t
wildcat ales plano senior high school
plano, tx 75075
www.wildcattales.com
volume 67
issue 11
may 10, 2013
Human Abortion Softball swings into playoffs Abolish protests near campus
By Kaitlin Humphrey She’d pushed aside feelings of irritation and In elementary school, Hanson thought she was dizziness since 3 in the afternoon, wanting to the only diabetic at her school. march at the football game against Allen. When “That was hard, but there were actually one she got home from the game, she fell asleep and or two others who had diabetes,” Hanson said. didn’t wake up when her mother tested her blood “Whenever I felt bad I would just go to the nurse’s sugar level. She was unresponsive. Junior Angela office. The nurse’s daughter actually had diabetes, Hanson was two weeks away from having lived so it just worked out really well.” with diabetes for 14 years without having a major Whenever Hanson’s blood sugar was low in health complication. Hanson’s blood sugar level elementary school, she would tell her teacher she should have been between 80 and 120 milligrams felt bad and her teacher would send her to the per deciliter. The night of the Allen game, it was nurse. One time, she told a substitute teacher. The 14 milligrams per deciliter. substitute didn’t know that Hanson had diabetes Hanson was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 2 years old. Type 1 diabetes occurs when white blood cells attack cells in the pancreas that make insulin. People who have type 1 diabetes have to give themselves shots of insulin when their blood sugar is high. They eat foods with a high Photo submitted by Angela Hansen sugar content Junior Angela Hansen bonds with fellow mentors at Camp Sweeney. such as fruit when their blood sugar is low. and wouldn’t let her go to the nurse’s office. “I would go and hide from my parents “He just told me ‘It’s almost the end of the whenever I needed a shot,” Hanson said. “They day. Just hold on for a while. You can call your would have to find me to give me the shot. I really mom, it’ll be okay,’” Hanson said. “I just waited till didn’t understand why my parents were coming at school was over and when I got home my blood me with sharp, pointy objects.” sugar level was 28, which is really low.”
By Kathleen Shaffer Turning quickly into a parking spot, that are unfavorable to the opposing she rushes out of her car. Adrenaline party,” Jabri said. “He continually takes over as she approaches three brought up religious arguments, people holding signs showing graphic which are irrelevant to any type of images of a dismembered fetus. abolitionist cause. If the government On Monday, April 15, senior was to review laws regarding abortion, Stephanie Jabri began a conversation it would not do so from a Christian with Todd Bullis, a member of the perspective.” Abolish Human Abortion group, A few of the featured students are while he and other supporters stood taking steps to get the videos taken outside the turn-in to the parking lot down, such as contacting Judge John next to A building. Payton and urging students to flag and “It was really an impulsive decision vote down the videos. on my part,” Jabri said. “I went up to “It doesn’t really bother me too the guy and I didn’t really have anything much that there is a video of me in mind to say to him. I was caught standing up for what I believe in,” Jabri off-guard with all his responses. He said. “I think the thing that does bother knows people are going to argue with me is that he’s using me to promote his him, so he has everything prepared. I views. He used a video of me without didn’t know what I was going to say. my consent.” Usually I’m kind of reserved. I was After seeing the sign Bullis was out of my element.” holding, senior Chavis Hamilton For three other days during the week, approached the situation in a different Bullis stood outside different parking way than Jabri. Hamilton decided to lots. Bullis also protests at churches hold up a sign with his own message and government buildings, but plans written across the front. Suggestions to stand outside local high schools to from his friends inspired the final reach teenagers. Because Plano Senior message of “I want attention too”. is close to his residence, he began here. Though he will be moving to other campuses, Bullis said he may come back to this campus occasionally. “Babies are created in the image of God and have value,” Bullis said. “If you do actually have an abortion, that will stay with Photo by Maddie Sensebe you the rest Abolish Human Abortion protestor Todd Bullis and senior Chavis Hamilton of your life – display their messages outside of the building B2 parking lot next to forever that will Independence Parkway. be on your conscience. My motivation Sign in hand, Hamilton stood next to is to help educate these kids to see Bullis. Hamilton said the protestor was what abortion actually looks like. I’ve polite and appreciated the company. heard students are reacting in all sorts The two also posed for a picture that of ways. I’ve even had someone say spread on social media. they were going to kill me if I come “I didn’t think I’d get such a big out here again, but I’ve also been reaction from this,” Hamilton said. “I thanked by students and say they’ve just thought I was doing something never thought about this issue before.” worth doing, and it really was a nice Bullis videotaped his encounters surprise to get such a big reaction from with students. Several videos of everybody at school. I heard there was his conversations with students are a bit of political backlash on Twitter, posted on the No Planned Parenthood but none of it has actually caught up to me. I think it’s silly of anybody to YouTube channel. “Videos take a small tiny event be upset with me. As far as counterand spread it out over a bigger area,” protesting goes, all I did was hold up a Bullis said. “Many more people can sign that made me laugh. I just thought actually see the interactions. I’ve talked what the guy was doing was wrong and to maybe eight people, but over a tried to make light of it.” Like Jabri, Hamilton disagreed thousand people have seen the videos. with tactics used to promote ending That’s why I post online.” abortion. A video of Jabri was put up, and she “Despite how anybody feels about the said in the video she became flustered. argument, forcibly subjecting people The next day when she saw a friend to images like that, and telling them interacting with Bullis, she came back that it’s their apathy murdering babies with a prepared argument, but the is just behavior with no constructive second conversation was not posted end,” Hamilton said. “He argues it as online. a wake-up call for people but it’s just a “He uses his videos to paint a onejuvenile oversimplification.” sided story with the footage, only posting or editing the parts of the video
Continued on page 6
Continued on www.wildcattales.com
Photo by Maddie Patton
Senior Julia Knight puts her all into batting at the softball team’s first playoff game against Lake Highlands on Monday, April 29, which ended in victory. The girls won their best-of-three series against Rockwall Heath on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4, with a score of 6-2 for the first game and 11-3 for the second. Tonight, on Friday, May 10, the girls face off at West at 7:30 p.m.
Read more about softball at www.wildcattales.com
Diabetic overcomes challenges
w
ne s 2 School receives donations for solar panels By Alexis Sendejas Each year an average of 1,315 people graduate from Plano, according to PISD school graduation statistics. The average person in the United States produces 27 tons of carbon monoxide pollution a year, according to Cleaner and Greener, an environmental awareness program. That means each year Plano students produce 35,505 tons of carbon monoxide per grade level. Principal Sarah Watkins hopes to change that though. Just recently the school received a check for $20,000 from The Sun Club, an organization which donates money to different institutions to be more environmentally efficient, and $8,000 from Oncor Energy, an energy supplier in Texas.
may 10, 2013
panels will teach students about the responsibility of being eco-friendly, a lesson that will stay with them past graduation. “Kids will be able to go online and have the ability to create research projects from actual, live data,” Watkins said. “It is a great opportunity for students to learn about ecofriendly energy and to see new advancements in technology. Also, students, possibly members from Environmental Club, will have to clean the panels about once a month due to muck residue that builds up on the panels. This will show them the responsibility of having to take care of the environment and better their community.” According to Watkins, getting the money for the panels
subscribers to the energy provider Green Mountain Energy and their donations. They accepted our application and donated a check to us.” Watkins is not sure how many solar panels will be installed on the array, but plans on using every cent of the donations to pay for the panels. Alongside the panels the school will have energy system software, called Egage, which will monitor the amount of energy the school is using. This will not only help gather data for Pecan Street, the company donating the system, but will also show students and teachers the effect they have on the environment on a minute-to-minute basis. “The same time Larry discovered The Sun Club, he found a company down in Austin called Pecan Street,” Watkins said. “The two companies discussed pairing up to put an energy monitoring system on solar arrays. Everything came together and before I knew it we were in meetings discussing the logistics of what this opportunity would do for the school.” An installation date has not yet been set, but right now the panels are expected to be present on campus at the end of May and early June. “I hope the installation will be before school gets out,” Watkins said. “That way students can see it working. Just from the size of our school it is impossible to have an assembly to promote this. We will put it in the announcements, on Twitter and on the school’s eNews so people can see it up and running.” Photo by Alexis Sendejas This is not the only eco-friendly change Watkins Donations from customers of energy provider Green Mountain Energy allowed the non-profit organization The Sun Club to give the school a $20,000 check. would like to see the school make. She said she hopes It will go towards installing a solar panel array on campus, which principal Sarah Watkins hopes will reduce the school’s carbon footprint and teach students environmental responsibility. one day Plano will not produce a carbon footprint at all, Watkins said this money will go towards installing a solar was not easy, but the time was worth it. Watkins had to go and that other schools, like Plano West and East, will make panel array on school grounds, which will be located on the through almost three months of meetings before the school more eco-friendly choices when the opportunity arises. grassy area outside of building B2. even received a dime. “This is a learning experience and I want the students to “We will have the array mounted on the ground,” Watkins “Last spring the AP Environmental students did a project be involved as much as possible,” Watkins said. “It would be said. “It will be on a mount that will track the sun, which is on how we could make the campus greener,” Watkins said. awesome if the school could continue to environmentally better. We will be able to do so much with this donation. “Topics ranging from lowering trash amounts to eliminating advance. It would be a great accomplishment. It is our job It will benefit the school not only environmentally but also paper towels and installing hand dryers were researched. I to teach students how to be successful in life and this is one educationally.” judged the projects along with a guy named Larry Howe, way we plan on doing it. Hopefully the district will be able to In addition to making the school more energy-efficient, who is retired and has a solar energy blog for the city of become more efficient by learning from this project.” Watkins said the solar panels will also serve as a hands-on lab Plano. He and I visited and talked about the greening of the for students in different science classes and bring a unique campus and what it would take. He ran across this project educational experience to the school grounds. She said the from The Sun Club, which is a non-profit club funded by
Complications stand in way of blood drive donations By Priyanka Hardikar She had her heart set on it since freshman year, but she was too young to do it. Now, she is finally 17, and age isn’t standing in her way. But tradition is. Junior Jenny Huang said her personal beliefs conflict with her parents’ traditional Chinese ones. When it comes to donating blood, she said her parents’ beliefs will keep her from participating in the upcoming blood drive on May 24. According to Chinese custom, a person is forbidden from giving away his or her life energy. They believe that the world has supplied a person with a specific body, and getting rid of part of that body would mean removing a part of his or her life and therefore, life energy. This tradition extends to operations like teeth extractions as well. “I was confused and kind of upset at first,” Huang said. “I understood why they didn’t want me to, but at the same time, I don’t believe in the same superstitions because my parents didn’t raise me around the superstitions.” Organized by junior chairman of the Student Council Health and Safety Committee Corinne Kowald and senior chairman Jourdan Escobar, the blood drive’s theme this year is “You’re somebody’s type”. Kowald and Escobar reached out to all of the feeder schools and several churches. They also hung posters and blood drops. “We really want not only students to be involved, but the entire community,” Kowald said. “I think the blood drive will be most effective when everyone works together and keeps in mind that what we’re doing is not just for school pride; we are actually saving lives here. My hope is that everyone will be inspired to donate even after high school because it really does help.” Before donating blood, students must meet the weight requirement of 110 pounds, health requirements of showing no symptoms of illness over the past 24 hours and the age requirement of 17 years old. 16-year-olds are permitted to donate if their parent is present and gives them consent. Carter Blood Care employees will test each student’s blood before he or she donates to make sure there is enough iron and hemoglobin in his or her blood. Concerned about the safety of those donating, Kowald recommends a healthy breakfast, lunch and other meals following the blood withdrawal. Also, it is recommended to stay hydrated 12 hours before and after giving blood. Although Huang doesn’t agree with the tradition, she said she will pass it on to the next generation. As a sign of respect for her parents and the generations before her, she will not donate blood. “By breaking tradition, not only will my parents be unhappy, but it’s like disobeying all of the generations before you,” Huang said. “With how modern society is right now, people forget where they come from, and traditions and superstitions bring us down to earth.” Like Huang, senior Katiria Santiago is forbidden from donating blood. Santiago was born and raised a Jehovah’s Witness by her mother. As one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, she
abstains from blood donation to protect others from getting infected with diseases and because of the sacredness of blood. “As witnesses, we want to honor Jehovah, our God and creator. And as imperfect as I am, I do my best to imitate Jesus Christ,” Santiago said. “A part of me never wanted to donate blood because I was always afraid of needles, but not being able to donate blood used to make me feel like an outsider because so many people are a part of it. But I really took it to heart and felt that by not donating, I was helping to protect others from infectious diseases that I may have. I know that I am doing the right thing and that makes me, my conscience and most importantly, Jehovah, happy.” Although Santiago said most people accept her belief to abstain from donating blood, there are those who question it. “Some people think that we only care about ourselves and that we don’t have interest in helping others, but that isn’t true,” Santiago said. “In the world we live in today, teens our age are involved in drugs or other activities different from how it used to be. Being a witness really puts our faith to test.” Because of hereditary spherocytosis, a disorder where blood cells are spherical instead of oval, senior Maddie Sensebe said she has faced limitations in all parts of her life, including her ability to donate blood. Although Sensebe is unable to donate, she will contribute to the blood drive by volunteering. Sensebe became accustomed to giving blood for blood tests and is not afraid of needles. “I’ve had this whole my life, so I’ve always been this way,” Sensebe said. “But recently, with the blood drive, it makes me disappointed that more people aren’t willing to donate just because of a fear of needles.” Unlike Sensebe, Kowald has a fear of needles. However, that fear isn’t going to stop her from donating blood. “If I don’t do it, how can I ask others to?” Kowald said. “This is such a great way for young people to give back to their community. It is amazing to know how much of a difference one pint of blood can make. It can mean the difference between life and death.”
t
fea ure 3 Students plan to abstain from alcohol may 10, 2013
By Tehreem Shahab
She makes drinks and serves them, sometimes with food and sometimes without. She watches others drink them, but not once has she ever been tempted to drink one herself. Senior Taylor Read has been working as a waitress at Shady’s Burger Joint in Richardson for a month. She said the environment at her workplace is mostly family-oriented. “I took this job because it makes good money and it’s fairly close to my house,” Read said. “I usually serve food, but I also make drinks, mostly margaritas and mojitos. We mostly serve wine and beer. I personally don’t believe in drinking because I don’t think it is necessary, and it will open doors for people to ask me why I don’t drink. I can tell them about my faith and influence people positively.” Read doesn’t plan to drink even after she turns 21, the legal drinking age. “I’ve just been raised that way,” Read said. “My parents and friends know what kind of person I am and they know my beliefs and know I would never drink. I think making drinks is a good skill to learn. When you become an adult you have to know a little about making drinks and you need to learn to be around alcohol because it is in our society.” Similarly, junior Wania Uddin does not ever
plan to drink as it is forbidden in Islam, her religion. “I live in a society where I can’t tell people not to drink and I can’t encourage them to drink,” Uddin said. “I personally don’t even like the idea of drinking because I don’t like its after-effects. Also, I’m a Muslim and we’re not allowed to drink because it hinders your thinking ability and you make stupid decisions when you are drunk.” Uddin knows people who have had experiences with alcohol and has been offered it on multiple occasions. She said she would respond with a shake of her head and the word “no.” “I know people whose parents were alcoholics and I know people who used to drink and offer me some as well,” Uddin said. “I guess I just showed them how strong my beliefs are by telling them I wouldn’t drink. They would tell me no one was going to see me drinking but I told them I would see myself drinking and I would know I did it.” Read believes that even though it is prohibited by law, a lot of teenagers still drink. “I think it’s a good law,” Read said. “I think it’s okay to serve at 18, though, because you need to learn how to handle alcohol. I feel like teenagers drink anyway and the law doesn’t stop them.” Uddin also believes the law regarding the
drinking age is reasonable but not too effective. “When you’re 21 you can legally do something that some people have been doing since they were 16,” Uddin said. “I don’t think it matters when you serve it, because you’re going to be around alcohol at some point in life. I believe the law may be a good rule, but it’s a little naïve because people drink before they are 21.” According to Uddin, a lot of people fall into alcoholism because they are unable to solve their problems. “Drinking is a temporary solution to a temporary problem,” Uddin said. “I know it’s hard sometimes, but we need to think of a solution to the problem rather than just drinking it away, which will make the situation worse.”
By Brooke Combs
A lasting picture
Standing in front of the mirror, she looks at her outfit in disgust. Junior Katie Nelle’s dress is from a line called Boo Radley Australia and she believes it looks hideous on her. She tells her boss she doesn’t like the dress, but she still has to put it on for a customer. “I put on the dress for a customer and walked out and the customer said, ‘Wait, y’all sell that? Why? That is the most hideous thing I’ve ever seen. Why would you have that on a model?’” Nelle said. “I walked out of the showroom and my boss got rid of the line the next day. It was my first day, too, so for a customer to say that to me was very overwhelming, although I learned to deal with the customers’ opinions well throughout time.” Nelle began modeling the summer before her freshman year. She was a showroom model at the Dallas Market Center because her mother was friends with the owners of the showroom. A showroom model tries on clothes for customers at a market who might be interested in buying the clothes for their own store. In order to become a model at the showroom, candidates have to be committed to the job. If the candidates don’t have a previous connection, Nelle said their chances of being a model there are very slim, thus making some candidates work harder for the position. Nelle said that if she had to go through what other models did to get the job, she would not have modeled. Junior Saumya Gopal is a model at John Casablancas modeling agency. She started modeling at the beginning of her sophomore year. “To be honest, my parents wanted me to start modeling, so they put me into an agency,” Gopal said. “It takes up a lot of time, which is the negative side of it, but I think it’s fun.” Gopal does photoshoots and also stands in the windows at the mall like a mannequin. “You just try on different clothes but it’s really awkward standing there,” Gopal said. “Sometimes people come up to the glass while I model.” Modeling has had a positive impact on Nelle’s life. She believes that modeling has taught her a lot about people’s character, who to interact with and who to not interact with. “Many of the girls I met were stuck up and only in it for the competition, but I was a model because I enjoyed it,” Nelle said. “In my showroom, all the models always had a lot Photo submitted by Saunya Gopal of fun and interacted with each other, but if I Junior Saumya Gopal poses in a photoshoot for her modeling agency, John walked around by other showrooms I got the Casablancas.
dirtiest looks from other girls. It showed me how rude some girls can be, especially if you’re competing with them. Those girls were a perfect example to me of who not to be.” Gopal believes that the stereotype that models are unintelligent is inaccurate. Photo submitted by Katie Nelle “I think Junior Katie Nelle smiles for a picture to include in her there are a lot portfolio. of models that are smart and are eternally good,” Gopal said. “You have to have a good resume and be a well-rounded person. You can’t just have a pretty face, you have to have talent and be smart.” Nelle’s favorite part about working at the showroom was meeting different models there. “I liked hearing other models’ stories and what they had been through to become a model at the showroom,” Nelle said. Gopal most enjoyed finding new images of herself. “Before I went into modeling, I was very self-conscious,” Gopal said. “But when I started modeling, it gave me confidence and that’s how I assert myself now.” In addition to modeling at the Dallas Market Center, Nelle created a portfolio with a professional photographer. Her aunt knew a photographer who needed a portfolio, so he used Nelle as his model. However, she decided to quit modeling a year ago to focus on her schoolwork and because she felt did not get paid enough. “I did make a portfolio but I never went through finding an agency,” Nelle said. “It’s so competitive and I just didn’t want to deal with that and school.” Nelle believes that her modeling career is over for now and probably for forever. “I might do it again, but probably not since I’m going to college,” Nelle said. “It was fun while it lasted, though.” In the future, Gopal sees herself going to college and majoring in business communications. “I don’t think modeling is going to be a career for me, but maybe a side thing,” Gopal said. “I want to be able to have a secure job and obviously modeling is chance-oriented. I want to do something I know I worked hard for, that I can actually obtain.”
4
By Rachel Chen “Guys won’t like that.” “Girls should have long hair.” “You’re so brave.” After senior Rachel Brooks impulsively cut off most of her hair in a pixie cut when she was 15, she was not surprised by the reactions. Brooks first became a feminist after someone cat-called her from a car when she was 13. The responses to her haircut two years later made her realize that she disliked how much focus was put on a woman’s appearance and her interest in feminism grew. “Simply, feminism is believing that women are equal human beings who don’t deserve to be policed or shamed and deserve as much independence and liberty as a man,” Brooks said. “It really should be simple. People say, ‘Oh, I don’t necessarily call myself a feminist, I’m a humanist.’ You can’t really have humanism without feminism. For some reason that just seems like a radical concept to people.” Junior Morgan Linn only considers herself “kind of ” a feminist. “I’m for women’s rights,” Linn said. “But there are some people who are way, way extreme about it. They’re like, ‘Men should be lower than women.’ I’m not like that. I’m more like, ‘We should have equal rights.’ It’s not that hard to fix these laws, it’s just not being looked at.” A self-proclaimed male feminist, junior Christian Huang may seem a bit out of the ordinary, but he disagrees. In his opinion, the general stigma associated with feminists is that they are women who believe women are superior to men. “No – it’s just women who want compensation for the grievances associated with what they have suffered throughout the years,” Huang said. “There is no negative stigma associated with people who support equal rights for African-Americans. However, there is a national stigma associated with people who are racist. Why should there be a stigma to people who are feminists? I think everyone should have equal opportunity and that’s all it really takes to be a feminist.” Huang’s father passed away when he was 10, and he was raised in an all-female household by his mother and two older sisters. “I feel like they did a good job and they didn’t have to be a man to do it,” Huang said. “I have a lot of respect for women. I think a lot of guys do have respect for women. On an individual basis if you ask anyone if they believe women and men should have equal rights, I think the majority of them will say yes.” In popular media, feminists have drawn attention for their opinions on issues like abortion, date rape and discrimination. Huang is no exception. “To deny someone pay based off something as arbitrary as gender is just ridiculous,” Huang said. “If you think about it, it doesn’t matter who does what labor, they deserve equal pay. There is no evidence that suggests men do better, higher-quality work than women.” Junior Morgan Linn agrees with Huang on the unfairness of wage gaps, but is not sure how the problem can be fixed. “There probably needs to be more women in Congress and women in higher-up positions,” Linn said. “I’m not saying we need a female president or anything; we just need a more diverse perspective within the government. Like different races and nationalities being represented, different genders like male, female, even transgender people – so that everyone has equal rights.” Whether the problem actually stems from gender discrimination or women simply being afraid to advance in the workplace is debatable, but Linn said it could be a result of both. “Some women think they only have job options for some things and some ladies are go-getters,” Linn said. “Women should definitely go after positions that they want. I remember reading an article about how women in the workplace feel like if they ask for a job promotion they will get yelled at for being too out there. If a guy asks it, usually it is like, ‘Oh, okay, I see your point.’ But if a girl does it, then it is like, ‘Wow, you’re just being rude.’” During Prom Week, Brooks spoke to an anti-abortion protester outside of the school and ended up having some of her opinions shown
may 10, 2013
By Leslie Parker in a YouTube video posted by the protester. In the video, she proclaimed that she is a pro-choice activist. “There are a lot of women out there who are pro-life,” Brooks said. “I think it’s just that they’ve never been in that situation – and I really hope they never are, I wouldn’t hope that for any woman – but they don’t necessarily understand. It’s socioeconomics – where they were born, what they’ve been raised with – but sometimes a woman will end up in that situation and she will realize that every woman should be able to access that. I just encourage them to do a little more research on it and accept that maybe it’s for the best in a lot of cases.” Date rape, which is when a victim is raped by someone they know socially, is a topic that hits Brooks personally. When she was 16, Brooks had a boyfriend for four months who would guilt her into sexual activity and force himself on her. “One time I was trying to drive a car and he started touching me,” Brooks said. “I was trying to tell him, ‘Can you stop? That’s really, really distracting, this is dangerous.’ He wouldn’t listen.” At the time, Brooks had yet to do research on issues like date rape and did not understand what was happening to her. “Rape is depicted in the media as something very, very violent,” Brooks said. “It’s a stranger in an alley; it’s a stranger in a parking garage. It’s somebody that assaults you. You don’t know them, you’re crying. You’re in pain; you go to the hospital. It’s not like that a lot of the time. It’s someone you know; it’s someone who claims to love you. Months later, after doing some more research, I was looking through this list of what sexual assault is, what rape is and I realized, ‘Oh my God. I’ve been raped and sexually assaulted and there is literally nothing I can do about it.’” After becoming aware of what had happened to her, Brooks sought help from the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network website’s chat service and also got the courage to tell her mother about the abuse she suffered. However, she was not able to press charges against her exboyfriend. “There was no evidence but my story and it pains me to this day,” Brooks said. “Obviously, the cops aren’t necessarily going to take the testimony of a 16-year-old girl seriously. That’s also kind of an issue with the culture that allows rape to go unnoticed and unchecked because, ‘Oh, she could be lying.’ Every allegation should be taken seriously, because honestly, who the hell jokes about that? Don’t even think for a second. If you think something is wrong, talk to someone about it. If I can prevent another girl from going through what I did, I would do it in a heartbeat.” Brooks believes rape is a crime of opportunity that is all about power and feels that it has reached a point of complacency in society. “Some guys do feel some degree of entitlement to sex,” Brooks said. “Young men are kind of raised to objectify women. It’s not intentional; it’s just kind of the way our society is constructed. From a very, very young age, we need to start teaching boys and girls alike that it’s never acceptable to touch anybody without their permission. We need to really, really stress that because unless we start changing the way we approach human sexuality and consent, these rapes are going to continually get worse and worse. It will reach a point where there is no turning back.” Whether or not people agree that women should have equal rights, Brooks believes the problem of women’s equality still stands. “Whether it be a wage gap, the issue of rape complacency, the issue of dating violence, it should never be acceptable,” Brooks said. “Our society will never be equal until those types of issues can be addressed, or at the barest minimum, minimized. People can claim that, ‘Oh, well you have the right to vote, you have the right to go to school, you have the right to wear pants’ or whatever. I don’t care. Our society is not as equal as they think. It’s not as equal as it seems. And I think people should definitely be a lot more aware and more cognizant of what is going on around them.”
Photos submitted by Jennifer Pastrana
From left to right: Senior Jennifer Pastrana and h on top of the sun pyramid at Teotihuacan during
Senior Jennifer Pastrana and her sister enjoy a lon Teotihuacan.
Her sister was meeting an old friend
end her day locked in a detention cell. S Eighteen years ago, senior Jenn Mexico City to Plano. Everything was included only her parents and sister a cards and all the necessary papers. For to keep up with the green cards, Socia he eventually stopped getting them ren undocumented immigrants in the Unite This was not a problem until Pastra by police for being out past curfew w Jessica was convicted of shoplifting. “She was at Kohl’s with a friend,” Jen but her friend did.” The brush-up with the law ultim invalid paperwork. Immigration servic in a detention facility. Meanwhile, the P prevent her deportation. “My parents didn’t know what to d any way to say she actually came here le or papers anymore.” The Pastrana family was not able to k she was placed on a bus and then a pla with her aunt. Jennifer is often concern City because it is not always safe. “Whenever I was there I was sca by ourselves,” Jennifer said. “I was mo walking somewhere because they’d just were waiting for someone to rob. Her b she is really trusting of people.” Jennifer’s family originally mov quality of life. According to her, Plano she loses that sense of security. “There are better opportunities here said. “Here you see houses and building buildings. The buildings are tall and sm anything. They don’t even have backya One time I was there and when I finis
may 10, 2013
her sister Jessica Pastrana pose for a picture g the summer of 2012.
ng car ride to the pyramids of
d to catch up. She wasn’t supposed to She wasn’t supposed to be deported. nifer Pastrana’s family moved from s perfectly legal. Her family, which at the time, immigrated with green r a time Jennifer’s father made sure al Security cards and passports, but newed. They joined the ranks of the ed States. ana’s older sister, Jessica, was caught when she was 15. A few years later,
nnifer said. “My sister didn’t shoplift,
mately led to the discovery of her ces contacted Jessica and placed her Pastranas worked to make a case to
do,” Jennifer said. “They didn’t have egally. We didn’t have her green card
keep Jessica in the United States and ane to return to Mexico City to live ned about her sister’s life in Mexico
ared to go anywhere with my sister ostly scared of guys when we were t be there, staring at people like they being there alone scares me because
ved to the United States for a better o is a safe, fun place and in Mexico
e and a better environment,” Jennifer gs – over there it’s mostly old cement mall so there’s not a lot of room for ards because there’s so much trash. shed eating a piece of candy I asked
5
my sister where the trash was. She said, ‘Just throw it on the ground, that’s make my difference, and I just have to remain patient in my wait for a what everyone does.’” prosperous life.” Like the Pastranas, senior Jean-Pierre Salazar and his family also Salazar has researched legislative decisions concerning immigration, immigrated to the United States legally. They moved from Colombia when especially when applying for college. Salazar was 5 so that he and his three brothers could have a better education. “I wanted to speed up my process and see if there was some aid I could Salazar’s family settled in Florida under a visa and relied on the income get from a political figure who should be helping the people he represents,” from his father’s technology store in Colombia. His father flew between the Salazar said. “I looked on Sam Johnson, our Congressman’s, website. He’s two countries routinely to keep the store in order. Unfortunately, on one of quoted as saying, ‘If you are here legally, you ought to be rewarded. If you these trips, Salazar’s father was shot while visiting family in Colombia. No are here illegally, you ought to be deported.’ No one can know how much longer able to depend on the technology store, Salazar’s mother was forced that hurt me at the time. It just felt like a knife was sunk into my back to pick up several jobs. because I couldn’t see any justification in the statement.” “After my dad died, my aunt moved in with us,” Salazar said. “We started Jennifer also wishes specific things were different for undocumented getting stronger as a family and my mom worked as a cleaning lady and a immigrants. waitress in a Colombian restaurant. At one point she had three jobs. She “I wish that it would be easier to get papers,” Jennifer said. “It takes at worked as a cleaning lady in the morning, at a gas station in the afternoon least a year for the paperwork to get through and then it takes even more and took a graveyard shift at a mailing place.” time to hear back on whether or not it’s approved. Also, I know people Salazar’s mother began dating a chef from one of her waitressing jobs. complain about immigrants taking up jobs that other people need but I’m Because he had a second business in Dallas, Salazar’s mother frequently glad they’re here because it’s a better life then what they had, and they’re drove to Texas. After a year and a half of dating, Salazar’s mother moved willing to do good. There’s not much that I regret about what happened to the family to Dallas. my family, but I would like my sister to see me walk at graduation instead “What I really didn’t like about staying here was having to stay in a motel of hearing about it on Skype. I would like to see her at my choir concert for several months,” Salazar said. “My mom, her boyfriend and my three instead of sending her videos. I would like for our situation to not be like brothers were all in this one room with two beds. We would have two sleep this, but I know that what happened to her made her appreciate things on the floor and two on each bed. I didn’t feel comfortable. But what this more. Simple things like having a room, seeing our dogs every day and entire situation really did was inspire me. I looked around and saw us and spending more time with me. I would’ve liked her to be here, but I know knew that if I didn’t try to get my education and work hard, then the chance that she’s happy over there and that’s all I can ask for.” of me ending up in this situation again was possible.” In the summer, Jennifer will visit her sister and see what her life is like A few months later, Salazar’s family moved into an apartment in Plano in Mexico. In a few years, her sister might be able to come back into the and he entered Jasper as a freshman. At this point, Salazar was considered country. Salazar will attend Collin College and then pursue his dream of an undocumented immigrant because his family had not kept up with attending a big university with exceptional programs. maintaining their legal status after his father passed away. “I’ve been hardworking for most of my life and have felt a connection “In Plano, I knew I had a different environment,” Salazar said. “People to this country and its people,” Salazar said. “Some people in politics are started getting responsibilities and as an undocumented immigrant I realized promoting a ‘deport them all’ kind of mindset. That you don’t belong and it wasn’t possible for me to do certain things. I felt like I was growing up can’t belong is one of the most dehumanizing things that can be said about differently. I watched my friends get cars and start working. I felt that I was you. But I know I will, and I want to show everyone that we do belong.” sort of getting left behind.” As time went on, Salazar began to understand his situation as an undocumented immigrant more. “I started learning all of the ramifications that came along with not being a citizen, especially in this time when you’re about to make a jump from high school to college,” Salazar said. “I started realizing that all this work I had done might not matter. I took all the AP classes and worked as hard as I could because I knew if I kept trying I would achieve something that was not achieved in my family before.” However, Salazar realized he didn’t necessarily have the means to attend a university. He was accepted into the honors program at his dream school, Northeastern University, but is not able to go. “The issue arose where I couldn’t get scholarships or financial aid because I wasn’t a permanent resident or I didn’t have some sort of legal status,” Salazar said. “I couldn’t finish some applications. They would ask about my residency and I would have to stop because I couldn’t fill anything out.” Salazar is currently waiting to hear back about the status of his application for permanent residency, which he began working to attain during the fall semester. He had to receive certain vaccinations, get fingerprinted and visit the Colombian embassy in Houston to renew Photos submitted by Jean-Pierre Salazar his Colombian passport. Senior Jean-Pierre Salazar, pictured second from the left, spends time with his family in Colombia before “There’s a whole process,” Salazar said. “It’s like climbing a ladder. moving to Florida. I missed so much school that I was almost truant. I was able to get a Social Security number and my Employment Verification Card but I still have to wait for them to get back to me about my residency. We were supposed to get it in January, but now it’s May. We have just been waiting and waiting. Hopefully, I will receive my papers before I finish out at Collin College so I can take up the offers I got from other colleges and live out what I had forseen I would be doing at this moment in my life.” Salazar said he is very frustrated about his current situation, and believes education is something that should be undeniable to all human beings. His personal solution to the problem of undocumented immigrants losing opportunities is to give them equal rights as citizens from the time they are 16 to the time they finish college, so they can make something of themselves. “If initially we were given the opportunity to make the decision about the kind of life we want to live then it could inspire us to do more,” Salazar said. “I am still waiting to Senior Jean-Pierre Salazar, pictured on the far right, poses- with his brothers at his family’s first apartment in the US.
t
fea ure
Too close for comfort
6
may 10, 2013
Boston Marathon bombings shake students’ families Senior Haley Welch was in Anatomy when she read the news on Twitter. Crying, she called her mom in the hallway. The bombs at the Boston Marathon had just exploded and Welch’s two cousins, Susan, 27, and William Hernandez, 25, were running in the marathon. Since many of her family members participate in marathons, Welch knew beforehand that her cousins would be running on April 15. She even texted them and wished them well before they started. The marathon began at 9 a.m. and Welch’s cousins were near the finish line when the bombs exploded. “Whenever we heard about it, our whole family was freaking out trying to call,” Welch said. “At first the cell phones weren’t working. They had turned them off because of the bombing. We couldn’t get a hold of them and it took a while for their phone to actually pick up so we could hear everything.” Senior Callie Conley’s sister-in-law, Ellen, was also in Boston at the time of the bombings. She was working an expo for Adidas at the marathon and sat in the stands that the bombs were near. She was getting into a taxi about a mile away when the bombs detonated. “She said she felt it – heard it,” Callie said. “They actually found two more bombs at the hotel she was staying at that didn’t go off. She was very shaken up by it, that she was so close and she had been in the stands that morning. It really freaked her out.” Callie had not heard about the bombings until she left school the day of the bombings and her mother told her. Her mother also told her that Ellen was okay. Ellen was able to leave Boston on one of the last planes
By Kaitlin Fischer out of the city before the airports were shut down. “It wasn’t so bad because I knew she was safe,” Callie said. “But just the fact that somebody did that at a race was weird to me. It was really unexpected.” Ellen and Callie’s brother, Dane Conley, got married in September. Dane was watching the race on the Boston Marathon website to see his wife and other runners he knew, so he immediately knew about the bombings when they went off. “He was really freaked out about it,” Callie said. “He was taken aback, and he was really happy when she could get home. They weren’t sure if she was going to be able to leave because they shut down the airport. He was just really grateful that she got out. ” Welch’s family was able to communicate with Susan and William 30 minutes after the bombs went off. The cousins had stopped a mile away from the incident to eat pizza and hadn’t heard the explosions from inside the restaurant. “Whenever they were in the restaurant eating, that’s when it happened,” Welch said. “The police said everyone was getting stopped where they were. They were like, ‘You can’t go anywhere past this point’, because it had just gotten bombed. They couldn’t get to their car or anything. They were there for a couple hours – just waiting.” Susan and William both live in Boston and attend Boston University. Susan is also a nurse practitioner and worked the night of the bombings, helping victims. “She was scared,” Welch said. “But she was happy that in my family was okay. She was just happy to help the people.”
By Kaitlin Humphrey Continued from front page Common symptoms of low blood her questions about diabetes. Hanson sugar are nervousness, weakness, extreme said she likes to answer them to help hunger, slight nausea, blurred vision, a fast her friends understand her condition. heartbeat and anxiety. Hanson experiences However, Hanson has also dealt with shakiness and dizziness. people being rude to her because they are “I have three stages of low,” Hanson unknowledgeable about diabetes. said. “The first one is when I get tired and “There was one kid last year who really I’m lethargic – I don’t want to do anything annoyed me,” Hanson said. “I sat at the and I don’t have the energy to do anything. same lunch table as him and he told me that Then, after that passes and I’ve been low for I was more likely to die tomorrow because a while, I get loopy low. People will tell me I have diabetes. I was like, ‘Thanks for that I act like I’m drunk or high. I talk a lot and statistic. I don’t think that’s true, but glad to what I say doesn’t really make sense. I can’t know you think I’m going to die.’” walk in a straight line. With my final low I just get mad at the world and get irritated really easily.” A year ago Hanson got an insulin pump that replaces her need for shots. The pump is similar to an IV and the pack containing insulin is replaced every three days. “I’m more comfortable with my diabetes than Photo submitted by Angela Hansen most people are,” Senior Angela Hansen serves as a mentor for younger diabetic Hanson said. “I campers at Camp Sweeney. go to Camp Sweeney, a camp for diabetics, Because she has had it for almost her whole and that’s probably why I’m so comfortable life, Hanson doesn’t let diabetes dictate her with it. Some people don’t take care of it. life. They feel self-conscious about it and they “I don’t remember what it’s like to not shouldn’t.” be diabetic,” Hanson said. “In a way it’s Although Hanson is comfortable with better because I can’t miss what I never discussing diabetes, she doesn’t like it when had. I can think it would be awesome to not people treat her differently because of it. have to test and to not take insulin and to “One of the things I hate is when not count my carbs. But I’ve never known people say I can’t eat something because what that’s like so I don’t miss it. It is reality. I’m diabetic,” Hanson said. “I can definitely It’s something I have to be aware of. Even eat whatever I want as long as I test and people who have good control of their take insulin for it. People tell me I can’t blood sugar still have complications. It’s eat candy or cake but sometimes it works just frightening. At the same time, though, out for me when someone tries to sell me I’m not going to spend my life worrying chocolate.” about it. I just have to do the best that I Some of Hanson’s friends will ask can do.”
Scan the code to read more stories on
www.wildcattales.com
n
7
may 10, 2013
opi ion
By Kaitlin Fischer The breeze blew just enough to make the warmth bearable. The pitch black of the night wasn’t scary as much as it was an adventure. Without lights my friend Nicole and I could hardly see five feet in front of us, but it was okay, because we saw each step as a new place to discover. The summer before my senior year was the summer that I had been waiting for. It was the summer to top all summers and that night was the night I knew I would daydream about when I had to deal with school again the next week. We had already wandered the grounds bought from Haggard Farm for new houses earlier that night. We walked to the edge of the alpaca’s fencing, dead set on petting one of them. We chickened out. We took pictures on the deserted Plano Senior High campus. Only one thing was left for us to do and there was a reason we had waited to do it last. We sat in my car, peering out towards the open field of Saigling Elementary. Streams of water shot out of the sprinklers and crossed each other. Without needing to walk on the grass I could tell that there was not a dry spot anywhere. I looked to my right and saw a large grin on Nicole’s face, her eyes dancing with excitement. Taking one last deep breath, I opened my car door and stepped onto the concrete parking lot. Despite how close I had parked to the field, the walk to it seemed to take forever. I watched as the grass grew closer and closer to me and as I neared it my stomach began to twist. Looking down at the grass, I stepped tentatively, feeling the wetness under my bare toes. I was still standing there, frozen, when I felt Nicole confidently rush past me. I stopped thinking. I chased after her
and felt the cold water hit my face. I tasted the water on my tongue. I held out my arms and spun in circles until I felt like I would fall from dizziness. Nicole and I tried to run under the arcs of water unsuccessfully and leapt straight through the streams when we finally gave up. With the lamp posts surrounding us, we could see the entire field stretched out. It was magical. We weren’t 17-year-olds about to embark on our last year of school anymore. We were kids playing tag. Spinning around each other holding hands. Soaked from head to toe without a care. Everything we had been looking for in our two-month vacation from school was there in that field. It was our adventure. Our wild way of declaring that, even though in a week we would feel imprisoned once more, we were free in that moment. We could yell and laugh at the top of our lungs and no one would tell us to be quiet. So we did. Fifteen minutes passed before the excitement wore off and the cold hit us, but we both wished the night could’ve lasted forever. It was our last true summer adventure and it passed as quickly as it came. Once it was over, all we had was a memory to reminisce about as we dealt with the upcoming year of school. Standing in front of her mirror when we returned home, though, I knew that we didn’t need this memory to get us through the school year. Senior year was ahead of us and then college. Maybe there would be more things to stress about, but in the end wouldn’t the stress be worth it? I couldn’t see where my steps would land in the life that I would soon lead, but like walking in the dark, it would all just be another new discovery. And sitting here nine months later, I know that I was right.
By Alyssa Matesic I tried running away from home once. Just once. I didn’t get very far, but I got far enough. Far enough to realize that I didn’t actually want to go anywhere. The rent house my family moved into my seventh grade year never really felt like home to me. It was just a transition house we stayed in until we found a more permanent place of residence. Unopened boxes of things we had taken from my childhood home cluttered our sunroom, a constant reminder that our stay on High Brook Drive was only temporary. My mom tried to make the rent house as homey as possible, though, by displaying some of our key possessions: my sisters’ senior portraits, the clock on our mantelpiece, our living room rug. But I never grew too attached to the house – it was average, plain and certainly less exciting than the large English Tudor I had grown up in. My parents’ evening arguments made the house even less inviting. It’d be over subjects I was too young to understand: finances, coming home late, not helping with the dishes. Their yelling echoed in every room, even if I slammed my door shut and turned up my music. Since I had essentially become an only child after my sister moved to Los Angeles for college, I felt alone. I never really knew how to deal with my parents’ fighting, so instead I found ways to get away from it. I would take walks around the neighborhood, drowning out the sounds of the world with my second-generation iPod, going anywhere, any place as long as it wasn’t the stressful atmosphere of home. Eventually, I found my secret refuge: the roof. It was just far enough away to not be inside my house, but not so far away as to make my parents worry. Sometimes I scraped my legs on the sandpaper shingles as I lifted myself over the fence, leaving little cuts that I never covered with Band-Aids. They were a small price to pay to get to my sanctuary. Up there, there was no yelling. Just birds chirping and kids laughing. I could see over all of the other houses, over all of the other domestic fights and tears forming indoors. It was as if I had floated above all of the drama on my own
silent cloud. I spent a lot of time on the roof, never doing much of anything. Sitting. Laying down. Walking around. Sometimes people on the sidewalk would wave at me or cars would honk playfully. There, I felt more at-ease than I did inside the walls of my room. But one night, even the roof wasn’t far enough away for me to escape. I can’t remember what started the fight between my parents, or even what it ended up being about, but somehow I was dragged into it. Words ricocheted off the living room walls like knives. My screams scratched my throat raw. My eyes swelled with frustration. My hands started shaking, and I wrung them around in an attempt to calm my anger. We started arguing in circles. The fight seemed neverending, so I desperately sought a way out. I walked out of the back door with no protest to stop me. After unlocking the rickety fence in our backyard, I made my way through the dark alleyway onto the sidewalk. Then I ran. I ran past the neighbor’s house. Past the stop sign at the corner. Past the bridge across the creek. Past unfamiliar street signs and foreign corners. Past countless strangers’ homes – homes I figured were much warmer than mine at that moment. The wind pushed my tears over my temples and into my hairline. The streetlights blurred into streaks of yellow mist as I ran by them. I could tell that it was cool outside, but I was in such a rush that it didn’t matter. I could hardly feel my bare feet making contact with the concrete – it seemed more like I was flying. It wasn’t until I had to stop from exhaustion that I began to think rationally again. Slowing down my pace, I came upon a house I had never seen before. To the left of the house was a bend in the creek and a tree on the bank. I could hear water trickling in the silent night and decided to rest there for a moment, on that property. Sitting under the tree, I noticed the scrapes on my feet and wondered how I would heal them. I wiped the remaining
t
wildcat ales
Mission Statement:
may 10, 2013 volume 67 issue eleven Editors-in-Chief Alyssa Matesic JP Salazar
Layout Editor Shezal Padani
Copy Editor
Photo/Graphic Editor
Kimberly Mei
Cristina Seanez
Adviser
Business Manager
Terry Quinn
Kathleen Shaffer
Jessica Allman Rachel Chen Brooke Combs Kaitlin Fischer Priyanka Hardikar Alexis Harris Kaitlin Humphrey
tears from my face using my shirt. I realized I had nothing with me, not even my cell phone, and wondered if my parents were trying to find me. I figured they weren’t, so I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and let my heart calm. I told myself that I didn’t need to go back, that I wanted to be away, that sitting there on the creek was better than being in my dysfunctional house. After a few minutes of peace, new thoughts started racing in my mind. How am I going to get home? Where am I? Do I know the path back to my house? Which way is east? I had to go back. Despite my doubts, I knew the way home as if I had a compass instilled in me. I walked smoothly around every corner, past every house and every streetlight I had seen earlier. I had no doubt that I was going the right way. My body guided me home naturally, as if out of habit, and I came back to our rickety fence. Still unlocked. The back door. Still unlocked. The house was quiet when I walked in. Everything sat in its place, as if nothing had transpired earlier. I locked the back door and checked on my parents, who were sound asleep in bed. Then I made my way under my own covers. It was warm, peaceful. I realize now that home is an intense longing in the back of our minds, a place we need despite its imperfections. The place where our family is, where our memories are, where we lay in bed and dream. We can get away for some time, but we always come back. Home is not always the biggest place, the fanciest place or even our favorite place. Home is where fights occur and promises are broken, relationships suffer and tears are shed. But at home, the back door is always left unlocked. Waiting for us to return.
Staff Writers
Myiah Jones Alexandria Oguntula Leslie Parker Maddie Patton Alexis Sendejas Tehreem Shahab Laura Jones
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 is 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/wildcattalesonline. 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 inappropiate.
Wildcat Tales is the official student publication of Plano Senior High School 2200 Independence PKWY Plano, TX 75075 469.752.9300