April 2012
Volume11 Edition 7
the
Stang
Houston Christian High School 2700 W Sam Houston Pkwy N Houston, Texas 77043
POWDERPUFF: A battle of Epic Proportions
The Senior and Junior girls get intense in the 2012 powder puff game by Gianna Tiedemann, Stang Staff It’s the game of games. It’s the fight of fights. It’s the war of all wars. It’s the Powderpuff game. It’s the same question every year that we face when spring comes along. Who will win as the junior girls battle the senior girls in the competition of a lifetime? The whole week before the game, both teams have been hard at work practicing drills, running plays, and devising tactics in order to beat the other team. Football players Jordan Watkins, Michael Vaughan, Chambers Swiggart, Alex Roys, Ivan Morris, and Ben Young coached the junior girls, while Randy Faulk, Ryan Reeter, Sam Kaestner, Mark Driscoll, and Michael Dunn coached the seniors. The junior girls had practices held on Saturdays and after school during the week leading up to the game. The coaches appointed Miranda Rogers and Ashton Binkley as the quarterbacks of the team. “They’re going to lead us to victory against the seniors, who, by the way, are going to get owned,” said coach Chambers Swiggart prior to the game. He, along with the other coaches, was confident that the juniors would take down the seniors. On the other hand, the seniors planned to massacre the juniors. Prior to the game, senior Randy Faulk said, “The juniors are going down no matter what. They don’t stand a chance.” Randy was extremely determined to take down the juniors, and motivated his players to do their best to win. So what was the result? Finally, game day came. Both teams arrived at the school at around four o’clock to run plays,
In the News
watch motivational videos, and warmup. The battle started at six o’clock with junior Nathalie Simoes scoring her team the first touchdown of the game. The competition was suddenly brought to a whole new level. What was supposed to be a nice, competitive game of flag football turned into a full on brawl with lots of tackling. Both teams were pummeling their enemy with full force; it didn’t seem as if though either team was going to let their guard down. Senior Bryce Dixon said, “It was fun taking down the Juniors and running over six people. It was most definitely the best powder puff game ever.” For the majority of the game, the seniors and juniors were tied. Although the juniors thought that they would win, they were no match for Kelsey Crawford and the rest seniors who ended up winning the game. The final score was 36 to 28, making this game the closest powder puff game in years. At the end of it all, the teams gathered together to set aside their rivalry and pray it out. Student body Chaplain, Sam Kaestner and future female student body Chaplain, Courtney Smith, both prayed over the team and helped to end the game on a good note. Many students on the junior team said that being involved in the powder puff game really gave them the opportunity to bond with other people that they never thought they would bond with. If you missed the game, then you missed a battle of epic proportions that may never occur again. Also, if you’re a rising junior (that’s you, sophomores), start practicing now, the senior class of 2013 do their best to dominate you.
#WINNING, The Senior
Powderpuff team along with Senior football coaches pose after the game for proof of their hard=earned, and fairly played win.
IN THE HEAT OF THE GAME,
above are the Juniors and Seniors in the middle of a play, at this moment no tackling was captured... but there was definitely a whole lot of that.
4 HC is honored to become the first high school to have presidential center in the US, read about this amazing accomplishment on pg. 4!
Over Spring Break HC students went on a Fine Arts Trip to Paris, check out their amazing pictures on pg. 7!
SMILING FACES, Juniors
(from left to right) Alyssa Mckinzie, Christie Harrison, Nathalie Simoes, Sarah Helm, and Miranda Rogers smile pretty after the game, war paint and all.
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18 Are you the ultimate One Direction fan? Test your knowledge by taking our quiz on pg. 18!
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April 12
COMMUNITY
Disturbed mother attempts to save son from demons A recap on the story of a young boy attacked by his mother for religious purposes. by Paige Adams,Co-Editor In Chief
Religion is probably one of the most highly debated subjects in all of history – every place, person, and time in the world-and there is always controversy surrounding it. Many religious people and antireligious people seem to be criticizing and protesting against different religions, especially against Christianity. A recent major news story revolves around religious controversy, but it’s more than another report on protests or bashing. This story revolves around a sweet five-yearold boy, whose throat was slashed, chest stomped on, and neck beaten. So why does a five year old boy deserve this? His mother had a justified reason: to get demons out of him, because she thoroughly believed he was possessed. Michael Spurlock, five years old, was supposedly like any normal little boy. But his mother, Daphne Spurlock was reported to be “obsessed with religion” by local Texas news stations. Daphne Spurlock was arrested Saturday, March 17, and the ambulance was called after
Michael’s father came home to find his son lying in blood. After being rushed to the
him into emergency custody, and he will be placed in Foster Care. His father says he is still trying to process what happened, and added that his wife said she had heard voices lately and she thought they were Jesus. She was said to be a religious person, who loved church, Jesus, and even wanted to write a Christian book some day. This is the kind of story that is fuel for people who criticize religion, especially Christianity. This hospital and put woman who attacked in Critical Care, her child had no young Michael way of proving has survived the he was possessed attack. His mother by demons, and is now going to suffered THE CULPRIT CONTAINED. Daphne some probably court, charged with kind of psychotic Spurlock (above) attacked her son to attempted breakdown before all get the demons out of him. capital murder. this happened. She was When Daphne Spurlock was questioned even said to have had run-ins with Child about the attack, she admitted that she Protective Services before. This time, she attacked him because she was trying to get acted irrationally and will be punished for rid of the demons. it. Hopefully people see this as someone’s Once Michael arrived at the psychotic instability, not the voice of hospital, Child Protective Services took Jesus commanding her to hurt her child.
Lives lost in Ohio due to loose security?
Many mourn the loss of students at Chardon High School by Preston Lyle, Stang Staff
A SAD DAY IN OHIO. After the shooting, many students, such as this girl, cried over the loss of friends and peers that attended the school.
Most people see school as a place of safety where one can learn and hang out with friends, but the high school students at Chardon high school do not have the same image. On Monday, February 27, the kids were startled by the screams of their peers.
At about seven forty in the morning, T. J. Lane began a shootout about the school. As students began to panic, the whole school went into chaos. Lane shot five students, killing two and wounding five others. Lane is now being held in jail to await his court hearing.
During the shootout, the teachers tried their best to help as many students as possible by going on lockdown and attempting to get students into classrooms. One teacher went as far as running into the hallway to grab a wounded child and drag her back into the classroom. The parents of Chardon are devastated by their losses and shocked by the actions of T. J. Lane, especially since Lane was known as a quiet, well-behaved student. The parents also want to take this as a time to think about the causes behind this shooting. One of the causes that the parents want to bring to attention is how loose the gun control laws are. Their reasoning is that it should not be that easy for a kid to acquire and use a gun. The parents also want other towns to realize the effect that bullying can have on a community. Chardon has had a rough couple of weeks and should be in the minds of students everywhere. Schools should also see Chardon as an example of the effects of bullying and loose security.
Obama comes to Houston President Obama boosts his vote. by Preston Lyle, Stang Staff
A NEW SENSATION
Obama takes a visit to Houston to boost his campaign for reelection.
President Barrack Obama went on a short campaign for reelection that ended in Houston. Obama was not here expecting to win over much but he was here because of the Texas economy compared to the rest of the country. Obama is finally realizing that Texas is where the money is. As reelection time comes around, Obama is trying to get as much support and money as he possibly can. When thinking about who to reelect this year though, every voter is conflicted with who is the better choice. On one hand you have Mitt Romney who seems like he will win the Republican nomination. Being a Mormon, with a possible tendency to side with the rich, Romney looks he will have a hard time getting the common people vote. The other Republican, Rick Santorum, is extremely conservative and seems to be too strict for most people, who might think would have a hard time running the country. Lastly we have President Obama whose highest achievement is killing Bin Laden but has dug our country further and further into dept. Statistically, Obama has raised our debt more in his first term than Bush did in both of his terms. When going to vote take into consideration that even though each candidate has his flaws, we have to choose the best of the choices we get.
NEWS
The Stang
2012 NFL Draft: A Wide Range of Talents This year’s draft class is one of the best in recent years
by Michael Vaughn, Stang Staff
LET’S TALK FOOTBALL.A much anticipated event, commissioner Roger Goodell will announce the first overall pick of the draft on April 26, 2012. Most expect this to be Andrew Luck, but there
Coming out of the bizarre 2011 season, this year’s draft class seemed to be fairly ordinary. However, now that we have had the NFL Combine and respective pro days, we can see that ordinary is not the case. The amount of raw talent in this draft is unmatched by previous years, and many players who were under-ranked are starting to climb the draft boards after displaying their abilities. One such player is Texas A&M quarterback
Ryan Tannehill. The 6’4”, 225 lb. signal caller was largely overlooked at the end of this season because of the Aggies’ disappointing 6-6 record. What people don’t remember is that he was plagued by receivers who dropped over 50 passes this year. At his pro day, he posted the second fastest 40 yard dash among quarterbacks, and had a better throwing workout than Luck or Robert Griffin III. Life-long TAMU fan Chase Burns12 was
pleased with his success, saying, “I’m glad Tannehill finally proved what he can do now that he is healthy. I think he deserves to go in the top 10.” According to the latest predictions, he may even go top 5. Overshadowing Tannehill, Houston native Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III have earned likely the 1 and 2 spots respectively in the first round. Luck is considered to be the player with the brightest NFL future in years, but RG3’s dynamic speed and playmaking ability puts him right up with him. Future Baylor Bear Max Brown12 said, “Personally I think RG3 should go first overall, but I’ll be a fan of whatever team he goes to.” Many Texans and Baylor fans are very excited about another first round possibility. The Texans, who are in need of a receiver, may take Baylor’s explosive receiver, Kendall Wright, with the 26th pick in the draft. Wright, who was known for his speed, ran a disappointing 4.61 40-yard-dash at the NFL Combine. He eased everyone’s worries with a 4.41 at his pro day a few weeks later. Taking up most of the first round are an unrivaled stock of offensive and defensive linemen. Lead by USC’s Matt Kalil and Iowa’s Riley Reiff on the offensive side, and by Mississippi State’s Fletcher Cox and Memphis’ Dontari Poe on the defensive side, the wealth of talent in the trenches boast many who could start in the first week of the 2012 NFL season. All in all, the draft will make next year’s NFL season much more exciting to watch.
Afghanistan shootings still occurring
College Corner
By Brian Trieglaff, Stang Editor in Chief •
Tension between Americans and locals in Afghanistan have been on the rise. Following the recent issues of the burnings of the Quran at a U.S. base in Afghanistan, many violent riots have occurred in the past few weeks. The locals have vocalized many concerns with the U.S. military stationed around the country. On March 11, 2012, at 3 a.m., Staff Sgt. Robert Bales traveled into two villages of the Kandahar province in the southern Panjwai district. It was reported that he shot, stabbed and burned the villagers, including nine children. Six additional Afghans were injured in the attack. Bales has been charged with the murder of 17 Afghani citizens as well as six counts of attempted murder and six counts of aggravated assault, dereliction of duty and other violations of military law Although locals claim that there were more than a dozen American soldiers involved, Bales is the only one that has been arrested. “To my knowledge, everybody in the villages said only that somebody had told them that they had seen several foreign troops in the villages where the shootings
occurred,” said Fazal Mohammad, the top government official for Panjwai district.. Sardar Mohammad Nazari, chief of police for Panjwai district, also agreed and stated that he never met a single person who had seen more than
one American troop with his own eyes. Staff Sgt. Robert Bales was accused and is being held in a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He currently faces trial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice
TAKING A SHOT An American soldier seems to be protecting himself as he points and
shoots at a group of Afghani citizens. Little did he know, he would later be charged with 17 counts of murder. (image provided by google images).
OKLAHOMA
Established in 1890
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Located in Norman, Oklahoma
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About 30,000 students
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About 2,600 full time faculty members
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Annual Budget it $1.5 billion
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Motto: “For the citizen and for the state”
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Colors: Crimson and Cream
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Nickname: Sooners!
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Mascots: Boomer and Sooner
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In the Big 12 Conference
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Known for Massive Football Stadium and football games
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Basketball and Baseball Games also make big attraction
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Tuition and Fees: $19,277
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Total Cost for One Year: $28,380
American soldier charged with the murder of 17 Afghani citizens by Kendall Maddox, Stang Staff
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OOOOKlahoma. OU’s Sooners are one of the top teams in College Football, bringing tons of pride and spirit to the school.
4Bush Center for dedication a blessing even in the rain SCHOOL
April 12
HC gets the privilege of naming CSL after former president George H.W. Bush by Michael Dunn, Stang Staff If you have heard all the construction lately, it’s not all taking place outside for the new Student Center. Some of it is taking place inside the CSL. Next year, students will be allowed to interact and enhance their learning opportunities in a brand new learning center dedicated to the elevation of academic performance by Houston Christian students. Ms. Carol Bartels glows when speaking about the CSL, going as far to say, “The CSL offers the chance for students to be involved in a very collegiate environment.” Most notably, the center offers a place for the school’s leadership and Distinguished Scholar’s programs led by Colonel Tom Wilson and Dr. Yvette Perry, respectively, which allows them to participate in a Socratic setting. In addition, the center will has served as
a place for tutoring services to be taken place, which also adds to the core concept of Community. This deviation from the typically lecture-centric class plan, allows students to become more engaged in the material through the utilization of discussion and the high level of technology. Leadership student Andrew Barton boasts the CSL as, “Honestly….one of the most impressive buildings at any school, and I’m very excited for the future of Houston Christian.” The family the building is being named after unquestionably reciprocates this level of excitement; both Barbara and George Bush graciously accepted the opportunity for this building to be constructed in their honor, as a result of their great level of support for this institution. “They are very supportive of the core values at Houston Christian,” says Carol Bartels, “and look forward to the ability to give students the best possible learning environment.” Administrators are hoping this building serves as a bridge toward making Houston Christian a school that promotes
a higher level of learning, as well as giving students the tools they need to work independently as well as learn of the benefits of time management. On April 16, with daughter-in-law Maria Bush in attendance, the George and Barbara Bush Center for Scholars and Leaders was officially announced and dedicated, cementing the final step in a year long process that has now resulted in the construction of a building that aims to provide the simultaneous facilitation of scholarship and leadership. As Neil Bush said on a video during the dedication, “Houston Christian could not have picked a better representative for service and leadership than these two people.” Hopefully future generations of Houston Christian High School students will effectively use the center to their benefit, and in turn benefit the community as a whole.
2012-2013 STUCO RESULTS ARE IN! Senior Class President: Nick Moll Male Chaplain: Michael Vaughan Female Chaplain: Courtney Smith Vice-President: Ashton Binkley Secretary: Tayler Hedgepeth Treasurer: John Rasplicka Public Relations: Natalie Galerne Representatives: Kelsey DeBerry, Nathalie Simoes and Jacob Farris
THE PRESIDENTIAL SEAL
takes a new home on the sidewalk outside the doors of the newly renovated Bush Center for Scholars and Leaders. Very few places get to display this presidential seal, and now the new BCSL has the right.
BETTER WITH A NEW NAME
The new center nameplate is unveiled after the ceremony honoring the Bush family. The banner that covered the nameplate said, “From now on in America, any definition of a successful life must include serving others.” --George H.W. Bush
NHS Officers for the 2012-2013 school year: President: Meg Goode Vice-President (Tutoring): Callie Parish Vice-President (Service Projects): Kelsey DeBerry Secretary: Karina Giron
Junior Class President: Rachel Craft Vice-President: Imani Daffin Representatives: Carson Taff, Grace Munford, Ian Hopper and Stephen Hirschbuehler Sophomore Class President: Kai Mosvold Vice-President: Amanda Thompson Representatives: Rebecca Gunn and Victoria Baltazar
READY AND WAITING
Future senior Chaplains, Michael Vaughan and Courtney Smith, are very excited to be your newly elected Student Body Chaplains. For the first time next year, HC will have two chaplains--one male and one femaie--to work with our Male and Female faculty chaplains.
NEWS
School Gala celebrates Dr. Livingston A “Time of Celebration” is celebrated in by Kandis Harding, Stang Staff
On Friday, March 30, parents, faculty, staff, and others gathered together for the yearly school Gala. With auctions, prizes, and food, everyone enjoyed their time together. One of our fellow students, Anthony Farfan, had the privilege to speak. While deciding what he should speak about, he decided on the topic of “engaging the emotions of the audience to donate money for financial aid,” says Anthony. He started his speech with his testimony of how HC has impacted his life through his high school career and how he could not have done it without financial aid. After the nerves settled down and the speech was over, he said it went really well. Parents, faculty and staff enjoyed his speech and found it very insightful. “The intimidating setting made things so much worse,” he said. One of the highlights before his speech was his introduction by Mr. Joe Mellor, “which
we all know could be a little nerve-wracking.” At the Gala, many people sponsored future students for financial aid. Anthony says he is very proud that he could be part of the decision making process of parents and faculty around him. On the other hand, many prizes and auctions were being handed out and bid on. From across the world trips to small gift prizes. All in all, many did not go home empty handed. Some of the fabulous trips people could buy included Experience Vegas at the Golden Nugget, Pebble Beach Paradise, Colorado Home, One Week at Canyon Lake, and many more amazing vacations. One of the major events that happened on the night of Celebration had to do with Dr. Steve Livingston and the Learning Commons. The night led to a surprise for Dr. Livingston when the school honored him by naming the new learning commons as The Livingston Learning Commons. Dr. Livingston said, “I was surprised, honored, and humbled, to say the least. To be associated with Houston Christian is such a blessing.” Dr. Livingston concluded by saying, “what is true of the new learning commons is true of the development of the school as a whole. For over a decade many people have come together to build this school into a great school for young people, one that reflects the finest characteristics of Christian education. Thus, I believe this honor is also given in appreciation to all those men and women that have lent their expertise and resources to developing exemplary programs and excellent facilities that serve these needs. As for me, I just delight in seeing young lives changed.” As the school progresses in many ways over the past years, we must look at these developments as an honor, a blessing, and a gift from those that take the time to give in order for students to have a better education and exemplary programs.
Red Shirt Ceremony annual event Juniors take next step in Seniority by receiving their red shirts by Natalie Galerne, Stang Staff
helps emphasize seniority.” Jessie Skinn11 who is excited to start her senior year, says, “Even though the whole school has to take away time from studies to come watch the Junior class, it’s still important because its something that every student will do before they become a senior.”
There are many special privileges that come with being a senior: off campus lunches, free chapel dress opportunities, and the beloved red shirt, are just to name a few. The red polo shirt is the one significant piece that every junior receives at the very end of the school year. Although a colored shirt may seem like a small deal, at Houston Christian, this bright red shirt means seniority, wisdom, and a near future that includes everyone’s favorite college. At the ceremony, the whole school gathers in the chapel to hear Colonel Wilson call the names of every student in the rising senior class. Each student walks across the stage, receives their shirt, and walks off again with their newly acquired senior pride. Tayler Hedgepath11 shares what she thinks of this unique tradition to Houston Christian. “I think it’s awesome that seniors get something special that only they get to wear. It
RED SHIRT PROUD
This year’s Junior Leadership Assembly will take place on Thursday, April 26th in the chapel. If you will not be receiving a shirt this year, it’s never too early to start planning for your much- anticipated senior year.
Current seniors Haylee Hoelscher and Taylor Ratkiewicz proudly wear their red shirts, but will gladly hand over the reigns of the school to the upcoming juniors in about a month.
The Stang
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A day in a life of Malachy Lyons-Letts By Michael Fertitta, Co Business Manager For those who don’t know Malachy, he is the school’s starting goalie for the lacrosse team; he was also the kid that looked like a shaggy dog until he got his hair cut recently to look like an upstanding businessman. But enough of his upstanding good looks; let’s talk about his day. Every morning, Malachy gets up and takes a shower. In the shower, Malachy does his daily stretches that his coach tells him to do. He does these in the shower because the hot water helps relax the muscles. Unlike the average kid, Malachy does not use towels to dry himself after a shower, but instead a carpet. Malachy told me he has a special carpet that he likes to roll around on until he is dry. After this, Malachy leaves his home and drives all the way out from Cy-Fair to Houston Christian. Malachy is the type of guy who enjoys getting to school earlier then everybody else. He also likes to use this extra time to do things he often forgets to do back at home. If you get to school between 7:20-7:30am, you can usually find Malachy in the downstairs restroom shaving his face so that he will not have to serve a detention. Malachy usually dreads school, but he does say he loves his anatomy class. In anatomy, Malachy has the privilege of taking care of and playing with the ferrets. Malachy says his favorite moments though are when no one is in the class and he takes all the animals out of their cage and walks around on his hands and knees pretending he is a lion in a forest. After school, Malachy goes to lacrosse practice as the team’s superstar goalie. Malachy fears that he is going to be passed up soon by the prodigy goalie Michelle Epstein, but that probably won’t happen for another week. At practice, Malachy can usually be seen humiliating both Garrett Fales and Brooks Lehle as they try helplessly to score a goal on Malachy, but “scoring a goal on Malachy” still remains a myth. Malachy is not an egotistical monster though; he knows to give credit when credit is due. Malachy attributes most of his success as goalie to his wolverine of a defenseman, Michael Fertitta. Malachy often gets game balls after a win, but after everyone leaves he usually passes it to Michael, because he knows without Michael over his shoulder he would not be the goalie he is. After school or a game, Malachy loves to go home and play with his Frisbee. Malachy does not have an act for throwing or catching a Frisbee with his hands, so he will usually get his twin sister to throw it while he runs and jumps for it in an effort to catch it with his mouth. Malachy also loves playing with his yellow tennis ball, but he says it is to dangerous to play with during the day because he is liable to chase after it into the street and get hit by a car. As a goalie you need strong cheek muscles, and he works these about by chewing on a plastic steak chew toy for about 30 minutes. If you don’t think that does anything, then let him bite you and find out. After a long day of playing, Malachy likes to end his day by curling up at the end of his bed and taking a nice doggy nap.
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FINE ARTS
April 12
Choir travels to San Antonio for competition This Spring, choir spends three days in San Antonio singing their hearts out
by Natalie Galerne, Stang Staff Every year, the Houston Christian choir travels to San Antonio or Dallas for their annual choral competition. This year, the choir once again traveled to San Antonio to compete with other choirs in Texas. The entire choir packed their bags and headed out on Friday, March 13, (yes, choir got to miss a whole day of school!) to San Antonio for the entire weekend. Upon arrival, the choir checked in to the hotel and immediately went to the Riverwalk for a lovely dinner on the river. Freshman Rebecca Glenister9 shared about how excited she was for her first trip to competition. “I’ve heard so many awesome things about competition from my older friends in choir. I couldn’t wait to spend a whole weekend hanging
out with my friends and doing what I love best.” The next day was spent at the world- renowned Six Flags amusement park and in rehearsals with some of the top choral directors in Texas. Though the choir had a bunch of free time planned for the trip,
when it comes down to the competition itself, they’re were all business. Junior Ashley Consolvo, who loves to talk and talk with her friends, admits that the focus level before the show was outstanding. “Before we go on stage, no one talks. We’re all concentrated on getting
through the show.” After the choir performed to their best ability, they headed to a big park and spent the evening at the much-anticipated awards ceremony. The choir worked incredibly hard to put together a show that brought home that big trophy.
HOLDING THE TROPHY HIGH, AFTER THE WIN, Junior choir members (from left to right) Rachel Henry, Leslie Lamoreaux, Clara Russell, and Gianna Tiedemann, with school chaplain Lisa Porter (center), pose for a quick picture while at Fiesta Texas - the after winning treat.
A GLANCE AT THE PAST A snapshot of the past Tommy’s by Natalie Galerne, Stang Staff
Junior Rachel Henry proudly displays HC choir’s new, shiny, and especially tall trophy. Be sure to look for this one proudly displayed around campus.
Tommy Tunes Awards proves to be a fun evening for Joseph cast Cast and Crew of “Joseph” recognized for theatrical talent by Paige Adams, Co-Editor in Chief
NOT FOR THE LIFE OF ME, In 2010, Thoroughly Modern Millie recieved nominations in almost every category, and at the awards, cast members who were in the “Speed Test” number laced up their tap shoes and lit up the Hobby Center.
MORE THAN JUST A DREAM
in 2011, the Mustang Players recieved nominations for best musical, best leading actor and actress, and many more for their production of Fiddler on the Roof . The entire cast opened the Awards Show with their most vivid number, “The Dream.”
This year’s school musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Coat” had raving reviews for the quality of the acting and singing. Each year at the musical, Tommy Tune’s judges come to a performance and listen in, evaluating whether the cast and the musical should be nominated for an award. To have Tommy Tune judges come to a school’s musical, the school must sign up for the competition and they will be sent to a school on one of the performance nights. If a school gets a nomination, it’s not immediate because the nominations are released once all the schools in the area that signed up for Tommy Tunes
have performed. Haylee Hoelscher, triple threat and the gem HC theater member, explains that this year “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat” was nominated for three awards. “This year we got nominated for Best Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Choreography. It’s a huge honor just to get nominated and it makes it feel like all your hard work has paid off.” A Tommy Tune nomination is no easy task, and for the HC theater department getting three nominations is an honor in itself. The unveiling of the results of Tommy Tunes resembles that of the Grammies or Academy awards. The event features
each nomination category and the groups that were nominated that perform snippets of their musical for the audience. After the performance, the cast members change into their finest gowns and swanky suits to wait for the results. If a school’s theater program wins, “They receive a big glass plaque, get to accept the award at the Hobby Center, and get interviewed by ABC 13!” says Haylee. Although this year, HC didn’t win any actul Tune trophies, Haylee was one of the winners of a $3000 scholarship for seniors involved in the production and majoring in musical theater in college. Congrats Haylee!
FINE ARTS/SPIRITUAL LIFE
Paris in Pictures
The Stang
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Chaplain’s Corner
by Preston Lyle, Stang Staff
by Sam Kaestner, Student Body Chaplain
PICTURE PERFECT-
Students pose with the legendary HC flag outside Notre Dame (top left). Versailles, the beautiful palace of King Louis XIV, has been transformed into a gorgeous, cultural museum (top right). Those who were lucky enough to go on this trip got to spend a day at Euro Disney, which is located in historical Paris.
Fine Arts department keeps awards coming
What a great year it has been for the spiritual life of the school. We have had great chapel speakers and an extra-exceptional Missions Emphasis Week with Chris Seay speaking and an awesome Community Service Day at the Houston Food Bank. This year has really been the best year for on campus small group--AKA--“D-Groups.” The girls of the school really enjoyed meeting with their groups every Monday at “Oasis.” The boys also met with their groups outside of school on their own time and really spent some time investing in the spiritual lives of the underclassmen at school. Along with the D-groups another spiritual force on campus this year was Mr. Maddry’s discipleship class of 18 upperclassmen, including myself, that had the opportunity to mentor an underclassman one on one. I personally enjoy spending my time with Carson Taff, a studly sophomore guy who is eager to learn more about his own faith. One of the best things that I have gotten to do this year would be facilitating the morning devotions. With the school-wide readings the entire book of Mark (Mark 16 day challenge), the book of James (James joy ride), and 1 Peter (Peter pogo). I feel that I myself have really benefited a lot from reading and studying all the scripture, maybe even more than those who had the pleasure of listening to me in the mornings. My time as Chaplain has not only been about helping others grow spiritually but I really feel that I myself have learned a lot and have really enjoyed my time as the school’s spiritual leader. Best of luck to Michael Vaughan and Courtney Smith as the rising chaplains for next year! I know that they will do a spectacular job leading the school.
Band, Orchestra, Digital Music and art celebrate their victories Natalie Galerne, Stang Staff TAPPS Please congratulate the following students for their fabulous performances at Texas Private Schools Music Educators Association State Contest today. Jacob Farris sang “Don Juan’s Serenade” and received an Excellent rating, Hope Johnson sang “Se Florindo e fedele” and received a Superior rating, Beth Powell sang “Tell Me Oh Blue Blue Sky” and received a Superior rating.
RODEO ART Please congratulate Michelle Jong whose artwork went to auction, along with 50 others, on March 11th at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Art Competition. Her Prisma pencil drawing titled, “Beauty Rest” sold for $37,000.00. The Grand Champion sold for $206,000 and the Reserve Grand Champion sold for $175,000 to students in Magnolia and Katy. This is
a real honor considering there are over 300,000 entries from all around the south Texas area. ORCHESTRA Please congratulate the following 5 Orchestra students who participated in the TPSMEA South Region Solo and Ensemble Contest on Saturday. All 5 earned Superior ratings on Class 1 solos and are eligible to compete in the State contest in May. Brianna Busby, Howard Cheng, Matias Hivnor, Rachel Moore, and Rebecca Moore DIGITAL MUSIC Congratulations to the following students who entered their Digital Music projects into the Texas Media Awards and won. 1st Place--“Fizz” by Andrew Duna, 3rd Place-“Nirvana” by Lindsey Scott and J. P. Hennessey, and Honorable Mention-“Song for the Day” by Alex Duck.
BAND The band made all “1”s on their contest music and all “1”s on their sight-reading. Special recognition to some phenomenal soloists: Matthew Schwartz, Nathalie Simoes, Cristi Keeter, Tim Cleary, Brendan Ehrenstrom, and Devon Sills.
STATE VASE Please congratulate Amanda Blanchard for a perfect score at the State VASE (Texas Art Education Association Visual Art Scholastic Event) Art Competition this weekend for her stoneware teapot. She competed with over 1500 students from all over Texas which began with over 500,000 entries in February. HERITAGE FESTIVAL COMPETITION Please congratulate all the Band, Choir and Orchestra students for their awesome performances
at the Heritage Festival competition in San Antonio this weekend. Here are the results: Choir: Gold (superior) rating, Adjudicator’s Award - score 90 or above, Best Choir, Maestro Award Hope Johnson, Certificate of invitation to perform in Carnegie Hall, Chicago or Los Angeles Circle of Gold Festival. Band: Gold (superior) rating, Adjudicator’s Award - score of 90 or above, Best Band, Maestro Award - Nathalie Simoes, Certificate of invitation to perform in Chicago or San Francisco Circle of Gold Festival. Orchestra: Gold (superior) rating, Adjudicator’s Award - score 90 or above, Maestro Award - Rebecca Moore, Certificate of invitation to perform in Chicago or San Francisco Circle of Gold Festival Percussion Ensemble: Gold (superior) rating.
Congratulations to the following students (most we’ve ever had from band!) who made the TPSMEA All-State Band!! Brendan Ehrenstrom- 1st chair--Trumpet Tim Cleary-- 2nd chair Euphonium Matias Hivnor-- 4th chair French Horn They will spend January 26th-28th in San Marcos rehearsing with a very famous conductor and putting on a concert.
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FEATURE
April 12
Time Wasters
Draw Something
by Ashley Richards & Rachel Driver, Stang Staff
A game time waster that is always fun to play!
Have time to waste? Here are the best overall... Tick Tock 1) TV… Watching TV 4) is a huge time waster especially when avoiding homework. 2) Texting your friends will always help time go by faster in a 5) boring situation. 3) Youtube. It may not be as popular as it used to be, but after a few funny videos, you get hooked and the time will fly right past you.
Pandora
by Michael Dunn, Stang Staff
In the year 2000, the world was introduced to an innovative theory that has altered the way people listen to music: the Music Genome Project. This was a theory that transcended all previous forms of Internet radio; instead of attempting to play songs that appealed to the masses, a new discovery allowed for the service to musical selections similar to song suggestions previously listened to by a user. In December of 2011, this website was recorded as one of the most visited websites in the world and is now known to nearly every student at Houston Christian: Pandora Radio. Pandora is available via the iTunes store and on the internet, this mix of convenience and simplicity has helped Pandora ascend to the summit of time wasters. Music enthusiast and senior Shelley Perlick boasts, “Pandora is my homepage; I can’t imagine a life without it. It’s how I find all of my music! I thank the Lord everyday for blessing us with Pandora.”
Instagram by Alexa Reinhart , Stang Staff Instagram is an app for the IPhone that digitally edits your pictures with snazzy filters. With Instagram, you can load these pictures onto your tumbler, twitter, Facebook, camera library, email them, or leave them on your Instagram feed. The best part about Instagram is that it is free. Instagram is a mix between twitter and Facebook. It is like twitter because instead of uploading statuses, you upload pictures, and only pictures. It is like Facebook in the way that you can follow, “like,” and comment on someone’s pictures. Instagram users enjoy uploading their pictures to their account and editing them using the variety of filters. This app can turn ordinary pictures into so called “artsy.” On the bottom toolbar, there is a button called “Feed.” The feed shows all of the pictures that have been posted by the users you are following. You can comment on the pictures in the comment box. In order to “like” the picture, you double click on the
image, which gives the picture a heart. The button that reads News, is a list of the recent followers, likes, or comments that you have received. Clara Russell uses Instagram and explains that, “It is an easy and cool way to edit and post single pictures.” Instagram’s popularity has recently spiked. Although there are so many great things about this innovative application, there is one negative. The “popular page,” which is accessed by the toolbar at the bottom, lists all of the most recent pictures that have received a large amounts of “likes.” The bad thing about the “popular page” is that you can only see 40 pictures at once. Although it seems like a lot, it really isn’t. If you want to see more popular pictures, you have to click the refresh button, but new photos do not filter in very fast. Besides that one issue, this really is a simple, fun, and free way to post and edit your favorite pictures right on your IPhone.
Peggle, this old game captures your attention and it can be hours before you realize how much time you have spent on it. Play carefully. SLEEP. It is the ultimate time waster!!!! ** For the few of those still out there who like to read, an awesome way to pass time is sitting down with a good book.
by Michael Vaughan, Stang Staff
Every once in a while, a new app comes out for our technologically inclined generation that takes it by storm for a few weeks or months. It can be as simple as flicking our fingers across the small screens of our smart phones, but somehow it is both entertaining and addictive. The latest of these attention-stealing, homework-delaying games is called Draw Something. Pretty simple, right? The game goes just how it sounds: two people play with each other on their phones drawing something for one another. One player is given a list of three nouns, each having a different coin value, and they must pick one to draw for their friend. When they have done so, the other player gets to watch their drawing and must guess it as quickly as they can, then repeats the process for their counterpart. Senior Ashley Mack12 said, “Draw Something is really fun because it is constantly changing. There are always different people to play and new things to draw, so I haven’t gotten tired of it.” As Ashley said, it is not one of those games that gets old really fast because you do not sit there doing the same thing over and over. While Draw Something is a nice change from our typical time-consuming, brain-killing games, it is likely that people will soon find things to criticize and reasons to hate this game. Junior Keith Crawford agrees, and said, “Yeah, I’m already bored with Draw Something. It’s all about Dragonvale.” Like any fad, it will fade and the next thing will come along.
pinterest by Ashley Richards, Stang Staff
Whether you are avoiding homework or just bored out of your mind, pinterest is one of the most ultimate time wasters of all time. This new website is all about showing and saving “pins” or images of things that interest you onto “pinboards,” which are master lists of things that interest you on different topics. From design, technology, do it yourself, baking, and clothes, pinterest has ideas for it all. There are unlimited amounts of photos of design ideas for your room, interesting quotes, and fabulous clothing ideas. Some of the most popular pins are photos of exotic locations. Seeing photos of the most beautiful places in Greece, Rome, Hawaii, the Bahamas and other tropical locations, will leave you searching for paradise and hoping for summer. Although amazing and interesting, pinterest is a vortex that sucks you in and doesn’t let you go until you realize it’s 1 am and you have a math test the next day.
Cracked by Jason Comis, Stang Staff
Whenever I need to kill ten minutes, one of my favorite things to do is read Cracked magazine. Cracked started off as a published magazine that was founded in the 1950’s. After many decades of popularity, sales declined around the 2000s; so much that Cracked stopped being published. However, in 2006 Cracked was resurrected as an Internet humor site. Cracked’s articles are written in a top 10 format that usually rank oddities or interesting facts. Normally when I read any humorous material on the Internet, it is not funny enough to actually make
me laugh aloud. However, I find myself laughing hysterically at many of Cracked’s articles. While being a source for humor, Cracked also has its fair share of interesting facts about things you thought you knew everything about. An example of some mind boggling facts is that the guillotine was used as a method of execution until the 1970’s, Daredevil and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were created from the same accident, and the Guinness Book of World Records was invented by the beer company to sell in bars. I strongly recommend that you download this app.
Time Wasters
Birds vs. Pigs, an epic battle that keeps people coming back for more:
All images from Google images.
Temple Run
How Angry Birds has become a nationwide sensation by Paige Adams, Co-Editor & Cheif
Can people be genetically predisposed to loving some kind of game? Since Angry Birds has been released, people just can’t seem to put it down. Today people can see Angry Bird references in commercials, on clothes, and especially in the game on their phones or iPads. No one really knows what makes this game so irresistible and addicting to almost everyone that plays. It’s one of those games that no
matter how mad or how impossible the level is, you are forced to finish it. The advent of smart
phones and app store, has mostly everyone glued to their phones any spare moment. Instead of soaking in the sunshine or reading a good book, most people can’t wait to create carnage and kill those ugly little pigs. When saying that this game is a nationwide hit, it’s no joke. Everyone has seen famous games like Pacman, Mario, and Zelda, but now Angry Birds can be added to this list. Angry Birds is like the
famous game of the 21st Century. This game is not always the same either, as the game has gained popularity, there are different versions of the game out there to keep people playing such as Angry Birds Seasons and special versions that advertise movies like Angry Birds Rio. Their product can be seen in the form of hats, pajamas, stuffed animals, phone cases, computer wallpapers, shirts, shoes, cakes, coloring pages, and many more. If there are people out there that have not experienced Angry Birds, act now. Pick up your phone, iPad, whatever kind of device with an app store and buy it – there might even be free versions out there. Just drink the koolaid, and remember the pigs must die.
Tumblr: A new way to waste time Girls and Guys? What’s the difference?
by Gianna Tiedemann, Stang Staff Have you ever wanted to make an artsy blog that doesn’t only contain words, but pictures, animations, and music that can clearly portray your inner feelings, wishes, hopes, and dreams? Now you can, with a rising website called Tumblr. Tumblr is kind of like a blogging website except you can make it more personal, and even better, it’s for free (said in British accent). On Tumblr, one can find artsy pictures to post to your own personal profile as well as good quotes, music choices, and words of wisdom from other users. The popular website can be kind of confusing at first, but according to junior Nathalie Simoes, it gets easyer out after you spend some time on it. After signing up, you can head to your dashboard, where you can make posts with just words, posts about pictures, and much more to add to your profile. After creating your first post, you might want to personalize your Tumblr just a tad. Tumblr provides many different themes to
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The Stang
by Kandis Harding, Stang Staff As crazy as it might sound, people have enjoyed the thrilling game, Temple Run, and getting chased by wild demonic monkeys in order to escape being eaten alive. The player does not ever finish the game. There is no such thing as a finish line on Temple Run. The object of the game is to run as far as you can in order to reach new high scores. Different players have gotten millions and millions of meters in the game by jumping, sliding, and turning in the fast grueling circumstances. Although it seems very hard to complete as the runner gets faster, Temple Run helps you out a little bit. There are multiple advantages you can buy with coins that you receive throughout the run. There are power-ups, coin magnets, invisibility, boost works, and coins that can be worth two or three points each. Not only do you reach your high scores by running, but also you have certain objectives you can complete that will help you to accomplish more and more in your game and the fight against wild demonic monkeys. Many students have enjoyed their fight against these monkeys and find the joy out of beating each other’s high scores.
When in doubt, Wimp it out
Wimp.com becomes a popular video time-waster among students
by Gianna Tiedemann, Stang Staff
choose from that are free and also many that are not. Once you find a theme that suits your liking, you can start searching and posting away. Now where do all these posts go? Well, on your Tumblr, you can find a link that reads “Archive.” This is where all your posts, past and present, are stored in neat rows organized by month. Nathalie Simoes is a frequent user of Tumblr and used to spend quite a lot of time on it. Nathalie was first introduced to Tumblr when she saw that some of her friends were using it and forced her to sign up. On her Tumblr, one can find things that have to do with travel: pretty landscapes, beaches, and the like. She mostly spends a lot of time searching for what other
people post. Nathalie says that compared to other websites, “It’s not as communicative because it’s just pictures and little clips. You can’t really comment on a lot of stuff, but some people do.” She also claims since she is not a huge fan of going out and searching for cool things to put on the site herself, Tumblr has helped her open up. Although she doesn’t use it as much, Nathalie definitely thinks that it is an extreme distraction and a huge timewaster. So, if you’ve been dying to try to find a better way to waste time other than going on Facebook, Twitter, or maybe even reading a book, head to Tumblr. There is no limit to the amount of fun stuff you can find.
Are you tired of school? Are you tired of doing homework, and you feel like you just need a timewaster? Well, if you’ve gone to wimp.com, you’ve gone to the right place. Wimp.com is a website that contains hundreds of random, crazy, funny videos that have caused it to become an extremely popular timewaster among students. If you look at the website itself, you’ll find that it is extremely plain with its gray background and black standard lettering. Then you’ll notice many links to random videos that have become popular. You might think that after spending so much time on wimp that they probably have seen all the videos. WRONG. These videos are updated on the day bay, so there is always a fresh batch for the average time-waster the next day. Several students have confessed their addictions to wimp, one being junior Kathleen Burt. Kathleen became a
frequent visitor to the site after she discovered it from her good friend Matt Hook. “Sometimes, when I’m not hysterically crying, I use wimp to soothe myself,” says Burt on her extreme addiction to wimp. Her most favorite videos to watch on wimp are videos of sneaky cats, crazy pandas and swimming dogs. The amount of time she actually spends on wimp should probably not be published, but she claims that she spends an hour a day at least on wimp. “It’s a great way to procrastinate,” says Chase Whiteford, another frequent user of wimp. So, the next time you feel the need to procrastinate, don’t get on YouTube, get on wimp. Maybe it’s been a rough day at school because you’ve failed every test and quiz; there’s a cure for that: wimp.com. Basically, if you haven’t been on wimp.com, get on it, and let it brighten your day. Of course, another cure for failing all your tests and quizzes would be to actually study—just sayin’.
10
April 12
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The Stang
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April 12
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April 12
OPINION
He said/She said
Rachel & Michael address Pet Peeves about the opposite gender By: Rachel Driver and Michael Fertitta, Stang Staff MCF: Why aren’t girls good at anything except cooking and cleaning? RED: Michael Fertitta. RUDE! Don’t get snappy right off the bat; give it a little bit of time before your emotions get involved! We girls are better at a lot of things than you guys. Cooking and cleaning are just scratching the surface of our undeniable skills! We have a lot over y’all. Can you think of anything guys are good at that girls are not? If any, there are only a few. MCF: Okay--with things that guys are better at than girls, let’s start off with everything besides child birth, but that doesn’t count cause we can’t do that. But if we could, I’m sure we would be less whiny about it. RED: Child birth, don’t pretend like you could handle that. The number of husbands passing out while their wives are in
boys
the process of giving birth is probably a lot higher than you realize. I don’t think y’all could handle that, but that is beside the point, because y’all do not have the ability to do such a thing anyway. BUT! We are better at a lot of things! I want to hear your opinion though. Michael, please give at least five examples of what men can do that women can’t. This should be good. MCF: 1: Men can handle basic situations. 2: Men are better at sports. 3: Men can do math. 4: Men have a brother type thing with other guys. We’re like a pack of wolves and we act as such; girls are like cats that just swipe at each other. Y’all can’t be socially acceptable to each other. 5: Men mature faster (Proabably God’s way of saying we’re more ready for the world he made.)
RED: 1. Women can handle basic situations, thank you. 2. Men are better at some sports-not all. 3. Are you kidding me? Women are so much better at math. 4. Men have a brother type thing with other guys... but women have sister relationships. Best Friends? Sisters? We win on our friends being our family. 5. Men mature faster? BIGGEST LIE EVER. Women are so much more mature than you boys, it is not even debatable. Now.. what are women better at? 1. We are hygienically better off. We shower, we comb our hair, we wash our body, we use deodorant, we clean our faces, and we smell better. 2. We dress better. 3. We are better at gift giving. 4. We have common sense. 5. We are better with the media (facebook, twitter, pictures, etc.).
6. We survive car accidents more often! This is true! Men are 77% more likely to die in a car accident. 7. We graduate college more often than you guys. 8. We eat healthier. 9. We live longer... can’t really beat that. 10. Most importantly, as we evolve we get more attractive. (I won’t even bring up how I think we are better behind the wheel) MCF: Okay a few things: 1. no more lists, it’s getting annoying. 2. On rare occasions women can handle basic situations. 3. I hate math. 4. It is actually proven that women have slower reaction time while driving. 5. Y’all dress better because y’all care too much how you look. 6. Y’all are better at social media because y’all have nothing better to do.
versus
7. You survive car accidents more often because we’re the ones driving or we’re the ones that save you. 8. You live longer because we kill ourselves after a certain amount of time dealing with your “problems.” 9. No more lists. 10. No more lists. RED: Okay, Michael we won’t do the list then. But don’t tell me we don’t have lives, that we care too much how we look, that y’all “save us,” or that y’all kill yourselves because we are too much to handle. Michael, face it, we are just simply better. MCF: Psh yeah, better at being worse. RED: Good one Michael. MCF: We done here l’il one. RED: Yes, Mikey. MCF: So I win, right? RED: Absolutely not.
girls
Spring Lime Tea Cookies Ingredients 2 teaspoons lime juice 1/3 cup milk 1/2 cup butter, softened 3/4 cup white sugar 1 egg 2 teaspoons lime zest 1 3/4 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 2 tablespoons lime juice 1/4 cup white sugar Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine the 2 teaspoons of lime juice with the milk, let stand for 5 minutes. 2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the lime zest and milk mixture. Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda, blend into the creamed mixture. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the ungreased cookie sheets. 3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are light brown. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 4. To make the glaze, stir together the remaining lime juice and sugar. Brush onto cooled cookies.
OPINION
15
The Stang
Free The Captives
by Natalie Galerne, Stang Staff
Following a chapel service in mid- March was a very inspiring student- driven informal fundraising effort for Free the Captives, a non- profit organization that aims to raise awareness of and action against horrifying human trafficking in our nation today. According to the Free the Captives foundation, Houston has the second largest trafficking population, only second to the city of Los Angeles. I know that most Houstonians would say this is an absolute disgrace to the name of our city. How absolutely horrifying to think that women and young girls are being sold, bribed, and forced into this disgusting, illicit business. Courtney Smith11, one of the spokespeople here at HC for the Free the Captives
organization, urged the entire student body to give this situation a serious thought-“Houston is a major city for sex-trafficking, and unfortunately, some of us have become numb to the problems that are surrounding us,” pressed Courtney. After Courtney, Turner Batdorf12, and Shelby Corder11, shared with the school a list of shocking statistics, and they asked if everyone would sign a waver that will eventually make its way to Mayor Parker, thus hopefully helping to rid Houston’s abundance of brothels and illicit businesses. “More people need to be aware of what these criminals are getting away with, and speak out that this is unacceptable. So far, only two men here in Houston have actually been arrested for
partaking in the business of sextrafficking,” says senior Turner Batdorf. But the sad part is, these two arrests have been throughout the course of a year and a half. But there is still hope. “God has the ability to take away the numbness and give us a heart of compassion if we first realize why it is there, and second, to make the decision to change,” says Courtney. “We wanted to spark a desire in everyone’s hearts to find out more about the city we are witnessing to, and our neighbors who are living a life of hurt.” And a spark was definitely ignited: after the chapel service had concluded, the whole student body swarmed out into the foyer and fought eagerly over pens so that they could put their signature down. I
What Grinds My Gears
by Jason Comis, Stang Staff
In recent weeks, one of the major trends hitting Twitter and Facebook has been the Kony 2012 campaign. In case some of you don’t know about Kony 2012, it’s basically a 30 minute video created by a charity organization, Invisible Children, to raise awareness about the Lord’s Liberation Army leader Joseph Kony. This video brings to light all of his war crimes which span from mutilating children to destroying and pillaging villages. While Joseph Kony is a horrible man, people are obliviously pledging their allegiance and money to this cause. The most aggravating aspect of this whole situation is the fact that people have done zero research, other than watching the 30 minute video, created by an organization that has admittedly misled audiences for many years. People who viewed this video now assume they are experts on the situation and need not research the situation further. Profile pictures of “Stop Kony,” hashtags on twitter saying #stopkony, and links to the action kits are flooding social media. However, these Facebook advocates of Invisible Children probably do not even know where their money is going. Invisible Children gives only 31% of the donations to support multiple troops, including the Ugandan and Sudanese troops. The Ugandan troops continue to rape and kill innocent civilians, and the Sudanese troops recruit child soldiers. Donating your money funds the rape, killing, and furthers the recruitment of “invisible children.” In addition, Invisible Children has refused to submit the data about their transactions to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), which seems a little sketchy. If that is not enough for you, let’s look at the leadership behind Invisible Children. Jason Russell, co-founder of Invisible Children, was detained after public indecency, while wandering around San Diego in his underwear and vandalizing cars. I think that part speaks for itself. All in all, the most frustrating fact about this whole trend is how easily people can be manipulated into believing anything. Some people literally saw the video and sprang into action rather than doing more research into the matter. Yes, it is a wonderful thing to provide aid to a country that is in shambles, but throwing your money at a charity in which you have no background info is not the way. Liking a status and providing “awareness” will not dismantle a war criminal who is an expert at evading authorities. Even so, capturing and killing him will not restore balance in Africa. The moral of this rant is--do your research before you devote your Facebook account (and my newsfeed) to a cause that is extremely shady.
F R E E
remember that moment as being the first real time I’d experienced our community’s overwhelming ability to love beyond our walls. Even though the words of three real students were among the simplest we’ve had in chapel, they were definitely among the most profound. I urge you to find out as much information as you can about this horrific crime that often takes place just minutes from our own homes. So many times, these heart wrenching deeds take place closer to you than you may realize. Spread the word, donate, keep yourselves safe, and most importantly, pray. Believe it or not, the love in our school and the power of Christ can work together to do the seemingly impossible.
STANG 2011-2012
Editors-in-Chief--Brian Trieglaff and Paige Adams Business Managers-- Ashely Richards and Michael Fertitta Stang Staff Jason Comis, Stephen Consoli, Rachel Driver, Michael Dunn, Natalie Galerne, Kandis Harding, Preston Lyle, Kendall Maddox, Alexa Reinhart, Gianna Tiedemann, Michael Vaughan Advisor
Heidi McCurdy The Stang is published 8 times per year online at www.houstonchristian.org, and is free to the student body, faculty and staff. Advertising is available to businesses, parents and students, but The Stang reserves the right to refuse advertisement based on appropriateness for HCHS Students. For advertising information please contact Heidi McCurdy at 713-580-6044 or email at hmccurdy@houstonchristianhs.org.
The Stang is a student run newspaper and the views and opinions of The Stang do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the faculty, staff and Board of Houston Christian High School.
Letters to the Editor: To respond to The Stang, please email your comments to hmccurdy@houstonchristianhs.org. The Stang reserves the right to refuse or edit inappropriate content of comments.
Mission Statement: The mission of The Stang is to inform, entertain and encourage the readers by provising insight through school, community and global affairs, in order to raise questions and provide answers. To obtain the truth, which is the basis of our paper, we will incorporate research from a wide variety of sources. Although we write to entertain, we will balance our humor with real information about the world around us. In all we do, we promise to uphold our Christian values by writing with quality and integrity
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April 12
SPORTS
Kentucky takes the title Madly
After plenty of madness, the 2012 NCAA tournament is over. by Stephen Consoli, Stang Staff With March Madness unfortunately over, it was yet again a fantastic tournament. Unlike any other year, not only did a 2 seed lose to a 15 seed for the first time ever, it happened twice in the first round. Duke and their freshmen sensation, Austin Rivers, lost to Lehigh 70-75 coming down to a few clutch free throws and an outstanding performance by C.J. McCollum who had 30 points and 6 assists. The other 2-15 upset was probably the biggest and most unexpected upset in a long time. Missouri, Big 12 Champs and a thought to be real contender to take the tournament, lost to Norfolk State 86-
young freshmen and sophomore led Kentucky team. Freshman and 2012 Naismith College Player of the Year Award winner, Anthony Davis, was too much to handle for the cardinals. Davis had 18 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks to propel the Wildcats to a 69-61 win and the National Championship. On the other side of the Final Four, it was a great game between the 2 seeds. Ohio State and Kansas was one of the best games of the tournament. The game was close the entire way, coming down to a close finish that would send Kansas to the National Championship.
Game, Set, Match
With fresh names on the scene, tennis serves up to opponents
by Stephen Consoli, Stang Staff The tennis team is ready to build off of their great season in 2011 with outstanding talent and leadership coming from the junior class; they are excited to get their season kicked off. The team has a lot of scattered talent from some who have been playing for a long time to others who just decided to try tennis this year. Despite this, the team is bonding and having a lot of fun together this season. Junior captains, Hope Johnson11 and Wes Rutherford11, have high expectations for this season. Hope said, “The team this year is great. The team is made up of all different skill levels, some of which just picked up a racket to come out to play. However, the support for one another on the team this year is amazing. We have already built friendships and memories that will be highlights of our junior year. We look forward to a great and fun-filled season!” Fellow junior and Hope’s boyfriend, Patrick Mulvey11, said, “I always enjoy watching the tennis team play their matches. All the team members are so supportive of each other. I am looking forward to watch the team grow in the skills as their season continues.”
The team has great friendships and their bonds are growing closer and closer everyday. Not only are these friendships growing, the team is getting stronger in their skills and is getting wins to go with that. Chris Nguyen11 says, “This year we have a lot of new people (myself included) playing because the majority of the team graduated last year. As to how we’re doing, we’re doing okay, but we could be doing better, let’s just put it that way.” But the more they practice, the better they will get. Come out and support your tennis team this season. If you haven’t been to a match this year, Patrick Mulvey says he “wants to see you out there encouraging the Mustang Tennis team.” They are on the rise and you won’t want to miss
Baseball travels to Arizona
After many close games, the Mustangs returned home with 3rd place.
REJECTING TYSHAWN TAYLOR, Kentucky’s Anthony Davis was the X Factor
by Brian Trieglaff, Editor-in-Chief
of this year’s National Championship game, and ultimately the best shot blocker in NCAA history. He broke various records, earning the 2011-2012 Naismith Award, given annually to the NCAA’s best player. 84. Unfortunately, these 15 seed potential Cinderella teams both lost in the next round. Norfolk State ended up losing to Florida by a big 34-point margin, 50-84. Last year’s Cinderella team, VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University), once again had at least one upset on their mind. They were a 12 seed this year and beat Wichita State, a 5 seed, 62-59, and then gave Indiana a good game losing by a close 2-point difference, 63-61. In the South Region this year, Baylor, who started their season 19-0 and went into the tournament as a 3 seed, made a nice run that was eventually ended by the National Champions, Kentucky. Baylor’s best game of the tournament was their game against 11 seed, Colorado, where the Bears went on a 19-3 run to end the game led by game-high scorer, Brady Heslip. The game was 61-60 when the run began and ended 80-63; It was an unbelievable finish. Heslip had 27 points on 9 3-pointers, where he shot 9 for 12 from deep. In the Midwest Region, Ohio University went into the tournament as a 13 seed and made their push for a title by starting out beating the heavily favored Wolverines of Michigan. Unfortunately, Ohio ended up losing to UNC, the 1 seed in the Midwest, in the Sweet Sixteen. On a positive note they were able to push UNC to an overtime victory and made them work for what they earned. After a dramatic tournament full of upsets, the Final Four came down to 1 seed Kentucky, 2 seed Kansas, 2 seed Ohio State, and 4 seed Louisville. The first game was Kentucky against Louisville. Louisville fought hard, but lost by 8 to a
William Buford, standout senior for the Buckeyes, willed his way to a tough 19 points and 7 boards. Buford and Jared Sullinger, who had 13 points, 11 boards and 3 blocks, gave Kansas all they could handle, but came out on the losing end in a 62-64 loss to the Jayhawks. The Jayhawks won behind the outstanding defense of Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Jeff Withey. Withey had 7 blocks in the game. The National Championship was surrounded around the match up of Unanimous AP All First Team Selection, Thomas Robinson, and Naismith Award winner, Anthony Davis. The game began all Kentucky and the young Wildcats never looked back. They came out strong and never let up. Davis showed why he was the player of the year by dominating every aspect of the game without scoring in double digits. Davis only had 6 points, but he had 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 6 blocks. Robinson shot one of his worst games of the season, 6-17. He had 18 points and a huge 17 rebounds. Tyshawn Taylor was able to keep the Jayhawks close toward the end of the game with his 19 points. On Kentucky’s side, Doron Lamb led the team with 22 points. He hit three big momentum swinging 3-pointers. The final score was 67-59. Anthony Davis won the MOP award and the Wildcats won their 8th National Championship in their history and now stand alone at second all time. Unfortunately, March Madness has yet again come to an end. Until next year, the Wildcats of Kentucky are the reigning National Champions, and they won’t be a team that will be easily forgotten.
WHEN THEY WEREN’T ON THE DIAMOND, the baseball players had no
shortage of options when it comes to free time. The team stayed at Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort, which has a wide array of pools, lazy rivers, and other activites open to the guests. The Mustangs took their third annual trip to Phoenix, Arizona to play in a baseball tournament consisting of 10 teams that would take place over a matter of 5 days. The boys were greeted with a lovely 7:00 a.m. flight when they left for Arizona on Monday morning. When they landed in Arizona, it was time to head to the resort, the Pointe Hilton at Squaw Peak. The past three years they have gone to Arizona, this has been the resort of choice for everyone as it features many wonderful attractions. The resort consists of multiple swimming pools along with a huge swimming park in the back of the resort that consists of water slides, puttputt, a lazy river, tennis, water volleyball, basketball, and many more things to
do. After the games, this water park, particularly the lazy river and the hot tubs, were the hot spots of the Mustangs. One day before a game, some of the boys decided to go shooting at a local gun range, and just have a good old time shooting targets instead of sitting in the hot tub or sleeping in the hotel. Besides relaxing and having a great time in Arizona, the Mustangs were mainly there to play baseball and attempt to win a championship. However, they ended coming up short by losing in the semi-finals to a good-hitting team from Arizona, Chaparral High School and finished in 3rd place. Even though it was the third year in a row for some boys, it was still a blast for all of them at the resort and on the baseball field.
SPORTS
Honoring February Athletes of the Month Zach Finger12 Defensemen don’t always get the credit they deserve but senior Zach Finger has been a major catalyst for a defense that has become the backbone for the 2012 Mustang lacrosse team. Carrying a 5-1 record and ranking as the sixth best high school lacrosse team in Texas, the defense has only allowed 10 goals in its last four games against top-rated opponents. Finger has personally shut down high-scoring attack men from each opponent with tight man-on-man coverage. His physical play and positioning has set the tone for the entire team. The Mustangs have a chance to make a serious run for the Texas High School Lacrosse League Division I title and the play of Zach Finger is a major reason.
Kaylee Taff9 Two-sport standout (volleyball & swimming) Kaylee Taff capped off a terrific freshman season by being the leading individual scorer for the Mustangs at the TAPPS Division I State Championships in San Antonio, February 17-18. Her success started in the 200 medley relay where she teamed with Allison Fehrenkamp, Elisabeth Mosvold, and Victoria Baltazar to finish sixth and establish a new school record. She followed up that performance with 4th place in the 50 free and 5th in the 100. She concluded her amazing scoring run by teaming again with the same relay partners to gain 7th place in the 200 free relay. The Mustang girls team ended up finishing 8th in the state as a team in what was expected to be a rebuilding season!
Q
&A
Favorite Golfer?
Anthony Kim
Favorite TV Show?
Who would win in a fight... Dox or Sivils?
Modern Family
Dox
Big Bang Theory
Dox
Jack Kellner12
Bubba Watson Turner Batdorf12
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The Stang
Chevy or Ford?(boys) Mercedes or BMW?(girls)
Stang Shorts Lacrosse Update The men’s Varsity Lacrosse team secured a hard fought 10-6 victory over Strake Jesuit, a key district opponent on Tuesday April 10th. With the score tied at 5-5 early in the 3rd quarter, the Mustangs went on a 3-0 scoring run highlighted by a score by goalie Malachy Lyons-Letts who was allowed to run all the way upfield uncovered to take a shot. Two more early 4th quarter goals extended the Mustang lead to 5 goals before Strake got their 6th and final goal midway thru the 4th quarter. Bucky Desadier again demonstrated why he is the most feared offensive player in the state scoring 3 goals and dishing out 3 assists. This Thursday the Mustangs host Cinco Ranch @ 7:30 PM in another district contest.
Baseball Update The varsity baseball team is making a final push for second place in district, as they have nearly secured a playoff spot with two wins over Beaumont Kelly. With a 2-5 district record, they continue to challenge opponents in every outing. Most recently, they defeated future SPC opponent, St. John’s, 12-2.
Golf Adam Scott
Pretty Little Liars
Dox
Paula Creamer
Dance Moms
Dox
Erica Carey12
Madeline Davis10
After a successful outing at the Regional tournament, the HC golf team will be in good attendance at the State tournament. The Boys team of Turner Batdorf, Alex Crook, Jack Kellner, David Buzali, and Rex Wallace qualified as a team, and on the Girls side, Madeline Davis qualified individually. These golfers will compete April 2324th at Wildflower Country Club in Temple for the State tournament.
18 by Rachel Driver, Stang Staff The popular TV Series known as NCIS is “a show bringing us the inner workings of the government agency that investigates all crimes involving Navy and Marine Corps personnel.” Sound boring? Well, it’s not! Anybody who has ever been flipping through TV channels knows that there are tons of shows about this kind of stuff. Shows like CSI, CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and now NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Services. I know what you are thinking because I thought the same thing. “They are all the same” and “they all just talk all sciency about dead people and who their murderer is.” Though this may be true for a couple of these shows, it does not apply to NCIS. In fact, this TV show is different in many ways. I am a fan of NCIS, and think you will be too.
April 12
ENTERTAINMENT
NCIS: It Really Is That Good NCIS stands out from the rest of the CSI series because the actors and actresses have a bigger part than just talking about their “cases.”
The show is more than just science and mystery. NCIS is about relationships, love, the unexpected, instincts, loyalty, personalities, and bending the rules. In other words, the show adds much more of people working together, caring about each other, knowing each other, and doing what it takes to get the job done. I think what made this show so much more
personal for me was the little things. Each character has nicknames, each has their own flaws and skills, and they all have lives outside of the office. If you
watch this show and keep up with it, you will slowly start to pick up on these people and grow to be quite fond of them. The NCIS cast consists of special agents all with different personalities. Leroy Jethro Gibbs, nicknamed Gibbs, or Boss, is the top gun. Gibbs isn’t the person with the most authority, but sure knows how to run the show.
Then there is one of my personal favorite characters, Tony DiNozzo. DiNozzo is the smart alec, charming young man that wears his heart on his sleeve, and really likes to give the next agent a hard time. That agent is known as McGee, formally called Timothy McGee. McGee is a fast typer, smart man, likes to write and usually gets the short end of the stick… poor McGee. Ziva! Ziva David is a beautiful, smart, successful woman who brings a lot to the show. Her character is new to the job and is still working on her English. She is the only woman within the tight circle of the other men, but knows how to be strong. Another woman that is such a great part of the show is Abby Sciuto, the brilliant computer girl. Gibbs and Abby have a good relationship that is easily seen. Another smarty pants in this show is the man who deals with the dead bodies. Dr. Donald Mallard, also known as Ducky, is the Chief
Medical Examiner, and is the old man of the group. As you can see, this cast is more than co workers and agents, they all have great family-like relationships and it shows. NCIS episodes last around 45 minutes,
and appear on CBS on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. It is a good watch that I recommend. There are few faults in this series; it is fun, interesting, and enjoyable to watch. You might even learn something too.
E! News
by Alexa Reinhart, Stang Staff One Direction: Teen boy band from the UK produces their first album and it is a huge success. The album, “Up All Night” skyrockets up the Billboard top 200 list to number 1. 176,000 copies were sold within the first week of release. Their first single “What Makes You Beautiful,” started their instant fame. This group of 18 year olds is on their way to a very successful career.
UK Boy band One Direction, pictured to the right,
recently joins together as a band. Their debut album, “Up All Night,” skyrockets to become number one on the charts.
Quiz of the Month
April
KONY 2012 We have all heard about Kony 2012 by either the endless Facebook and Twitter posts, or watching the video that is posted on Facebook or Twitter. Well, in case you haven’t, Kony 2012 is a campaign to stop a man in Uganda named Joseph Kony. Joseph Kony has created an enormous army of rebels that even includes children. He has scared the children so much that they act out of fear into killing their own family members. Sadly, this has gone on for about 20 years and over 30,000 children have suffered. Not only are children a part of the rebel army, women are used as sex slaves. The founder of Invisible Children, Jason Russell, is striving to find Kony by the end of this 2012 year. This organization is the voice for those invisible children. On April 20, many cities across the US are participating together to “Cover the Night” (as the event is called). Posters, stickers, flyers, and more will be hung up for the public to see in order to raise awareness. If the government sees how much the American people truly care about stopping Kony, there is a possibility of sending people to find him. This is the year that Joseph Kony will be stopped. Kony 2012.
ENTERTAINMENT
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The Stang
Fertitta’s Foods
With a city full of restaurants, sometimes it may be overwhelming. That’s where I come in. by Michael Fertitta, Business Manager
On Fertitta’s Foods, we’ve covered sushi, barbeque, sport restaurants, and even a theme park, but this week we’re gonna get fancy with Morton’s Steakhouse. So for all 2 of my readers out there, y’all must know my typical choice of restaurant is a casual place where you can just walk in with shorts, have no reservation and be fine. Well Morton’s is a bit out of my territory; I was almost positive that my typical khaki cargo shorts and lax penny, along with black adrenaline socks with white stripes and my Ole Miss sandals would not be adequate at
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this place of fine dining. So before I embarked on this unknown journey I decided to look at what they want dress wise and this is what I got directly “we’ recommend b u s i n e s s attire or smart casual wear at Morton’s. For men, a collared shirt and dress pants are appropriate. While a jacket and tie are not necessary, many of our male guests will be wearing a business suit. For women, business wear or dressy casual attire would be most comfortable. T-shirts, shorts and casual sandals are not recommended for dining at Morton’s” So yeah it’s a pretty fancy place. Now back to my 2 readers Y’all are probably wondering why I decided to try Morton’s, and it’s because I heard somewhere (I don’t remember where) that they have the best steak in town, and me being a questionable food critic knew that I had to
Monday
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Oasis Men & Ladies Golf Si.ver Spur Tryout
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Easter Monday Bush Center for Scholars & San Antonio Leaders DediTrip cation Golf
check it out for y’all. Okay so like I said earlier, Morton’s pride is their steak, and yes I tried it but that’s the main course so you have to wait and let me review the appetizers, drinks, salads, and all that jazz first. First the appetizer I ordered the shrimp cocktail and all I have to say is “10” yup I give it a 10 no matter how you cut it. I’ll start off with the presentation because it came out on this silver bowl type thing with openings. You may think the opening are redundant, but what they do is put dry ice under it so you get cold white gas coming up and around your shrimp with the sauce in the middle. Pretty fancy if you ask me. Okay first are the salads and you know how I love my Caesar Salads, so that’s what I got. To be honest, it was nothing special; it was just your typical Caesar Salad, but that’s a good thing because if you mess that salad up then you should probably go back to school or do something cause it’s like messing up the color on a red car…. it’s kind of hard to do. Okay now’s the moment you’ve been
Tuesday
9th G Counsel Meeting Men & Ladies golf Baseball Softball LAX
LAX Softball Baseball
waiting for, the judgment on the steak. But before I do, I’m going to tell y’all a lil’ story about how, just kidding I won’t make y’all wait any longer, but what if I did wouldn’t that be crazy? So Morton’s has the usual steak types, the New York Strip, Filet, Etc but they also have the Chicago style bone-in rib eye steak which you don’t see that much. But besides that the steaks are very very well made and they are very critical on cooking yours how you want it on the spot. So if you want a little pink in the middle, you get a little pink in the middle; if you want it straight up burnt to a crisp to the point it’s hard to look at, then you got it, even though I don’t know why you would want that but hey it’s your steak! Last, but not least, there’s dessert, but if you
April Wednesday
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9th G Course Selection Meeting
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Choir Concert
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Champions
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Track Softball
Track Meet
G Course Se16 9th lection Meeting17
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Thursday
3 Middle School 4 Progress Report
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LAX, Softball, Baseball Golf Baseball Financial Aid Meeting
know me then you know I don’t have a sweet tooth so I didn’t review any desserts. If you don’t like it, then find yourself a new food critic, I don’t care. Okay I lied. I did see something on the menu called Morton’s legendary Hot Chocolate Cake and Morton’s Legendary Sundae and I ordered them
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Baseball Men D-Group Track Baseball Discovery Meeting Track, Softball, Baseball
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Tennis Dance Show, Cheer Tryout Guy’s DGroup
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Friday
both so I could throw them away fully because I’m the only legend in this town. Yup, Morton’s a pretty fancy place, so boys if you want to wine and dine a girl, or girls if you like to be wined and dined, then always keep Morton’s in your head because that’s the place for it.
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GOOD FRIDAY
Saturday
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Easter Break LAX San Antonio ACT Trip Baseball Baseball, LAX San. Ant. Trip Track, LAX Baseball Senior Showcase 1:45 Dismissal Dance Show LAX Basball, Cheer Cheer TryTryouts outs At-Risk
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20 Some of the Most Talented Students at HC
April 12
THE BACK PAGE
The Stang
by Michael Dunn and Kendall Maddox, Stang Staff
Eric Hopper12: Eric has long been considered the brain-child of Houston Christian; his ability to attend a Linear Algebra class as a junior high school student is simply astounding, and his abilities as a Tennis and Ultimate Frisbee player can not be overstated as well.
Kathryn Quandt12: Kathryn is both the ideal student and athlete; she works meticulously hard at both to make sure she always puts forth maximum effort and squeezes every drop out of her seemingly endless potential. She has shattered nearly every Cross Country record as well as the minds of nearly all of her teachers. She is a truly fascinating and talented student.
Michelle Jong10: Michelle is one of the most talented artists to ever grace the hallways of Houston Christian, her drawings have won her various acclaims and recognition, most notably at the Livestock Show and Rodeo Art Competition, where her painting sold for $37,000.
Mitchell Traver12: You have maybe seen this pitching phenom roam the hallways, mostly because he is 6’’7. His frame allows him to tower over the competition as well as the students. He is regarded by ESPN as the top high school prospect in Texas, and will be on the mound for Texas Christian University next year.
Bucky Desadier12: Buck Nasty is widely regarded as the premier lacrosse player in the greater Houston area, and his talents have earned him a scholarship to play lacrosse at Binghamton University in New York.
Shelby Corder11: Shelby Corder is an extremely bright and talented young student that offers exemplary effort and insight. Shelby is also a very gifted gymnast who travels the globe for competitions.
Jaela Dejean10: Jaela is a very talented athlete, most notably in track and basketball. She has set several state records in her career. Although she is injured this year, next season she hopes to blow the competition away.
DJ Ogilvy12: This famed artist of hit songs such as “Darkness” and “The Monster” is ascending his way onto the radio airwaves and has been selected to perform at various festivals.
Devon Wilson10: Devon is a very talented baseball player whom Hayden Treu calls, “The kid with the highest ceiling I have ever seen; his speed, glove, power…A true five-tool player.” Devon has been in contact with various schools already as a sophomore.
James Whitcomb12: You may have seen this talented student strutting the stage as Joseph in Houston Christian’s production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat. He has been a member of every Houston Christian production since his freshman year.
