VOL. 54 ISSUE 2
Signing Day: Athletes headed to next level by jenna jaffray
Athletes from all over the country compete for limited spots in the collegiate sports world, and there are many athletes from THS that have secured some of these prestigious spots. Athletes from football, soccer, softball, baseball, Photos from and volleyball all for- Signing Day, mally committed at Pages 4-5 National Signing Day last Wednesday, Feb. 3, officially declaring where they will continue their playing career. Many of these students are already excited for the next chapter of their lives and happy with their decision to sign in order to pursue their future in education and sports. “I love the program, the coach, and all the players that are currently there,” said Hunter Collins about Hendrix College, where he signed his commitment to play baseball. Collins’ eagerness is also mirrored by all the other signees, in-
All the athletes take a moment to sign their national letter of intent to play at the collegiate level.
cluding Aleka Darko, who signed for volleyball with Ithaca College in New York. “I’m excited to go up there, our
coach always sends us pictures of what it looks like over there,” Darko said. The Tomball community is proud
Photo by Anabelle Jenson
of all the THS athletes that signed, and can’t wait to see what they do while competing in their sport at the next level.
Some teachers get vaccines; students wait by grace lynch
Should you still travel for your Spring Break? Opinion, Pg. 3
As we head into the first few months of the New Year, many people have begun to wonder how the country and states will respond to the rise in infections. With new vaccines and new strains of the virus, states have put out more concise vaccination plans to try and curb COVID-19. According to the Texas Department
of State and Health Services, Plans 1A and 1B are currently in motion. Plan 1A includes healthcare workers, while Plan 1B prioritizes people of ages 65 or older and people 16 or older with chronic medical diseases that put them at a greater risk for infection. Teachers with one of the preexisting conditions have already begun getting the vaccine, with Tomball one of several school districts to partner with Harris County to get the vaccine.
“I just completed my second shot last week,” said Student Media adviser Jerry Fordyce. “I had no side effects, felt great. It’s a relief to know I don’t have to worry about getting sick.” After these demographics have been supplied with the vaccine, it will become more available to the general public. Students ages 16 and older should be able to get the vaccine as early
See COVID, Page 2
Students turn hobbies into paying jobs by lucas botello
There is more than one way to make money than to get a regular or part-time job. A few students at Tomball have turned their love for video games into a way for them to make some extra money. Sophomore Giovanni D’Ambrosio and Senior Joseph Ross are a few of many high school students that have partnered with gaming companies to help support the company as well as themselves. “You don’t really try out but you post your gameplay and where you would place within a tourna-
ment. Depending on how you do they’ll reach out to you and offer for you represent the company,” D’Ambrosio said. “I was with a small team called Forge.” How much a person can make from eSports depends on how well the player places in tournaments. “The most I have ever won was $800 from a World Cup Tryouts,” D’Ambrosio said. The total D’Ambrosio has made from E-Sports was $6,000. Ross has also found a way to make money from gaming. Unlike D’Ambrosio, Ross joined a small local eSports team called Elysian, which recently secured
Joseph Ross has turned his passion for gaming into a job by joining an eSports team.
a sponsorship from Rogue Energy. “When you start getting into these hobbies with the highly competitive players, you start to love the game and love the challenge,” he said.
Ross can make about $100$800 per tournament; so far in 2021, Ross has made around $350 from playing video games. Although it may not be a traditional job, students still find ways to make money with the skills