Hardships During The Holidays
Students share the stressful and emotional aspects of the Holidays
Pages 6-7
Hawk
Hendrickson High School 19201 Colorado Sand Drive Pflugerville. Texas 78660 Volume 19, Issue 3 December 19, 2025
In this Issue...
Theater Fall Shows Page 4
Christmas Traditions Page 8
Holiday Treats Review Page 12
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Opinions Volume 19, Issue 3
Staffer contemplates mystery behind one of Hollywood’s biggest action movies Landon Green | Reporter “Welcome to the party, pal,” yells John McClane. Have you heard that quote before? What about "Now I have a machine gun. Ho ho ho?" If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you should probably Google or watch Die Hard, a cult classic movie starring Bruce Willis. It also featured Alan Rickman, known as the Harry Potter character Snape. You either hate it, or love it. But if you heard of the movie, you’ve most likely heard of the day old question, is Die Hard a Christmas movie? Ever since Die Hard came o u t a l l the way back in 1988, everyone has begged t h e question if Die Hard is a Christmas m o v i e . Yes, there is a company Christmas party, and yes it is set on Christmas Eve. But people can differ about whether those ideas make it a Christmas movie. So, how do we figure out if it's Christmas or not? I believe what makes a Christmas movie a Christmas movie is music, family, and some good ol’ holiday magic. First is music, more specifically Christmas music. How do you forget
Illustration by | Brittany Truong
the iconic scene where McClane is walking away from his crazy Christmas antics with Christmas music playing in the background as the screen turns black. But that's not all, at the party there's Christmas music. In Al Powell's police car there is Christmas music, and Argyle is listening to Christmas music in his limo. After the music is family, the biggest factor for a Christmas movie. "Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs,” says McClane. McClane is t a l k i n g about his family, and going home to see his family. The whole plot of the movie is that McClane is trying to get to his family for Christmas. Everyone has John McClane quotes on the clothing and coffee mugs, but no one has Hans Gruber. Why? Maybe because he’s the bad guy, but beside that point he has a quote that I believe silences this confusion people have had for almost 40 years. "It's Christmas, Theo. It's the time of miracles. So be of good cheer... and call me when you hit the last lock," says Gruber. When you mind the fact that they're talking about breaking into a safe and stealing money, you see the hope for holiday magic. With-out-a-doubt Die Hard is a Christmas movie. It has the music, it has John McClane’s his family. And most of all, the hope for Christmas magic. So this Christmas, sit down with your family, get some food, and watch Die Hard, the Christmas movie.
Hit or Miss Sinkhole causes problems Throughout this school year, the sink hole in the parking lot has come to a lot of people’s attention. Students and teachers alike want it to be fixed before anything serious happens. Driving in this parking lot and the school area as a whole can be dangerous as well as stressful, the extra obstacle of the sink hole doesn’t help the parking lot’s case. With past incidents in this area from other unrelated reasons to the sink hole, fixing it to have more e"ciency in leaving and entering the parking lot should be a top priority right now. More and more people are getting their licenses as this school year continues which means more students will be driving in and out of this area each day, many having to avoid the sink hole. Students knowing about this, as well as parents can add an extra layer of anxiety when driving in this area. While they are planning on fixing it sometime after winter break, the school board still has to approve the funding for this important project. With all of these points on the sink hole here in the parking lot, fixing the sink hole is a hit.
Making changes with resolutions New Years, to many people, means a fresh start and a chance to try new things. Resolutions are a great way to make a plan for the upcoming year, a way to shake things up. Whether you want to eat healthier, join more clubs, or just spend more time off your phone there is never a better time to start than January 1st. And now is the perfect time to start thinking about those resolutions, and make a plan for the upcoming year. All in all New years resolutions are a hit.
Midterms add unnecessary stress The midterm season is here and the 2nd 9 weeks are ending. Every single class has a midterm, If you have an easier class you might just get a party, or just work out in a gym. If you have a hard class, you most likely have a project or a big scary test. Having a midterm is both a good thing and a bad thing. For starters a big test or project can keep teens up all night studying or working on the project. This could lead to stress and anxiety about their grades, but also it’s a good thing. A big project or test can show how much a student knows about the subject. Also midterms could help grades, but also hurts them. Really the midterms is a double sided topic. Based on the knowledge we have here, it could be a game changer or another chore you have to do. So In conclusion the negatives are bigger then the positives, and it swings more miss It’s a mess, and a gamble. In general, midterms are a miss.
Opinions December 19, 2025
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Staff Editorial
Your Turn How do you think the current economy will effect the holidays? “I feel like it's kinda different this year because of, you know, how prices got raised and everything. So a lot of people might not get what they want due to it being pricey.” -Araceli Guerrero, 12
“I feel like since there's no more food stamps, a lot of things are gonna be shut down, and some families won't be able to do what they really want and buy their kids what they want because this economy is messed up.’’ “And I feel that, you know, like, certain families, like, they want our meals and stuff. And because, you know, like, EBT is getting taken away, they won't be able to enjoy their holidays like they usually would.” Shelbi Yarbrough, 9 “Everybody not gonna be able to eat what they want because the prices are going up. And that’s gonna cause a lot of problems for people to be sad and hungry. There’s gonna be a lot of crime because when people don’t get what they want, they resort to other options to get what they want, which includes a lot of illegal stuff like robbery, stealing and scamming.” -Brenee Saul,10
“Unfortunately, this holiday season, my wife and I will not be able to afford the gifts we would love to get for our own children, relatives, and friends. Groceries are definitely more expensive, and I find that I’m spending what feels like 30% more this year as compared to last year. And all of that money I’m spending just to keep my family and myself fed, would otherwise have gone towards gifts for other people who we love.” -Jeremiah Justice, Teacher
Economy Reshaping Holidays Whether We Admit It or Not
Every year, the holiday season arrives with the same familiar images, crowded malls, and cheerful advertisements promising the “best deals of the year.” But underneath the wrapping paper and warm traditions, this year’s holidays look and feel different. For many families, the economy is not just a topic in the news, it is a force that is shaping how they celebrate. Prices for nearly everything, including food, travel, gifts, and decorations have risen, and paychecks are not stretching the way they used to. Even though inflation has slowed compared to previous years, costs remain noticeably higher than they were just a few months ago. A gallon of milk that once felt inexpensive now feels like a small luxury. And not only that, those looking to travel have to deal with airfare spikes every winter, but this year, many travelers simply cannot justify the price. The impact is not limited to just families. Retailers are rolling out Christmas deals earlier than ever before to catch nervous consumers before they tighten their wallets. Teachers are particularly feeling the strain, since many of them already spend their own money on classroom supplies throughout the year. So, when the holidays arrive, they face the same rising costs as everyone else, but
often with less financial flexibility. School events, staff celebrations, and classroom holiday activities can add additional expenses teachers quietly absorb because they want their students to feel the joy of the season. The most significant shift is not purely about the budget, but also about the emotional stress. Holidays are meant to be a time of generosity and togetherness, yet financial stress can overshadow the joy. Parents push themselves to maintain traditions for their children, young adults who work part time or minimum wage jobs feel guilty when they cannot afford expensive gifts, and families who once traveled to reconnect now weigh whether the cost is worth the strain. Yet this di"cult season is also prompting a meaningful change. Many people are choosing homemade gifts, low cost activities, potluck dinners, and quality time instead of expensive outings. Communities are responding with donation drives and holiday assistance, friends are replacing gift exchanges with shared experiences, and in a quiet way, the economic squeeze is encouraging us to rethink the purpose of the season. The economy may be affecting the holidays, but it does not have to define them, and this challenge gives us an opportunity to reshape our traditions around connection, kindness, and creativity.
Illustration by | Brittany Truong The Hawk, the official student newspaper of Hendrickson High School, is an open forum for the exchange of ideas and opinions. Hendrickson High School 19201 Colorado Sand Drive Pflugerville, TX 78660 http://www.pfisd.net/HHS (512) 594-1100 Student Population: 2,134 Staff: 180 Principal: Michael Grebb Adviser: Kari Riemer www.facebook.com/HawkNewspaper
Hardships During The Holidays
Opinions expressed reflect the beliefs of the student author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the entire Hawk Staff, the Hawk Adviser, the Hendrickson Faculty and Staff, or the Principal.
Students share the stressful and emotional aspects of the Holidays
Pages 6-7
Hawk Cover art by Karina Bon Hendrickson High School 19201 Colorado Sand Drive Pflugerville. Texas 78660 Volume 19, Issue 3 December 19, 2025
In this Issue...
Theater Fall Shows Page 4
Christmas Traditions Page 8
Holiday Treats Review Page 12
Letters to the editor are welcomed, and may be dropped
off in E211. Corrections will be printed when brought to the attention of the staff.
The Hawk is printed monthly at Community Impact in Pflugerville, Texas. 1,000 copies are printed each run, and are distributed to the student body for free before school on publication day and on newsstands throughout the building.
Associations
Editorial Staff Editors
Reporters
Artists
Natalia Beltran Addison Curtis Marcos Hans Antonio Garcia Hutton Weirich
Landon Green Presley Hall Faris Hamad Nazayha Miller Asher Parks Mikaylah Stimage Nate Wilkerson
Karina Bon Brittany Truong
Interscholastic Press League Texas Association of Journalism Educators Journalism Educators Association National Scholastic Press Association Columbia Scholastic Press League
Honors
ILPC Bronze Star 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2024 ILPC Silver Star 2021 Columbia Scholastic Press League, Gold Medalist 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021 Silver Crown, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Gold Crown 2025 Pacemaker Finalist, 2018
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News Volume 19, Issue 3
Spooky Symposium Texas State holds competitions in computer science symposium Antonio Garcia | Editor On the day of Halloween, during the half day for the PfISD district, a field trip to Texas State University was held for the 18th annual computer science symposium. Computer science students from all four PfISD high schools attended the event. During the symposium, contests were held for IT security and PC troubleshooting. Senior Christian Russell won the IT security contest. “I had studied IT security a little beforehand,” Russell said. “Although it wasn’t much, I feel that previous knowledge is what really helped me to win the contest.” The contests themselves consisted of tests, with questions for both multiple choice and free response, similar to those of AP tests taken for college classes. “There were some things during the competition that I had to think really hard about,” Russell said. “It changed how I saw the field, and inspired me to learn more about it.” Outside of the contests, the computer science symposium is a showcase for various fields of computer science, in which the attendees were freely allowed to attend lectures and hear about their respective fields.
“It’s basically a tech conference for students who want to learn about fields we don’t cover in high school,” computer science teacher Mario Moreno said. “I hope the exposure to these fields will help them with deciding what their path in
college will be.” One of the lectures during the symposium was about the server room within the campus, in which the attendees were taught about server management and maintenance.
“One of the most interesting parts of the symposium for me was getting to learn about the data servers,” Moreno said. “It’s not something you’d get to see every day, especially in a school environment.” With the day of the symposium falling on Halloween, those attending did not neglect to keep up the Halloween spirit. “It was Halloween, so I told my students to dress up and we had costumes,” Moreno said. “There were 3 students that had inflatable costumes, and it was funny hearing those costumes while in a quiet auditorium.” Overall, the symposium provided insight into college life, and the future careers that the attendees will be looking into. “It’s nice to see them learning more about these concepts and fields from other teachers and professors,” Moreno said. “It helps them really get more engaged with computer science, and it’ll help them with their experience in college.”
Hawk Battalion participates in JROTC School Meet Faris Hamad | Reporter The JROTC Hawk Battalion hosted an ROTC meet on Dec. 6 at the Hendrickson field “We invite JROTC units from all over, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps whatever in the area or outside the area to participate in an overall skills meet which encompasses drills, unarmed drills, colorguard, physical fitness, academics, marksmanship, so culminating schools bring teams to compete in while one school may do great in this where the overall placement of the school was determined on how well they participate in a different event events.” Chief Warrant Officer Matthew Carter said. The units participate in a number of events. “The events that we’re doing here today are colorguard, armed and unarmed drill, PT, and orientation,” junior Ashton Gresham said. “We all host these events
to raise money and bring people together, and we see all other schools compare each other to how good we are to them and have fun.” Senior Carlos Torres explains how the event benefits the JROTC students in the region. “We’re bringing a whole bunch of units from all over our region to come compete and show who’s top in the area, but I mean it really lets schools show if they’re focused on where their weaknesses are,” Torres said. “As the first competition of the year, it lets you see where you can improve throughout the year. I think right now it’s too late for national placement, but overall, for people who are just getting into these teams, it’s a good learning experience. It gives them a good idea of how this works. You know there are kinks in every plan, right, but everything works out in the end.”
JROTC students from different schools practice for their meet at the field. The group is practicing an armed drill. Photo by Faris Hamad
News December 19, 2025
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Theatre classes perform variety of Shakespeare classics
Hutton Weirich | Editor With rehearsals both in class and out of school, the advanced theatre classes have compiled multiple performances of Shakespearean plays. The Hawk Drama theatre class performed a variety of Shakespeare plays such as Twelfth Night, Henry IV, Much Ado About Nothing, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, with multiple of the plays being performed to English classes in different grades that have read those or similar plays in class. “I was really excited because I wanted people to be able to see all the hard work we've done,” sophomore Naomi Carter said. “And just take a break from their English classes and sit in this wide theater with the lights off and just relax.” Carter has been a part of other theatre class shows, but this was her first
Shakespeare role as Maria in Twelfth Night. “Being in a Shakespeare play is very different. It challenges you but in a different way,” Carter said. “I would say in Shakespeare plays you really have to convey what you're saying by your actions or your physicality. Versus in like more of a modern play, your words do a lot of the communicating for you.” This was also sophomore Giovanni Morrison’s first time being in a Shakespearean play. “I was excited because I've never done Shakespeare before and, like, that's something I really wanted to do as an actor,” Morrison said. “I've only done comedies, just, like, normal comedies, nothing as prestigious as Shakespeare, so I was really excited to do it.” All of the shows are starring AT students
With scowls on their faces, seniors Addison Curtis and Julia Alvarado perform a scene from Henry IV with sophomores Zoe Jackson and Melody Cano. Photo by Itzel Muniz
Setting up a trick, seniors Brennan Mercado, Gavin Johst, Jonah Brody and sophomore Jackson Mccutchin perform a scene from Much Ado About Nothing. Photo by Sophia Storm-Mendez
and were mostly rehearsed and directed in class. Senior Ashton Kpokai talks about rehearsing Much Ado About Nothing in his class. “It helps you grow closer to the people [in class], whereas outside school [rehearsal], you kind of just see them outside of school and that's it,” Kpokai said. “I think another great part is since you're going to see these people all year, it becomes easier to give them feedback on stuff we need to improve on or like stuff we want to work on.” Morrison shares his thoughts on playing Sir. Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night. “I love the show, it's very stupid and fun,” Morrison said. “I love my character because he seems to be dumb, but I think he knows what is happening in the show.” The actors talk about some challenges that came with portraying Shakespeare
characters. “There's so many movies that are based off of Shakespeare plays, or so many Shakespeare plays that were turned into movies. And so it's just, like, it was very stressful to think about,” Carter said. “Because I was just like ‘well, if my portrayal of my character isn't like the portrayal of the character in another setting, then how do I still make it good and enjoyable?’ ” Despite these challenges, Carter expresses her appreciation for her character and the lessons she has learned. “Maria, I feel like she's very complex. Like she's very opinionated but at the same time kind and warm,” Carter said. “And she's very proper, but she also likes to have fun. I think she's a great character and I think everybody could be a little bit more like Maria.”
Clapping their hands, the cast of A Midsummer Nights Dream ends their show by thanking their technicians. Photo by Angela Ngo
Waving at the audience, the cast of Twelfth Night takes a bow after performance. Photo by Sophie Folgar
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Feature Volume 19, Issue 3
Hardships During The Holidays Student discusses difficulties of financial problems during childhood
Addison Curtis | Editor For many kids, the first thing that comes to mind when they think of the holidays is what gifts they will get. For senior Emma Rowe, the holiday time could be wonderf ul, but it also b r o ug ht major stress to her family. Most of her child hood was spent acknowledging Santa wasn’t going to be able to bring a whole lot of presents. “My mom worked for the church; she was a director and an associate pastor,” Rowe said. “And then my dad worked at Chili’s, was a dealer at the casino, and also sometimes would do DoorDash.” The idea of sometimes working three jobs to make ends meet may seem foreign to some, but for Rowe’s family, it was
necessary. Rowe’s parents were teens themselves when they had her, and in their early twenties, they had her little brother. That struggle, along with acquired debt, caused money to be tight, which was not a secret for Rowe. While her parents tried their best to provide the best Christmas they could, she could see that her financial situation was different from other families. “The people I was around because I went to a magnet school, most of them, their parents were pretty well off,” Rowe said. “Every girl had Vera Bradley backpacks and everybody wore Nike Air Max shoes, and I did not have any of that.” The loss of expensive goods, however, didn’t make Rowe dislike the holidays, because while there weren’t lots of gifts, there was family. “I think the holidays were like, probably one of the best times for my family,
because everybody would come together and we would all have a really nice meal, and like, it was kind of one of the only times when we were all able to get together,” Rowe said. “And it didn’t feel like we were as disadvantaged as we were, because everybody really tried to make it not seem that way.” For Rowe’s family buying gifts was more complicated than it is for other families, due to their tight finances. “My mom would ask us what we wanted in March or April, and she would buy everything then,” Rowe said. “She would put it on layaway, and she would make layaway payments, so by December we would have those things.” This would ensure that Rowe would have a traditional Christmas with gifts, family, and food. But, to get to that point there were sacrifices that had
to be made. “There were definitely days that my dad worked on Christmas and my mom was really stressed because she was trying to play Santa and get everything ready by herself,” Rowe said. “Now, like that would be awful if my dad worked on those major holidays.” After Rowe’s family moved to Texas due to her dad’s new job, their financial situation improved. And now, finances are not as much of an issue as they once were. “Those struggling this season, just be patient and know that your family loves you,” Rowe said. “And I think that family has so much value, and don’t let anything financially get in the way of family, because at the end of the day, that’s all you’ve got.”
Adopt-a-Child provides gifts for children from families who struggle financially Hutton Weirich | Editor In an effort to provide gifts and holiday cheer for children with families who may be struggling financially and are unable to buy presents, the school district has participated in the Adopt-a-Child program throughout its high schools. For over 40 years the schools in PFISD have been letting kids from elementary schools who may have financial struggles in their family come to high schools and have a party, where the child typically gets gifts bought with student donations. “[The students] always take the reins on, like, shopping for the presents,” English II and English II Advanced Teacher Liana Gonzales said. “They just always come together and make it such a beautiful, lovely day for our child that we adopt.” Although the party’s purpose is letting the child have festive fun, it can sometimes take them a while to warmup to it. “I think they're probably scared because
they’re coming to such a big place,” AP U.S. history teacher Helen Barczi said. “But after they realize kind of what it is and the gifts are for them, I think that they are definitely thankful.” This can not only help the kids, but it can also help their families. “I know their families are very thankful because I’ve received a lot of messages from families,” Barczi said. “[They would talk] about how this was pretty much
the only Christmas that they would have had or been able to have and how grateful they were.” However, the process of planning for the party and arrival of the child can sometimes present challenges. “Lots of challenges. It's hard for some students to understand why they're giving money until they've kind of experienced it,” Barczi said. “Then just the logistics of getting the students that are the adoptees from the elementary school counselors and transportation.” The students often take on a big role in providing for the party and taking the time and effort to make sure the child they adopt feels comfortable and welcome. “We had this young boy who loved soccer and Messi, and
I had this one student in particular that made this, like, custom Messi shirt for him, and he absolutely adored it, and it was just so sweet,” Gonzales said. “One of my students made these, like, homemade breakfast sandwiches that were such a hit, and, you know, I could just see that I had several students in that class that kind of, like, showed the child around and made him feel so warm and welcome and comfortable.” Barczi’s parents, Larry and Cynthia Bradley, started the Adopt-a-Child program in Pflugerville in 1983 after learning about it at a student council convention. “I participated in it when I was a student in high school as well,” Barczi said. “We participated all four years, and being able to continue the tradition is very important to me.”
Illustrations by | Karina Bon
Feature December 19, 2025
Charity helps families in need during Christmas Nate Wilkerson | Reporter There are many ways students can help and be involved in the tradition of charities to help families during the holiday season, from something simple like sharing information to friends and family about this, to something bigger like donating money or toys. For one of the biggest charities supporting Christmas in the Austin area is, Blue Santa. There are a few things to take into consideration before donating something like toys. The first thing to know is the margin of when and where they accept stuff, anytime by December 20 and after January 5, 2026 at the nearest fire station they accept unwrapped toys. Another thing to remember when donating are the gifts that they can’t take as donations. The list includes anything with real food in it, toiletries, clothes, bikes, skateboards, gift cards, oversized stuffed animals, and toys that resemble realistic weapons. Even with these parameters, the options of things to donate are almost endless. Another way students could support Blue Santa is by volunteering. They offer times throughout November and December where they need help with packing, sorting, and gift deliveries. To
volunteer, go to their online website, pick a date to register for, and sign up. The spots may fill up quickly so make sure to be diligent on the timing when signing up for events. In addition to ways students can help, hosting toy drives is a way to gather gifts from friends, coworkers, or family to help send out more toys. Students could set something up at their job or even school and send out the information to people that can donate any unwrapped toys that they buy from a store, whether it’s dropping them off or even scheduling a get-together with everyone donating. One final way to help are simple monetary donations, students can make them to Blue Santa on their online website where they accept PayPal. Even a small donation of money is helping and everything is appreciated that can help the families and children in need. Overall, Blue Santa will take help any way it can be given this season from anyone willing to step in and help. With the many ways to support these families, it’s a great and simple way to spread holiday cheer.
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Awareness of The Locker rises after recent efforts Antonio Garcia | Editor Flyers are posted in the hallways, schoolwide events are held, and announcements are being made regarding a room in the library, referred to as The Locker. The word of The Locker is a recent topic, but it has been around for years beforehand. The Locker is a program that was started by the girl’s soccer team in 2017, with the goal of raising money and receiving donations to provide food, supplies, clothing, and other necessities for people in need around the school. The Locker’s motto for the cause is “Kids helping kids.” “Even in my freshman year, I saw a lot of soccer members joining and supporting The Locker,” junior Camryn Hardeman said. “We all think it’s a good thing, and we hope for it to be able to grow.” Despite the longevity of the program, The Locker struggled with awareness and community engagement, leading into the current agenda to increase awareness around the school. “This year, we started posting flyers around the school, and hosting events in order to spread the word,” locker manager Yesenia Arellano said. “We realized that we need to increase our awareness if we want to have the kind of community we’ve been aiming for.” The efforts to increase awareness of The Locker have proven to be a success, with more donations being made, and increased engagement with it overall. Events such as Teensgiving helped to get more people involved.
“We received a lot of food donations during the Teensgiving week,” Arellano said. “The volleyball team has also been a big help recently with the sponsors they’ve given us.” However, the increased engagement with The Locker has also led to shortages, in which it needs to keep up a more sustainable supply from those who support it. “When it’s stocked, we’ve been able to help over 50 students per day,” Arellano said. “We’ve been running out of supplies often, and so we really do need any extra support we can get.” In order to keep up with the rising demand, the girl’s soccer team is working to help find more supporters for the program. “We try to come up with events often in order to help our visibility,” Hardeman said. “It’s about kids helping kids, and we hope to be able to get more people on board, so that we can help anyone we can.” The Locker will continue to host events and fundraisers, and will be open to receive donations from the community in order to supply for those in need. “We want to make sure we have new, fresh items for the students of this community,” Arellano said. “We want to help students feel like they belong, and that they have what they need to thrive. It’s about supporting one another, and so we hope that this will build a more supportive community for everyone.”
Student shares about experience with grief when visiting extended family Addison Curtis | Editor Alize Zuniga was senior Noah Iordanov’s older cousin. She loved horror movies, spooky stories, and messing with her little cousins. And she was his best friend in the family. Iordanov loved spending time with her during the holidays and was even more excited to spend time with her after he and his family moved from Dallas to Pflugerville. But this holiday season, Iordanov won’t see her. And he hasn’t seen her in over 3 years because Alize passed away in 2022 from a fentanyl overdose. “The last time I saw her was at my mom’s 50th birthday party,” Iordanov said. “I remember I gave her a hug, but we had a lot of family friends there, so I barely got to see her before she passed.” After Alize’s funeral, Iordanov and his parents didn’t go up to Dallas to see his family until the following Thanksgiving. “It was weird when we were all there
without her on a family gathering for a holiday, it felt like we were mourning her again,” Iordanov said. “We were trying to be thankful for everything that’d happened, but it was hard to be thankful going through something like that.” Iordanov, often feeling like the odd one out in his family due to his age, would stick with Alize because she was the closest in age with him. So, any family traditions or kid-like shenanigans were spent together. “In my family, we always stay up late, right till 12, so we can open up the presents immediately instead of going to sleep and waking up the next day,” Iordanov said. “We kept on pushing it every year to just be earlier and earlier, just like dumb kid stuff we’d do together.” But now, when he is with his family, Iordanov feels isolated. With no one close in age to him there, it can feel difficult for him to make connections with
his relatives “I’m getting talk to my members Iordanov for
older now, so I do older family m o r e , ” said. “But, m e ,
family gatherings after [Alize passed] were just being on my phone the whole time.” Dealing with his grief is something that Iordanov has had to mainly tackle on his own; he’s never gotten any professional help to deal with the loss. And to him, this is a situation that is difficult to see hope in. “Nothing could happen for me to be able to cope with that even easier, because you just can’t cope with something like that sometimes,” Iordanov said. “You just got to learn to live with it.” Now it’s been years since Alize’s death, but still the feelings of grief come up often during the holidays for Iordanov and his family. “It’s just never been the same,” Iordanov said. “It’s so weird, I feel like she’s just about to walk through the door at any second, but she never does.”
8 Students share their favorite Christmas memories, gifts Feature Volume 19, Issue 3
Natalia Beltran | Editor
For many people, the holiday season isn’t defined by the tallest tree or the shiniest wrapping paper, but by the memories tucked between moments of laughter, tradition, and surprise. From childhood mornings spent racing to the living room in fuzzy pajamas to the unexpected gifts that still make hearts glow years later, everyone carries a favorite Christmas story. As the lights twinkle across town and the scent of peppermint fills the air, students share the memories and presents that have stayed with them throughout the years. Some holidays come with unexpected, snowy surprises. “My favorite Christmas memory is
playing in the snow with my dad,” senior Julian Edwards said. “We had a snowball fight, it was the first time it had snowed in Austin.” As the cold winter night unfolds, presents start to appear from Santa Claus. “Some of my favorite gifts are super cool clothes and money,” Edwards said. “I also love snacks as a gift or something handmade.” The preparation for Christmas can be more special when spent with someone dear to you, creating forever memories associated with your favorite person. “One of my favorite Christmas memories is when my best
friend and I got together a few days before Christmas,” senior Katherine Owens said. “We put together a Barbie gingerbread house!” A memorable gift can sometimes be for a lifetime. “My favorite gift was when I got my puppy,” Owens said. “She was my first ever dog, Lily.” It’s important to include all of your family members during the holidays, no matter how far away they are. “My favorite Christmas
memories are spending time with my family,” senior Alondra Vega said. “My family and I go to Mexico every winter to visit family members.” Early surprise Christmas presents could help people feel the Christmas spirit. “My favorite gift I’ve received is my new tablet,” Vega said. “I can play my games there whenever I’m bored.” As Christmas day comes to a close, people start to admire and reminisce about the memories and gifts they’ve received from family members and Santa. This helps people remember that the magic of Christmas often comes wrapped in the simplest moments.
Students, staff reveal favorite lesser known holiday movies
Asher Parks | Reporter Holiday movies are widely considered a classic way of getting into the spirit of the season. With so many recognizable classics, from The Grinch (2000) to Home Alone (1990), there have to be some Christmas movies out there that very few people have seen. “Easily, Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever,” sophomore Kai Webster said. “It’s just stupid fun. It’s really dumb, but it’s a fun Christmas movie.” Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever (2014) is a Movie about a cat who lives in a mall pet shop. Because everyone passes by her, she becomes very grumpy. But after meeting a 12-year-old girl who can
Illustration by | Brittany Truong
understand them, they go looking for a dog who has been kidnapped. “Oh man, I know people love to say Die Hard, but that’s well trodden ground,” English I teacher Jeremiah Justice said. “No one needs to repeat that thing that they saw on social media. There’s one about, Ryan Reynolds is in there and he’s trying to run from this girl and be with an old love interest from high school. I think it was called Just Friends.” While some movies are a bit more unknown, the best ones, it seem, take time to become a classic, from household movies, to the more unknown ones. While some older movies are considered
classics, some of the older movies fade into the dark corners of the list of Christmas movies. “Let me tell you about a little movie called The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” sophomore Landon Green said. “It is the best Christmas movie I have ever seen. It is really funny and recently got a remake but I am talking about the original from the 80’s” The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (1983) Is about a young group of students take part in a Christmas Pageant that the Director put together, with a group of siblings trying to sabotage the pageant. “I remember going to a movie called
Prancer with my family a long time ago, “ English II teacher Kathrine Garganus said. “No one was in the theatre when it started and it was a really sad movie about a girl rescuing a reindeer.” Prancer (1989) is a film about a young girl who refuses to give up the belief of Santa Claus, discovers a hurt Reindeer in the woods. The reindeer, who she believes is Prancer, is taken to a veterinarian, and is helped, while the girl tries to keep it a secret. So this Christmas, next time you watch some movies, try to give the more unknown ones a shot. They just might become your favorite.
Feature December 19, 2025
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Students share their Christmas traditions Faris Hamad | Reporter
“We wake up early and we open presents around the tree, then we have a big Christmas dinner. We’ll have hot chocolate and watch a Christmas movie.” -Malika Patel, 12
“We usually have Christmas in the morning for just our family and then we go to my aunt’s house for extended family. We have a second Christmas where I get more gifts and then we eat dinner or we eat breakfast in the morning during our regular Christmas and then when we go to have our second Christmas, we eat lunch so I get double fed and double presents.” -Brendan Sherwin, 10
“My dad will take off work during our two weeks off and then normally on Christmas Eve our family comes over. We’ll have dinner, and then we’ll do our stockings, and then Christmas morning my family comes over again. Then we’ll open presents and spend some more time with our family till about noon, and then they go home and we just go on with our day.” -Jace Sterling, 12
“For Christmas instead of doing Christmas dinner, we often do Christmas lunch and then do leftovers for dinner with the whole family as opposed to just like everyone coming over for dinner so we can have like a whole day together.” -Samuel Ruth, 11
“Every year on Christmas Eve my family does a Scottish and Irish tradition, you hang a pickle ornament and hide it in the tree then everybody runs to go find it, and then whoever finds it first gets to open one present on Christmas Eve.” -Ava Gregg, 12
“My favorite Christmas tradition is going out at night and looking at Christmas lights on houses. It’s always fun when a whole street or sometimes neighborhood puts up a lot of lights and decorations.” -Nate Wilkerson, 11
“For Christmas, it’s kinda generic but we kind of just like to sit in the living room and have a marathon of a bunch of old Christmas movies. It’s kind of the same ones over again, but it’s very fun.” -Ashton Kpokai, 12
“My Christmas tradition is going to the trail of lights. Me and my family go to the trail of lights every year and recently with one of my best friends.” -Madison Harrington, 9
“Every year me and my dad build a little toy train set and every year we like to add to it.” -Gabriel Orta, 10
“I usually go and get hot cocoa with my family and drive around rich neighborhoods and look at Christmas lights.” -Adalyn Dominguez, 10
“My dad makes Posole for me and my brother and we always eat together as a family. Another thing is that my dad and I always decorate together and we always go out and get pretty ornaments to put on the tree.” -Ava Rosalis, 11
“During Christmas, we have a feast and then we also have Vietnamese food. Then we do Secret Santa or White Elephant, it changes every year.” -Lynh Tran, 12
Illustration by | Brittany Truong
“My favorite Christmas tradition is getting to decorate our Christmas tree. We have one special ornament we buy to mark each year.” -Sophie Folgar, 10 “One of my favorite holiday traditions is unwrapping gifts exactly at midnight Christmas Eve right as Christmas Day comes. Instead of all of our presents in the morning, we would party the day before and open Santa’s presents early the next morning.” -Kayla Nguyen, 12
“My favorite Christmas tradition is a thing my mom made up when I was little. For my presents, instead of just getting a bunch of random things, we have 4 categories of presents which are want, wear, need, and share.” -Amaya Rodriguez, 10
“My family and I open our presents on Christmas Eve because we don’t like to wait til Christmas morning. We started this about 5 years ago because we weren’t in town for Christmas so we opened them before we left and it just stuck.” -Lizzie Schulze, 10
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Sports Volume 19, Issue 3
Aiming High
Boys Basketball team determined for this year’s season Nate Wilkerson | Reporter With the basketball season starting up recently and a few games already behind them, pressure rises for the team to perform at their best. “I feel like I have a lot of pressure to do well,” junior Dane Wolff said. “I am trying to get a scholarship for college with basketball.” It’s not just pressure for getting seen or obtaining a scholarship, having to balance school work with basketball can be extremely stressful. Practices, games, and
staying in best shape for the season often takes up a ton of players’ time outside of school that would usually be used to stay caught up on school work. “I have a rule that I can’t play basketball until after I’m done with my school work,” Wolff said. “This gives me an incentive to do my school work.” Another challenge that players on the team might encounter is staying ready for each season of basketball year after year. This could include training with a coach or friend over the summer, basketball
Junior Skylar Elliot rests his hands on his waist. Photos by Amaya Rodriguez
Junior Skylar Elliot guards against attacker. Photos by Amaya Rodriguez
camps, or just practicing by yourself. “I would train different things for basketball with a coach for a few hours a day,” Wolff said. “After that, I would go and lift weights at Cowboy Fit to end the day.” Tying back to the basketball season taking up a lot of time from the players, it’s not just time for school work that it takes away. “It takes up a lot of my free time outside of school,” Wolff said. “It also keeps me busy though and I am able to have a lot of fun when playing basketball.”
Senior Tristan Thomas dribbles the ball Photos by Amaya Rodriguez
Junior DJ Hardge ready to shoot a free throw. Photos by Amaya Rodriguez
For the most part, basketball takes up a lot of time from the players and the load of school work can lead to stressful situations. Above all of that though, players want to make good memories on a good season and get better as the year goes on. “What I hope to achieve from this season is to be on varsity,” Wolff said. “I also want to get noticed by colleges for basketball.”
Sports December 19, 2025
Senior Trinity Jackson guards against attackers. Photos By Kaidence Hardy
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Senior Chinwendu Aguoru prepares to guard against attackers. Photos By Kaidence Hardy
Freshman Breeze Maxwell guards against attacker. Photos By Sophie Folgar
Junior Zharia Lightner tries to get possession of the ball. Photos By Kaidence Hardy
Building Momentum Girls basketball team hardens foundations as District approaches Marcos Hans | Editor The girls basketball team is progressing through a busy early season marked by development, lineup adjustments, and steady preparation under Head Coach Norma Sierra. With district competition drawing closer, the program is focused on building consistency and sharpening its approach in all phases of the game. “It’s been an interesting year, we are just trying to get it together before District,” Sierra said.
The non-district schedule has given the team opportunities to evaluate its execution, make adjustments, and prepare for the pace and physicality expected in upcoming district matchups. A significant portion of the roster is composed of seniors, one of many factors that have shaped the team’s practice environment and overall structure. Their familiarity with the program has supported communication and stability throughout the first stretch of the season.
“We have a solid group of seniors,” Sierra said. “This group is made up of many seniors, so that alone keeps them motivated.” The team is also integrating younger talent, most notably freshman guard Breeze Maxwell. Maxwell has earned meaningful minutes as she adapts to varsity competition and contributes across multiple areas. “I have a freshman, Breeze Maxwell, who has helped the team be better and
dynamic,” Sierra said. Sierra and her staff have continued to focus on building dependable habits as players settle into their roles. The staff is monitoring development while preparing for the challenges of a competitive district field. “I am looking forward to when this team gets it together, they have the potential to be one of the top teams I have ever coached,” Sierra said.
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Entertainment Volume 19, Issue 3
Holiday Sweet Treats Reviews
Staffers review popular holiday drinks and sweets Chick-fil-A Peppermint Milkshake Asher Parks | Reporter Christmas, a time for giving selflessly, sharing the holiday cheer, and eating delicious seasonal treats. One treat in particular is the Chick-fil-A Peppermint Milkshake, which I decided to try in the spirit of the holiday season. I went to my local Chick-fil-A and ordered the holiday treat for $5.65, and was surprised by how good it tasted. It tasted like a milkshake, but with more of a minty twist. The flavor of a vanilla milkshake and mint has a unique, yet good taste. With the minty twist from the peppermint chunks blended in the milkshake, tasting better than most
Gingerbread Antonio Garcia | Editor As December rolls around, many holiday treats return to popularity, with a combination of classic and new treats to get everyone into the holiday spirit. Sticking with the old, one iconic treat for the holiday season is gingerbread. Gingerbread is a versatile treat, and is made into a variety of different shapes. The most popular among those shapes are small houses or other structures, and the iconic gingerbread man cookie. In my search to try the holiday treat, I decided to stick with the cookies, and found some available at HEB for $3.78 a bag. From my taste-testing experience, I found one very distinct thing about gingerbread that I feel makes it stick with the holiday theme: the ginger itself. It
holiday peppermint drinks. Besides the taste, presentation is the key to leaving you feeling like you didn’t get ripped off by something you can make at home, and the presentation of it was amazing, It looked professionally done, and it looked delicious. The flavors and presentation did not disappoint. 4.5/5 candy canes, I highly recommend it for your next trip to Chick-fil-A this holiday season.
adds a subtle spice to the baked goods it is put into, which makes it almost feel as if it’s actually a bit minty. This sensation is reminiscent of the temperature and colder weather that the holidays bring, which contributes to the treat’s association with Christmas. The actual cookie itself mainly tasted like cinnamon, with some combined elements of brown sugar and of course, ginger. I enjoyed the cookies overall, and feel as if it helped me see what made these cookies popular over many years of Christmas tradition. They are a good recommendation for anyone who enjoys baked goods, and serve as a delicious, nostalgic treat for the holidays. Just be careful and make sure your gingerbread man cookies don’t mysteriously disappear.
Iced Sugar Cookie Latte Landon Green | Reporter Every year Starbucks creates new coffee for Christmas. This year Starbucks released an Iced Sugar Cookie Latte, Iced Gingerbread Chai, re-released the Peppermint Latte, and Caramel Brulee Latte. I got my hands on the Iced Sugar cookie latte, and the Iced Gingerbread Chai. The Iced Sugar Cookie Latte was a fantastic drink with the taste of a Sugar cookie, and coffee. In the coffee they put little cookie sprinkles in the drink, and every time you take a sip, you feel the sprinkles in your mouth. The coffee was sweet, creamy and a good way to start the
Holiday Cookie Latte Presley Hall | Reporter The Holiday Cookie Latte at Dutch Bros is a $5.70 iced latte with espresso and sugar cookie flavoring, along with a soft top and green and red sprinkles. While the idea of a cookie flavored coffee is nice, the actual execution is a bit shoddy. The sugar cookie flavor is lost in the burnt tasting coffee, while the sprinkles make it quite the effort to get an actual sip out of it, the soft top was by far the best part of this holiday drink. Although once the soft top is gone the drink is essentially undrinkable. Overall I would not purchase this drink again, and give it 1 out of 5 candy canes.
day. I would give this a 5/5 candy canes, and if you want to get one for yourself, the cost is $5.95. Along with the Iced Sugar Cookie Latte, I got the new Iced Gingerbread Chai. It was very sweet, yet spiceful because of all of the Gingerbread tastes that it had. I really don’t care for chai, but I found myself enjoying the drink. I’ll give it 5 candy canes, and the cost was $5.95. If you want to try any of these drinks, go to your local Starbucks. This year's news drinks blew me away with their creative thinking, and delicious taste. I would definitely recommend these drinks to any coffee lover. Even though the price was a little too high for my liking, I think it’s worth it.