The
Odyssey
F R I DAY, S E P T E M B E R 24, 2010 t VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2 14000 WECKFORD BLVD. HOUSTON, T X
Summer Creek High School
Back Page n Josh Bond, ‘12, shows off the spirit bone before Copper 2 relinquished the pep rally prize to Carbon 2 at the pep rally Sept. 16. See page 8.
Photo by Lisseth Lopez
FOR ALL THE LATEST SCHS HAPPENINGS CHECK OUT W W W.SUMMERCREEKHIGHSCHOOL.COM
Photo by Wayne Barloco
Spike the Bulldog stood courtside at the pep rally Sept. 16 watching as the JROTC presented the flags and the students said the Pledge of Allegiance and the Texas Pledge of Allegiance. All students were dismissed from their sixth hour classes to attend the Thursday pep rally, which was held before the football team’s home game against South Houston. The next pep rally will be Oct. 1 prior to the school’s first homecoming game.
Ready and waiting The long-awaited week has arrived. But what is Homecoming to a school with no alumni to invite back home? There are no traditions. No guidelines. It’s a build-it-yourself type of party. By Starr Jauregui Staff reporter
Spanish 2 teacher Carina
Tavarez didn’t have homecoming dances when she attended Richmond Hill High School in New York. She is making up for it now. She has already decorated her own SCHS mum with her name going all the way down one of the long ribbons. “We didn’t have homecoming because we didn’t have a football team or any extra-curricular activities like that, but I really wish I would have been able to go,” said Tavarez. Since she moved from New York to Texas in 2006, Tavarez has enjoyed every minute of homecoming as a teacher. She has set up the dances, danced at the dances and helped students build their floats for the parades. “It was a way for students to show off their talents and creativity,” Tavarez said of the float parades. “It was also a great way to get all of the students together and
show their pride for the school.” Tavarez has every intention of helping Summer Creek get its Homecoming traditions started off right this year. “I’ll do whatever they need me to do, whether it be me helping with decorating or getting the party started,” Tavarez said. Every school has its own homecoming traditions, which is something Summer Creek will slowly start developing this year. Many faculty members still remember their traditions from their own high school careers. “We had bonfires in the area next to the practice field and we had about 1,000 people show up,” said history teacher Sam Pollard. “We also had spaghetti fundraisers that were held in the cafeteria to help raise money for a graduating student who couldn’t afford to go to college. Kids need to go to college, and it’s great to have everyone come together and help someone. We raised about $5,000 to $10,000.” There will be no bonfires, powder puff games or float parades at Sum-
mer Creek this year. But there will be a court with juniors, sophomores and freshmen. A king and queen won’t be named until next year when the first graduating class is seniors though. “We’re calling it homecoming, we’re just not going to go full tilt,” principal Trey Kraemer said. Kraemer has plans on starting traditions and having the community get involved down the road. “It wouldn’t necessarily be a bonfire or a parade but something special to Summer Creek,” said Kraemer. “It’d be like a community pep rally that would be a tradition for us.” As the SCHS family grows, the possibilities for traditions are endless. Kraemer said he has no parameters on what is possible. “I have to look at liability,” he said. “I have to look at cost. You have to look and be realistic. If the purpose fits our vision and it fits who we are at Summer Creek then we’ll see.” Even though it’s starting out on a smaller scale, the biggest homecoming events are still go-
ing to be held. The Bulldogs will play Kingwood Park at Turner Stadium on Friday night, and the Homecoming dance will be held Saturday night. The key to the success of both events is participation. Tavarez and US History teacher Stephanie Kelly encouraged students to go to the dance, even if they don’t have a date. “Without a date you can dance with everyone and not feel pressure to be tied to one person all night,” Tavarez said. “Girls just wanna have fun!” The key is simply getting to the dance. “With more people participating, the better the dances are,” said Kelly. “More people also make the dances a lot of fun.” Creating traditions to pass down to future generations of Bulldogs is also a challenge students should embrace, Tavarez said. “We get to set our standards high for those to come in the future,” said Tavarez. “We also get to show off the best of the best because that’s what we Bulldogs are.”
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Saturday, Sept. 25 8 a.m.-Noon The high school will be open for houses, clubs and organizations to decorate the houses and hallways. Wednesday, Sept. 29 Nerd Day. Imitate a Panther with a nerdy twist. Friday, Oct. 1 Game Day Pep rally will be held during advisory. The football game will be at 7:30 p.m. at Turner Stadium. Mums can be worn to school. Saturday, Oct. 2 Homecoming Dance It will begin in the cafeteria at 7:30 p.m.