The Rider
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Mansfield Legacy High School 1263 North Main Street Mansfield,TX 76063 817-299-1100
April 23, 2009 Vol. 2 Issue 5
The Student Newspaper of Legacy High School: Covering Bronco Nation
News Briefs
Visual Art Scholastic Event
Real Life Lessons Every 15 minutes shows reality of drinking and driving
APR Top 60 Banquet Arl. Conv. Center 7:00
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MAY NHS Inductions Legacy Cafeteria 7:00
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MAY Teacher Choice Awards K-Star Ranch
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MAY Academic Awards PAC 7 p.m.
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MAY Senior Banquet Cafeteria 7 p.m.
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theRIDERonline.com • TAKS week schedule • YouTube popularity •Legacy Legend winners •Colleges watching your Facebook and Myspace (in-depth coverage)
NEWS
Choir takes European tour in Austria BY AARON SAKOWSKI Staff Writer
Fifty-five students and chaperones lead by choir director Mrs. Owens depart Mansfield in a luxury bus on June 21. After a long drive to Houston, they check in at the Air France desk of Houston International Airport. The group boards Air France Flight 33, and several thousand miles and many hours later they land in Paris, France at 8:45 a.m. the next day. This is the first step of a journey taking the choir across Europe. They will travel to the Twin-Spired Frauenkirche Cathedral of Munich, the castle of Mad King Ludwig, across the Austrian country side, through the rolling mountains and forests of the Alps, past the birthplace of Mozart and down the Autobahn to the historic city of Vienna. In addition to the sight-seeing, the choir will perform at several sites during the trip.
Twitter Growth Micro-Blogging technology increases users PAGE 2
MORGAN CAWLEY PHOTO
Upcoming Events
Sightseeing and performing
READY FOR THE TRIP-Choir member Haley Mumaw received her passport prior to her trip to Austria where they will perform.
JASMINE MCMASTERS PHOTO
Eight artists brought home ten awards from the state-level Visual Art Scholastic Event on April 12. Juniors Michelle Heath, Viridiana Guzman, Kaci Rogers, and Jeana Whittenberg, along with seniors Abner Cabriales, Casi Moss, Kendall Newton, and Kenzie Moss won eight Gold Superior medals. C. Moss earned two medals, and Newton received a Gold State Seal, which the state hands out to only 128 students.
HALEY FARABEE PHOTO
Casi Moss’ picture in VASE wins a medal for superior rating.
DOA- Last week, juniors and seniors were pulled out of classes to participate in Every Fifteen Minutes.The program, meant to open teenagers eyes about the frequency of alcohol fueled fatalities, impacts students’choices down the road. “Not every student may get something out of it but there is always at least one whose life it does change, and for them, it’s worth it,” Stephanie Shackleford said. In order to fully experience the repercussions of drunk driving, juniors and seniors witnessed a mock crash scene and viewed a helicopter care flight the victim to the hospital.The reaction to reapers wandering the hallways as well as the absence of friends and realistic obituaries brought some to tears. “You know it’s fake, and I can tell myself that, but when you’re talking about someone you love it’s hard to suppress all those emotions you have when you think that they’re gone,”Shackleford said.
“It is a trip for the kids to see something they would not usually get the opportunity to see,” Mrs. Owens said. The tour of Austria was chosen over a trip to other areas of Europe, such as Ireland or Scotland, partly because of decreased cost, but also because of the historic significance of the areas they will be visiting. “It has so much musical heritage for us that it was just a good place to take our kids,” Mrs. Owens said. Choir member Haley Mumaw expressed her excitement over getting to sing for a church on the trip and getting out of Mansfield and seeing famous places and different cultures. “We get to sing for mass at a church, prob-
FEATURE
see “Austria” page 8
Matt ’Wildman’ Waldman wins Teacher-of-the-Year in runoff vote BY GREGORY URIBE Editor-in-Chief
Matt Waldmann decided to spend his time during the announcements making faces at Mrs. Morrison through her window. Upon hearing his name declared Teacher of the Year, he pumped his arm into the air while continuing to make the faces. “Just to be nominated is an honor because there are so many good teachers here,” Waldmann said. Nominations for Teacher of the Year are received and voted on by faculty staff members. This year required two voting rounds. “He was very deserving,” Principal David Wright said. “He’s an excellent person and a teacher who’s great with students.” According to Mr. Waldmann, he received only homework for his victory, including writing essays that consisted of why he became a teacher to qualify for District Teacher of the Year. “It’s made me feel like what I do is worthwhile,” Waldmann said. “It’s nice to be recognized for what I do.”
Legacy’s New News The Rider launches online edition PAGE 4-5
Feature
On to Region One-Act Play, academics compete Sat. PAGE 8
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News
The Rider
April 23, 2009
In your Face and Space
Who’s watching your social networking site might surprise you By Rosanne Trinh AND Allex Ohler Staff Writer
Would you want your grandma to see your MySpace profile? Colleges and employers ask for future students’ or employees’ MySpace and Facebook pages to check background information. Sophomore Megan Ireland thinks no one should look at her Myspace page to judge her or make a career decision. “If the student wanted to tell them about their lifestyle they would have told them on their own without the invasion of privacy using a Myspace profile,” Ireland said. Jobs and colleges view student’s profiles to see how a student behaves outside of their transcript. They want to know if you’re going to party and not take college seriously. “I think there should be another way to judge a student other than through Myspace because people can lie on their page to make them look better,” Ireland said. Ireland applied for a position at Wal-Mart
and didn’t receive the job based upon her Myspace page because it wasn’t appropriate. While Ireland waited, the boss checked her Myspace right in front of her. “They just said we will call you back, thanks,” Ireland said. “I obviously didn’t get the job.”
Freshman Brittney Chaney views this situation differently. She believes a student wouldn’t have this problem if their Myspace didn’t have inappropriate material. “Keep it user friendly that way nothing bad can happen and you might actually get the job,” Chaney said. Chaney agrees employers should check Myspaces for personal information. “They should get to know their future students or employees to get the highest quality staff,” Chaney said. Chaney says students can deny giving their
URL to their Myspace or Facebook, but this may risk the chance of them getting accepted. “I think that if they give their URL then they have nothing to hide, rather than someone not giving theirs because it looks suspicious,” Chaney said. Sophomore Kaden Gates knows the requirements and believes in numerous ways to prevent this. “It’s good to keep it clean, but it’s your own privacy,” Gates said. Even though students can manage their own page, Gates thinks your personality should remain the same. “Changing your page to impress someone else is wrong, keep your personality.” Gates said. One way of knowing your page is appropriate is by doing The Grandma Test according to National Association for College Admission Counseling [NACAC]. If students don’t want their own grandma to see their page, then a college or business might not want to view it either. “Especially for colleges,” Gates said, “The grandma test is a good way to handle it.”
News Briefs Senior Celebration The Senior Celebration dinner, currently in the early stages of planning, will take place on campus May 21. Students will receive awards from the faculty, highlighting often overlooked personality traits. Among the planned awards are “Best Humanitarian” and “Most Loyal.” “The awards recognize the kids who stand out,” Student Council sponsor Stephanie Shackelford said. “They make the school special.” One award, “Principal’s Choice,” will be presented by Mr. Wright himself. Guests will enjoy a dinner of barbeque or Italian food, and the yearbook staff will present a slideshow of seniors and their baby pictures. “It should be a time where parents and teachers can appreciate the impact their students have made over the course of four years,” junior class president Oluwayeni Ropo-Tusin said.
What’s New
What are you doing?
Micro-blogging site twitter.com increases in popularity among teens, celebrities, companies, news outlets
BY KYLE SIPE News Editor
Clarke Rahrig wants to get his daily feed of news and information, but doesn’t want to spend a lot of time on the computer looking for it. So he uses Twitter, an online database where close to 4 million users post their current thoughts and observations in small paragraphs called “Tweets.” Twitter allows each user to update their feed as much as they want but limits the amount of each Tweet to 140 characters. This way people can obtain news or updates
quickly and effectively. “It’s not all bloated, and a long drawn out thing,” Rahrig said. “If you notice an interesting Tweet, it’s real quick, you can see what it’s saying and then get back to what you were doing.” Rahrig says because of Twitter he can quickly receive all of the information he wants. He follows about 80 different sources, including The Rider’s Twitter account and receives live text messages of the updates from people he follows. After last weeks endorsement of Twitter from Oprah, the site’s registered
Steve’s Photography Senior Portraits 2 for 1 session fee
http://www.pbase.com/elcamino84 817-465-5948
New Food
PTSA volunteers have added Wienerschnitzel hotdogs to the menu in order to raise more money for the organization and after prom activities.
What’s on LBTV users increased by 30,000. Many news outlets, like The Rider, and celebrities use it for a communication means. Sophomore Braden Wright uses Twitter for a different reason. “I just tweet random
thoughts,” Wright says. “I was skating down the street and saw a UPS guy go into a gated street and thought about how all the UPS guys would have to remember all the codes.” Wright’s had his account for about a week and up-
•Concrete Interlocking Pavers •Brick Pavers •Modular Retaining walls 817-477-4777
Props to Bronco Theater
dates every five or hours on the weekends, and likes how easy it is to network with all different people on Twitter. “It’s just another way of talking to people you don’t get to see everyday,” Wright said.
• Intro to Legacy Photo Staff • Creation of LBTV Studios •Legacy Legend winners The pod casting lab, LBTV, is not complete. So check back at therideronline. com for updated news and feature videos.
The Rider
JV Softball Undefeated
Working hard for their goal, the junior varsity softball team looks to keep their undefeated record. “JV is undefeated in district, and we owe it all to our hard work,” JV player Karli Kindley said. The district success didn’t come to the team overnight. It took encouragement and support from the entire team. “Varsity started very inconsistent, but second half of the season they started putting everything together and with that they started getting the wins,” Coach Mayfield said. Despite the inconsistency at first, the games have now become heated battles. “The games get super intense because we all want to win, so we get really into it to make sure that they won’t take our spot in playoffs,” Kalyn Mason says. Varsity is 8-4 and JV is undefeated in district. “This is probably one of the most fun coaching jobs,” Coach Mayfield said. “This group of young ladies is a great bunch. They have their ups and downs but we’re meshing into one whole team.”
Tennis heads to Region Tracy Schnack and Ceci Canelos win the girls’ district doubles tennis championship and move on to region competition today and tomorrow in San Angelo. Dallas Dunn and Spencer Bashum win for Legacy Boys. Kristi Butler placed third in individuals. Mike Kodjer and Kristin Weems also won the mixed doubles championship in district play April 10 at TCU. Placing fourth were Heath Huseman and Mandi Masters.
National Sports
Off to a Strong Start
The Texas Rangers have shown impressive offensive pop through the first weeks of the season, scoring more than eight runs five out of the first nine games of the season, including in each of the first three in a sweep over Cleveland. Lead by the usual suspects Josh Hamilton and Michael Young, Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler are contributing, with Kinsler hitting for the cycle April 15 against Baltimore.
Sports
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Dust In The Wind Long playoff ends with Mesquite Poteet, unpredictable gusts BY PATRICK MADIGAN Sports Editor
A tough pre-district schedule, 8-2 in district and seven rounds later, the buzzer sounded and the Broncos knew their season was over. Call it a twist of meteorology or maybe physics, the almost simultaneous foot-to-ball collision between a player of Mesquite Poteet and a defender of Legacy that sent the ball into the net didn’t do the long and tiring season justice. And just like that, after a seven game sudden death playoff, it was over. For four weeks, everyone around Mansfield had Bronco soccer fever, including the local media. Players and coaches were in the spotlight, featured numerous times a week on the papers such as the Star-Telegram and the local nightly news. Tunak Tunak Tun became a fight song. Everyone knew the scores. Everyone wanted to be a part of this team. “It’s what the Bronco Nation is all about,” head coach Aaron Cottrell said. “I just thought it was a great opportunity for our school and our program to rally behind a team and make a name for the school statewide.” Surprisingly after the success the team enjoyed last year, the inaugural season wasn’t enough to make a name for the team as they did this year. The Broncos were unranked in the preseason polls released for
4A just before the 2009 campaign started. Considered as a sleeper team by many, the Broncos surprised the state making a playoff run unmatched by any team in school history to this point. “We were peaking at the right time when it counted. We’ve improved drastically since our first game, since district,” Cottrell said. “We’re still a very young team where everyone is improving steadily. When it counted, our guys stepped up. A lot Moving Forward- Mid fielder and all -tate tournament team member Bryan Zahner advances into of it is just team Poteet territory at the state 4A finals. chemistry. Everyone is motivated to in pre-district, it’s a con- no one recognized you.” We’re motivated to win it play for each other.” fidence deal,” Cottrell acThe Bronco’s success all next year. Much of Legacy’s suc- knowledged. “All the dif- may have even exceeded -Coach Cottrell cess is attributed to the dif- ficult teams we played in some of their own players’ ficult pre-district schedule, pre-district. When you go expectations. in which Legacy took on into playoffs and you’re “I didn’t think we would However well the team perennial powerhouses facing very difficult teams, go to state,” senior Jo- did, the fluky nature of Flowermound Marcus and you know that you’ve faced hannes Gloeckler stated. “I how they were defeated in Denton Guyer. By the time teams that are better than knew that we were a good the state quarter finals may the playoff schedule rolled them.” team, but I didn’t expect us have left a bad taste in their around, the Broncos had mouth. The state tournament to go that far.” already faced four of the appearance did not come “It was bittersweet. Overall The Broncos can expect seven teams they were to without accolades. Bryan it now, especially only with we were very pleased with face in postseason play. Zahner, and Isaac Pile were four seniors graduating and our season but we knew Only Joshua (3-1), Fort named to the All-State returning a large majority that we were good enough Worth Northside (3-2) tournament team. of their starting roster next to be in the state finals and and El Paso Austin (1-0) “It was great to know that winter. Two of the seniors win a state championship,” were unfamiliar to the we had the whole school from this year’s team were Cottrell said. “I believe we Broncos when the clock behind us,” midfielder and invited to play in the senior were the better team and ticked down in the play- junior Bryan Zahner said. showcase May 2 in San we had better possibilities. offs. “People start to realize Antonio in Brian Enriquez We’re motivated to win it “Really the whole point who you are when earlier and Jordan Rodriguez. all next year.”
LAUREN SMITH PHOTO
HALEY FARABEE PHOTO
Sports Briefs
April 23, 2009
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In-Depth
LEGACY’S NEW NEWS
therideronline.com
Navigation Tabs Stories: The stories tab links to all News, Features, Entertainment, Sports, Opinion, Personalities and Archive stories. Blogs: Recently updated blogs can be found with this tab. This feature will post the weekly blogs of all editors of The Rider. Photos: All past photos can be accessed in the link from this tab. Submit: Anyone can submit their original story and picture ideas through therideronline. Submissions are encouraged and appreciated.
Recent Photos will be uploaded every week sending older photos to the last pages. After the photos have past completely through the three pages they will be transferred to Archives.
Changing with the Times
Like many professional news outlets, The Rider adds online newspaper to print edition BY GREGORY URIBE Editor-in-Chief
In order to prepare students for the shift from print to digital journalism, therideronline.com officially launches today. “The industry is changing, so we have to change to keep up with the industry,” journalism adviser Leland Mallett said. According to Mr. Mallett, the therideronline will contain no old news and will be updated daily. “I want it to be a place that people go to after school like Facebook and Myspace,” Mr. Mallett said. “A place to take a poll, watch a video and leave some comments.” Because of a steady decline in the purchasing of daily print issues, newspapers today are quickly morphing into online editions allowing for more frequent updates and quick coverage of current news. “I think it’s pretty cool that everyone’s on the Internet now because it’s free,” Online Editor Will Ritchie said. “It’s great that people no longer have to pay for their news.” Unlike the print edition, therideronline.com provides readers with the option to give their opinions of posted stories through approved comments. Other features include weekly polls, videos, blogs and upcoming events. “A lot more people have access to it,” Ritchie said. “It’s not like we can run out of Internet.” With the aim of keeping up with convergence media, therideronline.com negates previous restrictions provided from a print edition and offers easy accessibility for readers and staffers. “I won’t have to worry if people don’t like it because at least I won’t find it on the floor,” Ritchie said.
The Rider
April 23, 2009
The Rider
In-Depth
April 23, 2009
Page 5
Twitter is a micro-blogging software that allows users to post blogs and updates of up to 140 characters. These updates are called “Tweets” and can be updated constantly from Twitter.com or from your phone. Users can follow new posts of their friends, news sources, and celebrities, and can receive text messages of the updates. The Rider Online followers can receive live news feed of sports scores, news stories, and announcements from The Rider. During our pre-launch period The Rider was the first to “Tweet” the scores and standings over tennis, soccer, and One Act UIL.
Use the search bar to locate past stories and recent updates. The five to ten most recent stories will appear on the front page, the rest are archived and can be found throughout the rest of the site. If you know we wrote a story about Mr. Austin a couple of months ago and want to show your mom, you can type Austin in the search bar and every story about Mr. Austin and Austin, Texas and Isaiah Austin will appear. We don’t throw anything away, it’s always somewhere on our site.
If you have a Twitter account, you’ll receive our Up-To-The-Minute updates through Twitter or via text message. (You’ll need to set up mobile devices.) When we send a tweet about a winning ball game, you can view it here as well. If you’re using an iPhone, you can click the link from the text to the story. So you’ll have the info in three places. Here online. At twitter.com. And your cell phone. Next year, we’ll have a “tip line” to send text messages to and we’ll post things you know.
Grant money builds pod casting lab BY BRETT WALKER - Staff Writer
Legacy Journalism took its program a step further with a website. Now the paper will expand to include a video news source. LBTV, or Legacy Bronco Television, will deliver news throughout the school year with pod casts updated as a story happens. “It’s about being the witness. [LBTV] will be a new and much more effective way to communicate,” Broadcast Journalism teacher Jim Cockrell said. “We hope to bring stories to a rich audience.” Students enrolled in the Broadcast Journalism class will act as anchors, field reporters, camera operators, and behind-the-scenes coordinators. “We want to equip students with skills that immediately benefit them,” Mr. Cockrell said. Earlier in the school year, Legacy received a $10,000 grant for the convergent media program. “There is no limit to what can be achieved,” Mr. Cockrell said. “If kids want to really get immersed in something, the district will support it.” As of today, the lab is up and running, but there are a few software glitches. Students can still view videos through therideronline.com.
5 1 2 3 4 5
REASONS
to add therideronline.com to your daily web surfing
If you’re reading this, trust us, you’ll like the online version better. More up-to-date news, more photos, fewer ads. Just like Facebook and MySpace, it’s about you and your friends. And you can leave comments. No black residue on your fingers after reading.
Even though you may not care, you’ll be the first to know when the Chess Team wins the state tournament. It’s your paper. You can upload photos, videos, stories or whatever else you find, and we’ll post it.
With the comment feature, readers can post their own opinions and constructive criticism about stories they like or dislike. The website interacts with the reader just like MySpace or Facebook, and it’s easy too. You won’t spend hours trying to figure out how it works.
Editorial
Page 6
The Rider
April 23, 2009
TheRider
OUR OPINION
ALMA MATER?
Editor-in-Chief Gregory Uribe
Students should know it “Mansfield Legacy filled with history.” It is the first line in the Legacy High School alma mater, but ask any student to quote the remaining lines and they probably could not tell you the rest. Even if a student does not have much school spirit they should at least know their high school’s alma mater. It is understandable hardly anyone would know it though. It took about twenty minutes looking through every link on the Legacy web site, and another five minutes searching through Google, until finally having to ask Mr. Mallett where one could look up the alma mater. The only place it could be found without asking an administrator was the in-
What do
you think
about the alma mater?
formation book used by the journalism department for miscellaneous information about the school we may need. It is ridiculous that anyone would need to go to such lengths to find their high school’s alma mater. Although there was a campaign early last year to get the song known by quizzing students over the lyrics, it clearly failed and few were enthusiastic about learning it. Drilling it into our heads in standard test format will not teach anything. If anything it would make people hope to never see the song again. Which succeeded. When memorizing the lyrics of a song we don’t write down half of it and
“It’s the school song. It’s obviously supposed to mean something. I’ve just never had anyone teach me before.”
Maci McCreary, 9
Managing Editor Will Ritchie News Editor Kyle Sipe Features Editor Michelle Heath Entertainment Coordinator Nicholas Jimenez Sports Editor Patrick Madigan Photo Editor Jasmine McMasters Business Manager Heather Bailey
force ourselves to sit down and fill in the blanks. If it is a song we like, we listen to it over and over. If we don’t like it so much we will hear other people singing it all the time on the radio or in the hallway and it gets
“We should show more school spirit. It shows you take pride in your school the better you know it.”
Kayleigh Sweeney, 10
stuck in our head whether we like it or not. Legacy teachers, students and administrators should start a new effort to imprint the alma mater into our memory. Put it on a poster in the cafeteria.
“It would energize the students and create a fun atmosphere at the school.”
Cristian Rivera, 11
Staff Writers Ashley Canterbury Cole Christensen Ian Cook Nadley Doerge Alex Gustafson Russell Kirby Megan Lucero Mireya Martinez Jacob Moore Jamila Obied Allex Ohler Hannah Overstreet Aaron Sakowski Lacie Snider Amber Steinle Calyn Steelman Rosanne Trinh Brett Walker
Play it over the announcements. Distribute it by air in propaganda pamphlets over our houses. Do whatever it takes (except asking someone to sing it at graduation). The alma mater should be known.
“I think it would bring us together as a school. We should all learn it as soon as possible.”
Monty Grabner, 12
Adviser Leland Mallett
Legacy: Not Auschwitz
Tunuk Tunuk Tun Dance: Viral videos rarely sweep across an entire SNAP THOUGHTS student body. The Indian love song first made its way through the soccer team, spreading to the announcements, and making a showing in most classrooms before the soccer team’s big game. Daler Mendhi created the video to showcase India’s first use of bluescreen technology in 1998 and spread through the Internet. Students now do the dance at pep rallies and in the hallways between friends. We, too, loved the hype of the song and the funny choreography, but it’s time to move on. Lets at least save it for next year’s soccer playoffs.
Upon the advent of the new ID policy, Legacy’s finest students created a casual uproar. Many students reacted less than favorably to the shiny new temporary IDs, and have taken it upon themselves to become high school martyrs. Apparently being irresponsible and forgetting your school ID makes you comparable to the repressed Jews of German occupied countries in World War II. These ignorant ruffians wear their mangled temporary IDs in the shape of a Star of David, drawing comparisons to oh-so many repressed Jews. I have big news. The Legacy High School ID
policy is not the Holocaust. You The Rider is the student pubare not victims of lication of the Mansfield Legacy anything but igJournalism Department and is norance. You’re free to all students. not dying, you’re The opinions expressed not being imprisin this publication do not oned. You forgot necessarily reflect those of the your school ID, administration of the Mansfield and the adminisIndependent School District. tration wants to A student cuts his temporary ID into The Rider is a member of the Interscholastic League Press be able to confirm a yellow Star of David, comparing Conference (ILPC) and governed your identity as Legacy’s rules to Nazi oppression. by all UIL guidelines. The Rider a Legacy student. A is also a member of TAJE, NSPA, more accurate and equally timized” and forced to ruin CSPA and Quill & Scroll. inflammatory comparison your outfit with a boxy yelAny complaints, comments would be that of a green low scar. If you don’t like or letters to the editor may be card in modern America. the temporary IDs, wear submitted to the below address. Perhaps if you were your real one. Ads are sold for $20 per somewhat responsible and This is a simple request: column inch and are under remembered your actual wear your IDs, and if not, the direction of the business ID, you wouldn’t be forced wear a temporary. Either manager. For advertising information, see our web page: www. to follow alternative rules. way, realize that you are legacyjournalism.org If you thought a little bit not oppressed, you are not The Rider is printed by the before you showed up to a victim, and you are not a production staff of the Greater class, you wouldn’t be “vic- martyr. BRITTNEY NICHOLS PHOTO
JASMINE MCMASTERS PHOTO
BY JACOB MOORE Staff Writer
Principal David Wright
Dallas Press in Garland, Texas.
Fact or Fiction
FICTION: There are extra yearbooks ordered. There is a waiting list in case the company sends overruns.
FACT: You can show up late next week if you’re NOT taking a TAKS test. See next week’s schedule on therideronline.com.
Join Our Team! Juniors: Bring us a video, writing, or photo portfolio to get on staff. Freshmen/Sophomores: Sign up for Journalism I. www.legacyjournalism.org
Nay! TAKS Week: As if Every 15 Minutes, UIL competitions, field trips, and playoff games did not take enough class time away, we spend a whole week doing the TAKS Testing.
Yay! Online Newspaper Launch: It’s up, live, and pretty cool looking. Therideronline.com contains up-to-thedate stories, photos, calendars, staff blogs, Nick’s Niche and Twitter updates.
Nay! Teacher’s AP Cramming: Yes, the test is important. Yes we need refreshers, but the quick study sessions have students piecing together an entire textbook in hour sessions.
Yay! UIL Competitors: One-Act reaches regionals along with competitors in social studies, math, journalism, band, and computer app. Achieving second place at district is no small feat.
Letters to the Editor We welcome your comments, suggestions, praises or concerns about our publication and/ or Legacy High School. In order to print your letter to the editor, e-mail a copy to editor@ legacyjournalism.org. The Rider reserves the right to alter the letter for space purposes and grammar issues.
Yay! Every 15 Minutes: What sounded like a morbid concept had a positive effect, bringing students who have been affected by drunk driving together.
Legacy High School Journalism Dept. 1263 North Main Street Mansfield, TX 76063 817-299-1229 legacyjournalism.org
The Rider
April 23, 2009
Entertainment
Page 7
BY NICK JIMENEZ Entertainment Coordinator
When was the last time a band could be so successful but at the same time be so heatedly disliked? In just three years, everyone seems to have an opinion of the Jonas Brothers. Some people (see, young teenage girls) worship the ground they walk on, others think they represent the death of rock n’ roll. Surely at least one of these parties must be correct. But I thought it was high time I made my own decision about the three coiffed heartthrobs from New Jersey. So I
asked a fellow staff writer to make me a mix CD of the Brothers Jonas’ musical works. She happily obliged and presented me a compilation featuring the following JB tunes. At first, the music geek in me was bothered by the fact that the CD included songs that were out of order and from different albums. But then, it dawned on me that if there was ever band where the order of the songs didn’t matter, it was the Jonas Brothers. With that in mind, I uploaded the songs onto my iPod and began my musical
Nick’s Niche
He’s strange. He’s awkward. And he’s funny. So we gave him a column.
What’s the latest Web 2.0 phenomenon to entice 20-somethings , vote-hungry politicians and late-night talk show hosts alike? Myspace? Please. Facebook? As if. The answer, as I have recently become aware of firsthand, is Twitter. Much like Aqua Teen Hunger Force and the Hawaiian delicacy poi, Twitter is something that’s hard to describe in words, yet infectious and instantly familiar once experienced. In a nutshell, Twitter is like Myspace if it was just updates. Twitter users- via text message or computer- updated their followers with “tweets,” about their whereabouts, recent activities, or thoughts. It sounds pretty self-obsessed; at least to me it did. When Mr. Mallet, my newspaper advisor, informed the staff of the Rider that we would be getting Twitter accounts, I was worried about becoming part of the problem; another teenager informing the world about their wants and needs. The whole concept of Twitter struck me as terribly narcissistic. But, as the old expression goes, don’t knock it ‘till you tried it. My first tweets were awkward and stilted. I wasn’t sure what to do with it, how to handle this strange and adorably-named application. Fortunately, the tweets that I received were much more entertaining than the tweets I had made. My “friends” on Twitter included my fellow staff writers; Mallett, Jimmy Fallon, my buddies Scott from
Since 1907. Locally Owned. Nationally Known.
journey into the heart of modern teen pop. Track 1: “Burning Up” (from A Little Bit Longer) – very bouncy. The song wouldn’t be out of place alongside 80’s bands like Modern English or The Cars. Except that those other bands weren’t lucky enough to score a cameo from hip hop legend Big Rob, who also doubles as the Brothers’ body guard. (Perks to being the body guard for the Jonas Brothers: Being allowed to freestyle on their songs and never getting to show your face in front of
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your bros again.) Track 2: “Play My Music” (from Camp Rock soundtrack)While track one was about how Kevin, Nick and Joe were able to be as hot as lava, “Play My Music” is an anthem to the awesome power of music, which grants the boys their power to rock out the show and totally not score with groupies. Sure the lyrics are cheesy as heck, but the dopey optimism is hard to hate. Even with lyrics like
Twitter Me This My first tweets were awkward and stilted. I wasn’t sure what to do with it.
Indiana and Jack from London and my favorite columnist, Whitney Matheson from USA Today. Did I need to know Hannah Overstreet had eaten way too many Sour Patch Kids? Was it imperative that I be aware that Jimmy Fallon totally hung out with Samantha Ronson last night? Nope, but it was fun to know. I really came into my own on Twitter over Easter holiday, when I left for San Antonio to see the extended family. I discovered that I was much more comfortable tweeting my thoughts and observationsthe little nothings that pop into my head- than I was letting everyone know my exact whereabouts and actions. Here are just some of the tweets I made over the course of a four hour road trip via text message, “Ha. My sneakers are getting beat up without me even having to wear em. 7:15 PM” “The further south I go, the better the tejano music gets on the radio 7: 42 PM” The Rider’s own Twitter profile proved invaluable when it came to keeping updated with the fates of our soccer team and one-act-play. I’m not saying that Twitter’s going to revolutionize the communications world. I’m not even saying it’s going to last by the time I graduate. But for now, Twitter is an interesting and fun way to keep in touch. To follow Nick’s tweets, visit twitter.com/nickjrider.
jonasbrothers.com
Nick, Kevin, Joe...And Nick An Assessment of the Jonas Brothers
“Music’s in my soul/I can hear it every day and every night/it’s the one thing on my mind!” Track 3: “When You Look Me in the Eyes” (from Jonas Brothers); Track 4: “Pushin’ Me Away” and Track 5: “A Little Bit Longer” (from A Little Bit Longer) - These three tracks are a part of the least enjoyable type of Jonas songs; the superserious, syrupy ballads. The lyrics are as cheesy as always, but when they’re singing about a bad breakup instead of having “all my heroes singing my favorite songs,” the result is pretty annoying. The patented Jonas nasally-vocals don’t help things either. Track 6: “Video Girl” (from A Little Bit Longer) - Back to the upbeat poppy stuff. But wait; don’t slip on those skinny jeans yet ladies, this song’s got a message. “Video Girl” is a deep and witty anthem against the vapid, shallow girls that the Brothers have to beat off with a stick. One line that interests me is when one of the boys (honestly, can anyone tell them apart?) sneers that his mom “doesn’t like” the party-girl that he’s been hanging around with. I guess in the world of Disney rock, that’s a bad thing, meaning that it’s pretty much the bizarre version of regular rock n’ roll, where a parent’s disapproval of something is
pretty much a confirmation that it’s awesome. Track 7: “Tonight” (from the album A Little Bit Longer) - It’s about having fun at a party. But not too much fun. After all, what would mom say? Track 8: “Year 3000” (from Jonas Brothers)Probably one of the dumbest songs I’ve ever heard. It’s fun and bouncy sure, but still dumb as a doornail. Unless of course the Jonas Brothers are in fact prophets and “Year 3000” is their way of warning us of a future where humanity lives underwater and are greatgreat-great granddaughters are, in fact, doing fine. This is unlikely. Track 9: “Lovebug” (from A Little Bit Longer) - This song confuses me. The tune itself is an innocent and G-rated valentine to a new girlfriend, but while the song is being played we are treated to “raw and unrehearsed” audio of the Brothers and their dudes lamenting the fact there isn’t enough pizza or girls around. I think they’re trying to recreate the boyish playfulness of early Beatles, back when they themselves were teen idols. Which is kind of a revelation; at the end of they day the Jonas Brothers are just three dumb kids that became rock stars and are now trying to act like it. Wouldn’t we if ever had the chance?
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The Rider
Page 8
The Back Page
April 23, 2009
Region Bound One-Act play advances past district to region
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1- Matt Morris, 12 as Straforel, convinces Bergamin,Trevor Callarman, 11, to buy the most stylish and expensive kind of abduction. 2- With a look of disgust, senior Cole Christensen looks around for the source of the disturbance. 3 - After losing much of his dignity, senior Cole Christensen attempts to win back the heart of his love, junior Kat Elvrom. 4 - Junior Kat Elvrom stares in awe as senior Cole Christensen woos her over the wall. 5 - Hunter Canedy, junior, performing as Pasquinot argues with his neighbor and friend, Bergamin, played by Trevor Callarman. 6 - Junior Julie Roberts , Sophie Smith, and sophomore Olivia Hebert get ready to perform a first class abduction. 7 - Senior Cole Christensen lunges with his sword to rescue his love, Kat Elvrom, from her captors.
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The Romancers UIL One Act Play competes on Saturday at the regional level competition. The cast and crew perform against seven other schools for the opportunity to reach the state level. “It was extremely exciting because we didn’t get out of zone last year,” Director Melanie McIntyre said. “I felt very comfortable with this show and cast. I really felt like they deserved this chance.” Participation in four plays before The Romancers gave the cast the experience needed to move further in the competition. “They have a lot more experience now,” McIntyre said. “They’ve had the opportunity to be in a few more shows.” The thespian club president, Kat Elvrom, was cast as the lead female in the play. Her role as a dumb struck lover, Sylvette, granted with the UIL best actress award three times, in zone, district and area. “I didn’t expect it at all,” Elvrom said. “I thought it would be another [school’s actress], I was completely shocked.” Freshman Lenny Loughner was also presented with the Technical Crew Award his first year in theater. “I was proud of him, he’s brand new to the department,” Assistant Director Jeremy Ferman said. “The reason he got the award is because he came in, did his job and did it well.” With three best actress awards, best technical crew award, and advancement all the way to Region, The Romancers have earned 40 points toward the overall UIL competition. These points added with the rest of UIL academics totalled 309, earning Legacy second place, only eight points away from Joshua’s first.
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BY NADLEY DOERGE - Staff Writer
Austria tour planned for choir students
Singing, acting group performs with Legacy students
ably in German.” Mumaw said. “We also get to see the sound of music house. I like that it’s not here and that I get to leave the country. I want to see if the culture is different and if they act differently than here.” Although the school board and Mr. Wright are on board with the overseas trip (Mr. Wright will even be attending), it was more difficult to secure the legal contract for the trip with our district lawyers. “We just had to rewrite the contract. Our district lawyers wanted to make sure we were covered as far as all the legalities of it.” Mrs. Owens said. “As far as going through the motions though it was almost rubber stamped, and I understand where the lawyers were coming from.”
BY ASHLEY CANTERBURY Staff Writer
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The Young Americans who are a group of young adults excel in the performing arts, travel around the world performing and holding auditions to join their group. They conducted a three day workshop and recital for Legacy students. The YA consist of stu-
dents who are 18 to 23 years old and do extremely well in dance, choir and acting. After the Saturday night recital The Young Americans held private auditions for sophomore or higher Legacy students. “The whole three day workshop is like an audition, and then they take students separately to look at all their talents,” Mr. Zrust the assistant choir
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director said. Young Americans is an audition group based out of California that tours the world and give performances singing, dancing and acting. “I was blown away by the students and The Young Americans and how well they presented the show,” Mr. Zrust said. One hundred and ten students signed up for the pro-
gram and 300 people came to see their performance. “I had a fear of singing in front of people and it got me out of my comfort zone it was a experience I will be telling my grandchildren about,” junior Shila Farahani said who had a part in the performance. “It made me realize how a simple thing as singing, dancing, and acting for three days can impact a person’s life.”
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