The Knight Times / December 2018 Issue 5

News that Stands Out

THE KNIGHT TIMES Official Student Newspaper of Episcopal High School

December 2018

4650 Bissonnet, Bellaire, Texas 77401

Fall exams call for study and careful prep

www.ehshouston.org

Volume 33, Issue 5

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas Annual Senior Style Show features Knights on the catwalk

PRESTON WITT Staff Writer As the year is coming to a close, we begin to prepare for stress of Review Week and midterms. Review Week consists of midterm preparation for courses such as math, science, and history. There were four block days dedicated to review, Monday through Thursday, with the standard block day schedules of Tuesday and Wednesday. The only difference is that for Monday and Wednesday, students attended their first three classes and 5A/5B class. On Tuesday and Thursday, students attended their last three classes, as well as their 5A/5B class.

Following Review Week, students will have a special schedule for Exam Week.

Instead of starting the finals the following Monday, students will have a late start

Alex Deutsch and Lindsey Snider stand at the end of the runway in their sparkling outfits. Photo by Mary Carol Ray.

Photo courtesy of waytostudy.com. with the Math Exam at 11:00 a.m. followed by the Languages/Religion tutorial.

The Language and Religion Exam will take place on Monday with the History tutorial following the exam.

Tuesday will be the History Exam and science tutorials and a time for conflict exams. The Science exam will fall on Wednesday with English tutorial followed by another conflict exam time.

The final midterm test day will be Thursday with the English exam. Next there will be three weeks of relaxation over the Christmas Break.

The Knight Times would like to wish everyone the best on their midterm exams.

Remember to study hard, don’t forget to exercise, get a goodnight sleep with a health breakfast, and do your best.

INSIDE Tree Asp If you see this inchlong, gray caterpillar, run.

PAGE 3

Isabel, Daniel, and Patrick Farewell Veteran staff members bid The Knight Times adieu.

PAGE 4, 5 Features ........................ 2 Art ................................ 6 Culture ......................... 7 Entertainment .............. 8 Opinion ........................ 9 Sports ........................... 10

ISABEL YOUNG Social Media Coordinator

The annual Senior Style Show celebrates the seniors’ final year at EHS with a fun fashion event. The seniors are able to walk the runway and display clothes ranging from ski wear and outdoor hunting and fishing clothes to formal dress. During “‘Twas the Knight Before Christmas,” family and friends enjoyed a lunch and watched the seniors strut the catwalk.

Learn more about Senior Style Show on Features Page 2

Advent Chapel marks return of the holiday season ELLIOTT JONES Staff Writer This year’s Advent Chapel brought much-needed Christmas spirit to the EHS community before a stressful Exam Week. The beautiful annual candlelight service, held over the course of two nights in Benitez Chapel, celebrates the birth of Jesus through numerous readings and Advent hymns.

Students and faculty gathered in the Chapel on December 11 to enjoy and participate in the one-hour service. They listened to Head of School Mr. Ned Smith and Reverend Beth Holden as well a number of students who read scripture about the coming of Christ and the importance of the litergical season.

The choir sang several hymns alone, including “Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel” and “The Magnificat,” while also leading the entire congregation in “Joy to the World” and “Silent Night.” When there was a break in songs and scripture, the assembled repeated psalms and prayers.

The second night of Advent Chapel, specifically for alumni and parents to enjoy, followed the same service. Although it was a much smaller group in attendance, the joy, participation, and beauty of the service did not falter in the

To celebrate the season of Advent, the altar is decorated with poinsettias, a blue cloth to represent the season, and the wreath of candles to mark each week of Advent. Photo by Julia Toups. slightest. While students and faculty are not required to go both nights, there were several of both enjoying the Chapel service that Wednesday night as well.

This winter’s much anticipated tradition worked out perfectly and truly helped the EHS community reflect on the religious aspect of the holiday.

Feature ∙ Page 2

The Knight Times ∙ December 2018

Class of 2019 goes on parade during annual Senior Style Show multicolored with boys wearing different colored tuxes such as lavender and green.

Traditionally, the seniors stepped out in their groups to model the clothes first,

ISABEL YOUNG Social Media Coordinator This year’s Senior Style Show “A Knight Before Christmas” was a showstopper and featured the outstanding Class of 2018 as runway models.

One hundred and sixty seniors participated in the show and strutted the runway with no regrets. They modeled clothes from four different stores: Macy’s, Dillard’s, Orvis, and Al’s Formal Wear. Every boy and girl was highlighted in a different theme group. There were some all girl groups, some all boy, and some mixed.

Some of the all-girl groups included the “Very Berry” dresses, the “Sparkle” dresses, and the “IndiGO” dresses. The boys groups were Orvis and the ski clothes groups.

One highlight of the show was in the Orvis group where a dog worked his paws

Pageants become Sickler’s passion BAILEY JUNELL Staff Writer Seniors Mark Nylund and Lynsey Robinson prepare to walk the catwalk. Photos by Mary Carol Ray. down the runway with Patrick Bayouth and Jack Panus. Panus’s white lab, Chula, had a little stage fright, but she won over the audience with her “model” behavior.

The boy and girl mixed groups were Christmas-themed, and another was

Queso invasion means Tailgate LAUREN PORTER Editor-in-Chief The annual Tex-Mex Tailgate was held this month outside of the new USC, with many clubs serving up delicious food.

This year, Tex-Mex Tailgate occurred before the EHS basketball game against Lamar, which the Knights won 62-46.

In past years, the Tailgate has been held before a football game in the fall. Despite the changed date, the turnout was strong.

Some highlights from the night included festive decorations from all of the clubs and endless amounts of queso. The Tailgate always awards clubs for Best Overall Food, Best Queso, and Best Table, but

then returned to the runway for a Grand Finale. Dean John Colello was the master of ceremonies and shared something about each senior as he or she walked.

there was a new “Most Innovative” Award this year. This award replaced the Best Dessert Award from last year.

Last year, the Freedom Club won Best Dessert, and the club continued its winning streak with a win in the Most Innovative category this year. Their fried Oreos were a big hit with the crowd, especially because they were warm and fresh with Anna McLauchlin frying them at the event. Math Club continued to win Best Table as it has in years past, and the club also won Best Overall Food. Best Queso went to National Spanish Honor Society.

Overall, the event was a fun time for EHS clubs to compete for Tailgate awards and serve fantastic Tex-Mex to the students.

Many students at Episcopal are involved in outside jobs, hobbies, and passions that take measurable time and effort outside of their school activities. These students must learn to balance their passions with their schoolwork. One of these is sophomore Mary Sickler who competes in pageants all around the country.

Mary has competed in California, Florida and almost everywhere in between in many pageants. She began competeing about five years ago at the age of ten. Competing in these shows has boosted her confidence and self-esteem and helped her personality blossom into who she is today.

The pageants are focused on three main areas of competition. They begin with the evening gown portion where the participants dress in gorgeous ball gowns and parade around the stage. The next major area is the interview.

Mary stated that “[her] favorite [part] is the interview portion as it is the only time the judges get to talk with you and really get to know the contestants.”

The judges talk about current events or anything that a contestant put on her resumé. Depending on the pageant, it could last for about five minutes and be either a oneon-one interview or a panel style interview.

The third portion of the competition is the athletic wear, during which the contestants

walk around in workout gear.

Mary’s “most recent placement was in Miss Texas Teen USA (one of the most difficult states in the country), this past November where [she] received 3rd runner up out of 118 girls.”

In almost every pageant competition, she finishes in at least the top 15.

With dedication, time, and effort, and with the help of an assortment of coaches, Mary starts preparing at least three months in advance before a pageant to ensure that she is doing her very best on the big day.

“With all of this hard work put in before, it is one of the best feelings to finally step on the stage at your best!”

In Memoriam - With Love and Gratitude Mr. Charles Estes

Photo courtesy of Mary Sickler.

The Knight Times ∙ December 2018

Features ∙ Page 3

Watch out for the toxic caterpillars A Complete and Utter Lack of Witt LAUREN PORTER Editor-in-Chief Have you seen a furry, gray caterpillar around campus recently? If so, do not go anywhere near them. They are extremely venomous, and the Houston Museum of Natural Science even listed them on the list of the seven most dangerous Texas bugs.

The tree asp looks for a new victim. Photo by Lauren Porter.

This cuddly yet terrifying creature is known as the tree asp, and there have been an alarming number of them around

campus, though they are often hard to notice. In fact, when purposely searching for the caterpillar last week, it took me ten minutes before stumbling upon one.

On the day of Coffee House, I found two in the same area while walking from the USC to the Ellipse. These caterpillars transform into the Southern Flannel Moth.

Their cocoons look almost like a spider web, and on one of the pillars outside of the USC, there are four cocoons visible.

According to Texas A&M University, the Southern Flannel Moth lays several hundred eggs before dying, and there has been an explosion of the creatures after Hurricane Harvey.

Be on the lookout for these extremely dangerous bugs, and if you accidentally step on one, make sure you do not touch your shoe. The venom can still cause excruciating pain if it is on the bottom of a shoe, so take caution while you walk around campus.

PRESTON WITT Staff Writer Top of the morning to my fellow Knights. I hope you all are well. To take a break from the stress of midterm exams, college decisions, or just about what you want for dinner, this is definitely the column to read. This column allows you to sit back and laugh at yourself and your answers to these questions and also to get the opinions of others. Hearing the feedback of how much students love this column gives me the spirit to write every month. Without further adieu, I give you the last LOW of 2018.

Why isn’t the caps lock capitalized?

How come you can drink a drink but can’t food a food?

If you hear someone say, “Be a leader not a follower,” isn’t that following their advice?

How many different animals did we jump on the back of before we discovered horses were cool with it?

Why do you put two cents in when it’s only a penny for your thoughts?

If you expect the unexpected, then isn’t the unexpected expected?

Performing Arts Chair Mr. Garmon Ashby shares his background OLIVIA HOPWOOD Staff Writer

Mr. Garmon Ashby, the Performing Arts Chair at Episcopal, grew up in in South Africa. Mr. Ashby’s history and previous experiences and upbringing are very intriguing and unknown to most at EHS. If you are interested, continue reading to learn more:

How long did you live in South Africa?

From when I was born until 2000 – 42 years What are some fond memories and interesting stories you have from there?

Many. The wonderful people are perhaps the most memorable. South Africa is an immensely diverse nation, with some 50 million people and 12 official languages.

My fondest memories are of the many people I interacted with through teaching and church music; there is a tremendous openness, optimism and generosity among most South Africans despite the fact that a majority of them suffered terribly for many years under white minority rule.

Also, the great physical beauty and diversity; I was fortunate to travel to many parts of the county, and hike many of the

scenic hiking trails which have been set up around the country (when I was young and fit!). Some interesting, sometimes harrowing, experiences I had were in my travels, both as a civilian, and as an officer in the Infantry during the times of unrest and war with neighboring countries. The most uplifting time was, without doubt, the dismantling of Apartheid, the freeing of Nelson Mandela, and the first free and fair democratic elections in 1994 What was the hardest thing to acclimate to when you came to the US? Missing family and friends. Some of the nuances of language and culture which are different here took some getting used to (I’m still adjusting). I miss South African food.

One thing that struck me the most when I

arrived here was how much paper we use – and waste – in this country. We simply could not afford that in South Africa What’s something completely different in South Africa that people in the US have likely not seen or heard of? I think people would be surprised at how some institutions, like churches and rural schools, thrive despite having extremely meagre facilities and hardly any financial resources. I suspect people would also be very surprised at the vast differences between poverty and wealth, and between “first” and “third” world life existing sideby-side in South Africa. Perhaps many people here do not imagine the abundance and variety of wild life, and I’m not talking about game parks, but in rural areas in general.

EHS SPEAKS OUT

What is the best gift you’ve ever received for Christmas?

NAYA RHEMTULLA “My best friends Skyler and Lily”

MAX DEFOSSEZ “The ability to speak English”

JAHARI LONG

“Preston Witt”

JAKE TANNER “My first Xbox”

MR. BINDER “Fluffy socks”

LAURENCE COOK “A PS4”

HEATHER SCHOEN “Takis”

LEXI SAGERS “A car”

MEREDITH VAYDA “My family”

MS. WHITE “Family”

Culture ∙ Page 4

The Knight Times ∙ December 2018

Student artists explore a variety of mediums in Arts Portfolio course NICK HELD Staff Writer Art Portfolio is one course that seemingly flies under the radar among Episcopal students. This unique and independent class in the Arts Pillar is an excellent opportunity for student artists to truly express themselves in a creative, independent environment.

The yearlong studio arts class offers both juniors and seniors a chance to experiment with a variety of materials and techniques as they develop a personal vision and voice. It is not just for students who are interested in studying art in college but is great for those who just want more time to make art. Seniors work toward building a body of artwork for competitions and hold an end of year Senior Show, while juniors explore style and consistency in their art making skills.

Students can work with any medium or materials they wish and can seek help from all faculty in the Visual Arts.

Students also have the opportunity while in Art Portfolio to create a mural in the Convent (some past work can be seen in the west stairwell), which will be viewed long after they have graduated. This year’s Art Portfolio class just completed murals for local restaurant Avondale Food and Wine, which is located on Westheimer in Houston.

When asked about current projects the class is working on, Cameron Trainer said, “Currently, we are between projects and busy submitting our Scholastic Award pieces to be reviewed by the board so that they might be chosen to be displayed in a New York gallery. Scholastic is a pretty special project, and we hope to continue working on our unique styles by creating pieces that go with our surrealism artwork.”

Seniors Kate Peterkin and Cameron Trainer work on their Art Portfolio projects on a field trip. Photo by Mrs. Arnold.

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En los Estados Unidos, celebramos la Navidad en muchas maneras, incluyendo asistiendo a la iglesia por la Nochebuena, decorando nuestros árboles de Navidad con luces hermosas y ornamentos coloridos, y pasando tiempo con familia. Mientras que muchos otros países la celebran en maneras similares, cada país tiene sus propias tradiciones. Porque los Estados Unidos combinen para formar un crisol de culturas diferentes, especialmente en Houston, quiero hablar sobre cómo Guatemala y Colombia celebran la Navidad.

Guatemala es increíblemente diversa, y debido a eso las tradiciones varian en cada hogar. Sin embargo, la mayoría de los guatemaltecos crea una natividad con su familia, añadiendo elementos indígenas incluyendo figuras de arcillas y serrín colorido. También celebran su versión de Adviento (o Novena) con nueve días, terminando con un banquete en la Nochebuena. Después de comer un montón de tamales, la familia mira los fuegos arti-

with Isabel Young

Hello, my fellow Hungarians! I am writing today in great sadness. This is my last Young and Hungry article to ever be written. So today, in honor of my last three years in Newspaper, I am going to make this my farewell.

Newspaper has held a special place in my heart all these years, and I am sad to wave it goodbye. First, I would like to thank all my fans. The two of you meant so much to me. Mom, Dad - I love y’all.

Next, I would like to thank my mentor, food. You guys always inspired me and kept me going. I will always remember those late nights we had together, Whataburger. Those early mornings with you were unforgettable, cereal. So, thank y’all, for keeping me alive. Literally.

Okay, enough jokes. I would now like to thank my fellow classmates. The past and the present, y’all kept me laughing, and those 5A class periods (Third period now. Ugh. Thanks a lot, yearbook) were what I looked forward to every day. First, shout out to my editor-in-chief, LOPO. Best editor ever! Thanks for always fixing my typos and for ALL the newspaper

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guideline packets - those kept me on track. Another shout out to Preston Lack Of Witt. Your intelligent thoughts always kept me thinking and kept my mind young and sharp. Special shout out to my back page partner, Danny D., my PIC (partner in crime). I love crying/laughing while we write KnightTimesTweets and coming up with Celebrity Sightings, even when Duncan tell us that our humor is “childish.”

Patrick Bayouth, I would like to thank you for letting me write an article how you passed out from too much sauce.

Last, but not least, Mr. Framel. Thank you for teaching me everything about newspaper, putting up with my lack of InDesign skills and dealing with all of us.

Your light roasts made my day, and I will miss hearing them the most. References to Daniel and Gilmore Girls among others were some of the highlights that always had me laugh in Room C304. You brightened my day, and I sincerely will miss you as my teacher.

For one last time, GOODBYE, MR. FRAMEL! I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY!

ARSON’S

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ELLIOTT JONES Staff Writer

YOUNGANDHUNGRY

ficiales de medianoche, reza, y los niños abren sus regalos, pero los padres no los abren hasta el día del Año Nuevo.

La navidad en Colombia también es increíble. La temporada navideña comienza al principio de diciembre y dura hasta el día del Año Nuevo. Rituales religiosos, bailando, bebiendo, y comiendo son partes grandes de las celebraciones. Colombianos decoran sus árboles de Navidad el 16 de diciembre (el comienzo de la Novena) y cuelgan luces, ángeles, y velas en todas partes. Las familias rezan todas las noches y van a la Misa por la Nochebuena.

Finalmente, el Niño Dios trae regalos a los niños en forma de cartas dejadas por la Navidad.

with Carson Sherman

On this month’s style updates, I will be highlighting recent winter clothing trends.

First, black boots of any kind, whether they are booties or over the knee boots or just regular black boots, are very popular

Image courtesy of missguidedus.com. as the weather gets cold here in Houston.

Believe it or not, crystals or anything that is shiny are starting to appear on black boots.

Another trend that we did not see coming was statement headwear - for ex-

ample, bright colored or multicolored knit balaclavas. For the cold weather, hoods on sweaters and other tops for a chic street wear look have been super popular. In the latest Valentino show, a red hooded cloak caught the eyes of many people.

Layering is another big hit in the fashion industry at the moment, as most areas have gotten pretty cold. Layering an oversized jacket with a dress has been very popular, and I would not have expected something like that.

For night outfits, flowing gowns have been a popular dinner outfit choice. You can dress them up for events or down for a casual dinner.

Finally, knit dresses, skirts, and tops have been super popular this winter. It is a comfortable material that is very appropriate with the weather we have been having recently. Like I said earlier, this is a piece that you can dress up or dress it down!

Winter clothing is always something people look forward to.

That’s all for this month!

The Knight Times ∙ December 2018

Entertainment ∙ Page 5

Sydney Joe’s Jams hutchins1234 SYDNEY HUTCHINS Managing Editor As the year comes to an end, I decided to reflect on this year’s top hip-hop/rap music releases. 2018wrapped.com will break down your Spotify experience and give you the total amount of minutes, top genre, top 5 artists, and top 5 songs you have listened to during this memorable year of music. In addition, Spotify auto generates a “Your Top Songs 2018” playlist under the Made For You section.

It’s no surprise that Drake totally dominated Billboard’s charts with his album Scorpion, which remained number one for five weeks in a row. His top songs on the album, “God’s Plan,” “In My Feelings,” and “Nice For What” combined for a grand total of 30 weeks as number one on the charts.

Travis Scott’s Astroworld made a surprise re-entry in December during his Astroworld Festival tours, tying Scorpion for number of weeks as top rap album.

Beerbongs and Bentley’s by Post Malone stayed on the charts since the release of the album with “Rockstar” and “Psycho” reaching number one. This is no surprise seeing that Post’s other album Stoney, which released in 2016, has been on the charts for 102 weeks total.

My favorite album of 2018 gets 9/10 Sydney Stars and happens to be a soundtrack for the Marvel movie Black

Panther. Influential artists Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, and SZA collaboratively made Black Panther The Album Music From And Inspired By. This soundtrack remained on the billboards for a total of four weeks as number one, which in perspective beat Frozen’s soundtrack and hasn’t been done since 2004.

Before even watching Black Panther, I predicted the soundtrack was going to be one to remember. I was correct.

Lamar, The Weeknd, and SZA all have their unique sounds that make their music above everyone else in the Rap/Hip-Hop/ R&B industry. When any of their music drops, you can find me with their album on repeat in my car. Kendrick, as the leader of this project, featured either blibs or verses in almost every song. Out of the 14 songs, my top five favorites, though very hard for me to choose, are “King’s Dead” with Kendrick Lamar, Future, & James Blake ft. Jay Rock; “All The Stars”

by Kendrick Lamar with SZA; “Paramedic!” by SOB X RBE; “Big Shot” with Kendrick Lamar and Travis Scott; and “The Ways” with Khalid and Swae Lee. Each of these displayed Kendrick’s creativity in different ways, which was well expected considering he is the first hiphop artist to win a Pulitzer Prize in Music for his album DAMN. His album Good kid, m.A.A.d city released in 2012 and has become the fourth hip-hop album to spend 300 weeks on the charts for Billboard 200.

100% Fresh debuts on Netflix NICK HELD Staff Writer I have always been fascinated by standup comedy and have watched every performance I can get my hands on, but Adam Sandler’s 100% Fresh takes the cake because of its pure originality and creativity.

I know what you are thinking “Really?

Adam Sandler? That was the man behind that abomination of a movie, Jack and Jill, right?” Yeah. It’s that guy. But I promise, 100% Fresh is nothing like that putrid film.

Adam Sandler rose to fame through stand-up comedy and skits on SNL, but before you knew it, he was the lovable idiot in iconic films such as Big Daddy, Billy Madison, and Happy Gilmore. Obviously, he grew up, but his reputation stuck with

him. In my opinion, Adam Sandler is only a mediocre actor, but off the screen, he is incredibly smart and incredibly funny.

100% Fresh refreshingly shows Sandler’s comedy genius to the world.

The film follows Sandler on his tour performing across the country. The set includes songs about real life problems, personal stories, and street skits. His songs are the backbone of the show, about subjects such as dad shaving his beard, driverless Tesla accidents, grandma’s nursing home roommate, and smelly Uber drivers.

The movie has a 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and a plethora of comedians came out and showed their appreciation for the film. Seriously, it is such a great movie, and I highly recommend you watch it.

One more thing: it’s only available on Netflix.

See war through a veteran’s eyes in the novel The Things They Carried DUNCAN LAMME Staff Writer The Things They Carried is a piece of war literature in which the author, Tim O’Brien, shares the brutal reality of battle during the Vietnam War, recalling his time on duty and the stories he heard while in service in a collection of short stories broken up into chapters.

I was introduced to the historical fiction in Mr. Matt Fox’s English course War Fiction, where we read chapters and discussed them. O’Brien was able to capture my attention and keep me interested by making me feel the true emotion in each of the stories.

This lead me to read the entire book in a matter of only a few days because I was so into it. The novel is unique because it

does not focus on happy endings or the glamourized “Hollywood” view of war; it comes from a real veteran who saw war’s reality and what it can do to a person.

Though the book can be disturbing to some readers with to some gruesome depictions, it is interesting to read about the truth of war and how it is perceived so much differently in movies and the media. I believe this novel is perfect for those interested in history and true stories about real life events. I enjoyed reading this book and took much away from it but can see how it could be uncomfortable for some audiences.

I am glad to have found a book I can read without getting bored and think it has helped me to adopt a greater appreciation for veterans and those in service.

Sacko and the Champ with Patrick Bayouth and Daniel Davis

As much as this pains us to say, this will be the final Sacko and the Champ column in The Knight Times. The last hurrah if you will. Since the season is coming to an end, we hope you did the best you could.

Of course, you made mistakes such as benching or dropping the wrong players, but we are all human. You are either currently in a state of happiness and joy after winning your league and bathing in cash or you are sulking in depression awaiting your league’s punishments.

As the Champ, being the Sacko cannot be fun, something I have never experienced. If you need some comforting, talk to Patrick. He can give you an entire spiel on it. Your favorite Sacko, Patrick Bayouth, and most importantly, your favorite Champ, Daniel Davis, are signing off.

But first, here are the two most valuable fantasy players of this season: Patrick Mahomes – Quarterback – Kansas

City Chiefs Patrick Mahomes was a big question mark heading into the season. Many questioned whether his cannon of an arm would translate from Texas Tech to the NFL, but he has exceeded all expectations. Averaging over 26 points per game, Mahomes has not only made a strong case for NFL MVP but also Fantasy Football MVP. We highly recommend that you make Mahomes the first QB taken in the drafts to come.

Todd Gurley – Running back – Los Angeles Rams There was no question that Gurley would be a workhorse back this season, but his 22.8 points per game average is absolutely ridiculous. Gurley, along with the entire Rams team, is ranked number 1 in the league, and we see no reason that he shouldn’t be taken first overall in next year’s fantasy draft.

Opinion ∙ Page 6

The Knight Times ∙ December 2018

Corporations risk journalistic integrity with acquisition of media outlets LAUREN PORTER Editor-in-Chief A recent trend in the media space may not be a positive one as tech billionaires’ purchase of newspapers and other media sites has become increasingly popular. Jeff Bezos, Marc Benioff, and Laurene Powell Jobs are some of those who have bought major news outlets such as The Washington Post, Time Magazine, and The Atlantic.

While these billionaires all claim to have made the investment for strategic reasons, the power and influence of their corporations are inevitably brought into the purchase, regardless of whether or not it was a personal transaction. How could journalists express their opinions on these corporations when they know it could result in potential firing?

Think about the largest corporations in everyday life. Amazon and Apple are undoubtedly on the list, and now both of these companies are inadvertently involved in major news outlets. Although she is not the

CEO of Apple, Laurene Powell Jobs has an undeniable tie to the company through her late husband Steve Jobs. Recently, she acquired the majority stake in the journal The Atlantic. Apple receives criticism due to its influence in the tech world, and now The Atlantic will be put in a difficult situation when a writer wants to express a negative opinion about the company. In fact, when looking at The Atlantic’s website under the search tab “Apple,” there is only one article on the first search page that negatively portrays the company, and it was written before Powell Jobs acquired the majority stake. It is inevitable that The Atlantic’s writers are going to be hesitant when writing negative pieces about the corporations that own their newspaper, despite Laurene Powell Jobs not having an active role in the operations of the paper.

The most widely known newspaper owned by a tech billionaire is The Washington Post, and this purchase was surprising to many, as The Post has lost revenue in the past few years. So why would Jeff Bezos

decide to spend $250 million to purchase the newspaper? Jeff Bezos did not claim to be involved in the operations or adjusting of the entire business strategy so that The Post could be profitable. He even admitted the newspaper was “upside down” financially. Despite his wealth, $250 million is not a small number for anyone, and he did not have any knowledge of the newspaper business previously. This seemingly

decision was followed by Amazon’s choice to place one of their newest headquarters in National Landing, Virginia, only steps away from the Pentagon.

The dangers of corporations becoming so closely involved with news sources and democracy have not fully developed yet, but there is potential for repercussions in the future through elections and power in Washington. Along with political influ-

Trump challenges China in what is a risky tariff war CHRIS LAHOTI Staff Writer U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping recently agreed to temporarily halt trade tariffs at a G20 summit dinner in Argentina. Trump agreed to keep tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports at 10 percent; in return, China agreed to purchase a large amount of agricultural and energy products from the U.S. But what is a trade war, and why do we care?

Trade wars occur when countries threaten each other’s trade with taxes and limits. One country will impose tariffs, a type of tax, causing the other to respond in a cycle of retaliation. Tariffs are taxes on products made overseas. Taxing imports would discourage consumers from buying international products as prices start to increase, which would promote the purchase of items manufactured domestically. Unfortunately, this means that U.S. companies being tariffed by China will be forced to raise the prices of their products in the U.S. to compensate for the loss in income abroad.

China currently holds the largest consumer market in the world. However, foreign companies looking to gain access to China’s markets are required to hand over information regarding their formulas, processes, and methods used in production.

Over 40% of the U.S. economy is comprised of intellectual property (creations backed by patents and copyrights protecting it from unauthorized use). If China were to replicate American innovations and market them at a competitive price, the decrease in revenue would jeopardize

thousands of American jobs.

President Trump has been pledging to increase tariffs from 10 to 25 percent on an estimated $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, including electronics and television products, furniture, clothing, cars, steel, and aluminum. China has stated that it is prepared to retaliate with tariffs on U.S. imports and potentially devalue China’s currency if such actions from the Trump administration proceed. China’s tariffs and its devalued currency would discourage Chinese consumers from buying U.S. imports and encourage U.S. consumers to buy Chinese imports. Even if Trump placed a tax on Chinese imports, the final price would still be financially acceptable to American consumers.

Stock companies around the world are closely monitoring the situation. Markets in Japan, Germany, and South Korea– where many of the companies depend on foreign trade– have been rising in value regardless of the trade conflict. The Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index, or the measurement of the performances of the 500 wealthiest companies in America, has been increasing slightly as well. Overall company profit in America has gone up 20% in the first two quarters of this year because of President Trump’s tax cuts and a stable national government. However, some companies such as Boeing are being adversely affected due to their large amount of steel and aluminum consumption, whose prices have increased because of the tariffs.

Things appear stable, but it’s difficult to predict what will happen in the coming year. Trump is confident, but economists remain concerned.

Marc Benioff is the latest tech billionaire to buy a news outlet. He paid $190M for Time magazine. Photo courtesy of clickorlando.com. risky investment could be interpreted as a strategic move to gain even more power for Amazon. It is evident that the Amazon CEO has not asserted his presence in Washington D.C. accidentally. His move into the Capitol began with his purchase of The Washington Post, and this strategic

ence, these CEO investors could also limit the information available to the public regarding their corporation. While there is no legal violation in the acquisition of these media outlets, there could potentially be moral and ethical violations regarding the content they produce.

The Knight Times Episcopal High School 4650 Bissonnet, Bellaire, TX 77450 713-512-3400

Head of School Ned Smith

Editor-in-Chief Lauren Porter

Associate Head of School Nancy Laufe Eisenberg

Managing Editor Sydney Hutchins

Principal Kim Randolph

Social Media Coordinator Isabel Young

Dean of Arts and Innovation Jay Berckley

Staff Writers Patrick Bayouth Daniel Davis Nick Held Olivia Hopwood Elliott Jones Bailey Junell Chris Lahoti Duncan Lamme Carson Sherman Preston Witt

Visual Arts Chair Kate Philbrick Publications Coordinator David Framel Photojournalism Instructor Japheth Storlie

Photographers Lauren Bordelon, Elizabeth Anne Charbonnet, Alex Diaz, Gerard Edwards, Alexandra Herrera, Mary Carol Ray, Amelia Traylor, Teagan Ashworth, Chris Castro Janecki, Julia Toups, Caroline Fertitta, Elliott Jones, Madison Stanke, Spencer Donley, Amber Hatfield, Alexandra Herrera, Sadie Jensen, Chloe Masterson, Isabel Frasier, Elizabeth Anne Charbonnet, Sophia Haugh, Lindsey Little, Amelia Traylor, Lauren Bordelon, Maxine Defossez, Alex Diaz, Gerard Edwards, Amber Hatfield, Trey Hernandez, Beck Hollaway, Sydney Kelso, Sam Lee, Dani Lurie, Sarah Pulaski, Mary Carol Ray, Serena Shannon, Lyda Arnold, Allison Baker, Morgan Garret, Emma White, Maya Basra, Harry Craig, Isabella Fayad, Jamilee Rassy, Gwenyth Rippeto, Lindsay Rorschach, Mimi Wilson

Diplomacy between the presidents of China and the United States helped break a North Korean issue, and now both sides are involved in a tariff war. Photo courtesy of scmp.com.

The Knight Times is a product of students in the Episcopal High School Newspaper Program, and staff members are solely responsible for its creation and editorial content. The opinions expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent those of the Episcopal Board of Trustees, administration, faculty, and staff. Published ten times a year, The Knight Times is a non-profit educational tool. The staff encourages the submission of letters, editorials, and story ideas from the community but reserves the right to edit and/or use said articles.

The Knight Times ∙ December 2018

Sports Brief SWIMMING The EHS swim team has kicked off their season with incredible results. The team practices at the Bellaire Aquatic Center where pools are sometimes heated. Coaches are Coach Klages and Coach Chastain, and they work diligently every day with the swimmers to help improve their technique.

Freshman swimmer Kendall Aldstadt appreciates the coaches’ approach and commented that “they really try to make you better by telling you one little thing that you need to fix, and it helps you a lot.”

If you are ever interested in watching the team compete, swim has meets at an assortment of locations listed on our EHS calendar and would appreciate your support.

Sports ∙ Page 7

Unfinished business awaits strong boys team DANIEL DAVIS Staff Writer The boys basketball squad is determined to hold up the SPC trophy this year after a loss to Houston Christian last year in the championship game.

Ending the month of November with a dominant record of 7-2, the team’s goal is looking quite promising. Led by Coach Wayne Jones, the boys have had some tough matchups to start the year, including a huge game against 6A powerhouse Yates

High School. This was a preseason showcase game, meaning college scouts from around the nation received an opportunity to scout out Episcopal talent.

The team also received a privileged opportunity to play at a tournament in Washington D.C. over the weekend of December 8-9, playing against elite teams from around the country.

The team is considered an elite group, led by seniors D.J. Edgar, Jordan Wells, Jackson Cokinos, Jaylen Davis, and Jackson Kelso. Junior Jahari Long is electrifying the competition, leading the team in

points and helping make a big statement in SPC this year.

Cokinos said, “[Jahari] is one of the major leaders on the team; he makes everyone around him better, and his encouragement helps boost our team’s chemistry.”

Long has peaked the interest of many colleges, such as TCU, Wichita State, Charleston, Minnesota, and many more.

SPC play begins January 18 with the first game against St. Andrew’s. The players are most looking forward to playing rival Kinkaid and getting revenge on Houston Christian.

WRESTLING The wrestling team faced a busy schedule in the month of December, competing against rivals St. John’s and Kinkaid in the Houston private school’s duals tournament, and also participated in two tri-meets against Clear Springs, Friendswood, and Lamar Consolidated.

Wrestlers competed individually in the annual Doc Hess Wrestling Tournament in College Station in a double-elimination bracket for their weight class.

The team will have a workout competition over the break in order to stay in shape and prepare for future events such as State and SPC. The tournaments and matches taking place before State and SPC are important for the wrestlers on the team in order to be placed in an advantage seed to make their way to the championship match, helping the team to win.

BOYS SOCCER The 2018-2019 varsity boys soccer team is looking to make history this season by winning their fourth consecutive SPC championship. So far the team is on the right track with a perfect 3-0 record.

In their three games, they have accumulated a total of fifteen goals while allowing none with a strong defensive showing.

Currently, the team is looking forward to their matchup against the Awty International School.

Last season, the Knights beat Awty with a score of 3-2, and senior defensive star Memo Rodriguez thinks that this year is “going to be a competitive game” as well.

On the Hunt Seniors Jaylen Davis, Jackson Kelso, and D.J. Edgar lead a team with unfinished business as boys basketball looks to return the SPC Championship trophy to Episcopal. Photo by Alan Ross Photography.

Expectations are high for girls soccer program BAILEY JUNELL Staff Writer December has proven a very busy month for girls varsity soccer with many games scheduled in order to build up skill and confidence before conference play in early January.

With captains Izzie Vobbe, Kelsey Barker, and Julia Nassar leading the rest of the team to victory, the team is climbing to new heights with an amazing record so far. The girls have played teams from

around Houston and Texas and has learned and developed its skills as the girls move into conference play in January.

Toward the end of November, the girls played at Emery Weiner and won 4-0.

Sophomore Heather Schoen scored two goals and Vobbe, a senior, scoried the other two. The next game played was on Tuesday December 4; the girls competed against the Village School and finished the game with a 6-0 victory despite missing many of their starters. Then on December 10, the team played Concordia Lutheran High School. On December 12, instead

of practice, the varsity girls journeyed to Speedy’s Race Track as a fun team outing.

Then on the 13th the girls will play St. Thomas Episcopal for the first time in a few years.

Saturday, they play Antonian in a one o’clock match, expect a great game! To round out 2018, the girls will play Awty International on December 20.

Before school starts in early January, the team will play Chavez on January 4 before the beginning of games in conference play; the first occurs on January 8 against John Cooper.

GIRLS BASKETBALL Since Thanksgiving break the girls basketball team immediately went into a tough game against The Village School. The outcome did not turnout as the team would have liked, but the girls focused on getting better and played well, showing some great teamwork and promise.

The same values of never getting outworked were carried over into the following week in another hard-fought battle against St. Agnes (SCORE).Then on Friday against St. Pius the rain prevented the two teams from playing.

Congratulations to Courtney Davis for her selection to the All-Tournament Team in the Houston Christian Tournament.

Seniors Kelsey Barker, Alexandra Herrera, Izzie Vobbe and Julia Nasser look to carry the girls soccer team deep into the SPC playoffs. Photo by Alan Ross Photography.

THE Back Page ∙ Page 8

The Knight Times ∙ December 2018

NAUGHTY or

The Twelve Days of an EHS Christmas 1. Make a nutritious meal using the 4 main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup 2. Make sure Grandma does not get run over by a reindeer 3. Drink some eggnog to feel jolly 4. Go to the nearest PetsSmart and purchase a pet reindeer to learn how to ride 5. Looking for a part time job? Apply to be one of Santa’s elves (I hear they pay pretty well!)

6. Hide your Elf on the Shelf in funny places 7. Take a trip to the North Pole with your arch nemesis to beat him or her in a snowball fight 8. Set up some cameras to catch Santa sliding down your chimney

NICE

Eating yellow snow

Drinking hot cocoa with marshmallows

Seeing mommy kissing Santa Claus

Seeing Santa eating the cookies you left for him

Getting sick from romaine lettuce

Not getting sick from romaine lettuce

Making News Year’s resolutions

Having a lit New Year’s Eve

Decorating a palm tree for Christmas

Being home for the holidays

Putting antlers on your car as decorations

Copying the Grinch and putting antlers on your dog

9. Hijack Santa’s sleigh and take it for a joy ride 10. Go ice-skating with your significant other 11. Ask your sister if she wants to build a snowman. C’mon, let’s go

(Celebrity Sighting)

and play!

12. Sleigh the gift game by buying your favorite person a fork and knife

KnightTimesTweets KnightTimesTweets101: Isabel and Daniel are hanging up the keyboard and mouse for good #It’sBeenARide #ThanksToOurFans #NobelPrize KnightTimesTweets101: Careful leaving the parking garage after Advent Chapel #PleaseStopHonking #JustDriveSafe

The Knight Times could not help but notice this Christmas look-alike. Davis Bell and Kevin from Home Alone have a striking resemblance. Hopefully, Davis never has to face a Harry and Marv, but if you do, we are sure you will be just as smart as Kevin! Just for precaution, try not to stay home alone during the holidays or get separated from your family at the airport. We hear New York is a scary place all alone! Photo courtesy of lamag.com of and Olivia Hopwood.

KnightTimesTweets101: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow #Wait #Gotcha #WeLiveinHouston KnightTimesTweets101: Who else is excited for intense roman candles this New Year’s # Expelliarmus

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