2018 November/December by Clear Creek HiLife

Sea turtles lay stranded

A&M victory over LSU

Migrants march to United States

pg. 6

pg. 11

pg.18

Creek students make All-State choir competition By Kadee Loyd Reporter

Members of the Creek Choir have been working tirelessly for months to prepare their music for the All-State region process. After three progressively more difficult rounds of auditions, seven students, all from Chamber Chorus, have made it through the challenging Pre-Area cut and are advancing on to the Area audition, with a good chance of making All-State, the highest level of choral performance in the TMEA region track. Of the 18 choir students in each section, soprano one, soprano two, alto one, alto two, tenor one, tenor two, bass one and bass two, that made the Region 17 Mixed Choir and continued to Pre-Area auditions, only five were allowed to move on to Area auditions. This large cut was incredibly daunting for Creek’s 23 auditionees, but nerves did not stop seven of them from securing a place, with three more taking a spot as alternates. Senior tenor one, Mitchell Bonvillian, received fourth chair, while sophomore soprano one, Madigan Ewing, and senior bass two, Travis Falkner, earned fifth. Senior soprano two, Miranda Hixson, and junior soprano one, Riana Vermillion, made third chair. Juniors Luci Melcher, alto two, and Brady Raboin, bass two, both took second chair. Senior alto two, Hailey Clough, was first alternate with chair six, and senior, Kat Velasco, and sophomore, Ella Gard, both soprano ones, were second alternates with chair seven. Many of the seven moving on were in disbelief at hearing their names called. At such a high level of choir competition, it is difficult to assume a positive outcome, but these few students were pleasantly surprised with one. “Honestly, whenever they called my name, I was in complete denial. I did not expect it at all. Whenever you’re competing against the best of the best, you can’t expect anything, especially with pre-area auditions because that’s the huge cut. Whenever I heard my name, I was like, ‘finally’. All this hard work has finally paid off, and I’m finally getting the results I’ve been working for, so it was very rewarding,” Vermillion said.

The success of these students did not come easy, and it was not merely luck that pushed them to this point. Since receiving the music during the last school year, those participating in region have put in countless hours of practice, going to camps at college campuses over the summer, taking private voice lessons and peer evaluating. Each round of auditions had three new, challenging songs to learn,

as you love what you’re doing, especially in music, it makes it easier for you and motivates you to do more,” Sophia Sereni, participant in the region treble choir, said. Creek Choir had 56 members perform in the three region choirs on November 10. This is more Creek representation in the region clinic and concert than in any of the previous years. 24 of these were in the region concert choir, a junior varsity track

designed for freshman Photo by Danielle Dunavant many of which were and sophomores who in other languages are not yet ready to such as German, Latin or Spanish. Their binders were also packed with music for the tackle the difficult All-State region music. fall concert, Winter Follies, Men’s Night Seven of the auditionees made region Out, Musical and other choir events that treble choir, an all-women varsity group, required similar dedication and attention. and the remaining 25 made the region Balancing these, along with school work mixed choir, with 23 that moved on to Preand personal lives, took a special kind of Area auditions. One of the students who determination that was apparent in all of the advanced was freshman Jacob Reeder. region and Creek choir members this year. With such high-level music to learn and “It’s very hard because you’re struggling sight reading to understand, making it so with school, and you’re also trying to excel far into the process is a rare undertaking for in choir, so I feel like juggling two things at freshman. He experienced many difficulties once is already hard enough, but when it’s along the way, but he was pleased so important to you, and both of them are with his performance in the auditions so important to you, it just makes it even and was grateful for the experience. “I got to audition, and I felt that I harder, so you kind of have to make that choice. It can be hard at times, but as long learned a lot. It’s been really difficult, but

I found a way. Even though my grades aren’t doing that well, I’m passing, and I feel like it was worth it,” Reeder said. Although region takes an enormous amount of effort, with the extra work and stress often becoming overwhelming, those who participate in the competition almost unanimously agree that it is worth it. The experiences, growth and memories that come out of learning the music as well as attending the concerts and clinics outweigh the sleepless nights and audition nerves. “Pretty much everything has been awesome about it. I really don’t think there are any lows. It’s just so much fun to do, and it’s challenging which is awesome because everyone loves a good challenge every now and then. It’s just like, you get to make music, and meet people and be with your friends and just have a good time,” Ewing said. Creek Choir’s directors, James Park and Sean Stultz, have been working with the students auditioning for region since the last school year, providing information for camps and other opportunities, having personalized rehearsals after school and encouraging the choir with advice and acclamation. Although they provide the base for their students to flourish in the region process, they enjoy seeing students grow independently and take charge of their own region success. The individual accomplishments of the region participants this year have filled them with pride “I think our program sees so much success, not only at the beginning of our audition process, but especially as it gets closer to state, honestly because of the culture our students generate. That culture of wanting the best for each other, and always making sure that we’re working towards a goal, and that drive as early back as the previous year is why we see success in the following year,” Stultz said. Creek Choir has accomplished an incredible deal this year in the AllState and concert region tracks. The remaining seven Wildcats prepare for their Area audition on January 12.

League City celebrates 21st annual Christmas parade

By Shelby Donnow Reporter

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas in League City and that means it is time to begin the holiday festivities. Every year, League City’s community gathers together to celebrate the holiday season by enjoying the Holiday in the Park Parade and Festival. Hosted by the League City Proud Organization, the 21st Annual Holiday in the Park was held on December 1st and was located in the Historic Downtown League City section of 518. The theme of the parade this year was “The Spirit of Christmas.” Beginning in the morning, the festivities began with a family-oriented festival filled with holiday cheer. Children, adults and families of all shapes and sizes enjoyed the League City activities by enjoying Christmas movies in the park, eating delicious snacks, drinking hot chocolate and making holiday memories that will last a lifetime. These festivities never fail to get the community into the Christmas spirit. As the day turned to night and

the Christmas lights came on, League Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. There were City, despite the predicted Texas heat, also appearances from League City’s transformed into a winter wonderland. finest police officers and firefighters. A Tons of organizations in League City few other organizations that walked the volunteered to parade included be in this the CCISD FFA, p a r a d e League City including Little League C r e e k ’ s baseball and very own football teams, Cavaliers, elementary band and school cheer choir. The teams, church Clear Creek, youth groups, Clear Springs the League and Clear Falls City Council, dance teams children of the competed community against the and even pets others in hopes and animals of winning who live in the beloved League City. These Photo courtesy of Janice Hallisey first place award organizations were for an entertaining throwing candy, and festive performance. The Creek singing carols, showing their talents and Cavaliers and band both won first place showing off their ornate floats. There in their entertainment competitions. There were also lots of snacks, drinks and hot were appearances from the most loved chocolate that were sold at the parade. This Christmas characters like the Grinch, year’s parade was one that no one wanted

to miss. The holiday parade is a chance for the whole League City community to enjoy a night of Christmas festivities together. The excitement would not be complete without a little competition, so the League City Proud Organization awarded schools, businesses and Churches. The overall winner of the parade was Citymark Church, the government winners were the City of League City, the best Church group was St. Mary’s Church, the best band was Clear Falls Band, the best big business was Keller Williams Realty, the best small business was Rush Cycle, the best walking group was Clear Creek’s very own Cavaliers and the best float was awarded to the League City Lions Club. Each organization were thrilled to be awarded with their well-earned prized. Holiday in the Park is an excellent way to get into the Christmas spirit along with the League City community. It was a night filled with holiday cheer and Christmas excitement. The League City Holiday in the Park is the perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit with the whole community, family and friends. This year’s Holiday in the Park put everyone in the mood to bundle up, grab some hot chocolate and get into the ‘Spirit of Christmas.”

Opinion

Editorial

Sierra Shares: Perks of support groups

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR WINTER BREAK? “My sister is coming back from college and my family is going to spend the break in San Antonio.” -Reese BlackBurn (9th)

“I am going t o wyoming to see my brother in t he military.” -Cassidy Evan s (12th)

“I will be studying at home with my family and catching up on some sleep,” -Ellie Erdbergh (10th)

“I’m going to Fredricksberg and San antonio to see the lights on the river walk.” -Jordan Scybert (10th)

s parent d n a r “My g own ng in t to i m o c are ing are go e w d d Eat an nts an e s e r p open ood.” good f helps da P -Miran h) (12t

“I am visiting my grandma, uncle, and aunt in califor k. nia this christmas brea We will be skiing and possi bly go on a camping trip.” -Bliss Kim (9th)

st“My plans for chri time mas are to spend d with my family an as play as much golf possible.” -Mr. Majewski

p drive u o t g n i g “I’m Go nd I am goin a s h nd to Uta me frie o s t i s i to v mily,” and fa ra Malaca a c i r e -Am (11th)

“I will be cooking lots of food, watchin g christmas mo vies, and sleeping .” -Ms. Hernand ez

“I am going on a cruise with my friend, sierra.” -Kacie Kouth (12th)

“Watc hi spend ng movies a ing th nd e holi with f days riend s and fami -Kelse ly.” y Bunc h (10th)

“I’m go in my fam g to visit ily in burg, P and I’m ittsgoing to go see Ham -Ally D ilton.” e Vera (11th) By Sierra Dickey Editor- in- Chief

ing to visit “I will Be go d friends in my family an North uring Carolina d reak.” Christmas B a -Gaby Uman (11th)

2018-2019

HiLife Staff

Principal: Jamey Majewski Advisor: Wynette Jameson Editors-in-Chief: Maddie Moore Sierra Dickey Assistant Editor: Morgan Severson Managing Editor: Brittney Melanson News Editor: Leah Burnam Online Editor: Lilo Shelley Features Editor: Arrington Linder Entertainment Editor: Shelby Donnow Sports Editor: Anabella Cooper Around Creek Editor: Briana Harris Advertising Manager: Brittney Melanson Photo-Editor: Danielle Dunavant Assistant Photo-Editor: Riley Healy Reporters:

Kadyn Chatman Nicole Alvarenga Jose Rodriguez Grant Coburn Caleb Rathbone Kaila Alvarenga Dillon Gathright Cameron Heise Kadee Loyd Mariyah Thomas

Photographers:

Fabiola Figueroa Bella- Jace Moreno Ryan Castillo Chloe Tankink Abby Wells Carson Faulkner Sammantha Torch Cece Huff Erik Soto

Published at Mirror Publishers in Texas City Visit us at: www.creekhilife.com or http://clearcreekhs.ccisd.net For ad rates call: (281)-284-1889

Have you ever felt stressed out? Anxious? Intimidated? Or just plain scared because of the future world that seems to be looming over us soon-tobe adults? As a senior in high school, I have experienced my fair share of all the emotions I listed above. Why are high school students so stressed? What do we 14-18-year-old children possibly have to be stressed out about? Though most of us do not have to worry about having a bed to sleep in, food to eat, or clothes to wear the next day, all of our days are still filled with plenty of stressful situations. The pressure of both at school and at home responsibilities can be overwhelming and unbearable at times. The constant need to get things done, to make good grades and the need to be the best, can slowly eat away at the mind. This pressure, when you do not have an escape to alleviate the built-up stress, the feeling of isolation sets in. Feeling isolated and alone is not uncommon for people our age, but that does not make it okay. We should not have to feel like this is to become our new normal till we figure our lives out. Something needs to change. At the age of six we are placed into a learning whirlpool where we must focus for six and a half hours on the concepts of math, science, English and social studies. Commanded to give countless hours of attention, in and outside of school, and expected to reach the highest levels of success. Alone, the demands of school and societal views of an accomplished student may not be detrimental to a youth’s mental stability. However, with the addition of outside influences such as living conditions, family involvement and extra-curricular activities, it may lead to great stress. Some may say stress can be a good thing, a good motivator, it can push you to work harder. I do not disagree with this statement. But too much stress can lead to the inability to pay attention, insomnia, anorexia, and ultimately be very detrimental to a person’s health. According to the Child Mind Institute, one in five students have some type of mental illness and 80 percent of these illnesses are caused by early life events. The introduction of stress in multiple settings like the countless assignments, chores and other personal gains early in life do eventually start to weigh the mind. Most school administrators are

aware of the impacts these events have on their students but have yet to find an effective way to help. Support groups, although often looked over, can be an effective solution to help students cope with stress, along with other issues such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders. A support group is a gathering of people with common concerns that have the potential to mutually understand and empathize with each other. Support groups can lead to stronger bonds, trust, openness and a feeling of belonging between peers. Due to the overwhelming concerns towards high school students’ mental health, when support groups are instituted it enhances students’ ability to cope, problem solve and would give the student a sense of self- empowerment. This, in turn, decreases the chance of students succumbing to the stress we face every day. According to the California Self Help Center, support groups can be especially beneficial to socially isolated people because support groups decrease the feeling of being alone and offer a new community that can be supportive both during and between group meetings. Along with the sense of belonging, support groups offer students a chance to receive and give advice, allowing them to share their feelings and situations with others and to relate within the group, showing them that their situation is not unique and other members of the group are working towards a similar resolution. Five studies conducted by Kelly Callahan involving sexually abused women showed that interacting with others that have experienced a similar situation created an atmosphere where they were able to cope faster and improve immensely after group counseling. Support groups may be available for students under stress and for those going through a hard time, similar to group counseling. After someone has experienced a traumatic event, it is suggested they see a therapist or talk to someone when they need to. Schools should be one of the places where students can talk to others, in groups, or one-on-one to show support and understanding. Although schools do have a guidance counselor available during times of intense feelings, a group may be more supportive and effective to assure them they are not alone. With the long-term addition of support groups, the increase in mental stability of students will also be apparent. According to the American Psychological Association, when one person within the group improves the overall group improves as well. This occurs because when someone in the group is influencing a positive change, others see and are reassured that they can improve as well. Though I do believe guidance counselors are very important in education due to their proper teaching and knowledge to help those who would like to talk more one-on-one, some children do not react to one-one interactions, especially towards their emotions. Once the implementation and spreading of support groups in schools’ surface, the students will be able to choose either one-on-one or group meetings based on what they are most comfortable with.

According to the American Psychological Association, a co-led group is more effective than a single led one because of the extra eyes and ears to help aid in support and advice. The same applies in school support groups, which should also be supervised by two school guidance counselors, or volunteers that are certified to supervise a support group. But I believe support groups should be student run. This will make them be more centered around the students and their issues which is what it should be about. According to the California Self Help Center Support, groups at schools are the most effective when they pre-determine an action plan, train staff to respond to correct intervention techniques and seamlessly transition into crisis intervention and support mode. The specific subjects of different support groups could be established by requests of the students and the reasonable issues such as learning to cope with depression. Different days may be designated to specific support groups and can be either during lunch or before or after school depending on time availability. Creek does have support groups; however, many do not know about them. The support groups are not promoted to outside students and only the teachers or guidance counselors are able to refer certain students that seem to have problems. However, I believe changing the ways of this to a more open and student run program featuring two appropriate counselors would be a better way to show students that the school is truly there for them. This would give the choice between group counseling or one-on-one interaction to students to help make them more comfortable sharing their emotions would be extremely beneficial. Schools around the United States may have long neglected the overall well-being of their students, however, they long to see them graduate with high numbers. But how can one succeed if their stress capacity has reached the max and they can no longer function? According to The American Psychiatric Association, more than 60 percent of young adults with mental illnesses were unable to complete high school. Rather than being concerned with the success rate of the school, they should focus more on the students present emotional state. Doing so, the student would become more time efficient and, in general, remain mildly stressed, increasing their chances of success. This, in the long run, would benefit the school as well. The longing for students to become bottomless pits for knowledge, forever holding then dumping knowledge but never filling, is an unreasonable one. Instead of putting an impossible burden on students, schools should support them more by showing value in them and making them feel welcome, one of the things all humans’ desires. This will set the standards for us to become functioning adults in our future society. Schools could produce, not only functioning adults, but people that will care for one another and be able to work together towards a brighter future.

“The greater the loyalty of a group toward the group, the greater is the motivation among the goals of the group, and the greater the probability that the group will achieve its goals.” -Rensis Likert

4 By Madeleine Moore Editor-in-Chief Last year, it was determined that although Netflix original films are welcome to be shown at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France, they would ultimately be ineligible to receive any awards. Meaning, companies such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, who stream their original media exclusively on their platforms, would be banned from entering films. After Netflix original films, Okja and The Meyerowitz Stories, were allowed to enter the yearly film competition, an onslaught of filmmakers protested that traditional films and streamable original films should not be featured side by side. According to Thierry Fremaux, Director of the Cannes Film Festival, the reason behind this is because unlike traditional films, streamable movies are not

By Morgan Severson Assistant Editor According to Cambridge Dictionary, cultural appropriation is the act of taking or using things from another culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect the culture. Many celebrities, models, and big corporations use aspects of minorities’ culture, like fashion and hairstyles, to make a profit for themselves. Cultural appropriation occurs when a dominant group, one that is more accepted by society, borrows culture that marginalized groups are oppressed and discriminated for. It is a problem because it continues the oppression of minorities, their culture does not get recognition from where it originated, and it creates stereotypes. Some of the biggest culprits of cultural appropriation are the Kardashians. Many of the “high fashion” and “trendy” looks the Kardashians wear are borrowed from

Editorial

Maddie’s Messages: Award dispute

shown in theatres. In order to view the film, one must buy a subscription to the platform. In attempt to accommodate for streamable movie services, Fremaux implemented a rule stating that, “Any film that wishes to compete in competitions at Cannes will have to commit itself to being distributed in French movie theatres.” Despite the attempt to include Netflix films in the festival, French law declares that films featured at the festival can only be streamed online 36 months after its initial release in theatres, meaning streaming services would be ineligible to compete anyway. As of 2018, Netflix has officially determined they will no longer be working alongside Cannes Film Festival. “We want our films to be on fair ground with every other filmmaker,” Ted Sarandos, Chief content officer for Netflix, said in response to being banned from the festival. Regardless, Fremaux believes, “The history of cinema and the history of the internet are two different things”. However, I believe that streaming platforms such as Netflix are just as significant to film’s history, if not more than the internet’s. If anything, streaming platforms open up new jobs to women and people of different ethnicities. It is no secret that there is a lack of diversity in Hollywood, and in spite of that, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon are making strides that satellite television programs refuse to make; they are putting creative people in charge. Production companies are known to get in the way of the vision of those behind the

camera to a point where they can overpower the director’s vision. Instead of constantly monitoring those creating the media, executives of these streaming companies allow them to make their own creative decisions. Although they still have the final say in what

African-American culture and it appears that they have no knowledge or appreciation of where the styles originated. However, I believe the biggest problem with the Kardashians appropriating culture is that they get praise and credit for their style, while an African-American can wear the same thing and face oppression and discrimination. In 2015, biracial Disney channel star, Zendaya Coleman was criticized on a show called Fashion Police, for wearing dreadlocks on the red carpet. One of the show’s hosts made a comment saying that she probably smelt like drugs and patchouli oil. But, when reviewing Kylie Jenner with dreadlocks, the show’s host complimented her, calling her stylish and “edgy.” Not only did Jenner get praised for a culture that is not hers, Coleman was ridiculed for a culture that was. Comments like the talk show host’s promotes stereotypes and discredits the culture that the style belongs to. "There is already harsh criticism of African-American hair in society without the help of ignorant people who choose to judge others based on the curl of their hair. My wearing my hair in locs on an Oscar red carpet was to showcase them in a positive light, to remind people of color that our hair is good enough," Coleman, in a tweet about the incident, said. Another example of Kardashians appropriating culture is when Kim and Khloe wore cornrows and bantu knots, both hairstyles that originated from African-American culture. On YouTube, several videos are titled, “Kim Kardashian braid tutorial,” but Kim Kardashian did not invent cornrows, nor is she the first person to wear

them stylishly. According to Ayana Byrd, author of Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America, cornrows were first founded from 500 B.C. Nigeria with different materials woven into their braids as a way to show social status. Cornrows also a big part of African-American culture because they were very popular during slavery. Slaves did not have access to hair products and did not have time to do their hair, but cornrows was a style that protect-

ing company’s only distribution point is their own platform. Without the nerve of creative minds behind these streaming platforms, groundbreaking series such as The Handmaid’s Tale, Transparent, Master of None, and Dear White People most likely would not have been created. It is understandable that Fremaux, among other respected names in the film industry, are adamant about keeping streamable films from competing in the festival as he wants to retain the historical aspect of film, and there is talk of Netflix running movie theatres out of business. However, I do not believe that is the case. Although streaming platforms are overall cheaper and can be viewed from anywhere, watching a film at the cinema is an experience that typically cannot be re-created at one’s home. The atmosphere of a cinema makes the audience feel as if they are a part of the story being told on screen and is ultimately what Fremaux desired to preserve. However, by not allowing streamable original films to be shown at his festival, he is taking that experience away from a massive audience. This would not only be a disservice to those who created the film, but also to the film festival. By cutting off streamable content, the festival is sure to lose a large audience along with it. No matter what, streamable platforms will always have an audience. Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime may not be the most traditional way of showcasing media, but the history of film is changing, and the industry needs to learn to change with it.

“The whole aspect of cinema and film festivals should be a moment to come together and celebrate art and humanity.” -Keanu Reeves makes the cut, they are much more lenient than other production companies. According to Sara Bobolz and Brennan Williams, writers for The Huffington Post, this is because they only have one distribution point, whereas a traditional studio has several. Meaning, major motion picture companies must be approved by all distribution points, whereas the stream-

Severson Speaks: Cultural Appropriation

by non-black performers playing a black role. Several Instagram models are using makeup, curling their hair and getting tans to make themselves look African-American and sell products that are marketed towards them. Swedish model, Emma Hallberg, who curled her hair and tanned her skin and posted pictures that made is seem like she was African-American. Hallberg denies all accusations of “blackfishing” and never claims to be African-American, but she is appropriating the looks of African-Americans and using the pictures of herself with darker skin and curly hair to gain followers and sponsor products. Celebrities are using their platforms to make money from borrowing others’ culture. While cultural appropriation has been going on for many years, “we are living in a time where people are getting more and more vocal about systematic issues and racial tensions that in the past have been overlooked,” according to Clevver News. “When u appropriate black features and culture but fail to use ur position of power to help black Americans by directing attentions towards ur wigs instead of police brutality or racism,” Amand Lastenberg, social activist wrote Jenner in an Instagram comment, said. To prevent appropriation it takes activists, like Lastenberg, that use their social media as a platform to educate others, rather than make a profit. Many people fail to see the problem with cultural appropriation, but culture is something many people hold sacred. If someone can get in trouble for stealing another’s idea, why wouldn’t they get in trouble for stealing culture?

“The concept of cultural appropriation is nothing less than an intellectual fence: Keep out.” -Richard Cohen ed their hair from damage and allowed them to go several days to a week without doing their hair again. Kim Kardashian is receiving credit and fame for her cornrows which do not belong to her culture whatsoever. The list of times Kardashians appropriate culture is very long. Also, many models on Instagram have started a trend called “blackfishing.” As an Afican American myself, I see it is a form of black face, which is defined as makeup used

Core Values Responsibility is the ability to act independently and make decisions without being told by authorization and completing the task. National Science Honor Society member, Emma Winn, shows responsibility by always volunteering for work and can always be counted on to get the job done. Her parents have inspired her to work hard at anything she does. Winn hopes to help others while she does her work, and always stay on task.

Trustworthiness is the ability to be rely on someone to be honest and truthful. According to the French teacher, Zineb Underwood, Carli Fontaine shows this trait through caring. “I have a responsibility to the club and its members and [I am] responsible for their actions.” Fontaine says that her parents showed her how to be to be responsible and trustworthy, which has allowed her to be a well-rounded person and student. CARLI FONTAINE 11th

EMMA WINN 11th

Respect is using good manners, practicing tolerance, being considerate of the feelings of others and not hurting anyone. NHS member, Kit Matthews shows respect by acting polite and sensitive towards the feelings of others. According to NHS sponsor, Ms. Mary Slazer, “She’s usually quiet and doesn’t like to bother others in class.” Matthews says her parents have always taught her to be kind and use words such as, “yes ma’am” and “no sir.” KIT MATTHEWS 12th

Fairness is the act to justly treat or behave towards someone without discrimination or favoritism. Mu Alpha Theta secretary, Victoria Eaton demonstrates fairness by constantly working hard to help others with their volunteer hours. She wants to treat every peer the same and give them all of the opportunities she can because they all have the same goal in the end.

VICTORIA EATON 12th

Responsibility Respect Fairness Trustworthiness Citizenship Caring

Citizenship is the characteristic of an individual who chooses to be a member of society that gives back. Rho Kappa president, Rachel Boyd best fits the core value of citizenship. According to Rho Kappa representative, John Lewallen, “[Boyd] has leadership and self-determination. She helps others in and modeling all core-values.” She is influenced by her family, and wants to use Rho Kappa as a platform to give back to the community and help others. RACHEL BOYD 12th Caring is the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. Spanish Honor Society student Maria Buendia shows this quality by running the meetings, and keeping everyone on track. “She’s really outgoing, and she’s involved in other honor societies and clubs,” Mrs. Glora Velasquez, Spanish Honor Society sponsor, said. When asked how she uses the core value of caring while working, Maria said she tries to be a good leader and person, and makes sure to ask for others’ opinions. MARIA BUENDIA 11th

News

Sea turtle masses lay stranded due to cold front

path of turtles are heading farther north as swings from warm to cooler, the turthe climate begins to warm the ocean. Others tles that haven’t made it south definitesay that the turtles in Cape Cod got trapped ly get into trouble,” Wallace Nichols, in the hook- shaped geography. Strand- a sea turtle biologist, told NBC news. Due to the recent cold front in Mas- ing season typically lasts from November 80 percent of the sea turtles survived sachusetts, hundreds of sea turtles washed to December. The total number of turtles earlier this year, but recently the number up on the shore of Cape Cod Bay Brew- predicted to wash up is over 1,000 before has lowered to about 40 percent. On Noster, Orleans and Eastham. The turtles shocked by the 50-degree water were unable to move, this is called ‘coldstunned’. Their metabolism begins to shut down and immobilizes them until they freeze. Due to this, they are trapped in the water as their system shuts down and their body temperature matches with the water temperature, to where they soon begin to die. There are currently 173 of the 227 sea turtles that are recovering since November 21. “It was like they were flash-frozen, flippers in all weird positions like they were swimming,” Robert Prescott, director of Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, said. On November 26, the sanctuary had recovered about 584 turtles. Out of 584, 340 turtles were found alive and 244 were dead. Kerr told NPR that about 80 percent or more of the turtles rescued were alive. The vast majority of the sea turtles that were found were Kemps ridley’s, which is the most endangered sea turtle species in the world. “This put 2018 on track to be Photo courtesy of PxHere the second largest cold stun season the end of December. vember 21, the Wellsince they started the rescue program “Sea Turtles fleet Bay Wildlife in 1980,” Jenette Kerr, communica- are moving further along our coast as wa- Sanctuary took in the largest sea turtle tions coordinator for the sanctuary, said. ters are warming and they are expanding they have ever rescued in Massachusetts, Scientists say that the natural migration their ranges. When we get these quick a 300-pound loggerhead. They took it to

By Kaila Alvarenga Reporter

the New England Aquarium’s Animal Care Center in Quincy, Massachusetts, for medical treatment. Climate change is affecting the sea turtles and is causing them to suffer. Mass Audubon, a conservation group, believes that the warmer waters in the Gulf of Maine and the increased nesting for some of the species of sea turtles are the reasons why more are washing up on shore. According to Mass Audubon, during fall and early winter last year, 420 turtles washed ashore. More turtles are washing up on South Jersey shore, having the same problem as Cape Cod. On the beaches of South Jersey shore it is not as severe as Cape Cod, but it is still not good for the turtle population. Over Thanksgiving weekend, the U.S. government released a shocking report about climate change and how immediate steps to prevent future disasters need to be taken. The rate of global warming is causing the endangered sea turtles to not adapt naturally in the drastic environmental changes. Sea levels are rising due to the melting of polar ice and it is contributing to the loss of beaches and sea turtle nesting habitats. Sea turtles’ memories are imprinted with a magnetic map of the sandy beach where they hatched, however this is life threatening as the water rises. The cold-stunned sea turtles this year are very lucky compared to the turtles washed up in the 1970’s. Since 1979, the Wellfleet Bay staff and corps of over 250 volunteers have patrolled and rescued sea turtles washing up on shore. They are soon transported to the New England Aquarium for evaluation and rehabilitation.

Scientists warn climate change irreversible by 2030 By Grant Coburn Reporter

During the 2016 presidential election and the 2018 midterm elections, the debate over the reality of climate change has become a hot topic of contention for many people. However, new information released by leading climate change researchers with the support from the United Nations may change the landscape of climate change discourse. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a statement this past month warning that vast reforms must be taken by government and individuals alike to prevent global temperatures from rising two point seven degrees Fahrenheit (one point five degrees Celsius). “Human caused carbon dioxide emissions need to be cut by nearly half of 2010 levels by 2030 to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Scientists said rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society are required to limit the possibility of irreversible environmental damage,” Stephanie Ebbs, a reporter for ABC News, said. However, these warnings conflict with modern American policies. Since being elected, President Donald Trump has promised to protect oil, coal and gas jobs regardless of whatever environmental risk they may pose. Trump has also pulled America from the Paris Climate Change agreement. The Paris Climate Change agreement was ratified in 2015 under former President Barack Obama and it went into affect in 2016. The agreement would have established regulations with the intended goal of keeping global temperature

increases below three point six degrees Fahrenheit (two degrees Celsius). These regulations would potentially include outlawing the use of fossil fuels. The climate accords also pledged over a billion dollars to impoverished countries negatively affected by the declined use of fossil fuels. While a three point six degrees Fahr-

gy absorbed by the oceans. Another major change caused by the temperature would be the increased intensity and frequency of heat waves. These heat waves would occur all over the world, including the entirety of the United States. The heat waves are predicted to be so unbearable, they could make large swaths of working class individuals unable to

enheit increase in temproperly function and Photo courtesy of Pixabay perature may sound threaten the lives of inconsequential, the many elderly people. affects are undeniable. One major effect of One of the other major effects of clirising temperatures would be more intense mate change is the risk it poses to coral natural disasters, especially hurricanes reefs. Coral reefs help to protect the coastand typhoons, caused by the extra ener- lines from storms by safeguarding against

excess erosion and weathering. Seeing as 39 percent of the world’s population lives on the coast, these coral reefs play a vital role in safeguarding the world’s coasts. “It was given to me. And I want to look at who drew it. You know, which group drew it. I can give you reports that are fabulous and I can give you reports that aren’t so good,” Trump, about the reports on climate change, said. This response lets the American people know the Trump will continue to review the climate change issue and possibly enact legislation to safeguard against climate change’s negative effects. However, Trump’s response leaves a little more to be desired, as many voters were left without a confirmation on whether Trump and the Republican Party will back legislation that limits the effects of climate change. Other countries, especially those apart of the European Union, have pledged to increase regulation on the market and consumer consumption to reach the United Nation’s goal of keeping global temperatures at the desired levels. Already, the European Union has banned one- use plastics in their entirety. “The fight against climate change is by far the most significant struggle of our times… climate change adds further injustice to an already unfair world,” Emmanuel Macron, President of France, said. While President Macron’s words may not be seen as entirely true, they characterize the sentiments felt by many European leaders, providing a further hope that the earth will remain as beautiful for the next generation as it was for this one and the ones that came before it.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

News 2018 Mid-Term election alters political perspective

By Morgan Severson Assistant Edtior The 2018 midterm elections were historic for the United States. It was crucial for the Democratic party to win majority in the House of Representatives in order to put a check on the Republicans who had all the power in Congress before the election. Thanks to the record-breaking voter turnout for a midterm election, Democrats were able to win majority in the House of Representatives and Republicans kept the majority in the Senate. In the House of Representatives, Democrats have 234 seats, while Republicans have 199 seats, and two seats are undecided as of November 29. In the senate, Democrats have 47 seats while Republicans have 53 seats and two seats belong to third parties. Under Trump’s presidency, the country is divided more than ever. It was up to the citizens to fulfil their civic duty of voting and let their voices be heard in the U.S. democracy. According to The New York Times, approximately 114 million voters participated in this year’s midterm election, opposed to the 83 million who participated in the 2014 midterm election. In Texas, the voter turnout was so huge that the early voter turnout surpassed the total voter turnout in Texas’ 2014 midterm elections. Over six million Texans voted in this year’s midterm election and the Texas senate race was one of the nation’s most viewed races. This is because a Democrat has not won the Texas senate in 25 years and Representative Beto O’Rourke, a democrat running against incumbent Senator Ted Cruz, came very close to beating Cruz. Normally, in a red state like Texas, Republicans beat their Democratic opponents by a large margin, but not this year. Cruz received 51.7

percent of votes while O’Rourke received 48.28 percent of votes and 0.65 percent of votes went to Neal Dikeman, a Libertarian. Cruz barely defeated O’Rourke, with only a little over 100,000 votes more than him. Making history in Texas, O’Rourke was the first Democrat to get this close to beating a Republican in a red state in decades. O’Rourke proved to be very popular, and many

Republican Rodney Anderson. In Harris County, Democrat Gina Calanni barely won against incumbent Republican Mike Schofield. Also in the Houston area, District 134, incumbent Republican Sarah Davis won against Democrat Allison Sawyer. There were many firsts and record-breaking wins that happened in this year’s election. For the first time, over 100

of his supporters women were electPhoto courtesy of Wikimedia Commons are hoping that ed to the House of he runs for presiRepresentatives, and dent in 2020. Some of his celebrity support- many of the representatives are minoriers, like Alyssa Milano, started the hashtag ties or apart of the LGBT+ community. #BETO2020 which trended on Twitter, In Minnesota, Democrat Ilhan Omar urging him to run against Trump in 2020. became the first ever Muslim to be electThe Texas House of Representatives ed to the House of Representatives. She races made history as well, as Democrats is also Somali-American. In Colorado, flipped 12 seats in the House, which is un- Democrat Jared Polis, became the first usual for a red state like Texas. The North governor in the U.S. to be Jewish and Dallas area, District 105, was won by Dem- openly gay. In New York, 29-year-old Alocrat Terry Meza, who beat the incumbent exandria Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest

person to be elected to the House of Representatives. She impressively beat a ten-term incumbent representative of her own party. “She ran on a Democratic-Socialist platform. Ocasio-Cortez, whose parents are Puerto Rican, has called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Medicare-for-all and a federal jobs guarantee, as well as a crackdown on Wall Street. Her ultra-progressive agenda has caught on in a district that is 75 percent nonwhite, according to U.S. Census data,” ABC, on how Ocasio-Cortez got elected, said. In Massachusetts, Democrat Ayanna Pressley and in Connecticut, Democrat Jahana Hayes became the first African-American women to be elected in Congress for those states. In Kansas, Democrat Sharice Davids, became the first ever Native American and openly gay women to be elected to Congress. She defeated Republican opponent, Kevin Yoder, who was one of the top ten recipients of funding from the NRA. Democrats are hoping this is a step in the direction of increasing gun control in America. Besides voting for representatives, Floridians voted for people convicted of felonies to be able to vote, which gave back the right to vote to over a million people. “As a result, Florida had disenfranchised more potential voters than any other state, with more than 10 percent of all potential voters and more than 21 percent of potential black voters in Florida unable to vote due to felony records,” Vox News said. The 2018 midterm elections were unlike any other midterm election with the largest voter turnout in years. November 6 determined which parties would control parts of Congress. Currently, the nation is deeply divided between the two parties and the election results most definitely reflect that.

“Freedom and Sa

crifice.

I have a lot of vete rans in my family so this day is huge for me. Who leaves th eir families for years to prote ct the freedom of people they don t even know, that’s what Veter ans Day means to me.” - Suzanne Saucie (Secretary)

“Vetera ns Day m to stop, just for akes it possibl e this one think a bout w d a y a n hat sold d respond iers, fir ers and s t in time s of cri people who he s l i p s to prot ect us a give up in ord n er going t d allow us to k ee - Lisa W hrough life.” aligora (Teache r)

100 year anniversary of WW1 armistice celebrated By Caleb Rathbone Reporter

A plethora of many world leaders, including the well-known and often controversial President Donald Trump, gathered in the city of Paris, France at the famous French landmark, the Arc de Triomphe to celebrate the 100 anniversary of the armistice and end of World War I. Commemorations were scheduled at 11. A.M Central European Standard Time. This specific time was selected to occur at the exact time that the Central Powers and the Allies came together to sign the armistice pact, though the time was slightly delayed due to scheduling issues and the late arrival of some attendees. The Great War, otherwise known as World War I, began on July 28, 1914. It was initially sparked by the assassination of Duke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo, Bosnia by Gavrilo Princip. The Austro-Hungarians used it as an excuse to blame Serbia and end Serbian nationalism. At the beginning of the war, most European powers split into two factions:

The Allied Powers and the Central Powers. The Central Powers consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire. The Allies consisted of Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan and the United States. The war was fought mostly on European soil and is considered by many to be the first fully mechanized war, fought with machine guns, Jeeps, airplanes, grenades and trench warfare. As a result, the World War suffered the highest known body count to any war at that time, at just around 37 million soldiers and civilians killed. Thousands of French soldiers lined up along the St. Mihiel American Cemetery, residents flew American flags outside of their windows, lined up on the street, or joined the soldiers in the cemetery for the memorial. The celebrations reached many corners of the world, including New Zealand, Australia, India, Hong Kong, Myanmar and all former British colonies who lost lives in the war. The peace was shortlived however, as tensions between Britain and the colonies rose after the Armistice. The historic signing of the pact marked the end of a long and bloody four-year con-

flict in which an estimated 37 million men, women and children lost their lives. By the end of the war, roughly ten million Allied soldiers were killed on French soil. The city of Paris was a very crucial location during the war, with the Allies successfully fighting off the Germans efforts to seize it in 1914. Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, held an address in which he detailed the joy of the conflict ending while also recalling the horrors of the millions that lost their lives in the conflict. “The old demons are rising again. We must reaffirm before our peoples our true and huge responsibility: that of passing on our children the world previous generations dreamed of,” Macron, at the memorial, said. However, controversy began to swirl during the ceremony. Trump announced his choice to cancel his visit to a memorial ceremony due to mild weather conditions. According to White House officials, “bad weather and near-zero visibility grounded the presidential helicopter.” Trump also claimed that he did not want to disrupt and block Paris traffic by organizing a last-minute presidential motorcade. However, many

critics point out how Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister, made a 118-mile trip to the cemetery in Paris while facing raging thunderstorms. Many are still distasted by Trump’s actions as leaders from France, Germany and Canada all attended the ceremony regardless of the pouring rain. One such critic of Trump’s decision was Tobias Ellwood, the British Defense Minister, who stated on Twitter that “rain did not prevent our brave heroes from doing their job.” This tweet was followed by one from Sir Nicholas Soames, a grandson of the famous hero Winston Churchill, who made a comment claiming Trump was “pathetic and persevering through the weather to pay his respects to the fallen.” Though controversial actions may muddle some aspects, it is undeniable the great importance and respect this historic event brings upon the world and those who live in it. The mark of the end of one of the most lethal armed conflicts in human history and the changes it brought upon the world, will forever be remembered both in the history books as well as the minds of those affected and touched by it.

e to een a day for m b s a h y a D s n ad “Vetera rans like my d te e v k n a th d arhonor an kful that my p n a th m a I s. and uncle t for our coun c e sp e r e th d ents instille e others have c ifi r c sa e th e ple,” try and mad gh their exam u o r th e m r fo made oe -Cathy Donah ve Assistant) (Administrati

y ans Da r e t e V of utchinncept H o y c a R e h en “T r me wh osul, Iraq. He o f d e g n M cha illed in eployed k d s s a a w w e son before h what he was e m o t nd came 1. had fou e h se of 9/1 d u i a a c s e d b n d a nd joine y but his death a t a d o go s happ a w hat the e W h . t w r o a n e Ik in my h reedom isn’t e l o h a left true- ‘F s i s y a s military free.’” ) Teacher ( n o s e te Jam - Wynet

News

California suffers mass destruction due to wildfires

ByMoragn Severson Assistant Editor

From Chico to Los Angeles, four wildfires ravaged through California. The fires started on November 8 and lasted over two weeks. They have killed hundreds of people, and thousands have gone missing trying to escape the fire. These November wildfires demolishing homes and businesses in California are said to be the deadliest wildfires the state has ever suffered. Thousands are being forced to evacuate and flee their homes, leaving their belonging behind to turn into ashes. Many citizens have gone homeless and are living in shelters, having to start their lives over again. “The fast-moving wildfires in the state have destroyed thousands of structures and prompted thousands of residents to flee, sometimes through jam-packed flame-lined streets that forced evacuees to choose whether to try to drive to safety or to get out and run,” CNN said. The North most wildfire, Camp Fire, is burning in California’s Butte County and has burned 153,336 acres. After a long battle with firefighters, it was contained on November 25. Camp Fire has destroyed over 13,000 homes, 528 businesses, killed 85 civilians and injured five firefighters. According to the Today Show, over 560 Californians in the area have gone missing. After only three days, 90 percent of the town Paradise was destroyed by Camp Fire. According to Thom Porter, a California Fire chief, over 100 people could have been killed in Paradise and they are still searching for bodies. It was reported that many of the displaced families spent their Thanksgiving in emergency shelters eating with firefighters and first responders that bravely risk their lives to help the community. The second wildfire, Hill Fire, has devastated Ventura County and has burned 4,531 acres of land` and was only 85 percent contained after five days. It was finally contained on November 15. Winds in the area are about 86 mph, which is causing power outages as well as forced shutdowns of power from electricity companies. Over 25,000 people in the area are left without power and four buildings have been destroyed. Another wildfire, Nurse Fire, burned through Solano County, and burned 1,500 acres of mostly

vegetation, so far no buildings have been harmed. As of November 25, Nurse Fire is still active and only 90 percent contained. Woolsey Fire, has been devastating Los Angeles County and Ventura County, burning over 96,000 acres. 1,500 buildings have been destroyed and two civilians have been killed. After five days, only 40 percent of the fire was contained. Woolsey was completely contained on November 22. “Hundreds of Malibu, Agoura Hills and Thousand Oaks area evacuees spent

then threatened to stop Federal funding to help California with wildfires if the state does not manage the forests better. “There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is poor. Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forest. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!” Trump, in his tweet about the fires, said. The California Professional Firefight-

Courtesy of Flickr the holiday weeker President, end returning to Brian Rice, their burned-out neighborhoods to sur- released a statement to refute vey their damaged or destroyed homes the president’s three a.m. tweet. and to begin rebuilding their lives. Some “Natural disasters are not ‘red’ or ‘blue’ were still debating whether to stay or they destroy regardless of party. Right now, leave,” The Los Angeles Times said. families are in mourning, thousands have Many celebrities in the Los Ange- lost homes, and a quarter-million Ameriles area lost their homes as well, includ- cans have been forced to flee. At this despering Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, ate time, we would encourage the president Robin Thicke, Camille Grammer, Neil to offer support in word and deed, instead Young and Gerard Butler. Cyrus and of recrimination and blame,” Rice said. Hemsworth are donating 500,000 dolOn November 13, the President lars to The Malibu Foundation to help visited the parts of California that had Californians rebuild after the tragedy. been devastated by the fires. According President Trump tweeted about the to NBC, Trump “pledged” to give the fires on November 10 and blamed the state federal funds and help aid the Califires on poor forest management. He fornians that lost everything in the fire.

“This is very sad to see. As far as the lives are concerned, nobody knows quite yet, right now we want to take care of the people that are so badly hurt, the families where they’ve lost — a lot of people have been lost,” Trump, after seeing the ashes left of burned down homes, said. Many people have considered that global warming could have contributed to the severity of the wildfires. California has never seen wildfires this extreme and studies has shown that global warming is a major factor contributing to the intensity of natural disasters in the last few years according to NBC’s Stay Tuned. For example, the slew of hurricanes that hit the United States, like Hurricane Florence, Hurricane Maria, Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Harvey, as well as massive winter snow storms in the North East and wildfires in the Western United States have all been so severe due to climate change, studies show. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, if global warming emissions do not substantially decrease, wildfires in California will double over by 55 percent. “For example, a hotter, drier climate could increase the flammability of vegetation in northern California and promote up to a 90 percent increase in large wildfires by the end of the century. A hotter, wetter climate would also lead to an increase in wildfires in northern California, but to a lesser extent—about a 40 percent increase by century’s end,” The Union of Concerned Scientists, in a statement, said. It seems as though if the world fails to reduce and reverse the effects of climate change, the world is going to continue facing horrific natural disasters. As the fires are finally contained, families, first responders and search crews rummage through the ashes of their homes looking for bodies and belongings. The world is watching and supporting California as they begin to recover from the irreversible damage of the fires.

Sports

A&M victory over LSU creates college landmark

By Annabella Cooper Sports Editor

In a brutal match against LSU, A&M prevailed in the highest scoring game in Football Bowl Subdivision history. In a seven-overtime game at Kyle Field in College Station, the Aggies pulled a win against the Tigers 74-72. The game lasted four hours and 53 minutes, an hour and a half longer than average. The game finally ended when quarterback, Kellen Mond, hitting Kendrick Rodgers for a two-point attempt in the right corner of the end zone. In the past eight years, Texas A&M has consecutively been defeated by LSU in their football games, last winning in 1995 when they were in the Southwest Conference. It was an important game for the Aggies, as it would represent their first win in the South Eastern Conference since 1995, and it was a huge victory for coach Jimbo Fisher since this is his first season with A&M. Fisher is showing progress in his renovation project for the Aggies. The Aggies started out strong, winning at halftime 17-10. At 7:42 in the third quarter LSU’s wide receiver, Justin Jefferson, scored a touchdown pass from Joe Burrow and tied up the game. At 3:33 A&M’s running back, Trayveon Williams, made a running play touchdown getting the lead back, making the score 2417. The fourth quarter was the fall of the Aggies. LSU’s outside linebacker, Michael Divinity, returned a fumble from A&M and scored a touchdown, resulting in a tie. Tight end, Foster Moreau, scored LSU another touchdown and took the lead over A&M. The last touchdown by the Aggies to tie up the game caused controversy, but the Aggies took the ball next and stormed down

the field. With a first down and 18 yards to go, they were in a good position. There was a false report with the first down on the television and the field, however SEC Network anchor, Peter Burns, confirmed that it was a first down for A&M. With three seconds left on the clock, Texas A&M went for the touchdown. The original play showed all zeros on the clock, which would mean that

the kick, A&M tied the game 34-34 with a 26-yard field goal. In the second overtime both teams made a three-yard run moving both scores up to 41. The third overtime is viewed as one of the Aggies’ best plays in their history. Wide receiver, Dee Anderson, scored a 25-yard touchdown for LSU, and then wide receiver, Justin Jefferson, caught the two-point conversion pass,

LSU won, however making the score Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons officials determined 49-41. A&M’s that the Aggies still wide receiver, had one second left to make one last play. Kendrick Rogers, catch-of-the-year canA&M’s wide receiver, Quartney Davis, didate, scored the remarkable one-handed scored the 19-yard touchdown, and the field touchdown catch and caught the two-point goal tied the game, sending it to overtime. conversion pass, tying the game 49-49, LSU won the coin toss, receiving the sending it to the fourth overtime. The ball for the first overtime. In four plays, fourth overtime was a 21-field goal kick LSU only made it to the 50-yard line be- for A&M and a 26-yard field kick for LSU. fore they reached the fourth down, and In the fifth overtime both teams kicked went for the three-point field goal. Making field goals, bringing the score to 52-52.

The sixth overtime was another touchdown and two-point conversion for both teams tying it 66-66. The seventh overtime concluded the game. As LSU’s quarterback, Joe Burrow, made a 10-yard run for a touchdown, but failed to make a successful twopoint conversion pass. A&M was up next and Davis caught another touchdown tying the game 72-72. The two-point conversion catch by Rogers is what made history. At first, the pass was incomplete due to defensive pass interference and a personal foul of voicing his anger at the officials by LSU cornerback Greedy Williams. The play got a redo, and that is when Mond threw the winning catch to Rogers. “Very proud of our team. We played great and I loved the start of the game. We took control of the game. Our defense did a great job. Offensive line did a really good job. Controlled the situations well.” Fisher said. After the game finished, there was a fight on the field between LSU director of personnel, Kevin Faulk and an A&M staff member, Cole Fisher, coach Jimbo Fisher’s nephew, due to a disagreement about the score. The issue has been addressed and examined by A&M administration and the SEC office. It has not been said whether or not there will be any penalties, reprimands or suspensions handed out to coaches or players that were involved in the incident. This was a significant win for A&M. Before the game, LSU was ranked number seven in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football; A&M was number twenty-two. Now LSU is ranked number ten; A&M nineteen. “That was one heck of an overtime. Just fell one play short. Our guys have nothing to be ashamed about. They fought hard.” Ed Orgeron, LSU coach, said.

2018-2019 NFL mid-season sparks fan turmoil By Grant Coburn Reporter

of the Raiders division, the AFC West, rently the best at whichever given time. As is the Kansas City Chiefs, whose record of week thirteen, the Rams sit atop of the currently sits at ten and two. Other strong rankings, thanks to their solid offensive line. The National Football League and competitors to win the AFC Championship Behind the Rams sits the Saints at number football as a sport, has been the subject are the New England Patriots, who lead two due to their potent pass rush and their of major debate due to the inherent dan- the AFC East at nine and three; the Pitts- electrifying offense. The Chiefs fall in at gers players face by playing the sport. As a result, the NFL ratings have suffered drastically. While this season has seen continued viewership decline, the quality of football being played is, arguably, at an all-time high, with NFL legends, such as Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, battling it out for a final time. In the National Football League, competition is fierce. The New Orleans Saints won ten games in a row after losing their season opener to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. One of those victories came by defeating the Los Angeles Rams, who before their loss to the Saints remained undefeated. The Saints now have a record of ten and two, while the Rams’ record now sits at nine and one. The NFC East Division is being led by the Cowboys, who ended the Saints ten game win streak, besting the Defending World Champion Eagles, the Giants and the Redskins. The NFC North is being controlled by the Chicago Bears, leading the Photo courtesy of Pixabay Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings burgh Steelers, who number three thanks and the Detroit Lions. The Bears dominance lead the AFC to their strong passing comes as sort of a surprise, as the Bears North at seven and four with a tie and game led by Patrick Mahomes, who curmade a block buster trade for edge rusher, the Houston Texans, leading the AFC rently leads the NFL in passing touchdowns Kahlil Mack, with the Oakland Raiders. South with a nine and three record. with 41. The rest of the top ten in order is Currently, the Raiders are the lowest A team’s individual record can only as follows: New England Patriots, Los Anranking team in the entire NFL, in part be- tell so much of a story, so power rank- geles Chargers, Houston Texans, the Pittscause of their lack of defense. The leader ings are used to tell which teams are cur- burgh Steelers, the Chicago Bears, the Se-

attle Seahawks and the Baltimore Ravens. This season has seen some surprise performers. For starters, Drew Brees, who many had labeled as overrated and over the hill after his team’s zero and three record start to last season, is currently leading the NFL in completion percentage with 77.3 percent. Brees is also one of the front runners for the MVP award, with his main contender being the Chief’s quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the second-year player from Texas Tech. Mahomes is currently leading the NFL in both passing yards and in passing touchdowns. Another surprise performance this season is Leveon Bell, who has refused to report to the Steelers organization and will not play for the entire 2018 season, missing out on 14 million dollars. Bell is refusing to report to the Steelers because he wants to avoid the risk of injury and instead test his value in the free agency market this upcoming offseason. Bell, who was one of the NFL’s best all-around running backs last season, may fetch a good price. However, his recent antics may diminish his value. Despite the new controversial rule changes to helmet to helmet contact, which many speculated would mark the end to the modern football era, this NFL season has been an exciting one to say the least. Where in certain sports the champion seems rather obvious, like the Golden State Warriors in the NBA, the NFL is more of a toss-up for number one. The remainder of this year and especially the playoffs, will be one for the books.

Around Creek

Creek football perseveres through injury hardships

League City extends hike trails for community

After an exciting run, the 2018 Clear Creek Football season has come and gone in the blink of an eye. With the addition of the brand-new coaching staff, the graduation of many of Creek’s previous starting players and the injuries of many current starting players, the Creek football team began with a new and challenging start. Despite all the setbacks, the Wildcats persevered and ended their season with an immense amount of improvements and cannot wait to give it all they have on the field again next year. Beginning their season with an exciting win against Baytown Sterling, the Wildcats kept their fans engaged. Starting seniors, Hunter Smith, Varsity quarterback, Peter Miller, wide receiver, Bryce Borer, wide receiver and Alex Robles, running back, effortlessly made their way down the chains with their unstoppable teamwork and great bond on and off the field. Each player showed their talent on the field and will continue to show promise for great skills in their near future. The Wildcat football team is packed with extremely talented players who all share the same goal; be the best players they can be for their team. “My favorite part about football season this year was definitely the

The hike and bike trails all over League City are expanding. Currently, with only 40 miles of trails, after the completion of the trail project, there will be over 200 miles. The trails are built around the railroads and historic areas throughout both the East and West portions of the city. The new paths are designed to enhance safety routes throughout neighborhoods, provide alternate transportation routes, promote health initiatives and create a place all community members can enjoy. Trails will be open sunrise to sunset, and will not permit motorized vehicles. The League City Council wants to work on projects that the community residents will appreciate. Because of this, the city issued out a survey for city members to submit requests they wanted to see in the trail plans. “Off-road trails, connecting parks, schools, neighborhoods and other destinations were residents’ top priority,” Chien Wei, Parks Director, said. A year ago, League City started to update their parks and trails, as well as open space for the master plan which had not been updated since 2005. In the master plan, there will be more efficient transportation routes for different types of vehicles, newly designed roads and many recommendations for pedestrian and biker paths. The new trails will be along various roads including FM 518, FM 270, and FM 2094. A 5.2 million dollar project will result in two-point-two miles of

By Shelby Donnow Reporter

game against Channelview. We came back and had a great win,” Smith said. With the stands packed full of excited fans, there was not a moment all season where the stadium was hushed. The student section, Cavaliers, band and cheer roared for their team in hopes of a Wild-

under the beloved “Friday night lights.” All Creek Wildcats love spending their Fridays beneath the beaming lights of the stadium. “My favorite part of football season was the thrill of getting to walk down the football field right before performing halftime while hearing the cheers in the

Photo by Danielle Donavant

cat win. Parents, famistands from family and ly members and friends friends,” Olivia Traslavina, rushed out to the stadium after long days Cavalier First Senior Lieutenant, said. at work to cheer on their favorite Wildcats Though the season did not end as the

team had hoped, the Wildcats had a season filled with improvements. Before the season began, Creek was predicted to be one of the top teams in the district. With the injuries of many starting players including Chris Whisler, senior, Matthew Etzel, junior and Dillon Garcia, sophomore, and at the very last game, Peter Miller’s concussion, their fate would not be as easy to reach as they had hoped before the season began. In result of all these injuries, the Wildcats had to adapt to the circumstances and alter their plans for the season. Clear Creek earned four total wins with two district wins against Clear Brook and Alvin. Although the fate of the season was not as they wished it would be, the Wildcat Football team made huge improvements from previous years and will continue to strive for a successful run for the 2019 football season. Looking back on the 2018 wildcat football season, it is easy to see that this team is very dedicated to their school and their teammates. No matter the final score, the boys never failed to get back into practice and perfect their weaknesses. The players on the team have friendships with each and every player, which is quite unique and important for the achievement of their goals. The Wildcat Football team cannot wait to get back on the field to earn more wildcat wins. The Clear Creek football team is like none other and all the students and staff are proud to be a part of the wildcat team.

CCISD participates in Galveston County toy drive

By Briana Harris Around Creek Editor

Every year Creek participates in the Galveston Country Sheriff’s office annual toy drive “Deputy Claus,” which gives needy children gifts for the holiday season. Creek is one of the schools in CCISD selected to participate in the cause and are honored to do so. Creek has upheld the tradition of donating new unwrapped toys and games to the foundation in the efforts of making less fortunate children feel apart of the Christmas celebration. The Sheriff’s Office, along with the Galveston County Citizens’ Sheriff’s Academy Alumni Association, have asked Creek’s community to help their cause by supporting the toy drive. The program was founded back in 2005 and has provided toys to over hundreds of children throughout the years and wishes to continue it in the future. Students and staff members dropped off new toys to any of the designated pod secretaries throughout the week of December 3 to December 7. The toys will only be distributed to kids in the Galveston county area, enough to make a difference in a child’s life. Last year’s toy drive earned over 500 toys and games, as well as a 3,800 dollar donation from the Krewe of Gambrinus to purchase more gifts. The organizations

also provide toys to Horseshoes from the Heart, St. Vincent House, Ronald McDonald House of Galveston and Galveston County Children’s Advocacy Center. Also, the CCISD Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) have greatly

supplies, money and gifts for this holiday season. There are thousands of residents who need assistance every year. Whether you’re looking for volunteer services, personal assistance or just looking to donate, Galveston County has many charities

helped by volunteering Photo Courtesy of Eglin Air Force Base for the holiday season. to organize the donations Empty Stocking proand deliver the donations. vides food for low income families and The toy drive may be over but there also gives small gifts to children and inare many other organizations needing fants. Galveston County Community Ac-

tion Council will be providing meals or assistance in government grants, jobs and case management. The Salvation Army of Galveston County will be providing food baskets, financial aid, toys for children and other services. The Mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots is partnering with Galveston County by providing donated toys to children in our community and accepting money for next year’s campaign. If you are still interested in the CCHS community only, luckily there is a new addition for donation opportunity. Creek’s PALS has partnered up with Delta Kappa Gamma to “Sock Out the Cold”. From December 5to December 18, students and staff are welcomed to participate by dropping off a new pair of socks to the boxes labeled socks out to cold, in all of the downstairs pods. The sock drive is a contest to see which school collects the most socks and will win a trophy with bragging rights till next year. The contest is all fun, but the sock drive is ultimately for the recent increase in the number of homeless individuals living in Houston, reaching around 6,300 people. Homeless shelters are in need for new socks, due to the weather getting colder and new additions are in desperate need. PALs encourage everyone to participate and drop off the socks in the downstairs pods.

By Anabella Cooper Reporter

ten-foot-wide concrete trails near Clear Creek Intermediate and high school. Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will be funding 80 percent of the project and the city is funding the remaining 20 percent. This project will not begin construction until April of 2020 because TxDOT will not begin funding until then.

neighborhood, the value of homes and the traffic that would result from these trails. The original design called for a bridge over Robinson Bayou between Egret Bay Boulevard and Marina Bay Drive. The Northeastern-most portion of the trail would cut into the neighborhood and the golf course, which is what alerted the residents. This

Photo courtesy of PxHere Original plans trail is currentfor the trail conly being reconflicted with the structed and neighborhoods and businesses, so they had relocated, but will end up being a zero-pointto be reconstructed. South Shore Harbour seven-mile-long trail and cost $340,000. subdivisions and South Shore Harbour Golf Another plan upcoming construction Course worried about how the trails would project is the Claremont Trail Connecaffect the course that is imbedded in the tion. Which will improve paths for kids

to take to schools, parks and to get from neighborhood to neighborhood. League City wants to “complete trail gaps by extending the trail system in the Claremont area near FM 518 and Palomino Street.” “This opportunity [to work in the Village of Oak Creek Colony subdivision] will give the neighbors to the east of the [neighborhood] the opportunity to link up the trails on the west side,” Wei said. In order to see this plan through, the residents of the Village of Oak Creek Colony must vote to grant access to League City to conduct construction. The Claremont Connector Hike and Bike Trail will be an eight-foot-wide, one-point-fivemile-long multiuse concrete path that will connect the Claremont Park, Cedar Land and Clear Creek Meadows subdivisions to the existing trails nearby. Safe walking routes to FM 518, Bay Area Boulevard and League City Parkway would then be available. The project will cost $690,000, and is about 90 percent planned, construction begins in September of 2019 and is estimated to finish a year later. League City is only about halfway built, but once all construction is complete, there will be over 200 miles of hike and bike trails throughout the city. These trails will improve the safety for pedestrians, traffic routes for different vehicles and access points to parks and neighborhoods.

Around Creek

Art Club

By Jose Rodriguez Reporter The Creek Art Club is an organization that aims to build a community of students with high achievements in arts and encourages interests in honing their artistic talent. The goal of the Art Club is to serve society by fostering fine arts, and increases students’ personal growth through practice and opportunities to create art pieces that express their skills. Due to the non-classroom environment it allows for exploration and appreciation of art as individuals aren’t forced to make specific art pieces. Being involved in Art Club allows students to be in a supportive community and enriches their art experiences. According to Isabel Hu, President of Art Club, the goal of the Art Club is to expand the love for art throughout Creek. Hu also stated that she wants more members to join the club and experience all the different forms of art that individuals express themselves through. There are multiple reasons why individuals should join Art Club as it comes with multiple benefits such as,gaining an understanding of art, refinement in introductory art skills, and great community. Yet are also has a positive externality as many doctors and phycologists have proven that art is a therapeutic practice. Meaning that art vastly increasing brain activity while relieving individuals from stress and anxiety through release of endorphins which helps the body combat pain and stress. To join the Art Club, individuals do not have to meet any requirements, and any of the club aren’t required to go to every Art Club meeting as none of them are required. To join the Art Club, go to F-108 on Wednesdays after school.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Film Club

Environmental Club

By Arrington Linder Features Editor

By Jose Rodriguez Reporter

Maddie Moore and Anna Alves, juniors, recently started a Film Club here at Creek. Film Club is a place where students can come together and express their love of movies and how they are made with each other. “I want to create an environment for people who love movies just as much as I do and learn more about how they’re made. Movies are like another world and seeing how they’re created is mind-blowing to me. I want to be able to share it with people,” Moore said. Film club first met on November 14 and payed tribute to Stan Lee, comic book writer and the face of Marvel, who passed away earlier that week. “Ever since I was seven, I’ve been interested in comics and superheroes because my dad is. His [Stan Lee] creations, like Daredevil, have really shaped who I am and my interests today. I’m really appreciative of Stan Lee, he was super impactful in the comic book industry and the movie industry,” Alves said. During meetings, members of the Film Club enjoy snacks and drinks as they analyze the chosen movies. Moore and Alves have already started planning the movies and TV shows the club will be watching next semester. Lost and The Perks of Being a Wallflower are among the few selected titles. Film Club will start gathering again in the beginning of January. The club will meet in Mrs.Wynette Jameson’s room, D136, every other Monday from 2:45 to 3:45. To join the Remind and be notified about meeting days and movies, text @cchsfilmcl to 81010.

The Clear Creek Environmental Club is a student made club that intends to improve the school’s environmental impact. Creek has recently stop offering recycling services throughout the school due to the cost. Because of this, they decided the extra money is going to be used in funding other departments of the school. This causes it to become the teacher’s choice if whether or not they will provide a recycling service which is handle by the teacher on their own time. Because of the lack of reinforcement of recycling the Environmental club is trying to step up and take action to provide recycling culture throughout Creek. This ranges on having meetings to discuss environment hazards or news to inform the students and to spread awareness by communication to inform students outside of the club. The Environmental club has even spoken and conversed with NHS (National Honor Society) to team up and to reintroduce recycling to Creek in a new way. According to the President of the Environmental club, NHS is opening service hours for participants to do community service hours involving picking up trash and recycling. This will create a new initiative for students to go out and be more environmentally friendly as it greatly benefits any participants to build community service hours, build a solid resume and establishes a strong community. Next year the Environmental club will also clean the environment outside of League City as they will travel to Galveston to clean up our beach. With the expansion of the group, the Environmental Club will explore new locations and areas to clean and maintain the environment. To join the Environmental Club talk to Mrs. Mary Slazer in the D222s as soon as possible.

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Puzzles

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Holiday Word Search

MILK MISTLETOE MRSCLAUSE NEWYEAR ORNAMENT POINSETTIA PRESENTS REINDEER RUDOLPH STOCKING TREE CANDLE CHRISTMAS CIDER COOKIES EGGNOG FIREPLACE FROSTY HANUKKAH HOLLY HOT CHOCOLATE KWANZA MENORAH

Features

Thousands of migrants march toward United States By Anabella Cooper Sports Editor

Migrants continue piling into the United States from Central American countries to seek asylum and a better life. Caravans have become an attractive tactic for a way to enter the U.S. and families have been coming together to feel safer on their journey across country borders. Policies have changed throughout the years, especially since former President Barack Obama has been out of office and President Donald Trump has replaced his position. People have been trying to escape their country and come into the United States for many reasons, predominantly being that they recognize the U.S. as a country filled with better opportunities, while others are escaping dangerous situations that they have encountered or trying to get their family to a safer environment. Traveling more than 1,200 miles, the caravan from Central America is made its way, slowly but surely, to the U.S. border. On November 14, the caravan arrived in Tijuana, Mexico, very few miles away from California’s border. With only 400 people to start with, this caravan has grown to approximately 7,000 people as it has passed through Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. The reason behind the large traveling groups is safety. If people were to branch off in their own small groups, it would be more dangerous than traveling in big groups that provide a sense of community and solidarity during their journey across countries as migrants. In caravans, people borrow blankets to sleep with, share simple meals such as soup or tortillas, and wash clothes when they come across rivers or sinks. Getting sick is very common considering the migrants do not have money to purchase medicine. However, there are nuns and organizations such as the Mexican Red Cross that trail larger caravans with

medicines and bandages to assist illnesses or injuries. The group often stops for a while so they can rest and allow the sick to be treated. People will set up camp for the night with tents they have scrounged up and cover up in blankets on blow up mattresses or wooden pallets. The next morning, they pack up all of their stuff and headed out on the road. Such gatherings have happened inside the social center in Isla Mujeres, Mexico.

The percentage of asylum applications that are denied has risen, stricter policies have been made and procedures have been altered. Immigrants have found ways to strengthen their case, including adding a pathos appeal and being well rehearsed. Judges such as Governor of Veracruz, Miguel Angel Yunes, have been pressured into making certain decisions on cases. “He would provide buses to take them

“President Trump to Mexico City, but then Photo courtesy of Flickr has portrayed the carachanged his mind, citvan — and others forming a water shortage in ing behind it — as ‘very bad thugs and the capital. Critics claimed that Yunes was gang members,’ noting that on October pressured to stand down to avoid a clash in 19, thousands of migrants had pushed and the U.S. border before the U.S. elections kicked their way through a border gate from on Tuesday November 6,” Sacchetti said. Guatemala to Mexico,” Maria Sacchetti, If asylum seekers believe that their case journalist for The Washington Post, said. is not strong enough to be accepted, they will Since Trump has become the Pres- drop out of the court system, disappear and ident of the United States, immigration remain in the U.S. illegally. Many people laws have become much more strict. Bil- have resorted to this because it allows them lions of dollars have been spent to build to get in the U.S. and not get deported right fences, sensors, agents and drones that away, rather than being denied and deported. make getting into the U.S. more difficult. Since rates have shown that asylum appli-

cations are being declined more often, some migrants have chosen to remain in Mexico. “In a fiery speech, López Obrador promised that, with him as president, Mexico would reassert itself as a ‘free, sovereign and independent’ nation and would not be the ‘piñata’ of any foreign power,” The Conversation said. In the anticipation of the caravan’s arrival, President Trump sent over 15,000 U.S. troops to the South border around the time of this year’s midterm elections. The troops spread across the borders of California, Arizona and Texas. Trump has received huge criticism about sending that many troops to the border to handle migrants. Majority of migrants are peaceful men, women and children who are seeking asylum in the land of opportunity that the U.S. is so famously known for. As innocent, unarmed migrants tried to cross the U.S. border, they were greeted with tear gas, also known as CS gas, an aerosol compound considered a chemical weapon that has been outlawed on the battlefield by nearly every nation on Earth, including the United States,” according to The Washington Post. Tear gas is legal for U.S. police and federal authorities to use, but many think that the use of tear gas on unarmed migrants is excessive force. However, Trump said that the use of tear gas was a response to the “tremendous violence,” and that many U.S. federal agents were being hit by rocks. It is apparent that what happened at the border is different from each side of the story. The migrants are currently still in Mexico and many are awaiting the U.S.’ decision on whether to let them into the county as asylum seekers or not. According to The New York Times, the migrants have three options as of now, wait on permission to get into the U.S., stay in Mexico or illegally enter the U.S.

(281) 3 3 2-4195

402 W. Main St League City, TX 77573

www.estebanscafe.com

Features

Celine Dion debuts gender neutral clothing line By Nicole Alvarenga Reporter

Five-time Grammy award winner, Celine Dion, launched a new gender-neutral clothing line for kids called Celinununu, to break the baseline towards what kids are allowed to wear and what they are not allowed to wear based on their gender. When coming up with her clothing line, Dion snuck into a hospital nursery and discovered that the girls were dressed in pink and the boys were dressed in blue. Because of Dion’s desire to get rid of gender stereotypes, she dressed kids up in black and white onesies. One newborn was wearing a onesie with the words “New World Order” to show people how society has changed the gender standards on kids. Parents are taking this step in raising their children without a gender designation and allowing their kids to determine what gender they are. Over the past few years, Target and Abercrombie & Fitch Kids have offered to produce collections to support gender equality along with other retailers, like Izzy & Ash and Wild Ivy. Back in 2017, retailers found that only 20 percent of parents that had children under the age of 12 had bought clothes for them that supported the gender-neutral clothing collections. Tali Milchberg and Iris Adler, the founders of Nununu, a company that designs baby and children’s fashion, made the effort in changing children’s clothing and made the company the first to take a part of this gender-neutral trend. The gender-neutral clothing can be found in stores such as Nordstrom, Bloomingdales and other retail

stores, as well as the Nununu website. Celebrities such as Gwen Stefani, Stephen Curry and Kim Kardashian have dressed their children in the Nununu clothing apparel and have become fashion influencers. The clothing line was

to encourage dialogue of equality, make a whole lot of sense,” Dion, on Twitter, said. The idea that arose for boys to wear blue and girls to wear pink was new back in the 1940’s. In Western culture, it was standard practice for parents to

Photo courtesy of Vimeo launched in the Celine dress their kids in Dion Collection at Nordwhite dresses until the strom and received a lot of age of six. Children born between 1946 positive feedback from people who re- and 1964 were the first ever generaviewed it. However, others were not fans tion to wear gender-based clothing. of the apparel and lost respect for Dion. “What one was a practicality matter, “I’ve always loved Nununu and what you dress your baby up in a white dress, and they represent, partnering with them to try it became a matter of ‘oh my God, I dress

up my baby in the wrong thing and they later on become perverted,’” Jo B. Paoletti, in a statement with Smithsonian, said. Back in the 1970’s, the trend of women dressing themselves in ways to look and become more masculine were used when going into the workforce. Milchberg and Adler were worried about the kids growing up thinking the boys had to play football and the girls would have to play with barbie dolls. When thinking about the future of gender norms, they came up with the idea of starting a gender-neutral clothing line for kids. Milchberg and Adler were faced with rude comments about the unisex clothing when telling their friends, but they put the comments past them and did not let it bring them down. They felt strongly about the decision they made and were not looking back. Dion wanted to change the way the parents see their kids and have them break away from the typical original girls and boys clothing and think outside of that mindset for them. “Launching this clothing line is kind of like a small contribute to the world, hopefully it changes the way some people see the gender neutrality and make them buy more clothes for their kids that’s out of their original set so they can become comfortable with the way they see the world,” Dion said. Milchberg and Adler do not want children to think they have to grow up wearing certain clothing based upon their gender. Nununu defies the odds of gender stereotyping and shows others that anyone can wear something “typically worn by another gender.”

20 Entertainment

Grande hits career high as Thank U, Next releases

my past boyfriends who have showed me the idea of letting go of past memories so much and taught me so many life les- with significant others and to think about sons, I am thankful for every single one of new opportunities that will come up next, them and I thank them so much for show- knowing that life will be okay again. Ariana Grande’s new single Thank ing me how to better myself,” Grande said. Justin Bieber recently tweeted about U, Next was recently released with Thank U, Next has an emotional ef- Grande’s new song calling it a “bop” and Grande starting out the song by mentioning her past boyfriends such as, her former fiancé, Pete Davidson. Her new single starts out emotional, with lyrics, “Thought I’d end up with Sean, but he wasn’t a match.” Thank U, Next is all about letting go of problems in the past and finding peace in one’s self and others. “This song isn’t about holding grudges or anything, out of all of these guys I have dated in the past, they have shaped me for the better, now I am focusing on learning to love myself again.” Grande, in an interview with Pitchfork, said. Grande almost tricked fans, along with TMZ, when she mentioned that she’s met someone new, but later reveals that the love she had found is within herself. “She taught me love, she taught me patience, how she handles pain, that’s really amazing,” Grande wrote this as a love song for herself, to show others that you do not need to devote oneself to their significant other and to focus on their self. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons “I have been very open for the past fect on a lot of people “fire.” Bieber also said couple of weeks and focusing on myself, who have had relationhe had some connecI want to be happy more than anything ship struggles, dealing with breakups and tions to the song and felt strongly about and I do not want my fans or other to see becoming heartbroken by the one they the lyrics. Grande has gone through a lot me down. Thank U, Next is a tribute to thought was “the one.” The song promotes of things in the past year, like splitting up

By Nicole Alvarenga Reporter

with Malcolm Miller, becoming engaged to Davidson, only then to call off the engagement and losing Miller to an overdose. Recently, Grande’s music video for Thank U, Next was released, consisting of some parodies of 2000’s movies such as Mean Girls, 13 Going on 30, Bring It On and Legally Blonde. The video featured many different celebrities such as Jonathan Bennett, Kris Jenner, Colleen Ballinger (also known as Miranda Sings), Gabi DiMartino and Troye Sivan. Kris Jenner was assigned the role to play the dancing and camcorder mom in the popular movie Mean Girls. In the music video, Grande re-created the iconic “Burn Book” as seen in Mean Girls. She created different pages of her past boyfriends that included Big Sean and her ex fiancé Davidson. On Big Sean’s page, it read “So cute, so sweet” and on Davidson’s page it wrote “Pete” inside of a heart, and “I love you always” written on the right side. “This video really made my childhood come to life, it is really amazing that so many people love it as much as I do and I am very thankful to everyone who helped me make this happen and in making fans happy as well.” Grande, in an interview with Vevo, said. Grande’s music video broke the YouTube record for the most views in 24 hours, getting up to 46 million and counting, beating K-Pop group BTS, which had 45.9 million views on their Idol music video in August.

1975 band successfully debuts newest album

By Leah Burnam News Editor

The 1975, an English pop band that originated from Manchester, recently came out with a new album titled A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships. The entire album was released on November 30 and was anticipated for months as the band members, Matthew Healy, George Daniel, Ross MacDonald and Adam Hann, were promoting it. This is only the bands third studio album with the other two being The 1975 and I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It. The 1975 was the bands eponymous debut album that was released back in 2013, selling a little over 800,000 copies and topped the UK Albums Chart. Before the second album was released in 2016, the bands frontman Healy, left a series of cryptic tweets containing lyrics from the songs on the album and even went as far as deleting his whole Instagram, along with the other members to give it a new “identity” for the album release. The album was considered to be one of the best albums of 2016 and was even nominated for The Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package in 2017. “I want to be representative of this generation…The non-linear consumption of music everybody picks from all over the place…I just want

be truly modern,” Healy said. Their new album consists of 15 songs and is not only about lyricist, Healey’s experience, but also the worlds relationship with modern politics, technology and the “millennial experience.” In an interview with NME, Healy had ex-

Scary and It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You), which all seem to have hidden meanings in them. TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME is a one-sided conversation, rather than an argument, between two people who are in a relationship. Like many of the songs featured on the album, Love It If We Made

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

plained that the band’s first three albums tell the story of a person, particularly himself. A few of the albums most popular songs consist of TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME, Love It If We Made It, Sincerity Is

It discusses pop culture and includes multiple references to modern politics. When asked about the meaning behind Sincerity Is Scary, Healy explained that the song is about him attempting “to denounce all of that postmodern fear of

being real.” When describing It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You), Rolling Stones said the lyrics were about “unrequited love and substance abuse as a coping mechanism.” Although the album received much appreciation, it has been compared to that of Radiohead’s, OK Computer, which discusses similar topics. “I think the reference to ‘OK Computer’ is because the narrative is incredible twinned with how we communicate on the internet and these kind[s] of things, which is obviously ‘OK Computer’ in a nutshell. My favourite records are about life. That may be a bit of a big thing to say, but I was just writing a record about relationships. Well, I wasn’t even doing that. I [was] just writing a record and it turns out that if you try and write [an] honest record about relationships and how they’re mediated in the modern [world], then you’re kind of by proxy writing about the internet,” Healy said. The 1975’s new album is also set to come out in Japanese and will have an extra song on it called 102. According to Healy, the band’s next album titled Notes On A Conditional Form, is supposed to be released in May of next year. The album has seemingly created a relatable, yet heart-wrenching account of what it’s like to live in the 21 century. It shares some of life’s darkest moments, highlighting what others go through behind closed doors.

Entertainment

Bohemian Rhapsody: Fan favorite despite reviews Staffell, the original front man and bassist gerates some things, it showed how Merfor the band, and the other two existing cury wanted a solo career and not Taylor members, even living with them, before or Deacon, when in reality they both came he joined Queen and later replaced Staf- out with solo records. The band seems to Bohemian Rhapsody was recently fell. Another thing the film seemingly gets decide to get back together because of the released in theatres following the suc- wrong is the fact that Jim Hutton, a friend offer of performing at Live Aid, when in cessful release of their trailer, which happened to reach nearly 20 million views in a short period of time. The film debuted on November 2, bringing in $51 million in the U.S. and $141 million in other territories their opening weekend, exceeding their $52 million production budget. Bohemian Rhapsody is considered to be a “celebration” of Queen and their leading members Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor, John Deacon and Brian May. Rami Malek played the late lead singer for Queen and many were excited to see him in theaters again after his “widely praised performance” in Mr. Robot, which was released back in 2015. Ben Hardy played Taylor, the drummer, Joseph Mazzello played Deacon, a guitarist and Gwilym Lee played May, a keyboardist. The movie was directed by Bryan Singer, who became famous for his work on the X-Men films. One of the producers involved in the making of the movie was Queen’s manager, Jim Beach, a.k.a “Miami Beach.” Although Bohemian Rhapsody soared to No. 1 at the box office its opening weekend, it still received mixed reviews. Many said the layout of the movie was “messy” of Mercury’s whom he met at reality the band was Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and poorly made, while others also report- a party and didn’t see again back together beed historical inaccuracies. The movie made until year later, was never a fore their “reit seem like Mercury joined Queen, origi- worker for the new Queen front man, he union” performance. Queen also didn’t nally called Smile, much faster than in real was actually a hairdresser. Even during know Mercury was diagnosed with life. Whereas, Mercury actually knew Tim Queen’s breakup period the movie exag- aids before their Live Aid performance

By Leah Burnam News Editor

like the film makes it seem, based off accounts from people such as, Hutton the band didn’t know until 1987, nearly two years after Queen’s Live Aid performance. “It’s inexplicably perverse that the movie retcons Mercury’s HIV diagnosis as the band’s motivation for Live Aid. It’s insulting to see the lengths to which this film tries to capture the melodrama of Queen’s music, and humiliating to see the lengths by which it fails,” David Ehrlich, IndieWire reviewer, said. Richard Brody, a movie reviewer for The New Yorker, covered Bohemian Rhapsody, explaining how Malek offers a more than skillful and imaginative impersonation of the late Queen lead singer. Brody goes onto say that one of the movie’s most exemplary scenes is when Mercury is shown talking with his father who is preaching to him about how he should pursue good things. The scene continues with Mercury determined to get the band to succeed and in order to do so, Queen is almost entirely “rebranded,” getting a new name, recording space and manager. “Malek does an impressive job of recreating Mercury’s moves onstage, but the core of the performance is Malek’s intensely thoughtful, insight-rich channeling of Mercury’s hurt, his alienation and isolation even at the height of his fame,” Brody, in a review for Rotten Tomatoes, said. In 1977, Bohemian Rhapsody received two Grammy Award nominations for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus and Best Arrangement for Voices. Rumors about the new film have yet to swirl the internet, but many can only hope for a nomination announcement during the upcoming award ceremony season.

November #Hamildrop: Cheering For Me Now By Arrington Linder Features Editor

In the first video released, Miranda with the orchestra. Before the song starts, can be seen onstage in his Hamilton cos- Miranda can be heard talking about the song tume. In this video, Hamilton is the one and how it would have worked in the show. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of portrayed singing but in a video released a “This is a moment that we thought we Hamilton: An American Musical, has con- week later, Miranda performs it out of cos- were going to put in the show. New York tinued to release Hamilton-related content to the public throughout the years. In December of 2017, Miranda announced that he will team up with a new artist each month to create and record a Hamilton-themed song in 2018. The songs are typically released towards the end of the month and are sometimes cut songs from the original musical. November’s #Hamildrop is Cheering For Me Now, sung by Miranda, and October’s #Hamildrop features Sara Bareilles performing one of the cut songs from Hamilton, the Theodosia Reprise. Bareilles, well known for her song Brave, also wrote the tracks for the hit musical Waitress. Unlike other #Hamildrops, Cheering For Me Now is not a cut song, nor does it tie in other Hamilton songs along with it, such as Rise Up Wise Up and Boom Goes the Cannon. Cheering For Me Now is meant to be sung during Non-Stop, the act one finale. Miranda wrote the lyrics, along with the composer for Chicago and Cabaret, John Kander. The song can be described as triumphant and more of a typical Broadway song compared Photo courtesy of Wikipedia to Hamilton’s usual rap and hip-hop music. tume. Hamilton, when adopts the constitution and “Chronologically, it goes right in performing the song, mentions how people becomes a part of the United States, and the middle of Nonstop, after the Feder- on Broadway are cheering for him now. they form a parade for Hamilton. We just alist Papers, when NY adopts the conThe second video, released a week after talked about the scene and what would hapstitution. Which is why it could nev- the song, shows Miranda, Kander and Alex pen, and we left with a song,” Miranda said. er be in the show. It’s an alternate Lacamoire, the arranger of the music for The 22 track on the Hamilton recordtimeline Act One closer,” Mirada tweeted. Hamilton, in the studio recording the song ing is Dear Theodosia, sung by Miranda

and Leslie Odom Jr., the actor originated the role of Aaron Burr. Dear Theodosia consists of Burr and Hamilton singing to their children, Theodosia Burr and Philip Hamilton. The cut reprise entails Burr singing to his daughter after his wife’s passing, who is also named Theodosia. Bareilles put a new twist on the song, singing it more gently than Odom Jr. during the initial song. While the lyrics are short, the song itself lasts for a total of two minutes and 35 seconds. The lyrics of the song includes words from Dear Theodosia and new lyrics specific for this one song, such as “she changed my life, she made my life worthwhile.” The audio and music video were released one day apart, with the audio coming out the 30 and the video the 31 of October. The video features Bareilles in the studio, along with Miranda and Lacamoire. Previous #Hamildrop videos, such as First Burn and Rise Up Wise Up Eyes Up, were also recorded in the studio. The Dear Theodosia (Reprise) was also recorded for The Hamilton Mixtape in 2016 by Chance the Rapper and Francis and the Lights. #Hamildrops were created instead of a second Hamilton Mixtape and have been a massive hit with the fans. In 2016, a recording of Hamilton was shot and will not be released until at least 2020 but this is not the only film adaptation of one of Miranda’s musicals. In the Heights is another musical by Miranda and a movie for it is currently in the works. Although these two films are huge, no news has been revealed in relation to more #Hamildrops in 2019 but fans can only hope.

22 Entertainment Fallout 76 sparks long awaited public uproar

By Dillion Reporter

After the announcement of Fallout 76 by Bethesda Softworks, both gamers and developers knew that there was going to be controversy over what the game would be and what would become of it. At its inception, many people were skeptical and slammed the studio for the creation of a multiplayer-only Fallout game. This is due to the fact that Bethesda has a track record of releasing instantly-famous single player games such as Fallout 3 and Skyrim: The Elder Scrolls 5. The only other attempt at multiplayer was an online version of the Elder Scrolls series in the initially ill-received Elder Scrolls Online. Once Fallout 76 officially released, it seems that fans’ fears regarding the game came true and possibly much worse. After the release of the full $60 version of Fallout 76, the review website, Metacritic, was swarmed with endless negative reviews which changed the game’s review to a five out of ten. Once the critics began submitting their reviews, the five out of ten began to plummet even lower to a twopoint-seven out of ten, which is where it currently sits. Throughout the entire community people are lamenting about the constant bugs that have been present in almost every Bethesda game made after the year 2000. This is because Bethesda uses the same Creation Engine, which is used to develop the graphics and physics

of the game. This engine has been in need of innovation for many years and Fallout 76 only increased support for a new engine to be made for any future Bethesda game. “Tensions rose even further when, two weeks after launch, the game went on sale for up to half of its launch price — all

fix bugs and other issues plaguing the new game. It is unknown when these updates will be implemented into the game, though fans hope it happens soon since people are leaving and refunding Fallout 76 faster than they come in. Following the backlash, Bethesda was placed under investi-

Photo courtesy to Flickr while Bethesda largely gation since they have gave unhelpful stock rebeen found denying sponses to player complaints. It’s gotten refunds. No charges have been pressed bad enough that players are advising each against them as of yet, though the inother to try refunding the game,” Patricia vestigation is still undergoing and will Hernandez, reporter with The Verge, said. most likely result in Bethesda changing In response to the backlash, Bethesda or verifying their digital return policy. responded by stating that they are listenAs the storm regarding the Fallout 76 ing to critics and are actively working to game continued, Bethesda managed to land

themselves in another scandal. When purchasing the game, the option to buy Fallout 76: The Collector’s Edition was given. This included a helmet from the game, a canvas bag to carry it, and the game itself. The total price of this product came out to $200 with tax not included. Once fans began to receive what they paid for, they quickly realized that the items included were not what was advertised. The fancy canvas military-styled bag was replaced with a cheap, flimsy nylon bag. Unsurprisingly, the fan base went into uproar again since Bethesda stated that they would not be refunding or fixing the issue. The only compensation customers will get is about $5 worth of in-game currency to use within Fallout 76 to buy cloths and other customization items. “Unfortunately, due to unavailability of materials, we had to switch to a nylon carrying case in the Fallout 76: Power Armor Edition. We hope this doesn’t prevent anyone from enjoying what we feel is one of our best collector’s editions,” the twitter account for Bethesda Softworks, posted. Since the announcement of Fallout 76 back at Bethesda’s panel during E3 2018, the company has proved to be as out of touch with their player base as possible. Both the lack of information leading up to release regarding the Beta and the new issues such as denied refunds or the Collector’s Edition problem. Hopefully Bethesda will be able to fix the game to a state in which people who enjoy it can play it freely and solve these hilariously horrible communication issues.

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