Volume XLIV Issue 6
LV Berkner High School
1600 Spring Valley Road
April 22, 2013
Richardson, TX 75081
Blast from the Past BHS’ staff shares personal prom memories, photos
Pages 4-5
Dallas falls behind Austin Page 2
Softball heads to playoffs Page 6
Bandoes’ Spring Show Page 3
Bowling at state Page 7
2 April 22, 2013 Commentary Dallas fails compared to Austin Forrest Milburn
Staff Writer What exactly is meant by the phrase, “everything is bigger in Texas?” Does size truly matter? What other awful clichés can be applied to the ongoing battle in the “Lone Star State” between Dallas, a largely populated city, and Austin, a largely cultural city? With a population of approximately 1.2 million people, one could assume that Dallas would have a much more “hip” reputation among the array of cities bursting at the seams with culture. However, all Dallas seems to be known for is that little building with the light-up sphere on top, known as Reunion Tower. Another example of Dallas failing miserably in the architectural department is the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. If you didn’t know, it’s the recently built bridge passing not over an ocean, like a legitimate bridge that serves a purpose should, but rather the skinny Trinity River. Do not get me wrong; I love “the Big D.” In fact, I have lived here my whole life, and I have always loved it. However, my opinion of what defines a good city changed this past spring break when I departed 200 miles down I-35 on an adventure to a far away land: Austin. Austin was strange, yet a big breath of fresh air. (I wonder why its catch phrase is “keep Austin weird?”) The first thing I noticed during my visit was Austin’s skyline. In comparison to Dallas’ skyline, it was to be frank, puny. And even though Dallas’ skyline is no Shanghai, it certainly is the largest skyline I am familiar with. Furthermore, after thoughtful observation, I hypothesized that the entire population of Austin attended Woodstock in 1969. However, this couldn’t be true, due to how every single “Austinite” looked as though he or she was 19 years old. In addition, it was scalding hot in comparison to Dallas, whose temperature isn’t exactly “chilly” to begin with. (I
guess that’s the problem with living in Texas.) The final aspect of Austin that stood out to me was that every single car and every single dorm room door had some sort of Liberal Democratic propaganda. This included for example, “reduce, re-use, recycle,” and a plethora of “Barack Obama 2012” stickers, which shocked me, since I was used to a much more moderate political climate. Now, all of these things may seem trivial by themselves, but when put together, they make Austin the greatest city on Earth. I thought I was in love. Then I realized it would not last forever, and that one day I sadly would have to return to what seemed now as “Hades.” So, what is it that Dallas lacks so much of in every aspect of its entirety, to the point where no one even knows the city’s true identity? What is Dallas? I wondered about how to define Dallas, but when I did, I could not really find any ideas. While Austin has a small downtown, Dallas has a large downtown. But where Dallas prevails in size, Austin prevails in culture, with almost every section of Downtown Austin having an array of shops, restaurants and historic districts. Dallas has only the Arts District and West End. What is so morose about Dallas is that it has the potential to be just as cultural or “hip” as Austin, perhaps even more so, but it consistently falls short. What exactly is Dallas’ problem? Well, a good 75 percent of Dallas’ downtown is made up of corporate offices and high-rise condos, which is not necessarily bad; it is just not something that stands out. One option Dallas has for fixing this would be to renovate the outer rim of downtown by converting run-down properties into shops, clubs and music venues. This is potentially a good idea, because it could add to the perceived “hipness” of Dallas, which it sorely lacks. Another problem with Dallas is its lack of attractive-
ness to tourists. For instance, I have never heard any of my out-of-state relatives say, “Oh, let’s go to Dallas!” Instead, they have said things more along the lines of “Oh, let’s go to Houston/ Austin/ San Antonio/ Galveston!” Perhaps one reason is because those four cities, with the exception of Houston, have something that sets them apart from other cities. For example, Austin, or “the Live Music Capital of the World,” is well known for its abundance of music festivals, like SXSW, Austin City Limits and Fun Fun Fun Fest. San Antonio is also well known for the River Walk in downtown, along with the notorious battle site, the Alamo. Maybe Dallas could try to rival its more “hip” counterparts by hosting more music festivals, or by renovating sections of its downtown to include scenic escapes from the concrete. But even if these changes are made, what could Dallas be known for that sets her apart from other major cities? Oh yes, Dallas is the city where a president was assassinated; but that is about it. Yet another, but certainly not the last reason that Dallas fails in comparison to other cities like Austin, is its lack of a defined political and social scene. For instance, Dallas County has voted heavily democratic in the most recent elections, but before then, it was considered a county that voted however Texas as a whole voted. Other cities stand out much more due to their respective political climates. Austin, located in Travis County, has been known for being the “blue dot in a sea of red,” due to its large progressive partisan views. One example of this is from 2004, when Travis County was the only county in all of Texas to support same-sex marriage during a ballot proposal to ban such unions. On the other side of the political discussion, Houston is known for being a “swing city,” and the way it votes in elections is almost always by a difference of a few percentage points. In the 2012 election, President Obama
Letters to the Editor In order to provide an open forum where students can discuss topics affecting their lives and education, the Rampage accepts Letters to the Editor. We offer the opportunity to encourage students, faculty members and patrons of the school to voice their opinion and use the newspaper as a medium for debate. We reserve the right to condense letters so they may fit the space requirements, or delete any that do not meet our standards of propriety. All letters must be signed; however, names will be withheld on request.
won Harris County, with its county seat Houston, by 0.1 percentage points, or about 1400 votes. Both Austin and Houston have a well-known political identity due to the cities’ populace and the views they hold, Dallas just does not have an identity. Sadly, it seems that Dallas is the cultural underdog of Texas for multiple reasons, and it may always be this way. However, Dallas could save itself is by changing the perceived outlook of the city to make it look more appealing to the younger generation, through increasing the amount of festivals that take place in the city, and by properly defining its
political and social climate. Even though the latter of these tends to be extremely vague, it is still something that affects the way Dallas is perceived. Dallas may want to change if it chooses to rival other cultural cities. One day perhaps, I will finally be able to drink tea at a “hip” café in the new district of “North End.” Afterward, I will be able to listen to Vampire Weekend play down the street at a music festival. But until that happens, I will be in Austin, far away from the good ole “Big D.”
Berkner Rampage 1600 Spring Valley Road Richardson, TX 75081 Editors-in-Chief Abby Hawthorne Ciara Mason Features Editor Harmony Holder Sports Editor Neyat Abraha Photo Editor Evelyn Alonso Assistant Photo Editor Charlie Gallegos Graphics Editor Gabe Medrano Staff Writers Tre Chappell Chinonye Duru Karilyn Gregson Forrest Milburn Michelle Pinilla Scarlett Smith Photographers Mario Espinoza Justin Jennings Maylan Raymundo Gaby Rodriguez Sponsor/Advisor Jarred Goodall Principal Mr. Ron Griffen
News/Features
April 22, 2013
3
Spring Show performs ‘circus’ act Scarlett Smith Staff Writer A long-standing tradition at our school is the Berkner Bandolera Spring Show. This is the chance for the Bandos to show off the skills and dances they’ve been working on for the majority of the year. The title for this year’s show is “The Greatest Show on Earth” and the theme was the circus. The Bandoleras will be performing dances based on this theme with other performances by the Ramblers, Drum Line, Comedy Troupe, as well as this year’s Berkner Idol Winner. “We’re really excited to cover all the topics that you would see, feel and interact with at the circus,” said Bandolera director, Ms. Evans. The Bandos learned their first Spring Show dance this summer and they continued learning the dances, preparing through the football, basketball and contest seasons. After their last contest in February, the Bandos dedicated their practices to getting ready for the Spring Show every school day for two hours, in the morning. “There is never an off season for the drill team at Berkner. One thing always rolls into the next,” said Ms. Evans. The Bandoleras take pride in making their show stand out from the other high school’s drill teams. “I think we pay a considerable amount of attention to detail,” said Evans. “We
The Bandoes rehearse for their annual Spring Show on March 22 before school. The ladies practice at 7:15 a.m. every day before school. (Photo provided by Gaby Rodriguez.) have more variety in terms of choreography, costumes, song choices and dance styles. We have a really strong tech crew and emcees from the beginning of the show to the last pose. We think through every minute. We make sure it’s always enjoyable for the audience. I think we’re a selfless team in that way and we are only concerned about the audience members and making sure that it works for all ages and all viewers.”
Along with Ms. Evans, the Bandos learn their dances from Bando officers, as well as visiting guest choreographers. “I don’t want it to be just my choreography. I think it’s fun for the Bandos and fun for the audience to see multiple styles. There are wonderful choreographers out there so I always try to bring them in,” said Evans. But with the hard work also comes the stress. From trying to perfect every mis-
take , while making sure the Bandos look good, Evans is always working on the show. “There’s an overwhelming amount of multitasking I have to do. I have to do the lobby decorations, I meet with the emcees and finalize their script, I make sure the comedy troupe is funny, I find Berkner Idol, I do the program design, I’m working on props and set designs, I’m working with tech and the tech director, I order dances,
and I choreograph the dances. It’s exhausting. I question why I do it some times but at the end of the day it’s rewarding and it’s worth it,” said Ms. Evans. For the Bandoleras, performing in the Spring Show can be an emotional experience, especially for the seniors. “Knowing that that is the last night I’ll get to dance with those girls is emotional. But I just live in the moment and instead of worrying about messing up I just really had fun and soaked it all in,” said senior Samantha Copeland. The audience certainly enjoyed the Spring Show and thought that many aspects of the show were worth seeing. “The solos were beautiful to watch. The Bandos know what they’re doing when they perform and I loved getting to see the different styles of dance performed,” said sophomore Cynthia Alonzo. With other groups performing, there was something for everyone to enjoy even if they weren’t into watching dances. “The comedy troupe was hilarious! They knew how to make the crowd laugh and I think everyone loved the announcement skit,” said sophomore Tam Vu. Something everyone agreed on though was that they definitely can’t wait until next year’s show. “I love seeing the Bandos and all the other groups perform and after this year’s show, I look forward to the shows to come,” said Alonzo.
JROTC grows in numbers, other critical areas Michelle Pinilla Staff Writer JROTC at Berkner began in August 2007. The positive impact was immediate. Cadets that joined this program have improved their class attendance by three percent, their graduation by nine percent, and even their GPA/test scores by two percent. The mission of JROTC is to motivate young people to become better citizens and that is exactly what it has happened. According to findings cited by major Laverenz, people that have joined JROTC has decreased its discipline issues by ten percent and drop outs by 2 percent. On top of that, many Berkner students enjoy being a part of the program. Junior cadet Kaycee Whaner said, “I like that JROTC is more of a family than a class. Everyone becomes close with
each other. I’m planning on joining the service when I get out of high school.” Although this elective can be really fun, students feel in charge of the program, and boost their self-esteem up. “When I’m in it, it makes me feel like I can become a leader especially since I come from a military family”, sophomore cadet, David Rodriguez said. Again this year, the Berkner JROTC Ram Battalion participated in The Colony High School American Legion Skills Meet on Feb. 23. The Ram Battalion had 30 cadets compete in four categories: one Academic Team, two Squad Drill Teams, one Male Color Guard, one Female Color Guard, one male Physical Fitness Team and one female Physical Fitness Team. “The cadets gained valuable experience in their first competition of the year, and took away many lessons learned
for their next competition in April,” Senior Army Instructor and Major JROTC teacher, Patrick Laverenz said. After the competition, on March 20, the ram battalion conducted an annual assistance at Berkner High School for an inspection in the big gym. Retired Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Jochum and Retired First Sergeant Knowlton from Mesquite ISD conducted the inspection. The inspection was broken down into five parts and “we passed each part with flying colors,” Major Laverenz said. “It was one of the best inspections we’ve ever had,” sophomore cadet Javier Hernandez said. “Everyone did amazing.” The effectiveness of the Berkner JROTC program has been a well documented. The program has a total enrollment of 140 cadets with
Part of the JROTC participates in its annual inspection on the B field on March 20. (Photo provided by Mario Espinoza.) two retired Army Instructors teaching five classes. while successfully attracting more students to join each year. For newcomers, the class has been easy and entertaining. New cadet, freshman Vertaz Wood said, “It’s pretty easy and fun, especially when you
have a leadership position.” JROTC not only gives students leadership, responsibility. and discipline. Additonally, the program provides them an on-campus family, something they can be apart of, and possibly a career they choose.
Prom’s Mrs. Teresa Glover Social Studies and Science Inclusion Courses
MAY 1977 Granby, Colorado... Prom was actually in Grand Lake, a few miles up the road. Just as Prom was about to begin, a major snow storm hit! Ten minutes into Prom, the power went out! The local fire department got their generator over there real quick and got it going again. A few minutes later, the power came on, so the generator was turned off. Then the power goes out again…. Everyone left; Prom was over in less than an hour. The Prom that never was…. - Mrs. Dina Giles
Mrs. Tessa Pettigrew Sponser for the Untouchables Marketing Co-op Instructor
Financial Secretary
Mr. Matt Rielly English and Girl’s Soccer Coach
“My memories of prom are mixed. It was a great night and fun with friends, but it was also pretty embarrassing. I graduated in 1978, which was the height of disco, so there was a lot of disco played. I’m more of a classic rock guy, so for the first disco song of the nights, several of us decided to do our impression of disco dancing. I decided to go into the splits, and proceeded to split out the seam of my rented tux pants. By the end of the night, the split went from just under the zipper in front, all the way around to the belt line in back. It didn’t help that the pants were black and I had on white underwear. Not noticeable at all!!! Even though I was the butt of many jokes (pun intended), I wasn’t going to let the ripped pants ruin a special night.” - Mr. Kevin Cieszkowski STEM Physics teacher
s Past Mrs. Kaniesha McEwen Guidance Councelor “I have prom horror stories... But I really need to go find the little booklet that they gave us pre prom…since we had no dress code, it told students that they should be freshly showered (no joke!) and to make sure you were wearing deodorant (again no joke!) and that ladies needed to wear the right undergarments for their dress. It said…’(No bra straps should be visible with strapless dresses). That gentlemen should be freshly shaven and ladies shouldn’t use a can and a half of hairspray if you planned to dance cheek to cheek.’…I signed up for dinner seating. We ended up sitting with a table of Senior boys and their Freshmen dates. And I don’t think any of them had ever eaten out anywhere other than McDonald’s or Zippy’s… The guys actually picked up the forks and knives and banged them on the table chanting WE WANT FOOD! WE WANT FOOD!... One raised his arm in the air and SNAPPED while yelling “Waitress, Waitress!” As another raised his arm to do the same, he bumped the girl bringing our rolls and they went flying! ... We finished dinner, danced one song and left prom! I was home by 9 p.m. ( We changed into shorts and went to the beach to start the after party bon fire.)” -Ms. Wendy Zimring, Student Services Secretary
Mrs. Patricia Glasgow Social Studies and Science Inclusion Courses
Mrs. Stacey Pross Job Skills, Mealth, and Mathmetics
Reviews
April 22, 2013
6
Megadeth does not ‘Rust In Peace’ Karilyn Gregson Staff Writer Over spring break, I acquired two albums, Rust In Peace by Megadeth and Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd. When I listened to Dark Side Of The Moon, I was confused about where the songs started and ended, so I decided to review Rust In Peace since it was less confusing and I haven’t reviewed anything really “heavy” yet. Megadeth has been around since the early eighties after lead singer and guitarist, Dave Mustaine, was kicked out of Metallica. He promised to be louder, faster and heavier than his former band mates, and thus Megadeth was born. The lineup has changed at least twice before the release of Rust In Peace in 1990. The current lineup is Dave Mustaine on vocals and guitar, David Ellefson on bass, Marty Friedman on guitar, and Nick Menza on drums. Megadeth had recorded three albums before Rust In Peace: Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good! (1985), Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? (1986), and So Far, So Good… So What! (1988). Megadeth could not have chosen a better song to start out Rust In Peace. “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due” is an intense start to the heaviness of the album. If you couldn’t guess by the title, the song covers the topic of religious wars in Ireland. “Hangar 18” is a great follow-up song. It contains a heavy intro filled to the brim with guitar. It covers the subject of aliens/UFO conspiracy at the location of Hangar 18. “Take No Prisoners” is another reality-based song,
dealing with the subject of prisoners of war. With heavy instruments and indecipherable lyrics, “Take No Prisoners” brings you along on a journey of the emotions of soldiers and what war feels like. “Five Magics” has more of a fantasy turn, based on the book “Master Of The Five Magics.” The song has a great bass-laden intro, however the lyrics don’t start until two minutes in. “Poison Was The Cure” is another song with lots of bass. This song is also reality based, covering the issue of Dave Mustaine’s heroin addiction at the time (he’s over that now). And as always, it has the signature style in which Dave Mustaine sings. The following song, “Lucretia,” is more fantasy based, being about a ghost in Mustaine’s attic. The song starts out with a haggard voice laughing that nearly scared the crap out of me. What followed was a catchy riff and as always, Mustaine’s snarling vocals.
Following “Lucretia” is my absolute favorite song from the album, “Tornado Of Souls.” Despite the ultra-metal title, the song actually deals with the relationship problems that Dave Mustaine had been going through with his girlfriend. The song has powerful riffs and more snarling vocals. I was really captivated by the phenomenal guitar solo about three minutes in. After “Tornado Of Souls” is the bass-laden, minute and a half song “Dawn Patrol.” This song covers what the after effects of nuclear war would be like. When I first listened to this song, I though the vocals were done by Ozzy Osbourne because of the style and tone. It wasn’t until I heard the line “The greenhouse in effect, our environment is wrecked” that I heard Mustaine’s classic snarl and discovered that it was indeed him singing. The final song of the album, “Rust In Peace… Polaris,” is about intercontinental ballistic missiles. This song also includes the sentence that inspired the name of the album, and possibly this song, “Your warheads will all rust in peace.” The song was heavy, yet catchy. I love how Megadeth does that with their songs. The producer, Mike Clink, along with Dave Mustaine, did a great job of producing Rust In Peace. Mike Clink has also worked with Triumph, Motley Crue, UFO, and Guns N’ Roses. I really liked how this album has some actual meaning to it and it’s not just four guys dressed as women singing about sex and drugs, which is a whole different subgenre called Glam Metal. I would recommend this album to anyone who likes Thrash Metal (I.E. Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Testament, Overkill) or just any kind of Metal. You can never go wrong with Megadeth.
Sports
April 22, 2013
7
Softball clinches playoff berth Chinonye Duru Staff Writer
At the beginning of the season, The BHS’ softball team originally looked to repeat last year’s district championship. Although it fell short of that goal, it still earned a playoff berth. Last season, the Lady Rams defeated Lake Highlands in a one-game playoff to acquire the district crown. Although the playoff clinched the district for the Lady Rams, they went on to lose in the first round of the state playoffs. Despite last season’s playoff loss, the Lady Rams began District 9-5A this season, with a 10-8 win against rival Lake Highlands on Feb. 26. Coming into the season, the Lady Rams’ overall goal was to be in position as a playoff contender, which they have already managed to achieve. According to BHS’ softball coach Rick Duff, some key returnees and advanced players this season include sophomore Mia Young and senior Jade Luttrell. They have both improved throughout the season. However, according to coach Duff, some struggles the team has faced this season are defense, and consistency of getting all the players playing time. Many of the team’s after school drills have worked on these issues in order to perform better in games. “So far, the team is great and I enjoy having a chance to play with my teammates,” said junior pitcher Meagan Compian. In the rematch against Lake Highlands on March 26, the team fell short, 7-3. This was a minor shock to the team, because of its previous victory against the Lady Wildcats, but at the same time, the Lady Wildcats are this year’s district champions.. “We all worked hard for the win, and gave our best effort [but fell short]” said sophomore Ashton Turley. Since the loss to Lake Highlands, the Lady Rams have run off four victories in a row, over Sunset, Pearce, WT White and Richardson. After Friday’s game against Skyline, the Lady Rams will await their state playoff opponent.
Senior Jade Luttrell looses up for practice with a teammate on April 11. The Lady Rams will play a first round playoff game this weekend. (Photo provided by Justin Jennings.)
Bowling rolls into state tournament Harmony Holder Staff Writer Some students at Berkner may not know that their high school has boys and girls bowling teams. In addition, they also may not know that their high school has award-winning bowling teams, and regional champions for the girls. Last February, the bowling teams competed in district, with the girls winning first and the guys finishing third. These finishes allowed the teams to advance to regionals. The highlights for the bowling team this season were numerous. The Boys team finished with a 7-3 record in district. The Girls team finished with a 10-0 record in district. Kristen Willis was also named Bowler of the Year for the District.
Senior boys bowling captain Peanut Clark explains his year. “Juggling my schedule for both baseball and bowling and finding time to practice has been my main obstacle but messing around and having a great time with the team has been worth it.” On March 4, the Berkner Boys and Girls bowling teams competed in the Texas Region Bowling tournament in Rowlett. At this competition, the Boys team went 7-5, finishing fourth in the region,
qualifying them for state, where they finished 35th. Bowling coach John Gregson explains what the goals were for this season. “Our goals for the season were to win District and to make it to the Regional tournament. In order to qualify for the Texas State Championships, we must first make it to the Regional tournament, and then do well in that tournament to move on to State.” While the Boys team finished fourth in regionals, the girls team finished in 1st place at Regionals out of 8 teams. They qualified for the State Championships on March 24th in Fort Worth and finished 25th in the State. Willis represented Berkner in the Singles Competition at Regionals, and bowled games of 267 and 258 in her last two games that helped her win the Singles title. She qualified for the State Singles Championships on March 23rd in Fort Worth and finished 21st in the State. Willis explains her bowling experience. “I have been bowling since I was five, my goals this year for us were to win and be better than last year so we all practiced at least once a week.” Overall the team is very satisfied with its performance. Senior bowling Captain Melissa Sanders said, “My favorite part of the year is messing around and having a great time with the team, I am sure next years team will have just as much fun.”