35
Percent of teens who say they are “almost constantly” using at least one social media platform (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.)
95
Percent of teens who say they use YouTube.
6 in 10
Teens use Snapchat and Instagram.
54
Percent of teens who say that it would be hard to give of social media.
36
Percent of teens who say they spend too much time on social media.
6 in 10
Portion of teens ages 15-17 who say giving up social media would be at least somewhat difficult.
97
Percent of teens who access the internet daily.
46
Percent of teens who say they are online almost constantly.
95
Percent of teens with access to a smartphone.
72
Percent of teens who say they have access to a smartphone, computer and gaming console at home.
Social Media
This year, some math teachers decided to make class time more effective by creating stricter cell phone policies. Most of the math department and a few teachers in other departments said they have seen great results in lectures and grades.
“We were noticing that students just got distracted and then don’t focus on what needs to be finished,” said OnRamps Statistics teacher Shannon Wenter, who started the policy midway through last year. “And most students find that if they just focus, they can be done in like 20 minutes and then they’re finished and they can get their phones to do whatever they want.
“So for me personally, I’m trying to teach students time management and when it’s appropriate. Because when you get to college, your professor isn’t going to pick up your phone.”
In response, some students have embraced the change because it takes away the distraction and temptation of having their phone with them. It gives them the chance to complete work in class and have less to work on at home.
Teachers said they noticed less zeroes in the gradebook since students feel compelled to work without their cell phone to distract them. Students also said they are talking more with classmates and even getting to know new people since no one has their phones.
“I don’t mind the classroom policy,” said Roxana Torres, a senior in statistics. “I get more work done when I don’t have my phone on hand. I think I’m better off. Instead
of looking up the answers [on our phones], we collaborate on the assignment and we solve it together. We learn from each other.”
Other students have struggled with the policy.
Back in 2019, a study by BMC Psychiatry found 23 percent of teens were addicted to their phones. Anxiety rose in those teens each time their phones were taken away. More recent studies suggest the number is even higher after cell phone use rose when teens were isolated during COVID.
“I think it’s silly because when I don’t have my phone, I’m always wondering what is going on,” said sophomore Jordan Hutchinson, whose AP Spanish IV class is not allowed phones. “Instead of focusing on my work, I focus on what’s going on my phone. It’s more com-
forting to have it with me.”
While there is not a campus wide or department wide policy regarding cell phones, multiple schools in the U.S. have resorted to this solution. In 2020, 77 percent of schools had a cell phone ban, according to the federal National Center for Education Statistics.
For those who have already implemented a ban in class, the policy is staying in place.
“We found through algebra 1, that students were more engaged and focused on the lesson that is being taught,” math Instructional Coach Cobi Vicknair said. “[The teachers] implemented it themselves, it is understood that you can’t use it until you’re told to and they’ve come up with cute systems to store the phone during class.”
During the summer, the band got their usual month and a half break from the stressful year. Some spent it sleeping, some were on vacation, but three individuals spent it with a band.
Drum Corps International is a professional marching band organization. Different bands from across the country go on a mini-tour, playing whatever show they have for that year. The bands consist of brass instruments, percussion instruments and a color guard.
Sophomores Ean Osbourn and Joey McCreight as well as junior Aundrea Palmer each joined a group.
For McCreight, his dream became a reality with an email. McCreight’s sister joined DCI in the 2019 season. That started his love for drum corps. He fell off of it when the pandemic came. During his freshman year, however, director Bre Osbourn brought a corps to the school to practice.
“I liked the showing that she did here and stuff and all that,” McCreight said. “And then having [Carolina] Crown at our sight as well [was influential].”
Around March, McCreight got an email from the Seattle Cascades inviting him to try out. Since he wasn’t interested in joining that corps at the time, he just ignored it. Then on May 22, McCreight got an email from them again. He called the corps director and did a quick audition. The next thing he knew, he was a
mellophone player for the Cascades.
“I decided to join the Cascades because they are world class,” McCreight said.
Within McCreight’s first week in the corps at spring training in Oregon, an illness was floating around. McCreight caught the illness and had to be quarantined for a week.
“It was just horrible,” McCreight said. “I was by myself for two days with nothing to do, just in a room.”
It was worth it, though, when his team ended its season at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The stadium made it easier for the band’s sound to start to separate but they quickly adjusted the sound to the 40,000 people and their cheers.
“It was really cool, it’s a huge stadium,” McCreight
said.
With McCreight throughout the summer was junior color guard member Aundrea Palmer. She joined the Cascades and almost instantly felt like quitting.
“I was having a really hard time,” Palmer said. “I didn’t have many friends. And it’s really hard to make friends with older people, especially being
wait it out.”
Another guard member took his mom’s hobby and made it his reality. Ean Osbourn first saw the Carolina Crown perform in 2015. Ever since then he has wanted to join. Over the summer he joined the Colts which are located in Iowa.
“The guard director there got second at WGI finals, so I knew that he knew what he was doing,” Ean said.
A memorable moment for him was when DCI was in Houston.
“I walked into the stands and my mom was crying,” said Osbourn, whose mom directs the Kingwood Park band.
Leading up to that wasn’t easy though. Similar to the other two, he was one of the youngest there.
“Most of the guard was veterans, so they already knew what was going on,” Osbourn said. “They were teaching the rifle work, and I was like, ‘oh my gosh.’ I just wanted to go home.”
Other than the fact that his parents wouldn’t let him go home, he knew that it would eventually get better.
one of the youngest ones there. Just the first couple of days was really rough.”
For Palmer, the best thing she could do is just let time pass and constantly push herself. She eventually made friends in the program despite being one of the youngest.
“It just got better over time and I made friends,” Palmer said. “You had to
Osbourn thinks that DCI was a great opportunity for him to grow more mature and become a better person.
“You get way better at organizing, you develop more patience I guess, and you learn how to put yourself in everybody else’s shoes,” Osbourn said.
Sophomore Ean Osbourn practices with the band on the school parking lot. He spent much of his summer with the Iowa Colts, where he traveled and performed with the group’s color guard. Photo by Maya Ortiz.
By Shelby Townsend Staff Writer
Team members in aeroscience had little time to build their first rockets, let alone get to know each other. The groups had to work together for a successful launch on Aug. 18, revealing a key objective of the class: developing essential life skills.
“Yeah we’re a science class, we’re super technical and blow stuff up, but it’s more about can you work in a team, can you communicate, can you manage a project, can you analyze, can you present?” aeroscience teacher
Glenn Taylor said. “All of these are work skills, so it’s really a workforce development class. We just use rockets to teach that.”
Teams for each mission are randomly assigned by Taylor with a random number generator. This
builds the concept of working with people you aren’t familiar with or don’t like, mirroring the environment of a real-life workplace.
“I always tell them you’re going to go to work when you get out of high school and do you get to pick the person you get to work with? No!” Taylor said.
On the second day of school, Taylor dumped a pile of materials onto his students’ desks and told them to build a rocket. He told them to not look up anything, and left them to work with no other instructions. The expectations for their rockets were at an all-time low: just get the rocket to
launch.
They had a week to work on the mission.
“So he kinda threw us in the dark, like we didn’t know anything about it, he just gave us the tools and we had to figure out what to do from there,” junior Holden Spears said, “It was like putting together pieces of a puzzle and figuring out what to do.”
A majority of the rockets were successful on launch day, with the exceptions of a few rockets that skewed to the side and one that only went an inch off the launch rail.
After the launch, students im-
mediately dove into building their second rocket, using pieces from the first one to improve the new build.
“It was cool to see that everyone’s rockets actually launched because just launching off it was impressive,” junior David Luna said. “And I like that Mr. Taylor doesn’t really lecture and has such a unique way of teaching, telling us what to improve instead.”
Each mission Taylor assigns gets more challenging as the year goes on. Taylor loves how the structure of the class allows kids the freedom to explore and grow.
“If a student is going to have fun, they’re going to learn something,” Taylor said. “To me, that’s the biggest goal of all education. And if they are having fun and learning, they’re gonna be that much better in some facet of life.”
“If a student is going to have fun, they’re going to learn something. To me, that’s the biggest goal of all education.”
Glenn Taylor, science teacher
For the first time, this year’s homecoming dance was split in two. The freshmen and sophomores attended between 6-8 p.m. The seniors and juniors were from 8:30-10:30 p.m.
Just like the dance was divided, so were opinions on this year’s homecoming.
“Going in I thought it would be pretty lame, our class was stuck with the freshmen,” said sophomore Will Burningham. “It was all right, but I definitely wished it would have been combined.”
Homecoming was split this year due to safety concerns, according to student council sponsor Natalie Johnson. Typically 1,300 tickets are sold, but the cafeteria has a max capacity of 800. Johnson said local event spaces for a crowd of more than 1,000 would cost $60,000, which is not in the school’s budget.
The tickets cost $30 for the two-
hour dance and covered decorations and the DJ. The “Beyond the Blue” theme was carried out with underwater décor.
“The decorations were actually really nice,” junior Cecelia Sullivan said. “I liked the theme a lot more than last year.”
Students said they were disappointed that food was not served
like it had been in the past.
“No one bought their tickets until a week or two [before], so I couldn’t order food because I didn’t know how many people there would be,” Johnson said. For students wanting to attend the dance with a date in another grade, they had the option to choose which dance they would
attend. They had to meet with administration and discuss it for prior approval. Ticket sales ended up remaining as high as they had been in the past when all of the grades attended the homecoming dance together.
Some of the issues that were mentioned by attendees were with the music selection and the inconvenience of the water station. Many said fewer attendees made the dance feel more awkward and less enjoyable.
“It was small,” senior Aidan Franks said. “It just felt less hype.”
Though the dance was less than ideal for some, students still made the best of the situation and had a good time dancing with their friends.
“I liked the general experience of being able to hang out with my friends and having a night out,” Sullivan said.
The print newspaper and website is paid for by funds raised by the students from supportive businesses and community members.
Platinum Sponsors
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Sponsors also help students to make competitions and conventions affordable. To become a sponsor reach out to a staff member or adviser Megan Ortiz at mmortiz@humbleisd.net.
Astrology, being the pseudo science it is, tends to be a controversial topic. It is not illogical to argue that it’s simple ancient nonsense. However if you look beyond the westernized version you might find something more.
Astrology has been an effective way of predicting events and personalities for centuries. There is more than just one zodiac assigned per person, there is an entire chart.
This chart contains a zodiac for each planet placement, a rising, a sun and a moon. Each planet signifies your tendencies in different aspects of your life. However, despite popular belief it is not explaining who you are, but predicting how you might act.
I would like to clarify that I do not believe these signs as law, but I do find them to be useful when getting to know somebody better. One must be open minded when judging zodiacs. Having a specific zodiac does not present itself in the same way with everyone, but more so showcases specific qualities among each sign.
Oftentimes when I make friends one of the first questions I ask is their zodiac – not because that will change how I see them but because it will, at the very least, tell me whether or not they’re open-minded and respectful people. It may also tell me a few of their key qualities if they do know their sign.
Your sun placement is the most well known, and is found by using your birth month and day. This placement describes your behavior in situations with other people or your most well known persona.
version of zodiacs; and although it can sometimes be a gateway into truly understanding what they are, it has also created toxic behavior.
There were originally 13 Zodiacs but the 13th didn’t end up making sense.
The zodiac was originally made for farming, and is an agriculture calender
The symbols of the zodiacs seem to have appeared in Greek manuscripts.
There hasn’t been a Pisces as president in the United States since 1897.
Scorpio and Aquarius birthdays appear most often among U.S. presidents.
However, there are two other important and well-known placements, those being a person’s moon and rising. These placements might be contradictory to the person’s sun sign and furthermore alter the way they tend to behave. This is frequently the reason why many people do not relate to their sun sign.
I have met many people who don’t know or care about their sign but have been willing to learn and better understand how it all works, and I appreciate that level of respect. I personally find it
enjoyable to identify the zodiacs of different people in my life and see how they all relate to each other. It is equally as fun to find someone with your zodiac, be in it their sun, moon or rising sign.
I don’t expect everyone to immediately understand or agree with it. But I don’t appreciate a person ridiculing something they hardly understand, especially given that there are countless different versions of zodiacs depending on where you are.
The media has simply created a confusing melting pot of their own
It is ridiculous to assume a person is good or bad based on their zodiac. It is equally as ridiculous to assume whether or not you will get along with a person based on their zodiac. Making assumptions of people has never led to anything good. And although there are times where certain qualities of different signs may clash, that does not mean they cannot be friends or even something more.
Ultimately, we are the ones who decide who we want to be and how we want to treat people. It is not right to throw stereotypes around at people and prevent yourself from understanding someone solely based on their sign. It defeats the point of zodiacs entirely. A person’s character and personality are not determined by what day they were born, but by who they decide to be.
With that being said I firmly believe that zodiacs can be a useful tool for understanding people, or at the very least getting to know them. It is not nearly as serious as people make it out to be, and not everything in the world should be logical. Sometimes it is good to just believe that the stars can really predict things.
It is certainly not harmful to believe; and although you should not live by it, it wouldn’t hurt to keep in mind whenever a particular planet is acting up or a specific sign has a tendency to reappear in your life.
5 Facts about Zodiac signs you may not know....
“Zodiac signs can be fun but they shouldn’t be taken as seriously as they are.”
Maria Rosario, 10
“I don’t think they are good for anyone to believe in. You shouldn’t hope for things that aren’t ideal.”
Andrew Glover, 9
“It’s okay to believe in it, but saying someone is a certain way because of their zodiac is not real.”
Laila Phillips, 9
“It’s perfectly fine to believe in it, but it should not be used as a justification for character and bad deeds.”
Donovan Ruple, 11
‘“I think they are interesting to look at but purposefully vague, so I don’t take them too seriously”
Guillermo Cotte, 12
“I think it’s cool that there are characteristics that you can apply to yourself.”
Abbey Papadimitriou, 11
“I don’t really think that when you are born determines how your personality will be like.”
Dylan Kornegay, 10
“Zodiacs sometimes have deep insight into your personality and how you function.”
Camaro Brown, 12
“I felt like I was boiling alive, and I had to wear lots of sunscreen to avoid getting burned. I’ve been staying cool by eating healthy, taking water breaks seriously, and staying in the shade when I can.
“[One day] it was 103 degrees, and everybody was collapsing due to heat exhaustion. I felt really bad.”
Cossette Lebeouf, 11, clarinet player
“When it was 99 degrees but it felt like 114 degrees, I got heat chills and I felt like I was going to pass out but I pulled through.
“I drink lots of water before practice during practice and after practice.”
Tommy Olivares, 12, trumpet/drum major
“I’ve been handling the heat well. I’ve been drinking water like I need blood. I’ve been staying cool by wearing light colored shirts.”
Aaron Ervin, assistant band director
“I found it’s harder for me to march [in the heat.] I get tired more easily and I need more water breaks. I stay cool by drinking lots of water and even before practice I drink and eat healthy for better results.
“[One day] it was 98 outside, but it felt like it was over 100 and the sun was beating down on us. I just beared through it until we had to go inside.”
Ethan Durand, 10, percussion
“I’ve tried to stay cool with a towel. It affected me because I got dehydrated, and I also got heat stroke.
“The hottest practice was Day One because it was the first day in [the heat.] It went pretty good besides the fact I had to go inside from getting too hot.”
Samantha Montelongo, 10, flute/color guard
- Compiled by Preston Carpenter
By Luke Cavallo Staff WriterThe unrelenting heat combined with a lack of rain has resulted in a summer and early school year that is the hottest since 2011. The daily high temperatures topped triple digits in each of the first 21 days of August.
“I’ve been coaching for 13 years and this is the hottest it’s ever been,” tennis coach John Macapaz said. “(I’ve experienced) other elements: rain, wind. But never this type of brutal heat.”
These near unprecedented weather conditions pushed many coaches and athletes to question whether the current state of affairs is sustainable.
Macapaz and cross country coach Chris Elliott both raised the idea of pushing their fall sports a few weeks back. Elliott said a more manageable start of the cross country season would be in early September, as opposed to August.
“I would think that they should probably start some of these sports a little bit later so that we can get our kids acclimated instead of being rushed to get them acclimated, get them in shape, and then get them to compete,” Elliott said.
Macapaz said that his two month fall tennis season would ideally begin in October or November, negating the heat issue. He also advocated for the use of indoor tennis facilities. Both proposed solutions would reduce the possibility of heat-related illnesses that accompany athletic activity on a tennis court with a heat index that can reach temperatures 15 to 20 degree higher than other surfaces.
“When you talk about these kids having to constantly move around on concrete by themselves or in doubles, there’s not a lot of opportunities for rest,” Macapaz said. “When it comes to that extreme stuff, that’s asking a human body to do something that we’re not built to do.”
Senior football player Logan Robinson attests to the intensity of the heat this season, as well as the sweltering effect created by practicing in full football padding and with a helmet on.
“It was insane,” Robinson said. “You just walk out there and you feel like you’re trapped inside a sauna. It’s hard to breathe. (You have to) think about the drill you’re doing or the play you’re running. Don’t think
about the heat.”
was
Head trainer Daniel Scalia athletic trainers in assisting programs with the extreme temperatures. They have provided unlimited water athletes during practice monitored the heat index make sure all teams comply with UIL policy.
UIL rules dictate that students are not allowed outside for practice if the heat index reaches or surpasses 115 degrees. Football, tennis, and cross been forced by UIL heat practices indoors at times. Another responsibility ers is to inform concerned ents on health and safety
“It’s just making sure educate the kids on hydration,
By Jacob Valcarce Video Editor
While working on their seventh house, the Tiny Home team faced struggles with the heat. With the temperature hitting record highs, the crew had to go inside until the weather cooled down. This started on the first day of school and progressively got worse.
“We’re probably about two weeks behind schedule,” Tiny Home director Missi Taylor said. “I think it was the first week of school, there was one or two days we didn’t go out. Second week in school, there was another one or two days we couldn’t go out. That puts us behind schedule.”
Scalia has led the assisting the sports extreme have water to practice and index to comply that allowed degrees.
cross country have each heat policy to move their times.
responsibility of the athletic trainconcerned athletes and parsafety in these conditions. that we’re trying to hydration, taking care
of their bodies, stuff like that,” Scalia said. “Communication, education, letting them know that we are truly doing everything we possibly can to ensure the safety of the kids, that what we have in place is top quality.”
One major change that will be instituted at the beginning of next year will be a new system for measuring heat. The district is switching to the WetBulb Globe Temperature, which takes into account radiant sunlight, wind speed and wind direction, as well as the standard measurements of heat and humidity.
The WetBulb Globe system constitutes a thermometer that is covered in a wet cloth. As the water evaporates from the cloth, it cools the thermometer, modeling the effect that human sweat has on body temperature,
and allowing for more accurate estimations of heat.
“It’s a lot better tell-tale sign for us of what it’s actually feeling like,” Scalia said. “Whether you’re in a helmet, whether you’re just in direct sunlight, stuff like that.”
With this development will come a change in policy regarding time spent practicing outside. Practices may be split between 40 minutes outside and 20 minutes inside, or full length football practices with only a helmet.
“It’s not ideal to practice football indoors in a gym,” football coach Clayton Maple said. “But again, like everything else, we use it as a way to teach the game. Things aren’t going to go the way you want. There’s gonna be adversity and be changes. We have to go and just practice to the best of our ability inside, make the most of it and then get back outside.”
The Tiny Homes team follows the same UIL rules as sports teams. That means when temperatures reach high enough that sports team have to go inside, the Tiny Homes crew goes inside as well.
“We try to do the team building activities or we’ll plan for what we’re going to do when we can work outside,” said senior head architect Andrew Hennings.
Some of their activities include: OSHA, drawing, making models, and practicing for their human pyramid for the homecoming pep rally. They won the competition during the pep rally on Sept. 6.
Ultimately, the weather will not be an issue when the new Tiny Home addition to the high school is complete. However, construction is behind schedule and is pushing the Tiny Homes crew further off their schedule.
The team will work on weekends as well as on breaks to ensure the building is done by May.
“I’ve been coaching for 13 years and this is the hottest it’s ever been.”
John Macapaz, tennis coachSenior Haley Kluge leads some of the tennis team in ladders during seventh period practice in the commons. The team was often pushed inside in August and September as temperatures hit triple digits. Photo by Luke Cavallo. JV soccer players take a break to drink cold water in August as temperatures disrupted practices and game schedules. Photo by Luke Cavallo. Wade Leake talks with senior Hugo Houel during a break in doubles action at a the surface of the tennis courts, the temperature during matches was 15-20 recorded in other areas. Photo by Maya Ortiz.
Every time junior Elijah Merino toes the starting line of a cross country course or a track, he turns to something that has given him the strength to pursue his passion for the sport: his faith.
Among his arsenal of pre-race Bible verses is Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart….”
That belief has been key to Merino’s success, encouraging him to sacrifice time, money, and unhealthy indulgences in order to fully dedicate himself to his sport.
“Yeah, running’s fun; but if you want to compete at the national level, you have to stay disciplined,” Merino said. “I can’t do things that a lot of high schoolers would do in their day to day life, because otherwise I could imagine my health and not running. I’m very, very strict on myself about a lot of things.”
Merino was initially inspired to take up running after witnessing his sister compete in a razor-close sprint to the finish line of a cross country course. The excitement around the event encouraged Merino to participate in track and cross country at Kingwood Middle school, where he developed a passion for the sports. He has since enjoyed many successes, recording a mile time of 4:30, a two mile time of 9:37, and a five kilometer time of 15:59.
Last year, Merino’s cross country season culminated in a trip to the State Meet in Round Rock, Texas, heavy with expectations after finishing No. 8 overall at the region meet. Things did not go as planned, however, as Merino developed a fever of 103 degrees the night before the race. The illness carried into the next morning, and Merino was unable to
perform to his usual standards. Merino found himself physically unable to maintain his usual pace and was quickly overtaken by the competition.
“There was never a thought that I wouldn’t finish,” Merino said. “But every time I saw somebody pass me it was definitely discouraging. I hated it.”
Merino competed along with six of his teammates, including graduates Jose Antonio Maldonado, Osvaldo Jasso, Christian Smith, and Corey Foltz. Though it was heartbreaking not to be able to give the best account of his abilities, Merino was more concerned with the success of his team, especially the graduating seniors.
“As sad as it was, it was more important to me that I saw my
team [compete] at State, especially the seniors like Ozzy and Jose and them, because I knew it was their last chance,” Merino said. “At the end of November I was thinking, I have two more years to do this, you know? It’s one race.”
Merino recognized that his performance at State was out of his control, and sometimes it would be that way. Rather than allow it to continue to affect his performances, Merino made the decision to put the experience behind him, and to learn from it.
“Now I can confidently say that I’m no longer using it as a source of fear, but more of a source of motivation,” Merino said. “This year when I go to State, I can do great at it. I can remember how I felt getting passed up and feeling
defeated. I’m not going to let that happen again.”
Merino’s mental rebound has been evident in his start to this cross country season. Merino recorded his personal best 5k time at a meet in Grand Prairie, finishing first overall. He also led the team to victory over Frisco Reedy cross country, a top-level program.
Kim Ackerman, the boys cross country assistant coach, attributes much of Merino’s success to his character and work ethic.
Ackerman said that Merino serves as a leader for his teammates by providing the emotion and passion that is required to maintain the hard work and discipline that the sport requires. His consistency has put him in a position from which he can achieve success at a state level and even challenge long-standing school records.
“He’s coachable,” Ackerman said. “His faith, his ability to really embrace people. He’s not missing practices. He’s on the right path.”
“This year when I go to State, I can do great at it. I can remember how I felt getting passed up and feeling defeated. I’m not going to let that happen again.”
Elijah Merino, 11Junior Elijah Merino jokes around with his teammates and coach Chris Elliott after earning a medal at an August meet at Kingwood High School. Merino has had a strong start to the season and hopes to return to the State Meet this fall. Photo by Maya Ortiz.
Watch a video on how much the student section has an impact on games and why kids like to participate in it.
By Grace Darcy Staff Writer
Senior Brooke O’Brien has been an avid tennis player since she was just 8 years old. In the fourth grade, she began taking lessons after her P.E coach recommended it.
O’Brien joined the team her freshman year and has been on varsity the past three years. As a senior, she is the top-ranked girl.
“She’s just a tremendous person,” Macapaz said. “When it comes to asking kids to play with a big heart, she’s been the definition of that for our team.”
O’Brien has a condition called dysautonomia, which causes blood to pool in her legs and her heart rate to increase up to 130 to 140 while just standing. This can cause her to pass out. In addition, if she is out in the heat for a long period of time and doesn’t drink enough water, it becomes difficult for her to play.
It was challenging in the beginning when she struggled to control it and know exactly what was going on. She received the diagnosis her sophomore year.
“When I didn’t have it as controlled it was definitely scary,”
O’Brien says.
School for O’Brien has been affected by dysautonomia. She missed three months of her sophomore year when she was in and out of hospitals as doctors tried to help her. She couldn’t walk without instantly passing out.
Now, O’Brien has a routine appointment every three months to check in and make sure everything is going well.
Dysautonomia is a genetic condition that has been in her family for three generations. A person can only be tested for it with a tilt table test, where they lay you on a table and stand it up to see how long it takes before you pass out.
The disease is incurable but the doctors and her mother, Angie O’Brien, are hopeful that she will soon grow out of it.
The tennis team was shocked and confused when they learned about O’Brien’s condition during her sophomore year.
O’Brien said her mother has been her biggest supporter through it all. She has gone to all of O’Brien’s appointments and has been there through each step, including when O’Brien had heart surgery at the age of 10 because of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT).
“My mom was always there for me,” O’Brien said. “She was the one when I would be crying in the ambulances and would hold my hand.”
To any athletes struggling with health conditions, O’Brien’s advice is to listen to your body, know your limits and don’t push yourself to an unhealthy level. Her mom said that with help, those hurdles can be cleared.
“Whatever obstacle that you have in front of you is just something for you to overcome,” Angie O’Brien said. “You will get through it.”
Brooke O’Brien hopes that throughout the season she is able to improve her skills and to win more matches. With the team’s current win, O’Brien is hopeful they can keep it up in order to qualify for regionals.
Macapaz said he is hopeful that O’Brien will become a district champ this season.
After high school, O’Brien hopes to continue with tennis as a walkon at Wichita State University. She wants to continue playing tennis for the rest of her life.
“I will still be that woman playing tennis,” O’Brien said.
Watch a video on how the volleyball felt as they geared up for their biggest rivals.
Meet this year’s tennis team as they push for a district title.
Visit KPTimes.com to see updated slideshows and stories as the football and volleyball seasons continue.
Miller passes the ball in a preseason game.
Senior quarterback Jaxon Sims launched himself into the end zone for the Panthers’ only touchdown of the second half on Sept. 8. He gave Kingwood Park a 21-7 lead with the quarterback keeper, but the team fell 27-21 to Porter.
“Leah.”
I finally heard my name and looked up.
“They’re ready for you.”
I stood up to walk through the large wooden doors that held the potential to make my biggest dream come true.
I stepped in to see four interviewers on their feet. These were the people I needed to impress. I went around the table shaking each person’s hand before I settled in my seat across from them.
I had been a student and volunteer at the First Tee, a nonprofit golf program since I was 7 years old. The First Tee offers a variety of life-changing opportunities for its golfers but there was only one I had my eye on since elementary school: Pebble Beach.
The PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach is a weeklong trip of playing one of the most beautiful golf courses on the planet.
To be selected, participants have to first apply within their chapter by answering a series of essay questions. From there, participants then move on to the interview where a panel determines, which, if any, opportunities the participant may apply to.
After being approved by the panel, participants are allowed to submit an official national opportunity application. The final committee reviews the pool of applicants from across the United States and makes the final cuts.
I knew I was a good golfer, active member and dedicated volunteer. I was the exact type of candidate they were looking for, but that didn’t decrease my nerves.
Although I prepared by rehearsing proper interview etiquette and practicing questions with my family, nothing prepared me for the impact the interview would have on me.
The second I walked in the door, my entire body shook. I tried to
hide the quiver in my voice and hoped they didn’t notice the bright shade of red my face had turned.
I trembled as I gave half-decent answers, hoping my long volunteer hours and low golf scores would do the work for me. But nothing could compensate for the meaningless answers I rambled in response to the panel’s questions.
I walked away from the interview feeling defeated.
Later that night results were released. I hadn’t made it to the next round. I was one of the most
involved golfers on the list and yet I was one of only two to not advance. I cried. I cried for hours. Why had I done so terribly?
All I knew was that it would never happen again. I would never let myself fail because I was too nervous or because I didn’t know what to say.
A few weeks later, I enrolled in a Dual Credit Lone Star Speech and Communication course over the summer. The class made me the most uncomfortable I had ever been.
Speeches left me completely vulnerable in front of my older peers and under the scrutiny of my professor.
I worked hard to calm my nerves and to increase my confidence with hours of preparation. By the end of the six-week course, I could see the difference in myself.
I had found my voice. I was still a bit nervous to speak up but willing to do so whenever I wanted. I could let the words flow calmly and thoughtfully, a superpower now in my arsenal.
When the next year’s applications for national opportunities rolled around, I knew what I had to do.
I spent hours a day preparing myself for the interview. I read through the feedback I was given and worked tirelessly to improve every category.
I printed my golf and academic resume for each interviewer. I took notes on important lessons taught in First Tee classes in case I was asked about them. I even wrote small notes for any statement I planned to make if they asked for elaboration or an example.
I wish I could say that I wasn’t nervous walking up to the large wooden doors the second time around.
I was more nervous than the year prior. It was the last shot to apply, the last chance for my dream.
As the interviewers asked questions, I took pride in my collected answers. I didn’t feel scared to hear a question that I hadn’t prepared an answer for. I felt challenged and excited to share my thoughts.
Leaving that interview was one of the best feelings ever, shared by the feeling of opening the results that night to see I had moved on to the next stage. And only topped by receiving the email saying that…
I AM GOING TO PEBBLE!
October Break
Can it come sooner?
Starbucks fall drink
The best thing since sliced bread. Sleep
We’ll take it when we can. Student Sections
Go show your school spirit. Pass/Fails
Thank you for saving my GPA. 11:11
Make a wish!
Hispanic Heritage Month
Anything for Selenas. Study Groups
Just go hang out and do math.
Is it that time of year again?
Blood Shortage
Hit up your favorite HOSA member. No Tuesday Flex
It’s my favorite day for tutoring. Too many bell schedules Three was enough. Cussing
You really do not sound cool. X
It’s Twitter in our hearts.
Joe JonasFirst the Taylor Swift phone call, and now Sophie Turner!?!
Townsend’s tension leads to burnout
Read how burnout led to big changes for junior Shelby Townsend.
Rodrigo hits all the right notes with ‘Guts’
Two writers battle it out as they disagree over if “Guts” is a hit or a miss.
Read why Laufey’s album is a breath of fresh air and why you should listen.
Senior Exa Nix loves thrifting and has some tips and tricks to make you a better shopper.
Istood behind the bleachers sweating in my sparkly velvet uniform at the end of the second quarter. I held hands with my fellow teammates as Silver Star Director Cyndi Vaughn gave her usual pre-performance pep talk, but something felt different. I felt my hands start to shake and my breath begin to shorten. Thoughts of self-doubt and anxiety rushed through my head. I didn’t know what was happening. After spending some time in therapy, I realized I was having my first panic attack.
therapists and psychologists came out and talked to you about what they offered. I walked around the large cafeteria filled with people when one table in particular caught my eye. They had games, activities, coloring pages and stickers. She made therapy seem like a fun experience. I introduced myself, took a business card and continued walking.
My freshman year of high school was a big change for me. My middle school did not prepare me for the work ahead. Through many stressful nights of racing thoughts and overwhelming schoolwork, I finally went to my mom and introduced the idea that I might have anxiety. This conversation led to a possible solution: therapy.
I had always thought of therapy as something to be ashamed of. I never heard anyone talk about it. It was something you kept to yourself. I considered the idea but didn’t really think it would help.
When I finally decided to try therapy, I stepped into the office and absolutely hated it. I felt I couldn’t talk to the therapist. She didn’t seem to be helping me and we weren’t talking about my problems, just random topics. I realized this wasn’t working and decided to stop seeing her.
Two months later, Humble ISD held a mental health fair where different
About a week later, my mom reached out to the lady from the table. I was nervous to try therapy again. I didn’t know whether or not it would help after the failed first attempt. When I finally logged on to my first session with my new therapist, everything changed. I felt free to talk about whatever I needed to get off my chest, things I couldn’t tell my friends or my parents. She gave me strategies to help me get through the hard moments of my anxiety journey – something I had never had before.
My therapist has helped me with my mental, social and academic struggles. If I never went to that fair and stopped at that table, I don’t know where I would be right now.
Therapy is definitely not one-sizefits-all. There are many therapists out there willing to help, you just have to find the right one for you.
Therapy is also something no one should be ashamed of. It is a tool many use to help get through hard patches in life. I think many of us could benefit from therapy but are too scared of the stigma attached to the word. It should be something that is talked about more so people see it as an opportunity rather than something they should hide.
Kaitlyn Sitton reflects on dealing with anxiety. Photo by Shelby Townsend.Iwas sand bicultThe algebra 1 teachers have banned phones in classrooms, and it’s set to benefit the students in a large way. While a complete ban in the school would not be beneficial, more teachers enforcing a break from them in class is a great way to increase productivity and classroom culture.
Throughout the country, phone restrictions in schools have picked up in popularity. Schools across the country are banning phones, with 76% of schools completely going cell phone-less in 2020.
The implementation of phonefree classrooms helps students focus and get their work done. People get notifications all day long, and it’s become a habit to reach out and check devices. With phones securely away, people can focus in class, and use the time after notes to work on homework. Without phones, people are
September 2023
Volume 10, Issue 1
Kingwood, Texas 77339
Maya Ortiz, editor-in-chief
Fallon Head, web editor
Exa Nix, managing editor
Jacob Valcarce, video editor
Kaitlyn Sitton, design editor
Bailey Hall, news editor
more likely to reach out and talk to the people around them. From class discussions about homework to making small talk to pass the time, when people don’t have their phones, they build more relationships. Classes without phones often have stronger culture and bonds as a class. Removing phones
from classrooms also encourages students to collaborate rather than searching for the answers online. Many students are uncomfortable with not being able to check their phones. FOMO, the fear of missing out, is more than simple teen slang. Phones allow students to be connected with their
friends all day. Anxiety rises as they ponder hypothetical plans or activities that could have occurred while missing their devices. There is no real way to miss out, because texts, social media posts, and any other communication on phones don’t have a time limit before they disappear. All of the notifications will be there after class. For family emergencies, administration or front office people will contact students individually if they are notified of a personal emergency, and if they are being picked up, the passes will be delivered without phones.
While phones are needed in students’ lives, it is beneficial to have a purposeful break from them during class. There are undeniable benefits from not being allowed to use phones in class. When handled well, the classes with no phone policies create a happier and more productive environment.
KP Media is the official student-produced media of news and information published/produced by KP Media students. KP Media has been established as designated public forums for student editors to inform and educate their readers as well as for the discussion of issues of concern to their audience. It will not be reviewed or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution. Advisers may – and should – coach and discuss content during the writing process.
Emerson Harris, Ramiro Hernandez, Ana La Rosa
Grillo, Garrison Moritz, Shelby Townsend, Evelyn VelaWest, Dannika Melendez Mateo, Trenten Estes, Jada Cassidy, Grace Darcy, Morgen Dozier, Maddie Glenn, Leah Torres, Luke Cavallo, Cas Magee, Ace Richards, Avery Steinke, Arleigh Doehring, Jordan Hutchinson.
Adviser: Megan Ortiz
Cover Photo by Arleigh Doehring.
Because school officials do not engage in prior review, and the content of KP Media is determined by and reflects only the views of the student staff and not school officials or the school itself, its student editorial board and responsible student staff members assume complete legal and financial liability for the content of the publication.
The media will serve the best interest of the students and faculty of Kingwood Park High School, keeping itself free from any commercial obligations distracting from this purpose; this is defined by the media itself.
All writing in the media, other than letters to the editor in the newsmagazine, will be written by students of the journalism program and will not be accepted otherwise.
The media will specialize in and emphasize on informing their readers of school news and unique
students of the Kingwood Park High School community.
The media will cover community, state, national, and international news if it is directly relevant to the school community, and includes local angles. The media will strive to provide coverage to all school organizations and functions.
Any decisions affecting the publications on all levels will be made by the editorial board, the adviser is allowed to give legal advice and his/her opinion, but the final decision rests in the hands of the editorial board. Only the editorial board may prevent material it judges to be in violation of the media editorial policy, from being printed.
Letters to editor will be printed in the opinion section of the newspaper or on the website. Letters to editor should not exceed 300 words, must be signed and must include writer’s address and phone number for verification. Letters to the editor will be verified by a member of the editorial board to determine the authenticity of the writer.
The school newspaper will be distributed free of charge to all students every 6-8 weeks. The paper is completely financed by advertising revenues and fundraising. The money raised is used to pay for the school media printing costs, supplies and other media expenses.
See the entire editorial policy at KPTimes.com
Algebra teacher Martha Purcell collects phones in a caddy before class. The new policy was implemented at the start of the school year. Photo by Arleigh Doehring.LATEST PHOTOS
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