The Hawk Eye, Volume 18, Issue 2

THEHAWKEYE

Hebron High School. 4207 Plano Parkway, Carrollton, TX. www.hebronhawkeye.com. Twitter: @hebronhawkeye. Room 1315.

December 17, 2019

Volume 18, Issue 2

District delays discontinuation of middle school orchestra program page 2

THE LOOP UPCOMING EVENTS

Choir to perform annual winter concert tonight page 2

Girls basketball to play Coppell tonight page 3

SPOTLIGHT STRESS

Students reflect on the effects of stress page 4 & 5

Dec. 17: Choir concert - 7 p.m.

Dec. 20: Student early release - Noon Jan. 23-26: Musical, “The Little Mermaid” Feb. 09: Band Garage Sale Fundraiser

TEACHER SPOTLIGHT: Jeff Hill

He parks his car in the driveway at about 5:30 every night after school. He exits the car and walks toward his favorite tree: the worry tree. He rubs his palm on the tree, relieving himself of all the worries and stresses of his day before he enters his home. He does this so he has ample energy when he greets and spends time with his family.

World History teacher and football coach Jeff Hill separates his work life from his family life. Hill puts his family above everything and attributes that to the way his parents raised him. Hill grew up in a town near Houston and moved to Bonham -- a small town with a population of 10,000 people -- at the age of 13.

“I grew up in a couple of different places,” Hill said.

“We moved because my parents are teachers and coaches.They wanted to be in a smaller town. My dad wanted a good job and my mom wanted to work at the same place that he worked at and Bonham was the place. Everyone knew everybody, and it was the right fit for me and my family.”

Hill said although his parents were occupied with their jobs, they always made time for him and his siblings.

“Dad was always the authoritarian, but me and him always went and did hobbies together,” Hill said. “My mom was of course the nurturer, and I was a momma’s boy. We were really close, and I could talk to her about anything.

They were the perfect parents. They were always there.

Never heard them fighting, never heard them arguing about stuff. They always made sure [my siblings and I] were first before anything else.”

After graduating from high school, Hill attended various colleges to play football and experience larger campuses, also meeting his wife there.

“I went to Bacone college to go play football and then I transferred to South Eastern Oklahoma State University to play football as well,” Hill said. “I was [at South Eastern] for a couple years, but both of [the colleges] were small schools just like Bonham being a small town. I met Amy, my wife, [at North Texas] and I got to have a lot of friends and meet a lot of people and get my degree. I was blessed to be able to go there.”

Hill married his wife in 2013 and had his first child, Kinsley, in 2016. Three years later, they had their second child, Kason. Hill has encouraged bonds to form between his kids and their cousins.

“We see each other at least once a week,” Hill said.

“My little nephew Jackson is 5 and my daughter Kinsley is 3, so we try to get them together as much as possible because they love each other. Amy and my soon-to-be sister-in-law are really close, and we all just enjoy hanging out together and being a tight, close family.”

- Leila Olukoga

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Website:

www.hebronhawkeye.com

NEWS

Teachers, students discuss how homework impacts stress KATLYNN FOX Reporter

Textbooks, notes, highlighters and a computer clutters the desk. The clock reaches the early hours of a new day as the student is entranced by the incessant clicking of the keyboard; tired, irritable and stressed -- a student pushes through yet another wave of exhaustion. After sitting through eight hours of school during the day, homework consumes students’ evenings.

According to the Los Angeles Times students in America are faced with about three and a half hours of homework per night on average; however, Hebron students have reported having anywhere from two to six hours. While homework is one of the main stressors in students’ lives, some teachers, such as pre calculus teacher Catherine Meldrum believe that homework is essential to understanding the material being taught.

“Homework is given for practice,” Meldrum said. “I

use this analogy a lot - if you were going to compete in a sport or a band competition, you don’t just show up. You have to practice every day.”

For students involved in extracurricular activities such as clubs or jobs, homework can appear as a burden rather than an opportunity for growth in learning. For senior Krish Patel, who is involved in various organizations including debate, National Honors Society, Science National Honors Society, DECA, Key club, Technology Student Association and HOSA: future health professionals, studying and completing homework can be challenging while taking two AP classes and balancing a multitude of clubs.

“Right now my schedule is pretty light: I just have AP English and AP Art History this semester,” Patel said.

“When you’re doing a lot of extracurricular activities, sometimes you can’t go home until late and then you have a bunch of homework to do so you either don’t do it or you stay up to finish it and go to sleep late, which

hurts your sleep schedule.”

According to Stanford researchers, many students struggle to find balance between homework, extracurricular activities and social time - it was even recorded that some students felt forced to choose homework over honing other skills or hobbies they enjoy. AP English III teacher Blake Bogus said he understands that extracurriculars are a prominent part of students’ lives, and takes that into consideration when assigning homework.

“Being new to high school, I understand that extracurriculars really aren’t extra, they are a huge part of students’ lives and what coaches -- academic or athletic -- expect is quite a bit,” Bogus said. “So, I think you do have to consider that. Some students also work a job to try and make money which is a great skill to have, so I try and consider all of that when I decide how much more practice we need on a skill.”

A big contributor to school-related stress can be attributed to students ten-

dencies to procrastinate, and a big factor of procrastination is technology. The internet has allowed students to access their homework virtually anywhere. AP Government and AP U.S. history teacher Travis Fitzgerald sees both sides. He uses internet access to generate more abstract assignments.

“As long as there’s high school students, there’s procrastination,” Fitzgerald said. “The internet has rendered homework meaningless, because every teacher has their assignment online and I see kids all the time copying. It’s a lot easier to just tell kids, ‘hey go read this,’ and then talk about it.

I also try to assign different things besides textbooks, like podcasts -- stuff that might generate some interest.”

Another factor that impacts the amount of homework assigned is the accelerated block schedule, or having four classes per semester for an hour and a half each.

According to the American.

continued on page 2

hebronhawkeye.com

District postpones discontinuation of middle school orchestra proorchestra directors were having problems finding orchestra teachers that wanted to be split,” Rogers said. “[The orchestra program has] never had enough numbers to have a full-time teacher at each school.”

While some students have been disappointed in the decision, the school board has been trying to address a problem they had noticed occurring for the past few years - enrollment. Rogers said the suggestion to combine the Creek Valley and Arbor Creek orchestra programs was because of lower enrollment numbers at both

getting rid of programs, but we felt like it was SAROSH ISMAIL trying to help maintain REPORTER the vibrancy of the programs. It’s not, ‘pick on orchestra,’ it’s ‘hey, how Following student can we be more efficomplaints, the district cient?’” released a statement on According to sophoNov. 15 reversing its more Johannah Hans, decision to consolidate this discussion spurred middle school orchesboth middle school and tra programs for the high school attended 2020-2021 school year. the board meeting to At the Nov. 4 board show they were against meeting, the idea of the district’s decision. removing the orchestra Students signed petiprogram from Creek tions, including one Valley was proposed. made by senior orFor around 15 years, chestra member April the orchestra directors Nguyen which got at Creek Valley has about 1,500 signatures. also been the directors “When I found out at Arbor Creek. If the about the Creek Valley program had been re[orchestra] program moved, being shut t h e down, I s c h o o l ’s was real“I’m really proud of the orchestra kids that it shared means that much to them. I’m glad they found ly upset director because it something that is their niche and their passion, gave me would stay per- but I can’t afford to give them full-time teachers my clos[if the enrollment numbers don’t warrant it.]” est friends manently at Arbor and best - Dr. Kevin Rogers, Superintendent Creek. m e m Accordo r i e s ,” ing to suNguyen perintendent Dr. Kevin schools. said. “It broke my heart Rogers, finding a direc- “[The decision] is based to find out that that tor who does not mind on enrollment, which opportunity might be the commute between is based on student’s taken away from anthe two schools every interest in each particu- other child. I’d say that day is hard. lar school,” Rogers said. orchestra is more than “We really felt like the “Some people see it as an organization com-

“Homework” continued from page Association of School Adminis- fully understand my four classes trators, research shows improve- rather than semi-understanding ments in student’s grades and the eight classes.” overall number of students on While teachers and students honor roll increases with the ac- have mixed feelings about homecelerated block schedule -- great- work, both parties can agree that er than A/B or eight period day the ultimate goal is to prepare schedules. students for college courses they The accelerated block schedule might take in the future. because it allows them to do Teachers like Bogus and more work in class, sometimes Meldrum believe the level of eliminating a large portion of difficulty in their class and the their homework, and it makes amount of work they assign absorbing information much should reflect that of a college easier for class. students.

“I know Junior from my “I’m really proud of the orchestra kids Jonathan experiHerkimer, that it means that much to them. I’m glad ence from they found something that is their niche c o l l e g e , who is currently a lot of and their passion, but I can’t afford to taking AP give them full-time teachers [if the enroll- times I Psycholwas givment numbers don’t warrant it.]” ogy and en an asPreAP signment - Dr. Kevin Rogers, Superintendent calculus, but they as well n e v e r as being collected a student council officer and it - it was for you to know that an Earth club member, said the these are the things they suggest schedule has benefits. to practice and also to learn the “I prefer the accelerated block material - not just get ready for schedule,” Herkimer said. the test,” Meldrum said. “It’s im“While having eight classes at a portant to practice it and undertime sounds more stressful, the stand it on your own in order to accelerated block allows me to be successful.”

2 NEWS

Photo by Sarosh Ismail

Creek Valley Middle Schooler students in the beginner orchestra play a Christmas song as a part of their winter concert performance. They had played along with the 7th and 8th graders in the higher orchestra while Michelle Kong, the director at Creek Valley and Arbor Creek, directed both of the orchestra groups.

peting for first place; it’s a family.”

The final decision has been postponed indefinitely, but the board will continue to monitor the enrollment numbers.

The school board’s plan was to have the incoming sixth-graders zoned to attend Creek Valley transfer to schools with orchestra programs if that is what the student wants to pursue. So students who attended Creek Valley would have to transfer to Arbor Creek or Killian.

“If I was a sixth-grader,

I think I would want to [transfer],” Creek Valley seventh grader Annika Sawant said.

“But knowing my dad, it would be too much for him to drive me to a further school every day just to do a program that I don’t even know I like yet. So it’s not really practical for students that have never experienced it before. They probably won’t be willing to take the risk of abandoning all their friends just to go to a new school for a program.”

If fewer middle school students choose to do orchestra, the high school program could also be affected by the reduced numbers.

“We have a bunch of concerts that involve middle schoolers to come to play with us and that would decrease the number of students that participate,” Hans said. “Also, if the amount of students that are joining orchestra decreases, it’s going to make our orchestra smaller in the future.”

Rogers said as much as the district would love to keep all the orchestra programs, they have to look at the interest of the students. If there are not enough students, then having to pay for a teacher and other things is money that could be going to other programs.

“I’m really proud of the orchestra kids that it means that much to them,” Rogers said.

“I’m glad they found something that is their niche and their passion, but I can’t afford to give

Choir to perform winter concert tonight at 7 p.m.

SAROSH ISMAIL REPORTER

Choir is having its annual winter concert on Dec.17 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. Although this concert occurs every year, this will be the first one without former director Rachel Forester. Following Forester’s retirement, director Alexander Carr started as the new head director at the start of the 2019-20 year and this will be his second concert here. Apart from a few challenges, Carr said he feels great about how practices have been going so far.

“I’m less nervous than the fall concert,” Carr said.

“Also, with the winter concert, you get more time to prepare. Some of the challenges have been holding [songs] until the end so that we don’t get to where we need to be too early, because once you’ve got it at its best, it tends to fatigue.”

From Dec. 3- 5, the choir

Photo by Sarosh Ismail

The Belle Chanson altos sing “Hallelujah” during third period as they perfect a specific part. The choir has sung the piece at every winter concert and it has become a tradition.

held cluster concerts where the feeder middle school choirs got to sing with the high school students. Carr had his students try out many of the songs they plan to perform for the winter concert with the middle schoolers “We kind of got a practice round with all of the cluster concerts,” Carr said. “It’s like a soft opening; you get to try some of the music in the cluster concerts and then you know what to do.

The concert is going to

be similar to past concerts, including the whole choir singing “Hallelujah,” as they have done every year.

There is, however, one small change Carr made.

“I think the only thing that might be different is that it’s going to be shorter,” sophomore Sara Sherali said.

“He told us he would make it shorter since the winter concerts are usually really long [and] because it’s finals week, and if the concert drags on too long then the audience can get bored.”

With an assortment of different types of music, Carr hopes the audience feels more engaged. Even though the concert is shorter, he wants to keep the quality and effort that is put into the concert the same.

“I think it will go pretty well,” Carr said. “We’re even doing some songs that are not Christmas songs at all and that’s OK. It’s good to see different aspects, and I’m really excited, and hopefully, our audience is just as excited.”

December 17, 2019

Charging into the Big

UPCOMING SPORTS EVENTS

Senior set for early enrollment at Michigan

DEC. 17 • Boys basketball at Denton

Braswell - 7:30 p.m.

• Girls basketball at Coppell - 6:30 p.m.

• Boys soccer v. Prosper at home - 7:30 p.m.

Photo by Leila Olukoga

Senior Darius Snow poses with a football while wearing Michigan State merchandise. Snow will be graduating early on Jan. 2 to enroll early at MSU and begin spring practices with the football team.

LEILA OLUKOGA REPORTER

It’s an ordinary day for 16 year-old Darius Snow: attending classes, chatting with friends and preparing for the game after school. That is, until head football coach Nick Saban of the University of Alabama took a trip all the way to Carrollton to pay Darius a personal visit. Saban pulled Darius from class to discuss a possible recruitment to Alabama, and that’s when Darius realized a career in college football could be on his horizon.

Now a senior, Darius has committed to Michigan State University and will be graduate early on Jan. 2 to enroll there for spring semester. After serious considerations, offers and refusals, Darius finalized his decision in April of this year.

“I wanted to go to a school that I’d be comfortable at, that’s why I chose Michigan State,” Darius said. “I didn’t necessarily grow up there, but given that my dad and other people in my family went there, I have always been around it. I’ve known the coaches since I was little, and I knew that I’d be comfortable there.”

Because Darius’ father is a coach, Darius moved schools every year until his freshman year, which affected his time to play football. Darius said he be-

gan playing basketball when he lived in Florida, but was convinced to play football again when he moved to Texas. After a five-year hiatus from football, Darius began to consider trying to play it professionally.

“When I was little, I always wanted to play football,” Darius said. “I had stopped playing from fifth grade to tenth grade, but only to play basketball.

I started playing again in the spring of my ninth grade year and had a really good sophomore year, and I got my first offer from Michigan State in December of my sophomore year.”

Darius began receiving college offers in the fall of his sophomore year. Though the amount of offers Darius got was overwhelming, he said he enjoyed every part of it.

“I had Michigan State, then a week later I got Georgia, a month later I got Baylor, a week later I got Texas and Arkansas in the same day,” Darius said. “It was a surreal experience. That’s why I didn’t commit very early, I was just living in the moment. When I was able to tone it down and stay humble, I got back to where I should be. I just had a lot of fun with the process.”

Darius said that if he hadn’t started narrowing down his offers down last summer, he thinks he would have received up to 40-50 offers. Coaches from different universities also began to form close relation-

ships with Darius when they traveled to recruit him.

“Once I got Alabama, it was just every week, school after school,” Darius said. “I had coaches texting me every day. I had coaches coming to the school every other day and I had coaches calling. It wouldn’t even necessarily be about football, just about life. I had a lot of conversations with a lot of real people, even if I’m not going to their school.”

Hebron’s defensive coordinator Eric Mach said he’s seen much growth and development in Darius’ skills as a football player and as a leader.

“I’ve been fortunate to coach Darius ever since the beginning of his sophomore year,” Mach said. “He has grown mentally stronger, his leadership skills have grown tremendously, and he’s also taken better care of his body than he ever has -- the results speak for themselves.”

Darius’ mother, father and uncle all attended Michigan State, but Darius said their attendance didn’t sway his final decision.

“A lot of people would say it’s because of my family ties, but it’s not,” Darius said. “I’ve got a great opportunity to play early [at Michigan State], and it’s a family environment that I like. I’m already known there because of my family tradition, but it wasn’t really a big factor of me going there.”

Along with playing football, Darius intends to major

in graphic design. After graduating from Michigan State, he plans on playing in the NFL or taking on graphic design as a career.

“I feel like I’m on a great track for [going to the NFL], especially going to Michigan State,” Darius said. “[The] NFL is just like any other job opportunity: you build your resume by playing, so the earlier I get on the field, the earlier I build my resume. I’m also pursuing a major in graphic design. I’ve become pretty good at it, and I didn’t know that you could find a career in it. I’m definitely going to look forward to doing something like that [in the future].”

Darius’ mother, DeShawn Snow, said Darius’ determination will bring him far in his life.

“I’ve watched Darius grow into a confident and disciplined young man and player,” DeShawn said. “He always had the passion and he always was determined. Watching him overcome every obstacle and set and accomplish every goal has been a blessing.”

Darius said he will miss the relationships he has made when he graduates early. With his father’s occupation, high school was the first time he attended the same school for over a year.

“I made a lot of friends here,” Darius said. “High school was the only time where I got a steady four years in the same school, and I developed a

Girls basketball to face Coppell tonight YASMIN HAQ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Girls basketball will compete in its first of two district games against Coppell on Dec. 17 at 6:30 p.m.

“All the district games will be tough just because we’re going to be familiar with all of our opponents and they’re going to be familiar with what we’re doing, so we can’t take any games off during district,” head coach Lisa Branch said.

Last year, the team won against Coppell in both games. Because Coppell’s team has a new coach, Branch said their team will play aggressively, but she’s not sure what else to expect.

“They have a new coach, so they’re going to have a new system,” Branch said. “That’s always [the] difficulty with a new coach because sometimes the returning players raise their game to the next level. So last year, [Coppell] was pretty good. The first game we played them at home

DEC. 20 • Boys basketball v.

Newman Smith at home 7:30 p.m.

• Girls basketball at Marcus - 6:30 p.m.

DEC. 28 • Boys soccer alumni at Hebron - 1:00 p.m.

DEC. 31 • Boys basketball at Decatur - 2:30 p.m.

JAN. 3 • Boys basketball at Marcus - 8:00 p.m.

JAN. 7 • Boys basketball v.

Flower Mound at home 8:00 p.m.

• Girls basketball v.

Flower Mound at home - 6:30 p.m.

• Boys soccer at Southlake Carroll - 7:30 p.m.

JAN. 9 • Boys soccer at Westwood Round Rock - 4:20 p.m.

JAN. 10 • Girls basketball at Irving MacArthur - 6:30 p.m.

• Boys soccer v. Rockwall Heath at Eastview - 2:30 p.m.

Photo by Yasmin Haq

Sophomore Trinty Smih blocks junior Camille Thomas during practice in third period. The first district game was on Dec.

and won, but the second game we played them at their place and it was pretty close, and I’m thinking it’ll be a close game this time.”

The team has some players out this season

due to injuries. Senior and captain Daxia Melton is out due to a torn ACL. “We’ve played this whole season without [Daxia], and I think the players know their

roles now,” Branch said. “[Daxia] definitely takes us to another level of playing, but the girls we have now have stepped up offensively and defensively, so the biggest thing we’re

SPORTS

3

hebronhawkeye.com

STRESSED OUT: Students reflect on stressors in Stress may promote insomnia due to hyperarousal.

EFFECTS OF STRESS ON THE

BRAIN The hypothalamus sends stress hormones (adrenaline, Cortisol, norepinephrine) out from the brain- this is called the “flight or fight” reaction. This reaction occurring consistently endangers health.

Stress in adolescence may increase chances of anxiety, depression or other mental illness.

FAST FACTS Symptoms individuals experience due to stress

Chronic stress has a shrinking effect on the prefrontal cortex, so Memory may be affected; spatial memory and short term memory is especially affected.

Column: Hang up and hang out SAROSH ISMAIL REPORTER

What stresses you out?

Statistics gathered from the American Institute of Stress

4

Reflecting back on how many nights I’ve stayed watching TV or wasting time, I realize how productive I could have been. Because of my late-night escapades, I often find myself feeling tired and impotent. However, I can’t help but be distracted by the pop-ups and temptations that come up on my laptop as I do homework, whether it be jamming out to music, or watching YouTube.

In fact, according to a study done by Iowa State University, people spend on average 40 hours in front of a screen per week. The pressures of school

and other responsibilities are usually the reason for our undoing as we scroll through our phones for a “10 minute” mental break, only to realize it has been an hour. Although we think of this as a rest, we’re really just accumulating more stress to deal with.

Spending too much time online can lead to fewer hours of sleep, mental and physical health issues and even social comparisons.

However, there are ways to avoid stress: Spending a lot of time in front of a screen can lead to not having healthy habits.

Sleeping and eating well can really play into how your body and mind cope with what you deal with every day. Instead of

spending those 30 free minutes finishing an episode, go for a run to get some fresh air while getting a good workout. Doing this gives your brain some time to relax and take in everything you’ve done, instead of trying to help you memorize that new TikTok dance.

Putting time restrictions on certain apps can help you monitor and control the hours you spend using them.

Turn off your phone while you’re eating or even when you’re talking to your friends.

Pushing one button can make a difference.

You can accomplish so much in the hours you are glued to your screen. Set up some projects for yourself around your house, such as organizing the

pantry or even cleaning out the crumpled papers at the bottom of your school backpack. Start with doing something small every evening.

Avoiding technology altogether may not be a possible solution since homework and other assignments are usually online. Instead, take out some time for yourself and try to complete all online activity as quickly as you can. The less time you spend online, the less stress you pile-up to deal with later. Use technology to your advantage instead of letting it take advantage of you.

December 17, 2019

n school

After an eight-hour school day, it’s straight home to change into her work uniform and then out the door for the long drive to work for junior Hannah Davis.

Davis works around 30 hours a week as a shift manager at Blaze Pizza in Frisco.

She usually starts w o r k at 5 p.m. and closes at 11 p.m. if she’s

WORKING STUDENT JUNIOR HANNAH DAVIS

scheduled on weekdays. Due to her busy schedule balancing work and school, Davis often finds herself stressed and having no time to relax.

“Now that I’m not a new person anymore, they schedule me a lot more,” Davis said. “I’ve kind of gotten used to it, but I don’t really like it. I like working, I just don’t like working as much as I do with school.”

Davis tries to complete homework during lunch at school because she doesn’t have much time at home. Her classes include Algebra II, dual credit Humanities, Psychology and ASL III. She said her performance in school and her social life is affected by her job.

“I had an essay in dual credit and I had two weeks to do it,” Davis said. “I didn’t have a single day in the week to do it except for the day before. It was three or four pages, and it was the worst essay - I got a 70 on it.

I stayed up really late working on it, so that stresses me out a lot. I was really tired the next day.”

Davis said despite enjoying her job and coworkers, she is

considering quitting because she wants to focus on school and preparing for the SAT. Davis thinks the experience of the job and the stress will help her in the future.

“I’m learning how to cope with it and how to deal with it,” Davis said. “And when I actually have to have a job to provide for myself, then it’ll be easier. People that don’t know are going to be thrown into the real world and they’re not going to know how to cope with it and be really stressed out and have really bad mental health. I think even though I’m really stressed out, everything else in my life is going well.”

BAND KID:

SOPHOMORE JACKSON FOWERS

It’s a cold and rainy Friday night, following a tough morning rehearsal, as the band takes its place on the field to perform. Sophomore Jackson Fowers is exhausted after the band’s halftime show during one of four football games in October.

Fowers is a squad

leader for his section in the band and a member of the a capella choir. In between band, choir and school work, Fowers finds it hard to catch a break.

“I found that you have to know when you’re going to have time for band practice so you have to get that in your schedule and get your home-

work,” Fowers said. “So it’s just a lot of practice with those skills and managing your time.”

Fowers has been involved in music for most of his life: in first grade he began playing piano, in fourth grade he started choir and in fifth grade he started band. Fowers said his extracurriculars help relieve his stress despite keeping him busy.

“Band and choir are the ways I relieve my stress,” Fowers said. “When I’m in band and choir, it kind of just goes away for a little

bit because I just love making music and being around the people I’ve been around for years and years and that kind of relieves your stress.”

Fowers said he sometimes feels burnt out when his schedule gets busy with choir auditions and marching season. However, he said his teachers are understanding.

“Sometimes I’m like, ‘man I want to quit,’ but there’s some moments where you’re performing and you’re like ‘wow, this is why I’m doing this,’” Fowers said.

AP JUNKIE:

JUNIOR SAMMI KWON

Junior Sammi Kwon sketches a portrait; each stroke of the pencil helps release some of the stressful feelings in her mind. She does art to forget the pressures of life, at least for a little while. By the time the portrait is finished, she has taken a much needed break from the work of all of her AP classes.

“I’m in A P Cal-

culus, AP Humanities, AP Physics C and Academic Decathlon this semester and I consider myself highly stressed,” Kwon said. “The workload, expectations from peers, parents and teachers and the constant worry about grades and my future stresses me out a lot.”

Kwon said AP classes are more stressful because there is more content to learn and there is the AP test that students

must pass at the end of the year in order to receive college credit for the course.

“AP classes are usually stressful because there’s just so much to learn and absorb in such a short amount of time that there’s no leisure or time to take it my own speed,” Kwon said.

Kwon said stress becomes hard to handle at times when she is overwhelmed by the load of requirements from each of her classes.

“Everything should be in moderation, and stress is no exception,” Kwon said. “A good

amount of stress is helpful for motivation and is actually necessary for human survival.

But when that stress gets too much because of overlapping tests or events happening all at once, it gets hard to handle and manage in a sane way.”

When Kwon gets stressed from school, she resorts to music, drawing, embroidering or napping.

“I try to get myself to do something I enjoy so that I forget about the pressures of life at least for the time I’m distracting myself,” Kwon said.

ATHLETE:

SENIOR ALISHA PATEL

Senior Alisha Patel walks onto the tennis court and takes a deep breath of fresh air. After spending seven to eight hours in the classroom, getting outside to hang out and practice with her teammates is a welcomed relief.

With the full amount of focus and athleticism needed to play tennis, Patel gets the chance to forget about the pressures of the school day.

“It’s not only the course work because I’m in eight APs

and I have homework every day for at least four hours,” Patel said. “But also college applications - I’m a senior this year, so it’s critical that I get through all of my applications and write all my essays.”

Patel is in AP Art History, AP English 4, AP Calculus AB and AP Psychology this semester and AP Calculus BC, AP European History, AP Government and AP Economics next semester.

“I think I get extreme-

ly stressed when it’s just at the point when I’m not scheduling out my work and I find myself to be burdened with an overwhelming amount where I can’t really deal with it,” Patel said. “At certain times, it all piles up on me at one time and I start freaking out. If it all happens at once, then I don’t really get a chance to deal with it, and instead of actually scheduling myself and deciding when I want to do it, I spend my time freaking out.”

Patel said being on varsity tennis does affect her stress levels because there is a time commitment.

“Tennis is pretty crazy because in the first nine weeks of first semester we have matches after school,” Patel said. “Second se-

mester we have tournaments all day, so I’m missing a lot of school.

That’s a lot of the reason why I’m stressed out.”

To cope with the stress of tennis, AP classes and her personal life, Patel pours her energy into other activities when she gets a chance.

“I’m really into art,” Patel said.

“I have been for a very long time.

I find painting to be very calming for me. I’ll sit down, take five hours out of my day and just draw or paint something, which is great.

I also like to go running; it’s nice to clear my mind. I do meditation which helps me calm myself. Other than that, just spending time with my family and eating.”

Q&A

with Tenley Gummelt, therapist What is stress?

I think there are two parts to [stress]. One being how we can experience stress physically. Maybe if you’re stressed out, your heart rate increases and you start to sweat. The second being the mental health and emotional side that comes with being stressed. If you’re feeling a little bit more anxious or feeling easily angered, you’re probably experiencing stress. If you’re feeling stressed out, your emotions can be a little out of wack and you may not know how to handle it properly.

What do you think are the biggest sources of stress?

[Stress] depends on [a person’s] stage of life.

I work a lot with high schoolers, and I see a lot of stress coming from pressure, whether it’s from family or pressure they put on themselves. They feel pressure to perform well academically so they can get into the best college or they feel pressure to fit into the right social groups. They feel that they have to appear that they have it all together all the time when nobody actually has it all together. Social media [also] contributes to [stress] because of that constant comparison; causing people to feel very stressed out as well because no one has a picture-perfect life. High schoolers have a really hard time balancing and managing all of those stressful things.

Do you think being stressed is a bad thing?

I think that people make stress out to be a really terrible thing, and I think it can be. I think a little bit of stress isn’t bad, because it makes us pay attention to things that we need to pay attention to. [Stress] gets us to focus on things that are important that need our time and attention. I think too much stress is bad thing, but a little bit [of stress] is actually beneficial to a certain extent.

Is there a way to know when you are too stressed?

Your body will tell you [when you’re too stressed]. If you’re getting irritated or agitated easier than normal, you’re probably a little bit over stressed. Or if you’re feeling very run down and exhausted, you’re also pretty stressed. If you’re over-stressed, sleep probably won’t come as easily to you. Listening to your body is an important factor in detecting stress. Most of the time, we won’t want to listen because we are forced to sacrifice stuff we want to do in order to reduce that stress.

How does stress affect teen development?

[Stress] can cause kids to feel like they have to grow up too fast. Those kids who put all that pressure on themselves to make the perfect grades so they can get into the perfect college probably deal with it the most. Just making teenagers feel like they have to make all these decisions before they really need to can cause them to also cave into that pressure and make them implode. I think that teenagers may not grow as quickly mentally or at the same rate when they’re surrounded by people who prioritize their mental health; it can definitely lead teenagers to get stuck in that progression.

What can stress lead to in the future for teenagers and adults?

If you experience too much stress, it is definitely detrimental to both teenagers and adults’ mental health. It can obviously lead to anxiety and depression. Stress can also lead to self confidence levels to go down and increase insecurities.

[Being over-stressed] also leads to challenges in relationships as well because of the common mood changes that last for an extended amount of time.

How can students learn to cope with stress?

First off, viewing stress and anxiety in a different light will help students cope. We don’t have to see it as this terrible, awful thing because a little bit of [stress] is good and necessary for a better performance and outcome. If you can learn what it’s like when you are stressed out and start to identify those reactions to it, you can learn how to manage that stress whether it be spending a night at home, getting sleep or resting. Trying to keep things in perspective and showing yourself grace in those times when you mess up or perform as well as you wanted on a test. It’s important to learn how to avoid beating yourself up over small things for your mental health.

- Compiled by Leila Olukoga

FEATURE

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hebronhawkeye.com

Review: A Mediocre Day in the Neighborhood HAILEY DIRKS REPORTER

“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” is a drama directed by Marielle Heller; it had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 7, and was theatrically released in the United States on Nov. 22 by Sony Pictures. The film stars Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers, Matthew Rhys as Lloyd Vogel, Susan Kelechi Watson as Mrs. Vogel and Chris Cooper as Lloyd’s father.

The movie is a biopic of Fred Roger’s life as the beloved television icon of the show “Mister Roger’s Neighborhood,” and it was inspired by the 1998 “Esquire” article “Can You Say...

Hero?” by Tom Junod. “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” is not a typical biopic because it doesn’t follow its central character through an extended portion

of his life. Instead, the movie focuses on the transformational friendship between Lloyd Vogel (inspired by real-life writer Tom Junod), a journalist for “Esquire,” and Fred Rogers.

My hopes were high for this movie because Mister Rogers was and still is - an icon in American culture. With such an incredible legacy to fulfill, the production of this movie seemed like a daunting task. This movie had so much potential to be an incredible work of art that highlighted Rogers and his impact on people both young and old.

Unfortunately, the result was sub par. I felt like there was nothing special that made this movie stand out from all of the other movies released in November. I was confused when I saw that it had a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes because it could have been better than it was. I was personally disappointed by the lack of strong emotions I had during and after the movie.

The cinematography was beautiful because it communicated emotion and movement through unique shots. That was the only aspect of the movie I somewhat enjoyed. However, with such a star-studded cast, I expected the acting to be superb when it was actually pretty mediocre.

Hanks did a nice job portraying Fred Rogers with his interesting manner of speech and behaviors, but I thought the performance was not award-worthy. Rogers seemed like a side character and a guide for the apparent main character, Lloyd Vogel. The attempts to make the audience care about a random magazine writer with daddy issues felt forced.

While it had a nice message about forgiveness and handling emotions in a healthy way, it missed the mark on what it could have been and left much to be desired.

With a clear plot and focus, this movie could have been spectacular but in reality it was just mediocre.

Eat-itorial:

Christmas Cookie Bake-Off Christmas cookies are a classic holiday tradition because they provide an essence of warmth and happiness that is commonly associated with the holidays. While the holidays are typically a time for celebration and good food, people with food allergies -like myself- are sometimes left out of the traditions. So, to kick off the winter season, I baked and ranked four gluten free holiday cookies from best to worst.

The best cookies, judging by both appearance and taste, were the thumb print cookies. They ended up being the perfect blend of sugar cookie flavor and apricot jam. They also had the best texture, and they did not fall apart like several of the other cookies.

The second best were the gingerbread molasses cookies. These cookies really captured the sentiment of Christmas, and reminded me of building gingerbread houses or decorating gingerbread men when I was younger. These had a great flavor that wasn’t too sweet; overall, simple and visually appealing.

In third place, we have the sugar cookies. They were great in theory, but they came out crumbly and messy in execution.

They had a good flavor with the classic sugar-based taste; however, they were not the prettiest and they were very difficult to decorate - which is the most fun part of baking them in the first place.

In last place, we have the peppermint cookies. Despite peppermint being my favorite flavor, these were a big fail. Due to the dry texture, the sticky residue left behind and the worst appearance by far, these were my least favorite.

Overall, with these mixed results, you might be better off getting store bought cookies. However, the fun of baking makes up for the sub-par cookies because the quality time spent with loved ones is irreplaceable.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Staff Playlist “Last Christmas”Taylor Swift

“Holiday-is”-

The Regrettes feat.

Dylan Minnette

“Like it’s Christmas”Jonas Brothers

“All I Want for Christmas is You”Mariah Carey

“White Winter Hymnal”- Pentatonix “White Christmas”Bing Crosby “Pretty Paper”- The Lumineers

“Mistletoe”- Justin Bieber

Kidnap the Sandy Claws- Danny Elfman We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Column: Self care is not selfish HAILEY DIRKS REPORTER

Self care is a hot topic these days: the “treat yourself” movement fills social media platforms with influencers promoting the next best thing that will guarantee true happiness and success. Self care and capitalism today go hand-in-hand. Detox teas, bath bombs, yoga classes, spa days and more are great ways to take a moment for yourself, but these overpriced luxuries imply self care is something only the privileged elite can participate in.

True self care should be for everyone. Taking care of your body and mind is good, but is it still self care when these practices become commodities and marketing ploys?

Self care is any activity that we deliberately do to take care of our mental, emotional and physical health. It is something that refuels us rather than takes away from us. It is a response to one main issue: stress. And it seems like everyone is stressed out of their

minds these days.

In our society, students are expected to be walking productivity machines - every moment of our lives intended to make the next moment better. We work and work until either our mind, body or both shut down. It’s no wonder anxiety and depression diagnoses among young adults have increased dramatically within the past years.

During my freshman and sophomore year, I remember getting five to six hours of sleep on a good day, coming straight home from school and doing homework until around 2 a.m. I skipped meals because I didn’t have time for a break and didn’t have any free time to do anything I loved. It was exhausting and my mental health suffered. I would get sick because I was trying to be the perfect, productive version of myself every moment of the day and my body was too tired to keep up.

The truth is that we are all busy. And taking care of ourselves is commonly at the bottom of our long priority

December 17, 2019

THEHAWKEYE

HEBRON HIGH SCHOOL 4207 Plano Parkway Carrollton, TX 75010 469-948-2850

lists.

I wanted to make a difference in my life. I set out for two weeks to implement a self care routine that didn’t cost me any money. I made lists, plans and checklists in order to implement things that would hopefully increase my quality of life. I tried to execute all of these actions daily: stretching when I wake up, reading the daily news and my Bible, eating breakfast, doing my skin care routine, being aware of the food I’m eating, limiting social media to one hour per day, meditating for ten minutes, getting eight to 10 hours of sleep,

putting my phone down at 10 p.m. and drinking 90-180 ounces of water.

Yes, that’s a lot. No, I wasn’t able to successfully complete all of these things.

I basically failed this challenge, but it was OK because I had a change of mindset after the first two days. I realized was being a hypocrite. In order to deplete my stress levels, I was adding more priorities to my list, which actually was making me more stressed. Instead, I began to focus on the little things that acted as checkpoints for me throughout the day that would make me pause and do things for my-

self in the midst of my stressful days.

Meditation and drinking lots of water especially made me prioritize my mental and physical health over the many external pressures of life. Using my failed two week challenge, I have established a customized, sustainable routine that makes me happy.

These past two weeks have changed my perspective of thinking self care is only for Instagram influencers to thinking that self care is something crucial yet different for everyone.

Column: Count your blessings

The Hawk Eye is a student-produced newspaper which strives to represent the student voice. We will aim to report all news relevant to Hebron High School and its student body without bias to race, religion or creed.

Views expressed by columnists are their own personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of the entire staff. Editorials reflect the staff opinion and may not reflect the views of the school administration.

All original materials are copyrighted.

Some material, when noted, is courtesy of American Society of Editors/KRT campus high school newspaper service.

We encourage reader input via letters, guest columns and story ideas.

Contact a staff member of e-mail us at hawkeyepaper@gmail.com with any of these items. We reserve the right to edit letters for inappropriate content and space.

The Hawk Eye is a member of Interscholastic League Press Conference, Texas Association of Journalism Educators, Association of Texas Photography Instructors and the Journalism Education Association.

EDITORS YASMIN HAQ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

KATE HAAS

KATE HAAS

MANAGING EDITOR Yes, I know it can be awkward talking to relatives you only see a few times a year.

Holiday season means embracing kisses from weird aunts, hearing “look how much you’ve grown!” over a hundred times and enduring an entire day of break socializing with your family instead of friends, but family relationships are priceless.

Family will always be there for you and will always love and support you. That uncle you only eat one meal with a year will probably send you a check for your graduation.

That step sister you hate right now might have kids one day that are like siblings to your own future children.

American culture is seen as materialistic and focused on work rather than interpersonal relationships, especially family. Even if you fall under this label, Christmas is a chance to spend time away from work and school and surround yourself with loved ones. To me, no amount of

MANAGING EDITOR

REPORTERS Hailey Dirks Katlynn Fox Ashna Haiderali Arisha Hirji Sarosh Ismail Mia Nyugen Leila Olukoga money is worth missing grandparents’ stories or playing with baby cousins. People are more valuable than any material thing you could put on a wish list.

No amount of money can buy a second of time, and Christmas is a day of uniting the whole family. Having experienced loss, I can’t stress enough to take advantage of every second you have with family because you never know how much time you’re going to have.

There are people who will get a hundred gifts this year and people that will get one.

The variable that doesn’t change is that someone bought that gift for you because they love you. Even if all you get is a pair of fun socks from a great aunt, know that she just wanted to get you a gift because she loves you

even if she doesn’t know that you already got six other pairs of fun socks this year.

So, count your blessings this year. Cherish the people in your life and the time you have with them.

Forget about worrying over whether or not you’ll get the new iPhone this year, and take a second to find someone to be grateful for.

ADVISER STEVEN JONES

PRINCIPAL AMY BOUGHTON Find us online at:

www.hebronhawkeye.com

OPINION 7

December 17, 2019

hebronhawkeye.com

Photo Gallery:

Circle of Friends Unique Boutique: Dec. 6

Senior and Circle of Friends member Soraya Sanchez checks out at the register, purchasing an ornament, several scrunchies, and a keychain with the Autism awareness puzzle pieces sewn on.

Sophomore Alondra Martinez hugs senior Sydney Hays as they show their support for Circle of Friends by helping the popcorn station. Both Hays and Martinez contributed their artistic abilities for the cause and helped paint wooden signs that were $20 for pre-made signs and $30 for custom signs.

Senior Hannah McGhee helps special education teacher Linda Doherty count money at the cash register for the unique boutique held on Dec. 6.

Nurse assistant Aimee Toney purchases a handmade reindeer ornament from Doherty. The unique Boutique featured a multitude of ornaments including birds nests, reindeer and crayon shaving ornaments - each selling for a dollar.

Hays opens the cold and flu bath salts that the Life Skills class made. The students also made a peppermint body scrub to go with the bath salts.

A small Christmas tree displays birds nest ornaments that were sold for $1.

Toney shops from the scrunchie tree. The Life Skills class made these scrunchies by hand and sold them for $3 each. The money raised from the unique boutique goes back to helping the special education department fund events like field trips and their annual grand ball.

Photos by Yasmin Haq and Katlynn Fox

PHOTO GALLERY

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