Wildcat Tales: Issue 7, Volume 69

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w w w.wildcattales.com @PSHSpub Volume 69

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By Nathan Allen

Lubbers, many students enter the competition each year.

“I’ve been going to the competition for several years now,” Lubbers said.

“It is a wonderful experience, especially for students who are new to it.”

Some students join multiple categories in order to find which one is most appealing to them.

“In my experience, I’ve found that students seem to enjoy drama the most,” Lubbers said. “I think it’s because they like to exaggerate their acting to make it seem more like a soap opera.”

According to Lubbers, this event is a great social activity for students with an interest in French language and culture.

“This is easily one of my favorite perks of teaching French,” Lubbers said. “It’s a lot of fun just watching the students compete. The more the merrier.”

ARTISTS WIN CONTEST

By Arim Lee For the Reflections contest this year, students were told to express their ideas on how to make the world a better place through different mediums. Juniors Sitara Kodali, Anna Orr and Lauren Muskara all received awards for their Reflection entries and will be going on to the state competition in April.

Muskara said she has had a passion for creative expression since she was a child. Although she uses different mediums for her art, she chose to enter a photography piece for her entry this year. In addition, she was honored earlier this year in the DMA Young Masters competition.

“I started taking classes in preschool at a local art studio. I loved it but had to stop as I entered elementary school due to some scheduling conflicts,” Muskara said. “I knew I wanted to stay involved in visual arts, so I continued through my electives in middle and high school until I reached the AP level this Photo by Lauren Muskara year.”

The photography piece entered by Muskara titled Muskara said she believes “Stitch.” “My piece represented people doing something to fix today’s deteriorating environment,” the world would be a better Muskara said. place if people took more action to better the environment. She

portrayed this view in her photography piece called “Stitch,” which received honorable mention at the district council level.

Online

: e d i s In How crickets could tell us what causes leukemia www.wildcattales.com

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Learn about the table built for homebound fellow wildcat, John Baldwin.

Febru ary

20, 201 5

CHOIR PERFORMS WITH BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

FRENCH STUDENTS COMPETE AT LA FÊTE everal years ago, the North Texas American Association of French Teachers began its annual La Fête Française event. The competition allows all high school students who participate in French to compete against their peers in academic and non-academic events.

The French competition this year will be held on Feb. 28.

“This is my first time participating in this event,” junior French student Sam Faegre said. “I’m excited to get to meet other people who are as interested in the language as I am.”

The competition categories include poetry, prose, sight reading, drama, music, dance and art.

“I’m going to be sight reading from an excerpt in a French play,” Faegre said. “I wanted to do sight reading because I used to do that in theater and it was always fun and challenging.”

According to French teacher Jody

Issue 7

“I used dead leaves to represent the environment and thread stitching them together to represent people going out of their way to protect the environment,” Muskara said. “I am very thankful for my award and the opportunity to participate in such a wonderful event.”

Kodali entered four pieces that were all recognized in the competition. She received the Award of Excellence and the Award of Merit for her two-part piece called “Purity.”

“I drew myself as a baby to recreate a sense of innocence and security in the world,” Kodali said. “The world would be a better place if the innocence, trust, honesty and purity of infancy and childhood were translated back into daily life in the real world.”

The two-part piece “Purity” was done before Kodali even knew of the Reflections theme.

“I actually made them in the past summer,” Kodali said. “I realized that those pieces went along with the theme and I was able to submit them to put out my message.”

Continued on p. 6

5

Check out our centerspread to get your fill of individual sports.

By Zane Vakser Continuing their annual tradition of singing with the Baylor choir, choir students will travel to Waco today, Feb. 20, to perform and develop their skills with the university’s director. In addition, the a cappella choir will do a show alongside Baylor students at St. Barnabas Church at 7 p.m tonight.

“It’s really good to be able to perform in a professional setting,” choir member junior Kel Kim said. “The environment is so much bigger and there’s a lot more people involved.”

Kim and junior Anna Orr said they believe the interaction with the university students helps them better understand and experience their music.

“You get to work with all these other people who love music just as much as you do,” Kim said.

“These people are in college for their music, so you know that they are doing what they love. It’s really refreshing and different to be working with people that are truly passionate about singing.”

According to Orr, Baylor’s participation gives choir students the opportunity to examine what it’s like to pursue choir outside of high school.

“This will definitely help me decide whether to continue doing choir in college,” Orr said. “I wouldn’t go to a college just for choir, it would have to be a side activity while I major in something else, and not all colleges allow that. Going to Baylor will help me see if that would work out for me and if it’s something I’d be interested in.”

The choir will be reprising their fall concert pieces under the guidance of Baylor’s directors.

“Baylor influences me to be more musical,” Kim said. “People that are interested in Baylor can get a sense of how college choir works and we can question the director about anything, which is an amazing opportunity and a great way to learn.”

Photo by Lana Hudson

Choir students preparing for a concert last semester. “I’m really looking forward to the trip,” junior Kel Kim said.

“Getting a new perspective from Baylor’s directors and learning with them should be a fun experience.”

6

Did you know that one of our Psychology teachers is in a band?

Read about their first album.

News

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World affairs council to compete in Arlington

By Suhina Chopra Three teams of four will compete in the WorldQuest competition on Feb. 25 at the University of Texas at Arlington against other high schools in the region. The teams competing are from the Junior World Affairs Council, or JWAC, and have been preparing for the competition for the past two months.

The competition consists of 10 categories with various topic areas.

If a team wins in the competition, which is organized by the DallasFort Worth World Affairs Council, the team then advances to nationals.

According to junior Thomas Sipp, who is a junior officer of JWAC, each school can send up to three teams of four people.

“We are given articles and databases to research on various topic areas that the council dictates, and then you take this test with your team,” Sipp said. “We are trying to win the Dallas area competition so we can go to nationals.”

The teams competing held tryouts for the members of the club and now are studying for the competition. According Sipp, tryouts consisted of two tests based on two groups of different subject areas. The teams were then organized based on scores.

“Some of the scores were really great with students making forty to almost sixty percent,” Sipp said.

Categories at the competition

include food and water, Millennium Development Goals and human trafficking. Participants will also have 10 questions from the Great Decisions magazine they are given to read and current events within the last six months. In fact, Sipp described how an article in the Great Decisions magazine last year has become relevant.

“I remember in the previous WorldQuest competition, one of the topic areas was the Middle East,” Sipp said. “And one of the articles stated that there was a new terrorist organization at the time, ISIS, which was picking up a lot of support in Europe and in Syria. You know that was pretty big, and had good foresight of what was going to happen in the June 2014.”

Junior Patrick Ford will be competing for the second time this year. He said he has always been interested in what was going on in the world and enjoys discussing important issues with like-minded people. However, he believes that studying for the competition can be too much to handle.

“The material we’re given to study for the competition can be pretty dry reading and a little overwhelming,” Ford said. “You need to take note of the details and specific statistics related to the issue you’re studying, and that can be a pain.”

For junior Manoj Putlur, this will

be his first time participating in WorldQuest.

“I thought WorldQuest was pretty interesting because I really like current events and politics,” Putlur said. “I actually didn’t know what it was until this year.”

Other members of JWAC, such as junior Mumtasir Khaleque, will also be participating in the competition.

Khaleque said he joined the club because he wanted to become more informed.

“I wasn’t focused or looking at the news,” Khaleque said. “I just wanted to be an open-minded person that could communicate with people about different topics.”

According to Sipp, the club tries to do a number of different activities.

“JWAC helps us get in touch with world affairs,” Sipp said. “But it also gives us the opportunity to participate in events. Some are humanitarian and others are information-based, where you get to listen to speeches.”

If a team succeeds, that group will advance to nationals. They will represent the DFW World Affairs Council, which has won first prize at nationals for the last four years. Last year, Plano West’s team won first place at the national competition.

“I am cautiously optimistic about our success,” Ford said. “It would be great if we get in the top 10 teams at the competition.”

THE WILDCAT TALES

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

Think you can make it in JWAC?

Try your best to answer these WorldQuest sample questions as fast as you can. Starting at 9:00 a.m. on Feb. 23, the first person to bring us the correct answers will win a $10 Starbucks gift card. Previous winners are not eligible to win. Good luck!

1. Iran has access to the international markets for its oil from ports on the . . .

A. Indian Ocean C. Persian Gulf

B. Mediterranean Sea D. Caspian Sea

2. Which Western power was the first to recognize Syria’s opposition coalition as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people?

A. France C. Germany

B. United Kingdom D. Spain

3. What is the largest urban agglomeration in the world?

A. Jakarta, Indonesia C. Shanghai, China

B. Tokyo, Japan D. Los Angeles, U.S.A.

4. Which country, according to 2009 trade information, was the leading supplier of imports into China?

A. Japan C. Hong Kong

B. United States D. Germany

5. In 2013, what was the global youth unemployment percentage?

A. 10.6% C. 13.5%

B. 12.6% D. 13.7%

Feature

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Agricultural mechanics class builds table for homebound student

THE WILDCAT TALES

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

By Ashley Stuber

No longer able to attend campus because of his Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy, senior John Baldwin inspired a new type of project. Three students from the agricultural mechanics class designed and built him a desk that can be rolled over his bed and addresses his specific needs.

The idea first came up in Baldwin’s Admission, Review and Dismissal, or ARD, meeting. Baldwin’s mother Cynthia Michel was expressing their need for a table and their plans to spend hundreds of dollars, so Subschool Principal Andrew Jacobs came up with this alternative as a gift to Baldwin’s family.

“I figured that was something that our kids would love to do and I was hoping that the fact that the students made it for him it would make it special for Baldwin,” Jacobs said. “Baldwin’s mom said that he really enjoys any type of interaction he gets with the campus and the students, and he doesn’t get to do that very much. So, I asked the agricultural mechanics teacher and, to his credit, he jumped all over it.”

Agricultural mechanics teacher Joseph Molina said that he chose senior Jose Orta, senior Cliffon Harrison and junior Justin Weiss for the project based on their abilities and teamwork skills.

“When our teacher told us it was for a disabled kid, I took up the challenge,” Orta said. “The whole time I was building it I was really stressed out. I wanted him to have a perfect table.”

In addition to being able to slide over Baldwin’s bed, in which he lies in the middle,

the table can also raise up at an angle. This allows Baldwin to place items on a lip that was added to keep his belongings from moving around or off the bed.

“It helps him to keep his Xbox controls, magazines, phone and all of his other stuff within arm’s reach when he isn’t using them,” Michel said. “He is also able to have a food tray on the table, which is nice because he often doesn’t feel well enough to get out of bed for a meal. All of these things were in trays on his bed before getting the table. Things were always sliding out off the trays. Now, he has everything organized and reachable.”

Molina sent multiple designs to Baldwin’s stepfather before deciding on the finished project. This enabled Molina to learn what would benefit Baldwin the most and what would not work.

“The final project turned out a whole lot like the design,” Molina said. “You can see how much that goes into how hard they worked and how much they paid attention to what they were doing. They didn’t just slap it together because it was going somewhere cool.”

In addition to his project involving Baldwin, Molina works for a company called American Business Clubs, or AMBUCS, that gives bikes to people like Baldwin who have limited mobility.

“I work a lot with people with special needs and I really like it,” Molina said. “If I ever get the opportunity to help someone out like that, especially with something I know how to do, I definitely try to.”

Likewise, Harrison said that although it was a lot of work, he was glad he got the opportunity to help someone. Even after the one-semester class ended, he came in multiple times to ensure the project would be completed.

“I might venture off and start stuff on my own and help people more often,” Harrison said. “I like the outcome. I did the work and I feel good about it. We nailed it and he got what he wanted.”

Molina paid for part of the project himself and personally delivered it to Baldwin’s house in order to set it up, take a few pictures and spend time with Photo submitted by Joseph Molina him.

Senior John Baldwin smiles as he sits underneath his gift “I know this kid needed it, and for the first time. “He has very little mobility,” agricultural it was really satisfying being able mechanics teacher Joseph Molina said. “He can’t move forward or backward, so they wanted a table that went all the to help someone out,” Orta said. way over his bed instead of one that comes over the side.”

“I was really happy when I saw his and built it for him.” smile in the picture.”

Despite the fact that he is no longer Baldwin’s condition is similar to Amyotrphic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS, which able to attend school, this table has given is commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Baldwin the opportunity to both be active According to Michel, Baldwin’s type of and interact with his peers.

“I was hoping that it would make him muscular dystrophy is the most progressive feel like he belongs to a school that is an and debilitating form.

“John is a very independent person,” Michel awesome place to be a part of,” Jacob said. said. “This disease robs boys and young men “More than giving him a functional table, I of their ability to be independent. The table wanted it more to be about, ‘Hey, kids here gives him back a level of independence, and don’t even know you, but we love you and that is a great thing. John likes his table a lot, we care about you and we want to make a and is thankful to the team who designed table for you.’”

Photo submitted by Katelyn Ohashi

Senior Katelyn Ohashi stands alongside three members of the 2012 US Olympic Women’s Gymnastic team. “I feel normal,” Ohashi said. “I guess looking back at being on TV and having won American Cup feels pretty cool.”

i sh ha O lyn te Ka by d itt e

life. One of his main problems has been sticking with one coach.

“It’s been kinda hard,” Olafson said. “I went through a bunch of coaches because at my old gym they couldn’t keep a good one. Recently, I had a great coach at the gym I’m at now. But he had a stroke, so he can’t coach anymore. He was a great coach and knew what he was doing.”

Both gymnasts have spent a lot of time training and continue practicing every day.

“Per week I spend around 30 plus hours at the gym,” Oashi said. “I have three periods of off campus P.E. I’m there in the morning, then go to school for a little bit, then go back to gym.”

For Olafson, being in gymnastics is more than just a sport.

“I don’t know what I would do instead,” Olafson said. “Gymnastics has been his life, it’s like a second home.”

m

spinal cord area.”

According to Ohashi, gymnasts jump into injuries quite often. After giving her back a break to prevent further damage, she suffered two more injuries when she returned to practice.

“I had shoulder surgery in that time and then came back,” Ohashi said. “Then my other shoulder dislocated. I ended up having a labral tear to the bankart, so I had surgery on that one too. It’s just so much strain on your body; gymnasts have really high pain tolerance.”

The total damage her body had sustained resulted in a leave of absence for Ohashi.

“A lot of times we aren’t allowed to stop if we have something going on,” Ohashi said. “I competed with a torn labrum but just kept going through it. Eventually it comes to the point to where you have to put yourself and your health first.”

After being out for two years, she came back this January at the Kim Zmeskal’s Texas Prime competition.

“Coming back was more exciting to me than what I have accomplished because I didn’t know if I was going to be able to,” Ohashi said. “Other people kinda lost hope, but coming back I got a lot of recognition.”

Junior John Olafson has also been involved in gymnastics for most of his

By Lydia Sebany

su b

The crowd goes silent as the announcer introduces her. She rubs the chalk between her fingers going through her routine one last time. ‘It has to be perfect,’ she says to herself. The clock starts ticking when she greets the uneven bars and her energy increases.

Her momentum will amaze the judges, just like her coach told her. Keeping her breathing steady, she lets go of the bars for the last time. ‘This will be perfect,’ she says to herself the second before the tips of her pointed toes kiss the mats on the ground.

Many gymnasts that have competed at the Olympic level started their careers at a young age. Gymnast senior Katelyn Ohashi has been practicing the Olympic sport since the tender age of three.

“My mom used to do gymnastics so she said that whenever I was little I would set up trampolines in the house and jump over the couch on them,” Ohashi said. “She just got me into it.”

Ohashi is a world class gymnast who competed at the American Cup in 2013, debuting as a senior competitor.

She ended up winning the competition, but had to deal with her back pain all throughout the day.

“It was the biggest meet that I’ve been to,” Ohashi said. “I won it but during that time, my back was really bothering me. My spine started shifting around the

Plan Uniq Spo

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Hitting the high bar

the only thing I would ever do was point at the horse -- I wouldn’t point at any other animal,” Krell said. “So she knew right then that I wanted to ride horses, or at least be around them.”

Krell said that her most vivid memory of riding is when she fell off a horse for the first time. Luckily, she was not injured.

“When I was riding, my horse jumped sideways and I was so little that I wasn’t ready for it,” Krell said. “I flipped over her back and ended up landing on my feet which is really good because I didn’t get hurt. Afterwards, the horse was so sweet and she felt bad, you could tell. She walked up to me and she was nudging me. She was trying to get me back on.”

Krell said that riding horseback is an escape for her, and that she has a strong relationship with the animals.

“When you’re on a horse, you and the horse are connected and you don’t think about anything else,” Krell said. “You’re there to have a good time and you don’t have to worry about anything.”

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see if I liked,” Butler said. “I never thought that I would do it for 10 years.”

knowledge of riding has to be so great that you have to know how to handle the horse in any situation. It’s not just about riding one horse all the time and figuring out that one horse, it’s about riding many different horses and being able to adapt to any situation.”

Another horseback rider, senior Dallas Miata, started riding when she was at the age of five, at a girl scout camp in Palestine, TX, called Bette Perot.

“It is very different because you’re not the one moving -- the horse is,” Miata said.

“You have to control this big animal that weighs almost a ton.”

Miata said she visits the camp as much as she can, and that she enjoys the different activities they do involving horseback riding.

“We do competitions at the camp,” Miata said. “We also get to do our drills in the rodeo and ride in parades.”

Currently, Miata rides at least twice a month, or every other week.

“It’s just really fun to be able to learn new things about your horse and feel this horse moving at the same time you do,” Miata said.

For junior Grace Krell, her horseback riding life began at the age of four.

Although they told her she was too small, she continued to help out around the stable until she was able to ride at the age of seven.

“When I was really little, my mom got me this book and

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Riding with a connection

lessons at Summer Hill Farms. As a big animal lover, Butler said she was curious about what riding horses would be like.

“I’ve always loved

By Ella Hunt animals and I just love being around them,” Butler Her mind races and her body shakes said.

“It’s really rewarding to know that with adrenaline. All eyes are on her as she you have a connection with an animal and sits upon a horse she has never met before. you can make it do what you want it to do.

She wonders if this one will listen to her, It’s something that I enjoy so much and and if she will be able to make each jump. whenever I’m stressed I ride because horses She holds her breath with anticipation as the are so calming.” gate swings open and the show begins.

As a 7-year-old, Butler first started when Every Wednesday and Saturday, junior she went to horse camp with her cousin Shayne Butler goes to her horseback riding during the summer.

“It was a Western horse camp and that’s how I started getting interested because I really enjoyed the camp,” Butler said. “After that I started reading a lot about horses. Then, one of my mom’s friends referred us to this barn and we inquired about it.

That’s when I started taking lessons.”

Butler is also a member of the Interscholastic Equestrian Association, or IEA, where she participates in national shows. In each show she must compete with a horse she has never ridden.

“It’s really difficult because you have to figure out jumps, what the horse likes, what the horse doesn’t Photo submitted by Shayne Butler like and whether you will get along Junior Shayne Butler performing in a show. “I just thought it would be a little sport that I would try out and with the horse,” Butler said. “Your

Skates of glory

By Jameriya Owens

Photo by Wendilee Walpole-Lassiter

Senior Marylin Cai performs a routine in an outdoor rink. “I really enjoyed physics because a lot of the principles in physics manifest themselves in ice-skating too,” Cai said.

no’s que orts Graphics by Ariana Leyva

Ice skaters dedicate much of their lives to succeed in the sport, but are often put on the back-burner.

There’s a frigid chill in the air, onlookers and judges hold their breath as they focus their attention on the center of the rink. Combining a series of advanced footwork, spins, jumps and tricks into a rehearsed routine, a skater concentrates on making each movement their own.

Senior Marylin Cai has skated a majority of her life.

She has achieved a gold level in the free-skating and moves in the field categories. She has also won the Southwestern Regional, which is a competition between skaters across Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and New Mexico, allowing her to qualify for nationals twice.

“I started competitive skating when I was three and did it up until I turned 15, but then I got injured so right now I just skate twice a week,” Cai

said. “My mom wanted me to exercise and get out because she thought skating was a beautiful sport, and then I started falling in love with it.”

According to Cai, though the sport does not center much around team efforts, it should not be considered any less significant than ones that are.

“I think it’s okay that there aren’t a lot of things like peprallies, because skating is an individual sport,” Cai said.

“The only thing that bothers me is when people say skating isn’t really a sport. Skaters are always jumping in the air, spinning, falling, getting back up and trying over and over again to be better so to say that isn’t fair.”

Much like Cai, junior Heather Robinson also started skating at a young age.

“I skated for about 10 years,” Robinson said. “If you want to keep improving, most people take lessons. If you’re competitive it can take up

pretty much you’re entire life.”

Robinson, who is also a member of the tennis team, no longer competes because of how much time the sport requires and the lack of availability in her schedule.

“Starting high school was my decision to focus on improving in school more, because there’s always a lot of work to do,” Robinson said.

“My parents never told me to go and practice, so I definitely learned self-discipline, but when I started high school it was clear the academic achievements should come first.”

Unfortunately, due to an injury Cai no longer competes, but still trains regularly so that when she does heal it will be like she never left the ice.

“Even though I’m not training as much as I did back then, I think skating will always be a part of me that will not be taken away,” Caid said.

Putt to perfection

By Abigail Werner

The smell of freshly cut grass on an early morning. Adrenaline coursing through bodies as the time rolls closer. The wave of excitement that comes from stepping on the green.

These are some of the feelings that players from the golf team are used to.

Senior Jason Goodwyn has played golf since eighth grade and has played on the school team since freshman year.

“The reason why most people aren’t really aware of golf at Plano is because major sports such as football and basketball overshadow golf and attract most students,” Goodwyn said.

As of right now, the golf team isn’t doing much promoting, but they have plans for the near future now that the season is in swing.

Their most recent tournament was Feb. 2 at Four Seasons in Los Colinas.

“We’re speaking at the spring pep rallies to promote the team,” Goodwyn said. “It is hard, though, to have students to come to the tournaments as we play during the school day.”

Every school year, however, they host a fundraising tournament around April. Anyone who is interested in playing is welcome to join. Junior Parker Nay said that he is looking forward to the fundraiser, as well as the season in general.

“My dad and I had always played golf together and we watched tournaments as a family,” Nay said.

Nay finds the sport really fun, and getting to have that in common with his dad makes it all the more special.

“I’ve also played football, basketball, baseball and soccer,” Nay said.

“Just the normal sports athletic guys play. Most of my friends play golf though, so them and my dad are who really got me started in the sport.”

Junior Austin Golf said that as far as playing on the school team goes, the sport can get pricey.

“When you start adding up your fees and your tournament cost the price just keeps getting bigger and bigger,” Golf said. “Last summer, I think I spent about $2,000 on my tour and tournament fees.”

According to Golf, that total doesn’t include travel expenses. Equipment is another price that golfers have to take into account.

“For a good set of clubs you’re looking at somewhere around $2,000,” Golf said.

“Keeping up with your equipment is very important. If something is just off it can affect a lot.”

Despite the dent in his wallet, Golf said that he does love the sport and looks forward to the season ahead.

“I hope that we can continue to keep improving and move into the top teams in the state,” Golf said.

Arts & Entertainment

The Bodarks

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THE WILDCAT TALES

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

By MaryClare Colombo

Teacher’s band releases first original album Hootenanny doesn't sound like any other genre of music. It isn't country, folk or anything else. The band is on the same level as the crowd, and everyone is engaged. Psychology teacher Jeff Brooks and his band The Bodarks are turning hootenanny into something you can listen to any time with their first self-titled album.

Brooks and his old college roommate Jason Bell have been jamming since college. In 2012, they solicited two new members to create The Bodarks, named after Texas tradition and the horse apple.

"We originally started off doing covers of popular music, rock, hip-hop even, but we were doing them as a hootenanny, hoedown style with fiddle, banjo and all that," Brooks said. "When we started doing that, people really liked it. It was music they knew but it was a new style. But then, we wanted to write our own stuff and play it live and people really liked it. Little by little, we accumulated our own originals, so we knew it was time."

Last year, The Bodarks were selected to participate in the Shiner's Rising Stars competition. The prize for winning the competition was a $10,000 recording contract. Even though The Bodarks made it to the finals, they did not win. Senior Jordan Greene had Brooks for psychology during the time of the competition.

"Mr. Brooks kept talking about it and I really liked him, so I was like, 'Okay, I’m free and I want to go,'" Greene said. "They didn't win the competition but they did really well and I thought it was very cool. Everybody was like, 'You need an album.' They had a good fan base, so they did a Kickstarter so they could raise money to make an album."

Kickstarter is a fundraising program where donors get gifts back for donating.

Greene's father is friends with Brooks, so Greene's family donated $750 on Kickstarter.

Because of this donation, as promised on Kickstarter, The Bodarks played at Greene's father's college graduation party.

"We were the first people to donate and, come to find out, we were the largest donation," Greene said. "What’s really cool is when they had an album release party, they had raffles of Bodarks stuff and at the end, they had this guitar that Jason, who’s in The Bodarks, designed and decorated.

They said they had a gift for their largest donors and it was to my dad and stepmom."

The Bodarks began putting the album together after the fans raised more than enough money to create it. They started in April of 2014 and released the album on Jan. 23, 2015. The album has 13 songs and a theme running through it.

"We wanted something that had a thread

that bounded it," Brooks said. "The cover of the album kind of expresses this. The arrangement of the album fits a theme of the devil – the devil at the crossroads or the devil that's the tempter in the garden. On the album cover, you see a Photo submitted by Jeff Brooks serpent at the tree of life, and it's suggested that The Bodarks perform at Trees, one of the multiple places in the Dallas it’s the Bodark tree. One area that they hold concerts at regularly. “We’ve played some bigstage stuff like at Trees, but when you’ve got a light shining on your of our songs discusses face and you’re on a stage, you’ve got a disconnect between you and dealing with the devil the audience,” Brooks said. “We don’t enjoy those shows, even though there. There’s a lot of they put us on the map a little more.” folklore and tall tales." lights and more shows. According to Brooks wrote most of the songs for the Brooks, that’s not what the band wants. album. Fiddle player Shelly New wrote three “We’re actually all happy right where of the songs, and they co-wrote one song. we are right now,” Brooks said. “We play "I write the lyrics and the basic chord about once or twice a week, and sometimes progression," Brooks said. "I lay down that’s too much with family, which is the skeleton, but when I present it to first priority. Hootenanny is folks getting everyone else, it becomes something together and making music together. It’s different with our own flairs. We've not a few people on stage – everybody is already actually written enough songs for a participant. That’s the whole thing about a second album, but who knows what the album. Our fans made the album as will happen between then and now." much as we did by funding it and spreading Lately, radio stations and media have the word. We’re all part of the same been contacting The Bodarks. They are show. That’s the idea of the hootenanny.” pushing for bigger performances, brighter

Love at first bite

By Gabe LaBounty

Students recall different sandwich combinations Junior Alex Hernandez stands by the classic peanut butter and jelly. This decision is based upon the elimination of many other sandwiches.

"I don't like to participate in a culture that over-consumes meat," Hernandez said. "So eliminating all those sandwiches, I go with the classic.

It’s a good source of protein and, like the cliche goes, it’s just a good fit."

Senior Gabriel Puche goes the restaurant route for his favorite sandwich. However, his favorite sub is not a sub at all. One growing trend among lunch food consumers is a craving for paninis. While these are technically sandwiches, they are different in some ways.

Senior Sofia Baker first tasted the "fluffernutter" sandwich when she was 11. Baker said she was immediately hooked on the peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich.

"When I first tried it, I cried tears of joy," Baker said. "It’s an unhealthy sandwich but extremely good."

Senior Sam Beagle said he frequently consumes a meatball sub with bacon, onions and ham.

"It's simply really good, despite the complexities of other sandwiches," Beagle said. "I really enjoy the large quantities of different meats all in one sub."

"My go-to sandwich is the panini at Jason's Deli with guacamole," Puche said. "The guacamole really makes the panini, even if you wouldn't expect it. It's the guacamole that steals the show, not just the turkey, bacon and tomatoes."

Graphic

Senior Roland Smith is partial to the popular roast beef sub. However, he said he once tried a dangerous combination of foods on one sandwich.

His grandmother once gave him a sandwich with mustard, pickles, sausage and bananas.

Artists win contest

ber

ley Stu

by Ash

"It tasted awful," Smith said.

"It was disgusting. It wasn't what I was expecting at all. My grandma just got spare nonsense out of the fridge to clean it out.

I wasn't even hungry, but I couldn't refuse."

Continued from p. 1

By Arim Lee

Orr said that she has always imagined herself with a future in journalism. She took the opportunity to enter a literature piece in the competition in order to voice her view on how the world could be better.

“I like to write and that’s all that I know,” Orr said. “I love English and I love to write essays.”

Orr wrote an essay titled “How to make the world a better place”

to express her beliefs based on the theme. She received the Honorable Mention for literature.

“I believe there’s a lot we can do to improve in the world,” Orr said. “People need to be more understanding and try to relate to others more. People need to see eye to eye and put down their differences.

We all have to accept each other for who we are and see each other without discrimination or prejudice.”

Photo submitted by Sitara Kodali

“Purity Part 2,” created by junior Sitara Kodali, received the Award of Merit in the Reflections Contest.

Opinion

7

A banana among the peaches Bananas have yellow skin, peeling away to reveal the white fruit inside. I’m Chinese on the outside, but I don’t really feel Chinese on the inside. Bananas are the metaphor that describes this phenomenon perfectly – I’m a Chinese child adopted into a white family.

I look Chinese. People slap Chinese stereotypes onto me – they assume that I’m all about my GPA and rank, that I’ll be a bad driver, that I speak Chinese, that I eat Chinese food all the time. In reality, I’m none of that. I don’t feel Chinese, and I know I don’t look white.

People always say, “I’m sorry,” or “that’s sad,” when they find out that I’m adopted, but it’s really not. I would have been living in a Chinese orphanage if I hadn’t been adopted. I wouldn’t be a ripe banana – I would be an orphan, just a plain lemon.

I’ve always known I was adopted – it’s a little hard to hide that I’m not quite like my adopted parents in appearance. I’ve always been involved in Chinese cultural events and interacted with other Chinese adoptees, but it’s not the same as growing up with Chinese biological parents and families.

For me, there’s this persistent race dysphoria that I feel many internationally adopted kids experience. Maybe it even extends beyond international adoptions – to kids that are raised in an “Americanized” lifestyle, forced to forget the identity that is associated with how they appear.

It’s as though parents, or even the children themselves, are desperately attempting to pull

their banana peel off.

I know all too well how that feels. There’s pressure from my peers to be super smart and act like the stereotypical Asian girl just because my race is Chinese. I feel as though I’m held to different standards and expectations. I often only succeed in failing these expectations academically.

I don’t have the stereotypical Asian parents, but I am more of an Asian parent to myself. My parents care about my grades and school, but they know that school isn’t 150 percent of life – something that I need to learn myself.

It has turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy. I tried IB and failed. I’ve taken all of the AP social studies classes except comparative government and microeconomics – but I’ve never done very well in any of them. I’ve never made a five on an AP exam. I get frustrated with myself for not being able to keep up with other Asians.

Even though, especially in times like those, I don’t always feel completely Chinese, it makes it seem a little easier for me to make Asian friends, even though I’m not as strong academically. On the other hand, it makes me feel like it’s harder for me to make friends with non-Asian people, as I feel like I’m not fitting in and instead being judged for my lack of academic ability.

Honoring our real-life heroes

By Ella Hunt In kindergarten I was always the one that would start fights with the other kids for no apparent reason – wasn’t I the big bad rebel – and my teacher would always put me in time out. Despite the fact that she had to do this almost every day, she never once quit on me. She always tore the other kids off me and helped me through the days. She was the hero I never had.

When people think about heroes, t h e y mostly think about the ones with the cape and super powers. But what about the other heroes? The ones we don’t notice or don’t give appreciation?

The ones who stay in the background protecting us and making sure we’re ready for the future? Those are the ones we should acknowledge.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Batman as much as anyone should, but we should also come to appreciate the heroes in our lives that aren’t in the spotlight, but stay behind the scenes guiding and protecting us so that one day we can become happy and prosperous. Believe it or not, teachers are our heroes. Most of us have been going through school for over 10 years now, and the amount

of commitment that comes out of every teacher we’ve met along the way is quite astonishing.

Even now, our teachers still show the same appreciation and dedication to us. Teachers try their best to help us not only pass, but learn the necessary things we’ll need to be successful. They want us to succeed in life. They want to equip the future generation with the abilities to change the world as they see fit, using the best thing they know – education.

The other heroes that aren’t directly in our life, like police officers or janitors, are still heroes.

Even if they hang in the background and never interact with you, we still wouldn’t be able to get through life without them. Without anyone to keep our environment crime free and clean, where would we be?

The janitors are our heroes, because a hero doesn’t have to wear a cape or have a secret identity.

They can be the average ones that live and breathe just like us, but also provide the loyalty and devotion that they aren’t required to give, but do anyway. And it’s not for the money, or for the glory. It’s for us.

That’s what makes them what they deserved to be called – heroes.

By MaryClare Colombo

The best example of this was my first day of AP European History, a class I took essentially to prove to myself that I could be like the other Asian kids. I majorly failed at this attempt – I basically proved the opposite. My teacher was going down the list of students asking random questions that aren’t worth remembering. He asked these questions to students who had “Caucasian names.”

When he called my name, he gave me a confused look that I have always interpreted as a look of disbelief that my last name is not Chinese, but Italian. Substitute teachers often give me the same look, and one teacher even thought that I was Brazilian, probably because of a combination of my appearance and my last name. The confusion will never cease, and neither will my amusement as they fumble around, attempting to reconcile my race and my name.

Yes, I have always been concerned about my GPA and rank and academics as a whole, but not nearly as much as I might be if I had grown up in a completely Chinese environment. Yes, I love Chinese food and plan on studying Chinese in college, but I’m still not the same as a Chinese person born into a Chinese family. I will always find myself stuck somewhere between “white” and “yellow” – feeling like I’m a little bit of both, when neither will ever describe me accurately.

Toning down the college talk

By Mari Brown “What colleges are you thinking of applying to?”

“What are you going to major in?”

“Junior year matters the most so you better keep your grades up.”

I hear these nearly once a week and I can honestly say that I am sick of hearing about colleges.

They have colleges who visit during lunch. We get endless emails from colleges all starting off with the usual greeting “We are impressed with your accomplishments!” or “You stand out to us Mari!” All of these things make us feel special when, in reality, millions are getting the same exact email as you.

We have our counselors and parents who are trying to set us on the right path for college. And with these academic conferences, it’s all about “college, college, college” and planning your future. They talk about what classes will look good on your college application and getting the most college credits with all the AP classes they offer. Let’s be real, though – some colleges won’t even accept those AP credits.

All this college talk is especially difficult with adults judging every

Letter to the Editor

college or major you mention any interest in doing. Oh, you want to do journalism? You are limiting yourself with the jobs you can get with that major. Don’t get a communications degree – you will get nowhere with that diploma.

What’s your backup plan?

What happened to reaching for your dream? It seems like it’s just going to get shot down by the same people who are supposed to help you get the future you want.

Instead, they give you the future they believe is best for you – because that will make me happy about my life when I’m working a job that I’ve never taken an interest in.

I’m thinking that college is becoming overrated. Hold the gasps and judgmental glares – I’m still going to college. My only suggestion is to tone down the college talk. Let’s only talk about it when I want to bring the subject up.

When you state your opinions on this college or that major, I begin to doubt myself, the decisions that I’m making, and my capabilities.

Public service announcement to classmates, teachers, and adults – it’s time for us to talk about anything but college.

Re: “All ‘men’ are created equal,” Issue 6

By Zach Friesen Your article was the most hysterical thing I have read in your paper, for all the wrong reasons. “This argument does not make sense,” is the best part, instead of, you know, trying to look at their point of view. You people were basically scratching your heads failing to comprehend what they stand for.

You missed the whole point of their argument. The sad part is I agree with your point of view - you just had the worst way of showing your point.

February 20, 2015 Volume 69 Issue 7

Torie Brannen

Print Editor-in-Chief

Haley Samsel

Online Editor-in-Chief

Sonam Benakatti Managing Editor

Ashley Stuber

Arts & Entertainment Editor

Taylor Norris Photo Editor

Anna Villano

Assistant Graphic Editor

Terry Quinn Adviser

Staffers Nathan Allen Mohona Aziz Mari Brown Kelsey Campbell Suhina Chopra MaryClare Colombo Maggie Cross Cameron Drummond Ella Hunt Gabe LaBounty Gabrielle Lammons Arim Lee Jameriya Owens Emily Perez Corey Picklesimer Rose Rana Elizabeth Ritchie Lydia Sebany Stephanee Smith Vincent Tellez Erienne Terpak Zane Vakser Abigail Werner

Mission Statement: Wildcat Tales is a student produced publication that serves to educate, inform and entertain the student body in a professional manner which will provoke thought while upholding the principles of a free press. The publication is a forum for the students of Plano Senior High School.

Any opinions expressed in Wildcat Tales are the opinion of the writer and of the writer only.

Policy:

Students and faculty are encouraged to send in any questions, comments, concerns or criticisms to be published. Letters to the editors can be put in the envelope in room B208 or emailed to The Wildcat Tales at pshs.pub@pisd.edu. The staff reserves the right to edit a letter for grammatical errors and space issues.

Any errors found in the publication will be rescinded in the following issue. Additional and daily updates can be found at our website www.wildcattales. com. Past issues can be viewed at www.issuu.com/ wildcattales.Businesses wishing to advertise in Wildcat Tales can email us at pshs.pub@pisd.edu. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisements deemed to be inappropriate.

Wildcat Tales is the official student publication of Plano Senior High School 2200 Independence Pkwy Plano, TX 75075 469.752.9336

Student Life

8

Phones in class: yay or nay?

THE WILDCAT TALES

By Corey Picklesimer

9:00 AM

AT&T LTE

< Messages

100%

Group MMS

Mandy Arnold, English department Well, I think if the teacher has given you permission to use your phone, then it is okay.

But it is rude and inappropriate if a teacher is giving instruction and when you have activities going on where cell phone use isn’t needed. I don’t want your phones. We just want you to pay attention.

Eddie Thompson, junior Most of the time, we don’t actually do what we’re supposed to do. It’s best if we just don’t have cellphones. In school I wouldn’t focus on my work when I had my cellphone so it’s best, my parents thought, if they would disconnect it. It’s been disconnected since last year.

Anne Blois, Math department

I am not for it. I think it is such a distraction.

I understand they should be able to check their text messages from time to time, but I think that privilege is being abused. Mrs. Harris and I don’t really worry about the cellphones until it gets to the point where they’re using them all the time. I remember one day I used a little Halloween basket to walk around and pick up the cellphones as they were using them.

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

Contacts

Megan Meyer, senior

I think teachers shouldn’t be policing the students when they’re juniors or seniors.

At this point, we’re only a year or a year and a half from college. In college, the professors aren’t going to police a hundred or so students in a lecture. They actually encourage you to have cellphones, laptops and tablets.

Jeana Herrera, Foriegn Language dept.

Since the iPhone has been invented, students have to be constantly in contact, so they get distracted from what they’re supposed to be doing. For example, in a car you cannot be on your cellphone and text and drive at the same time. You can cause accidents. It’s the same thing in a class. If you’re in a classroom and you’re on your cellphone doing something besides the activity, you cannot do both things and do them well.

Oliver Gaw, junior I was in my sixth period class and I was getting a call from my boss. I was like, ‘I have to go out out into the hallway.’ So I went out and my teacher came out into the hallway and was like, ‘What are you doing on the phone?’ and I said it was a call from my boss. I told her that if I don’t answer this call, I’m going to get fired. She still took my phone.