Women’s march pg. 5
Pirates of Penzance pg. 8
Donald Trump Inauguration pg. 5
Choir students sing and dance through annual Pop Show By Kendall Eley Reporter
On January 27 and 28, the Clear Creek Choir performed their annual Pop Show in the auditorium for the first time in two years. Construction that the school was under caused the past few Pop Shows to be held in different locations. Now, their grand reopening was high energy and a quality that Creek’s choral program has flaunted for years. Pop Show is a choreographed performance from all of the choirs. They sing diverse songs and provide opening and closing performances for the two acts. This year’s selections were all exciting. Popular songs with well constructed c h o r e o g r a p h y. Just as years past, a tribute to one special artist that has passed or has once made an iconic slower ballad. The show also features a multitude of soloists between the group numbers. Songs chosen for the Pop Show are pieces ranging from enthusiastic 80’s songs, to well-known classics. The songs this year fit that mold extremely well, each catering to a specific era and musical style. Group songs for the show feature all of the choirs combined for the songs. The opening number was one of the Pointer Sister’s hits from the 80’s, I’m So Excited, which follows the bombastic openings that the show has been known to do for years. James Park, head choir director, said “We like to open our show with exciting songs to set the scene for the audience to get them hooked and show how the pace and character of the show will go the rest of the evening.” In the second half of the show, Stray Cat Strut, a soundtrack number from Built For Speed feature the Symphonic mean and Concordia men’s choir. The second group song performed was Careless Whisper, a tribute to George Michael’s passing. The group’s staple ballad is never choreographed, and is
always set in small groups across the stage in several different minor poses, usually completely still except for the occasional head movement. Before the first act closer, all of the seniors packed onto the stage on either side of a large screen to sing Seasons of Love from the musical Rent while a
to always contain and suave mens’ piece and an empowering women’s piece. Each of the individual songs have a different overarching mood to them, showing the same diversity that the program has. Bel Canto, the new freshman girl’s choir, dressed up as homeless people and
slideshow plays Asiel Velasco and peers perform a song and dance number to Stray performed Cat Strut. Photo by Emily Ruthven If I Had of each senior’s a Million baby picture, kid picture, and a senior photo. It’s usually Dollars by the Barenaked Ladies. The the most emotional piece of the show performance was an instant hit, and for the audience, and all of the seniors Park even explained at the end of the tend to become teary-eyed themselves. show that he kept getting compliments By a huge contrast, the ending from other directors that had come, all number for the first half of the show saying “it was so cute,” or “I’ve never was Friend Like Me from the well- seen a performance be this adorable.” Advanced women’s chorale and known Disney movie, Aladdin. The group songs are always huge cantabile, junior varsity women’s choirs successes, but the individual numbers performed Umbrella, by Rihanna, separated by each class are almost always all of them sliding around with black the performances that steal the show. and navy umbrellas, used as part For example, the men’s chorus, of the choreography and for props. Chamber, the varsity acapella small consisting of both Symphonic men and Concordia together, performed a group, performed one of their pop pieces soundtrack number called Stray Cat from Homecoming Carnival, Firework Strut from the production Built For by Katy Perry, with soloist Jhanvi Patel. Speed about a group of men with style. The song was done without a conductor In a huge contrast, Symphonic women and had a small amount of upper body performed the song No by Meghan improv choreography, and was proven to Trainor, which was choreographed by be impressive and beloved by the crowd. The final group song, Can’t Stop students Lauren Radcliffe and Miranda Hixson. It’s one of the show’s traditions the Feeling, was the closing group
number for the show, following the exciting energy of the opening song, and was a perfect show closer. Although the second and final show usually includes the choir’s official song Where No One Stands Alone Arranged by Milton Pullen, the choir’s founder of its continued success, and returning alumni to join members on the stage, Park explained that the tradition of the song is performed at the end of the year. Since Pop Show was so early in the year, the tradition was not performed, especially since most alumni were still in school. Mr. Sean Stultz explained that the success of Pop Show was an “incredible achievement,” considering they condensed rehearsals into four weeks instead of the normal five of preparation. Symphonic Chorale had even less time after participating in the masterworks concert. They had three weeks to prepare, or, to put those numbers into perspective, they had only fifteen rehearsals. Despite the stress, Stultz praised the students in all of the choirs, saying that “all of the kids truly stepped it up and gave a great show, despite all of the setbacks.” As usual, the opening night of Pop Show ran incredibly smoothly, however, the opening show is usually the hardest, since an eight hour school day before a show can make for some of the energetic songs to not reach their fullest potential. All of the logistics behind the scenes went perfectly, and the only solo change was Zach Hoover, who couldn’t sing either night due to pharyngitis. On Saturday evening, the performance was incredibly successful as well, with many cheers from current students and a small handful of alumni still taking classes in the Houston area. Each of the group songs expanded their expectations, and Creek Choir’s grand opening show back in their auditorium was a huge success, making this one of the best Pop Shows the school has seen in years.
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Opinion
What is your ideal Valentine’s Day? r once.” “Having a date fo ) -Todd Hoover (9th
“Seeing a movie with friends and going to eat.” -Avery Wood (12th)
my h t i d w inner family an d o t t h ” ng ou ng out wit le I love. i o G p “ i hang th the peo ) , d n e i h i boyfr ng time w lliam (11t i i spend -Kelli G
ood f d n a x i fl t e “N .” with my dog tt e s t i h W l e h c -Ra (9th) my dog.” “I would play with th) -Katie Peterson (9
atum shows “Channing T bowl of up with a big tater tots.” oud (12th) m lA e c ti s u -J s and “Eating Bagel Bite crying by myself.” -Joe Looper (12th)
“Filling my lows and truck with pil blankets for stargazing.” lson (11th) e W r o n n o C -
“Relax and pla y video games.” -Edgar Moreno (12th)
ed “Laying in b of with a bowl d ice cream an tflix.” watching Ne es -Jacob Forb (11th)
“Going on a picnic, going roller skatin g and getting ice cream.” -Sidney Plun kett (12th) “Hav ing di nn me an d stay er cooked for ing relaxi home and ng.” -Mrs. Woolw eaver
tine’s Day.” n le a V e k li ’t n o d I “ ) -Ashley Beyer (10th
“Stay home and watch Netflix.” -Randy Huynh (9th)
“Play video games the entire day.” -Brandon Shaefer (10th)
“Going out to McDonald’s and getting chicken nuggets with your crush.” -Jason Smith (9th)
nes out i t n e l a V e v i nice to g “I think it is to people.” (11th) o n e r o M n i -Marv
“Play video games and watch TV.” -Terry Thay (10th)
“Get a valentine for my crush and tell them how much I like them.” -Robert Pepple (11th)
“Spending it with my sister because it is her birthday.” -Riley Tamblyn (11th) “Going out to eat and getting a life-sized stuffed teddy bear.” -Bree Meeks (12th)
e person I love.” th h it w er nn di it -l “A candle -John Paul (11th)
2016-2017
HiLife Staff Principal: Jamey Majewski Advisor: Wynette Jameson Editors-in-Chief: Emily Ruthven Troylon Griffin II Managing Editor: Isaac Villarreal Photo Editor: Sierra Dickey Design Editors: Issac Villarreal Brittney Melanson News Editor: Fizza Gilani Online Editor: Hayley Johnson Features Editor: Teen Interest Editor: Catherine Irvine Sports Editors: Troylon Griffin II Around Creek Editor: Emily Ruthven Advertising Manager: Issac Vilarreal Reporters: Photographers: Lilo Shelley Alyssa Hutchison Joana Mancia Jose Mars Jr. Minha Siddiqui Dakota Wingard DeAundrea Edwards Veronica Brown Kendall Eley Evan Kremer 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
Editorial
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Emily’s Editorial: An era of progress
By Emily Ruthven Editor-in-Chief Feminist: a person who believes in the social, economical and political equality of women. Doesn’t sound too bad, right? However, the term feminist has been contaminated with such negative stigma, many women refuse to call themselves one. There are a few select people that associate with belief that feminists believe in the superiority of women and that all problems lead back to men. These misnomers have consequently made feminism a bad word. The noble fight for equality has been inaccurately viewed as a whining march; a fight for superiority; over sensitivity. The day of Donald Trump’s inauguration, thousands of women across America’s major metropolitan areas
congregated to participate in the Women’s March. It was a beautiful spectacle of pink, glitter and rainbow posters, all painted with slogans of peaceful defiance to Trump’s history and approbation of misogyny. Many pictures of the march were circulating Instagram and Twitter. While they were all inspiring, one in particular stood out to me. Two young girls held bright pink signs with “Watch out Trump, my generation votes next,” carefully written with black Sharpie. “My generation votes next.” The future generations of women are arguably more confident, independent, and will become more politically active that that any other generation, excluding Susan B. Anthony’s. Women are breaking walls. They are breaking to fight wage gaps, cat-calling, double standards and sexual harassment. There was a commercial during the Super Bowl for Audi vehicles. It showed a young girl, perhaps the age of seven, trying her hardest to win a small go-cart race against her male competitors. Her father narrated the scene, and as the young girl
won the race, the father uttered eye opening words. “What do I tell my daughter? Do I tell her that her grandpa is worth more than her grandma? That her dad is worth more than her mom? Do I tell her that despite her education, her drive, her skills,
Feminism means equality among the sexes, plain and simple. On a popular segment on Trevor Noah’s late night talk show, there was a segment held at a Trump rally in which a man from the show interviewed Trump supporters. The majority were typical and not all that terrible. However, there was a woman who stated, “A woman cannot be president. Being a president is a man’s job. A female has too many hormones. She could start a war in ten seconds,” as she matter-offactly snapped her fingers. Worse than a woman not claiming the label of feminist, this woman was “voting against her own interest,” as described by the interviewer. Her life of misogyny had convinced her that she was truly biologically inferior to her male counterparts, and paraded that belief proudly. In my lifetime, I hope to witness a strong, trustworthy and inspiring woman enter office as the first female president of the United States. I hope to eradicate the stigma around feminism. I hope my daughters grow up believing they are beautiful and smart and kind and valuable in every way. I yearn for progress. I yearn for equality. Women are equal to men. Men are equal to women. Equality is attainable, but we have work to do.
“We all fight over what the label ‘feminism’ means but for me it’s about empowerment. It’s not about being more powerful than men it’s about having equal rights with protection, support, justice. It’s about very basic things. It’s not a badge like a fashion item.” -Annie Lennox her intelligence, she will automatically be valued as less than every man she ever meets? Or maybe, I’ll be able to tell her something different.” The the screen fades to black and Audi displays “Progress is for everyone.” This commercial brought tears to my eyes. While some may view it as an extreme take on the social status of women today, its realism is unparalleled.
Troylon’s Talks: Ethics of using CGI
By Troylon Griffin II Editor-in-Chief 2016 was a year that saw the release of the first of many Star Wars anthology films: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The film turned out to be a box office success and one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year. With the film being a Star Wars movie, the film is sure to be one of many nominees for Best Special Effects at the 2016 Oscars. However, the film’s usual effects are not what’s gotten everyone talking, nor is it what has once again allowed Star Wars to push the boundaries of special effects. Instead, the film has led to both praise, criticism and overall controversy over the use of CGI to resurrect the likeness of actor Peter Cushing for the role of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin.
Willhuff Tarkin is a Star Wars character who originally appeared in the first 1977 Star Wars film, which is now known as A New Hope. Tarkin is arguably the main antagonist of the film and is in charge of the Death Star, a powerful space station whose origins are ultimately explored in Rogue One. The character was portrayed by English film veteran Peter Cushing, who died in 1994. Because the film takes place only days before the events of A New Hope, and focused on the origins of the iconic Death Star, it was pivotal and absolutely necessary that the character of Tarkin appear in the film. In order to successfully recreate Tarkin and therefore Peter Cushing’s likeness, the special effects crew used a real actor to portray Tarkin. Harry Potter actor Guy Henry won the part to play Tarkin, being the source for Tarkin’s movements and voice. CGI was then used on Henry to make him resemble Peter Cushing, thus recreating the face, voice, movements and mannerisms of Peter Cushing’s character. The final product has proven to be highly innovative and something that has practically never been done in film, however, recreation of Cushing has led to praise, there has been much controversy about whether it’s morally or ethically right use to CGI to recreate a deceased person’s likeness for a film. Many have questioned whether it’s respectful to use recreate a deceased actor for a film, and now with the passing of Carrie Fisher, people are questioning more than ever if CGI should be used to continue
her role in the future Star Wars film. So is it right to use computer generated imagery in order to portray a deceased actor? Well, the answer is actually not too complicated. It all just depends on the circumstance. The film industry is evolving greatly to the point where it’s becoming easier and easier to overcome some of the difficulties that filmmakers faced in the past. The film Rogue One was one whose story absolutely required Peter Cushing’s character to appear in the film and for his character to not appear would just seem questionable. Sometimes the story demands certain elements that may require special effects to take control. Putting Peter Cushing’s character in the film made the movie all the more enjoyable and nostalgic and made it all the more accurate as a prelude to A New Hope. The special effects crew even ensured they wouldn’t be in the wrong by gaining permission from Peter Cushing’s estate before going ahead with their plan. The effects crew even assured those concerned that they did “nothing Peter Cushing would have been against.” Peter Cushing absolutely enjoyed his time filming Star Wars and even wished his character could have continued to be in more Star Wars films had his character not been killed off. That being said, this should be the approach any film crew takes when considering CGI for such matters. If the actor’s family or estate is okay with the matter, and gives the crew permission, it should be perfectly fine to use CGI for such purposes. This has of course not been the first
time CGI was used for the sake of the story. Special effects were used in order to finish scenes from the seventh Fast and Furious film and the 1994 film The Crow in order to complete filming due to Paul Walker and Brandon Lee’s deaths. These were all of course done with the consent of the actor’s families and estates. Movies and other means of entertainment are constantly evolving, and the use of CGI in Rogue One is just one example of that. The ethics is based simply on how essential a character or actor is to a story. As long as the story absolutely demands that character, then it is okay. In many ways it is the responsibility of the actor. As an actor, that person is giving away their likeness and immortalizing their looks for a character that will forever exist. To use CGI to bring back Peter Cushing in Rogue One is no different from when his character appears in various comic and animated TV shows are using his looks. His character appeared in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, and hence Cushing’s likeness was used for that as well. While there are differences between live action and animation, computer generated imagery is beginning to blur the lines between those two and only bettering the film industry and the boundaries we can push as artists. While Rogue One may very well be the first step in the use of CGI, it is definitely an evolution in the art of filmmaking, which has always been about the consent and dedication of the actor and the furthering and betterment of the story.
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News
Remembering the last man to walk on the moon By Sutton Anderson Reporter
A tragic day for many, Apollo Astronaut Gene Cernan, the last man on the moon, died due to unannounced health issues on Monday January 16 at the age of 82. As many are mourning the death of such an inspirational man, others are reflecting on the astronomical affects Cernan has done for the United States. G e n e Cernan was a navy fighter pilot who graduated from Purdue U n i v e r s i t y. Cernan pursued electrical engineering becoming an American astronaut. Originally from Bellwood Illinois, he and his wife Jan Nanna owned a ranch in Kerrville, Texas, which they used as their escape to the Texas hill country to ride horses. Cernan went to the moon twice: on Apollo 10 and Apollo 17. He was also the pilot of Gemini 9. On his flight for Gemini 9 in 1966, he became the second man in space to “walk” outside of the spacecraft. His first Apollo mission was in May of 1969, designated as Apollo 10. During his Apollo 10 mission, he flew around the moon to prepare for the men on Apollo 11 who would later land there. Cernan fittingly went back to the moon on Apollo
17 in December of 1972. Making the moon his home for over three days, he was the eleventh, and the last, man to walk on the moon. On Cernan’s way back up the ladder to come back home to Earth he took the time to carve his daughter’s initials into the lunar soil with his boot. Cernan retired
to go back to the moon to explore and find key information that could lead to better understanding of our solar system. As Cernan grew older, he disappointingly came to the conclusion that he would not survive to see another human being follow in his footsteps. There were 12 men total
from the Astronaut Gene Cernan, the last man to have walked on the moon, waves goodbye w h o N a v y as he and Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon prepare to board a walked on flight on American Airlines at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, a n d March 4, 2010, to fly and visit the United States military troops across Europe and the moon, NASA and as of Southwest Asia as part of the “Legends of Aerospace.” (Jim Prisching/MCT) on July January 1 of 1 6 , 1976 and went into television as a voice 2017, only six are still alive. commentator for early shuttle flights. Gene Cernan was an inspiration to Though Cernan was the last man on many. Filmmaker Marc Craig produced the moon, he did not want to be. Gene a documentary entitled “The Last Man Cernan was one of the biggest advocates on the Moon.” Released in 2014,
the film showed NASA and Cernan’s success. The movie was a huge success, perhaps the penultimate recognition event for his career, and he ended up going on a movie premiere tour which brought tremendous attention the film. Though Cernan made history, he fought as hard as he could, even up to his dying day to get Americans back to the moon. “We leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind,” Cernan had said from the lunar surface on Apollo 17. Cernan even testified in front of Congress for a lunar return. STEM --Science, technology, education, and math-- education was a main aspect for Cernan’s push for going back to the moon. “I think America has a responsibility to maintain its leadership in technology and its moral leadership in the world, to explore, to seek knowledge.” Though humans still haven’t made it back to the moon, Cernan and many of his colleagues had and still have strong hopes. Gene Cernan’s funeral took place at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston on Tuesday, January 25. Hundreds of friends and family filled the church to share cherished moments. Cernan will be buried with full military honors at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin. Cernan will be missed for his scientific contributions that have made history. He hoped that one day Americans would go back to the moon for there are an overwhelming amount of scientific discoveries just waiting to be uncovered, and the dream of an extraordinary man waiting to be fulfilled.
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News
Donald Trump inaugurated as the 45th president
By Emily Ruthven Editor-in-Chief
Newly elected president Donald Trump’s inauguration was one of many memorable moments and events. The inauguration was the 58th presidential inauguration and was the first in history to inaugurate a president without prior military or governmental service experience, as well as the inauguration of the oldest and wealthiest person as president. The event officially started at 11:41, being started by Roy Blunt, who began with welcoming remarks about America’s “commonplace and miraculous” tradition of a peaceful transition of power. The event was attended by former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Trumps predecessor Barack Obama, as well as their respective wives. This included Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump’s main opponent in the election. Trump began his 16-minute inaugural address shortly after Associate Justice Clarence Thomas swore in Mike Pence as the 48th Vice President of the United States. Trump began by thanking the past presidents, Chief Justice Roberts and the “fellow Americans and people of the world.” “We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and restore its promise for all
of our people.” Trump said. “Together, we from Washington D.C. to “the people.” will determine the course of America and Trump extended this idea and promise to the world for many, many years to come. return fellow Americans back to the days or
Trump delivers his Inaugurlal Address on Janurary 20, 2017. We will face prosperity Photo courtesy of Google challenges, and to w e ensure will confront hardships, but that it is the people who of we will get the job done.” America who are most successful. Trump continued his speech “What truly matters is not which saying how the ceremony had a “very special party controls our government,” Trump meaning” because not only was the day a said. “but whether out government transfer of power from one administration is controlled by the people.” to another, but also a transfer of power President Trump concluded
his speech with his familiar promise to make America “stronger again”, “wealthy again” and “safe again.” “And yes,” Trump declared. “together we will make America great again.” Trump finished his speech by once again thanking the American people and proclaiming “God Bless America.” The speech was one of the shortest inaugural speeches since Jimmy Carter’s in 1977. President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump escorted the Obamas to a departure ceremony on the east side of the U.S. Capitol. Trump later signed a proclamation declaring his inauguration a National day of Patriotic Devotion. This followed in the steps of President Obama, who declared his inauguration day a National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation and previous patriotic declarations by presidents such as Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. The Inauguration Day also consisted of the traditional luncheon and parade, where Trump asked those in attendance to give a standing ovation to his presidential opponent Hillary Clinton. The broadcast of President Trump’s inauguration and speech earned 16.63 million views and was broadcasts on major cable news networks Fox, CNN and MSNBC.
Women march in protest on inauguration day By DeAundrea Edwards Reporter
Millions of Americans took to the streets in the nation’s capital and cities around the world to send Donald Trump an emphatic message that they won’t let his agenda go unchallenged over the next four years. “We march today for the moral core of this nation, against which our new president is waging a war,” actress American Ferrera told the DC crowd. “Our dignity, our character, our rights have been under attack, and a platform of hate and division assumed power yesterday. But the president is not American. We are American, and we here to stay,” Ferrera continued. The woman’s march had almost 200 progressive groups. The issues they represent include legal abortion, prisoners’ rights, voting rights, a free press, affordable healthcare, gun safety, racial and gender equality and a higher minimum wage. June Barrett, a domestic worker in Florida, was spurred to travel from Miami to Washington by Trump’s leaked audio tape in which he boasted of groping women. She had been sexually assaulted by an man in her professional care who grabbed her inappropriately. “When that tape came out, I wen into a bit of depression. And I’ve had to walk away from the Baptist church after they were strongly guiding us to vote for Trump and Mike Pence. It’s shaken my whole faith. I have to march against this hate,” said Barrett. “I’m a black woman, I am queer, I’m an immigrant and everything that’s going to happen under Trump and Pence is going to affect me, perhaps adversely. It breaks my heart that so many women voted for them,” she said, referring to results that showed, among other things, that a majority of white women voted for Republican ticket. .The Women’s March may be
understood as a response to recent President Barack Obama’s declaration that he made in his farewell address. He addressed that
and children, some in strollers. Women predominated, but a large minority was male. Real men, good men, that supports
the most Women sing along as thousands pack the streets for the Women’s March i m p o r t a n t on Washington rally outside the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017. (Marcus Yam/ office in a Los Angeles Times/TNS) democracy is the “citizens” and the citizens must work to improve Shahidah Simmons, a our society. The march was an example of what this democracy looks like. According to Dawn M., Dana R. Fisher and Rashawn Ray, “Our findings also suggest that the Women’s March has potentially lie the political fires of a new generation of activists and reactivated the political activism of others. Indeed, one-third of the participants reported that the Women’s March was their first time participating in a protest ever. For over half of the participants the March was their first protest in five years, including those who had never participated before. For many, it was a multi-generational day, family affair: grandparents, parents
the rights of their mothers, sisters and w i v e s . Aishah documentary
filmmaker and creator of “No! The Rape Documentary said, “I’m cautiously optimistic about the march. As an activist and the daughter of two veterans of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, I believe in the power of marches. The inauguration of Trump is plenty of reason to protest. And yet, the Women’s March organizers don’t call it a protest. But that’s O.K. because we need multilayered strategies to challenge and resist any efforts to rollback the gains we’ve made in women’s rights, civil rights, L.G.B.T.Q. rights and immigrant rights over the last 50 years.” Bob Bland, woman that proposed a women’s protest said, “Women are not tokens; they are dynamic and powerful leaders who have been organizing intersectional mobilizations for their entire careers, “Bland added that “voices including Asian and Pacific Islanders, Trans Women, Native Americans, disabled women, men, children, and many others, can be centered in the evolving expression of this grassroots movement.”
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news
Journalists face dangerous adversity from dissenters By Minha Siddiqu Reporter
Journalists have been dying everyday due to irresponsibility’s held accountable by the president. There have been thousands of journalist attacks in the U.S within the years of 2014-2016. Day by day, journalists have been dying. For that reason, American citizens have been conducting protests in Washington DC, attracting attention as the issue. During Meryl Streep’s Golden Globe speech on January 8, she criticized President President Donald Trump for his actions and how they have threatened the security of journalists everywhere. Streep said, “This instinct to humiliate, when it’s modeled by someone in the public platform, by someone powerful, it filters down into everybody’s life, because it kinda gives permission for other people to do the same thing,” Streep said. She continued, “Disrespect invites disrespect, violence incites violence.” Streep fights for their rights and help them go further onto their field and continue what they love: journalism. Streep’s movement was spurred by Trump’s mocking of a disabled journalist named Serge Kowaleski. Streep’s speech and the Committee to Protect Journalists program has raised one million dollars for the journalists of 2017. For this reason, CPJ or Committee to Protect Journalists was started in 1981. This committee has been serving journalists all across the world. The committee has never raised as much money as it has this year.
America’s new president has caused much upset regarding his actions towards Kowaleski. Trump called the New York Times disabled journalist a “sleaze” during a press conference. He has refused to condemn
Trump’s main goal is to stop any kind of reporters, journalists, press or anyone else relating the industry. When the journalists were dying Trump had said, “It’s what they live for…
Police pepper spray a crowd of protesters and journalists outside the
attacks on Arvest Bank Theater in Kansas City, Mo., on Saturday, March 12, 2016, and they j o u r n a l i s t s during a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. n e v e r (Christopher Smith/Kansas City Star/TNS) by his know when supporters. Trump’s campaign also their time is up.” denied press credentials to outlets that President Trump said that he have reported on him including, The would, “Open up the libel laws so Washington Post, BuzzFeed, Politico, when they write purposely negative The Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, and horrible and false articles, we Univision, and The Des Moines Register. can sue them and win lots of money.” Trump has labeled the journalists and Famous foreign author Daniel press of America as “dishonest scums”. Bedoya Arroyo commented on the topic.
“Activists and journalists working on hostile situations understand very well that, unless you take the necessary precautions, your online activities can have consequences for your physical safety” Arroyo said. Trump and the journalists has come to a conclusion saying that journalists will need to stay over 100 feet away from Trump, during every interview or even press conferences. The reason why Trump wants the journalists to stay away from him is because he told the staff of America that he is afraid of being framed, and of the “fake news” that they might put out in the paper about him. Donald Trump has threatened to sue The New York Times for publishing leaked pages from his tax returns, and the paper’s executive editor, Dean Baquet said that he is willing to do anything against Trump, even if he has to serve his time in jail. This is one of the biggest reasons that U.S President is “afraid and frightened” by the press coming close to him. The American Newspaper Staff has accepted his request and will now continue to fulfil their duties 100 feet away. “But there was one performance this year that stunned me. It sank its hooks in my heart. Not because it was good; there was nothing good about it. But it was effective and it did its job. It made its intended audience laugh, and show their teeth. It was that moment when the person asking to sit in the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled reporter. Someone he outranked in privilege, power and the capacity to fight back,” Streep said.
Around Creek 7
Creek DECA team advances to the state competition By Evan Kremer Reporter
On Tuesday the 17, the Creek DECA team advanced to state on their quest to victory. DECA is an organization that teaches high school and college students general business skills, such as marketing, hospitality and tourism, administration of a business, and finance. This course is offered in many high schools nationwide, providing many young, aspiring entrepreneurs with the resources needed in order to succeed. DECA competitions include complex business scenarios that teams have to solve to win. Students need to be able to think on their feet and solve these problems in a competitive environment. While this kind of atmosphere could be considered troubling to some, Creek DECA participants seem to thrive. Although DECA may seem very focused on business, it also helps the students learn to interact with the outside world. “They [DECA students] learn to be more articulate,” said Creek DECA teacher, Shawn Mosley. “Each of those characteristics [learned in DECA] are transferable into any workplace or business environment.” According to DECA’s website, 92 percent of DECA members say they learned how to communicate ideas effectively and more than 90 percent say being involved with DECA empowered them to become strong leaders. Along with this, 75 percent say that DECA influenced their career plans in some way. Another 80 percent claim that DECA helped them recognize the value
in community service and 88 percent say DECA prepared them for their college and career, more specifically 75 percent say it influenced their career while 68 percent say that their college plans were changed. Over
Division there are 15,000 members. Many students also describe DECA as a second home and a good high school experience, providing a way to meet new and interesting people for the participants.
One member, senior half of the participants say Photo courtesy of CCISD Bradey Knubbley, said that DECA has boosted their interest in business and entrepreneurship. “DECA has been kind of a family, it has The sheer amount of people involved helped me find my passion and it has helped in DECA is absolutely dumbfounding. me determine what I want to do in college, Across the country, there are 215000 and second it helped me find my place in members, 3500 high school chapters (high high school. I made some friends I’ll keep school classes), 275 collegiate chapters for a very long time.” Another student, (college classes), and 5500 advisors. senior Lydia Haregot, said “[DECA is] In the High School Division, there are a great experience, it really prepares you 200000 members, while the Collegiate for your future,” and later lightheartedly
said “it’s just fun! It’s a good time.” These hardworking students not only work on the marketing side of business, they also work on the entrepreneurial side, thinking up ideas that will make money. This simultaneously teaches students how to make and sell products, giving them experience in all fields of business. DECA allows the participants to move on to colleges focused on industry and even successful careers. “I’m in the process for patenting a shoe design,” DECA student, Diego Balderas said. He also wanted to emphasize the professional environment in the DECA classroom: “it’s very professional and very orderly.” Upon entering a DECA classroom, one will see many students hunched over their desks, working hard on their projects while conversing in a businesslike manner about how they want to promote and market their ideas. They will then have to present it to spectators and judges that will carefully observe everything they do. All of this combined puts many responsibilities on the participant and keeps them working for the entire allotted time. Overall, this organization keeps students occupied on something interesting and mentally stimulating that’s not electronic. DECA has an impact on the business world, inspiring many participants to turn their passion for industry into a career. Combining these factors results in an organization that promotes learning and success in the upcoming generation while teaching about business.
8 Around Creek
Theatre and Choir debut Pirates of Penzance musical By Kendall Eley Reporter
The musical performance from the Clear Creek Choir and Theatre programs, Pirates of Penzance (The Slave of Duty) is a classical twist on the normal musical theatre production that Creek has taken on in the recent years. The program is a short, comical operetta, the technical term for a shorter opera, with only two acts, written by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. Both opera writers are known for their generally light-hearted operas and clever humor. Performing an opera is a new project for the Creek Performing Arts department, and it was actually not the first option Mr. James Park and Mr. Bradley Hewlitt decided on for the annual performance. Park explained that “...because Hewlitt and I learned that we would have more setbacks with construction and choir activity movements, we would have to change our original fulllength musical that had been planned, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, to something smaller and more manageable, since we were on a time constraint.” The reason that Park and Hewlitt chose the program Pirates of Penzance actually had a fair amount to do with the actual content of the operetta, even without the roadblocks that were experienced on the way. The story is set in during the era of Queen Victoria’s reign and was originally performed and brought to the theatre in the late 1800s. It tells the tale of a young pirate named Fredric, who was been raised by pirates his entire young adult life. He is told that he’s being kept under their ruling until his 21st birthday because his nursery maid Ruth misunderstood his parents wishes for Fredric to become a “pilot”
instead of a “pirate.” The comic behind Fredric’s misfortune is that he was born on a leap year, meaning that when Fredric finally turns twenty one and plans to leave and marry a young maiden named Mable, he is kept with the pirates, because he technically has not celebrated 21 birthdays. “Pirates of Penzance is a fun
considering most have never stepped into a choir room at this point in their high school careers. The choir students get the same valuable benefit by learning how to come out of their shells and not be so shy when they present themselves on a stage. The two artist groups are both exposed to an art form that they’ve never experienced
Photo by Emily Ruthven
production that both choir and theatre kids could perform in, all the while incorporating choral style to a theatrical production, marrying the two arts while keeping things entertaining and funny,” Park said. Hewlitt and Park have both spoken fondly about the change of plans on choosing their new project. Hewlitt explained that this operetta is valuable for theatre students, since the they get to see another element of theatre what being a part of a choral program would be like,
before, which improves the working relationships of the students and the directors alike. The actors and singers of the operetta have also expressed excitement for this change of pace. Zoie Ellis, who recently played the lead Macbeth, explained that getting to play the role of Ruth in Penzance “was a definite change of pace” from her recent role, which was a dark and brooding as Macbeth, and now, as Ruth, she gets to be a more “silly” character, one that can “stumble around and hiccup and sneeze on
people.” Choir student’s responses, Sophia Sledge explained the more technical aspects of the play, such as why some roles are double-casted, Skyla Sonnenburg and her. Each act sports a different lead role aside from the Pirate King and the Major General. “The parts are split due to the incredible amount of vocal demand that’s required of an operetta, especially for sopranos. I’m 17 and Skyla is only 15, so our voices are undergoing major developments and that sort of taxation could cause permanent damage to our voices,” Sledge said. Although having to share a role with another singer or actor could seem like a generally disappointing thing to experience, Sledge says that between her and Skyla, there really is no “catty drama” involved with the two of them. In fact, they feel even closer now that they’ve bonded over the role. “I believe that Skyla is an incredibly talented singer, and I’m able to take things away from her performance of Mabel to better mine in the second act.” One of the biggest challenges that the cast and chorus face is learning the correct British dialect. In the operetta, more than one type of English tongue is used to portray each of the characters. The Major General, who is more esteemed and educated, uses a very formal accent, whereas Ruth, who is generally more disheveled, flaunts a cockney accent, which is a very common accent for those of lower class in England. The show opened on February third and was also performed on the fourth, ending the Creek’s incredible show season with a huge success.
Around Creek High schools participate in Masterworks concert By Kendall Eley Reporter
On Saturday, January 14 CCISD participated in the second annual Masterworks concert, a concert in which all of the highest level-choir students all learn a ‘masterwork’, or a well known, highly regarded which consisting of each choir singing their own personal choice of pieces, each reflecting all of the district’s choir programs and what they excel at. The opening of the concert was Clear Spring’s version of Pure Imagination, which sent chills down everyone’s spines with its melodic tones and emotional tribute to the actor who passed away last August, reflecting their preferred musical theatre-themed choral arrangements, in regards to their successful musical theatre program. Clear Falls made their entrance by performing Glow by Eric Whitacre, although it distinctly different in their manner of approaching choral musical theatre. Clear Lake performed the classical Mozart’s Coronation Mass, a difficult piece that rivals Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. Clear Brook’s choir was third to perform, a strictly classically taught choir, making their mark with Audiamus Te, which was missed by our home Clear Creek Choir’s Symphonic Chorale, as they were setting up to close the first half of the concert. The final performers of the individual schools were our own Creek Choir Symphonic members, performing the Hallelujah Chorus from George Fredic Handel’s Messiah, a piece that was written in its time for the Catholic church and for
the introduction of the Queen and royal shifts of power. As a tradition, many stood during the performance as sign of respect for the royal family even to those once associated with the English lineage. The Hallelujah Chorus was a firm, strong way for our home choir to present their classical
Busselberg, with esteemed achievements such as earning his doctorate degree from Rice University, has taught and directed vocal ensembles of both small and large size, as well as directed orchestras in performances of the Houston Ballet. Each of the choirs worked with
Photo taken at the 2016 Masterworks concert. Photo courtesy of CCISD
forte, providing a solid end to the individual performances. After a small re-grouping in the venue’s Great Room, each of the four school’s students lined up by height and voice part and prepared to sing Vivaldi’s mass, Gloria. The mass consists of twelve movements, three of which are Arias, or solos for opera singers, and the 9 other songs involved a combined chorus of each school’s singers, working under the direction of Dr. Paul
Busselberg in their home choir rooms and had a full four hour rehearsal the Friday before the concert for Busselberg to assess the sound he would be directing the next day, which included solidifying all of the choirs on the mass and adding ensemble techniques to fill out the choral sound correctly. On the morning of the concert day, all of the choirs worked with their respective
9
directors on their individual pieces at different times of the day, with Creek finishing off the individual ensemble rehearsals at one in the afternoon. After a 20 minute break, Dr. Busselberg assigned the directors to practice which way to enter and how the logistics of the concert would work, and once that was sorted out, Busselberg welcomed the Clear Falls chamber orchestra onto the stage and the full ensemble rehearsed the entire mass, with soloists for the Arias sung by a few of the schools’ directors. At seven in the evening, the pews in the church where the masterwork was set to perform filled in, and each of the choirs performed their pieces for the first half. After Creek finished our own performance, there was a brief intermission where all of the schools gathered in a large room and were sorted into their mixed formation with the other schools. Once the orchestra had been settled onto the stage, the entire ensemble filed onto the church’s marble indentations, reminiscent of choral risers, and the masterwork concert began, each of the movements reaching such a polished sound that by the end of the concert, the audience had decided on a standing ovation, prompting a successful all-district masterwork concert for the second year in a row, surpassing the first year’s and hopefully improving each time as the annual masterworks continue in the future.
12
Around Creek
Creek academic decathlon team is headed to state By Troylon Griffin II Editor-in-Chief
Alissa Bearden said. “But as we got closer to the deadline, we decided it would be in our better interests if we specialized. Creek’s Acadec team has, for the So right before the meet, we decided to first time in ten years, found themselves each choose a subject or two and become going to state. The achievement came experts on that as much as we could.” due to the team’s performance at their Bearden herself ended up becoming regional meet on January 20 and 21. the leading specialist in Language The Academic Decathlon class, also arts and literature, to the point where called Humanities on Creek’s schedule and she even gave a nearly three hour class rosters or “Acadec”, is a competitive review and lecture regarding the class in which students compete to show dense and vast literary information. how well they have mastered information Karina Bertelsmann, arguably the they’ve been learning all year. The team’s captain and leader, who has served information is based on the theme or on the team for three years, was the team’s topic that is selected by the United States math specialist, who also worked as a guide Academic Decathlon committee. Upon to new people joining this year. Bertelsmann being given the theme, students must learn noted that this year, both she and her and memorize certain subjects and their Acadec veterans tried to emphasize the information relating to the theme. The “family element” of the team and therefore subjects include science, music, art, social make people feel quite comfortable and science, economics, language arts and well coming in for the first time. They mathematics, as well as an essay relating felt that in doing this, it would make to the subject matter. Competitors also studying much easier and allow everyone compete in the categories of speech and to further specialize in the subjects. interview, which are unrelated to the subject The team generally agreed that the matter. Previous topics included India, hardest subject was social science, due Energy and Innovation and Russia. The to the various battles, battle strategies, topic for the 2016-2017 year was ultimately dates and historical aspects of the topic. revealed to be World War II in March 2016. As for Coach Webb’s role in the class, The team consists of seniors Karina he emphasized that he was not exactly Bertelsmann, Sharukh Raza, Alissa a teacher for the class, but more so a Bearden, Stephen Hess and underclassmen facilitator. Webb told how he read every Mark Kostjuhin, Hayden Clines, Timothy section of the Acadec resource guides Brazzel and Jordan Weeks. The class and during the summer in order to be able to team is ran and facilitated by geometry relate entirely to what his students would be teacher and baseball Coach Brian Webb. going through during the school year and The team ultimately found themselves so that he could help as much as possible with many victories and successes, with when students struggled with the content. Stephen Hess having the second best The preparation was something overall score in science, Timothy Brazzel new for Webb, as this was his first year earning a perfect score in interview, Karina coaching the class, having succeeded AP obtaining third place overall in both speech English Language teacher Ken Fontenot and math and Hayden Clines having as head coach. Webb revealed what it one of the highest essay scores. Their was like to now be a part of something he overall score ultimately led to them being had never been acquainted with before. one of the forty schools to go to state. Webb went on to say how he felt The team helped shed some light that there was a bit more improvement on the preparation they had for the over previous years and that this could regional meet from the first day of school be seen by their success this year. until the long awaited day in January. Student reception of Coach Webb “We began by generalizing, trying was completely positive, with students to learn as much content as we could,” like Jordan Weeks and Timothy Brazzel
having had Webb their sophomore year as a geometry teacher. Jordan spoke highly of Webb, saying that he was quite fond of Webb’s method of teaching math and therefore felt he was the right person to take over as head coach. Timothy Brazzel even sited Webb as the reason he joined and praised Webb’s role as facilitator this year, saying he did “an amazing job.” Regionals began with the team arriving at school and going to the college center to study for the first half of the day. After going to A-lunch, the team left around one o’clock and after arriving at the school, they competed in speech, language arts and the essay. The next day then consisted of the remaining subjects. This meet lasted for nearly the entire day and while relief was a major feeling among the group, there were also feelings doubt regarding their performance. After finally leaving the meet, the team was convinced that they weren’t going to state. While the team was proud of their individual scores and awards, they were unsure of whether their overall team score was enough to send them to state. It wasn’t until Sunday that Coach Webb learned the great news and proudly told his students. “In the past six years, the top forty schools that ultimately go to state usually have a score in the forty thousand range,” Webb said. “So we developed the goal to shoot for forty two thousand, and usually if you are in the top six in your region you’re likely to go to state. We ended up being ninth in our region and had an overall score of thirty seven thousand. Neither one of those met our goal so I was thinking we didn’t make it. What ultimately happened was that the entire state was lower in points due to this year’s topic’s difficulty but our region as very strong so we ended up qualifying and nearly twenty five percent of the teams going to state were from our district.” The team was very much shocked but astounded and thrilled by the news. Despite the score not being their goal, the team observed that their score was a grand improvement over the past few years. Now, the team finds themselves only days away from state, which will be in San Antonio on February 23 and
run until February 26. When asked how he is having the team prepare, Coach Webb explained that he is having every student choose and focus on specialty in one or more of the subjects. “And I think everyone very much has the opportunity to medal in speech and interview.” As the countdown to state continues, everyone is doing their best to specialize in subjects they have specialized in for a large part of the year: Karina in math, Sharukh in economics, Hayden and Jordan in art, Stephen in science and many more. As for the future of Acadec and their achievement of having made it to state, many are quite positive about the coming months and years. “I think it definitely sets a precedent for next year and that a lot more people will want to join once they hear we went to state this year,” Karina, who is graduating this year, said. “It also sets quite an expectation which I’m interested to see how they’ll follow up. There’s definitely a chance they can go next year if they work hard enough and study. I think the next few weeks will be us getting out of it what we put into it. At this point it’s all about whether we can achieve our individual goals but we’re all still a team and a family.” Coach Webb gave the final word saying that he is quite proud to have helped his students get to their goal and hopes that this year’s achievement will serve as inspiration for more students to join in the future. “I have two perspectives on the matter, a short term and long term,” Webb said. “The short term is that I’m proud of these kids and really excited to help these kids do something they’ve never done before. From a long term perspective I see this as a good advantage and opportunity to reinvigorate this program and get it out of this stagnation and struggle of trying to fill up a team and use this as a publicity model to get the right minded people in this class in the future. I want it to become to norm to go to state and have many great students continue to join this program and be a part of it.”
14 Around Creek Band members perform in first jazz band concert By Catherine Irvine Teen Interest Editor
Clear Creek High School musicians are now able to participate in the new jazz band for the first time in many years. One of the Clear Creek Band directors, Mr. Daniel has recently created a band for students who are interested in learning and performing music in the style of jazz. All Clear Creek High School band members as well as Orchestra members, were invited to become a part of the band, and attend the first meeting that took place on January 27. The players in the jazz band meet every Friday from 3:30 to 4:30 afterschool in the Clear Creek High School band hall to rehearse the pieces that will be played at the next concert. In the jazz band students are able to learn how to play several styles of jazz, which are very different from pieces the musicians have played previously in their classes. “My favorite part of being in jazz band is being with my friends and playing fun music as a group.” Said Jacob Soto, Saxophonist. A Traditional Jazz band consist of instruments including saxophones, trumpets, trombones, pianos, guitars, bass and drums. The diverse Creek Jazz band also includes clarinets, bass clarinets, flutes, bassoons, French horns, tubas, and additional percussion instruments.
Approximately 40 musicians have joined the band and attended the rehearsals. “Jazz band was my favorite performing ensemble in high school and college because
the two pieces that they performed. In those fast paced rehearsals, the players were given their piece of music, then they had a few minutes to look through their
Photo by Hanna Wingard
the music was fun to play and we got opportunities to try new things. As a player, you get solo opportunities, a chance to play with different instruments, and a forum to have fun playing music with your friends.” Commented Mr. Daniel, Jazz Band Director, on why students should join the Clear Creek Jazz Band. For their first concert, the Jazz Band had three rehearsals together to prepare
tricky parts. The first time through, the director goes through the music slowly and the band pushes through the piece for the first time together. The band quickly picks up the music and are able to build on what they know how to play until the pieces are ready for a concert. Playing the new styles of music means going through a lot of trial and error to get the right sound,
but the members enjoy every rehearsal. The band’s first concert took place on February 7 in the Clear Creek High School auditorium, during the same time of the Clear Creek Band’s MidWinter concert where the concert, symphonic and wind ensemble bands also performed. The pieces performed for the concert were composed and arranged by Scott D Stanton. The two jazz pieces included a samba styled piece named Salta and a funk rock piece called Crank It Up!. Both or the pieces allowed for multiple improvised solos to be performed by any instrument in the band. “Crank It Up! Is my favorite piece because it’s an exciting piece with a lot of cool sounding parts.” Commented Soto. “My favorite piece to play is Salta! Because it’s a mixture of jazz music and Latin style.” Stated Ja’dell Scott, Tenor Saxophone. There will be one to two more concerts for the jazz band this semester. The next few concerts will have the musicians performing swing charts and blues songs, which will allow the students to become experienced and more comfortable with playing improvised solos. In the band’s future, the director hopes the group of students will grow large enough to make up two jazz bands.
Creek awarded Houston Sportsmanship Award
By Troylon Griffin II Editor-in-Chief
Creek has found itself being awarded with yet another prestigious honor: The Touchdown Club of Houston’s Sportsmanship Award. The award is given based on the referee evaluations of players, coaches, fan behavior or displays of team sportsmanship. Teams were judged on their actions on the field, the actions of the support personnel, such as parents, band and pep squads, the number of personal fouls and unsportsmanlike fouls as well as respect for the American flag and the national anthem. All this was monitored and judged by the many people who have acted as referees at Creek’s football games. Creek was honored with the award on January 25 and presented by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at the
Touchdown Club of Houston’s 12th Annual Comerica Bank Sportsmanship Luncheon. The event was attended by many of Creek’s staff and football team, including head football coach Darrel Warden and his wife, Principal Jamey Majewski, assistant principal Rupert Jaso and varsity football player Donovan Johnson, who was there as Creek’s representative for the football team. Johnson told of how he was chosen shortly after the football team’s banquet and was chosen because they felt he “embodied the characteristics of what a Wildcat football player should have.” These included “hard work, dedication, leadership, perseverance and the ability to adapt to any situation” on the field. There were first, second and third places awarded to area Class 5A teams and Class4A teams, and there are first and second places for Class 3A/Private schools.
Eight schools ultimately took home trophies for the award, with Creek taking first place in the Class 6A area, followed by Tompkins High School and Kingswood High School. Winners in the 5A were Willis High School, Tomball Memorial and Houston Madison. Winners in the Class 4A-Private schools were Westbury Christian and Cypress Christian. Many at Creek are proud of the award that has been bestowed upon their school, including Donovan Johnson, who feels the award reflects greatly on Creek as a school. “I personally think it’s a reflection of our faculty and our coaches especially,” Johnson said. “They keep our spirits up and keep us composed.” Johnson went on to talk about the behavior and performance of the student audience that earned Creek the award. “The student section has been
great and the band has been great. Our school as a whole has just been great and gives our environment a great atmosphere, and the sportsmanship award reflects that atmosphere.” Principal Majewski gave a proud statement about how he felt about the award and what it means for Creek. “Winning the Houston Touchdown Club Sportsmanship Award is a huge honor for Clear Creek High School and our community,” Creek Principal Jamey Majewski said. “This award is a true reflection of our core values, and as principal, I could not be more proud of our staff, students and parents. To me it means we have adult leadership that models our students and sets an expectation in character for our students and that we have outstanding students who exhibit excellent sportsmanship and class.”
Around Creek15
Debate team advances to the state tournament By Fizza Gilani Features Editor
Over the years, Clear Creek’s debate team has consistently shown their competitive nature. For the last two years, they have been under the direction of Mr. Brian Darby. He commented that thus far, his experience at Creek has been “great”. Last year, the team was exceptionally successful, sending 10 kids to the state competition and three to nationals. Darby believes that, overall, the team performed “admirably” this year. Debate has welcomed a whole new host of students, dubbed “debabies,” who, with assistance from varsity debaters can easily find an event they wish to do. “Debabies” develop more skills and learn the ropes from varsity debaters, who offer advice and encouragement to boost their confidence and resume. From watching them in practices and tracking their progress tournament to tournament, Darby has seen them “[become] more self-sufficient and less reliant on varsity members.” This transition happen is crucial, because one day the novices will be the varsity members. The legacy of the Clear Creek High School debate team rests on the shoulders of these novices. It is not only the novices who have grown. The entire team dynamic has transformed with the addition of the new team members. Darby said he can see the change because “the success isn’t isolated to just a few [and] that there’s a lot more people doing well [compared to] just a few people doing great.” The team
has seen a lot of growth both in terms of success, and unity. Individual members have also noticed changes in themselves, both as competitors and as people.
Anusha Jiwani racked up two state points each early in the year. Alisha Sood earned first place and Fizza Gilani received second place at the Jersey Village tournament.
Photo by Emily Ruthven
This season was a successful one for Creek debate, with many students advancing to the final rounds of their events, if not placing among the top three. Greyson Gilliam and Scott Lindberg both earned six state points from competing in Congressional Debate, a student run mock Congress session in which students discuss real legislation and its perceived impact on the country. Brandon Griffin, a junior, who also participates in Congressional Debate, made it to finals at every tournament. Public Forum team Mercedes Jones and
However, debate is about more than just going to other schools for tournaments. Every year, Creek hosts its own tournament. Hosting a tournament is a very difficult task for a debate team; it is their only fundraiser for the year. They must get people to volunteer to judge so they do not have to spend money on contract judges and buy the food and drinks for judges, coaches and competitors. They also have to designate parts of the school for use and assign jobs to team members. Varsity team members will be running the ballot table, collecting ballots
from judges to tally up who advances to the next round and keeping the tournament on schedule. Often, team members will be double-booked, serving as both helping hands in running the tournament and judging events. Team members also stay after the tournament both Friday and Saturday to clean up and reset rooms for the upcoming school week. The team spent the weekend at the school, running around and doing whatever needed to be done to ensure the tournament ran smoothly. They received much relief when the tournament ran punctually and ended early, and even received praise from others. “It’s hectic but fun, and totally worth it,” commented junior Brandon Griffin. “It’s difficult, because there’s so much to do, but it’s really exciting seeing people come to Creek and have a good time.” Senior debater Niraja Patel said it was “a lot of fun” because “you get to interact with fellow competitors but without the stress of knowing you’ll be going against them.” The debate season is not over, however. The debate team went to Lamar High School on January 26 for the tournament to rack up some final points in order to qualify for state. Duo team Peyton Linder and Geena Timmerman, along with Poetry performer Fizza Gilani, made it to finals. Their last team tournament before UIL in April was on February 3rd at Texas City High School, where junior Brandon Griffin qualified for the state tournament in Congressional Debate, taking first place. After that, they will head to the state tournament in Plano, Texas.
16 teen interest
David Bowie releases additional album No Plan By Evan Kremer Reporter
The late star David Bowie is releasing an album, No Plan, from beyond the grave yet again. It is set to come out this January, what would’ve been the wellknown musician’s seventieth birthday. This will rekindle emotions in many fans who mourned his passing in January of last year, after an eighteen-month bout with liver cancer. The rest of the songs on the album were recorded around the same time as Blackstar, his last album, but were cut from the release. Throughout the album, the production team combined some of Bowie’s more mellow songs such as Lazarus with his more abrasive content, such as Killing a Little Time. The material of this album should be thoroughly analyzed, from the lyrics to the order of the songs. Even the key, tone, and mood should be noted. Throughout all of Bowie’s career, he never stopped performing. He released an album two days before he died, talking about death throughout many songs on the album, effectively turning his own death into one final swan song. In order to explore the beauty of Bowie’s new album, one needs to explore his past music: songs such as Starman, Rebel Rebel, and Changes. The aforementioned songs, as well as many other Bowie classics, discuss how children should be handled. Throughout his music, Bowie constantly expresses a constant theme: preservation of innocence and purity of childhood. He also promotes letting children experiment with
their surroundings, stating in Starman: “Let the children lose it; let the children use it,” referring to letting children make mistakes of their own. Many more of his songs talk about teenagers needing room to
titles like Space Oddity, Ziggy Stardust, Life on Mars. These songs allude to more than just space, however. Each one implies something different and unique, although they all represent the vastness of space,
With David Bowie music blasting from speakers fans place memorabilia at a growing me-
grow. This morial for rock star David Bowie at his star on the Walk of Fame on Jan. 11, 2016 located on Hollywood Blvd in Hollywood, Calif (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times/TNS) obsession with youth evolved overtime. Near the end, Bowie meant to make one feel a sense of wonder. Reguarding the new album, the songs began singing about death. One of the are much less dark and depressing. The overarching themes of his work is just new selection of songs is meant to show this: time. Another theme that is constantly the fans that although he is deceased, he present in his work is space. He wrote
is still with them in spirit and a separate meaning: that he is at peace. This would definitely reconcile fans after the distraught and confused Blackstar album. His more recently released songs were more typical sounding Bowie, where the songs such as Lazarus present darker themes, even mistaken as occultist by some. The track list of the album includes Lazarus, a song heard in Bowie’s album Blackstar, and three more songs he created around the same time as Blackstar. These songs were titled No Plan, which the album was named after, is a relaxing, mellow song; Killing a Little Time, which has a heavier, grunge sound, infused with saxophone; When I Met You, in which Bowie acknowledges nonexistence, and the fact that he no longer exists. This element is also present in Lazarus, in which Bowie sings “Look up here, I’m in Heaven”, implying the foreknowledge of his death. Many of Bowie’s songs near his death were very immersive. The entire point of his last album was to speak to listeners from beyond the grave, telling them about the process of death and dying. All of David Bowie’s music throughout his career tells an interesting story, keeping listeners captivated for over fifty years, and many more still to come.
Shyamalan’s newest film Split surprises audiences By Joana Mancia Reporter
On January 20, the intellectual thriller Split was released to theaters. Since then, it has received positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes averaged it as a 78%, and IMDb has given the film 7.5 stars out of 10. Many viewers thought of the movie as thrilling. “James McAvoy is 23 shades of creepy in M. Night Shyamalan chiller” reviewer Jordan Hoffman from The Guardian said. These film, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, categories in the genre of mystery and suspense, which it obtains with a couple of twists. Critics have also not enjoyed the film. reviewer Alan Scherstuhl of Rotten Tomatoes said, “Split is cruel and humorless by Shyamalan’s standards, with a wearyingly conventional climax and too many scenes of the villain ticking among his multiple personalities.” Critic Johnny Brayson of Bustle said, “The film relies on suspense, mystery, and unknown to craft a feeling of great discomfort in the viewer, a sense that isn’t likely to let up until the credits roll.” Reviewer John DeFore of Rotten Tomatoes, “[Split] Escalates [in] suspense as Fletcher comes close to uncovering Barry’s crime hits all the right genre notes, veering into outright horror near the end. The director ties the theme together at the end with more finesse than usual, letting a couple of meaningful visuals speak for themselves where he might have thrown in a line or two of expository dialogue.” The film starts off in a birthday party of Claire, portrayed by actor Haley Lu Richardson. While her classmate Casey,
portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy, feels she was invited over pity she decides to leave the party. Both girls and along with
of personalities, one of which he worries about cleanliness and wears eyeglasses, the other he portrays is staging as a female
James McAvoy in “Split.” (Universal Pictuers)
their friend Marcia, Jessica Sula, decided to leave the party and they decided to go with Claire’s father. Once they get in the car, the dad is approach by an unseen person, but once he turns his back around, Kevin gets in the car and sprays the girls with some toxin that makes them fall unconscious. The film mainly focuses on Kevin, who suffers with the Characteristic of Dissociative Personality Disorder, also informally known as Split Personality, Kevin, portrayed by actor James McAvoy, suffers from 23 different types
and later he portrays nine-year-old-boy named Hedwig. Barry, one of his characters, controls all of his personalities, two of his personalities, Patricia and Dennis, always seem that appear out from “the light”, while the others are sit in chairs in a room waiting for their turn “in the light.” Kevin’s psychiatrist, Dr. Karen Fletcher, portrayed by Betty Buckley, receives an email from Kevin dominant personality, Barry, and gets concerned when he asks for a meeting. Over the years that Dr. Fletcher studies Kevin’s personalities, she
believed he seemed stable over the past few times she had seen him. Reviewer, Peter Debruge from Variety said, “There are plenty of proper twists to follow, none more unexpected than the fact that Shyamalan himself has managed to get his groove back after a slew of increasingly atrocious misfires.” Though, Reviewer Brandon Doyen, from WABI TV5 had a small different view of the movie “Forgive the pun, but audience reaction to the film may be Split as it’s certainly not a perfect movie, and some viewers may be left scratching their heads following the final 30 seconds of the film. Without going into spoiler territory, rarely do endings recontextualize a movie quite like this one. But bottom line, this is a solid thriller whose performances and script are better than the premise should afford, and for Shyamalan fans, it’s a welcomed return to form. I give Split a B+.” Overall the film had carried on with lots of twists, especially the confusing ending, that makes audiences grip the edge of their seats. The film has grossed over $101 million worldwide, and it’s also been the highest grossing horror film since 2013. Split has also been the number one film for three weeks straight.
teen interest Hobby Center summer 2017 line-up By Sutton Anderson Reporter
The Hobby Center for Performing Arts’ upcoming 2017 Set List is full of award winning shows since the Broadway scene has been swarming with excitement from the new releases of hit shows on tour. The Hobby Center started the new year off successfully with The Book of Mormon, a production that has won nine Tony awards. The Book of Mormon tour was brought back to Houston after its appearance two years ago which sold out houses every night. Seats for The Book of Mormon were not included for season ticket holders. Anyone who was at the show had purchased ticket to experience the dramatic world of Elder Price and Elder Cunningham’s adventures through Uganda. Written by the creators of the popular satiric adult cartoon South Park, Trey Parker, Matt Stone as well as Robert Lopez, The Book of Mormon had everyone laughing the whole way through. By the end of act one, many audience members were mesmerized as they were trapped in the hilarious, intriguing world of the creators. Other audience members may not have understood the offensive comedy of The Book of Mormon, as they left after intermission leaving a few scattered seats empty. The Book of Mormon may not be suitable for everyone, however, the diverse 2017 set list at the Hobby Center is sure to please many. The 2015 Tony award winner for Best Play, A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time tour will be the next show to wow the local Houston audiences from January 24 through the 29. It’s not often that a Broadway play
goes on tour so the Hobby Center is sure to be packed with eager Houstonians. Soon after A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, from February 21 through March 5 the award winning show of the 2015-16 Broadway season An American in Paris will make an appearance on the Sarofim stage. The production follows the story of an American painter trying to make his way in Paris who falls for a young lady who is already engaged. Though its not a Broadway across America tour it will be performed with Actors and Actresses from the Actors Equity Association from all over the world. As An American in Paris is the winner of four Tony awards audiences are likely to be swept their feet with a story they will never forget. Featuring Laura Michelle Kelly and Joe Llana, The King and I tour will grace the Hobby Center with its radiant story of the east meeting the west for a one-week gig in Houston from March 14 through the 19 before it is sent off to their next stop along their North American tour. After thirty-five years from it’s opening, the revolutionary musical Dream Girls will come to the Hobby Center, giving audiences a chance to explore and be transported to an iconic time in American music history. From April fourth through the 16 audiences can enjoy the featured classics such as “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” “I Am Changing” “Listen” and much more from the local equity actor’s as they perform in the dazzling show of Dream Girls. Following the iconic Dream Girls, one of Broadways biggest hit musicals Finding Neverland will express the hidden story of
how iconic characters such as Peter Pan and James Hook came to be. As wedded J.M Barrie takes in the world around him to write a new pla, he falls in love with Silvia and her children, just as audiences around the world have fallen in love with the musical itself. Capturing the hearts of all ages, Finding Neverland the Musical, based on the Academy award winning film, Finding Neverland, shall appear in Sarofim Hall April 25 through the 30. Starting May 16, the winner of five Tony awards including best musical and best score, Fun Home will keep the Houston audiences on their toes with a riveting story told by local Houston actors. The actors reveal memories of Allison’s dysfunctional family as she relieves her life on the stage. The critically acclaimed musical comedy entitled Something Rotten will take a stop at the Hobby Center from June six to June 11. Nominated for 10 Tony Awards, the hilarious musical is about two brothers trying to write a play that can suppress William Shakespeare’s masterpieces. To reach the top, the Bottom brothers must take a different approach to create a revolutionary form of theatre. As if The Book of Mormon, The King and I and Finding Neverland weren’t enough to get Houstonians excited for the 2017 upcoming tours in Houston, The Hobby Center released news of a show that is sure to fill the house. From June 27 to July 23 the four-week appearance of The Lion King is sure to take people’s breath away. With amazing costumes, beautiful singing and a story for all ages, The Lion King will close out the summer at the Hobby Center with an unforgettable performance that is sure to please the whole family.
Childish Gambino releasesn an album By Hayley Johnson Online Editor
Riving his alter ego into a realm of new sound, Donald Glover released his third studio album, Awaken, My Love as Childish Gambino. Three years after his 2013 release of Because the Internet, Gambino made a fresh return with Awaken, My Love, which delves into the world of textured updates to the 1970’s funk, advancing from his comfort zone of lyrical rap and comical beats into a new genre, making it a great way to finish out 2016 and step into a brand new year of music with a fresh sound. Before the album’s release, listeners got a taste back in November of what to expect from Gambino with the single, Me and Your Mama, which provides a clear and deep illustration of the genre change that Gambino has transitioned into apart from his previous “plain and typical” works. Gambino debuted his entire new album at a special three-day event at the Joshua Tree Retreat in California over the summer, but had only announced the record’s official release in November. Another track on the record, Redbone has become well-aware to the world after the album was released and eventually was used for the performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. It’s a song that Prince himself would’ve been proud of. Awaken, my Love hit number five on Billboard’s 200 list, topping Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic and even the big hit Broadway musical, Hamilton. Following the hype of the album’s release,
there has been a mixture of both negative a song that goes well with road trips and and positive feedback to Gambino’s new spending a night out with the guys and transition. For the longstanding fans, girls. Have Some Love is exactly that the vintage 70’s hippy sound is either track. Its sound incorporates lyrics of a deeper meaning to love, unexpectedly distinctive instruments disappointing being echoed heavily and o r backup vocals projected astonishingly by an eccentric choir. To outstanding. really get in the mood For the fresh for something profound, ears, it’s an get a listen of Stand Tall. interesting portrayal on an Gambino gets into the old genre with mindset of positivity and “heat hitting” pours out his heart with lyrics, giving passionate and touching that raw and lyrics that strikes into the uncut sound souls of the heartbroken to the track. and head-over-heels G o i n g kids. One specific song deeper into that assimilates the tracks together into the the album, album is California, a Awaken, My sort of breezy calypso Love has songs like Boogieman jam with a judicious and Have Some use of a wood whistle Love that keep and even a triangle. It Photo courtesy of Google true to the captures the effervescent groove era’s genre of and absolutely intoxicating expression, love and compassion. Imagine spirit of a very special record that takes going to the disco and Boogieman is listeners back in time to a decade where blasting through the speakers. It’s one of music actually made anyone feel good. those songs people can’t help but just get Overall, Gambino’s Awaken, My Love down to. With its poppy beats and quirky gives a fresher outlook to his usual vocals, it is considered to be one of the image, making 2017 an interesting year most infectious tracks on the album. A for him as well as his reinvented sound. 70’s inspired album isn’t complete without
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Hidden Figures and regarding Black History Month: By: Troylon Griffin II Editor-in-chief
One of the most talked about and successful films of 2017 so far is the historical and biographical film Hidden Figures, which tells the story of three female African American mathematicians who played a vital role in the early days of NASA’s space program and the missions to get the first men on the moon. This was of course during the sixties in a time in which these women would have faced not only racial discrimination, but also sexism. It goes without saying that the reason the filmmakers behind this movie decided to make the film was because it was such an unknown story. Hardly anyone knew (or knows) that three African American women played such a vital role in the furthering of our country’s astronomical development, and this has factored strongly into many critic’s positive reviews of the film. As Simon Thompson of IGN said, the film very much “fills in an all too forgotten, or simply too widely unknown, blank in US history.” In the 21st century, in a time when both racism, sexism and many other forms of discrimination are still evident and relevant, it’s clear that there are still many contributions from African Americans and other minorities that go unknown or untaught in our society. The Awards Circuit was absolutely right when they proclaimed in their review that Hidden Figures “is a faithful and truly beautiful portrait of our country’s consistent gloss over the racial tensions that have divided and continue to plague the fabric our existence.” As February goes on, and the Hidden Figures film continues to play in theaters, the film proves to be a true testament to what February, Black History Month, is about: the acknowledgement of contributions made from African Americans throughout American history. Historian Carter G. Woodson created Black History Month as a way for the contribution of African Americans to be acknowledged and known in a time when history was not acknowledging such contributions. Carter G. Woodson dreamed that African Americans would be acknowledged for their contributions to science, civil rights, law, literature and to the overall betterment of society, and the film Hidden Figures is acting as a true testament to expanding such knowledge to the public. President Gerald Ford told the public in 1976, when the U.S goveernment officially recognized Black History Month, that we as Americans should “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” Even now there are still contributions to society that people of minority groups are not getting enough acknowledgement for, and therefore we must continue to honor and be knowledgeable of the people in history that have helped make our country the great country that it is.
18 Athletes of the month:
Lauren Bentley Lauren Bentley has been playing golf since she was five years old. Her personal best score is a 74. Bentley will be graduating this May Summa Cum Laude. She will be attending Schreiner University in fall of 2017 on a $20,000 a year scholarship based upon her GPA. Bentley would like to thank her family, coaches and God for her astonishing accomplishments.
Brian Stein Brian Stein plays soccer because he loves it and has been playing since he was a child. His coach has praised Stein, saying that he is “a great goal keeper” and has helped his team have three shut outs in the last month. “The team depends greatly on him” Coach Cobb said. “And as a goal keeper he plays every game.” Stein is looking into attending San Jacinto University and will continue to play soccer in college.
sports Creek basketball strive for good season By Troylon Griffin II Editor-in-Chief
Creek’s basketball team has been enjoying a successful season while also working hard to ensure they finish out the season well. The team has enjoyed many wins on a pre-district level, tournament level and district level. “Overall the season has been pretty successful,” Colton Matthews said. Matthews is one of the team’s shooting guard and averages ten points a game. The team has had victories against Alvin, Friendswood, Clear Falls, Clear Lake, and many other schools in the district. Head basketball coach Wes Bryan talked about the various successes the team has had in district and in tournaments. “I like to break down the season into three parts, pre-district, tournament and district,” Bryan said. “We have had varying degrees of successes throughout each of these three portions in the season. Pre-district we had a big road win at Galveston Ball where I believe that we played very well. In tournament season we played well in the Carlisle Krueger tournament with a fifth place finish out of 24 tough teams.” Nevertheless, the season has been one with losses accompanying the victories. Small forward Nick Shipley has described the season as being “up and down” due to the equal amount of wins and losses. Shipley cited the reason for the losses as
being due to the team needing to improve on defense. Shipley nevertheless said that the team is quite “solid” on offense. Declan Sides voiced his thoughts regarding the equal amount of losses and wins, citing the “energy of the team as a cause.” “Sometimes the energy isn’t there when it’s needed, but the team chemistry
Courtesy of @cchoops on Twitter
plays a big role in the outcome,” Sides said. “Sometimes the chemistry just isn’t good.” The team has also cited how the district simply has many talented players. Bryan supported this thought on the matter. “We have an extremely tough and talented district this year from top to bottom,” Bryan said. “On any given night you have multiple players in our district that can score 30 points or more on your defense.” Coach Bryan went on to give great praise to many of his own players.
These included senior Nick Shipley, who he noted has recently crossed the 1,000 point mark for his career. “He’s the team leading scorer and the best defender.” Bryan said. Bryan praised Bryce Lovejoy, who he said “has had several big games throughout the year and it the team leader in assists.” “Chris Herrera has also had a few big games as well and has added defense and rebounding as our senior post.” Bryan said. He also spoke on Nate Jackson, who he said has had a few big games in district and had one of the team’s biggest shots of the year by hitting a buzzer beater in one of the teams game’s against Clear Springs, which sent the game into overtime. The team is now doing their best to ensure they end the season on a good note. Regarding the overall season, Bryan felt that the team did especially well during its tournament season. “We fell short of our goal of making the playoffs but we had a successful tournament season .” Colton Matthews also spoke on ensuring the team rounds up the season well and defeat their remaining opponents. “I feel confident that we can win out and beat everyone in district because we’ve shown we can beat them,” Matthews said. “We definitely have the talent to beat anyone in district. We just have to pull through. It’s up to us.”
James Harden carries the Rockets By Lilo Shelley Reporter
30 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in a game less than 30 minutes engaged. “He leads the league in minutes, shots, free throws, and turnovers,” according to Joe Camporeale of USA Today Sporta. During Rockets vs. Phoenix game on
Angeles Clippers on December 30, Harden made 30 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and 5 steals, being the first player to make NBA player James Harden for the those numbers in a single game since Houston Rockets was named Western Derrick Coleman in April of 1933. Harden Conference Player of the Week from finished the week hard with 53 points, a December 26 to January first for the high tying 17 assists and third time this season, and the twelfth a Rockets season gain time in his career. With his fourth award of 16 rebounds against as a Rocket, Harden has been honored New York on New Year’s as additional Player of the Month Eve. Harden, again in rockets history. With this surplus setting the bar high with of success, all eyes are on Harden. 9 three-pointers against Some sports critics refute the athlete’s the Knicks, tied for the success and turn their attention to his less second-most one game popular tendencies. “Harden is beginning in franchise history. to resemble a player maligned as a selfish, “His 32.7 percent ball hogging player,” according to national usage rate tops many NBA featured columnist Grant Hughes. point guard in the league Despite his unpopular attitude, including Chris Paul, Harden has averaged 37.3 points, 12.5 John Wall, Stephen assists and 9.8 rebounds in just 34 Houston Rockets guard James Harden loses the basketball to Miami Heat guard Curry and Kyle Lowry. minutes each game this season. He shot Tyler Johnson (8) during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game at AmeriMany have predicted 56 percent from the floor, 45.9 percent canAirlines Arena Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017 in Miami, Fla. The Heat won 109-103. that Harden will be this (David Santiago/Miami Herald/TNS) year’s MVP.“Look at from the 3-point area, and 88.9 percent what Harden is putting from the line. Harden was timid from one rebound averaging a triple – double December 26, Harden scored 32 points and together: He’s third in the league in scoring throughout the course of the week. 12 assists despite not playing in the fourth with 28.5 points per game, and leading the Harden’s talent continues to be the principal quarter. He then again didn’t appear in the league in assists with a flabbergasting 11.8 contribution to the Rocket’s 4-0 record. fourth quarter in Dallas on December 27, per game. You don’t average nearly 12 “Harden has had such a large but scored 34 points and 11 assists in the assists per game and score nearly 30. It just responsibility for the Rockets 29.57 minutes Harden was on the court. doesn’t happen. The entire Rockets offense offensively in the playoffs and “Harden forgets to try when the ball’s not is running through him right now,” Nate the regular season,” according to in his hand, often believes the most efficient Scott of Fox Sports said. Scott continued, Jake Hyman of RealGM Analysis. way to find his shot is by calmly dribbling “He’s also leading the Rockets with 8.4 Harden received a noteworthy eighteen seconds off the clock.” Said rebounds per game. Not quite a triple exclusive on January third, becoming Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle. double average like Westbrook, but he’s the first NBA player in history to score In the Rockets’ game against the Los close, and he’s playing improved defense.”
The HiLIfe
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