sevof Texas attended eral different poand competed sitions,” CHS “I’m really proud of in the Spring sophomore them, they’ve worked Leadership Pranga GadConference damedi said. so hard this year, and on Jan. 30“There are they really deserved 31.

This officer spots the opportunity.” year’s state as well as opqualifiers to portunities - Shebani Patel, the state comfor other club senior petition in Dalmembers. HOSA las on April 9-11 members can often at the Anatole Hotel. volunteer at different The conference was hosted events as a way to get experience.”

by Jack E. Singley Academy in Every year leadership conIrving with the opening and clos- ferences are held as a way to ing ceremonies at the Irving Con- bring many HOSA members vention Center. The officer nomi- from different schools tonating committee meeting and gether to compete and work. officer credentialing was held in the Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel. > see HOSA page 5

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Teacher of the Issue: Behlen finds true calling after firsthand experience ALEX DALTON Staff Writer @alex_dalton04

James Behlen

The Sidekick // Sarah VanderPol

The Sidekick staff recognizes geometry and pre-calculus teacher James Behlen as Teacher of the Issue. Behlen has been a part of the Coppell High School staff for four years, taking on pre-calculus for the first time this year, yet he recalls earlier days that he enjoyed helping others with math.

“I remember being in tenth grade geometry and the teacher would set me aside and send students to my desk and I really liked helping them; it was a lot of fun for me,” Behlen said. “I’m good at teaching people, I like teaching people and I know I can help people.”

As an engineering major at Texas Tech University, he knew he was not fulfilling his true purpose and decided to switch to teaching.

He strives everyday to create an environment where students feel they can participate and succeed.

“I know it can be hard sometimes because it is a math class but I want students to at least feel like they can be successful in my class,” Behlen said. “My goal is always to get 100 percent participation and to motivate them to want to do a good job even if they don’t necessarily like math.”

Students appreciate all of the extra effort Behlen puts into his lesson plan and teaching techniques.

“He is always making sure that we are keeping up with the information he is giving us,” junior Kaeli Stayer said. “He knows pre-calculus is not an easy course and he always tells us how much he appreciates our attention.”

Selfless charity campaign turns into scholarship opportunity

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SHIVANI BURRA Staff Writer @ShiviBurra

oppell High School senior Jessica Moore has been actively involved in community service since a young age and has taken up a new project: jeans for the homeless.

Moore has already collected about 100 pairs of jeans for her Jeans for Teens drive and hopes to be able to collect over 200.

Moore’s stepmother, Meg Moore, is instrumental in not only this project of Moore’s but also past endeavors.

“I went out on Facebook with posts to local group pages, my personal page and the ‘Nextdoor’ site, telling of her Jeans for Teens drive and have gotten a lot of kind responses,” Mrs. Moore said. “It [has] been heartwarming to see our community be so generous.”

Volunteering efforts is something that runs in the Moore genes as her stepbrother, Craig Santy, a 2010 CHS graduate, joined the Marines. Moore started writing letters and cards to service members to brighten their spirits.

“Jessica started volunteer efforts when she was very young,” Mrs. Moore said. “My mother-in-law would take her to the food pantry to help out and she participated in other efforts all along. I think it’s always been a family thing to help others in need.”

Moore believes that community service helps pass on the opportunities and abundance that God has given to her and her family.

“It is a great opportunity to show your community and the people in it that you genuinely care for them,” Moore said. “I know that for me I love doing it because it says in Ephesians 4:10 for we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ

Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

So I know for me it’s hard for me to share my faith with others but by giving back to others I am passing on the message about God through these opportunities and it really helps show the grace, mercy and most of all love that the Lord has for us so why not just pass it on to others.”

After searching DoSomething. org, Moore found various platforms to give back, which included an organization to write letters to soldiers overseas, making activity books for children in hospitals and now collecting jeans.

The Sidekick // Mallorie Munoz Through these charitable efforts, Coppell High School senior Jessica Moore packages jeans Moore discovered she has been en- for her Jeans for Teens drive. Moore partnered with Aerotered into a chance to win a $10,000 postale for the drive, which lasted through Feb. 12. scholarship through DoSomething at the same time. The project is Aeropostale which they will then or you do something good and you do not win,” Moore said. “Either partnered with Aeroposatle and distribute to those in need.

“The way I see it, you do some- way I am just excited that people after Feb. 12, Moore will take the jeans she has collected to the local thing good and win a scholarship that need jeans get them.”

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The Sidekick // Manu Garikipati

Brown shares experience in field in cholesterol, arteriosclerosis

The Sidekick // Kelly Monaghan Dr. Michael Brown talks to the The Science/Technology Involvement and Research club about the nine steps to being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize on Jan. 12 in the Coppell High School lecture hall. Brown received a Nobel Prize for specializing in cholesterol and how it affects the heart, as well as other areas of the body.

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ALLIE ARNOLD Student Life Editor @_alliearnold

he Science/Technology Involvement and Research club, otherwise known as

STIR, held a meeting with guest speaker and Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Michael Brown in the Coppell High School lecture hall on Jan. 12. The aim of the STIR club is is to help people find careers in fields such as science and engi-

neering, Brown is a distinguished scientist who specializes in cholesterol and arteriosclerosis and how they affect the human body, specifically the heart.

Brown spoke for about an

hour, informing the audience of the steps that are necessary to be taken in order to earn a Nobel Prize. Of these nine steps, Brown stressed the importance of “finding a problem that interests you” and running with it.

For him, it was a little girl with bumps on her knees that grabbed his attention several years ago.

The girl had 10 times the amount of cholesterol in her body as a normal child her age, creating build up in her blood that fled to her skin tissue when she bumped her knees. Because the fighter cells became saturated with the cholesterol, small bumps resembling warts were left behind as opposed to a bruise of a person with a normal cholesterol level.

Another point he stressed is the importance of having a team when attempting to accomplish something.

“99.9 percent of the time, people are not going to become scientists by studying and experimenting alone the way [Albert] Einstein did,” Brown said. “A team of scientists will accomplish a lot more by bouncing ideas off of one another.”

After sharing more of his experiences and tips about working hard towards a solution then to a problem, the audience was left feeling inspired and motivated to make a difference in whatever they choose to do.

“His work is amazing,” senior STIR member Zixiao Lee said.

“The path that he followed to get the results that he did is inspirational. It was an honor for us to have him speak and to learn about his research.”

CMSW seventh grader takes third straight CISD Spelling Bee PRANATHI CHITTA Staff Writer @prannydacheetah

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all it a three-peat for Coppell Middle School West seventh grader Smrithi Upadhyayula.

On Jan. 7, the Coppell Independent School District held its annual Spelling Bee. This thirdtime consecutive district winner was Upadhyayula, with CMS West eighth grader Yutika Ineni as a runner-up.

“This was the most competitive district bee I have participated in so far,” Upadhyayula said.

The district spelling bee took 43 rounds and there were several additional tie-breaker rounds in order to determine the second and third places.

“It was extremely competitive,” Ineni said. “All of the competitors were serious about the spelling bee and every one of them wanted to win.”

Both competitors did not know what to expect since the competition was challenging.

“Smrithi definitely had some stiff competition this year,” CISD Language and Literacy Director Heather Cato said. “I wasn’t sure

who would win.”

Ineni felt the competitive spirit of the event.

“I love the thrill of the spelling bee; it’s so unpredictable. You don’t know what word you’ll get or what will happen in the next few minutes,” Ineni said. “But knowing that I was competing against all those kids that have already won their school spelling bees scare me. But that’s what makes it so fun.”

Upadhyayula and Ineni have both been preparing for this spelling bee since November.

Ineni has been practicing two to three hours on her Saturdays and Sundays.

“People are better prepared than last year,” Upadhyayula said.

For Ineni, this will be her last time competing in the district spelling bee since she is an eighth grader, and she and her parents are proud of her outcome.

“We were astounded by Yutika’s performance,” mother Chandravathi Ineni said. “We always knew that she had the potential in her, and we are so, so proud of our daughter.”

Both Upadhyayula and Ineni will go onto the Dallas County Spelling Bee on Feb. 18, which

will be held at the Dallas County Schools Technology and Training building. Although Upadhyayula has some experience at this level, this will be the first time for Ineni.

“The competition at district level was hard, so I know for sure that at city level, everyone will be a fierce competitor,” Ineni said. “It will definitely be different from what I’ve experienced before.”

Since Upadhyayula won the district spelling bee again this year, it will be her third time going on to the Dallas County Spelling Bee. “My second year competing was harder than my first. There were many new, younger spellers who did a commendable job last year,” Upadhyayula said. “I’m expecting it to be harder this year because I know there are some serious spellers out there.”

Upadhyayula plans to prepare for the county bee by looking up words in the Webster’s Dictionary since it is the official source for the competition and she will continue what she loves to do-- read books.

“I am confident that Smrithi will represent Coppell ISD well,” Cato said. “I would not be surprised at all if she won.”

Photo Courtesy // Coppell ISD Seventh grader Smrithi Upadhyayula holds up her trophy and certificate at the Coppell ISD Spelling Bee on Jan. 7.

Upadhyayula will move on to the regional spelling bee, which will be held on March 21 in Dallas.

news Record 68 Business Professionals of America move on to state

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AMY ROH Staff Writer @rohmyboat

n the morning of Jan. 24, 90 Business Professionals of America (BPA) members competed at Denton Guyer High School for their regional leadership contest. 68 members qualified for state, the most ever for the Coppell High School BPA chapter.

“What is different this year is we have grown so much,” BPA adviser Cindy Wolfe said. “We now have three chapters instead of two. The members are now competing against each other.

It makes the events interesting and fun when Coppell takes first, second and third as we did three events and first, second and fourth in two.”

Members can choose to com-

pete in a group, as an individual or both. This year, there were 72 events in five different categories. Each event could range from Economic Research Projects to Network Design.

All of these categories push members to utilize crucial business skills and tactics in front of a panel of judges. Presentation, communication, efficacy and organization are just a few techniques that members have to hone in on for these tournaments.

“I felt kind of exhilarated considering it was my first year in BPA,” said junior Asu Dhakal, who advanced to state for Economic Research Team.

“I learned how to contribute as part of a group, but also developed my own skills as an individual in speaking and in carrying myself professionally.”

Coppell freshman Abhishek Mohan competed individually in Advanced Systems and Procedures. Mohan will be heading to the BPA state competition in March in Dallas.

BPA members have been crafting their projects since late September. Whether it was by writing a comprehensive paper or organizing a network, the members have been preparing to get the best results.

“My team and I had prepared for our event for weeks, so we really wanted to place,” junior Surabi Rao said, who advances to state for Economic Research team event. “What I liked the best about the regional tournament was although everyone had events to prepare for, all of us took the time to help each other out. It was nice how everyone was supportive.”

Along the way, members felt the strain to find the time to create their projects, especially with conflicting schedules.

“I felt that as a junior, it got a little more difficult meeting this

year with my team because of all the different activities we had,” junior Aditi Mukund said, who advances to state for the Network Design team event. “It was sometimes a challenge to find a day that we were all free. Also for our prompt, we had to do a lot of research in order to really understand what the ‘client’ needed.”

Preparation took months of researching and planning but members reaped the benefits of their efforts.

“After spending hours rehearsing and improving our proposal, my team and I saw our hard work pay off at regionals and take us to state,” junior Sneha Karkala said, who advances to state for the Presentation Management team event.

Furthermore, these competitions have proven to be helpful

Coppell juniors Coleman Wylie, Vedanta Dasu, Kaustubh Madiraju and Ronit Singhal competed in their team event for Video Production. The four will be heading to the BPA state competition.

to members who want to enter the business world in the future.

“BPA is a wonderful and great opportunity for me,” Mukund said. “I’m looking to go into business and this club gives me a lot of exposure and experience with working in a customer or client-like atmosphere. It is also really fun to be able to go to different competitions and compete.”

The club will now be preparing for their state competition in March 4-7 where members will go head-to-head against schools across Texas. Then Nationals, in Anaheim.

“Our primary focus now is to prepare for the state tournament,” Dhakal said. “Nationals would be amazing, but for now it’s in the back of our heads; we have to stay focused on state.

One step at a time.”

The Sidekick // Pranathi Chitta Coppell junior Pooja Marella advances to state in her individual competition for Database Applications. Marella will also be heading to state for her team event, Economic Research Project.

Public speaker enlightens youth on dangers of technology THOMAS ROUSSEAU Staff Writer

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ublic speaker and founder of the Institute for Responsible Online and Cell Phone Communication Richard Guerry opened with his initial analogy for technology by holding out an open and lit lighter to the audience to explain the nature of sharing content online. Members of the audience watched closely.

He connected it by saying that by definition, a flame cannot be cold. And by the definition of the word social, certain media cannot be private. The presentation occurred at Coppell Middle School West on Jan. 28.

“We’ve passed out these extremely powerful tools, and forgotten to give a guideline on how to use them,” Guerry said.

“We have people that understand how to use technology, how to build websites, how to code, how to create apps, but sometimes they don’t necessarily have a guideline on how to be responsible with the things that they are building.”

Before leaving the corporate world to teach about online awareness, Guerry was an interactive marketer. It was in this profession that he saw how dangerous a lack of safety while using social technology could be.

“Part of my job was tracking people, and selling to people, I

saw how easy that was,” Guerry said.

Due to the ever quickening pace of technology’s advancement, Guerry noticed that the ways in which people manage information online was a significant issue.

“One of the things that opened my eyes when we moved to smaller tools, it seemed that people saw cellphones, tablets and iPads as more personal, more intimate,” Guerry said.

“So they were willing to take more risks by creating more personal content.”

Not only can seeing such an issue drive one towards teaching others about it, it can also affect more day to day aspects of a person’s life.

“It has totally changed the way I view the world because we have tools that have now shrunk the world and they have given everyone opportunities that they would never have had,” Guerry said. “Technology has brought us a lot of opportunity because it brings a lot of power, but far too many people are abusing that power.”

He has spoken in presentations within the Coppell Independent School District before.

Two years ago he held a similar presentation, but traveling North America is necessary to reach his audience.

“Primarily, in person, it’s Canada and the U.S., so I’ve been to Toronto, Winnipeg, Ottawa all over Canada,” Guerry

The Sidekick // Mallorie Munoz Founder of IROC2 Richard Guerry spoke to Coppell High School freshman on the importance of cyber safety on Jan. 30 in the CHS large gym. Guerry also spoke at Coppell Middle School West to parents and students with an in depth presentation. said.

Guerry has also spoken to the freshmen class at Coppell High School during his rounds of CISD. “It’s just reinforcing common sense,” CHS freshman Matthew Gaffney said. “I know that there are so many other people that just really don’t know the consequences of their own actions, they don’t think about it before, they go ahead first.”

Gaffney was present at the lecture for freshmen at CHS on

Jan. 30.

“Pointing out the fact that you aren’t anonymous, that’s what will get a lot of people to stop and realize what they’re doing is, one: has a more definite chance of getting them in trouble, and two: it has no chance of being absolutely invisible to anybody else,” Gaffney said.

Looking forward, Guerry sees the benefit of teaching people about the hazards of being the most tech savvy genera-

tion to date.

“Our presentation changes, but our message doesn’t,” Guerry said. “The message stays consistent, the proof or the ways in which people can get in trouble change.”

Teaching generations to teach those younger than them is an important part of what IROC2 seeks to accomplish.

“I see Public and Permanent as the 21st century equivalent of playing with fire can burn,” Guerry said.

5 news HOSA takes on leadership conference, keeps winning tradition > from page 1 Leadership conferences give students the opportunity to compete in events like biomedical debate and researched persuasive speaking. Categories receive new topics every year

depending on current events.

This year’s topics ranged from e-cigarettes to regular cigarette comparisons and concussion prevention. There are 13 total events for HOSA members to compete in at con-

ferences.

Last year, CHS sophomore Neha Kodali competed as a part of the biomedical debate team with seniors Nikhil Shah, Nikhil Keserla and Dev Thimmisetty. The team placed third

at state along with the medical spelling competitor junior Pooja Marella.

“There is a lot of work that goes into competitions for HOSA,” Kodali said. “The amount of work that needs to

The Sidekick // Kelly Monaghan During a two day span, Coppell High School HOSA members competed in a variety of categories at the Spring Leadership Conference, leaving victorious with 10 students qualifying for state and the scrapbook team advancing.

be done outside of school varies on the event but my group met up twice a week for two hours at a time for a month leading up to competition.”

Preparing for conferences can be stressful for many members, but the hard work pays off when a group advances to state, and from there, a chance at nationals.

“Competing last year was really fun. It was a great experience and I learned a lot about a field I’m passionate about. I honestly miss competing this year but I’m so glad I got to partake my freshman year,” Kodali said.

Although much of the conference revolves around these events, not every HOSA member is involved in competitions. Students who choose not to compete have several options when attending conferences. There are various activities and workshops for members to participate in.

“Workshops range from leadership activities to early morning zumba,” senior HOSA co-president Shebani Patel said. “There are also recognition events to partake in like scrapbook and volunteering.”

This year’s state qualifiers will advance to the state competition held in Dallas from April 9-11 later this year.

First financial aid workshop proves vital to senior students KARA HALLAM Enterprise Editor @KaraHallam

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Another key element to financial aid is expected family contribution. By calculating the cost of attendance and subtracting the amount of money it is

search engines students can go to such as the Adventures in Education, The Princeton Review, College Board and Fastweb.

There are several different

ing out a FASFA at www.fasfa. ed.gov or by sending it in the mail. Before filling it out, it is necessary to apply for a pin at www.pin.ed.gov.

he Coppell High School Counseling Department hosted the school’s very first financial aid workshop for parents and students. Texas Woman’s University representatives were invited to present at the workshop and help parents afterwards fill out Free Applications for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) forms.

TWU’s Director of Financial Aid Governor Jackson spoke for two hours, while answering questions along the way.

“When we talk about financial aid most of us have a broad idea of what that is,” Jackson said. “Basically in a nutshell, it’s just money to help the student and the parent pay for [the] cost of college or university education at whatever type of institution. All of those institutions, if they are fully accredited, are required to offer financial aid services to students.”

Jackson began by explaining cost of attendance which includes direct costs, such as tuition and fees, and indirect costs like hygiene and transportation expenses. He presented the various prices involved with The Sidekick // Mallorie Munoz attending public universities, Texas Woman’s University Director of Financial Aid Governor Jackson speaks at the finanprivate universities and com- cial aid workshop hosted by the Coppell High School Counseling Department. munity colleges in Texas.

“It’s very important to un- expected the family or student types of specific grants that stuThe FASFA became available derstand that piece because it will contribute to paying for dents may qualify for. in early January, but a student’s has a lot to with student suc- college, financial need from Loans on the other hand can parent must receive a W-2 form cess,” Jackson said. “Nothing federal and institutional pro- be borrowed by parents and from their employer for the inhibits a student more than grams can be determined. students and paid back later on new year first. having to worry about the fiJackson then proceeded to with interest. Work-study proOnce parents have it stunancial aspect of attending col- explain the different types of grams employ students from dents are ready to apply for filege. Nothing stresses students aid such as scholarships, grants, 12 to 20 hours per week to help nancial aid. Jackson strongly out more than having to worry loans and employment. them pay for costs. stresses using the online methabout that concept.”

There are many scholarship Need is determined by fill- od so mistakes can be corrected

and updated.

After the workshop, the TWU Mobile GO Center was there to help students and parents get their pins and fill out the FASFA. “To have someone walk me through this was a luxury,” CHS senior parent Kalyani Patel said. “Instead of me having to figure it out myself. It was very relevant and educational.”

Other parents and students found themselves learning new things at the completely packed workshop.

“I learned about student loans,” CHS senior Miranda Newman-Noah said. “I didn’t know parents could get loans, I learned you could get them from federal, state [and] private and from the schools and from the employer.”

CHS counselors Shelby Wright and Yolanda Edwards played a big role in setting up the workshop. Wright offered some of her own advice for students.

“Start early, during junior year or even before for that and do a profile on financial aid website to get an idea of what they might qualify for even if the have a college fund,” Wright said.

She found in her personal experience as a school counselor that the process turns out to be a positive one for most.

“Most students find out that they can get financial aid to help them pay for college,” Wright said. “There is a way for them to figure out and get a big picture of what it’s going to cost.”

opinions

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editorial

Under pressure: memorization trumping life skills in classroom

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ressure applied can put a student into one of two categories: trying too hard and being pushed until one’s mentality suffers, or allowing oneself to be fearful of hard work and never knowing what it’s like to be pushed so hard.

This creates a double edged sword of disadvantages for society. A doctor may have strived

all his life under insurmountable scrutiny by his parents to achieve his position, but he lacks the necessary skills such as communication with his colleagues, compassion for the patients and ambition in his job to perform it appropriately. All skills that he might lack due to school’s focus on the facts.

With the merging of new technology and education be-

coming ever more substantial, people lose the ability to properly express ideas with their clients.

In any profession, the challenge is half having the knowledge, and half people skills. However, the values taught in schools do not always correlate to this.

On the other hand, there are kids who cannot bring themselves to even rise out of bed to attend school because they view

it as either futile or an institution based entirely on tedium. No one benefits from this. Not teachers, not students nor parents.

Something needs to be done.

Something that will connect both ends of the ever steepening bell curve, something that will provide more necessary skills in place of the memorization of facts and numbers.

Students are not receiving

some of the most valuable skills that they might need in life. Yes, they could tell you the square root of a given number, but how well they will fare in an interview with a potential employer seems to be a better question.

So while you can have opinions until the cows come home about what’s right and wrong, you need to quantify them somehow. The problem is prevalent because it is not common for people to know where the distinction lies between overwhelming work and lethargic underachievement.

It should be accepted that this must be a personal boundary one sets within oneself. However, this limit cannot lie two steps from the starting line. It is better to work too hard than too little.

If a person does not have a limit to the work done under pressure that extends to the point where the work becomes productive, then the person is responsible for training oneself up to harder work until reaching a reasonable point.

Do not work yourself to the point where your perception of work is impaired, but don’t refuse challenges because of fear of exceeding your capacity for effort. Do not only take the right amount of time to expend yourself, make the most of it as well.

Focus on skills that cement a place in society, not a test packet.

Comments From CoppellStudentMedia.com Comprehensive sex education could reduce rate of teen pregnancies and STDs by Sakshi Venkatraman // Published on Jan. 11, 2015 Username: Michele

“As a parent in this district, I do wish there was either a comprehensive education program for teens, or none at all. While abstinence can be presented as one way of dealing with this issue, it is not the only way , and I believe children should be educated so they can make informed decisions that keep them protected both emotionally and physically, no matter what they decide to do. I do believe it is a parent’s job to discuss this with their children and share the beliefs and values they wish their children to adopt, and that it is not necessarily the responsibility of the school system. However, if a school system makes the decision to implement a program to discuss this topic with it’s students, then the discussion should be a more comprehensive one.”

It’s time to take care of ourselves by Jena Seidemann// Published on Feb. 3, 2015 Username: Lindsey

“I get you Jena. The topic of loving one’s self is not normally a topic that is emphasized as much as it should be. Therefore, I really appreciated this subject as it plays a significant role in a person’s overall well being. This article reminded me of a quote by Charles Dickens that states, ‘A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.’ In the end we’re all a mystery to each other with some secrets carried to the grave and it is of the utmost importance therefore to love ourselves, who are the only ones who can truly understand us to the fullest. Thank you for this article and for the usage of quotes that have important messages behind them.”

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 Priya Desai Aisha Espinosa Nicolas Henderson Alex Irizarry Meara Isenberg Joseph Krum Marcus Krum

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Business Staff

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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

Je suis Charlie should inspire movement for unalienable right to speak

SAKSHI VENKATRAMAN Staff Writer @oompapa1

T

he name of the small Paris magazine rings in the ears of millions after gunmen murdered 11 staff and wounded 11 more on Jan. 7.

Charlie Hebdo is a satirical magazine, with a reputation for being racy. Since its inception in 1970, it has made fun of every race, religion and nationality under the sun with cartoons and short excerpts of text.

To say the absolute least, the publication has many a time found itself in a position of being disliked by a majority. Its crude and scandalous depictions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad has sparked lawsuits, protests and violence all over France. In one such incident, the magazine’s mockery of Islamic sharia law ensued firebombs thrown into their office.

Granted, I, too, gritted my teeth at some of the material published in Charlie Hebdo. As a student journalist, there is one thing that kind of haunted me about the situation: it could have been avoided.

If it had completely stopped publishing scandalous material, it is likely that 11 people would not be dead today. The complex question that seems to continually re-

surface in the minds of many is, ‘why didn’t they stop?’

The answer is equally as simple: because they didn’t want to and they shouldn’t have to.

There is one fact that should stick in everyone’s mind: the staff at Charlie Hebdo knew what they were doing and knew who they were messing with but they decided to keep publishing because they had a God given right to do so.

They were willing to die for their right to freedom of speech and the honor in that should be revered by not only journalists but by all of mankind.

There are billions of us in the world but sometimes it takes a handful of brave people and a horrible incident to remove the mask that stops us from seeing what is right in front of us.

We are a generation that is blinded by ourselves. We have a great deal of rights compared to the rest of the world, yet we take them for granted and we always find excuses not to exercise them.

Freedom of speech is a concept that cannot be fully grasped until it is used. I started participating in print journalism this year and I can say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it changed my perspective.

It enabled me to view the concepts of liberty like a child again, with awe and wonder. It helped me not only understand why people express themselves and speak out but it also diminished my understanding of the people who sit quietly while the world is turning and things are happening.

In a world where there is so much oppression and censorship,

The Sidekick // Jena Seidemann the freedom to speak one’s mind is sacred and should be treasured.

The fact that we have that right means we need to take advantage of it; we need to learn to make it a part of our lives.

As high school students, something we often do not understand is that the power of a word, the power of a phrase, can change the world and alter the course of history. In short, the pen is truly mightier than the sword.

We, as a fortunate society, not only can speak up about injustice within our borders but we also

have the ability to be the voices for the people who would face death if they spoke.

Whether it comes from an external force or within ourselves, fear cannot hinder our rights.

That is what Charlie Hebdo is fighting for and is still fighting for today.

In certain ways, freedom of speech is the most underrated right because we often let it sit idly without using it. This right does not only fall to journalists, writers or scholars. It is the constitutional right of the common man to sim-

ply speak up.

The phrase, ‘Je suis Charlie,’ is the beginning of a revolution. The 11 people that died can be seen as a sacrifice to save millions of others.

After the shooting, there were gatherings in the streets with people chanting this phrase, and identifying with the souls who were willing to give up their lives for their freedom.

Je suis Charlie: I am Charlie.

My hope is that in a few years, more of the world can say the same, boldly.

Dependence on technology leaving teenage minds in the dust

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ALEX IRIZARRY Staff Writer

acebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine and Tumblr. Today’s social juggernauts connect people around the world with a mere click. In 140 words or less you can let the world at large in

on “what’s happening” with you.

You can travel the world from your two-room, one-bath apartment building on the lower east side with the simplest of gestures.

It’s all so lazy, superficial and just too easy.

From the moment children in this generation are able to pick up an iPad and conduct their first search, they are taught one simple thing. We do not need to think, the machines will do it all for us.

Why worry about math? The calculator seems to have no problem with it.

Who needs to read a book anymore? Sparknotes has everything you ever need to know.

The Sidekick // Christianna Haas

Why go do any research? I can go on Google, and within a few keystrokes, I can get instant answers to any question I may have.

Creativity? Critical thinking?

They are all things of the past now.

Technology almost always dumbs people down, to the point where, according to the Pew Research Center, 47 percent of teens say their social life would end without their cell phone. They honestly believe they cannot have a functioning social life without technology and the biggest facilitators of this destructive behavior are social media sites. Everything about social media is set up in the easiest way possible; a toddler could figure it out with no trouble.

It affects our ability to creatively think as well, hindering deep and creative thoughts by making words such as ‘lol’, ‘btdubbs’, and ‘crunchy’ mainstream. Creating millions of Vine videos of the same people doing the same thing over and over again like a tape recorder, and yet we still eat it up. We as a species don’t seem to think for ourselves anymore, making us extremely susceptible to peer pressure.

Everything teens do, from the clothes they wear to even the way they talk, is based on what’s ‘in’ right now, what’s ‘cool’ to our peers, it is rarely about what we like or believe. We allow others to think for us, seeing what that celebrity tweeted today, or that oh so

cute top Cindy wore in her newest profile picture. Wasting half the day in an attempt to get one measly like, one superficial gesture, so we feel accepted by the group.

Social media not only allows these destructive behaviors; they encourage it.

All of this comes full circle to affect every part of our lives, from our homes to school. Many students would agree that they would probably end up doing a lot more work if they did not have their phones or iPads readily available to them at all times. We have gotten to the point where it is just accepted that students will be on their phones instead of working, to the point where most teachers will just let it happen.

It is pathetic how little we are doing to prevent this destructive behavior. Simply put, no one is doing enough on both sides of the equation.

If we are not going to prevent the use of technology, how can high school students practice serious thinking? Honestly, most students have been exposed to some form of social media by this point in their lives. Heck, every high school and middle school student in Coppell has an iPad. However, they were not born with it at their disposal.

Our generation has the foundation, we just have to build off of that and make it a habit. We know what its like not to depend

on these technologies. The generations growing up right now, the ones who have iPads in their hands before they are able to walk, they are the ones we should be worrying about.

They have never known a world where this technology does not exist, where things were not so easy. Now breaking the habit of going to social media and technology for all the many questions in life will be that much more difficult. That is why, starting now, the current generation needs to lead the way to a more enlightened view of the world.

The most important thing that we have to remember is this: social media and technology are amazing tools for us to use, but they are just that - tools.

It is easy for students in high school courses to just pull up the information on the Internet, but if they take the easy road they will never have that breakthrough and be able to have creative thoughts.

My challenge is this: set down the phone, go to the library and study. Or if that is not you, go to a mall, a movie or get outside and throw the ball around. Instead of scrolling through your Twitter feed on a Friday night, go out with your friends. Interact, read and most importantly – learn, get out and see the world as it truly is. Be who you are and show the world what you are capable of.

opinions

8

No longer truthful but only hurtful

Intentions need to be taken into consideration with honest opinions

I

ALLIE ARNOLD Student Life Editor @_alliearnold

t is often difficult for people to tell the difference when others are upfront and honest as opposed to just being a jerk.

I have been torn multiple times because of this, trying to decide whether or not to speak up about something that bothers me or to keep it to myself.

My 21-year-old sister, Sarah, and I have both struggled with this issue our whole lives. She is very much a “go getter” type of person that knows what she wants and gets what she wants because she won’t stop until she does. While I also have goals, I’m someone who is more along for the ride as opposed to full speed ahead. These different traits in two sisters causes a clash similar to that of fire and gasoline. Needless to say, it is often not pretty.

We decided to take a shopping trip together one day in Dallas. I was driving, and I will be the first to admit, my sense of direction is awful (and I mean awful), while hers is almost flawless. Knowing this, you might be wondering why I was the one driving to downtown out of the two of us. I do not exactly know the answer to that one either.

Long story short, I took the wrong exit and began driving us in the complete opposite direction of our destination, and my sister had a field day.

“You’re almost 18 and you have no idea where you’re going or what you’re doing at all, ever,” Sarah said.

I responded with a smart remark about how I could “literally” see the sky falling all because of a wrong turn, but that only pushed her further to explain to me how much street smarts I lack.

After realizing that I was a little hurt by her comments, she then proceeded to tell me that she was not being rude, she was being real.

There is not a doubt in my mind that my sister cares about me, but she has always been annoyed with my lack of street smarts and wanted to express her frustration. My sister knew that I had done everything imaginable to try to become better with my directions and that I had just made an honest mistake. She was not being real, she was being rude.

I am a firm believer in telling someone what they need to hear as long as it is beneficial in some sort of way. Being real is vocalizing something in order to make a change, not just to express how much something they do or say irritates you.

Harping on other’s faults will not help the situation either.

For example, if someone were to come up to you at school and say they did not like your outfit that day, that would be considered rude, because unless you keep a fully stocked wardrobe in your locker, there is not really much you can do about it at the moment. They are criticising what you like and who you are, and in that case, it is the time to be “real” and tell that person just how rude they are.

It is often difficult to decipher what is necessary to vocalize to someone, but taking a few seconds to think could make a huge difference in the outcome of the situation.

Ask yourself: Is it something they are already aware of? In my case, I understand what I need to work on. It could be the same for anyone who is struggling with something else. Make sure they are not aware of the issue before you vocalize

it, and even then, make sure you are only bringing it to their attention for their benefit.

Also, is it really necessary to be said?

Obviously, if you or someone else you know is being threatened or bullied, you automatically have a free pass to speak up about it, but only with things that absolutely must be brought to attention. There is a fine line

of looking out for someone and saying unnecessary things just to make yourself feel better. If you confuse the two, the argument could easily be turned to a rude one.

There is nothing wrong with speaking up on an issue when it’s necessary but words can break bones just as easily as sticks and stones, and it is important to not take that lightly.

The Sidekick // Christianna Haas

Society’s two faced demeanor needs authentic, genuine attitude

I

JENA SEIDEMANN Managing Editor @jena_seidemann

like a good comedy once in a while, and as I watched one of my favorites, White Chicks, for about the thousandth time, I noticed something.

My generation is robbed of authenticity.

And when I say that, it means we would rather be perfect than real. We would rather compromise our ethics and be “good enough” than accept that we may not excel at something and that is OK because we have

different strengths and weakness we need to understand.

Back to the movie. In order to not give away the entire comedy, the premise is two brothers that are FBI agents go undercover as billionaire heiresses. Along the way, one of the two brothers, Kevin, falls for high profiled reporter, Denise Porter.

Kevin goes to great lengths to win her affection, including impersonating professional athlete, Latrell Spencer, stealing Spencer’s car, sneaking into his house and consequently having to fend of Latrell’s rottweiler.

Throughout the movie, he puts on this facade just to impress a girl. We all have done that to some extent, but it was exhausting just watching. I can tell you, it didn’t seem worth it.

However, at the end of the movie, Kevin faces Denise and tells her the truth. He is a simple government employee that doesn’t have a house on a hill, but he is real. (Plot spoiler, the go out because she likes him for him. Cliche sure, but definitely heart warming).

I will admit there is an immense amount of pressure to be “successful” (whatever that means), but it is also

equally as self inflicted. We can blame society all we want, but who says we have to listen?

Our priorities have changed, but it has almost changed too far. Monetary success and status trump things like character, genuine happiness and self love. It is so disheartening.

All I want is for people to be happy with what they have been given, and if they aren’t, find an ethical way to attain your dreams. Of course people will go through a period of insecurity and unhappiness, that is also affectionately called puberty or a mid-life crisis.

I went through a period of my life where I absolutely hated myself, everything I was. I hated being Chinese (to some degree I still dislike it), being short, not having a smaller waistline, etc. It got to the point where I wrote out all the physical traits I had and then I wrote what I wanted opposite from that.

Plastic surgery popped into my mind once or twice (I am ashamed to say), but I have been on the road to healing and learning to be happy with who I am.

However, the constant state of ins e c u r it y people and our so-

ciety is unreal. I will never understand why people would rather conform than accept themselves. It is so much easier to love yourself and say heck with these unrealistic standards than to literally kill yourself by trying to be perfect or on the physical side, going under the knife.

I don’t have the right to tell you how to live, but personal experience has shown me accepting myself is easier and more fulfilling.

And as I near the end of senior year, I have been struggling with whether or not I’ll go to prom and be a “normal teen.” Coppell prom means spending hundreds of dollars on a dress in addition to ticket costs, transportation, dinner, etc., but that’s not my thing.

I have also contemplated if I should join a sorority, even though the selection process is entirely what I am against. I never want to judge or be judged based off of material things.

The contemplation has been a heavy burden on me, but as soon as I stuck to who I knew I was, the weight lifted. When I concerned myself with impressing others, it only brought negativity, and if someone causes you to have that type of anxiety in order to be accepted, then maybe they are not the right people to surround yourself with. Life is already hard enough; we do not need to add to it.

But, if those things are your thing, that is your thing, but I’ll just be me because it is natural.

The Sidekick // Manu Garikipati

opinions

Be your own Valentine

9

Self preservation should not be seen as vain but as maturity, growth

JENA SEIDEMANN Managing Editor @jena_seidemann

“N

otorious for her ambition, bluntness and independence, Samantha Jones was one of “Sex and the City’s” most noteworthy characters. She loved her girls, but most of all, she loved herself and was not ashamed. And neither should we be.

There are three kinds of people: the ones that love themselves too much, the ones too little, and the ones just right.

The ones understanding the balance between self gratification and selflessness will be the ones that will love you when you need it and be the ones to tell you the honest truth when necessary.

Individually, you have to know when someone or something is no longer beneficial to you. It is not necessarily a matter of loyalty but of self preservation.

Would you keep touching poison ivy even though it irritates your skin? Absolutely not. You would learn to identify it and avoid it as best as possible.

Samantha’s quote really hits home because when I read it, I think of someone that loves herself enough not to do things that would harm her. I think of someone that believes in always becoming the best version of her-

self, someone who knows when to say no, someone who still loves people and knows when to put herself first but also believes she is equally as important – important enough to take time alone and not always depend on others to approve of her life and choices.

“Poor is the man whose pleasure depends on the permission of another.” – Madonna There is serenity in solitude.

We can find out who we are without the help of others because sometimes, the background noise is distracting and unnecessary.

I am the not the wisest or most experienced soul, but I have had my fair share of depending on others, and it has led to dis-

appointment. I can’t tell you how many times I have felt so insignificant because people would always choose others instead of me. I would never be anyone’s first choice but a back up, and it hurt. It still does.

But through the years, I have concluded I am my best friend.

And my second best friends are my family.

I am the only one that understands myself to the fullest. I can be hard to handle, a little quirky, and maybe a little too intense, but I am worth it. I never question my sudden urge for ice cream or my over obsessiveness with my cat or my love for my family and fierce devotion to those I love or

the inability to get out of bed before 11 on a weekend, I just get it.

I get me. You get me?

As for my family, when I am being judged, it is for the right reasons. My family has always looked out for my best interests and no, I do not always agree with what that is or how they show they care, but they care. They are not trying to be intentionally malicious; they are trying to make me into the best version of myself that I can be, and I respect that. Those kinds of people are the ones I want around.

I’ll always be outgoing and meet new people, but I have learned that you gotta love yourself before you can ever expect

anyone else to love you, so that even if they don’t, you know someone loves you – you. It isn’t conceited; it’s confidence. It’s healthy.

I believe in a healthy balance because if we cannot see value in our own life, will we ever be able to in others? I was only able to be happy for others when I became happy with myself. True happiness is when you can love yourself and be happy for others because it’s kind of boring if you are only happy for yourself, but when you share happiness, you increase your joy.

It is a fine balance, but once we get it, the world will be a happier place.

The Sidekick // Rachel Buigas-Lopez

Teens challenged by balancing act to please parents, themselves to accommodate the unique experiences and people I am surrounded by.

This conflict is seen in my grades. While I have learned to accept an occasional C in a difficult AP class and attribute it to the rigor of the course and not my shortfalls, my parents SHRUTHIKA POCHAMPALLY try to convince me that the poor grade is due to my own laStaff Writer ziness or lack of determination. @shruthreddy They do not put pressure on me or as long as I can remem- to deliver more than I am capaber, I have felt like two dif- ble of, but they still hold me to ferent people stuck in the high standards. While they do body of one. One part of me not openly compare me to othstrives to keep up and meet my er successful kids my age, there parents’ expectations of me, in is an unspoken expectation that terms of school, character and I should be at least as good as personality while the other half these kids.

The same conflict is seen in attempts to get away with doing my social life. I crave and thrive all of the things I love. I’m exoff of the independence so easpected, not only by my parents, ily attainable to many teenagers but by everyone in their worldmy age, but my parents find family friends, relatives, grandthis insulting.

They think my parents- to succeed in school, decision to go out alone, to do to be cultured, respectful, discithings alone is, my way of replined and conservative. jecting them and my familial As an Indian-American in responsibilities.

I go to a lot Dallas, it’s not always easy to of concerts, where people ardo so. Over the past few years, en’t nearly as conservative as I have effortlessly slid into a the world my parents struggle more liberal way of doing many things, which to my parents is to envelop me in. I encounter the less desired way. The hard- different kinds of people, many est struggle of all is making with different goals and morals sure I remain faithful to all of than what my parents would the standards my parents hold deem acceptable. They worry me up to, while also learning that this is my way of turning into the stoic, indifferent teen-

F

ager who doesn’t care about her family that is so commonly depicted in western movies today.

This is understandable and expected of almost all parents.

But when I compare my experiences to those of my friends, I realize that my parents are more extreme than most, in that they worry at the thought of me doing simple things like getting a job or going to the store alone, as signs of a defiant insistence for independence.

Regardless of the unspoken struggle my parents and I go through on a constant basis, the rewards of being Indian-American are more satisfying than not. While it is often hard for me to define who I am as a person on my own terms, I have learned to accept and adore everything that comes with being Indian-American, having to fluctuate between two distinct lifestyles and living up to the expectations of my parents as well as fulfilling my own hopes and wishes.

In several months, as I head off to college, I realize that my parents won’t be coming with me. They won’t be around to remind me to keep up with my grades, to study for new lessons beforehand, to be smart when I make friends and decisions that determine my future. I will suddenly be on my own and have to fend for myself. I will have

the option of straying away from the strenuous guidelines my parents have set for me and going off on my own like I have never had the option of doing before.

But I know that I will not.

No matter how defiant I am in rejecting some of my parents’ concepts, I know that they have strict expectations for me because they want the best for me. They want me to tap into

their insistence.

More important than the conflict I experience, though, is how far we’ve come since the beginning. Over the past four years, my parents have learned to let loose on many things – the clothes I’m allowed to wear, my curfew and my love for concerts. And I too, have learned to embrace many of the things that matter to them – like visiting the temple, wearing ethnic

The Sidekick // Josh Martin my full potential and build a life for myself free of bad influences and poor choices. Even though I don’t comply with some of their rules, I know now that I wouldn’t have gotten to the place where I am without

clothes to family events and promising to not only stay in college, but stick with my career choice all the way until the end of med school, a promise which gives them more happiness than you would expect.

student life

10

FROM PEACE CORPS TO COPPELL Johnson finds calling, passion to teach through Kenya experience SHIVANI BURRA Staff Writer @shiviburra

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oppell High School’s newest addition to the math department, Dr. Lowell Johnson, has had experiences volunteering in Kenya, practicing law and working in the business field before joining Coppell ISD. In 1997, Johnson practiced law, took courses in economics and had an opportunity to complete a Ph.D. in economics. After he did consulting for a few of years in New York City and Dallas, one of his clients hired him to be their international tax director and he did that for the last 11 years until August when CHS hired him.

Johnson went to East Africa in Kenya, right after law school, to teach math, english, business and any other courses that the school required.

While he was young, Johnson always wanted to travel internationally since professional commitments, family commitments, a mortgage and other things that would tie him down, would soon come.

“Many people do it after college but I did not have that foresight, I just went straight into law

school,” Johnson said. “I realized after graduating that it was going to be my last opportunity to do it.

The Peace Corps gave me an opportunity to live in a third world country and learn about another place.”

After two years living in Kenya, Johnson practiced law in Minnesota, Nebraska and New York, but his Peace Corps experience pushed him to study developmental economics to understand why some countries develop and why some do not, as well as understand what one can do to help those countries that have not developed.

Johnson’s Peace Corps experience helped him shape decisions in his life. It influenced him in pursuing a degree in economics and made him want to come back to teach after having a great time teaching in Kenya.

“When I was in Corpsorate America I was still a teacher, I was continually teaching people how they can

Dr. Lowell Johnson went to Kenya to teach math, English, business and any other courses that the school required.

structure transactions in a tax efficient way,” Johnson said. “I am still teaching but what I am teaching is just different. Teaching is just a natural fit for me.”

While in Kenya, Johnson met many others like him who had a passion for serving. One volunteer in particular is Beth Huesing who met Johnson at their Peace Corpss staging where their group of math and English teachers gathered for a week in New Orleans for some preliminary training before flying as a group to Kenya.

Both Johnson and Huesing have been back to Kenya after their initial visit and brought their families back to show them the work that they had accomplished.

Huesing has been back to Kenya twice, once with her husband at the time and once with

her daughters, wanting to show them the village where she taught and met their father.

“It was almost 20 years since I first went there as a 23-year-old teacher, but many of my former students and staff at the school were still in the village and were delighted to meet my daughters and me again,” Huesing said. “I have maintained contact with one teacher there and he actually named his daughter Beth after me, which is such a touching connection for me.”

Once Huesing graduated from college at Purdue University in Indiana, she moved to Boulder, Colorado and taught math at Nederland High School. After a year of teaching in the United States, she still had the desire to join the Peace Corpss, which she did in 1984.

“I think it’s important to give back in any way you can,” Huesing said. “It can be with your own local community or through an international experience. I think all students should spend time traveling and volunteering i n

countries less fortunate than the United States We really don’t realize how good we have it compared to many other places in the world.

I think travel and volunteering is far better than any classroom type of education.”

CHS freshman Christine Johnson was able to visit Kenya when she was eight with her father, mother and brother in 2008.

“This experience made me think of how privileged I am to be living where I do, and how much I take for granted,” Christine said.

“When I saw how happy the kids were with just being able to go to a school instead of working out in the field, or how they are happy when they get a full meal a day, I really thought about what makes me happy in life. What I got from [the experience] is that happiness doesn’t have to come from having the newest iPhone or buying the most expensive clothes, it comes from the things you have in your life and being thankful for those things because you could have had nothing at all. “ Johnson’s life has been shaped and affected by his decision to serve in Kenya.

“This is a whole life changing experience. Graduate school teaches you a trade but Peace Corps teaches you who you are and changes you as a person,” Johnson said.

Photos Courtesy // Dr. Lowell Johnson

student life

11

Young talent sizzles on national TV Eleven year old culinary creationist lands spot on “MasterChef Junior” SLOANE SAMBERSON Staff Writer

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ou may have seen a familiar face on the MasterChef Junior’s premiere Jan. 6. Coppell Middle School West sixth grader Ryan Kate Brandenburg is one of 19 lucky contestants who landed a spot on MCJ’s third season.

MasterChef Junior is a cooking competition for the best 8 to 13 year old chefs across the nation. Their job is to cook creative, tasteful and beautiful dishes for judges Gordon Ramsey, Joe Bastianich, and Graham Elliot to critique.

Making the cut for the show was not easy. Brandenburg had to audition by filling out an application online, then going to an open call in Dallas where she had to do some simple tasks like cook an egg, cut celery and measure water. She was then shown a series of flashcards with various kitchen appliances, tools and equipment to identify.

“Later that day I was notified that I was being called back to do an on camera, 30 minute cooking demo in a full kitchen,” Ryan Kate said. “The next step was to submit a video of my home and family, then complete a mountain of paperwork.”

When she found out she had made it, she was beyond over-

joyed.

“I was on a camping trip with my family when I got the news that I had made it,” Ryan Kate said. “My mom got a call from “Master Chief Junior” so she stepped away and when she came back she had a box in her hands. Inside there was a T-shirt that said “I’m leaving you for LA” and I [said] ‘Wait does this mean…?’, I started screaming and jumping up and down.”

Ryan Kate has much experience with cooking in her 11 years. When she was a toddler, she spent a lot of time in the kitchen interested in what her mom was cooking.

“Ryan Kate would crawl up on the kitchen counters when I was cooking in the kitchen, she would always be in there with her hands in it,” Ryan Kate’s mom Cristy Brandenburg said.

“She was just interested, very curious and wanted to know what was in whatever I was cooking.”

Although Brandenburg gets very excited when she is cooking, it is also a great stress reliever for her.

“I’m always happy and very energetic because I’m always like ‘oh, we can add this or do this!’,” Ryan Kate said. “Sometimes I cook because its a stress reliever, like I’ll come home from a hard day at school and cooking absorbs me and I forget

Photo Courtesy // FOX. CR: Greg Gayne MASTERCHEF: Contestant Ryan Kate in the “Junior Edition: Easy As Pie” episode of MASTERCHEF that aired Tuesday, Jan. 13 (8:00-9:00PM ET/PT) on FOX. CR: Greg Gayne / FOX. © FOX Broadcasting Co.

The Sidekick // Mallorie Munoz Sixth grader Ryan Kate Brandenburg, one of 19 contestants on FOX’s TV show MasterChef Junior. Brandenburg has been cooking with her mother since she was a toddler.

about everything else.”

Each episode the contestants reveal a mystery box containing ingredients for what they have to cook with for that challenge.

“When I opened the first box, I knew I was going to use the salmon and make a savory dish,” Ryan Kate said. “I like making savory dishes, where I can just experiment, whereas baking and desserts need to be more precise, and its hard to remember the exact measurements.”

Working with the judges has been very fun for Brandenburg.

Bastianich and Elliot were both very nice and funny, but Brandenburg had a little more to say about Ramsey.

“Well, Gordon, is like a light switch, sometimes he’s really pleased with what you have done and he’s really nice, and then when he’s not as pleased... it can get ugly,” Ryan Kate said.

“It’s not like he yells at you for no reason. You have to do something wrong to make him yell at you.”

Coppell has been very supportive of Brandenburg. They even threw her a watch party for the first episode at GracePoint Church’s student center.

“The community’s support has been overwhelming,” Mrs. Brandenburg said. “From Facebook comments and encouragement, to people bringing her flowers and gifts. We had a whole lot of people praying for her when we were in Los Angeles to support her at home and offer prayer support.”

Brandenburg’s parents have been supportive of her all of the way. They support her financially, but most of all emotionally by praising her, even when an idea seems unfeasible.

“Full freedom in the kitchen has been key,” Mrs. Brandenburg said. “I’ve given up Let’s keep it clean, I started letting her use sharp knives, and not too long ago, the stove. I taught her everything I knew, and now she’s teaching me.”

The competition is tough this year, but Brandenburg has a real chance at winning it all.

If Brandenburg is to win, she will receive $100,000 and the renowned, MasterChef Junior trophy.

“If I win, I would like to save some of it for a car, college, culinary school,” Ryan Kate said.

“I’d also like to donate some of it to world hunger or hunger right here in our community, as well as research for cancer treatment.”

Brandenburg is already looking forward to the future and her career in cooking.

“I would really like to become a restaurateur, like Bastianich, as well as cook in some of the restaurants,” Ryan Kate said. “I’d like to have a couple of restaurants, then branch out around the world to cook all different types of cuisines. I would want each one of my restaurants to be different, no chains.” much but I can say that it does involve an alligator and we get to smash pies in the judges faces,” Ryan Kate said. “I chose Ramsey.”

The Sidekick // Mallorie Munoz “MasterChef Junior” contestant Ryan Kate Brandenburg, 11, signs autographs at Simmer in Old Town Coppell on Jan 26.

Brandenburg is a sixth grader at Coppell Middle School West.

The Sidekick // Mallorie Munoz

Brandenburg, Simmer team up for noble cause

R

ALEX IRIZARRY Staff Writer

yan Kate Brandenburg, a current student of Coppell Middle School West and a contestant on this season of Masterchef Junior, made her debut at Simmer Monday night.

In a celebration of the hometown celebrity, Simmer held a meet and greet dinner from 5-8 pm on Monday. Added to the buzz surrounding Brandenburg, a portion of all the proceeds from the event that night went to North Texas Food Bank.

Head Chef, Cash White, and the entire Simmer staff went through prepping for the event throughout the day.

“The best part of it is the anticipation, the build-up, for such a great cause,” White said, “It always feels good to work with someone for charity.”

Dozens of guests arrived for the

event, laughing, talking, and enjoying good food. In the middle of it all, surrounded by friends and family, Ryan Kate was all smiles, posing for photos and taking autographs like a seasoned veteran.

“I’m looking forward to seeing enthusiastic kids who love to cook, and I love to inspire people” Ryan Kate said.

Throughout the evening, Cristy Brandenburg, Ryan Kate’s mother, was by her daughters side supportive and proud of what she had accomplished.

“I think that’s [inspiring people] her favorite part” Cristy said, “I can tell when she get comments on Facebook about kids who are starting to cook now, her face just lights up.”

All in all, the event seemed to be a great success for both parties as Ryan Kates’ bubbling personality and inspirational spirit continue to be a point of light here in Coppell.

The Sidekick // Mallorie Munoz During the night, Ryan Kate signed dozens of autographs for inspired members of the community both young and old.

in-depth

12

PRIYA DESAI Staff Writer @priusdasani

FROM FRACKING

is formed as dead organisms in the rock are decomposed in limestones and shales underground creating natural gas

CHEMICALS USED

IN FRACKING INCLUDE: ACIDS POISONS DETERGENTS that are not regulatued by the federal government and can be dangerous if they reach drinking water ABOUT

1 million wells in America have been fracked so far to ban fracking with

59%

in favor

4

Earthquakes shake nerves of North texas

I

rving resident Shelly Redding was not quite sure what to think when her 50-year-old home started to shake.

“That day was really scary because I’ve never been in an earthquake, I mean, I’m from Texas,” Redding, who is the Career and Technology department chair at Coppell HIgh School, said.

Texas is known for her tornadoes, giant thunderstorms and extreme temperature changes.

When the area in Irving near the old Texas Stadium site experienced a series of quakes on Jan. 6, Redding was not prepared for the rumbling in her Irving home.

“The very first earthquake I felt was kind of like a little rumble, the floor shook a little bit,” Redding said. “It was very small but I could tell in my house.”

The Dallas area was shaken up quite literally when it experienced two of the largest recorded earthquakes in the region’s history, one having a 3.5 magnitude and the other a 3.6 magnitude.

The only earthquake larger was a measure of 8.1 back in 1811 according to The Texas Almanac.

“I live in an older home and the windows started to vibrate.”

Redding said. “My cat before I even felt anything myself stood up and could tell something was about to happen. He was up the stairs and gone and didn’t come out from under the bed for a whole day.”

Irving residents not only felt the two largest quakes, but the other nine earthquakes that occurred in the three day period from Jan. 6-8. They all ranged from about 1.7 - 3.6 in magnitude. It was felt heavily in Irving with Coppell also feeling its effects.

At first, both Redding and her neighbors were in beleive, not able to belief that what just happened was actually an earthquake in the middle of Texas.

“During one of the earlier [earthquakes] all my neighbors came out in the street and started looking around,” Redding said.

“Then we heard it on the news and it was that reaffirming feeling that yes, an earthquake really did just happen.”

The discomfort of knowing multiple earthquakes are happening brought the residents of Valley Ranch to start a petition demanding for the cities of Dallas and Irving and the Texas Railroad Commission to investigate the recent earthquakes, which currently has 3,570 signatures.

With the epicenter located near the old Texas Stadium, a theory has come out that the implosion in April 2010 could be the initiator or even the main cause of the earthquakes.

“How do [the earthquakes] happen from [the Texas Stadium implosion]?” Redding said. “I don’t believe that.”

Many residents like Redding are turning to officials to help explain these unusual tremors.

On Jan. 20, Irving hosted a town hall meeting to discuss the recent earthquakes. The council played a video from Southern Methodist University seismologist Brian Stumps to help answer some of the worried Irving residents’ concerns about the situation and had a question and answer session to follow.

“This [earthquake activity] seemed to have begun on April 17 with a 2.4 event,” Stumps said.

“It has been followed now by 37 additional tremors identified by the United States Geological Sur-

vey including the magnitude 3.5 and 3.6 earthquakes [on Jan. 6].”

With the United States Geological Survey having the primary job of recording earthquakes, Stumps said some inaccuracies in the readings they conducted that could lead to some complications later on.

“In the event of the largest Irving earthquake, the existing seismic centers used to first locate were as close as 41 miles and as far away as 922 miles away from the epicenter,” Stumps said. “Using seismic waves from such great distances typically results in location accuracy errors that can be as large as three to six miles.”

This is important because these accuracy errors make it difficult for seismologists to help assess which faults the earthquakes actually came from and this is critical for understanding the process of the earthquakes that occurred.

According to Stumps, before Jan. 6, there were only three seismic stations within 10 miles of the initial locations of the earthquakes in Dallas. In order to prove the mapping of the faults, on Jan. 7 SMU announced that it will install 22 more seismic stations to better understand the earthquakes and where they are coming from.

“Once the locations have been completed, only then can we assess possible causes,” Stumps said. “We will consider a widerange of possibilities, including whether the earthquakes are strictly natural or possibly asso-

“

ciated with human activities.”

Even though this was said, during the question and answer session for Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne, concerned residents asked tough questions regarding fracking, which many believe to be the probable cause of the quakes.

One resident specifically asked if the cause was fracking or not mentioning the wells in the area and the thousands to the west stating that the community

Duyne assured scientists are currently trying to work to discover all of the information behind the quakes so that the city can work to limit the tremors.

“We are going to take as long as we have to,” Duyne said.

Even with these statements from Duyne, residents talked about ensuring the safety of their families and the community leading to if these earthquakes are the work of fracking, that it must be stopped to prevent any future damage that could be done.

Some are mostly concerned by the abruptness of it all and the ambiguity still present even when the city official or the scientist discuss the matter.

“I have lived in within three miles of - Dr. Robet Gribble, the earthquakes for CHS techer 40 years and even when I was growing up I lived in that same themselves had probable cause general neighborhood.” Redding for the earthquakes. said. “We say we’re doing tests “There is currently no frack- because really and truly we don’t ing going on in the city of Ir- know.” ving and there has not been any While according to Van Duyne activity in two and a half years,” no fracking has occurred in IrVan Duyne said. “I can tell you ving, no action has been taken yet by ordinance we have never had by the city in terms of a change in an injection well or waste water fracking policy in the city. disposed of in the city of Irving.”

Denton is the first and only She tried to persuade those city in Texas to ban fracking. that came not to jump to con- According to National Pubclusion and the city is doing all lic Radio, the Denton Drilling they can do to figure out the true Awareness group was able to get cause of the earthquakes. Even enough signatures on a petition with her reassurance of a lack of to ban fracking within city limits. fracking in Irving, residents still While Van Duyne stated the lack pressed her with the possibility of fracking, Irving has still not of wells further away from us be- joined Denton in the movement ing the cause of the local trem- against fracking. ors.

Banning fracking though hap-

Earthquakes] will end when fracking ends,

pens on a county by county basis. According to the Huffington Post, Texas has been operating 33,753 fracking wells since 2005.

While the question whether fracking is still the true cause remains to scientists employed by the city to investigate, yet CHS teacher Dr. Robert Gribble is still sure that fracking is to blame “[Earthquakes] will end when fracking ends,” Gribble said.

“Earthquake magnitudes are defined on a logarithmic scale where each unit increase in magnitude represents an earthquake with about 30 times more energy.

A 3.5 magnitude earthquake is 30 by 30 by 30 times smaller in energy than a 6.5 magnitude earthquake which has happened about every 10 years in California. But house foundations might be affected by 3.5 quakes.”

Some in the community are extremely worried about their home foundations from these tremors. Scared the earthquakes will continue, residents are looking into a rather interesting option for Texas homeowners: earthquake insurance.

“I do know two teachers at Coppell that have gone and purchased earthquake insurance,” Redding said. “Personally, I’m not going to buy earthquake insurance. I’m told that the insurance can range from $5 a year to $500 a year. I think they are eventually going to go away but I am concerned about cracks in my house.”

While the city is continually working towards an answer for the earthquakes for the concerned residents some have found a way to ease their concern in the app store.

“I actually downloaded the earthquake app,” Redding said.

“Isn’t that crazy in Texas?”

A

was the first Texas city

NOV.

FINDING

THE FAULT

K

DENTON

“THE VERY FIRST EARTHQUAKE I FELT WAS KIND OF LIKE A LITTLE RUMBLE, THE FLOOR S H OO

ENERGY

13

LIT

TL

E B IT. I ACTUALLY DOWNLOADED THE EARTHQUAKE APP, ISNT THAT CRAZY IN TEXAS?” -SHELBY REDDING, CHS TEACHER

Information from NYTimes.com

The Sidekick // Rachel Buigas-Lopez

student life

14

Graduation dance displays culture Naik achieves dream with three hour Indian ceremonial production

T

AISHA ESPINOSA Staff Writer @aishaespinosa1

eenagers find a different array of hobbies to occupy their free time. Some are athletic, other artistic. Dance is one of the few hobbies that is both. It is a creative combination that has existed for centuries, embedded into the rich cultures of society.

There are the more commonly known styles of ballet, jazz, ballroom and freestyle. Another style of dance, bharatanatyam, while less known, has risen in popularity over the years. It is has been depicted in some films, and has manifested into a daily part of dancer’s lives.

Coppell High School senior Sarina Naik has been dancing for more than 10 years, studying the ancient classical style that originated in southern India. She trains at the Arathi School of Dance in Dallas, where she has been under the instruction of Shalini Varghese since 2006.

In December, Naik displayed the culmination of her many years of training with an arangetram, or a graduation solo performance by a dancer.

“It was a really prestigious event,” Naik said. “It marked the end of one era and the start of another.”

Comprised of nine pieces that she learned over the years, Naik’s arangetram performance lasted two hours. The dance came together in the course of just over a year. Starting with reviewing the pieces a dancer has learned, the process consisted of choosing which pieces to perform, refining movies and focusing on the finer details of technique.

“I prepped over a year,” Naik said. “It starts with the teacher and me, we do one on one lessons.

She sees the pieces I’ve learned, and I performed nine pieces, so it was kind of just an accumulation of training, practicing and really

going to class.”

Signifying the completion of a student, the dance was truly a moment of pride for her family. But Naik described her arangetram and all the years of dancing leading up to it - as a personal dream.

“It was a commitment that I made from a very young age,” Naik said. “I knew that I was going to do this when I was older.

That was the second biggest thing for me, having accomplished something that I dreamed of at a younger age. “ The dance showed the different sides of Naik, and displayed the skill she has honed in her many years of training.

“I thought [my sister’s performance] was really great,” sister, CHS junior Nishali Naik, said.

“She wasn’t nervous at all, and she just walked in like it was no big deal. I’ve never seen her dance that well.”

Shalini Varghese, her teacher, or guru, since 2006, described watching the performance as both a wonderful and sad occasion. Over the course of preparing for the dance, the two developed a closer relationship. Between building stamina, and understanding the poetry and rhythm of the dances, the two talked at length about love and spirituality.

“Watching Sarina complete her arangetram was a bittersweet moment for me,” Varghese said.

“I was so proud of what she had accomplished and excited that she would continue her journey to keep learning more. But I was also a bit sad, because I knew I would not get to see her as often for arangetram practices.”

Varghese describes the journey as memorable, and at times bumpy, as Naik juggled school life and training.

“There had been both laughing fits and tears during rehearsals,” Varghese said. “I was overjoyed to watch her enjoy herself and showcase the authentic and beautiful ‘Sarina’ the day of her arangetram.”

Photo courtesy // Sarina Naik Coppell High School senior Sarina Naik performs her arangetram, a graduation solo that signifies an important rite of passage, on Dec. 7, 2014 at the MCL Grand Theater in Lewisville. She is under the instruction of guru Shalini Varghese, at the Arathi School of Dance in Dallas.

Photo courtesy // Sarina Naik During her dance, Coppell High School senior Sarina Naik’s colorful costume kept all the eyes on her during her performance on Dec. 7, 2014 at the MCL Grand Theater in Lewisville.

This ensemble was one of many for her dance, which consisted of eight to nine pieces she and her teacher picked together.

Involved resident takes on rewarding volunteer role in community

> from page 1 Since, LaFountain has joined and had a huge impact on many other organizations in Coppell such as the Coppell Women’s Club and the Coppell Republican Women’s Club. “[LaFountain] is extremely hard working and dedicated,” Coppell Republican Women’s Club member Kit Whitehill said.

“She is willing to go above and beyond no matter what the task in order to benefit our club and the community. She writes our newsletters, gets our events and announcements out to the public and does an overall great job at completing whatever task lies in front of her.”

Given her extensive involvement in the community, it only made sense that she create and monitor a Facebook group that could bring the residents of Coppell even closer together.

“When I first discovered the group, there weren’t many members on it and it was hardly active at all,” LaFountain said. “Mike Dunn, a realtor and resident of Coppell, had originally started it, but since he did not have enough

The Sidekick // Mallorie Munoz Coppell Resident Michelle LaFountain administers a successful Facebook group and monitors what is posted on it, she is also involved in multiple other clubs and organizations throughout the community. time to run it, I offered to take over and have worked hard to make it a place where people the community can turn to for any answers they may need or recommendations that they may have.”

After Dunn created the page for his volunteer work at Relay for Life in 2012, he did not have fu-

ture plans or expectations for the group. However, after being contacted by LaFountain, he had high hopes for the future of the group and the helpful source of information it could potentially become.

After seeing its success he is very pleased with the outcome. “[LaFountain] has done a fan-

tastic job with monitoring the group and keeping it a great source of information,” Dunn said. “No one turns to newspapers anymore when they need information quickly. The Facebook group is much more fast paced in the sense that it is updated very frequently and people can give and receive any information regarding Coppell in a matter of minutes.”

However, what happens when LaFountain cannot be the eyes and ears of the group during all hours of the day?

“Mackie Schaars assists me in keeping up with the group and making sure everything that is posted on the page is helpful and beneficial,” LaFountain said.

However, it is very rare that LaFountain is not keeping up with the page, no matter what she is doing.

“I log on about six times a day,” LaFountain said. “I do not sit at home and sit on Facebook all day, I’m far too busy for that, but I do make it a priority to monitor it and make it the best and most helpful website possible.”

Most Coppell residents who are members of the group can agree that what LaFountain has

created has made their lives much easier. Many college students use the page as a way to stay informed on what is happening in their home town.

“I check the [Coppell, Texas] Facebook page a lot because it keeps me updated on everything that is going on back home, which is a huge comfort considering I go to school five hours away,” 2014 CHS graduate Savannah Stancil said.

Many people like to just scroll through simply to see what some people post, such as a something unique a Coppell resident is up to.

“I learned about Ryan Kate, Coppell’s very own masterchief through the website as well as seen many other posts about people in Coppell doing amazing things,” Coppell resident Kim Middleton said. “It is nice to see all of the great things taking place in the community, and it’s great that it can be accessed quickly and easily.”

LaFountain will only accept requests to join the group of the people who are Coppell residents and asks that all posts be nice and helpful or they will be removed.

student life

15

The Sidekick // Josh Martin

Student dupes petty thief, takes investigation into his own hands

C

KARA HALLAM Enterprise Editor @KaraHallam

oppell High School student Ryan Mims* had just recently received the new iPhone 6 when it was swiped off his desk during class. A fellow peer leaned over his desk under the pretense of asking for help for an assignment as he slipped the phone into his sweatshirt.

“I started to pack up my things which is when I realized I had lost my phone,“ Ryan said. “At that time I had not thought that anyone had stolen my phone but even then the five people around me, that I was studying for a test with, emptied out their backpacks and pockets in case it might have been slipped in with their papers.

It was then when someone suggested that Adam* may have stolen my phone because apparently he has done this before.”

Ryan and his friends searched for the thief, who ran out the door when the bell rang. Missing the perpetrator as his bus left the CHS bus loop, it seemed as if Ryan’s phone was gone forever.

That is, until he decided to catch the thief on his own.

The person who was suspected to have stolen Ryan’s phone, had been known to steal phones in the past. His classmates were familiar, that once a phone in these cases was taken, it was promptly sold online. Ryan immediately approached an assistant principal and student resource officer for help and received a form to fill out to report it missing and potentially pursue an investigation.

However, he was eager to get his phone back within the next day, fearful that it would be sold and shipped if he did not act quickly.

“When I got home I started to talk to some people and throughout the day I gathered more and more information about Adam,” Ryan said. “I also researched the laws and punishments on thefts, comparing minors to adults.

With this information I planned

out exactly what I needed to do to catch him.”

Ryan filled out the form to file an investigation, but before turning it in, he thought he could use it for his own plan. He had not signed it yet, one of the keys to making the form official.

“I had already arranged with my seventh period teacher before hand to talk to Adam once he came to class out in the hall so I was ready to confront him,” Ryan said. “Once Adam got to class I went out into the hall with my teacher to speak to Adam.”

Then Ryan’s plan went into motion.

“I told him that I had tracked the phone on to his bus route and that the traffic camera had caught him on the bus with my phone in hand,” Ryan said. “I let him know that people had seen him with my phone and that I had screenshot of one of his friends trying to sell my phone to a friend of mine.”

None of this proof was in fact true, but it was enough to overwhelm the thief. Ryan had also convinced him that since his 17th birthday was coming up, that he would be prosecuted as an adult.

“To further prove my point, I pulled out the form I had filled out that I received from the officer with all the correct information filled out about my phone and who I thought had stolen it,” Ryan said. “He quickly glanced over the form and realized that I wasn’t kidding. What he didn’t read however was that the form was useless [until signed] and would be of no use in catching him.”

Ryan also pulled out his old government homework and waved it around just enough for the thief to believe it was actual legal code.

“After all of my explanations, I gave him an option to either give me back my phone or his entire future would be ruined,” Ryan said. “Of course the decision at this point had become clear to him.”

Adam did not confess with the teacher standing right in front of them, but rather approached

Top 3 tips for keeping your belongings safe: “Make sure you know where your stuff is at all times Be aware of your surroundings If your phone does get taken, make sure you know your model and serial number of your phone so when you report it to the police, they can help you get it back”

- Dianne Patterson

Student Resource Officer

The Sidekick // Nicole Messer

Ryan privately.

“After class was over Adam came up to me and told me that he had taken my phone but would be returning it the next day, which he did,” Ryan said. “I was pretty shocked that this had happened to me but I quickly realized that there was no point in being upset and that I had to act fast before my phone was gone for good.”

Ryan’s story may deviate from the standard lost phone procedures at CHS, however, at a school so large, lost or stolen phones are not uncommon. Students may drop or leave their phones out and they may disappear purposely or accidentally within the huge campus.

Faculty have fallen victim to the same as well. Math teacher Suzanne Black was shocked when she realized a student had stolen her phone in September. At first, she thought it had fallen off her desk, but after searching everywhere only one conclusion could be made; a student had taken it.

“When I called Sprint, and we went through everything [Find my iPhone] had already been turned off,” Black said. “I went to the SRO and he gave me a piece of paper to fill out.”

Although warning all of her classes that a police investigation would ensue, the phone was never

recovered and she had to replace it. The same week, two other teachers had their phones stolen right off their desks.

“If someone has a phone missing, lost or stolen, then they go check with [Student Services secretary Linda Adams] in Student Services because she’s in charge of lost and found and make sure that they don’t have it in student services and they come to either myself or officer Grisso and file a report,” School Resource Officer Diane Patterson said.

This form, the same that Ryan received, is to file a report of a missing, stolen or lost item. Based on the form the officers may pursue an investigation.

“A vast majority of the time a lot of the students don’t know where they left their phone - at the house, in a car, at a friend’s house, what period or when they stopped knowing where their phone was,” Patterson said.

The school cameras may aid the SRO’s in finding lost items, however they note that a majority of these instances take place in classrooms, bathrooms and other areas the cameras cannot catch on tape.

“People think that they can lay their phone down on a lunch or next to them in a crowded area and it’s not going to disappear,”

The Sidekick // Manu Garikipati Patterson said. “A lot of times they forget it. Don’t just lay it down anywhere because you never know if you might forget to pick it back up or if somebody will come by and take it. “ Students are recommended to check lost and found first where they can pick up a lost item form as well.

Adams notes that she has people turning things into lost and found hourly.

“Just check with me, please act, I have so many things I would love to find owners for,” Adams said. “Just come by and ask if your things have been recovers, this drawer is full of jewelry, glasses and car keys.”

At the end of each semester, items from the lost and found that can be given away will be donated to charity. Although some theft may occur, there is integrity on campus.

“Yesterday, I got a wallet with $96 in it, “Adams said. “I was very impressed.”

Various students have turned in missing cash they found laying about. Although it is surprising that so many lose their phones, car keys, credit cards and even retainers, it is enlightening to know someone brought them into lost and found. *names changed for privacy

16

entertainment

t a h W s ’ t a h “T

I’m Talking

ABOUT”

Coppell thespian, Kalina, hits the big screen in upcoming movie SLOANE SAMBERSON Staff Writer

F

rom a young age you are asked: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” A doctor, a teacher, a firefighter or maybe a vet.

There were endless options for what you wanted to do, and had the potential to be when you grew up.

It is not often that what you wanted to be is what you were really destined to do, but for University of Texas at Austin student and 2010 Jesuit graduate Tanner Kalina, his passion for acting came full circle.

“We first noticed he had a passion for acting when he was very small,” mother Tina Kalina said. “It was in second grade when he tried out for a part in the Coppell Community Theatre. When he went in I said ‘Don’t worry if you’re just a tree’, but when he came out he had gotten the lead part.”

For two years, Tanner’s acting career only excelled.

He continued acting at the Coppell Community Theatre with lead parts after every audition, until he figured out he could play baseball in fourth grade.

“Baseball was my life,” Tanner said.

“I’d spend every waking hour thinking about baseball, working on baseball, talking to baseball. Wait, I never actually talked to baseballs but if I could have I would have probably married one. That’s how intense I was about it.”

Tanner was recruited for college baseball, as well as scouted by some Major League Baseball teams that had the physical tools to help him play professional baseball.

“When playing on the field, I wasn’t that strong in the head,” Tanner said. “I let a lot of things get to me and I played with too much emotion. I’d either be the guy makPhotos Courtesy // Tanner Kalina ing diving plays and Tanner Kalina participates in many acting exercises and perforgetting his teammances before being cast in upcoming movie, That’s What I’m mates fired up or the Talking About. Kalina has had a passion for acting from a very guy throwing helyoung age.

mets across the field after striking out and yelling expletives.”

Although baseball didn’t work out, Tanner still has a love for it, just in a different way.

“I wouldn’t marry a talking baseball now, just take it on a nice dinner date,” Tanner said. “I’m a boss at anything and everything dealing with fantasy baseball.”

It is even prevalent to Tanner’s family that acting was the right choice for him.

“I really believed that Tanner could’ve made it big in baseball, but with acting I truly believe he’ll make something out of this,” Ms. Kalina said. “His passion for acting, is different from his passion for baseball. His passion is just natural with this.”

All of the Kalina family supports Tanner’s acting career, even when his ideas seem far fetched and wacky.

“I support Tanner by just letting him be him, because he is a very original character,” sister and CHS freshman Victoria Kalina said. “I think that whatever he does, he is going to do it very well.”

Tanner is a part of the Radio Television Film Department at UT, where he is working towards his degree.

“Not to toot our horns, but UT’s RTF Department is top 10 in the [country],” Tanner said. “It is very competitive, because everyone is really good at what they do. Everyone is very creative and supportive of one another. It is a great environment to be in, to get your feet wet and start making stuff.”

He has gotten to play an over-flamboyant waiter, a dim-witted cowboy, and an anger-management-needing-medieval-times-actor in student thesis films at RTF. Tanner has also starred in an award-winning web-series about three struggling artists and their messed up love lives. “[As of] right now, I am writing, producing, and starring in my own sketch comedy project with the A-listers of the UT RTF program,” Tanner said. “Check it out in the summer!”

It was almost as if Tanner was destined to be a part of the film That’s What I’m Talking About when he came across an online casting call at random. He had the humor, the looks and the experience to back him up.

“I took some posed photos of myself and submitted them to the casting call,” Tanner said. “A few weeks later they contacted me saying that they liked them and that I

should come in for an audition. I was beyond excited.”

Tanner went through four auditions before he got the part.

That’s What I’m Talking About is directed and written by Richard Linklater. Linklater recently won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture of 2015 for “Boyhood”.

Linklater was born in Houston but moved to Austin when he wanted to begin studying film. He studied film at Austin Community College and created the Austin Film Society.

“This has just been the opportunity of a lifetime,” Tanner said.

“Working with one of the legends of our time, definitely Austin’s biggest legend. Also working with some great actors who take their art seriously, who put their heart and soul into their work.”

According to IMDb, That’s What I’m Talking About centers on the lives of baseball players on and off the field. The plot is currently undisclosed.

“I can’t say much about the movie, but that you’ll be smiling in every second of it,” Tanner said.

“The characters and the situations in it are very hilaric. You’ll leave the theater feeling good about life and your place in this world.”

The Examiner has ranked That’s What I’m Talking About second out of the 15 most anticipated movies of 2015.

“Knowing that the movie is ranked so highly makes me even more excited, but also equally as cautious because there is more attention to it,” Tanner said.

Once Tanner finishes his finals and graduates in May, he will move to Los Angeles to further pursue his acting career.

“I’m very excited, I really can’t wait,” Tanner said. “I don’t even want to go back to school I’m that excited, but in respect of my parents and their wishes I am adhering to them. It’s also a little scary because it’s a big grind out there and I’m just trying to prepare myself for a lot of failure.”

Tanner’s family is very excited for him to start pursuing his dream in Los Angeles, but are also worried for the rejection that comes along with this line of work.

“I’m such an optimistic person, that all I see is a vision of furthering the dream,” Ms. Kalina said.

“It is going to be really shocking to me if it doesn’t happen really quickly, but I am aware its not a patient field to be in. I just know and pray that one day Tanner will make it big.”

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1990s artists re-emerge in current era Modern rock artists plan releases for new albums worth listening to NICOLAS HENDERSON Staff Writer @happenstance98

Though you probably don’t recognize his name, there is no way you haven’t heard Scott Weiland’s voice on the radio before.

He was the leadsinger of 90s rockers Stone Temple Pilots, who are known for hits such as “Plush”, “Vasoline”, “Interstate Love Song” and many more. After STP originally broke up in 2002, he became the lead singer of supergroup Velvet Revolver, which included former Guns N’ Roses members Duff Mckagan, Matt Sorum and Slash, as well as guitarist Dave Kushner. He has also released two solo albums.

Now, Weiland is getting ready to release his debut album with The Wildabouts, “Blaster,” on March 31. The Wildabouts toured throughout 2014 (including an excellent stop at Trees in Dallas) showcasing new material as well as songs from both of Weiland’s past bands, and at a recent Los Angeles show the band performed the entire new album.

Weiland and Co. just announced a spring North American tour in support of the album, dubbed the “Master Blaster Tour”, which includes a headlining slot at the South by Southwest festival in Austin in March.

2014 was an undeniably bad year in music for nearly every genre. Music sales were at an all time low until the end of the year, when Taylor Swift’s “1989” became the highest selling record in 12 years. It was also a relatively slow year for breakout 1990s artists as well, as modern rock like The Black Keys dominated the rock scene. 2015 seems to be off to a better start already for 90s rock.

It has been nearly six years since Noel Gallagher left Oasis, the band that he and his brother Liam had been a part of since 1992, penning hits such as “Wonderwall” and “Champagne Supernova”, and nearly four years since his solo debut.

On March 2, Noel is returning with his second album, entitled Chasing Yesterday.

The first single “In The Heat Of The Moment” was released in November 2014 and the album is already quite highly anticipated.

Gallagher has also announced tour dates supporting the album in Europe, Japan and North America, including a stop at The Majestic Theatre in Dallas on May 14.

Australian band The Church have actually been making music since 1980, with its most popular album being 1988’s Starfish. But it continues to put out modern and fresh sounding records as time goes on, with its most recent one being no exception. Further Deeper, featuring new guitarist Ian Haug, is one of the best records the band has ever released, featuring The Church’s incredible dual guitar work as prominently as ever, and lead singer and songwriter Steve Kilbey’s lyrics fascinatingly strange as usual.

Further Deeper has been out since October in Australia but was be released in North America on Feb. 3. The Church began a North American tour beginning in February in support of the album, but its only Texas stop will be at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin this March.

While Collective Soul might not be a familiar name to many high school students today, they ruled the airwaves in the 1990s with hits such as “December”, “The World I Know”, “Heavy” and of course, “Shine”. The band has had continued success into the 2000s and is now back with its ninth album, “See What You Started By Continuing.”

The album was originally slated for a 2014 release, but that has been pushed back to this spring.

The band gave fans an early chance to listen to the album on Christmas, and the response was generally positive. Featuring new guitarist Jesse Triplett, the new album has that classic Collective Soul sound on standout tracks such as “This” and “Contagious”, but it also features some surprisingly experimental work, like the best track of the album, “Confession”. The band is also planning North American tour dates in support of the album.

While I can’t say for sure that Radiohead will have an album out this year, general speculation is that they will. They returned to the studio in September 2014 with drummer Philip Selway commenting that it could take eight months before it’s finished.

The album will be the follow up to 2011’s The King Of Limbs, and will be its ninth album.

Possible new songs for the album include “Identikit” and “Skirting On The Surface”, both of which were performed at its 2012 Dallas show.

The Sidekick // Rachel Buigas-Lopez and Josh Martin

classic movie misses mark on future predictions SHANNON MORGAN Staff Writer @shannonlacyy “2015? You mean we’re in the future?”

Anyone who has seen the iconic 80s film, Back to the Future Part II, numerous times will recognize that line, and the person who said it: Marty Mcfly.

Ironically though, they would not be able to recognize the future depicted in the film as the world today. This is because the real 2015 lacks flying cars, hoverboards and questionable fashion trends as shown in the movie.

“Wait a minute. Wait a minute, Doc. Ah...

Are you telling me that you built a time machine... out of a DeLorean?”

For those that have not seen the movie many times, or at all, Back to the Future is about a teenager, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), who lives an average life, with the exception of his eccentric scientist friend Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd), who invents a time machine that actually works.

In the first Back to the Future

Marty gets stuck in 1955 and must get back to the present (1985). But in the sequel, Marty must go to 2015 to fix his future, which is in danger.

Upon first arriving in 2015, Marty encounters technology that you would never see in 1985. But as the real world reached 2015 this types of technology still seem just as far away.

“Hey, Doc, we better back up. We don’t have enough road to get up to 88.”

“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.”

For instance, flying cars are essential to complete any futuristic movie, and Back to the Future Part II certainly does not lack any. (In fact, the time traveling DeLorean is now a flying car thanks to Doc installing a Mr. Fusion which replaces the other energy source- the flux capacitor.)

Yet, here we are in 2015, still driving on the road. How rudimentary of us.

ny Mattel, which were sold back in 2012 for a limited time. The toy is an exact replica of the one featured in the movie, with sound effects too.

The “hoverboard” had one huge problem: it did not actually hover.

Also, this improperly named toy came with a price tag of $120.

Hopefully whoever bought it wanted it as a collectible, not as a toy, because it would be a sorely disappointing toy.

The movie also introduced fashion trends that you certainly do not see today. Transparent neckties, shiny rainbow baseball hats and wrap around, reflective sunglasses are all the rage in the film’s version of 2015.

One item in particular, the Nike self lacing tennis shoes worn

by Marty, are some of the most fa-

mous shoes in movie history. In fact, Nike has been trying to create shoes similar that actually lace by themselves. They are rumored to be revealed in 2015, which would be the only futuristic thing from the movie our 2015 would have.

Of course we have to take into account that Back to the Future Part II was definitely exaggerated when it came to some aspects of the future. Did they really think we would be wearing transparent ties? Probably not. But it may have seemed possible that something

other than airplanes would be flying now, and that fashion may have become something completely alien to 1985.

For now, we are all stuck in a 2015 without flying cars or hoverboards. Maybe in another 30 years from now we will have these things, but until then we can continue to live vicariously through Marty in Back to the Future Part II. And if I live long enough to drive a flying car, I will definitely remember to quote him: “This is heavy.”

“I need to borrow your... hoverboard?”

And as far as hoverboards go, you can forget those. The only hoverboards to be sold in retail are ones made by the toy compa-

The Sidekick // Manu Garikipati

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A healthy start to the new year Tips, tricks, helpful facts to rejuvinate your lifestyle

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STEPHANIE ALEXANDER Entertainment Editor @stephanierose2u

o matter what year it is, the most common New Year’s resolution is to lose weight. Gyms are packed in January and by mid-February people usually revert back to their old ways, thinking, “I have a whole year to achieve this goal.”

And the cycle continues up to the point that it is already the next New Year’s Eve. If you are too afraid to go in the scary muscular corner of weights or the front row of treadmills, find a few workout buddies and make it a routine to go to Zumba or Pilates Yoga every week. Having a workout posse can help you stay accountable for your fitness.

The Sidekick // Manu Garikipati

Coppell High School senior and has learned a lot from her hockey player Scott Brownwork experience and her parrigg and junior ents. Her father is a genLariette Riley eral doctor and mothO’Hearn are er is a nutritionist. my two close “My mom always friends and says losing weight “personal equals 80 percent trainers.” what you eat and “My 20 percent workmotiing out. You can vation workout all you is to be The want, but if you’re Sid better not eating eki ck // R than I ach el B was yesuig asterday; I Lop ez don’t like being medihealthy ocre. I want you aren’t going to constantto see the result you ly better myself want,” O’Hearn said. and be above Fad diets and countaverage,” Brownrigg ing calories are not the said. “If I push my- way to go about losing self physically in weight. Healthy eating the gym, it helps is a lifestyle you adapt to. me push myself Most people think mentally and they have to deprive improve in oth- themselves of their craver areas of my ings, or sometimes skip life as well.” meals. Skipping meals actually B r o w n r i g g makes your body go into a type hopes to of defense mechanism that packs in more weight. Depriving yourself of anything is not healthy in the slightest. If you know you and your friends are going out to eat somewhere, order what you want and split it with a friend.

Portion control and moderation are key parts to a healthy lifestyle. Don’t be afraid of using a to-go box, they say leftovers are better anyway.

“Breakfast should be your biggest meal so you can have all day to burn those carbs and calories,” Brownrigg said.

“What you eat really depends on what your goals are. If you’re trying to get bigger, you want more carbs. No candy, have a high protein diet.

If you want to lose weight, you need to cut down on the carbs, no sugar. Important to eat your veggies, lots of clean eating, clean proteins.”

After my workouts I drink a cleansing smoothie with greens like kale or spinach, fruits and coconut water. The thought of any leaf in my smoothie used to make me cringe, but with all the health benefits and surprisingly sweet flavor, the color of the drink does not seem to matter much.

Coppell’s Texas Family Fitness manager Robby Karl has a strong motive and drive to stay fit and does not hesitate to help out club members. study “My advice is come in here kinesiolo- even if you don’t like it, it will be gy at Baylor beneficial to you in the long run. next fall in Even though time is valuable, a hopes of end- little of your time will be a huge ing up with a benefit to your body,” Karl said. career involving “Give a little [time] now, and live health. a lot longer.

“I really want to “Have a goal. If you are driven learn in depth and ad- by your appearance, then look in vance stuff about the body: the mirror each day and work till how to improve it, what makes it you get to the point you want and work, just everything about it so keep going.”

I can apply it to myself and pass it Karl’s family health history is on to others so they can improve the first thing that motivated him their life,” Brownrigg said. to get fit.

O’Hearn is an employee at “We have a long history of Coppell’s Texas Family Fitness heart problems on my dad’s side

of the family, except my dad because he was the only one that didn’t smoke and was active. So I’ve been very active so I don’t have to go through any of that,” Karl said. “I love to help people when they come in for advice I’m happy to show them what’s going on because I don’t want them to suffer from whatever problems they may have or get from not taking care of themselves.”

First try sprucing up your worko u t routine.

Yo u r b o dy c a n g e t used to your usual wor kout regimen, so it is very important not to do the same thing each time.

For cardio, do intervals. The idea of walking up an endless staircase probably is not appealing or fun to anyone, but make stairmaster time fun with a motivating playlist and switching up speeds. What I do is two minute intervals of straight walking, skipping a step, walking sideways and then backwards. When on the treadmill, try running every other minute, maybe increasing the speed each interval and messing with the inclines.

Being a very music oriented person, the perfect workout playlist is key to make me go the extra mile (literally). You can make your own or find pre made playlists online that will take you to finish line.

The “burn” we hear about actually comes from lifting weights.

Most girls are afraid of lifting weights because they think they will bulk up, when in reality females do not have enough testosterone to bulk up as easy as guys do.

“Most people think that cardio is the way to go to lose weight, but if you want to tone your body and be fit lifting weights is the better option,” O’Hearn said. “By lifting weights, you build muscle which burns fat faster than running or doing cardio.”

O’Hearn uses a ‘pyramid trick’ when doing weights.

“Do 12 reps as a warm up on a good amount of weight and as you go up in weight, you go lower in the amount of reps like 8,6,4 etc.”

O’Hearn said.

Join your local gym if you have not already. There are people just like you working towards the same goals. Do not be afraid to ask questions to the workers, because that is what they are there for.

“Everyone is in there for the same reason, don’t be nervous,” Brownrigg said. “Don’t think that just because you haven’t started that you can’t start. It’s never too late to go in; start off easy and build your way into it.”

Once you keep up with your fitness routine, it will become a second nature for you. Once you get into it, you will become unstoppable. I hope you all have a happy and healthy 2015.

entertainment

From Jonas Bros to Bollywood

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Students showcase skills on stage for peers during talent show CHISOM UKOHA Staff Writer @uchisom3

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hoir Director Josh Brown and choir assistant Casey Carruth assigned senior emcee Jack Sullivan and the other two people he was auditioning with different jungle animals.

The two others were assigned to be a sloth and piranha, while Sullivan was assigned a jaguar.

They were told that for 30 seconds, they had to imitate those animals and interact with each other. Slinking around on the floor and pulling the sloth down from the suit of armor he was clinging to and swatting the piranha out of the ‘water’ that it was swimming in, Sullivan ended up hunting both of them.

On Jan. 23-24, the talent show took place in the Coppell High School auditorium.

Numerous

acts took place which were all well received by the audience. Stand out performances included CHS junior Haven Chung who played “When You Look Me In The Eyes” by the Jonas Brothers on the piano with his own twist on it, slowing it down and lowering the keys to make it more intimate.

Not only that, but the emcees kept the audience captivated with their transitions between the performances and hosting the talent show.

The contestants in the talent show were unique. One of them was the Bollywood dancing done by junior Sanskriti Agarwal and her group of three, juniors Uma Chavali and Ankita Dere. Although Agarwal and her group have done multiple performances, she said that the talent show was a unique experience for her.

“There was a point where we were about to drop the

idea of performing for talent show, but the our competitors urged us to continue and thus, we gave an enjoyable performance,” Agarwal said.

Agarwal said choreographing the dance wasn’t the hard part, but being in sync and getting all the small parts down was.

Junior Victoria Kennedy said she was nervous about her singing solo “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles, as she normally sings with Respira.

“Throughout the entire show I stayed backstage and there was this nervous excited energy that everyone had,” Kennedy said. “I was very nervous to sing because it was my first time singing by myself in front of a crowd and I was afraid of messing up the song and having a huge voice crack.”

Kennedy who had already memorized the song “Gravity” had practiced for a week to get her tone correct.

During the show she hit an extremely long high note, which made the crowd erupt in applause

during her song and got her second place in the competition.

Junior Adreesh Roy and his band Flood the Walls are not shy when it comes to performing, as this is its second time playing at the annual talent show.

“It wasn’t that scary, I’ve been performing with the band for a while now and playing shows like these are pretty regular,” Roy said.

Flood the Walls had to have senior from Jesuit High School, Michael White, sub in as drummer for Roy’s little brother Aneesh, who injured his wrist.

“We practiced a lot; two hours every Saturday and Sunday starting Christmas,” Roy said. “Every song that we played needed serious cleaning when we played them in December and we had to work extra hard to make them sound good. And coming up with a song starts off as a jam session with each person in the band just adding on to each other’s parts. Then come the lyrics.”

Air Crew had the crowd go-

ing crazy. The Acapella group won first place. But it was the student emcees who had a large part in making the talent show as entertaining for the audience as it was.

“Being an emcee was a great experience,” Sullivan said. “It was really cool to see just how much work goes into the talent show behind the scenes and to take an active role in that process. We all had a lot of fun coming up with our skits and performing them during the show, and if I had the chance I’d gladly do it again.”

The Sidekick // Chelsea Banks

ZOë ’S KITCHEN brings unique twist to typical Coppell fare CHLOE MOINO Staff Writer @_chloechristine

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The Sidekick // Nicole Messer With its colorful exterior and healthy greeks cuisine, Zoë’s Kitchen is sure to be a popular venue in Coppell. Zoë’s Kitchen is located on 120 S. Denton Tap Suite 490 Coppell TX.

aving recently opened to the Coppell public, Zoë’s Kitchen is a chain restaurant that offers Mediterranean-American cuisine.

Greek food is not the first thing I expected when I walked up to this modern and colorful restaurant. My mother and I went for lunch around 2 p.m., and could not have been more pleased.

The ambiance is fun and you might recognize some familiar and friendly faces working there.

Everything is tidy and well organized.

I ordered the chicken kabobs along with a greek salad and rice pilaf, while my mom ordered the quinoa salad. We split pita with hummus as an appetizer. Everything is perfectly seasoned, fresh and extremely satisfying.

Mediterranean food is naturally very healthy, so there won’t

be any problems at Zoë’s Kitchen trying to find healthy, vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options to eat.

Cost will most likely not be an issue either. All items are nicely priced for the quality and freshness you receive. The hummus and pita platter we shared is $5, the quinoa salad is $7, and the chicken kabobs with the rice pilaf and side greek salad $9. Lunch for two for around $20 is a sweet deal!

However, do not expect white tablecloth, fancy, real deal Mediterranean. This is basically the Panda Express of Mediterranean food.

Zoë’s Kitchen is a great way to introduce a different culture to Coppell, which is a welcome change from our generic fast food restaurants. I overheard people complain about not knowing many items on the menu, but it is important to experience and be intelligent about different cultures. This is a nice change from typical Coppell fare.

sports

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Overruled: side by side comparison of AAU, UIL athletics

The Sidekick // Mallorie Munoz Senior lacrosse player Ben Dodson participates in a drill at a high school team practice on Jan. 16.

Because lacrosse is not a University Interscholastic League (UIL) sport, they do not have the same practice guidelines that restrict the UIL teams.

> from page 1 “We don’t have to follow all the [UIL] guidelines and rules. We can do our own thing, play whenever we want, wherever we want,” Dodson said.

Other high school sports, such as basketball, must comply with UIL regulations. They have an after school practice limit: eight hours a week. They are only allowed to play a certain amount of games per season and only two games per week. There are also dress code requirements, including uniforms and facial hair.

Coaches of UIL sports see the benefits and stability of the organization.

“The playoff scenario and the certified officials provides an umbrella that really sees to it that rules are followed,” Coppell basketball coach Kit Pehl said. “For organizations outside the UIL, it may be harder to govern.”

In addition to the UIL bylaws, the coaching situation in Texas is also a big reason why lacrosse moving towards a UIL sport might hinder the growth of lacrosse.

“Our coaches don’t have to be employees of the ISD. Most of our coaches have day jobs,” Coppell lacrosse coach Alex Poole said.

“They don’t have to be the ISD employees, which is a really big advantage.”

While high school lacrosse is growing national, it cannot rival club lacrosse in talent. College recruiters, although there is an improvement in talent in Texas, typically do not look for players on their high school teams because of the newness of the sport in this region compared to the East Coast.

“We’re 1,500 miles away from most college lacrosse programs,” Poole said.

“There’s no way that college coaches would come watch in the spring in Texas because they’re in the middle of their season as well.”

Like players from other sports, many lacrosse players turn to club teams in order to gain visibility for recruiting. In basketball, AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) teams are popular for high school students to join. They have some of the best players in the country, all being able to choose what team they want to play for.

“AAU teams get more recruits because AAU teams give more freedom to the players, instead of high school which is all about that one system that the school has” senior forward Collin Wallace said. “AAU just has more freedom.”

The recruiting, however, is much different than lacrosse. Nine of the ESPN Top 100 basketball recruits

this year are from Texas.

The players do not have to travel to other parts of the country to get noticed by recruiters, although, in some cases, playing in AAU tournaments does assist in the recruiting process.

“At high schools that have strong basketball programs, they probably play a bigger role [in recruiting] than AAU teams,” Pehl said.

“If you don’t have credibility with college coaches, then the AAU scenario is the one that plays a bigger role in the recruiting standpoint.”

For recruiters, looking for kids on an AAU teams is not only a good way to see many different talented kids play in one game, but it also makes it much easier to see one kid play three or four different times.

“From an AAU standpoint, for college coaches, it’s one stop-shopping,” Pehl said. “On a weekend, they can see a kid play literally four or five games, but the tough thing about AAU is typically it isn’t defended like high school is, so typically a guy scores 30 points but it’s all layups, and a coach doesn’t know if he can score, if he can shoot like he does if watches a high school game.”

Club soccer also can play a key role in the recruiting process. Whether or not a

player plays on a club team does not necessarily decide their status as a college recruit.

“You can’t base the recruiting or non-recruiting on where they are, but college coaches are going to find good players,” Coppell boys soccer coach Chad Rakestraw said. “It doesn’t matter who they are or where they are, but they are going to talk. It’s not necessarily where or who they are playing for, but what kind of player they are.”

As with other sports, the athletes are encouraged to get some experience playing on the club level with some of the top-tier players in the area. However, while the extra practice is crucial to the success of the school team, it also has its drawbacks.

“They are able to play for both [club and school teams]. It’s kind of a double edged sword in that it’s vital that they’re playing outside of here and getting game experience outside of here, but because once we get going in the season, about February and March, they start playing club again, and that double work is too much,” Rakestraw said. “It’s not good for them. It can really wear down a team, which has caused us some problems in the past, so it’s a good and bad thing.”

The Sidekick // Kelly Monaghan Senior basketbal player Collin Wallace takes the ball down the court on a fastbreak against the Colleyville Heritage Panthers at home on Jan. 20. As a University Interscholastic League sport, the high school basketball team is only allowed to play a certain amount of games in its season.

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Deole takes interest in unique sport Fencing her way from high school to college one parry at a time

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GABBY SAHM Staff Writer @gabbysahm

ootball, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, tennis and wrestling are the sports that are most common throughout the halls of Coppell High School. What most students probably do not know is that there is one student roaming the halls of CHS who carries a talent for a different sport - fencing.

Sophomore Amruta Deole started fencing in September when her and a friend decided to take up a sport. They did not want to do just any sport like volleyball or softball, they wanted to be more unique, and fencing was the perfect fit.

“I used to watch it in the Olympics and always thought it looked cool and interesting,” Deole said.

“Plus not a lot of girls do it.”

She now spends three hours a day, three days a week, practicing her fencing skills. She works on anything from footwork to actually sparing with a partner. One of her favorite things to do is practice improvising for matches.

“You can trick someone into thinking you’re going to do one move, but then totally do another one,” Deole said.

Her coach, Hossam Mahmoud, has been fencing since the age of 13 in Eygpt and moved to the United States in the 1990s. He has now been teaching for over 25 years and has been coaching Deole for six months.

“Amruta is a very smart person, and applies herself to learning new skills as well as improving the old skills,” Mahmoud said.

“She comes prepared for each

Photo Courtesy // Amruta Deole Coppell High School sophomore Amruta Deole began a new sport at the Fencing Institute of Texas in September. She spends three to four hours a day, three days a week, fencing in order to be ready for her upcoming competitions. class and is quite determined to becoming a better fencer.”

His ultimate goal for Deole is to get universities and colleges interested in her, along with just teaching her the power of the sport.

“I look forward to Amruta competing in her first tournament

and testing herself against people outside of our club,” Mahmoud said. “If she continues to improve and apply herself, she has an opportunity for universities with fencing programs to recruit her.”

All this fun and determination can not come without pain. Deole spends hours working on the ba-

sics before she can start facing off.

“You have to spend about an hour doing footwork, so it can get repetitive and your legs will start hurting,” Deole said. “But when you start fencing, it always ends up being worth it.”

In the end, all this hard work will pay off when Deole goes to

her first competition in March.

She hopes that her practice now will help pave the way for college in the future.

“I really hope to gain knowledge about this sport and get to know new people that do fencing,” Deole said. “I also hope to continue the sport into college.”

Thomas’ transition to cross country brings him to the top PRIYA DESAI Staff Writer @priusdasani

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ome realize their true potential for a certain sport from the beginning, but for senior Josh Thomas, he had to go through some defeat to get to the success he has been able to accomplish today.

Thomas is currently the top male runner on Coppell High School’s varsity cross country team and distance track team. What many of us do not

The Sidekick // Mallorie Munoz

know is that Thomas initially started out in soccer freshman year, planning to play on the team.

“I was in soccer and made it through the [cuts], and when it came down to the team, the roster was kind of full, so they had to cut two people, and I was one of them,” Thomas said. “I was put into team sports and we had to do something called the fitness gram. I ran a 5 minute 24 second mile for it and the PE coach [took notice].”

This impressive mile time caught the attention of not only the PE coach but also the cross country coach Roxanne Farris.

“Josh has constantly improved the three years he ran cross country,” Farris said, “He has great work ethic and dedication to [become] a better runner. He always gives 100 percent effort and encourages his teammates to do the same [as] an excellent role model team captain.”

Even with some schedule altering, Thomas unfortunately could not switch classes to fit cross county into his freshman year, so his journey began the summer before his sophomore year, already a year behind his fellow runners.

“I started training [that summer] with the team and it started off kind of rough as a mid [junior varsity] runner,” Thomas said.

“Closer to the end of the training, my friend, [Fan], invited me to a varsity practice.”

Senior Leo Fan has been one of Thomas’ friends and top supporters since the beginning. Fan was there since his times in soccer and has since helped him make the transition to cross country.

Even with his disadvantage, Fan still believed in Thomas’ abilities.

“Josh showed a tremendous improvement from taking a year off of cross country since eighth grade,” Fan said. “He was able to make the varsity team towards the last half of the season and was a valuable runner in our district meet.”

Thomas, even with his impressive running skills already, was not able to keep up at first with the varsity team and was not able to make varsity. At the beginning of his sophomore year though, he consistently had the fastest time on the junior varsity team.

At one 5K race the team attended, Thomas’ true potential shone through when he ran a time that would have put him on the varsity team. From that point on he was moved to the predominantly upperclassmen varsity team.

Through training with his new varsity teammates he was able to make radical progress, becoming the No. 2 runner on the team by the end of his sophomore year just behind Carson Vickroy, who now runs at the University

of Kansas for cross country as a freshman.

“The captains of my sophomore year were very encouraging through my time on the junior varsity team letting me train with them and by the end of the season I was able to build up and keep up with them, even pass some,” Thomas said.

Training day in and day out is not the only thing helping Thomas. Fan shed some light on the true passion Thomas shows for running.

“Josh has a lot of commitment in running, more than any of his other current teammates,” Fan said. “The year Josh joined high school cross country, he knew that he wanted to run in college and was committed to fulfill that dream.”

Fan had no doubt about his friend remarking the fact that he saw his success since the beginning.

“I knew Josh would make his way to the top, as I was his teammate in middle school and knew how much potential he had,” Fan said.

Thomas became the top runner for the varsity team once Vickroy left, but he still looks up very highly to Vickroy as a role model for his future running pursuits.

“Hopefully I can continue what Carson did for the team,” Thomas said. “Maybe even commit to a college for running.”

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22

Getting the shaft (and stick)

Prices of goods in hockey, lacrosse monumental for students, parents

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rom the $150 Pay-to-Play fee to the equipment needed for the sport, athletics at Coppell High School can be costly. The Coppell Cowboys hockey and lacrosse teams are two programs that spend large amounts of money each year just to play the sport the student athletes love through fees and updating equipment. Here’s a breakdown of the cost of equipment for a player in a normal game.

Stick: $150 Players can go through four to six sticks a season.

Pads: $500 Last two to three seasons.

Information gathered from senior Michael Staples on his own equipment.

Helmet: $110-$320 Helmets can last athletes all four years of high school.

Gloves: $40-$220 The gloves can last up to two years. Popular brands include Warrior, Brine and Nike.

Cleats: $40-$150 For cleats, a player looks for weight, breathability and traction.

Mask: $50-$90 Masks are not provided by the school or the team and are durable.

Gloves: $200 Can last up to three seasons.

Jersey: $90-$100 Jerseys are purchased by the players and can last all four seasons of high school.

Skates: $150 Last usually up to two seasons.

TOTAL: $1,140 Information from dickssportinggoods.com, lax. com and lacrossemonkey.com.

Shoulder pads: $40-$170 Like elbow pads, shoulder pads can last players up to two years.

Elbow/Arm pads: $25-$125 Depending on growth, pads last two to four years.

Full stick: $20-$190 “Shafts can break at any - moment,” Coppell senior Max Johnston said.

Sticks vary in durability and some athletes could buy multiple sticks a season.

TOTAL: $1,175

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paying for it all Athletes in non-UIL sports feeling the effects of costly expenditures For a student, schedule pick-up is a sign of change. It signals the end of summer. It signals the beginning of another year of school and the yearly fees associated with the school.

For all extra-curricular activities, it is a signal to once again pay that $150 Pay-to-Play fee. For many sports this is just the tip of the iceberg of costs.

Many may wonder where the Pay-to-Play fees go.

“All of that money goes into the general fund to pay for the operations at Coppell High School, whether it be the athletic program, the band program or hiring teachers,” Coppell ISD Athletic Director John Crawford said.

From that operating fund, the athletic department has to spread their portion out to what they see fit.

“The chief financial officer from the business office basically tells me ‘Here’s the block of money that you have,’” Crawford said.

This money is used at the discretion of the athletic program and can be used for traveling expenses, uniforms and referee costs.

Because of this some sports benefit from popularity, University Interscholastic League alignment or other the ability to bring revenue for the school.

On the other hand some other sports at Coppell High School are not as lucky. Three sports in particular, baseball, lacrosse and hockey, have the most costs associated for individual players, but what exactly are these costs and where do they come from?

ALEX NICOLL Editor-in-Chief @nicollmac

Lacrosse With an operating budget of $100,000 a season, according to Coppell lacrosse coach Alex Poole, lacrosse at the high school level comes with a hefty price tag.

That budget comes directly from a team’s players and family in the form of fees, dues and donations.

Understandably, lacrosse, like hockey, can be at an economic disadvantage with being a nonUIL sport, meaning that the transportation costs, field use and all other expenses associated with the sport come directly out of the pockets of players and their families.

Even the salaries of the coaches are funded by the program.

Poole’s salary, along with the other coaches comes from the Coppell Lacrosse Association, which is managed by parents of his players.

While this could cause problems for many other organizations, Coppell benefits from great support for the families of these players.

“It is a 100 percent parent-driven organization,” Poole said. “Because it is the parents’ money, we have a little more flexibility with what to spend it on. If there is anything at all I need, the parents and booster club are great. ‘Do you need new nets? No problem.

Do you need a new bounce back wall? Great go ahead.’

“There is not a set budget we have and all the money we raise goes into a surplus for next year.”

However, the high schools and districts cannot subsidize the costs as they are not allowed to be associated with the programs in

any way, according to Crawford.

This might pose a conundrum to those that know the “school-sanctioned” lacrosse team uses the Coppell Cowboys logo, name and colors. It turns out that since those are associated with UIL sports, according to Crawford, the team does not have to pay a user fee for the logo; they just simply associate themselves with the school since a majority of the team hails from Coppell.

“They just have taken on that name,” Crawford said.

They even have to pay for their own uniforms.

Those, on top of all the other equipment required for a season including: helmets, chest pads, elbow pads, cleats, gloves, sticks and heads, can average around $700-$800 alone. This includes that quality is paramount to these players.

“Like every sport, the more well-known brand generally means the more quality of the equipment,” Coppell lacrosse senior Max Johnston said.

Equipment is just one part of the costs associated with lacrosse.

A $1,100 fee is due for each spring season for varsity and the price is reduced to $900 for junior varsity then to $500 for the developmental team.

For these boys, however, the costs do not end here.

Like many high school athletes, save football, it is not enough to just play for your school. To get an edge on the competition and compete for a scholarship many of these lacrosse players play for select lacrosse teams.

With another team comes another cost, this one amounting to $2,000-3,000 according to John-

ston.

Why the high cost?

Travel is a major factor, considering many Texas teams travel out of state for competition.

“When you play club, you pay around $2,000 for the team and then the travel fees for the tournaments,” Johnston said. “You travel because the tournaments you play in are in front of college coaches, because not many come down to Texas, so you have to go to the northeast.”

Since the equipment purchased for the sport is good at a minimum usually of a year, players can use it for both select and school, which reduces the cost during a season. The only specific equipment they need is uniforms and items of that nature.

“They can wear whatever equipment they want for us as long as it is red, white or black,” Poole said.

Sponsorships are beneficial for saving a few bucks here and there, according to Poole. Dick’s Sporting Goods allows the team, a few times in the spring, to come in and everything is 20 percent off.

The lacrosse team has also benefitted from sponsorships from J. Macklin’s Grill and Deliman’s Grill in the past.

Playing select, even though its more expensive, provides players with more opportunities to play and be seen. High school is more of a time to keep playing during the select off-season and to keep developing one’s skills. Playing for your high school does have a few other incentives.

“There’s nothing like playing with all your friends and playing for your school,” Johnston said.

Hockey “The school doesn’t really pay for much,” Coppell senior goalie Michael Staples said.

Actually, the school doesn’t pay for anything at all.

“We’re not able to provide anything for them. That is not part of our program, it does not fall under our jurisdiction, the coaches are not a part of our school system; for all our UIL sports, a coach must be a full-time employee,” Crawford said.

The hockey program also does not provide any of the equipment for them; just opportunities for them to purchase uniforms.

“They have to go out and get them on their own,” Coppell hockey coach Cosmo Clarke said.

‘We do not provide them with that. There are so many different styles out there.”

On top of the costs of the individual equipment, which can average out to $1,140, registration costs $1,800 for coach’s fees, uniforms, ice time and league fees. However since the Coppell High School Hockey Association is a non-profit organization that refunds money leftover after the season back to families. This subsidizes the cost, making it to which only players have to pay $200 outright.

Fundraising also alleviates this cost.

League fees for a team cost $6,000-$7,500 alone, which one can deduce the cost for an indi-

vidual player. These fees are used to cover game times, referee costs and scorekeeper’s costs.

The league fees are subjective to each Association that a team is a part of. Out of the 32 associations with the Texas Amateur Hockey Association, Coppell belongs to the AT&T High School Hockey League.

Being a non-UIL sport hurts the hockey program by forcing them to draw money directly from the players and that does not seem to be changing anytime soon, according to Clarke.

“It’s not a UIL sport because the schools don’t get anything back from the rinks; the rinks are independently owned,” Clarke said.

Hockey, like other sports, is known for its select teams, yet the price differs dramatically from lacrosse and baseball.

“The average AA program will be probably $4,000-$5,000 but if you’re looking at a AAA program it’s gonna be $15,000-$20,000,” Clarke said. “And that’s for one season from August until April.”

Double A and Triple A select hockey may differ from Tier II and Tier I in name only because USA Hockey does not recognize the alphabetical classification of the different ranks of select hockey.

The substantial fees associated with select hockey, Clark compares to another substantial fee for other students.

“It’s like partial tuition,” Clarke said.

For the rest of the story, visit www.coppellstudentmedia.com

The Sidekick // Stephanie Alexander The Sidekick // Mallorie Munoz Coppell varsity boys lacrosse practices after school at Wagon Wheel park Senior assistant captain and center Scott Brownrigg defends against Richon Jan 16. Sophomore Ripkin Reynolds (No.6) takes his turn in the Maryland land Raider player during the game on Oct. 30. All of the equipment pictured can cost players upwards of over $1,000.

Box drill, in which the player practices ball management.

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COPPELL COWGIRLS VS. SOUTHLAKE CARROLL

Grace Vowell

Madeline Guderian

Sarah King The Coppell Cowgirls take on Southlake Carroll at an away game on Jan. 30 at Dragon Stadium in Southlake. The Cowgirls soccer team is ranked first in state and 11th nationally according to MaxPreps.

Rachel Johnson

Liat Even The Sidekick // Sarah VanderPol