In the News Community
Fine Arts 2-- Go to page 2
7-- ComedySportz is all
to get the inside scoop on the Rockets from Connor Kelley.
the new rage here at HC. A night watching Comedy Sportz will be sure to put you in the laughing mood.
School 4-- Here is where you can find all of the
Feature 8-9-- The feature is full of everything
Christmas! What to get your parents, what to get that special someone? Page 8-9 will be the answer to all of your problems.
fun details that happened while some of our HC friends were in Spain.
Entertainment 12-- All the Twilight
Sports
Breaking Dawn Part 2 information can be found on this fun and interesting page.
13-- Check out this month’s tweets from all over campus. If you have a great tweet to share, let the Stang know.
14-- What’s hot and happening with athletics?
Find out about all of the new sports coming up. You can also get an inside look at our AMAZING Rowdy Refs.
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Stang
December 2012
Houston Christian High School 2700 W Sam Houston Pkwy N Houston, Texas 77043
Volume12 Edition 3
Is this our last year? What you need to know about the 2012 Doomsday theory
byMichael Vaughn, Stang Staff As the first semester of this school year winds to a close and we approach a new year, some people are fretting about the fate of humanity. The cliché phrase “It’s not the end of the world” is usually applicable, but in this case it is not, because that is exactly what people are worried about. This 2012 doomsday theory has taken social media and the entertainment industry by storm over the past few years. It has effectively struck fear in the hearts of the overly paranoid and gullible, and made a stir in the social sphere. It has also been quite rewarding in the movie industry, with movies like 2012 and Doomsday. So, what is all this madness about? The fact is, there aren’t facts. To all of you theorists out there, I am sorry to say that there simply is no evidence to the entire craze. Society has exploded this idea into something it is not because we tend to believe most of what we are told, even if we have no basis to believe it. Without further ado, let’s look at what is known. The most common theory on the end of the world is that December 21, 2012, is the end of the Mayan Long Count Calendar, therefore that must be our last day of existence. However, this idea is a monumental misconception of Mayan culture and tradition. The December 21st end is
no different than our lunar calendar ending on December 31st. According to the official NASA website, “This date is the end of the Mayan longcount period but then—just as your calendar begins again on January 1— another long-count period begins for the Mayan calendar.” The media has entertained the fact that because the calendar ends here, life itself ends, when true Mayan tradition says it simply recycles. The origin of world-ending theories begins with a supposed planet discovered by Sumerians known as Nibiru that, according to their findings, would slam into Earth in May 2003. However, when this catastrophe did not take place at its originally predicted time, the date was changed to December 2012. There is simply no logical reasoning behind any of the existing theories, and the leading scholars THE MAYAN CALENDER, the main reason why people believe that doomsday is on and scientists of the world heavily December 21,2012. The 21st is the end of the Mayan Calender. and unanimously reject all 2012 doomsday theories. Leading American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson said: “End-of-world prophecies for 2012 are hoaxes perpetrated by the scientifically illiterate on the scientifically under-informed.” Another funny note about the Mayan calendar is that it did not take Leap Year into account, so in actuality the world should have ended about seven months ago. So what do you think? Some people still choose to believe that something catastrophic will happen, whether it be a natural disaster or a worldwide blackout. Junior Hudson Treu11 has a less than conventional theory on the situation, stating, “After some calculations I’ve discovered that the Mayans were off by about an hour and the world will end 60 minutes later than expected. So for an hour everyone will say ‘Hey, we’re okay,’ then we will die.” So it is up to you to decide: hoax or horror? We will see in due time.
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December 2012
Community
New season brings new look The Astros not only change management, but unveil a new uniform by Matt Scott, Stang Staff
ASTROS PLAYERS UNVEIL their new uniforms at an event held at Minute Maid Park on Friday, November 2nd. The new look is retro, going back to the 1960’s style. The Houston Astros revealed the club’s new uniforms, logos, color schemes and mascot at the 2013 Launch Party on Friday, November 2, 2012. Over 5,000 fans attended the event to reveal the rumors about the new look. The buzz began with Bo Porter introducing himself to the fans as the new manager. He is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and bench coach. He is willing to take over the organization and make some necessary changes. The new look to the club has the overall goal of bringing the city of Houston
back to its beloved Astros. The Astros have had some pretty bad seasons for the past two years, but with Bo Porter as the new manager, they look to have a better outcome. The attendance numbers have been at an all time low for the past couple seasons and by bringing a whole new look to the team it should bring up to involvement of the city. The team seems to be very young once again and it should be interesting to see how they do. The past couple of season’s fans have been very disappointed with where the team
was going. The team never got a chance to know each other and practice sufficiently together because the constant movement of players. Collin Waters12 has been a long time fan of the Houston Astros and commented about the recent change in the club, “I really like the new uniforms. They are colorful and creative. What they may lack in talent this year they will make up in swag. But hopefully they can finally get it together and win some games this year.” Also at the Launch Party they brought back to life an old mascot. They introduced “Orbit” in a SUV caravan as they flaunted him around the outfield. He was brought back to life from the 1990-1999 seasons and replaced the 2000-2012 “Junction Jack”. The new look coincides with Houston’s move from the National League Central to the American League West for next season. The colors for the uniforms are the same used from 1962-1963. Also the old logo is being used with an orange star with a white ‘H’ in front of it. According to the Houston Chronicle, “I think it’s clean and tight,” team owner Jim Crane said. “It’s got a little history in it and it’s got some of the flashback stuff. I think it really looks good. I like the colors and we’re excited about it.” And, “It was a little frustrating, but it might have helped, who knows,” he said. “It got a little data
out there in front and got a little excitement going. All publicity is good publicity, I guess.” The Astros players such as Justin Maxwell and Jose Altuve have a lot of positive things to say about the new look. This season should be exciting for the Houston Astros with their whole new makeover. Even if they don’t have a winning season at least they will look good in the classic uniforms.
www.espn.com
The Houston Rockets have a young and bright future The revamped young Rockets roster has Houston hoping for a playoff run in 2013 by Connor Kelley, Stang Staff The Houston Rockets have started the season off in a promising way. They are a group of young and talented players and the way they are playing now shows that Houston has more exciting seasons ahead of them. The players are well known around the NBA and they are exciting players to watch. Rockets fans are keeping their fingers crossed in hopes of a promising season, compared to the few seasons before. This offseason, the Rockets were involved in many big free agent and draft pick-ups. For a while they were in deep with
LINSANITY has arrived in Houston. The point guard has revived the excitement of basketball in Houston.
Picture: www.espn.com
the number one free agent, All-Star Center, Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic. Unfortunately he ended up choosing to go to the Los Angeles Lakers. However, the Rockets were able to pick up the free agent point guard, Jeremy Lin, from the New York Knicks, and Center ,Omer Asik, from the Chicago Bulls. Houston still drafted several great rookies that enabled them to get a trade for James Harden. The former Oklahoma City Thunder shooting guard is the reigning sixth man of the year. “These new players are going to make the Rockets a good team again,” Junior Preston Drake says about the Rockets off-season pickups. This roster has developed significantly in just one off-season. The Houston Rockets start off the 2012-2013 season with high hopes of having a better season than the last couple of years because of their big off-season move, such as the signing of many new players. So far the Rockets have been off to a decent start. Their most notable wins were to the Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Hornets, Chicago Bulls, and New York Knicks. Junior Troy Everist thinks that the Rockets are “so fun to watch and “Beardsanity” (Nickname for Jeremy Lin and James Harden) are amazing together.” The Rockets have a goal to make it back into the post-season after not being in the
playoffs for the past five years. The Houston Rockets are now able to be a playoff team. They will be tough to beat if all things are working smoothly. We will just have to see how they do as season continues. Hopefully, the Rockets can make it back into the playoffs and be a huge contender. The Rockets are currently having a more promising season than usual. They are ranked fifth in the NBA for average points per game. Their record does not show the talent on the team, but instead it shows the players youthfulness and inexperience in the NBA.
This year the Houston Rockets are also hosting the 2013 All-Star game. Senior Ryan Leiss said, “The new jumbotron makes a new awesome feel to the Rockets games.” The Rockets organization is putting in a new HD jumbotron at center court for this event in the Toyota Center. This is going to be the largest indoor jumbotron and the only one larger is in the Dallas Cowboys outdoor jumbotron in Cowboy Stadium. Hopefully they will have a couple of players in the All-Star game so that more Houstonians are encouraged to go and watch.
News
Nutcracker Market takes over Reliant
The Nutcracker Market is a big deal for the women of Houston each year by Amanda Brown, Stang Staff
FILLED WITH SHOPPERS, the Nutcracker Market has become a well attended Houston tradition and festivity. Women flock there each year, and some unfortunate men get dragged along as well. As the jingle bell spirit spreads throughout the winter, so do new seasonal activities. The Nutcracker is one of the most well-known ballet performances out there. Meanwhile, during the Christmas season, the people in charge of The Nutcracker host the Nutcracker Market. The Nutcracker Market is open for four consecutive days: this year it was Thursday, November 5th, to Sunday, November 10th. Many people go to the Nutcracker Market without knowing the true cause and intent. The Houston Ballet hosts the Nutcracker Market every year in order to raise funds
so that they can perform the Nutcracker around Christmas time. Every year, the Nutcracker Market is held in Reliant Stadium because of the high number of booths mirrored with the overwhelming flow of shoppers. Some of the women even come to Reliant early and “tailgate,” like one would for a football game. These same women also called the Nutcracker Market the “Super Bowl of shopping.” Claudia Waters10 shopped at the Nutcracker Market this year and was overjoyed with the products there. “I think it’s the coolest place to go
during Christmas. It’s one of my favorite things to do to get in the holiday spirit,” said Claudia. The reason the Nutcracker Market is so remarkably popular is because of the immense variety of products. From 99 cent rings to thousand dollar coats, the Nutcracker Market has something to offer every kind of shopper. With row after row of merchandise, one could walk around the Nutcracker Market for hours on end! Once a $12 ticket is purchased, shoppers can stay from opening to closing if desired. And just when one might think it could not get any better...it can. The Nutcracker Market also sells many different foods that are usually only available this time of year, such as candies or other delicacies. Avid shopper Madison Sheehy11 visited the Nutcracker Market this year with her mom and could not stop talking about how fun it was. Madison said, “They have so many booths with yummy chocolate treats- that’s the best part!” Lauren Kattapong10 visited the Nutcracker Market with her friends for the first time this year and had the time of her life. “It was such a cool experience! I had never seen so many different things to buy in one place, and it was cool that we were shopping in the Reliant Stadium.” She plans to go back next year because of how much fun she had this year. There are new booths each year, so you can never get tired of going year after year.
Top 10 College Degrees Everyone has their own degree they want to pursue, but here are some great ones to keep in mind by Rachel Driver, Stang Staff Everyone has an opinion on what the “best” college degree is. Every high school counselor, every mom or dad, every grandparent, every friend, every college counselor, and every student has a personal stance on this pivotal decision that comes along with going to college. Seniors listen up to get a good idea of what the Top 10 Best College Degrees are. These degrees will guarantee a good foundation for a successful future:
1. Biomedical Engineering 2. Biochemistry 3. Computer Science 4. Software Engineering 5. Environmental Engineering 6. Civil Engineering 7. Petroleum Engineering 8. Applied Mathematics 9. Physics 10. Statistics
If you are looking to get involved in Biomedical Engineering, the highest ranked school according to US News and World Report is Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. For Biochemistry, you’ll want to pursue a degree at the poster child
of the Ivy Leagues: Harvard University. If you want to work with computers and get a degree in Computer Science, head to Pittsburgh to study at Carnegie Mellon University, where HC grad Andy Biar is enrolled. If you’d like to get involved in Software Engineering, further your studies along with HC grad Reid Bishop at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). If you’re intrigued by Mr. Kelley’s Environmental Systems class and want to get into Environmental Engineering, head to the beautiful Palo Alto to Stanford University. If you’d rather stay close to home, the University of Texas has the fourth best ranked program in the country. For a Civil Engineering degree, you can head to the golden coast again to study at Cal Berkeley. With yet another number one spot, head to Stanford University if Petroleum Engineering is your thing. However, you don’t have to go far to find the second best: Texas A&M University. If you happen to have a lot in common with Mr. Mellor and want to study Mathematics, head to the Big Apple to study at NYU. Perhaps you’ve been inspired by Mr. Perek, and want to study Physics in college. If so, you should head to California Institute of Technology. And yet again, head to Stanford University to
join HC’s Chris Tutunjian if you want to further your studies in Statistics. Though some of these college degrees may not seem the easiest, it is guaranteed that if one of these becomes your major, and you stick with it, success will be in your future. With one of these degrees on your resume, employers will be blown away, your pockets will be full, and you will be a busy person.
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Varsity Cheer goes to Houston Aeros game By Ashley Richards, Stang Staff On November 8th, the Mustang Cheer Team supported the Houston Aeros in their game against Toronto. Thanks to a good friend of our coach, we were able to be the main entertainment for the game, despite the actual hockey game. When at the game, we got to perform during all of the breaks and after the game. Although space was tight and the audience was limited, it was an exciting and different kind of experience for most of the varsity cheerleaders, including myself. Sophomores, Renee Alphonso and Bailey Fritcher, loved being able to perform with the Aeros cheerleaders, seeing themselves on the jumbotron. Bailey says about her experience, “It was so great. I had so much fun. It was a really neat experience that not many people get to have.” Renee adds, “I loved seeing how intense hockey could be. I had never watched a hockey game before, and it was really fun and exciting.” They both are now “devoted hockey fans,” and they both hope to return to more Aeros games. The Aeros suffered a difficult loss, but most of us learned more about hockey than we would have ever learned. We also learned that being cheerleaders for a hockey team does not involve stunting or tumbling, traditional cheerleading elements, but more dancing and crowd involvement. As well as learning rules of hockey and the pros and cons of being a hockey cheerleader, we also got involved in the traditions that are a part of the Aeros’ games: chuck-a-puck and human bowling. Perhaps the most interesting part of the game itself was our cheer team’s performances. Since we have a large team of 17 members, the space that was originally designated for our performance was only large enough to fit about five of us and we had to search the entire Toyota Center to find another location to perform. When we finally found a large enough space, the time for us to perform came around and our music was started at the wrong time and we had to resort to clapping because there was no way to do our routine to the music. After clapping for about a minute, we were off the jumbotron. It was embarrassing to say the least. They restarted our music and apologized for the inconvenience, but the music started at the wrong time again. Once another minute of pure clapping had gone by, we were off the jumbotron and humiliated. Just as the jumbotron was fading back into it’s usual array of advertisements, we started dancing. We were back up on the jumbotron and on the third try; we were able to perform our routine. It was hectic to say the least, but it showed most of us that we have to be prepared for anything when performing. After our trio of messy routines, we got to watch the game. All of us got really involved in hockey and enjoyed showcasing difficult routines for a different audience than usual, and most of us hope to do it again.
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November 2012
School
How to De-Stress from those Winter Exams Tips on getting through those long (or not so long) hours of studying (or cramming) by Spencer Traver, Stang Staff One of the most dreaded times of the school year has arrived: winter exams. While these exams may be typically annoying and challenging, there are ways to get through these final weeks of the first semester. These tips can range from each class but can also change per grade level. To the freshmen who are beginning to freak out: relax. Take the time to study old tests now instead of the night before the exam. Do not worry! Teachers typically understand the nerves of the freshmen on campus during exam week. Junior Michael Nguyen11 shares advice for the freshmen by saying, “Think about the holidays and how much fun you are going to have once you finish exams.” Michael has a great outlook on keeping focused on the reward after putting in the hard work. To the sophomores:
now that the process of exams has been understood, aim to do better than last year. Keep in mind that all winter exam grades are very important and can change the semester average of any student. These exams can be the difference in a B to an A and vice-versa. Nonetheless, put in the time and effort to prepare for these tests! Senior Kiersten Koenig12 shared her wisdom by reminding the sophomores to, “Start studying early, and don’t give up!” To the juniors: the time has come to get that GPA up (if you haven’t already). Remember, that when applying for college, the transcripts sent will include freshman through junior grades, which are influenced heavily by exam scores. Now is not the time to throw in the towel and give up on everything you have worked so hard for. Senior Brooks Lehle12, a junior
last year who excelled in his exams, expressed his sensei-like knowledge by saying, “Winter exams are a great time to hit the books and study hard. Even though Christmas is right around the corner, keep learning and keep studying. It will pay off someday!” To those seniors ready to get out of high school: keep on, keeping on! Remember, colleges will ask to see final high school transcripts, and if you are a borderline student, an admissions committee may call for your first semester grades as well. If you have worked hard so far this year and have a good attendance record, these may be the last exams you take in high school. Continue to work hard, and finish out high school strong. To the student body as a whole: failing to prepare equals preparing to fail. Sure, there are some exams that one may
be able to get lucky and guess enough multiple-choice answers, or “multiple-guess” as Coach Sivils calls them, but this should not be the student’s goal. Take the time to study, and you will feel less stressed when the time comes to ace that exam. Lastly, pray unceasingly for wisdom and understanding. Once you turn it in, understand that everything is out of your hands (literally)
and you can relax knowing that you gave your best effort and are going to get the grade that you deserve. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” - Proverbs 3:5-6
New cafeteria pleases students palates and wallets Students get excited about our new cafeteria and all the food options there wasn’t one person in our school that would have said that. Now there is a good portion of our student population who feels that way. Another great dynamic about our cafeteria is how much they care about us. They want us to have the best quality food available and want us to really enjoy it. They work so hard to get the food ready and have adjusted the schedule COFFEE GALORE. Baristas at the coffee bar will of when they serve us to gladly make you your beverage of choice anyhelp with the long lines. time of the day. Some drinks include hot apple After last year where it cider, caramel macchiato’s, and more. would take 20 minutes in line to just get your food, The new cafeteria that this is a big leap in service and has come with our out of this quality of food. Along with me world Student Center, has a Junior Josh Davis11 said that he lot more to bring to the school “loves how quick we get served. than their wonderful food. Our I can’t even figure out how they cafeteria has three different do it when I think about the sections providing pizza in one, amount of time we have to eat a fast food type food in another, and the amount of people that and finally in the middle is the they have to serve.” gourmet section where you Along with the new can find a very wide variety of cafeteria we also now a have a delicious foods. I’ve found at little coffee bar. They sell their some points grilled salmon in very popular smoothies, and also this section, which shows how coffee, different baked goods, decadent our food, actually is. and snacks. Behind the register is In my opinion we are someone who has become truly spoiled with the food that we iconic around the school, Corey are served, even if it is a little Jillet! After working at different expensive. I think people are venues like Pappasitos, Windom starting to notice how good the Garden hotels, and Scooters food is though, especially since Seniors like Ramsey Al-Azem12 Coffee house, Corey found are saying “Honestly I don’t feel himself working for us! He came from UTSA and has a girlfriend like I have a reason to go off named Alyssa. When you see campus for lunch, the food here him next time be sure and call is usually better than anything I could get off campus.” Last year him T-money, and when I asked
his boss about how he would describe Corey, he said that he has a “dynamic personality, he is humble, and is very sarcastic.” Getting to know Corey from the many smoothies that I have bought, I can definitely attest to this assessment of Corey. He is someone you don’t mind having a conversation with while waiting for you food or drink, but that also goes for all of the
new staff that has come with our cafeteria. I have never had a bad experience with someone or felt like they were thinking negatively of our school or their job and that has real power. I’m not the only one who has noticed this though, Senior Ashton Binkley12 sees how, “they have really brightened up lunch and it makes the day that much better
when you are given good food too!” I think we can all agree that having the staff and cafeteria is a blessing to our student body and future students. I am jealous of the kids that will get to experience the cafeteria for years to come. They will only get better and better as they adjust to what we want.
Students try out future careers by Ashley Richards, Junior Editor
While the freshman and sophomores endured a long day of testing, the upperclassmen enjoyed the day off, well sort of. Job shadow day became optional for the first time. Most students opted out of job shadow day, just for the opportunity to sleep in, rest up, and study. Some students, however, chose to shadow. I was one of those students. My day was spent at Darryl and Company, an event coordinating business. My day consisted of touring the extravagantly decorated show rooms, seeing pictures from past events, and learning about the daily life of an event planner. I found that unpredictable hours, crazy clients, and extreme stress all come with the job as event planner; these were parts I had never taken into account when thinking about my “dream career.” Although, every job does come with its ups and downs, these were factors that made me realize that event planning was
not my true passion. With that conclusion aside, job shadowing was a great way for me to narrow down prospective jobs, and it was quite fun. Kevin Chin11, had a similar experience to mine. Kevin job shadowed a radiologist named Dr. Henry Lee from eight o’clock to eleven o’clock in the morning. Kevin described his favorite part of his day,“ I found it really interesting to see all of the different x-ray machines.” Kevin also found that radiology was probably not the field he was interested in, but he said this about his experience, “ I learned a lot about human anatomy and it was really cool to see what my dad does every day.” Do not be fooled; some students were actually affirmed by job shadow day. Juniors, Janie Bailliet11 and Adrienne Barakis11 both job shadowed at schools. Both girls left their job shadow day 100% positive that they wanted to be teachers. Janie shadowed some
of her old teachers at Saint Ambrose Catholic School, where she attended before coming to HC. Janie wants to be a middle school English teacher, and she enjoyed working alongside her old teachers as she spent an entire school day as a middle school teacher. Adrienne spent her day at Westview, a school for Autistic children. She had a long day from nine o’clock in the morning to five o’clock in the evening. She had fun though. She worked all day reading, assisting with English tests, and helping the kids get ready for Thanksgiving. She said her favorite part of her day was making cornucopias with the students she worked with. Although very few students job shadowed, it proved to be a successful day for those who did. Even though it is not mandatory, I recommend that the current sophomores and juniors take advantage of this day next time it rolls around.
News
Hola, España!
Students fly to Spain for exciting, fun-filled trip over Thanksgiving by Gianna Tiedemann, Managing Editor
JUST POSIN’.
Students (left to right) Jessie Skinn, Kathleen Burt, Taylor Newhouse, Rachel Henry, and Jaela Dejean visit an attraction in Spain. This was one of many places they visited on their trip.
From Barcelona to Morocco, Beyond these Walls students took Spain over Thanksgiving. With their fearless leaders, Mrs. Creekmoore, Mrs. Vaughn, and Mrs. Biar, the team flew out of IAH early Friday afternoon, flew nine hours to London’s Heathrow airport, and finally landed in Barcelona, Spain at ten in the morning. Senior J.P. Hennessey12 explained that since they landed in the morning, they “had to hit the ground running.” This trip was unlike any other. Instead of staying in one city the whole time, the students and teachers traveled to seven different cities in nine days over the break. Although they walked everywhere they went, they used the country’s many different transportation systems to get to each city. The trip included tons of sight seeing with the pretty architecture and environment within the country as well as good restaurants and most of all, good shopping. When asked what her favorite city was, junior Jalea Dejean12 said, “Toledo, because it was extremely beautiful and gave us all the opportunity to see God’s creation.” Senior, Rachel Henry12, agreed with Jalea because she thought Toledo was “old fashioned and gorgeous.”
In addition to these things, the itinerary held some exciting activities for the group. Rachel Henry actually got to live out one of her dreams in these activities: camel riding. Yep, that is it! Rachel and the rest of the group were surprised and actually got to ride camels. She was very excited and surprised about this. Since the Spainsh obviously do not celebrate Thanksgiving in Spain, students got to experience something a little more than just turkey and mashed potatoes that day: flamenco dancing. They took lessons and got the chance to watch actual flamenco dancers. Finally, shopping was a huge activity on their schedule. Senior J.P. Hennessey said that he and many others visited little markets that sold really cool stuff such as the “San Miguel” market in Madrid. “It was really cool and was like a little City Centre so that was fun,” said J.P. There were some things that really shocked the students about Spain. For Rachel Henry, she said what surprised her most was having to speak as much Spanish (or trying to speak) as she did while in Spain. She knew that they would speak Spanish but didn’t think she’d have to. “Kathleen Burt was our little translator in Spain,” she said. What shocked J.P. was the disposition of the people. “I thought most Europeans were mean but these people were pretty nice,” said J.P. Jalea Dejean also noted that it surprised her that everyone drove mopeds in Spain. According to what was said by J.P., Rachel, and Jaela, it seemed as if the trip was really exciting and busy. When asked what the most funny part of the trip was, they all said it was when senior Matt Hook fell through the roof of the last hotel. Sorry about that Matt. If you want to go on an exciting trip like this, keep your eyes open for opportunities for Beyond these Walls trips in the upcoming year.
A good reminder comes from a ‘Courageous ‘ man
Ken Bevel, actor from “Courageous” speaks at Veteran’s Day Chapel
by Matt Yochum, Stang Staff
Ken and his wife Lauana have been happily As we were all getting ready married for 15 years and they have two to be thankful during Thanksgiving, children, Kyra and Kaleb, who have also made another meaningful holiday came appearances in the movies he’s played in. I around. Veterans Day is always a was curious to see how many people had seen good reminded of how thankful the movie “Courageous” since it wasn’t made we should be, but how thankful we from a mainstream production company and should be of our troops who have senior Ricky Wolfe12 told me that “he loved served our country. This is always the movie and actually has it at his house. a good way to start the appreciative He thinks it is a great way to watch a movie season of thanks. Senior Keith without all of the pressures that society put Crawford12 said “I love veterans day into modern film.” I couldn’t agree more, because it gives me a chance to show “Courageous” is a movie that people of all my relative and other vets that I really do appreciate them for the time they COURAGEOUS Actor Ken Bevel ages can watch safely. During chapel Ken talked about his put into the safety of our country.” We speaks about his life and trials. He obviously cannot thank them enough for taught students to be thankful in trials and tribulations while growing up in the military. He wasn’t the most responsible and risking their lives so a day like this is the times of hardship. he was almost discharged for it. What saved least that we can do. him though was finally hitting rock bottom. He responded This year as always we had an assembly honored from this rough time and became a better man because of it. to veterans related to the student body. In years past we’ve He talked a little about how he loves his job as a pastor and had military leaders and astronauts, but this year we had knows that he is doing the right thing. First seeing him as a an actor slash ex-Marine Captain, Ken Bevel. Ken is actor, once I found out that he was a pastor and ex-marine also the Connections Pastor at Sherwood Baptist Church it added to how cool I thought he was. He isn’t even a real and a native of Jacksonville, Florida. After 20 years of actor he just decided to make a movie with his church, and active service in the Marine Corps, which included tours it ended up becoming more popular than any of them could in Iraq, Afghanistan, Ken retired to follow his calling for of imagined. This shows his humbleness and servant-hearted ministry. He has had major roles in the movies “Fireproof” attitude. After chapel senior Blakely Smith12 told me that and “Courageous” and graduated from the University of she “loved his transformational testimony, it really spoke to Memphis with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer her personally.” His speech is what we needed as a student Engineering Technology and he is a graduate of the body. I’m more than grateful for him coming and I can’t Naval Postgraduate School with a Master of Business wait to see who will be brought next year. Administration degree in Logistics Management. Finally,
The Stang
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College Corner
Twenty students from all grades visit the South Carolina Region At the start of each school year, a few of the counselors take a group of students along with them to the state or region of their choice to visit different colleges. This year, Mr. Rolando Chaves and Ms. Meagan Weaver took a group of twenty lucky students to South Carolina to visit five prominent colleges in the region. The first college the students visited was Wofford, an independent liberal arts school in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Because the campus was so small, the students took a walking tour around the whole campus and experienced the mild South Carolina weather. The campus was beautiful and everyone enjoyed a nice lunch in the dining commons before heading off to the next destination. Dexter Robinson11 loved Wofford after he visited, and said “I could really see myself going to Wofford in a couple of years. The campus was beautiful and I loved the atmosphere.” The next college the students visited was the University of South Carolina, which is a large state school located in Columbia, South Carolina. University of South Carolina was much different than Wofford, mostly because of it’s size. There are about 4,569 students enrolled at USC, compared to 1,550 at Wofford. Nevertheless, the students enjoyed both schools, and Mary Grace Russell11 said that she is definitely going to apply to the University of South Carolina because of how pretty the campus was and because of their prestigious school of international business. “I had never heard about USC before, but after visiting I wonder how I could have gone this long without knowing about it!” Mary exclaimed. After this long day of touring colleges, the group returned to their centrally-located hotel in downtown Greenville, where the group stayed for the whole trip. The next day, the group visited two more colleges. The first college was Clemson University, which was different from both of the schools they had visited before. The group visited on a game day, so the students experienced a true sense of school spirit on the campus. Chandler Dugan10 said that he “loved Clemson and all the spirit they had. I would love to go up some other time to visit Clemson and go to one of their football games.” The second tour of the day was at the University of Georgia, which is located in Athens, Georgia. University of Georgia is also another large state school that is widely known for their football and school spirit. Instead of taking one of the usual university tours, the chaperones and the tour guide created a scavenger hunt. The students split up into groups and participated in a digital scavenger hunt: the goal was to read a given list of descriptions about different locations around the UGA campus and then take the most creative picture of the description listed. The group who had the most creative pictures got a special prize which was the first choice of a plethora of college merchandise. Madison Sheehy11, who was on the winning team, laughed “I had so much fun on the scavenger hunt because it was a really cool way to explore the campus without being bored by a bunch of facts.” The last college that the group visited was Furman University. Furman is a liberal arts undergraduate school, much like Wofford, located in Greenville, South Carolina. Ms. Weaver, who went to Furman, took the group on personal tour through Furman’s campus. She gave lots of cool insight and shared some of her experiences at the university, which also made for a more interesting tour. She talked about cool traditions at the school, and hearing about her experiences helped the students get a good feel for the university. By the end of this college visit, many of the students found colleges they wanted to apply to, and if they didn’t love any of the colleges they visited on the trip, they at least learned more about what they do and do not want in a college and more about the college process. Overall, the trip was loads of fun for everyone, and the sign-up sheet for next year will most likely be overflowing.
6
December 2012
Fine Arts
Christmas chapel with Nigerian twist Choir and Drum line wow the students and faculty with their amazing telling of the Christmas story
by Michael Vaughn, Stang Staff Last week during chapel, the choir and drum line entertained us with beautiful, festive Christmas music to help get us all into the spirit of Christmas. From the classics, all the way to a Nigerian Christmas song, the choir wowed us with their skill and perfect harmony. The Christmas spirit filled the chapel as stage lights were colored green and red, and miniature Christmas trees decorated the stage. The concert started off right away, but not without a random shout of “Tis the season” from junior Jaela Dejean. Not only was the choir and drum line performing, multiple readers also read Bible verses and quotes that set the scene and told the story of Christmas perfectly. Bible verses and quotes were read before every song, creating a nice introduction of the story that was about to be portrayed through song. The choir started the concert by singing “Adeste Fidelis,” also known as “O Come All Ye Faithful” in English. Instead of singing from the stage, the choir started off singing in the
foyer of the chapel and slowly made their way into the chapel singing and clutching lit candles. After this song, they invited the school to join and sing “Silent Night” with them. Instead of only directing the choir, the choir director, Mr. Ousley, turned to the audience and directed them like they were his choir as well. After “Silent Night,” the choir performed “Hark the Herald Angel’s Sing” and “”Away in the Manger.” Instead of just singing any type of Christmas song, Mr. Ousley created a set list that accurately depicted the story of Jesus and the events that happened before and followed his birth. One of the most interesting songs, to say the least, was a crowd favorite. The choir performed a traditional Nigerian Christmas song, and the drum line joined in. Senior J.P. Hennessey wowed the audience with the difficult solo in the song. J.P. said, “Singing the solo in the Nigerian Christmas song was extremely difficult because, well, for one, I was not even sure what I was singing, and secondly, the notes were
pretty high and I was afraid it would not sound right.” Rest assured, J.P., the solo sounded great and added to the uniqueness of the song. As the choir was singing, the drum line enhanced the spirit with their exceptional skill. Senior Kyle Garman led the group with a few solos throughout the performance. “We spent a lot of time rehearsing this song, and it definitely paid off because it was a lot of fun to perform it on stage and it looked like the students were enjoying it as well,” Kyle explains. The choir ended the concert with a popular and traditional Christmas carol: “Joy to the World.” The whole school sang along, ending the concert on an uplifting note. Unlike last year, this year’s Christmas concert chapel was not only about singing carols, but was centered on celebrating Jesus’s birth and sharing the story through readers and song. Sophomore Kristin Milton, also a member of the choir, “loved singing the carols and being able to participate in sharing the lessons with the whole school.”
O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL The HC Choir, under the leadership of Mr. John Ousley, entered the chapel
with candles, singing Adeste Fidelis on Thursday, Deceember 6th. The choir also performed at the fine arts concert which took place on December 10th.
Spiritual Life
Comedysportz provides a great laugh Houston Christian’s first ComedySportz team cracks up audiences. by Michael Vaughn, Stang Staff
LAUGH YOUR HEAD OFF
HC students are introducing Comedysportz to the school. The performers entertain the audience with an interactive, improvisational experience of comedy.
Houston Christian boasts quite a wide array of athletic teams for both boys and girls. Just about any major sport can be played here at Houston Christian, except underwater basket weaving. However, there is a new sport you may want to consider trying next year if you never have. This one requires a bit more “actleticism” than the others. I’m talking about ComedySportz, a high energy, interactive improvisational comedy team that has just been put together for the first time here at HC. If you have ever watched the Comedy
Central show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?,” then these shows will feel very familiar. There are two teams, red and blue, who compete in numerous games for points. Most of the games involve a lot of crowd interaction, which keeps the “actletes” on their feet to ensure quick-witted responses. The shows are exciting for all ages, and are the perfect solution if you need a good laugh. ComedySportz may be a new concept around here, but it is not a new game at all. It all began in 1984 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by a group
of local comedians and became an instant hit. To put this in perspective, this was the year that Ronald Reagan was elected as the President of the United States. The format of ComedySportz is what makes it so fun. As any sporting event, there is a referee who monitors most of the competition. This referee also has several fouls or penalties he is free to call. The Brown Bag Foul is a foul given to any player who uses explicit language or makes any inappropriate references during a scene. When this foul is given, the actlete or audience member who is guilty must wear a brown paper bag over their head for the remainder of the scene. The Groaner Foul is given when any player makes a pun bad enough to make the audience groan. This foul will result in a one-point deduction from the team unless the player can give an apology to the audience heartfelt enough that they forgive him. These fouls make it more entertaining, but also ensure that it is friendly for
all ages. Since the conception of ComedySportz, it has grown nationwide, and there are even teams in Berlin, Germany, and Manchester, England. There is also a World Championship held annually. The Houston Christian team is comprised of some of the funniest kids at HC. Lone senior Alex Roys12 said, “It’s been a blast so far. I wanted to try something new and different before I went to college and this has been a fun new sport.” They had their inaugural inter-squad match against each other in the Black Box Theatre on November 29, and it was a huge success. Keep your eyes peeled come January to see them take on other schools. If you want to get a taste of it before then, visit the Houston ComedySportz Arena in CityCentre. They promise that every match is “live, hilarious, clean, foolproof, fast-paced and positive.”
7 Chaplain ‘s Corner The Stang
by Michael Vaughn,Student Chaplain
MONDAYS BELONG TO D-GROUPS
From the large crowds that gather on Monday night, it is apparent that D-groups have become very popular. It’s not too late to come and join in on all the fun.
This school year has been incredibly exciting so far. I feel like I have seen the Lord moving in ways that He never has at this school, and it is so exciting to be a part of. Spiritual Emphasis Week was a big week for many students, and Greg Speck did an unbelievable job of investing in our students daily when he was here. If any of you have been to camp or on mission trips before, you may be familiar with the term “spiritual high.” For those of you who are not familiar, it is a term used to describe a time in your life when you felt more connected to God than ever before. Sadly, if the fire is not stoked, it will burn out. I feel as if our campus is on a spiritual high after Spiritual Emphasis Week, and I want to help everyone to stoke this fire so that God can continue to move in everyone’s life. So, here are three steps to continue hearing from and growing with the Lord: 1) Get in a DGroup, 2) Consistently get in the Word, and 3) Find accountability. First, if you aren’t in a D-Group, you really ought to consider joining. Monday nights are a great time of fellowship, learning, and growing. All the D-Group leaders are excited to invest in the lives of other students, that’s why they’re a leader. Second is to get in the Word. There is no substitute to hearing from the inerrant Word of God, and I believe it is the best way to hear from God Himself. Another great option is finding a devotional such as Jesus Calling that gives insight into certain scriptures. Lastly, you need accountability. This can be found in a D-Group, but I encourage everyone to find one friend to go through this journey together with. To really grow with the Lord, you must be intentional, and really make an effort to stay in the light. Merry Christmas.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Spring Musical Mustang Players are getting a head start on perfecting dance numbers and songs by Ashley Richards, Junior Editor
The Mustang players are already working hard to prepare for the spring musical. The Wizard of Oz is an intricate and detailed play, so it is important that they work hard so early in the year. Parts have already been cast, so the choreography,
costumes, and final touches are what need to be done before the spring. Junior, Katherine Gualy, said, “We are almost done with act one. We have been making really great progress. Almost all the dances are done being choreographed, and everyone has their lines memorized.” Everyone in the cast is already fitted for their costumes, dances are already being choreographed, and the pit crew has been decided. One of the dances that is being choreographed is the Jitterbug. Since it is a cool number, the cast has tried out for this special number
and they must be especially chosen to be a Jitterbug. Junior, Janie Bailliet, is a new member to the musical cast and she tried out to be a Jitterbug. It was plain to see that the dance auditions were not easy, she had bruises on her knees from just auditioning, but she says this about her experience in the musical so far, “I have really enjoyed being a part of the musical. I have always wanted to be part of the cast, so it has been fun to try it for the first time. Although it has not been easy, it is already worth it. I really love making new friends, dancing, and singing. I am so glad I decided
to join this year.” Most of the cast feels the same way. Senior Choreographer, Erin Elizabeth Doll told me that “everything is going great. We have such a great cast this year and it is going to be a great show.” Erin Elizabeth has been dancing basically all her life and is sharing her talent by choreographing most of the dances for the musical, with the help of a few others. It seems like the musical is off with a bang, and it is for sure going to be a great show. I encourage the student body to go watch The Wizard of Oz, if you are not already in the cast!
WE”RE OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD
Judy Garland starred in the original Wizard of Oz which debuted in technicolor in 1939. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It lost that award to Gone with the Wind, but won Best Original Song for “Over the Rainbow.”
Feature 8 ‘Tis the Season for Holiday Treats December 2012
As it gets colder, hoiday treats get hotter. by Amanda Brown, Stang Staff One of the notable things about the holidays are the wonderful holiday treats that come hand-in-hand with the cold weather. If you are ever in need of some good recipes, Pinterest is perfect source. As Christmas time rolls around, Pinterest is flooded with creative recipes involving candy canes and red and green colored foods that everyone will love. Below are some of the most popular holiday recipes on Pinterest.
red and/or green colored sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 - 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and cookies is set. Remove from oven; cool 2 to 3 minutes. Press candy piece into center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Yields approximately 35 cookies. Nutella Hot Chocolate Recipe recipe by Honey, What’s Cooking?
Candy Cane Blossoms recipe from Hershey’s
INGREDIENTS (makes approx. 35): 1 bag Hershey’s Kisses brand Candy Cane Kisses 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 egg 2 cups all purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 2 tablespoons milk Red and Green colored sugar Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove wrappers from candies (approx. 35). Beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and egg in large bowl until well blended. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add with milk to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in
INGREDIENTS (makes 2 servings): Milk 1% Low Fat – ¾ cup (recipe calls for Skim Non-Fat Milk which would also work) Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – 2 tbsp. + 2/3 tsp. Vanilla Extract – ½ tsp. Cornstarch – ½ tsp. Nutella – 1 tbsp. Sugar – optional In a small pot, heat low fat milk on medium heat. Add cocoa powder. Whisk. Add cornstarch. Whisk immediately making sure the cornstarch doesn’t turn into goo. Add vanilla extract. Whisk. Add Nutella. Keep whisking until the cocoa thickens up and the drink is smooth and creamy. Once the drinks starts to steam turn off the stove. Pour into a cute cup. Peppermint Bark recipe by A Taste of Koko
6 oz milk chocolate 12 oz white chocolate 3 tsp vegetable oil 1/3 crushed candy cane pieces Line the bottom and sides of an 9” x 9” square baking pan with nonstick aluminum foil, smoothing out any wrinkles. Melt the white chocolate and 2 teaspoon of vegetable oil in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Immediately pour half of the melted chocolate into the prepared pan and tilt the pan so the chocolate makes an even layer. Place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes, or until the chocolate has set. Melt the milk chocolate and 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Immediately pour the melted chocolate into the prepared pan and tilt the pan so the chocolate makes an even layer. Place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes, or until the chocolate has set. Repeat with another layer of white chocolate with the remaining chocolate and tilt the pan for an even layer. Sprinkle the crushed candy canes evenly over the white chocolate. Place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, or until the chocolate has set. Remove the Peppermint Bark from the pan by lifting the edges of the aluminum foil. Peel back the foil and break the bark into small irregular pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Students and Faculty Share Christmas Traditions
Paper Ornaments for Change The giving tree provides a way for HC students to make a difference this holiday season. by Ashley Richards, Junior Editor The Giving Tree is a Mustang Tradition that encourages the fortunate Mustang Community to give back to those in need. This year our charities are separated into grade levels, so we can help as many charities as possible. The Freshman are donating to the the Ronald McDonald House. The Sophomores are donating to the Ungassi Orphanage in Africa. The Juniors are donating to the DePelchin Children’s Center, and the seniors are donating to MD Anderson Cancer Center. Although the majority of those who participate in the Giving Tree are ones who want community service hours, but participating can help bring joy to so many children in need this year. It is really important that the fortunate students from Houston Christian spend a little bit of time and money on helping those who will not have a the luxury of a lavish Christmas.
by Samantha Moore and Amanda Brown, Stang Staff Sarah Helm- “Picking out the Christmas tree” Meg Gross- “Wearing matching pajamas with my siblings” Dexter Robinson“Getting a Peppermint Latte from Starbucks” Shelby Barhorst“Making gingerbread houses” Renee Alphonso“Putting the ornaments on the tree” Chase Harris- “Driving around and looking at Christmas lights with Harrison” Caitlin Clarke- “Clarke Christmas Party on Christmas Eve”
Lisa Porter- “Homemade Italian eggnog made with coffee with my mom on Christmas morning” Mike Maddry- “Helping Santa surprise my family with fun Christmas morning gifts” Evan Jurick- “Eating rice pudding and looking for the nut” Harrison Cromwell“Waking up early to see my presents” Rachel Henry- “Sneaking into my parents room to see my presents” Patrick Mulvey“Opening presents with my family” Addie Eckert- “Watching
Christmas movies with my family” Madeline Davis“Looking at Christmas lights” Grace Munford- “Lura Jane Munford’s Hot Chocolate” Amanda Brock- “Being in a different Christmas show each year” Rex Wallace- “Putting the star on top of the Christmas tree” Luke Dupree- “Bonding with my twin Matthew” Stephen Hirschbuehler“Listening to “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch” while studying for finals” Tim Strickman- “Going
to the movies on Christmas day” Thomas Berry- “Hanging ornaments with my mom and little sister” Alexis Eliff- “Opening one present (the biggest) on Christmas eve before Christmas starts” Jack from Tech Office“The unique way my family opens the gifts on Christmas morning after reading the Christmas Story” Ashley from Tech Office“Decorating the Christmas tree while listening to Christmas music” Cristi Keeter- “Spending quality time with my
brothers and sisters” Corey the Coffee Dude“Getting a new Nutcracker from my sister every year” Mrs. Doxtater- “Giving and getting presents”
Happy Holidays
The Stang
Holiday Dream Gifts
9
by Connor Kelley, Stang Staff
During this holiday season, we all have a dream wish list that we all know we will most likely never get, yet is still fun to think and talk about. Each one of us still has a childlike spirit inside of us wanting the ultimate Christmas presents. However, we still only get the same little stuff every year. This year, I still have my dream wish list that I will always want for many years to come. This year for Christmas I have a full list of things I would love Santa to bring me, but the one thing I want more than anything is a dog. Not just any dog, but a Golden Retriever mixed with a Cocker Spaniel. It may sound like an odd mix, but they are quite possibly the coolest dogs in the world.
I have always had big dogs. Right now I have two full-grown chocolate labs, but I loved the way they were as puppies. They were fun to play with, because they were not too big and not too small, and they were easy to take care of because they were tiny. Many girls just like Sophomore Shelby Robertson, “love small cute dogs, that are always fun to play with.” That is why I want this Golden Retriever/Cocker Spaniel Mix. They are the perfect mix of everything that is good about a large dog, and everything that is good about a small dog. In addition to the dog, I would also want a super fast, cool car like a grey Dodge Challenger RT8 with black racing stripes. I have always
wanted a fast muscle car. When asked what he would want as dream gift for Christmas, Junior Harrison Cromwell said the same thing, “I would love to get an awesome, fast car for a Christmas gift.” It makes me feel alive and thrilled with the rumble of the engine. I also want a ton of basketball shoes and running shoes because I love shoes. We should all keep the childhood spirit in each one of us. This makes Christmas time very fun and exciting. Junior Austen Sanchez (Pablo) says, “Christmas time is the best time of the year to have fun and be with family.” It is a time of joy and giving which we all learned at a young age, and we should really learn to give as much as we would like to receive.
Best Christmas Songs: Student Poll Here are your responses for the top 10 songs: by Samantha Moore, Stang Staff Out of 200 Respondents... 1. All I Want for Christmas is You 2. Walking in a Winter Wonderland 3. Last Christmas 4. Santa Claus is Coming to Town 5. Jingle Bells 6. It’s Beginning to Look A Lot like Christmas 7. Santa Baby 8. Santa Claus Lane 9. Mistletoe 10. My Only Wish (This Year)
Christmas Gifts for Parents in 2012
Obviously present opening time Christmas morning is devoted to the kiddos, but what about those parents? What is hot around this time of year? Some good gifts for both the parents are around the house items. Following the Christmas theme, personalized ornaments, or stockings are big hits for the family. A monogrammed stocking for each of your parents will show some effort, and some thought you put into getting them a present. Fun coffee cups, or mugs are also a nice thought. One family cannot have too many cute family mugs around the house. Let’s admit, sometimes parents are challenged when it comes to technology. Not all parents have fun playlist consisting of their favorite songs, so make them one! A mix of CD’s with fun songs they know would be fun considerate gift. Along with some fun CD’s get you and your siblings to pitch in for some fun speakers around the house. Anything that brings the family together, ties in everyone’s memories, brings up fun photos, and makes everybody laugh will be a successful gift for any parent. Finding a special gift for the Mom in your life may not be as hard as it may seem. Here are some great options that should get the mind thinking. Monogrammed slippers are a personal touch on a fun winter must have. This may take a little more of your time, but the extra effort it what makes the present. A fun Christmas ornament to go on the tree with a special notice to who your mom is would be really nice. Everyone’s tree has the homemade ornaments and pictures of you and your siblings, but none of the woman who birthed you! Find a fun, classy, nice looking ornament that speaks to your mom. Mom’s always love candles, so try and find a nice looking candle- not one that just smells good, but has a nice exterior- to have around the house. Anything to do with the s pa is a blessing for a mother. Whether it be a special
bath soap, or bath salts, or even a gift card to her favorite spa, she will enjoy it. Mother’s love getting any kind of gift that their child puts effort towards, so as long as you try, your mother will love it. Now for the man of the house; a gift for your Dad can really make the holidays fun. Any kind of item for the office, for the grill, for the TV or electronics around the house, for outside and in, will be a great hit. Dad’s can either be easier or harder when it comes to buying something for them, and this depends on the Dad. For the Dad’s out there that like to cook here are some great options. An electric Salt and Pepper Shaker is a nice upgrade from the typical containers around the house. There are many different kinds of monthly clubs as well. If your pops loves bacon then sign him up for the Bacon of the Month Club. If you sign your Dad up for this fun treat than every month you get a special, different kind of bacon. It is a fun gift that last for longer than just the holiday season, you can get for as long as you like, three months, four, or five, the options are endless. These clubs range from all different kinds of food, just find what your dad likes. If your Dad is a businessman here are some more fun options. A new wallet or an engraved money clip is always a good way to go. A nice watch could be a great gift for your father if he does not already have one. The thing is, the options are endless. Mom, Dad, or both parents will love to see any kind of effort you put towards getting them something special. It doesn’t have to be crazy expensive or take weeks to make. If you put some thought into what you are getting your wonderful parents this Christmas, they are sure to love it !
Opinions 10 The problem with removing ‘Christ’ from ‘Christmas’ December 2012
For crying out loud, leave ‘Christ’ in Christmas By Spencer Traver, Stang Staff In an attempt to create a more politically correct world, the phrases “Happy Holidays” and “Season’s Greetings” are commonly being used today to replace the classic saying, “Merry Christmas.” This attempt to replace the word ‘Christmas’ is primarily about religious tolerance, the idea of respecting other religions by not offending others with our specific beliefs and morals. Without taking this issue into too large of a spotlight, I do believe that the American society in general is slipping away from its foundational Christian beliefs, yet it should protect the cheerful phrase, “Merry Christmas.” What lacks in our country today, is a moral backbone. Knock-off Christmas sayings are simply used to avoid offending someone who may not share the same religious beliefs as the person greeting them. The same message of “Merry Christmas” lies behind “Happy Holidays” and “Season’s Greetings”; however, the American public in general has decided to allow fear to cause a compromise of beliefs in order to not offend our fellow friends and neighbors. Readers, this is wrong on so many levels. What happened to faith? What happened to commitment? And what happened to “honesty is always the best policy?” On Wall Street, in homes, and in relationships, America has sadly lost its sense of faith, commitment, and honesty. Not only is this a religious battle, but this has also become a political battle. President Obama has been noted as saying, “We (the United States) are no longer a Christian nation. We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, and a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.” The primary leader of our country has ‘shifted’ from being solely a Christian president to a
STANG 2012-2013
president of all religions. Ouch. What irks me even more is the saying “Merry X-mas.” According to Snopes Facts, the term ‘X-mas’ still refers to ‘Christmas’, and is just an abbreviation for the full word. “Christmas” means “Christ’s Mass”, or “Christ’s festival.” This is the day that Christians are called to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. In my opinion, when you remove Christ from this saying and replace it with “X”, you are left with celebrating whatever you want to fill in the variable with. Today, this variable tends to be filled in with mass shopping, spending, panic, chaos, toys, clothes, and more things centered around two common concepts that negatively affect our world: consumerism and materialism. We are becoming overly concerned with buying, spending, and possessing whatever is on our Christmas ‘wish list’ this year, that we miss the point and significance of this great holiday. Christmas is a time to realize that our God and our Savior are our only needs; yet we tend to talk about how much we “need” the new iPhone or that new outfit from Urban Outfitters. I am calling a spade, a spade, in saying that our only true need in this world is Jesus Christ. If we could possibly ever need anything else, it would be to multiply the number of men and women equipped with hearts that are focused on glorifying God in all that they do. HC students seemingly agreed that Christmas is a wonderful time of year to be able to experience joy and celebration. Senior Ashton Binkley shared her love for this holiday by saying, “Christmas is my favorite time of the year because it is a time when people from all walks of life come together to celebrate and give thanks for all that they have been blessed with!” Likewise,
Editor-in-Chief-- Rachel Driver Junior Editor-- Ashley Richards Managing Editor-- Gianna Tiedemann Copy Editor-- Alexa Reinhart Stang Staff Amanda Brown, Stephen Consoli, Connor Kelley, Samantha Moore, Matt Scott, Spencer Traver, Michael Vaughan, Matt Yochum Advisor--Heidi McCurdy
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fellow senior Adam Dole said, “I love Christmas because it’s the time of year where everyone is off of school and work and we get to spend time with our family and friends. Plus that part where you get presents from everyone you know is pretty sweet too.” Lastly, senior Sarah Helm said, “I love Christmas because there are Christmas lights up everywhere and I get to bake peppermint desserts! I also love all the family traditions!” All I have left to say is this: MERRY CHRISTMAS! May God bless you and your families over this special time of year. I pray that you will be filled with joy and celebration in your hearts over the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
What makes Alexa excited Christmas lights, winter clothes, and chalk By Alexa Reinhart, Copy Editor
This month, I will be informing all of you wonderful readers about things that make me excited. If you know me at all, I get excited over extremely simple things, but these are some of the things that have made me excited recently: Christmas lights, winter clothes, and chalk. One of my favorite things that comes along during the Christmas season is all of the lights. Driving around Houston gazing at the bright and amazing lights on people’s houses, listening to Christmas music and laughing with family or friends--that sounds like a perfect, cold winter night to me. Driving around looking at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve has been a tradition with my family for a while, so there is no denying that Christmas lights make me very excited. There are some amazing houses that are completely covered in lights. Not only do they remind me that Christmas is coming, but they also just put me in such a great mood. Whenever my house is lit with the Christmas tree and the garland on the staircase, I cannot help but rejoice and be filled with the spirit of Christmas. Christmas lights are just so beautiful and they are something that I look forward to every year because of the intricacy of the homes and the Christmas spirit and joy that they bring. Something else that makes me extremely excited is all of the winter, cold-weather clothes. Gone are the t-shirt tanks, shorts, floral dresses, and colorful sandals that summer embraced, and here come the funky tights, oversized sweaters, endless boots, and Christmas socks. I absolutely love winter fashion because it is so comfortable. If I feel like wearing sweatpants somewhere, not a fancy place of course, then I can because it is cold outside. Oversized sweaters are also my favorite item this winter season. Pairing a cute, warm sweater with a pair of jeans, tights, or leggings and boots or flats is a perfect outfit for just about anywhere, and that is why I love it so much. Gosh winter clothes make me so excited. Of course one of
my favorite winter clothing accessory is something that I even wear all year long, even if I get laughed at: Christmas socks. Christmas socks make me extremely excited, especially the ones that light up when you move…yes they do exist. Along with the light up socks, my second favorite type has to go with the super cliché Christmas socks. Some girls wear cute patterned Christmas socks and that is great too, but I like to take the road full of candy canes, gingerbread men, and Santa Claus’s instead Those socks just scream Christmas and instantly make me happy. Lastly, this item is something that probably does not make most teenagers, or anyone for that matter, excited, but since I am not typical, this item makes me extremely excited: chalk. I bet you are thinking, “how in the world does chalk make Alexa happy? She’s so strange.” Well, you are probably right. But, nowadays, chalk is not just the ordinary chalk that teachers used on chalkboards way back then. I am talking about the chalk that is neon, glittery, 3D, glows in the dark, and changes color. How awesome is that? The fact that I can draw on my driveway in neon colored chalk and put on some 3D glasses to see how it pops out of the ground just blows my mind. Chalk is just a wonderful invention that gets overlooked by so many other forms of coloring entertainment like fancy twistable crayons and invisible markers and other petty coloring utensils like those. But, you are never too old to color with chalk. Plus, who colors inside the lines anyways? As you can draw from this article, the most random things from Christmas lights to chalk make me excited. After reading this article, I am almost positive that you are going to think that I am weird and probably annoying too, but I assure you, drive around and look at Christmas lights and color with chalk, and you will too experience the excitement both of these bring.
Opinions
A poster is worth a thousand words
The Stang
11
Witty commentary on the posters in Mrs. McCurdy’s room By Gianna Tiedemann, Managing Editor If you have taken Newspaper, Yearbook, or Video Tech, or have been in Mrs. McCurdy’s room for any period of time, you have probably noticed the funny posters that surround her desk. They include funny sayings about whining, complaining, being in charge, and they coincidentally express some of her likes and dislikes. When Mrs. McCurdy and I were talking about her posters, she inspired me to write commentary on what I thought of each poster. So, here I am, writing this editorial. Enjoy.
In my opinion, I think Mrs. McCurdy thinks this often when people don’t do their jobs but refrains from saying it unless it is absolutely necessary. For example, if you are not working on your spread, not writing your articles, not staying on task, etc... you may receive a sharp “Snap out of it” so that you will get back on task if what you’re working on is super important. No worries, it is nothing personal, she just truly cares about how well you do in school...kind of. Haha! This one catches my eye many times because I tend to ask Mrs. McCurdy for a lot of things. Pens, candy, help, anything you can ask for, I’ve probably already asked her for it. I am the actual black hole of need when it comes to these things. Obviously this poster is extremely sarcastic, so me endlessly asking for things is probably not adorable in her eyes. Sorry McCurds...
Ahhh, this one is key to understanding and getting along with the fabulous Mrs. McCurdy. She “immensely” hates stupid questions. Now, I bet many of you have heard teachers tell you that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Mrs. McCurdy seems to think otherwise. She says, “If a teacher tells you there is no such thing as a stupid question, they are lying.” Her most hated stupid question has to be the one students ask most: “Are we doing anything today?” So, for future reference, don’t ask her that question.
Stephen’s Sports Report Kobe Bryant or LeBorn James? Ny: Stephen Consoli, Stang Staff As the 2012-2013 NBA season
of the two over their perspective careers gets started, I thought it would be good to during the regular season, LeBron leads in the six major categories. The six categories talk about a topic that is one of the more are points per game (27.6 to 25.4), discussed topics in the realm of sports. rebounds per game (7.2 to 5.3), assists Who’s better, Kobe Bryant or LeBron per game (6.9 to 4.7), steals per game James? I personally would choose King (1.7 to 1.5), blocks per game (0.8 to 0.5), James over Kobe any day of the week, and field goal percentage (.484 to .454). but instead of just stating my opinion I Just looking at these stats, you should be am going to give you my reasoning for able to pick for yourself, but if that is not that throughout the article with stats and enough for you, I will provide the playoff accolades. averages as well. LeBron leads in every To start, I’ll just state the fact that, prior to this season, in LeBron’s nine- one of these categories in the playoffs as well. Points per game (28.5 to 25.6), year career, he has three MVP trophies rebounds per game (8.7 to 5.0), assists to his name compared to Kobe’s one in per game (6.7 to 4.7), steals per game sixteen years. Now yes, Kobe has five NBA championship rings in which he won (1.7 to 1.4), blocks per game (0.9 to 0.7), and field goal percentage (.469 to .448). I two Finals MVP awards to go along with them. LeBron only has one ring, but in that know even these still won’t convince most people who the better player is, so I’ll keep one year he also won the Finals MVP. A lot people like to rag on LeBron for taking going. Although there are a few errors in nine years to finally win the Finals, but PERs (player efficiency rating) it is a very if you look at the greatest player to ever solid way of analyzing a player’s career. play the game, it took he was 27 to win PER is a formula that takes every stat in an his first Championship as well. How old NBA game into account to come out with was LeBron when he won? Twenty-seven. a number to summarize a player’s play. It How many did Jordan end up winning? is the best-known way to look at a player’s Six. It’s more than possible for LeBron to success and effect that they have on a repeat what Jordan did. But I’m not going game. When you look at the career leaders to focus on the future; instead I’m going to in PER, Lebron James is number two on talk about the evidence that the two have given through their play over their careers. that list. Behind who? Michael Jordan. Where is Kobe? 18th. Shaquille O’Neal is When you look at the averages
Whining is one of the things Mrs. McCurdy strongly dislikes. I bet you that if she had a pair of earmuffs, she would be wearing them all class period in Newspaper. From Matt Yochum and Matt Scott whining over who will have to write the Veteran’s Day article to all of us whining over completing our spreads. Although the whining is not extremely excessive, there is still apparently enough for earmuffs. Maybe that will be her next Christmas present...
third on that list. Now I know that seems completely irrelevant, but this is why I mention Shaq’s PER. Three of Kobe’s five rings came when he played with Shaq. In those three championships, Shaq was the star and Kobe was his co-star. Shaq lead that team to the three rings that they earned. Kobe was the second best player on that team. In the most recent two, Kobe has been the go to guy and one of the best players in the league, but while he was the star, he still had two great big men, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Both of these seven-footers are all-stars in NBA. Every championship team has to have a good big man. The two big men that Lebron has made the finals with are Zyndrunas Ilgauskas and Joel Anthony. While Lebron could blame two of his failed attempts in the finals on the lack of a big man, he doesn’t. He takes the blame for the losses and only works harder because he doesn’t want it to happen again. Speaking of blaming others, especially big men, Kobe blamed Pau Gasol for the game 4 loss in Oklahoma City last year. Kobe never takes the fall for the team; he likes to throw it on other players. Back in Cleveland in the 2007 playoffs, Lebron single-handedly took his team to the finals, fighting off the Pistons, one of the best defensive teams in the league at the time, after being down 0-2. The second and third best players on the Cavs that year were Larry Hughes and Zyndrunas Ilgauskas. If you’re curious as to why I point this out, go look at their career statistics;
This shows what the McCurdybirdy likes. If you did not know this already, Mrs. McCurdy is very involved in journalism. She teaches different kinds of journalism classes such as Video Tech, Yearbook, and Newspaper (the best class). She also teaches Accounting and Computer Science. Not only does it show what she likes, but if you look deeper into the poster by looking at the girl in the photo rather than just the words you may be able to see that the girl resembles Mrs. McCurdy when she gets “serious.” Hands on hips, stern look on the face, she has it all. Yet, this seriousness does not last too long. We all know that Mrs. McCurdy is incapable of being really, seriously serious for a long period of time, so she uses the poster to convey her seriousness. But we know she really loves us all.
you’ll soon find out why I said Lebron “singlehandedly” took this team to the finals. In game 5 of that Pistons series, Lebron scored the final nine points of regulation to force overtime. He then went on to score all 18 points in both overtimes to win the game. If you didn’t do the math, that’s 25 straight points by one player to close out a pivotal game 5 in a 2-2 series tie and win the game, thus putting his team in a position to have a deciding game 6 at home. The Cavs went on to make the finals that year and got swept 4-0 against the Spurs, but lets be honest, no matter who you are or how good you are, you can’t expect to win a game in the finals when you’re doing it alone. In the years that Kobe did not have a team around him, he didn’t make the playoffs and began to demand a trade. It wasn’t until the Lakers made a trade to bring in Pau Gasol that Kobe decided to stick it out with the Lakers. In the end, every stat but championships, points to Lebron being the better player in this comparison. Championships are not even close to being a direct result of one player. A championship takes a team and that is something that Lebron has lacked in his career. If championships defined a player and their ability, Robert Horry would be considered better than Kobe and Lebron, and equal to Michael Jordan. I’m not buying that for a second. Lebron is the better player, but you can make that decision on your own and I’ll leave it at that.
12
December 2012
Entertainment
Eat. Drink. Be Healthy.
Monthly Tweets
Portion control is one of the keys to healthy eating by Alexa Reinhart, Stang Staff
One of the best things of a holiday like Christmas is all of the wonderful food that comes with it. Christmas desserts, ham, rolls, green beans, casseroles, and many sides like macaroni are staples when Christmas rolls around, but how much of it should you really eat? I am sure a lot of you are going to think that I am crazy after this article, but it is purely just my opinion based on research. One of the keys to eating healthy this holiday season is portion control. What exactly does portion control mean? Basically it means controlling your portions. But, other than the obvious definition I just gave, it means maintaining a balance of the food you eat for one meal. There are many different ways to do this, but I will share with you a few that I do as well. The first important one to achieve the right amount of proportion is the size of the plate you use. If you eat on a big plate, you are more likely to put more than enough food on your plate, which you will most likely eat a lot of it. Instead, if you put your food on a small plate, you can fill the plate and eat all of the food because the amount is probably not as much as it would have been on a large plate. Many of you are probably thinking, “well I will still probably be hungry,” yes, you may be. In that case you would obviously get more food, but
I think that the slower you eat, the less you eat. If you eat really fast and shove food in your mouth, you are not giving your stomach enough time to digest your food. Because your food is not digesting fast, you continue to eat more because your stomach is still telling you that you are hungry, rather than eating slow and allowing your food to digest in a timely manner. Another example of portion control is putting a healthy balance of protein, carbs, fiber, and vegetables on your plate. Half of your plate (big or small), should be leafy greens and crunchy, pure vegetables. You may be wondering why I said crunchy and pure vegetables. What I mean by crunchy is if the vegetable is steamed, it should not be soggy. For example, when you steam broccoli, do not steam it for so long that it becomes squishy because once it is squishy most of the nutrients have also cooked away. When I said pure, I meant purely, raw vegetables, either cooked or not. This does not include cheesy broccoli or vegetables smothered in butter. The other half of your plate should be split between grains and protein. Grains include rice, beans, bread, etc. I suggest eating whole-grain and fiber enriched grains, but that is just me. Also, in this grain section, you can add pasta, which I also suggest to be whole grain. Whole grain
provides a good amount of fiber, which is a necessity. Black beans, black-eyed peas, and kidney beans are all also great to eat with most foods. The other part of this half of the plate is your protein. Of course your protein can be chicken, turkey, pork, or beef. All of your meat should be lean; containing a minimal amount of fat, and should not be mixed or cooked with anything else. What I mean by that is it has to be purely meat. It should not be chicken and cheese casserole. As many of you know, I only eat chicken and turkey, which also happen to be lean and “light” meats. This means they are not heavy on your stomach when cooked. I am sure a lot of you (if anyone actually read this article) are not going to listen to any of this because the holidays are without a doubt a time of family, friends, joy, and of course food. But, nonetheless, I thought I would share my insight with the few of you (hi mom) that actually read my nutrition articles. I normally add a recipe of the month, but hey, it’s the holidays, time to indulge a little. With that said, I encourage you to check out the article about delicious, Christmas inspired desserts. Enjoy!
Taken 2 takes the box office
An action packed sequel to an all time favorite soars in theatres by Samantha Moore, Stang Staff
Taken 2, the sequel to Taken, was action-packed and full of conflict: the perfect movie for a boy’s night out. Action movie star, Liam Neeson, played the main character, Bryan Mills. As a retired C.I.A. agent, he has the ability, through countless hours of training, to protect whomever he chooses. While on a family vacation to Istanbul, his talents are finally needed. A vengeful crime boss builds an army of killers to kidnap Bryan and his family. His daughter, played by Maggie Grace, is left to recover her parents after both her mother and father are taken. Throughout many intense scenes, director Olivier Megaton easily captures the audience’s attention and leaves viewers pondering the actor’s next moves. Taken 2, released on October 5, 2012, has maintained its high position in the box office listings throughout the past month and a half. This past weekend it fell out of the top 10 by just one place. Its international success is an impressive characteristic unique to this film. Critic Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle, discusses the movie’s ability to get the action across without unnecessary plot drama. He states in his review, “the information gets tossed out as fast and as forcefully as possible. Time is lavished only on things that matter.” I completely agree.
Megaton did a phenomenal job of keeping the movie interesting and avoiding dull moments. The casting of the movie was also a commendable job. Neeson, having starred in countless action movies, was voted the most reliable action star by Forbes Magazine. His serious attitude and physical appeal to the part are two key factors that help him pull off the role as if it was his real career. Maggie Grace, playing the role of Kim Mills, has also starred in a fair share of action movies. Taken 2 will easily join the list of her previous successful films such as Taken, Lockout, and Lost. Critic Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun- Times, claims, “The cast is uniformly capable and dead serious.” The three stars, Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, and Famke Janssen, worked well together and produced a remarkable movie. If you are looking for an action packed thriller for a night out with friends, Taken 2 is definitely worth your time. Filled with talented actors and an exciting plot, the movie was ultimately a success.
by Spencer Traver, Stang Staff Providing only the best tweets around campus, Houston, and the world! Students – Senior David Hansen (@DBoy321) – “If this Powerball Lottery gets to be a billion dollars...” Junior Amanda Brown (@abr0wnie) – “The Memorial City Mall area looks like a winter wonderland ❄”
Sophomore Kaitlyn Hovermale @( KaitlynHovermal) – “Is it Christmas break yet?” Senior Gianna Tiedemann (@gteeds219) – “SANTA!! I KNOW HIM! #pickmytweet”
Freshman McKenna Traver (@kennatraver15) – “Patience always pays off. God always has better timing and a better plan than us.” Faculty – Dr. Livingston (@HCHSDrL) - “I understand HC’s Carol Ostlind is part of a choral group backing up Andrea Bocelli tonight at the Toyota Center! Wow!”
Alumni – Florida Gators Freshman Randy Faulk (@ FaulkRandy7) – “Back in h town. First thing I’m going to do is get that Mexican food that I miss so much #yum” Popular – Pastor John Piper (@JohnPiper) – “If someone bothers you today, ask yourself: Am I amazed at how well God has treated me when I’ve bothered him?” Buddy the Elf (@ItsBuddyElf) – “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!”
Christian Author Jarrid Wilson (@JarridWilson) – “Ladies, a real man does more than pay for you, he prays for you.” Former Christian Author C.S. Lewis (@CSLewis) – “You cannot love a fellow-creature fully till you love God. #cslewis #thegreatdivorce”
Duchess is Due. Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton is expecting her first child. Tabloids speculate that she could be having twins.
News
Breaking Dawn Part 2, the best saved for last Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Series is no disappointment for die-hard fans by Rachel Driver, Editor Bella Swan comes to Forks,
Washington where she meets Edward Cullen and Jacob Black. She falls in love with Edward, and finds out he is a vampire. She is almost killed by a crazy vampire named James. Jacob, the hot Indian sweetheart, is her best friend and hates the Cullens. Charlie, Bella’s father, is a cop. Charlie is out of the loop majority of the time. Edward and Bella seem to be inseparable, but Edward leaves Bella trying to give her a real life. Bella’s heart is broken and she leans on Jacob. Alice, Edward’s sister, is psychic and thinks Bella died. Edward finds out and wants to die too. A huge whirlwind of emotions and misunderstandings occur. Turns out Edward and Bella are reunited and get married and do what married couples do: they have a child. Bella almost dies trying to birth a half mortal and half immortal child, but somehow makes it through. This is where the amazing Breaking Dawn Part Two comes into play. I felt like I needed to give you some kind of background information before I went on. There comes a time where all the Vampire and Werewolf lovers buy their tickets, get in line hours early, and stay up to watch what they have been waiting for over a year to see. Theaters all over the world are packed with Twi-Hard fans for the midnight premier of the new Twilight
movie, in this case Breaking Dawn. Each of the movies are inspired, and created according to Stephenie Meyer’s book series. Each movie keeps you on the edge of your seat. With vampires, werewolves, and innocent humans you never know what could happen. Each of these movies involve a little bit of comedy, tons of action, and of course, romance. In Breaking Dawn Part Two, Bella and Edward have a baby girl, Renesmee. She is a unique character and seems to leave a lasting impression on anyone she meets. The movie is an inspiring film that shows the importance of loyalty, and fighting for those you love, your family. Edward Cullen has never had more motivation to protect his wife, Bella, his daughter, Renesmee, and his other family members he treasures so much. You see, in the movies, there is this group of vampires called the Volturi. The Volturi are like the royal family in the world of vampires. Their main goal is to keep the secrets of their kind safe; they are a heartless clan that gets what they want. The Volturi heard about Renesmee, assumed the worst, and had intentions to kill her. In the past vampire children were these terrible, havoc wreaking monsters that killed numbers of people and vampires. The Volturi wanted to end Renesmee so that this would not happen again. What they did not know is how sweet Bella and Edward’s child really is. The climax of
the movie is when the Volturi come and prepare to fight all of the vampires, and werewolves that stood up for Renesmee and the Cullen’s. An epic battle prevails and it was enjoyable to watch. The characters, the settings, the audiovisuals, everything comes together to make this battle scene an experience one will never forget. There are so many intricate details in the movie it is necessary to see it more than once. Sitting in the audience, you are treated to an epic romance, thrilling action movie, and an overall amazing experience. Our very own Houston Christian students were some the loyal fans that went out to see the midnight premier of Breaking Dawn Part Two, on November 15, Thursday night. Renee Alphonso10 says, “Twilight Breaking Dawn part two was a suspenseful and roller coaster ride way to end the series. My emotions were on high as Edward and Bella fought to the death to protect their precious daughter. The series ended with a bang that I will never forget. Team Jacob for life.” If that doesn’t make you want to see the movie, I do not know what would. The coming of Breaking Dawn was a bittersweet experience for all the fans. Although it was by far the best movie yet, it was the end of the movie series. Everyone was excited to see it, but sad to know it was over. The movie is an experience that anyone would enjoy.
Q
&A
Bubble Bath or Shower?
What do you want for Christmas?
Favorite Animal?
Favorite Season?
Bubble Bath
Audi A5
Otter
Fall
Two Front Teeth
Periwinkle
Winter
Purse
Cat
Winter
Perfume
Butterfly
Spring
Maddy Copello
Bubble Bath (; Cody Reeter
Shower
Shelby Barhorst
Bubble Bath Pete Huggins
The Stang
13
C.M.A.’s
Fame, excitement, and entertainment by Connor Kelley, Stang Staff This year’s Country Music Awards (CMA’s) were filled with great performances and well deserved awards. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood hosted once again for the 46th CMA’s. They did a great job keeping the audience interested, not only in the awards, but also in their many different outfit changes that occurred during the night. The performers varied from Taylor Swift, Luke Bryan, Hunter Hayes, Carrie Underwood, to Willie Nelson. A lot of the performances were dedicated to Willie Nelson, in honor of his Life Time Achievement award that he received at this year’s Country Music Awards. The performances that were not dedicated to Willie Nelson were the most interesting. Fans surrounded Hunter Hayes as he sang his first big hit “Wanted.” Taylor Swift had a different approach when singing her new song “Begin Again.” She had an intricate stage setup that was designed to look like a café in Paris, France. She simply walked around while she sang and men and women that sat and played along in the scene replaced traditional back-up singers. The performances were all different, but all the songs were popular and catchy, which is sometimes the opposite of what award shows are typically like. The awards were the most exciting part of the show, obviously. Most awards went to Blake Shelton-including Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, and Song of the Year for Over You. Sophomore Cassidy Kelley said, “Blake Shelton did amazing and I can’t wait and see what he can do next year.” The only award he was nominated for that he did not win was Single of the Year for God Gave Me You. His wife, Miranda Lambert, won Female Vocalist of the Year and also won Song of the Year with Blake for Over You. These two names were heard more than once throughout the night. Taylor Swift, who has received many awards in the past at the CMA’s, did not win any of the four awards she was nominated for this year. The one she was expected to win was Entertainer of the Year, and it was a shock that she was not called on stage as the winner. Little Big Town is the only other group who even compared to Miranda Lambert or Blake Shelton. They won two awards and the rest of the award winners won only one award.
14 Girls soccer comes out of nowhere December 2012
Sports
The girls have started out in great fashion by Matt Yochum, Stang Staff The girl’s soccer team this year has come out of nowhere after winning numerous games, and even our own tournament! This is exactly what the girls have needed after all the time they put in the offseason. You can really see their excitement when you talk to them about their success. The chemistry and the tightknit group is one of the major factors that have propelled the girls into the next level of teams. Led by seniors Christi Harrison and Sarah Helm, the girls are going above and beyond what was expected of them this year. When asked about what’s the difference, senior Sarah Helm said, “We just are all on the same page and really want to do our best and as long as we are winning then we are!” This shows how confident this team is and for them to be great it has to start with their leaders who are clearly doing a good job of that. The mustangs have also gotten some help from their new freshman mid fielder Emily Kaestner and forward Courtney King. These two girls have done a lot to help the girls succeed and leave it all on the field every game! Along with our freshman we have some sophomores who came into this season being expected to perform and they have gone above and beyond what was asked of them. Haley Morris, Emily Detiveaux, and Karina Arnold have really stepped it up this season showing everyone why they are looked at to perform, and perform
well. Our girls are being awarded for their hard work in numerous ways like when four of our girls got All-Tournament team in this month’s tournament! Along with Freshman Emily Kaestner, sophomore Haley Morris (forward), Christi Harrison (defender), and sophomore Karina Arnold (defender) were all given accolades for their performances. If that wasn’t enough senior captain Christi Harrison talked to me a little about how grateful she is to be apart of this team and lead such an amazing group of girls saying, “I love my team and I think everyone feels the same way. We make each other better and are always looking for ways to get better!” With an attitude like this the possibilities are endless. This is the year for girl’s soccer and we all need to get out there and support them! If they keep up this winning season then we should expect them to go deep in our new SPC playoff season. They need all the support that they can get though! Sophomore Haley Morris shouted out to the student body saying, “if we get enough people out there to be loud and cheer us on, then we will be unstoppable!” After watching a few of their games, I couldn’t agree more. Their chemistry on the field is a sight to see and you won’t want to miss anymore of the action. Come out and see your Stangs in this truly memorable season! What’s black, white, and round?
Guys go kicking and screaming into the SPC Guys soccer begins with new mindset by Gianna Tiedemann, Stang Staff If you were thinking of a panda, boy were you wrong. It’s a soccer ball! Yes, it’s that time of year for sitting outside in the freezing cold watching our amazing guy’s soccer team win countless games. The season started off with a big 5-0 win against Fort Bend Christian Academy with goals scored by seniors Karl Stuewer, Keith Crawford, Matt Scott, David Buzali, and Brooks Lehle. Being in the SPC, the guy’s soccer team play some new teams. Some of these teams include Fort Bend Christian, St. Stephens School, St. Mary’s Hall, John Cooper, and St. John’s. Although these teams may be good, they are no match for the guy’s Varsity and JV soccer teams. Not only is the team in a new conference, but they are coached by a new coaching staff. Phil Masters, who also teaches English III, is the head coach of the guy’s soccer team. He played soccer on the collegiate level for Wheaton College in Illinois, and is bringing his knowledge, technique, and skill to the guy’s soccer team in order to lead them to victory. According to senior, Karl Stuewer, the season is going to look pretty good. “Our practices are a lot tougher than last year, but they are necessary for us to get a lot better” said Karl when asked about practices. He further explained that
a normal practice starts out with warm up, goes to passing drills, then scrimmaging, and lastly sprints. When asked about the season, Karl also explained that the hardest game of their year is to be determined since they are now in a new conference. Enough about the games and the coaches, lets talk about the players. As for captains, they are yet to be determined. We have the fabulous Patrick Mulvey and “The Stang”’s very own, Spencer Traver protecting our goal. “Both Patrick and Spencer do a really great job of looking studly in the goal when they block shots,” says junior John O’Carroll. The team has sixteen seniors, two juniors, and two sophomores on varsity, and a combination of seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshman on junior varsity. This year, although they have to adapt to a new conference, the season looks like it’s going to turn out great. Senior Ben Young says, “If you don’t come to a game, you’re going to be very very sorry because I will be angry.” So,if you have nothing to do during the week (because homework doesn’t exist….) do not make Ben mad and go watch a soccer game. For a full schedule, go to the HC portal under “Athletics.”
THE GUYS SOCCER TEAM
CHRISTI HARRISON clears the ball in the girl’s soccer game at Soccer Fest. The girls won the Soccer Fest tournament held at Houston Christian this year.
celebrates after they score a goal at Soccer Fest. The guys won third place in this season’s tournament.
HC goes to the SPC Playoffs Mustangs compete in the State Playoffs by Matt Scott, Stang Staff Fall sports is over, and the football, volleyball, cross country and field hockey team all made it to the SPC playoffs. They traveled to Fort Worth to compete and even though none of the teams won the championship, they all did well. Volleyball and field hockey competed on the same day while the cross country team started that saturday. The volleyball team entered the tournament on a hot streak as they finished the regular season winning their last four conference games, including huge wins against Kinkaid, John Cooper and St. Johns. The winning streak got them a spot in the Division I tournament and the #2 seed from the South Zone.The team began the tournament Friday morning against
Holland Hall from Tulsa. The game was played at All Saints Episcopal in Fort Worth. Maddy Laster11 said, “ The volleyball season was like a rollercoaster of emotions even though we were down sometimes, we always got right back up.”“We won the first game and then lost the last two.” Although we lost and got fourth in the end but we still are number one in the hearts of the Mustangs.” The field Hockey team competed in the Division II bracket as they also faced Holland Hall. The cross country team raced for the SPC championship at Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth. St. John’s won the girls division and our girls were 12th. Houston Christian’s top runners were Meredith O’Neal, Micaela Aikins, and Karina Arnold. In the boys
race St. Andrews was the first place team and we were 13th. For the guys, the top runners were Cameron Duffy, Harrison Swiggart, and Robert Quinilty. Cameron placed 29th overall, which was the top finish by any Houston Christian runner. His time was 17:09 for the three-mile race. The overall boy’s winner, from The John Cooper School ran 15:55. Meredith’s time of 21:46 was just over 3 minutes behind the winning girl’s time of 18:30 from Hockaday, however 18:30 would be one of the top times overall in the state this year for 3 miles. Coach Jantzen said that, “The cross-country coaches were very pleased with the results of the meet, as crosscountry is extremely competitive in the
SPC. Our goal this season was to just beat a few SPC teams in the conference meet, which we did. SPC cross-country is far more competitive than TAPPS, and it was also the first time the HC girls had to run the three-mile race. I really was thrilled with how well they handled the new challenge and far exceeded my expectations. Here is a little comparison between TAPPS and SPC cross-county. At the state TAPPS meet last year Cameron had the best time by any sophomore, but would have ranked 14th in the SPC. This year he was the 7th fastest junior in the SPC.” Sarah Helm12 has been running cross country for three years and said that, “this season was fun but it was kind of depressing that it will be my last season”.
News
Fan Clubs, one of the many things going on around campus More about those Bleacher Babes, Courtside Cuties, Soccer Sweethearts, Diamond Dolls, and Lax Ladies by Rachel Driver, Editor & Chief There are many things going on around campus during the sports seasons. We have seasons, we have sports, and we have fan clubs. Fan clubs may seem like a bunch of girls getting together to make cookies for the guy they are crushing on, but assuredly, there is more to these clubs than meets the eye. Long hours, lots of money, and endless effort is given by these young ladies involved in the fan clubs. Being a Bleacher Babe, Courtside Cutie, Soccer Sweetheart, Diamond Doll, or a Lax Lady is a tough job. It takes a special kind of girl to be a successful fan club member. The purpose of the fan clubs is to provide a special treat, whether it be baked goods (cookies, brownies, cake balls, cupcakes, food, Gatorade, candy, etc) or something else that gets a particular Varsity boy pumped for his game. The main goal is to show the members of varsity sports that they do matter, they are loved, and that we know they will always play great. To get an even better perspective on what goes into making these fan clubs happen one must talk to the Presidents that run them. For Bleacher Babes the Presidents are Rachel Driver12, and Alexa Reinhart12. “A lot of work goes into getting a group of girls together and on the same page. We have to get a roster of the football team, email all the Junior and Senior girls to sign up for a boy, assign girls to boys, make t-shirts, get money from over 20 girls, and make sure they are doing a good job and actually giving something to their Football player,” Alexa says. I will admit there is some drama that comes along with being a President of a club. With so many girls, and so few boys, there is always that
awkward moment when two girls want the same guy. Hey, it is a part of the job. Although it sounds like a lot of work, being President for the Bleacher Babes was a fun experience for Alexa and I. The guys seemed to really appreciate it, and that makes it all worthwhile. Courtside Cuties is run by the fabulous Ashley Richards11. Although Ashley is a junior, she took the Courtside Cuties fan club, and led it well. She can tell you “it is a lot of work doing all the planning, but it is so worth it.” Ashley “loves this kind of thing, and has so much fun with it.” Even though Ashley has a boyfriend, Connor Kelley11, on the varsity basketball team, she chose to lead this fun fan club because she just loves it so much ;). Being so well organized, the courtside cuties were a big hit, and still are, for the Men’s Varsity Basketball team. Each basketball player is so grateful for the fun things they get on game day. Ashley made adorable T-shirts, and sweatshirts for the Courtside Cuties this year. Being a Courtside Cutie is something to be proud of. Because of this, you will see numerous girl wearing their T-shirts, and sweatshirts around campus. Soccer Sweethearts is run by Morgan Hurst12 and Leslie Lameroux12. These two girls took on a big job arranging a fan club for soccer. There has been Soccer Sweethearts in the past, but for the past few years the club did not exist. This task was not easy to complete, but they wanted to let the soccer boy’s know they are cared for too. Morgan Hurst12 admits, “I did start this club because I knew my boyfriend (Senior Robbie McPherson12) was going to want snacks and treats on
game days anyway. So, why not start a club and have a bunch of girls do it?” Soccer is an important sport at HC, and “we wanted to bring back the tradition of having Soccer Sweethearts, so we talked to Mrs. McCurdy and made it happen.” With t-shirts and sweatshirts made to support the guys, Soccer Sweethearts is a big hit once again. All of the other fan club presidents have yet to be announced. Lax Ladies and Diamond Dolls are the other fan clubs that are in support of Lacrosse, and Baseball. Every fan club member’s job is make the guys feel special on the big game day. These clubs may seem to be a little silly,
The Stang
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Stang Shorts by Stephen Consoli
Guy’s Basketball The guy’s basketball team has started the year off great, getting 4th in the San Antonio tournament (all 5A public schools and 1 private school) and 3rd in our own Mustang classic. Continue to come support your Stangs as they attempt to break last year’s wins record.
Guy’s Soccer The guy’s soccer team is starting off strong as well. They began the year by getting 3rd in Houston Christian’s own, Soccer Fest. They have only lost one game this season and have a record of 4-1-2.
Girl’s Soccer
or even outlandish, but if it makes the guys feel special, or make them perform or play any better in their games, it is all worth it. A big thanks goes out to all of the President’s of these fan clubs for the time and effort you all put into making everything happen!
AAfternew tradition gallops onto the scene: The Rowdy Refs their inaugrural season, the HC basketball student section returns
The girl’s soccer team started their year off by winning Soccer Fest. They are very exciting to watch and want a lot of support. They are lead by Senior Captain Christi Harrison and Sophomore Haley Morris. Come out and watch your girls do what they do best, win.
by Michael Vaughn, Stang Staff Ever been to an HC boys’ basketball game? If you have, it is likely that you were quite confused at first. You may have thought, “Hmm, that’s odd. Why are there a bunch of referees in the stands?” However, it probably didn’t take you long to figure out that these were no ordinary referees. Once football season ended in the fall of 2011, several former basketball players, including Chambers Swiggart12 and Alex Roys12, came together in hopes of making the basketball games as fun as they could possibly be for the players and the students. These pioneers of the student
section world were looking for something original, something that opposing teams had never faced before. One November afternoon, an idea was presented. The proposal was that the entire student section wear referee shirts, and act like officials. After a unanimous agreement, the Rowdy Refs were born. The Rowdy Refs have several goals: to play a part in the game as much as they can from the stands, and to be entertaining for the fans, players, and most of all, the referees. Some might think, “Well that’s not very exciting. What’s so fun about a referee?” I feel it necessary to differentiate the Rowdy Refs and normal referees by two major distinctions: 1) the Rowdy Refs are not, in any capacity, certified to officiate a high school basketball game, and 2) actual
referees are not rowdy. But the Rowdy Refs are really, really, really rowdy. As any good referees, they are all decked out in referee shirts. However, that is about all the Rowdy Refs have in common with their officiating friends. Co-founder Chambers Swiggart12 had something simple to say about the Rowdy Refs: “We win games.” Though some would attribute victory to the team who is actually playing, Chambers seems to disagree. Those who have not experienced the rowdiness may be wondering, “What do these people even do?” If you have not witnessed it, it is a must. The Rowdy Refs produce nonstop noise. If we are on defense, there is a deafening, unceasing “ohhhhhh.” When we are on offense, there is always a chant going to lift up our team. Last year, there
was even a giant head of senior Zach Evans that made its way into the stands. One thing the Rowdy Refs stand for is being a loud, entertaining, and rowdy student section while respecting the opposing team. They are there to build the team up, not tear the other team down. Sounds fun, right? When asked about what the Rowdy Refs has been to him, co-founder Alex Roys12 boldly claimed, “The Rowdy Refs is the best thing that I’ve ever been a part of in my entire life. It is worth more than anything… except salvation.” Word on the street is that Mr. Joel Davis, Bible teacher extraordinaire, is also considering joining the Refs. Want to join? All you need is a referee shirt. It’s time to get rowdy.
December 12
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The Stang
Girl Code & Guy Code
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Alexa and Gianna’ s girl survival guide 13 Essential rules that a girl must follow by Gianna Tideman and Alexa Reinhart, Managing & Copy Editors Hola! Alexa and Gianna here! Ladies, here are some top notch rules that may possibly save you from major embarrassment, heartbreak, and future arguments with friends. So listen up: Rule #1: Stealing your best friend’s ex-man is a no-no. GT: Allow me to put it this way: your best friend and their ex broke up for a reason right? If she broke up with him, then there’s probably something about him that either got on her nerves or made her think he didn’t treat her right. Since you and your bestie have a lot in common, you probably would think the same thing. Now if he broke up with her, you can easily tell that, since your best friend is one of the greatest people you will ever meet, he wasn’t good enough for her. This means he won’t be good enough for you either. Basically, don’t do it. AR: Gianna said it perfectly. Just avoid this situation because not only will you lose your best friend, you could also possibly lose your other best friends and get a reputation of being a man-stealer and no one wants that rep. Rule #2: If your best friend is arguing with her boyfriend, you’ve gotta have your girl’s back (unless it’s morally wrong/destructive). AR: Always stand up for your best friends--no matter what. It’s likely that she is right anyway, because girls are always right...just kidding, but really. If they are fighting because her boyfriend said something rude to her or did something hurtful, as a best friend, you definitely need to stand up for your girl. Many times girls will just give in to their boyfriends because they don’t want to fight anymore, so you have to be the one to stand up. GT: Your besties should always have your back no matter what the situation is, so you should do the same. It’s only fair and your friendship will become stronger. Rule #3: Caking on your makeup does not make you beautiful. GT: Yes, as ladies, we all want to be beautiful, but that doesn’t mean putting on layers and layers of foundation, mascara, eyeliner, and the works to accomplish this. Ever
heard the saying “less is more?” It’s true. Piling on all this makeup actually makes your face breakout more, making you put on more makeup. If you want your face to break out less, try not wearing as much makeup. AR: I am not trying to be rude, but girls, it is noticeable if your face is orange and your neck or arms are white. You will look so much better with light, skin colored makeup. Like Gianna stated so well, caking on all this makeup actually does nothing for you. It makes your skin worse and does not look natural. Rule #4: Nike shorts & uggs is just wrong. GT: Girls, we all know that we have all committed this crime at least once in our lives (unless you don’t have uggs or nike shorts). Hopefully, this crime was committed in middle school. Uggs are meant FOR WINTER. There’s a reason for the sheepskin lining inside those things. If your feet are cold, there are these marvelous things called socks that you can put on your feet while wearing your Nikes. Ugg boots are NOT the answer. Nike shorts are meant for working out, participating in casual events, and of course, summer. DO NOT wear these two together. AR: Couldn’t have said it any better, G. Rule #5: Hang on tight to your girlfriends. AR: I cannot stress this rule enough. You should NEVER abandon your girls for your new boy toy. At the end of the day, your best girlfriends will always be there for you, no matter what. And more often than not, the cute guy you left your girls for will not always have your back. Bows before bros, ladies. Rule #6: Chocolate is an accepted food on any occasion. Rule #7: Modest is HOTTEST. GT: Ladies, tight tops (showing immense amounts of cleavage), revealing short-shorts, and the like do not attract good guys. So don’t do it. Not only does immodest clothing not attract good guys, but no one wants to see what you’ve got. Keep it AWAY. AR: Agreed. You don’t have to wear scuba suits and cover everything, just keep it classy, not trashy. Rule #8: Inside jokes are meant to be inside. AR: If you have inside jokes with your best friends, do not go telling other people... especially your boyfriend.
He does not need to know everything about your friends, because most of the time the inside jokes are embarrassing and do not need to be shared. Sharing secrets is also a no-no. Secrets between your main girls are not meant to be shared, no matter what. Sharing secrets and inside jokes with other people (boyfriend included) will cause your friends to lose their trust in you, which could create a division in your friend group. Rule #9: GNO means GIRLS night. Period. AR: When your girls are planning a fun girls night out, that strictly means girls only. AKA: do not invite your boyfriend/crush to tag along and do not be texting him non-stop, skyping, or talking on the phone with him all night. GT: Perfectly stated Alexa. Rule #10: No girl shall ever have to go to the bathroom alone. AR: No explanation needed. It is essential for girls to have bathroom buddies. Rule #11: Never settle for less than butterflies. AR: Ladies, do not lower your standards for the hottie with the body. The perfect guy for you will come unexpectedly. GT: Yeah, Alexa’s right. If you honestly want a really good guy, he will pursue YOU! Just because some hottie with a horrible personality arrived in the flirtation station of your heart, don’t fall for/date the dude. Rule #12: Don’t be two faced when you only have one. GT: This is a really big one for us ladies. Most of us care at least somewhat about our reputations as women in this world, am I right? (If you truly don’t care, then more power to you.) Anyway, the majority of us do this really horrible thing where we talk about each other behind the other’s back. It’s not right at all. If you have a problem with someone, go up to them and tell them (nicely). Talking behind the other person’s back will only make things worse for yourself, and both of you will end up being hurt. Rule #13: If your bestie is dating an unfit man, tell her. AR: Period. Enough said.
The guys question the topic of being “just friends.. Is it possible?” by Stephen Consoli and Matt Scott, Stang Staff Stephen: So I recently heard a discussion about opposite sex friendships and that some people don’t think its possible to just be friends. What do you think, Matty? Matt: Well I think it is possible but very rare for both the guy and girl to be JUST friends. It seems like either the guy or the girl wants a little more out of the friendship. Maybe not have a huge, secret crush but just wants a little more than what the other person wants. You agree? Stephen: Yeah I think I agree with that. Whether they come out and say it eventually, or keep it a secret forever, I think there is secretly one of the two that has a little more feelings than just the friendship for the other one. Matt: I think the best relationships come from a good friendship so that’s why I think a lot of the times when a guy is really close to a girl he has a goal in mind to pursue a more serious relationship and not be just friends. BUT also it is possible for a guy and girl to be friends but I think the majority of the time one has a little more feelings or wants a little more out of the friendship. Stephen: Oh yeah, I gotcha. So you think it’s usually the guy that is the one that wants a little more? I see what you’re saying about the guy having a goal, but I think I
would have to say the girl is usually the one that throws things off. There are a few examples that come to mind. Matt: OH for sure! I have so many examples that come to my mind. I think girls have a hard time figuring out what they want. But if things get messed up, I would have to say almost all the time it is the girl’s fault. It is a fact girls make things more complicated so when a friendship starts to get confusing.... all things start to go downhill. Stephen: Yeah, they start getting all emotional and overthink everything. Then stuff starts getting real and it gets weird. At that point, you have to watch what you say, and you can’t be too nice because that’s when the girl starts over thinking things and then you are stuck in a situation that’s not so “friendly.” Matt: Yeah I agree, but you know it’s kind of fun to make it interesting. You have to keep your ladies on their toes. Stephen: That’s what I like to hear. I knew I liked you. Matt: I know, I like you too bud, but anyway we have to keep girls on their toes because if we don’t, they will take
advantage of us. Girls seem to take advantage of being nice or what some other guys call it being “whipped.” And when we get too soft that’s when they start to lead us on and take us on a rollercoaster nobody wants to be on. Stephen: Matty Scott speakin’ truth. But let’s be honest, girls are gross. I don’t like girls. Do you? Matt: Nah... you’re right, we’re done here, peace. Stephen: It’s been real, keep it classy boys... and girls.