Tiger Times December 2015

It’s a hard topic. Parents dread saying it, children dread hearing it and, most of all, schools dread discussing it. The phrase “sex education” triggers extreme reactions in most people, but should it be a part of our curriculum?

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faces of the game Senior varsity basketball player Jessica Emerson View this story on tigertimesonline.com

DEC. 17

DUST BOWL “The Dust Bowl is a dodgeball tournament happening before we get out on break,” senior Jacorien Walker said.

“It was created by Zack Phillips. Me, Chad, JT and Jaylen will be participating.”

DEC. 21

WINTER BREAK BEGINS “Hopefully I’ll have another job, so I’ll be working again and get more money,” senior Travis Williams said.

“I don’t really have any plans except to hang out with friends and Christmas Eve be with family.”

STAY CONNECTED

TIGERS GOT TALENT “It’s a really fun competition. I enjoyed being in it,” senior Bailey Gravitt said. “You get close to all the other contestants that are doing it. It’s super fun to be able to grow close to people who have the same interests as you. It’s really fun to be doing it with them.”

JAN. 22

EMMA “[The play] is kind of like high school musical, except it’s set in a prep school,” sophomore Perin Creek said. “I’m a singer in it, part of the welcoming committee.”

JAN. 23

SWIM DISTRICT MEET “District is our last home swim meet, and it’s a really fun meet because it’s the start of our championship season,” senior Tyler Snell said.

“I’m most excited about being able to spend my last home meet with my closest friends just before we travel to our biggest meets.”

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ACT dates: Feb. 6 April 9 June 11

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JAN. 9

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SEMESTER EXAMS “It means a lot of studying, working hard and basically killing yourself at the end of the year,” senior David Sangalli said.

Alec Rommel, 9

by LAUREN POTTER design editor

Huddled together, sweat dripping down their faces, the varsity tennis team prepares to compete at state for the first time as a team.

Freshman Alec Rommel competed at the state tennis tournament in College Station, Texas.

“Before we play we always get in a circle,” Rommel said.

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Post your favorite moments on Instagram with #mybigmoment and tag @thsstudentmedia for a chance to be featured in the newspaper and be in a drawing for a $20 gift card.

We’re All in This Together

happy”

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lesson you learn in high school is to never care about what other people think and to never change for anyone.”

“It was exciting to know that as a freshman I was doing something no team had ever achieved in school history,” Rommel said. “I was thrilled, and nervous, but mostly excited because of what we had achieved.”

in this issue

Student Council to host commemorative dodgeball tournament

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@“Itgrantowens feels so good to be

our favorite moment

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“Seems like yesterday we were just freshmen, and coach Bryant was hollering ‘hit that sled’”

“At that moment, we did our team yell. It’s fun because we all get a sense of unity before the match.”

Rommel and the team had set a goal of getting to state.

“We never expected anything,” Rommel said.

“Once we got screwed over in seeding, we pushed ourselves even more than before.”

This was the first time in the school’s history that they competed in state as a team.

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The Second Win Jiu jitsu training becomes form of stress release for sophomore

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Her Worst Nightmare

Sexual assault victim describes traumatizing experience

26

About to Snap

Academic adviser John Bunch shoots the cover of ‘People’ magazine

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We’re all in this together

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Student Council to host commemorative dodgeball tournament

by ALI RICHTER staff writer

BALLIN’ Seniors Zack Phillips and Tyler Snell get their game faces on for the Dust Bowl, a dodgeball tournament that will be Thursday in the gym. photo by m. bonner

Student Council will host a dodgeball tournament at 2 p.m. Thursday in the gym after the half day of school.

Admission is $3. Teams of five will be competing on four courts.

This event has required a lot of preparation, and is being handled by StuCo members and students in the Leadership class.

“Zack Phillips is in charge, and he and Tyler Snell have been getting tournament information from other schools and churches that have hosted things like this before,” StuCo adviser Susan Waldrep said. “Leadership students are collaborating with them, and they have done a lot of work behind the scenes.”

This fundraising idea was proposed

by Phillips in the summer, but it is no longer just about raising money for StuCo. In September, Waldrep’s son, Dusty Waldrep, passed away. In the wake of his passing, students decided to make a scholarship in his memory.

“After I found out about Dusty, I

felt the right thing to do was to use the money raised to go towards the Dusty Waldrep scholarship,” Phillips said. “The Waldreps have contributed so much toward the school, and this was an opportunity to give back to them.”

Phillips has received support for using the raised funds from the tournament for the scholarship.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea, as long as everything is done appropriately,” Principal Brad Bailey said. “We just had to work through some logistical issues, but I think it will raise a lot of money for a good cause which makes it very worth it.”

The announcement of the scholarship was fraught with many emotions for the Waldrep family, but most of all they are thankful for the people who made it possible.

“There’s a lot of people there in the moment, but those people who are there after are the ones that really know you,” Waldrep said. “For [students] to come up with something honoring our son is overwhelming. It means the world to us, and it’s just fabulous.”

“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done.” ~ Proverbs 19:17

New scholarship honors StuCo sponsor’s son

by CAROLINE MAY in-depth editor

TEARS OF JOY Susan and Roger Waldrep receive the news that a scholarship will be created in their son’s name. The scholarship will be awarded to a Leadership senior in May.

unity among our students,” Bailey said.

“Having a scholarship in Dusty’s honor is a great way to remind our students to keep focused on being a person of strong character and being diligent in their commitments to themselves and others.”

This scholarship is unlike any of the others offered through the school in commemoration of someone’s life.

“The Dusty Waldrep Leadership Scholarship is one that is very unique in the fact that Dusty lived his life in a way that everyone could be proud of,” Bailey said. “Also, this scholarship was created

photo by c. smith

The small, tattered piece of paper never failed to leave his wallet. The words of Proverbs 19:17, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done,” served as a reminder, an encouragement and a motto for Dusty Waldrep. That same little strip of inspiration is now carried throughout the halls of the school to spread the message he lived by everyday.

Dusty Roger Waldrep, son of Student Council sponsor Susan Waldrep and her husband Roger Waldrep, died Sept. 28 after years of fighting an illness.

Because of his lasting impact on the school, Student Council officers collaborated to create a scholarship in Dusty’s honor that will be awarded to a senior in Student Council. The Dusty Waldrep Leadership Scholarship will provide a gift of $2,500 to a student based on academics, character and involvement in Student Council.

“The Dusty Waldrep Leadership Scholarship is centered around Dusty’s beliefs and how he lived his life,” principal Brad Bailey said. “The senior selected should possess these qualities and be able to explain how they have helped others.”

The application must include an official high school transcript through seven semesters with a minimum GPA of 3.0, a essay up to 500 words and two letters of recommendation, one from a school employee and one from an adult outside of school. Applications are due April 8, and the winner will be announced during the awards assembly in May. “This is a scholarship we’ve never had for kids in Student Council and Leadership who have all these volunteer hours,” Susan Waldrep said. “This makes me really happy because a lot of people who volunteer at Community Cafe, which was one of Dusty’s passions, will be rewarded.”

While the student leaders collaborated with Bailey to perfect the scholarship, they focused on the impact it would leave.

“This scholarship will build a stronger

by Texas High Student Council students through a commitment to honor Dusty and his family.”

The main objective was to make sure it encompassed what was important to Dusty.

“Dusty loved to be a part of everything that the Student Council kids were doing,” Waldrep said. “The last four and a half years that he got to live with us he got to see how much work that the kids put in.

He used to come up and grill, and say ‘I’d cook for these kids forever because they love what I’m doing out here.’ This scholarship would make him really happy.”

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dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

MEDIA MINDLESSNESS Don’t let racy posts hurt college applications

by CELESTE ANDERSON staff writer

SOMEBODY’S WATCHING

Facebook. Instagram. Snapchat. Twitter. The list of social media platforms goes on and on.

People post about their feelings, opinions, friends and even pictures of their cats. What most students don’t understand about the Internet is how it affects their ability to get into a university.

Many colleges claim that they do not research a prospective student, but according to a survey conducted by the Chicago Tribune, 86 percent of colleges interviewed admitted to researching the social media sites of their students. They explained that the reasons for this are to “protect their school, its reputation, and to avoid potential bad apples from spoiling their brand.”

So what can students do to ensure that their social media accounts are clean?

“Well first of all, [students shouldn’t] post things that are inappropriate,” Assistant Principal for College and Career Readiness Bettie Lynn Stark said. “They should be careful with their posts, and only post positive things. They should also post things that are uplifting to all people, so that they aren’t taken in the wrong way to different groups.”

Other things that students can do to guarantee that their profiles are clean is to delete any photos, tweets, posts, etc. that could be taken in the wrong way. They can also make their accounts private, “de-tag” themselves from inappropriate Facebook posts, and only let people they know follow them.

“Watch what you put [on social media accounts],” Stark said “Be smart about it.”

ALL ME YOU USED TO C ONE ON MY CELL PH

by KATIE BIGGAR staff writer As an individual in the 21st century, it’s almost impossible to not come in contact with some sort of technology on a daily basis. From the use of mobile phones to computers or even the television, people are influenced by what they surround themselves with.

A study by Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield and Byers, a venture capital firm based out of Silicon Valley, found that the average person checks their phone nearly 150 times per day. That’s wasted time that could be used on building an education or practicing a hobby rather than liking a post or checking emails.

“I check my phone probably over 100 times a day, it tends to be my No. 1 distraction from my school work,” sophomore Kamryn Hamilton said. “I usually can’t get through homework without getting trapped into social media.”

What people don’t always notice is what the constant use of social media and technology in general is doing to them. Technology is changing the way people come across toward one another and the way they interact.

“In society today, technology has benefits and drawbacks,” junior Zack Moore said. “I think that a positive aspect of technology and

Technology can inhibit social interactions social media in particular is that we can keep in touch with people that we normally wouldn’t get the chance to. A negative might be that it consumes way too much time and distracts us from what we need to be doing.”

It is rare in today’s generation for someone to pick up the phone and actually call someone to talk or check in. Instead fingers text such messages, check in on Facebook or use Snapchat to capture feelings. Through these growing and emerging forms of technology, people lose an intimacy with friends and family.

“I think teens particularly get too caught up in social media and don’t spend enough face to face time with people,” sophomore Aileen Tran said. “I don’t like the fact that most teenagers will be with their friends or family and ignore their surroundings because of being preoccupied [with] technology.”

Although technology definitely has its faults, the advantages can sometimes outweigh the disadvantages. Technology has made it easier to contact distant relatives or old friends that one might have forgotten about. It also has conveniently improved education by spreading news and advancing global learning.

“I’m a firm believer in the use of technology and social media,” freshman Sarah Grace Boudreaux said. “It brings us together. It’s a privilege to be able to turn on a phone and have access to friends and family at your fingertips.”

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dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

A MERE MEMORY TISD plan to build memorial for students resurfaces

by KRISTIN MCCASLAND online editor-in-chief Two best friends driving on the interstate. Two best friends headed to school, just like any other day. Two best friends talking about last night’s homework and looking forward to the first football game of the season that night.

Two best friends who would never again walk the halls of Texas High School. Two young lives unfairly taken. Two souls who deserved remembrance.

In 2003, the deaths of these two students, along with others, prompted Student Council and Leadership to start a fund with hopes of building a memorial to honor those who lost their lives while attending Texas High, starting from 1968. Although Texas High did have small memorials, they were removed during the construction of the math and science building.

“We had a few different memorials that were in the area between the gym and the student parking lot,” superintendant Paul Norton said. “When the math and science building was

constructed, the memorials were removed and stored at our maintenance warehouse, except for those that were retrieved by the families.”

“I will publish a press release in January that tells about the memorial.

Families of students who have passed away will be given the opportunity to contact us if they wish to be included on the memorial.”

-Tina Veal-Gooch Public Relations Director The original plan included a 60-foot flagpole next to a granite wall on which names would be engraved. The memorial was to be located near the pond on the hill leading up to the Sullivan Performing Arts Center, which

had not been constructed at the time.

“Patrick Mayo came up with the original conceptual design, started the fundraising and got the ball rolling his senior year, but couldn’t see the full project through because he graduated in 2003,” Texas High alumnus Matthew Scott said. “My class carried the project forward while we could and raised a few more dollars, but it still wasn’t enough to get things started by the time we graduated. I lost touch with the project after graduating in 2004.”

According to the December 2003 issue of the “Tiger Times,” Student Council planned to raise $32,000 to construct the memorial. At the time the article was published, the students had raised $6,543.

“Fundraising was pretty much a grassroots operation,” Scott said. “Calls were made to a few local prominent Texas High graduates who helped get things off the ground with their generous donations, and other donations later were made through more phone calls and knowledge about the project

illustration by c. johnson

RETURN TO THE PAST: The original plan for the memorial created in 2003 included a concrete base with a granite slab engraved with names of students who passed away. The new plan includes engraving names on plaques that will be attached to the brick walls on either side of the flagpole in front of the school.

being spread by word of mouth.”

Today, 12 years later, the account’s total is $7,186. Despite the fact that the project was started with the best intentions, it seems to have been forgotten.

However, TISD has made plans to continue the memorial project starting in January.

Names of deceased students will be engraved onto plaques, which will be attached to the brick walls on either side of the flagpole in front of the school. At the end of this school year, a ceremony will be held to dedicate the memorial.

Since there is no official record of students who have died while attending Texas High, creating a complete list of names for the memorial will be difficult.

“I will publish a press release in January that tells about the memorial,” TISD public relations director Tina Veal-Gooch said.

“Families of students who have passed away will be given the opportunity to contact us if they wish to be included on the memorial.”

After the memorial is completed, the project will be given back to Student Council and Leadership to continue.

“Student Council will play a large part in the continuation of the memorial,” Veal-Gooch said. “It’s easier for the district to initially start the project, but the students will be responsible for updating the memorial as time goes on.”

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news

ENERGY SAVER Local Energy Specialist Mark Kerby jots down important numbers pertaining to the campus’ energy usage.

by katherine stoeckl staff writer Flipping off a light switch could save your school $750,000 over the next five years. Cenergistic, The Energy Conservation Company, has been making this dream a reality for school districts, colleges, universities and hospitals across the nation since 1986.

“Cenergistic is a company that currently has 1,360 clients nationwide and so far has saved school districts and colleges and hospitals $4 billion,” Texarkana Independent School District’s local energy specialist Mark Kerby said. “The goal for this district [TISD] is to have a total saving of cost avoidance of $750,000 over the next five years.”

Kerby, who was trained by the Dallasbased company, Cenergistic, is a Texas High alumnus who graduated in 2009. His job is to make sure that the project is working all day, every day and in all buildings.

“The greatest thing about this program is that there is zero risk for the client,” Kerby said. “If we don’t reach the savings of $750,000 that we have guaranteed, Cenergistic will pay that amount to TISD.” For two years before the program is implemented, Cenergistic uses proprietary tools and technology to collect the data to create a baseline of utility consumption. This is used to calculate the cost avoidance and is then compared to the long term goal of lowering expenditures for utilities.

“Currently, through local initiatives, we feel like we have been very frugal as far as

dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

GREEN minds think alike TISD cuts down on energy costs by incorporating new program

the expenditures we incur, and we are very good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” former principal and current Executive Director of Support Operations Casey Nichols said.

“However, at the same time, we are never satisfied, and we want to do better.”

TISD administrators are enthusiastic about working with the company to lower spending without budgeting extra dollars.

The only cost is drawn from the existing utility budget that will contain a surplus as a result of working with Cenergistic.

“This is a wonderful, risk-free opportunity for us to partner with one of the leading companies in this type of endeavor,” Nichols said. “We can capture and recognize the savings that are out there.”

Cenergistic is a behaviorally-based program. This means that a large part of their main mode or operation is to educate the custodial staff, administration and maintenance about ways to conserve energy-thus saving money that is otherwise spent on utility bills and using it where administration sees fit.

“The only way that this program will succeed is if everyone buys into it and jumps on board,” Kerby said. “What we are really looking for is an extra set of eyes.”

Along with the custodial and maintenance staff, students and teachers are encouraged to flip off light switches when leavings rooms and make sure that appliances not in use are completely powered down.

“We are not asking students to sacrifice safety or comfort; we would never do that, they are our top priorities,” Nichols said.

“Cenergistic has found out over time that people are actually more comfortable once this program is implemented.”

Using EnergyCAP® software and other tools, Cenergistic specialists have discovered and fixed details that affect amenities, such as situations in which the room temperature may be correct but the humidity levels are slightly off, making the occupants uncomfortable.

“There is a lot of experience and resources that this company brings to the table,” Nichols said. “Traditionally, local school districts do not have these advanced tools, but through a partnership with Cenergistic, they are able to tap into them to ensure safety and comfort.”

One way TISD is planning on becoming more efficient is to reprogram the settings for heating and cooling so they won’t be running when no one is on campus.

“What we’re doing is targeting places that are unoccupied and eliminating that wasted energy,” Kerby said.

Cenergistic’s goal is to produce savings of 20 to 30 percent without limiting the campus environment. This means that there is no need to worry about security lights being turned off to conserve energy and money that can be used in classrooms around campus..

“We are excited to put the money saved back into the classroom where it will directly affect student achievement,” Nichols said.

“The conservative goal of three quarters of a million dollars over five years will have an enormous impact on the educational environment.”

HIGH COST? No problem Follow these tips to help save on the energy bill Turn off light switches when you’re leaving the room.

Keep an eye out for equipment that isn’t working properly.

Turn off projectors when they aren’t being used.

Shut down computers after you’re done using them.

Close blinds at the end of the day.

dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

community

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dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

tiger times

EDITORIAL

Texas High School 4001 Summerhill Rd. Texarkana, TX 75503 (903) 794-3891 Fax (903) 792-8971

GETTING SEXY

•

The Tiger Times is a student-run publication. The contents and view are produced solely by the staff and do not represent the opinions of the faculty, administration or TISD board of directors.

illustration by A. O’Gorman

Students need more effective sex education

According to the national and state trends, Texas has the fifth highest teen birthrate in the nation, according to the Office of Adolescent Health. It’s also ranked No. 1 for repeat teen pregnancies. However, the Texas Board of Education remains committed to promoting an abstinence-only approach to sex education.

In 2004 the Texas State Board of Education adopted new health textbooks that did not include medically accurate information about contraception and sexually transmitted disease prevention. Research by the Texas Freedom Network Education Fund has also shown that most schools in the state employ strict abstinence-only-until-marriage policies on sex education.

It is no question that change is needed.

While abstinence-only remains the main approach in Texas schools, there has been a recent rise of school districts who have decided to include at least basic information about contraception.

These days students are learning more about sex through crude videos on their cell phones, not through proper education.

Students have easier access to pornographic websites than they do a helpful teacher or textbook.

Abstinence should still be a component in sex education, but teachers should also explain the technicalities of sexual relations.

Sex happens, and it’s constantly around us.

Teen sex happens. The problem is that not all teens understand the biological effects of sex.

Kids don’t understand the seriousness of an unplanned child and all that comes with it. It is not only a serious medical issue, but a serious, emotional commitment. Children deserve to have financial stability and emotionally available parents, too many times they’re left alone with a teenage mother who doesn’t know what to do.

Although some say that school is no place for sex education, school is a place for learning. Equipping students with the proper knowledge to go through life is the objective of school. Too many kids don’t understand how sex works and still attempt to have sexual relations.

According to an American Life League research, one in four teens contract a sexually transmitted disease every year. Also, 15 to 24-year-olds account for half of all new STD infections according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With the teaching of basic contraceptives and safe sex methods, there would be fewer STDs and

pregnancies in the teen atmosphere.

Basic contraceptive ideas include abstinence, condoms and female birth control pills. All of these help prevent pregnancies or the spread of STDs. Teaching students appropriate ways to deal with sexual frustration, how to apply condoms and where to go for birth control is a healthy and helpful way to improve sexual education. According to the National Survey of Family Growth, only six in 10 sexually active high school teens reported using condoms during their most recent sexual intercourse.

Children are constantly bombarded with sexual slurs, images and thoughts that involve even the most outlandish of sexual activities. This results in a growing problem that some teenagers don’t understand which technicalities actually result in pregnancy.

Students should be taught to understand the risks of different sexual activities.

The abstinence-only approach has failed Texas schools. It is time to educate our teens by providing them the proper information to stay healthy. By adding medical explanations and information about contraceptives, the conditions of many young adults can be improved and the Texas’ high rate of teen pregnancies can be lowered.

indepth editor Caroline May sports editors Alex Heo Anneliese Hounsel entertainment editors Jillian Cheney Naveen Malik advertising editor Hannah Williams business manager Ashlyn Sander copy editor Molly Crouch design editor Lauren Potter photo editor Brianna O’Shaughnessy assignment editor: Rachel Lewis video editor Sara Vaughn public relations Abby Hill staff writers Celeste Anderson, Katie Biggar, Connor Brooks, Ricky Cooks, Robin Cooper, Conor Diggs, Bethany Dowd, Katie Dusek, DC Fortenberry, Matt Francis, Zach Friedman, Maddie Gerrald, Alyssa Gilbert, Meghan Harris, Grace Hickey, Colton Johnson, Langley Leverett, Emily McMaster, Ali Richter, Cailey Roberson, Eleanor Schroeder, Tye Shelton, Katherine Stoeckl, Laurel Wakefield, Jay Williamson photographers Morgan Bonner, Megan Brandon, Maria Frohnhofer, Dimitrius James, Lauren Maynard, Mary Miller, Emily Meinzer, Kayleigh Moreland, Misty Morris, Kayla Neff, Madeline Parish, Rachel Sorenson, Ayla Sozen, Piper Spaulding, Savannah York

SPEAK OUT Do you think sex ed should be taught in high school?

print editors-in-chief Anna Graves Tyler Snell online editors-in-chief Jessica Emerson Kristin McCasland news editor Raga Justin viewpoint editors Leah Crenshaw Alex O’Gorman feature editor Anna Cannon

“I think the school should teach sex ed because it’s good for teenagers to understand and for it to be something not so shunned and put away. Many families don’t talk about these things openly, so kids don’t know who to go to.”

Bree Barnett, 10

“I think it is important to know about sex education and have it at school.

Since I have been here, I have seen a lot of girls who are 15 and 16 that are pregnant. This isn’t good. It is important to know about safe sex and to teach it.”

Jaime Vega, 11

“I feel that sex ed is very important. The rate at which teens are getting pregnant is getting higher by the year. Texas High doesn’t teach sex ed besides the classes that you choose. It would benefit everyone to know about this.”

Dalton Underwood, 11

videographers Odin Contreras, Xavier Davis, Allie Beth Hatfield, Travis Williams advisers Rebecca Potter, Clint Smith principal Brad Bailey members ILPC, CSPA, NSPA

Spring into

by LAUREN POTTER design editor

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dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

Spirit

The beginning of the first semester essentially revolves around football: games, pep rallies, bonfire and a spirit day every Wednesday. Because of this, the fall semester seems to be the most bearable and memorable time of the year.

But after all the fun and football has come to a close, we suffer through taking all our semester exams. We go on break and come back in January, usually a good five pounds heavier, and school automatically becomes unbearable, as if everyone is in such a hurry for summer. We’ve all given up, not only on our grades, but our appearance too. So why not bring a little more excitement to spring?

Out of the 12 sports our school has, only three of them actually occur in the fall, where primarily only one is recognized at the pep rallies, and of course that sport is football. Don’t get me wrong, I fully support our football team and all the work they put in, but we’ve got 11 other sports that deserve at least little bit of recognition.

Adding the occasional pep rally and spirit day would give the spring sports an extra boost during their seasons, and it would give students something to look forward to during the week, taking our minds off the stress of keeping our grades up.

Promoting other sports would give students the chance to get

Junior rallies for more enthusiasm over second semester sports

Possible Spirit Days Generation Day

informed of what’s going on in sports that aren’t as popular and to be as hyped and spirited as they are in the fall, in addition to, the possibility of making the spring go by a little bit faster.

Traditionally, the majority of school events occur during the fall semester, and the spring consists of tests, tests and even more tests. So along with all those tests, why don’t we add a little fun and make a couple of more traditions?

When you look back on high school you’re not going to remember every single grade you made on assignment, or all the crying and stress it took to make those grades.

You’ll remember cheering at pep rallies, getting weird looks when you go all out for dress up days or even how great Fridays were when you got out of class early to go to the pep rallies.

High school is so much more than making good grades and trying to get into college.

It’s about the memories and relationships you’re going to make throughout those four years.

Harry Potter Day Tourist Day Heritage Day Scrabble Day Teacher Day Pajama Day ‘60s Day Movie Day

photo by M. Brandon

No need for sweaty Psalms Respecting beliefs of others should be important to all “The reality is that most people who practice any religion– no matter how familiar it is to you– want to do so in peace. By persecuting those of a different faith, you become what you claim to despise.”

by Jillian Cheney viewpoint editor Oh, look! That person’s wearing a turban; that must mean they’re a terrorist. A Christian? Ugh. They probably hate homosexuals and everyone else because they’re so ‘high and mighty’. Yeah, I mean, praying is fine, but meditation is really weird, and I don’t even know why people do it.

For those who have said any of the above (or any other related stereotypes on religion), consider this: everyone can believe and practice whatever they want, and your ignorant judgement and hatred is not required.

When the right to freedom of religion was first written into the Bill of

Rights, the most diversity in religious beliefs was between Catholics and Protestants. Now– over two centuries later– there are 313 reported religions and denominations in the United States, including Christianity and its various doctrines, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Neo-Paganism and New Age religions.

Admittedly, having hundreds of different religions in the country can be confusing, and there’s probably no way to have a deep knowledge of each one without practicing them.

However, there’s no excuse for being ignorant about the belief systems you so desperately want to judge.

To clear some things up: yes, ISIS does claim to follow the principles of Islam. No, not every individual who practices Islam is in the terrorist group.

Yes, there are some hypocritically judgemental people who claim to be Christians, but those who are legitimately devoted to the religion dislike the hate they spread just as much as you do. As a matter of fact, most of the pre-conceived notions you have about any religion are probably wrong.

Unfortunately, the ridiculous blanket statements about religious followers aren’t the most concerning issue about the acceptance of diverse religions.

Prejudice is so deeply rooted in some that their hatred is taken to a dangerous extreme.

An unnamed shooter entered a community college in Oregon and killed 10 people. There were reports across the media on the shooting, and undoubtedly a series of hashtags created to pray for the victims and their families. However, very few mentioned the fact that the shooter targeted those who identified with the Christian faith.

A survivor of the shooting said the shooter asked Christians to stand up, and told his victims that since they were Christians, they were about to see God in a few seconds.

See the issue yet? The shooting was tragic in itself, but the fact that he targeted students of a certain religion makes it worse. That’s a violation of their right to practice their religion freely. If people have to worry about being shot and killed because they have a certain belief system, there’s more of a problem than is currently being acknowledged.

The reality is that most people who practice any religion– no matter how familiar it is to you– want to do so in peace. By persecuting those of a different faith, you become what you claim to despise.

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viewpoint

The OLD MAN with a plan

It makes no

CENTS Senior discusses controversy surrounding future changes to $10 bill

Jackson deserves to keep place on $20 bill

by ALEX HEO sports editor When the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew announced that starting in 2020, a woman will be featured on the $10 bill, many Americans were enthusiastic and deservingly so.

Suggested women to share the $10 bill with Alexander Hamilton, such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Susan B. Anthony, are women who deserve the respect that comes with being on the bank note. However, many others are arguing that a woman should get a bill for her own.

In most debates, the most often solution suggested is taking former U.S. president Andrew Jackson off the $20 bill due to Jackson’s tyrannical actions during his time in office. Despite the fact that his tenure as president is remembered for the Indian Removal Act and the Bank War, Jackson deserves every bit of recognition as the unnamed woman and a spot on a U.S. bill.

Jackson is being aimed to be replaced due to his “tyrannical” nature as a president and his tendency to be ruthless to Indians. However, other presidents on the bills had their flaws too.

Lincoln, often regarded as one of the best presidents in history, suspended the writs of habeas corpus during the Civil War, a move that violated the free speech right. Ulysses S. Grant was a weak president whose tenure was plagued by government corruption. Clearly the qualifications of being on the bill don’t include being flawless.

Jackson fought governmental

dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

corruption and represented the common man. His controversial Indian Removal Act was made so that there would be more land for white males to plant cotton. His infamous bank war started because he thought that only the wealthy benefited from it. Two of the biggest flaws during his tenure were made with the interest of the common man. In a country where the Founding Fathers decided that the government was to serve the people, an argument could be made that Jackson was simply doing his job as president of the U.S. “Old Hickory” grew up in poverty and did not receive a proper education, yet he still became the leader of his country. Could you imagine a guy like Andrew Jackson, who lacked a formal education and was a self-made lawyer, competing against real estate tycoon Donald Trump, famous neurosurgeon Ben Carson, or even former first lady Hillary Clinton?

His presidency clearly showed that every American has an opportunity to succeed with hard work and determination. Sounds familiar right?

This lesson is the fundamental belief in the “American dream” that many immigrants hung onto in their transition to the states. Jackson essentially represented the American dream before the term was even coined.

Perhaps Jackson wasn’t the most ethical president, but he was one of the most influential presidents in history.

Jackson represented the people as a president and the American dream as the face of the $20 bill. Now isn’t that a symbol worth having on the center of our bill?

by LEAH CRENSHAW viewpoint editor I’m going to ask you to solve a mystery. It goes like this: In 1914, a former president who bitterly hated banks, paper money and the general happiness of most Americans was placed on the $10 bill.

Why? This man was replaced 15 years later by Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States who came here as a 15-year-old and went on to fight alongside George Washington himself for our freedom.

Unfortunately, this mystery gentleman did not fade away into the obscurity of forgotten currency icons (Martha Washington 1896). This mystery gentleman instead clung on, and managed to get himself moved to the $20 bill, where he has stuck around for a rather unpleasant 86 years.

Until now. Or so we thought.

When an organization called Women On ‘20s formed in 2012, they pointed out something everyone already wondered. “Why is Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill?” They began a campaign to replace him with a woman, and even held elections for which famous “Founding Mother” would get the spot.

Then, with more than 600,000 votes counted, they presented their idea to the president. A bill called the Women on the 20 Act was presented to Congress.

Finally, this summer, Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew (who owes the existence of his job to Hamilton) announced that a woman will indeed appear on a bill.

The $10 bill. Sharing space with Alexander Hamilton. So here is the mystery: Why would anyone ever choose to disrespect Alexander Hamilton, the Father of American economics and the man at least one-third responsible for the Federalist Papers? (You can thank them for the fact that we have a decently functioning government.) Why would anyone ever think that leaving Andrew Jackson, a literal murderer who hated anything to do with paper currency, was a good idea? This is the mystery. Why on earth would anyone do that?

Did I mention that Andrew Jackson mandated the Trail of Tears, literally killing nearly 4,000 people and displacing thousands more? But still.

He’s definitely the right choice for the $20 bill. Absolutely. That totally makes sense, right?

And while we are asking questions, why are women only worthy of half of a bill instead of the whole thing?

Don’t misunderstand me. I do not think it is disrespectful for Alexander Hamilton to have to share with a woman. I think it is disrespectful that the Treasury Department is implying that neither Alexander Hamilton nor the unannounced woman are good enough to stand alone when Andrew Jackson apparently is.

There is still hope, however.

According to the most recent announcement by Lew, the Treasury Department is still accepting ideas submitted via twitter (#TheNew10).

Please, do the country a favor, and suggest someone, but also suggest replacing Jackson.

dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

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Her worst nightmare

by RAGA JUSTIN news editor With a throbbing head and fuzzy vision, she returns to consciousness in a room bathed in dim light. Dazed and alone, frantically trying to remember her name, she tries to sit up in bed, only to collapse when every limb screams in agony. The bed is soaked a bright, glaring crimson, and when she looks down, she sees a livid handprint marking her thigh.

Scraps of memory as intangible as wisps of smoke flutter out of the wormhole in her mind; she sees a red plastic cup, a room pervaded by the sour stench of beer, the solid masses of faceless, sinister boys.

Aside from that, all she has are black hours she can’t account for and a desperate need to know- what happened to me?

Lindsey James* was the victim of rape last year. Even though she suffered no enduring physical scars, the trauma she faced has haunted her for months.

“I was at my friend’s house and this guy messaged me and he told me “Hey, I want to hang out with you’,” James said. “So I said OK, and he came and picked me up. He handed me this drink, right? I didn’t know at the time what exactly it was–he told me it was like alcohol but without the bad hangover at the end. So I drank it.”

James noticed an odd aftertaste in the drink, but thought nothing of it. Shortly after, they left to pick up a friend of the boy she was with on their way to a party “They started smoking and they asked me if I wanted to join them,” James said. “I said no, and just sat there sipping–I don’t know why–and then before we left I guess the drink got to me.

photo by l. maynard

Sexual assault victim describes traumatizing experience

BEHIND YOUR BACK According to Sexuality and U, about 25 percent of women report that drugs were a factor in a rape.

My brain stopped functioning.

I don’t remember anything after that.”

Later examinations showed that she had ingested Xanax, a medicine normally used to treat anxiety and other offshoot panic disorders. The maximum dosage is 4 mg per day; she was given 6 mg all at once.

“I was at the hospital from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the next day,” James said. “They had to run all these tests. I could have died.

That overdose could’ve killed me.”

But none of this compares to the emotional trauma left by an experience that haunts almost 293,000 other victims a year, according to the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network.

“I wouldn’t get out of bed,”

James said. “I would wake up and dread school so much. On weekends I wouldn’t go out, and it took me months to socialize.

I still hate the night, and public places.”

The worst, James said, was not the actual incident or the fear that came after. It was her school’s reaction, and the heavily exaggerated rumors that floated around her for months afterward.

“When I came back, everyone knew about it,” James said. “Everybody would come and ask me questions about it. I would walk around school and everyone was looking at me.

People would make up rumors about stuff that had never even happened. They would be like ‘Yeah I heard it was six guys’ and others would say ‘She was

probably asking for it’. The rumors were what got to me.”

In today’s society, many people look askance at stories of rape, often believing it to be a lack of proper modesty or decorum on the part of the assaulted female.

“It’s completely, completely unfair,” James said. ”I wasn’t even wearing anything provocative. It was cold, so I had on a jacket and leggings and boots. In no way is that revealing. The first thing the police asked me were all these questions, like what were you wearing, are you sure it wasn’t consensual. Obviously they had to ask me that, but I don’t knowI just felt like somehow they thought it was my fault.”

Afraid and violated, she knew that the horror of her situation

could have been increased tenfold.

“I was scared it could have been a lot worse,” James said.

“There could have been multiple guys. He could have taken pictures. I was so scared to tell my parents. My mom was crying when she picked me up. I felt so disgusting.”

But there is always a silver lining. James is thankful for the fact that the whole episode is still a blank in her mind.

“If I had been conscious during the whole thing- I don’t think I could do it,” James said.

“I would be so scarred still. I don’t remember anything, so it honestly affected my family more than me. It was knowing what had happened, not actually experiencing it.”

And however painful going to the police and letting her ordeal be known was, James is glad she did it.

“He’d done this to other girls, but they’d never spoken,” James said. “If they had, this whole thing could have been avoided.

I guess they were shamed into silence. I definitely hated going through all that, but I’d rather speak up about it and not let him get away with doing that to other girls. Everyone found about it, and they know how he is now. He lost a lot of his friends after I spoke up about it. And he deserves that.”

It was a long road to a semblance of her former tranquil life, but James managed eventually to banish the events of the previous year.

“I definitely forgave myself,” James said. “I can’t just keep living blaming myself. Why should I? I didn’t do this, or cause this. I wasn’t asking for it. I know that. And it took me a while to realize it. But I’m so thankful I did.” *name has been changed to protect identity

By the numbers every

107

seconds

an American is sexually assaulted

68% 98% 47% 44% Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network

of sexual assaults are not reported

of rapists will never be convicted

of rapists are a friend or acquaintance

of victims are under the age of 18

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dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

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WHY OUR SCHOOL IS SILENT TISD officials address why we lack a sex education program

by Leah crenshaw viewpoint editor Many believe that abstinence should be the only option for all unmarried persons. Others embrace the reality that teenagers are having sex, and believe sex should be thoroughly explained as part of a public school education. Meanwhile, the students are caught in the middle. Texas has the fifth highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation, which begs the question: what is wrong with the current system?

The first step to answering this question is to figure out what’s currently being taught for sex education. The answer isn’t much.

“We do not have an actual sex education curriculum,” Principal Brad Bailey said. “Our policy for the district and the state has been to promote abstinence and that’s all.”

This has not always been the case. Sex education is briefly incorporated into the curriculum for Biology I, a required course for students. It is also part of Biology II and Child Development. Those classes are not required, so many students will never take them.

All policies involving curriculum trickle down through the TISD Board of Trustees. It is their responsibility to make these decisions for all TISD schools.

“For the board to approve a sex education policy, it has to go through our School Health Advisory Council,” Superintendent Paul Norton said. “The SHAC committee determines if material is appropriate or not and if so, what grade levels it is appropriate for.”

While there is some leeway for the Board through the SHAC, the real power is in the hands of the Texas Board of Education. Texas state law does not require sex education, but it does have strict standards for schools if they choose to provide it.

“I would point out that rather than there being a whole lot of discretion with local school boards, that’s one area where our state legislatures have taken control,” School Board President Paul Miller said. “They laid out requirements and mandates that apply to all public education. Any public school sex education program has to be abstinence based, abstinence focused.”

This reflects the moral goals of the Texas Board of Education in encouraging all teenagers to abstain until marriage. The state is forced to try to straddle both sides of the issue. Some say that sex education must be limited to abstinence–if it is taught at all–where others say modern culture necessitates something more. Each side has its merits, but they also have serious flaws. Solving this quandary is one of the burdens falling on the state board.

According to the Center for Disease Control, Texas has the fifth highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation. It is also the leader for repeat-pregnancies. In addition, the CDC reports that an 47 percent of American high schoolers have had sex at least once. Regardless of morals, the facts are undeniable: abstinence is not realistic.

Some kind of change is needed. The question at this point is what kind of change.

Many high schools have mandatory health classes which include sex education.

This has the benefit of ensuring all students receive a uniform, comprehensive education, but there are several consequences as well. Many believe that comprehensive sex education in schools encourages students to have sex. There is also a legitimate concern that sex education in public schools would violate the morals–particularly religious–of the community, parents and students.

“You start getting into political viewpoints and other personal ideology,” Bailey said. “I think that’s the reason why the state has remained neutral and said abstinence is the best policy. They think ‘if you don’t have sex education, then sex wouldn’t happen.’”

It is with this idea that many schools leave it entirely up to parents to teach their children as they please. This solves the aforementioned morality problem by letting parents choose exactly what their children learn. But there are several people who design by Caroline May/in-depth editor

15

in-depth

tigertimesonline.com

50% 20% 72% 47%

Protected Sex (Condom) Unprotected Sex

Protected Sex (Condom) Unprotected Sex

Think T-High Has Inadequate Sex Ed

Think T-High Has Inadequate Sex Ed

Don’t Know Where to Get Sex Ed

Don’t Know Where to Get Sex Ed

Ever been pregnant Have Children

A Touchy Subject The Internet: infamous for being a conglomeration of pornography, pedophiles and no parental supervision. According to Common Sense Media, the biggest users of online pornography are 12 to 17-yearold boys. Pornography tends to show sexual situations in the most appealing way possible for its viewers. Unfortunately, this usually means ignoring the safe part of sex; condoms are rarely

used in online pornographic videos, and some videos feature situations that are not consensual.

Inappropriate material does not stop at browsing the Internet, however. Many video games are known for unnecessarily sexualizing female characters. This gives both the male and female players of these games unrealistic expectations on how women should look.

Teenagers carry these ideas from video games as well blatantly untrue information

by JILLIAN CHENEY entertainment editor Scenes with sexual content - including those on television and in movies - average 4.4 per hour, according to greatschools. org. That means about nine in an entire movie, or the standard four in a 45-minute show.

This is only the standard movies and television, not those like

80% 33% 9% 5%

Sex Education has to be more than just from the Internet

picked up from pornography with them through life with no sex education courses to correct them. Being misinformed on such sensitive issues leads to diseases being spread, unwanted pregnancies and a lot of people wishing they had been safe rather than sorry.

TV skips over the most important parts of sex, causing a need for proper education believe this method could put some students at a disadvantage.

“In the 21st century, it’s a parental right to be more involved with their children and having those discussions with them,” Bailey said. “We know sometimes students don’t have that parental support at home, that structure. So it’s left to the schools to help provide that parental structure.”

This is the reason why it’s so difficult for the state to set sex education standards.

In the meantime, Texas High is dead in the water, and its students have to figure everything out on their own.

“Without having specific language in state policy to reinforce at the local level, schools would open themselves up to more issue,” Bailey said. “I think that’s the only reservation we have about teaching more, but I think sex education is definitely something that needs to be improved.” photo by S. York

21%

*stratified random sampling of 60 male and 70 female students **note some students reported having both protected and unprotected sex

MORE THAN JUST MEDIA

by ALEX O’GORMAN viewpoint editor

MA

30%

THAT’S A WRAP

“Masters of Sex” and “Scandal” who have a included purely for the romantic content. reputation for featuring sex. When children Television shows and movies are not aren’t given a reputable sex education, all an accurate representation of sex that they have to learn from is the controlling should be practiced. It isn’t an acceptable “romance” of Christian Grey and the replacement for a sex education program, experimentation of Olivia Pope. and it shouldn’t be treated as such.

The exploration of sexual preferences should not happen in the middle of high school. With the explicit scenes shown on television, however, this is almost inevitable. Seeing sex on television encourages students to try it with their significant other, and this isn’t always the best idea.

There’s few couples on television who stops to say, “Wait, let’s be sure we use a condom.” If there is sex at all, it’s illustrations by A. O’Gorman

Lowest Teen Pregnancy Rate in America > 12.1/1000 girls > Sex ed not required by state > Decided entirely by local school boards > No abstinence until marriage federal funds > Most have extensive health classes > Many schools distribute condoms to students

TX Fifth Highest Teen Pregnancy Rate in America > 41/1000 girls > Must stress abstinence as the only 100 percent effective method > Received $5,402,595 from federal government for abstinence education > Sex ed must be “age-appropriate” > Sex ed not required, but has strict rules if taught > Sex ed not included in TEKS > Condoms cannot be given to students

AR Highest Teen Pregnancy Rate in America > 43.5/1000 girls > Not required by state law > Most schools, like Southside in Fort Smith, have mandatory health classes and speakers from the health department > Also had anti-sex week just like anti-drug week and anti-bullying week

16

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dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

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17

feature

dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

Turning

setbacks into

comebacks

DEFYING THE ODDS Freshman Joseph Rodgers is an avid reader, despite the difficulties he had to overcome to learn to read.

by MEGHAN HARRIS staff writer Freshman Joseph Rodgers doesn’t let anything stand in his way of achieving his potential. As a baby, Rodgers was diagnosed with a child development delay known as Asperger’s Syndrome, but now he’s at the top of his class.

From an infant to about five years of age, Rodgers’ disability caused him to be sensitive to different things.

“I would scream when hearing loud noises, I could not fall asleep with any light in my room, and some things I hated to touch,” Rodgers said. “My mom originally thought I was just spoiled, but she eventually knew something was

wrong.”

Rodgers visited a specialist in Little Rock to find the root of his behavior.

It was then that he was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism that hinders social interaction and communication. It wasn’t until he was 4 that Rodgers spoke his first words.

“I learned to talk through God helping me and my therapies,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers was in speech and occupational therapy from 19 months old until he was 6 years old.

“When I was little, I was in special ed,” Rodgers said. “Most people look down at those kids, and I was one of them.”

Having this disorder and being in a program that kept him distant from other

children prevented him from being social.

However, after two years of therapy, his mother met with his teachers, who allowed him to be in regular classes.

“They said I was a miracle, and that I didn’t need therapy anymore,” Rodgers said. “I could be in regular kindergarten.

In therapy, and they tried to teach me how to talk, but I taught myself to read. I had tools such as Leap Frog.”

Rodgers first time reading something without help was in a restaurant when he read a Heinz Ketchup bottle. Then later that day in the car, he read a sign that said, “Do not block intersection.”

“My mom was startled to death,” Rodgers said. “She asked me if I could I read, and I told her ‘yes.’”

Asperger’s is on the high spectrum of autism. Generally, kids with Asperger’s display considerable academic strengths.

Rodgers graduated his eighth grade year from Red Lick Middle School as salutatorian.

“I missed valedictorian by 0.01,” Rodgers said. “My grades were all A’s at Red Lick, but now I’m pretty much an A-,

Freshman overcomes Asperger’s syndrome to become star student

A+ student.”

Being able to read at a higher level than many of his peers helped Rodgers in many ways academically. But nowadays, he has a hard time pronouncing certain words.

“I was also different in the sense of me being literal,” Rodgers said. “It’s hard for me to take a joke sometimes, and it’s also hard for other people to understand me.”

Rodgers is involved in many extracurricular activities on top of a schedule with all Pre-AP core classes and dual credit electives. He spends his time in band, Student Council, UIL Current Events and Ready Writing. He also takes piano lessons.

“I want to be the best I can be in all that I’m involved in,” Rodgers said.

While being actively involved at Myrtle Springs Baptist Church, Rodgers has developed a close relationship with God and believes that God has helped him get to where he is today.

“I feel that I need to introduce people to Christ by telling my story and my testimony,” Rodgers said. “I feel that God worked a miracle through me.” photo by P. Spaulding

Can’t slow her down

Sophomore lives life to fullest despite missing arm

by LANGLEY LEVERETT staff writer A simple decision. A complicated outcome. One internal struggle between pride and life. Once a formative has been determined there is no turning back and the decisions made now will influence the very essence of her being. Seeing no possible way out of this nightmare, she nods her consent.

Sophomore Kyzia Johnson views life as an opportunity that must be utilized for the benefit of others. Having caught some of life’s fastest curve balls, she knows the importance of appreciating the details.

“When I was 2 and a half I was diagnosed with cancer in the bone, but I did chemotherapy and radiation for a year. We thought everything was okay and the tumor was gone. We were

wrong,” Johnson said. “Eight years later I had this horrible pain in the back of my left arm and a large lump started to slowly appear and my parents knew instantly what it was.”

Johnson’s parents resumed treatments immediately after discovering the resurgence of the cancer.

“Shortly after I started chemotherapy again, my doctor told me not to be rough because if I broke my arm it wouldn’t be good,” Johnson said. “Then about the beginning of November later on that year, I slipped and fell, which broke the bone in my arm completely. I told my mom about a week later and she told my doctor. He told me that the break in my arm was bleeding and feeding tumors. If it got in my bloodstream it would have spread, and minutes after telling my family and I the news, he

started to say the best option would be to amputate it.”

Faced with an impossible choice, the fear of the unknown future pressed down on her shoulders.

“That was a tough decision to make, but it was the best and easiest,” Johnson said. “After the surgery, I hated myself for making what I thought was a very stupid decision, but now that I’m older, it doesn’t bother me as much.”

Determined to prove that she is not inhibited in any way, she sees her issue as a simple alteration in lifestyle, not a handicap.

“It’s just something you learn to live with,” Johnson said. “I think when people say they have a disability it’s because they feel sorry for themselves. I really don’t like the word disabled, I feel it’s not a very nice word to label

MAKING THE MOST OF IT Sophomore Kyzia Johnson sees her missing arm as a lifestyle change, not a disability.

someone or yourself.”

Johnson’s drive to stay optimistic is the awareness that other children have been less fortunate than her.

“The motivation to stay positive would have to be the kids I met that died of their cancer,” Johnson said. “They aren’t alive anymore, but I’m lucky to still be here, that’s what motivates me.”

Even when she feels as if the world is against her, she still finds the courage to remain confident.

“When someone would point out that I had no left arm,

it made me feel like I wasn’t even a human being, just some deformed freak,” Johnson said.

“It took a lot to overcome what I looked like. Eventually, I realized that there are thousands of other people like me.”

Undaunted, and persistent, Johnson is adamant when regarding that she has a purpose in life, and that nothing will prevent her from achieving it.

“I’m still here for a reason,” Johnson said. “I’m not going to let my missing limb slow me down.”

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feature

Worth the fight

dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

Martial arts unleashes stress associated with junior year

by ANNA CANNON feature editor

SUCKER PUNCH With a deceiving smile, junior Jonathan Rowland practices his skills to defeat his opponents in various mixed martial arts competitions. photo by k. moreland

The bars clang shut around his opponent and him.

The air of apprehension thickens with the crowd’s bated breath. They exchange glances and tap gloves. It’s not about winning, he reminds himself. It’s about skill.

Junior Jonathan Rowland has been a mixed martial arts fighter from a young age. Rowland specializes in cage fighting, a regulated mix of judo, Taekwondo, kickboxing and Brazilian ju-jitsu.

“I started training when I was 4 years old,” Rowland said. “I was good friends with somebody who was into it, and I went one day with them. I loved it. At about age 10 they allow you to spar with one another. When they see that you’re good at it and your parents are okay with it, you’re allowed to go in the cage.”

Rowland fights in competitions at the regional, state and national level.

“I was state champion for two years in middle weight division,” Rowland said. “I’ve competed in regionals consecutively for the past five years.”

Rowland is involved in multiple sports and extracurricular activities, and his MMA training has

benefitted him both mentally and physically.

“I’m in Boy Scouts, cross country, track and theater,” Rowland said. “I’m in a lot of AP classes and MMA helps me focus mentally and helps me complete the task at hand.”

Rowland plans on participating in a ROTC program while at college, which will put his fighting skills to the test.

“I’m planning on going to college with a navy ROTC scholarship and be in the Navy for four years at Texas A&M Galveston,” Rowland said. “There’s a lot of training involved.”

Rowland also plans on a future career in the military.

“I’m doing surface warfare, which is basically the weaponry on a ship,” Rowland said. “There’s not a lot of frontline action, but hand-to-hand combat is always appreciated.”

Rowland is aware of the stereotypes that surround his sport, most of which are not true.

“A lot of people think that it’s a combative art that’s really aggressive and rude,” Rowland said. “There’s actually a lot of respect the fighters have for each other. You don’t go in there to beat someone up, you go in there to hone your own skills as a person.”

STACK THE DECK: Students get head start on careers

by RAGA JUSTIN news editor

photo by o. contreras

With the pressure to succeed in school higher than in any previous generation, it’s tough for most students to keep up with the intense amounts of homework and social events thrown their way, all while juggling typical teen angst. But there are a select few who are set apart by an active decision to get a headstart on their futures.

Junior Marc Jaramillo is one of those few. Recently, Jaramillo was able to open a barber shop of sorts, and now has cultivated a wide client base.

“I just started cutting my hair, and then my brother’s hair, and then one of my uncles, and then a friend’s and another friend and now I have like 70-80 clients,” Jaramillo said. “Every week I get like five new people. I don’t want to brag but I’m pretty good.”

For Jaramillo, what seems Iike merely a pastime is really preparation for his future.

“I want to go into barbering,” Jaramillo said, “But I also want to go into cosmetology. So first I’ll go to

barbering school and then cosmetology and eventually open up my business.”

While Jaramillo stands out with confidence in his eventual career, others aren’t quite sure where life will take them. Junior Odin Contreras is the co-owner of a YouTube channel entitled Raccoon Project, which creates everything from video montages to short films.

“I’ve gotten into photography recently, and it’s actually opened my eyes to admire how films are created,” Contreras said. “I have my own YouTube channel and from there I can create my own movies. I’m making them with a friend, and we’re having a lot of fun.”

But Contreras is hesitant about settling on filming or photography as a career, knowing the instability of such fields makes it a risky career to pursue.

“I don’t know,” Contreras said. “I want to be a doctor.

But this could change my mind.”

This hesitation is shared by other students who have recently begun to pursue their interests seriously. One such student is sophomore Brennon Cope, an avid singer. “[Singing is] definitely the dream,” Cope said. “It’s

SNIP SNIP Junior Marc Jaramillo furthers his business by providing a hair cutting service for numerous clients.

what I want to do, and it’s what I want to keep doing.

People see it as not a real thing, more like a childish dream, so I have other goals in life, in terms of studies.

But singing is definitely a big part of my future.”

Whatever the odds, the overwhelming consensus is: just go for it, regardless of any intervening obstacles.

“If you really like something you should obviously do it,” Contreras said. “It sets you apart. You don’t have to be a certain age to do things you really love to do.”

Meet the teacher

dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

feature 19 Frogs, Flasks and the American Fight

by CAILEY ROBERSON staff writer Freshman biology: for most, it’s memories of cold, dead frogs and presentations of the different animal habitats of the world. For the lucky few, it was all that, science teacher Jessica Sharp, and an Air Force story or two. Growing up in the little town of Vian, Oklahoma, Sharp attended Texas A&M where she majored in biology. Setting Sharp apart from the rest of the teachers is her 10 years of service in the Air Force.

Q: What made you

want to go into the military?

A: I just wanted to get out of a small town in Oklahoma. So, I came up with this great

idea my senior year in college, and I was like, “I’m gonna join the military.”

I thought my parents would freak out, but they thought it would be good for me, so I joined.

Q: Where is the weirdest place you’ve

been?

A: Probably [South] Korea. When you’re deployed and you’re going to the Middle East, you don’t really get to experience the culture a lot. I was lucky because I was on the Air Force base, and we got to go off base and go downtown and to Abu Dhabi, and then I’ve been to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We got to go downtown there, but we never got to go while we were in Iraq.

Q: What kind of people do you think the military look for?

A: You have to be emotionally strong.

You have to be able to follow orders, but if there is an unlawful order, you

have to be strong enough to stand up for your convictions and your beliefs. A lot of times, you’ll get crazy people, you know the ones I’m talking about, they’re all, “I want guns!” and they’re not the people you need in the military because they’re emotionally and mentally unstable. You don’t need that in your command structure.

Q: What is your philosophy towards work?

A: I think you should give 110 percent always. I think you should have enough integrity to admit when you’re wrong and to fix it and not blame your actions on others.

Q: What would you like to positively change about Texas High?

A: I just want the kids to care about their education. I want them to find science interesting enough that it inspires them to care about their grades.

photo by P. Spaulding

No nuts allowed Junior copes with life-threatening allergies

by LAUREN POTTER staff writer A few innocent licks into some peanut butter ice cream, an allergic reaction to come after, and a simple diagnosis. At the age of three, junior Wesley Smith’s life was about to change forever.

“I was born with egg allergies and nut allergies, which includes all nuts,” Smith said. “Within the last three years, I developed a freshwater fish allergy. I used to be able to eat freshwater fish but now I can’t.”

Although Smith was born with his allergies, the severity of his reactions continues to change.

“The egg allergies have declined over the years, but the peanut allergies have escalated,” Smith said. “The nut allergies are pretty severe, as in I can’t breathe in the nut air, I can’t be around them without it bothering me.

It’s really bad.”

Due to his allergies, Smith is not only restricted to what foods he can eat, but also the places he can go.

“There’s several restaurants, like Texas Roadhouse, that I’ve never been at because they have peanuts all over the place,” Smith said. “I have to watch what foods I eat, like birthday cakes. I can’t have birthday cakes and cupcakes.

I just have to be really careful

about what everything is made with.”

Smith’s reactions are much worse than just an itchy throat and watery eyes.

“My throat starts to swell up, which can [restrict] breathing,” Smith said. “Last time I had a major reaction my legs started going numb and my eyes started to swell up. So it gets hard to see, and I start throwing up everywhere.”

With such severe allergies, Smith carries an EpiPen with him at all times and keeps multiple around the house in case of an emergency.

“I have one in my bag, my mom always carries one, I have

LITTLE LIFESAVER Junior Wesley Smith holds his EpiPen, a device that could save his life in case of an allergic reaction.

photo by R. Sorensen

one in my room, and one in the kitchen,” Smith said. “I have to show all my teachers [how to use it] and the nurse and some of the principals.”

Smith and his family have found many solutions and substitutions to bypass his allergies.

“[My parents] make cakes without eggs, which is hard, and it doesn’t taste as good, as I’ve been told,” Smith said.

“Sometimes for my birthday, instead of having cake, we will have a rice crispy cake or something. They just make substitutions.”

20

sports

dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

Lavon Brown, 11 Antonia POrter, 9

into basketball season

photos by b. o’shaughnessy

Change brings success

New players make impact by tye shelton staff writer Coming off a successful 2015 campaign, the Lady Tigers basketball team is now in swing with head coach Robert Cochran beginning his second season here.

The team will feature a mixture of upperclassmen and underclassmen, including five returning varsity players.

“We have been going over a lot of fundamentals, we are just trying to get better as a team overall,” Cochran said.

A lack of seniority has brought to light the talents of freshman Maranda Miller who leads the wave of freshman talent with promising basketball futures.

“It is hard, we feel like we should live up to expectations,” Miller said. “We don’t want to let down the upperclassmen and especially the whole team.”

The Lady Tigers have played five games so far, and have an impressive record of four wins and one loss. Including, Shreveport Fair Park, Pittsburg, Crandall, and just recently New

Boston. District play begins Friday against the Mount Pleasant Tigers.

Freshman such as Miller have become adequate with the transition of starting roles in middle school to role player positions at the varsity level.

Sharing playing time, and some nights not even seeing the court, has become a vast challenge but seems to be a good beginning.

“Playing time just depends on coach’s decision,” Miller said.

“It all depends on how we are playing, or if someone has started playing better.”

The team will look to have a surge of help from those players who will be returning this year, hoping to prompt a playoff worthy season and a deep postseason run, as the girls team has not seen playoff success in the past couple of years.

“Juniors Grace Brooks, and Takeba Dowden are returning to help us out, along with senior Jessica Emerson,” Cochran said. “ They will be key contributors along with the young kids, and hopefully we will get better as we go.”

by ALEX HEO sports editor New year. New coach. New team. Same goal.

During the first five games of the season, the Tiger basketball team has compiled a record of 4-1 and is preparing for its first district game against Sulhpur Springs on Jan. 2.

“We started off great,” senior RJ Reid said.

“We’re doing what coach [says to do]. I like that we’re getting out [on the] floor and pushing the ball. We’re wearing out [other] teams because we’re in shape under the cross country coach who is our full time basketball coach now.”

One major change is the head coach position.

Ever since former head coach Jacob Skinner left for Shiloh Christian Academy, Keith Jones stepped into the position and has relished the opportunity. Jones has stuck with implementing similar principles on the court - using the team’s speed to push the ball and outrun their opponents, also known as “small ball.”

“It’s been a challenge, but everybody is coming around,” Jones said. “I’m not going to change a lot. We’re going to keep playing a fast style, get up and down the floor, and pressing.”

However, one difference between the coaches is their flexibility. Jones has listened to his players, who advocated for adjustments on the offense.

“He’s teaching the same thing, but he’s more open,” junior Lavon Brown said. “[We suggested] more offensive plays because last year, we didn’t have many. It was just screening and moving and

now we have more plays. We have more scorers that the plays are for, instead of getting the ball and not knowing what to do.”

Jones too, sees the need to create scoring opportunities for his players to collectively fill the offensive void of a former player.

“I’ve been trying to focus a lot on offense,” Jones said. “We lost one of our really good scorers last year, and I think we still got some good scorers but we don’t have that one guy that we’re going to get 15 to 20 points a game from, so I’ve been concentrating on trying to get kids open, teaching them how to get open and just a lot of offensive stuff.”

On the defensive side of the ball, the boys plan on wrecking havoc in the passing lanes, which would create turnovers to lead to easy baskets in transition. This year, however, the boys will implement a modified and more effective press defense.

“We had a press defense and that’s [where] most of our points came from. We’re still doing the same thing,” Brown said. “The thing is, from last year, we couldn’t have two people up because we always had two post men, so it was slow. Now that we’re playing small ball, we can add more to the press and it’s going to work much better.”

The team’s work has been for one goal: win.

“Hopefully we’ll have a good season,” senior Dominic Hooper said. “Everybody is working really hard. Hopefully we come out with a district championship this year and maybe even a state championship.”

dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

sports

THE SECOND WIN

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photo by k. moreland

Jiu jitsu provides unique form of stress release

by Molly Crouch copy editor Crouched in a predatory stance, her feet tactfully dance around the blue mat. Eyes trained to follow her coach’s movements squint to calculate her next move.

Fiery red hair with a bright blue stripe that matches her spirit springs free from her ponytail.

She’s waiting for her window.

Sophomore Michayla Hellums suppresses a wicked grin as her coach’s familiar banter goads her to attack.

Hellums’ grandfather, Tony Hellums, presented her jiu jitsu classes on her tenth birthday.

Jiu jitsu is a Brazilian martial art, which is an evolution of grappling and ground fighting.

The goal of jiu jitsu is applying pressure to joints and looking to submit an opponent through either joint locks or choking.

Hellums trains at Texarkana Combat Sports with her coach, Craig Campbell. After finding her niche, Hellums is now an advanced green belt in jiu jitsu and competes in the expert level at North American Grappling Association tournaments.

“This is what I love doing with my life and what I want to do,” Hellums said. “This is like my

release and how I get away from frustrations of life. I come in here, and it all just disappears.”

Hellums isn’t the first person in her family to join the martial arts community. Her mother, Toni Marracino, has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and her grandfather was a coach.

“She’s always had the physical attributes,” Tony Hellums said.

“I used to coach years ago, so I saw it in her and just liked [her] to try it. She won’t tell you, but, when she got up there, she started beating all the boys who had been here for years. That’s when we knew we had something.”

Hellums contends in about three or four grappling tournaments a year. They can be won by a point system, but Hellums prefers concrete evidence to eliminate any doubt about the winner of the match.

Her signature take downs are usually arm bars.

“Based on a lot of the fights I’ve seen, and when you leave it up to a decision, it’s not always a guarantee,” Hellums said.

“I’ve gotten into the habit of submission so people know for a fact that I won that match, that I deserve to win. I typically go for the submit as quickly as I can. If I have to score points, I will, but I

like to submit.”

When Hellums first began to train, another woman at her gym introduced Hellums to Ronda Rousey. Rousey’s ambitious career has motivated Hellums’ to strive to become a professional fighter and sparked her new kick boxing workouts.

“I saw [Rousey] and was like, ‘She’s going into the UFC. I think I could do that,’” Hellums said. “That’s what I push for.

Everything she did, I think I could do that. But maybe I could take it further.”

Losing a match or game is never ideal for any athlete.

Hellums is no different, but her grandfather’s mantra has strengthen her mentality.

“It makes me nervous because the thought of letting someone down because of a loss,” Hellums said. “It’s not even letting [my family] down really, but letting myself down. I have to get over it and come back and train for the next match. My grandfather calls it the ‘second win.’ It’s when you go back in after a loss and hold it together to win the next match.”

Campbell has coached Hellums for the past two years.

He foresees a successful future for her, including the possibility of Adult Worlds and becoming a

FIST BUMP Sophomore Michayla Hellums practices her jiu jitsu moves with Coach Craig Campbell.

name for Texarkana.

“I think a lot of people forget, even [those] who train here, that she’s not an adult. She’s a young lady in high school, and, within the jiu jitsu community, it’s very rare for a girl her age to be beating boys,” Campbell said.

“This is not a sport that your

weakness can hide in. And for her to be as active as she is, I think it’s impressive that she comes in 3-5 times a week and gets physically beat up. It’s a testament to her will. She’s our barometer; people either continue after they get beat

by Michayla, or they never come back.”

22

December

sports

“She came in and saw me crying, and she hugged me and told me things would be okay. Ever since then, I just held on to her.”

Decisions

The SWIM team is expecting to make a big leap from last year because they have grown more experienced and have gotten out of the transition year where that had a lot of raw young talent that needed to develop. They have already been successful in several meets.

-Grace Brooks, 11

SENIOR TYLER SNELL

a coach’s

The GIRLS SOCCER team lost several valuable seniors, leaving them with young team of more sophomores and freshmen than juniors and seniors. However, the team is strong and believes they will replicate last year’s success.

SENIOR ANGELES CHAVEZ Many of the varsity BOYS SOCCER defensive players from last year graduated and that has given an opportunity for defensive members of JV from last year to attempt to fill the large cleats of the departed seniors. It’s going to be difficult for the guys to find success as players step up to fill leadership roles.

SENIOR ROGER MORENO The FRESHMEN BOYS BASKETBALL team has a good all around team that excels in both offense and defense.

They have had a solid start to their season and they expect big things. The JV TEAM players believe they will go undefeated as long as they keep a high free throw percentage.

JUNIOR ERIC SUTTON The JV GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM is young and plays at a fast pace, however they still are a little raw, and if they toon up their technical game, they will be successful. The FRESHMEN TEAM has a high powered offense; yet, they’ll need to work on their defense to become a serious contender. The success of the team hinges on the players keeping a good attitude and improving on their defense.

FRESHMAN BRITTANY KILE The TENNIS TEAM just finished their first ever trip to state as a team where they got third out of four teams. They had a hard fought battle against the current state champions, and now they are gearing up for their spring season by continuing practices and not allowing their players to get rusty.

FRESHMAN SARA ROGERS compiled by Jay Williamson/staff writer photos by E. Meizner, M. Frohnhoefer, R. Lewis, B. O’Shaughnessy, file photos

dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

by jessica emerson online editor-in-chief Volleyball coach Robin Holland’s giggle fills the small space inside her white Toyota 4 Runner. Eyes still pointed toward the road, she glances over at the passenger seat while junior Grace Brooks dances poorly to Beyonce. Fulfilling their daily routine, they drive home in laughter. Holland and Brooks have adjusted to mold a new definition of family.

“We communicate, and she’s like my daughter, but she’s like my little sister too,” Holland said. “It’s a blurred line. Because I do take care of her, but she has a real mom and a good mom.

But, Grace is also like my little sister.

She loves my kids and my husband loves her unconditionally.”

After losing her father at a young age, Brooks’ family dynamic took a new form. The absence of a father figure allowed Holland to become a prominent role in Brooks’ life.

“I became close with Robin after a rough day in eighth grade athletics because I was upset about my dad,” Brooks said. “She came in and saw me crying, and she hugged me and told me things would be okay. Ever since then, I just held on to her.”

Seeing Brooks’ heartbreak and longing for her father unknowingly inspired Holland to fill a void.

“When I told her I loved her she said, ‘Do you really love me?’ And I was like, ‘Of course I love you,’ you know you say you love kids all the time, and you do. You love them

good graces

because they are your students and you care about them,” Holland said. “But I truly loved Grace as a person, and I knew she needed me.”

As Brooks’ coach, Holland teetered the line of discipline and compassion.

“She played for me, and she tested every nerve that I have,” Holland said.

“She was so difficult. At the end of the day, she’d always hug me and tell me that she loved me and I felt the same.”

Over time, Holland grew to love Brooks like a daughter, viewing all her achievements and passions with pride as a mother would.

“Seeing her grow up playing basketball, every time she touches a ball I’m proud of her,” Holland said. “She took swimming lessons this summer. She was so afraid of the water and watching her learn to do something for the first time–it was nice to see her being proud of herself.”

Pushing her to succeed on and off the court, Holland has opened doors for Brooks that may have not been possible before.

“She tries to find all the hardest classes for me to take so I can be a little bit smarter,” Brooks said. “She created opportunities that my family wouldn’t be able to give me. I have a good family, but she created more opportunities for me. She’s helped me get better at basketball. I went to DisneyWorld and SeaWorld because of her. Wherever she goes, I go.”

Holland being a mother of two children, Major, 4, and Blakely Grace, 2, Brooks has grown to be a positive influence to their growth.

“My husband worked a lot when they were very young and Grace helped me immensely,” Holland said.

“She helped distract one while I did something with the other one. She really does teach them things that big sisters teach little kids. She’s building something with them I hope will last.”

As Brooks has been influenced by Holland, Brooks has in turn taught Holland understanding as well.

“She has taught me patience,” Holland said. “She taught me to laugh a lot, or to laugh more. She kind of prepared me to have a teenager. She taught me to be tough. Teenagers can say some pretty harsh things, but they don’t mean it. I’ve tried to teach her that your words hurt, and that whatever you say or do affects people.”

Although she isn’t family by blood, Holland treats Brooks as her immediate family, cherishing all of the time that they have been granted.

“I know our time is limited,” Holland said. “I didn’t get a lifetime with her, but I try to hold on to every little memory because I wasn’t given as many as her real family members.”

With only three semesters left in high school, they will have to shape a new dynamic as college approaches.

“I don’t feel like it’ll change much.

I’ll still probably have to remind her to do her homework and wash her clothes,” Holland said. “But she’s already growing up and maturing, and I can see her trying to get her independence a little bit. But Grace isn’t going anywhere, she still has a place at our house and in our hearts.”

dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

community

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entertainment

From Generations Far, Far Away...

The Saga Continues I. “The Phantom Menace”

May 19, 1999 Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi attempt to settle a dispute with the Trade Federation, but find out a surprising truth about the Dark Side of the Force. While fighting the Trade Federation, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon come across young Anakin Skywalker who Qui-Gon believes to be the key to restoring balance to the Force.

II.

“Attack of the Clones”

May 16, 2002 Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, continue their investigation into the Trade Federation. Anakin develops forbidden feelings for Padmé, and a Sith Lord begins to orchestrate his attempt to rule the galaxy.

III.

“Revenge of the Sith”

May 19, 2005 The Clone Wars are nearing an end, but Anakin is struggling between good and evil. He is worried about losing Padmé in childbirth, and the evil Darth Sidious is making his final plan to forge a Galactic Empire.

IV.

“A New Hope” (first movie released in

V.

“The Empire Strikes Back”

theaters) May 25, 1977 The young Luke Skywalker and mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi set out with the resistance movement to rescue Princess Leia from the grips of Darth Vader aboard the Death Star- which just so happens to be capable of eliminating entire planets.

June 20, 1980 The Rebels continue to flee from the Empire and Darth Vader. Luke Skywalker travels to Dagobah to train with Jedi Master Yoda, and Han Solo and Princess Leia continue in their flight from the Empire’s clutches. Vader wants to capture Luke and reveal stunning information about his family.

VI.

“Return of the Jedi”

May 25, 1983 Darth Vader and the Emperor are building a new Death Star, and Luke Skywalker has become a Jedi Knight. Luke rescues Han Solo and the Rebels prepare their attack to finally rid the galaxy of the Dark Side of the Force.

dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

New Star Wars movie will connect fans across a generation, add to storyline

by TYLER SNELL editor-in-chief Rebel fighters stand amidst a bonfire, celebrating the defeat of the Empire. Luke Skywalker smiles as he watches his father become a ghost of the Force.

Han Solo and Princess Leia join in the celebration of a new era.

This scene from George Lucas’ 1983 film is the closing of the Star Wars saga under his direction. In December of 2015, Disney will continue the series with the seventh installment, “The Force Awakens,” and fans are anxious to see what the new storyline will entail.

“I’m excited that a new director is making it, so we can see the movie from a different perspective, and the new characters look really interesting,” senior Rachel Lewis said. “I think the new movie will have different tones and moods.

The graphics and Common Gateway Interface will be really interesting.”

Photography teacher Clint Smith was just a young boy when the first movies were released and says that George Lucas set the bar high for movie graphics.

“The very first movie I ever saw in movie theaters was ‘The Empire Strikes Back,’ so that set the bar pretty high for what I expected from a movie because all of the films produced for Star Wars were groundbreaking with their effects,” Smith said.

“Industrial Light and Magic was created specifically for the first Star Wars film because there were no special effects houses. George Lucas owned ILM, and it has

grown to be the biggest special effects studio in Hollywood.”

While most fans anticipate new and updated graphics, some are wary about Disney’s drastic plot changes and deviation from the original movies. Some Star Wars books have involved an expanded universe that have not coincided with the movies.

“I’m nervous that they will change it up and not follow the same format as the other movies because it has been a while since the latest one was released,” sophomore Jillian Ross said. “I love Disney movies. I feel like they are trying really hard to keep it in sync with the books.”

Chemistry and physics teacher Marvin Harris says the younger generation of Star Wars fans are missing out on the continuity of the series when they go see the latest movie if they do not catch up on the first movies.

“The graphics blew me away in 1980 with the original,” Harris said. “I could not get enough.

They were so innovative and original. I can’t wait to see the new one in December.”

Science teacher Amy BakerKireev also says she remembers when the “Phantom of Menace” movie was released in 1999.

“All three movies in the original trilogy came out before I was born, but I do remember when Star Wars Episode I came out,” Baker-Kireev said. “I was in eighth grade. I remember waiting in line at the movie theater and seeing several people in line wearing costumes.”

Most die-hard fans of the older generation grew up with the originals and watched as the

Star Wars story unfolded. Action figures, toys, movies and TV series evolved from the original movies and have become an integral part of the culture.

“Star Wars is basically as old as I am. It was the first movie I ever saw, and I grew up watching them,” Smith said. “As I became an adult, they were re-released and the prequels came out, so the backstory was told.”

Since the original six movies were produced by George Lucas, senior Kip Williams is worried that Disney will have free reign to change the basic plot line of the stories.

“I’m nervous because I don’t know if it will be good or bad and [Disney] is going to do things that I won’t like and that aren’t supposed to happen,” Williams said. “They can do whatever they want, but I don’t want it to be too extreme or something that doesn’t fit.”

Sophomore Will Norton, however, says that Disney will be able to expand upon George Lucas’ groundbreaking work and wants to see how Disney takes the new movie past “The Return of the Jedi.”

“There is a lot of expanded universe stuff– like fan fiction stuff– and George Lucas has never taken it past the sixth movie. I’m curious to see where [Disney] takes it; there is a lot of speculation, which is what makes it exciting,” Norton said. “What really happens on the screen is what I’m most excited to see.

[Star Wars] was the first movie saga that I got into. But Disney is going to expand the Star Wars galaxy.” photos from Creative Commons

1

Annual favorite Christmas movie, “Home Alone,” is perfect for anyone who likes a classic, heartwarming story. This family film will bring giggles and good times to all who watch. Snuggle up with your friends and family to enjoy this timeless holiday tale of a boy, two burglars and a seemingly endless mission to protect the family home.

2

Listen to it

3

Wear it

Get “vest-ive” this holiday season with this trendy piece of clothing.

Vests of all patterns and thickness are great to wear with shirts of your choice.

If you want to layer your outfit in a way that’s both warm and stylish, look no further.

Compiled by Matt Francis & Naveen Malik

it the

Watch it

Justin Bieber’s new album, “Purpose,” released on Nov. 13, is his first album in three years. The Canadian singer sold 649,000 copies, earning the largest number of units sold for an album in its first week in 2015. Bieber’s new, creative music style makes the album perfect for people who like music of all genres.

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entertainment

dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

1

5

4

Play it

For any one that likes openworld game play, Fallout 4 is the game for them. Its rich story and massive playable area makes for hours of entertaining moments. Fallout 4 is the perfect thing for any gamer to unwrap on Christmas morning.

list

5

Drink it

Change up your normal holiday drink choices with a Sprite Cranberry. This limited edition drink can be found at most grocery stores throughout the holiday season. Chill out this Christmas with your favorite lemonlime soda with a bit of fruity kick. It won’t be on the shelves for long, so try it out now and stock up for later.

2

4 3

6

photo from marshalltexas.net

6

Visit it

For the ultimate Christmas experience, visit Marshall, Texas, to see the Wonderland of Lights and go ice skating. The amazing display has been a tradition in Marshall since 1987 and is visited by many from across Texas. Only an hour outside of Texarkana, visiting this beautiful place could be a new holiday tradition.

26

entertainment

about to SNAP

The cover of “People” magazine that features academic adviser John Bunch’s photo of Jessa and Ben Seewald.

photographers will be helpful in the future. “‘People’ has about 100 photographers around the country that they use from time to time,” Bunch said. “When somebody is in a location that they’re not near, they’ll reach out to someone on that list. I’m now on that list, and I’ll hopefully get to get some more work for them.”

For photographers, the opportunity to be featured on such a widely popular magazine is rare. However, Bunch plans to keep his options open for more jobs like this one in the future. “[‘TLC’ and ‘Discovery’] were very pleased with everything, too, so there’s a possibility I could get to do stuff with them or another magazine,” Bunch said. “At this point, you just have to wait and see what comes your way.”

especially when not done in one of the main “People” headquarters. Because the event was recent and nowhere near New York or Los Angeles, a majority of the work was done in the couple’s home.

“There were just a lot of people coordinating it,” Bunch said. “There were makeup artists, hair people and a reporter.

‘Discovery’ and ‘TLC’ paid for the photo shoot for ‘People’, so there were a couple of people from ‘Discovery’, and an art director from ‘People’. It was really busy.”

Photo shoots like this require experienced and skilled photographers to work successfully for the magazine.

But photographers need more than the ability to take quality photos–they must

ON THE RADAR IN THE CINEMA Cold weather is always a great time to watch a movie. Luckily, great movies are coming out in theaters over the Christmas break.

Though movies like “Sisters”, “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip” and “The Big Short” are sure to be hits, a few holiday flicks stand out as must-sees this season.

Starting out the Christmas Day lineup is “Point Break.” This fastpaced action movie is about an undercover FBI agent who joins adrenaline-seeking athletes to find out how strange crimes

Academic adviser discusses opportunities in photography

have well developed interpersonal skills. A “People” photo shoot involves a day full of shooting and editing before submission to the offices in New York.

“I think we took about 800 pictures,” Bunch said. “We sent the art team in New York about 150 small samples, then they contacted us back, and they had 10 or 12 they’d picked out. From then, it was just a matter of waiting around to see if they needed anything. We started shooting at about 8 that morning, and by 5 I had everything to New York, and they were happy.”

The success in this shoot will most likely lead to more opportunities in the future.

The method in which ‘People’ recruits

by Jillian cheney entertainment editor

A little to the left. A little more. There.

Now shoulders relaxed a bit. Great.

Show me that smile. When delving into the realm of photography, amateurs often learn by doing. Others learn by formal education, but some reach great achievements by combining both.

“My [college] degree is in journalism,” academic adviser John Bunch said, “Before that, I took pictures for the yearbook and newspaper for Pleasant Grove in the ‘90s.”

Photography is a difficult, often overlooked division of fine art, and for photographers it takes years of practice and talent to create successful art.

“I’m fascinated by people who create things artistically- people who paint, people who sing,” Bunch said. “I have no talent in those areas - I can’t draw a stick man, but I can do this. It’s fun to play with light and change things around a little bit and create something that people find appealing.”

Bunch found a way for his art to be recognized when one of his photos was published on the cover of “People” magazine, published on Nov. 25. The photo featured Jessa and Ben Seewald, members of the Duggar family who just welcomed a child into the world.

“They’ve got a pretty good amount of fame associated with them from their TV show, so everyone knows who they are,” Bunch said. “But they’re truly kind, polite people. Their house was small, and they were incredibly friendly.”

The process that arranging a photo shoot involves can be difficult and chaotic,

dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

keep occurring.

This film is said to have some of the most daring athleticism ever produced in a movie.

If you’re in the mood for a drama, “Concussion” is the movie to see. It’s based on a true story and stars Will Smith in the role of Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist who discovered the extent of the brain damage that football players receive. This movie follows his fight against the National Football League to

photo by m. brandon

Current & upcoming entertainment to look out for

show more people his discoveries.

Another emotion-filled movie is “Joy”, which is about a girl who creates her own business with a great deal of determination. A drama and a comedy all wrapped up into one, this movie follows Joy as she takes on the world of backstabbing, competition and commerce, with only her imagination to keep her afloat.

by Celeste Anderson

TELL ME I’M PRETTY Cage the Elephant will release their fourth album, “Tell Me I’m Pretty,” on Friday. The album features the band’s latest single,

“Mess Around” released on Oct. 29. This single has been featured on SiriusXM AltNation’s Alt 18 since the week it was released.

Also, another single titled “Too Late to Say Goodbye” was released on Dec. 3.

Cage the Elephant’s highest selling single, “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” was released in

2008. “Tell Me I’m Pretty” is produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, and as a result “Mess Around” has a clear influence of the Black Keys’ sound. If you were a fan before or just need something excellent to listen to, this album is one you should definitely buy.

by Brianna O’Shaughnessy

dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com

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dec. 16, 2015 • tigertimesonline.com