The Hawk Eye
Staff Contributors
Peyton Kuschmeider
Daniela Valdez Rios
Siya Patel
Saahir Mawani
Hannah Matthew
Krista Fleming
Shiren Noorani
Gavin Lambert
Adviser
Steven Jones
The Hawk Eye magazine is an official publication of Hebron High School. It is a student-produced magazine 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. We encourage reader input via letters and story ideas. Contact a staff member or fill out the contact form on our website, www.hebronhawkeye.com, with any of these items. The Hawk Eye is a member of Interscholastic League Press Conference, Texas Association of Journalism Educators, Association of Texas Photography Instructors, the Journalism Education Association and the National Scholastic Press Association.
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contentS
banD HolDS funDraiSer to rePlace 37-year-olD trailer
Story by Peyton Kuschmeider
The band is holding a capital campaign fundraiser to replace its 37year old trailer, “The Beast,” which they purchased used in 2007. People can donate money directly to the band, and the goal is to raise $180,000 by February.
“[It’s] a significant amount of money,” head director Andy Sealy said. “Right now, we’re trying to set the bar high and see how we can support this project over time. We’re trying to get it done [quickly,] so we can raise the funds to have the flexibility to get what we want out of it.”
The previous trailer was built in 1987, meaning the trailer was 20 years old when it was bought by the band, and it has been used at the school for another 17 years. The trailer required repairs in order to be road-legal, which would cost upwards of $40,000. The Band Booster Club decided purchasing a new trailer would be more cost-efficient, instead of repairing the trailer that was predicted to only last another five years after repairs.
“It just wasn’t a decision we could make any differently,” vice president of operations Jason Waite said. “We wanted to do right by the band, [and] we wanted to do right by the financial standing of this organization moving into the future.”
The old trailer cannot be used without repairs; instead, the band has been using three rental trailers to transport equipment for the marching season. They customized parts of the rental trailers, including a lift to fit their instruments and
vehicles,” Sealy said “It’s much more time consuming doing it this way compared to what we were used to with our old method. We have to change our method and our structure temporarily until we’re able to make a purchase.”
The initial cost of a trailer is about
On top of the capital campaign fundraiser, the band is also relying on corporate sponsorships, match pot donations and its alumni network to raise money. In order to have the trailer for the next marching season, the band would have to meet its goal by February; otherwise, they would have to continue using rental trailers next marching season.
“It’s a lot of work and we want to work hard,” Waite said. “We know it’s good work, and we believe in it, so we’re going to do that work and get that trailer done.”
- Jason Waite, vice president of operations
$70,000, while customizations may add up to about $80,000, putting the total cost at $150,000. For the new trailer, the band is looking to invest in interior and exterior lighting, self-sufficient power systems, a hydraulic upper deck, uniform racks, color guard flag drawers and a full-width foldable ramp, as well as a custom wrap on the outside.
“Since I’m a senior, I’m not going to be able to see and use the new trailer,” loading crew captain Parker Crane-Finch said. “It is cool to think that the trailer that I always knew in previous years, the trailer
The band is also working with graphic designers and has some preliminary designs for the wrap of the trailer. Companies who donate a certain amount of money can get their business name printed on the sides or back of the trailer.
“[The trailer is] a community centerpiece,” Waite said. “It’s a representation of the Hebron band at competitions and football games. When that trailer arrives in the lot, people notice. That’s something we didn’t have this year.”
$180,000 by february.
senior pursues male-DominateD fielD
story by krista fleming
Thirty to one.
That is the ratio senior Kezia Sunil stared at when she stepped into the room for the first time. It was not new — by now, it was something she was used to — but it still stung. A club of 30 students gathered to learn, create and discuss computer science, and she was the only girl.
Kezia is the captain of the Steel Wings — one of the school’s two robotics teams — and among one of the four girls in the program.
“Opportunities aren’t always there for me, so I have to work hard,” Kezia said. “If the door isn’t open, then I have to shove it open. If one person takes one step, then I have to take 20. If women can’t be recognized until they’re extraordinary, then I’ll be extraordinary.”
The first time she interacted with programming, Kezia said she instantly fell in love. She was in fifth grade, and she had to create a business for a project. Her dad would complain about problems with real estate, so she designed an app to help him.
30/1 BREAKER
“[The app] didn’t work very well, but it did what it was supposed to do,” Kezia said. “It was really cool. To me, coding is a bridge to solutions from your problems. It solves a lot for you.”
As she got older, Kezia began
pursuing clubs and programs related to computer science through the school and the community. She taught herself to code through YouTube videos. But, in every program, she ran into the same 30-to-one ratio: she was always one of the only girls.
“
oPPortunitieS aren’t alwayS tHere for me, So I HaVe to work HarD. If tHe Door iSn’t oPen, tHen I HaVe to SHoVe it oPen. If one PerSon takeS one SteP, tHen I HaVe to take 20. If women can’t be recogniZeD until tHey’re eXtraorDinary, tHen I’ll be eXtraorDinary.”
-kezia sunil, captain of the steel wings
“You care in ways that you don’t notice,” Kezia said. “I told myself I was fine being the only girl, but I would always question myself. I would doubt myself and doubt my programming because I was the only one in there who looked like me.”
In her junior year, the school started a robotics class. Kezia went to the first meeting and tried out for the team, but was denied due to her lack of computer science classes at the school and not
enough slots on the 15-person team.
“It hurt,” Kezia said. “It was definitely an ego hit, because it was the thing that I wanted to go into. It was the thing that I was falling in love with, and I couldn’t even pursue it in high school.”
Being denied didn’t stop her from coming by the room after school to ask questions and taking AP computer science the following semester. In that class, she heard one of her classmates being asked to join the team — to fill a spot she was told was already booked.
“It clicked in that moment that I would never look like the ‘stereotypical engineer,’” Kezia said. “Wearing makeup set me apart. Being vocal set me apart. People thought I didn’t care about robotics, but I do.”
She asked to join the team again, and, when there was still not enough space, she began working on the logistics behind the program.
“She gave [the team] structure,” robotics teacher Stan Feighny said. “It may not always be perfect, but it was a system in a place that needed a system. It made the program stronger.”
At the end of the school year, her virtual design teacher showed her a flyer for women in STEM — more specifically, for coding. It was a paid internship through Citibank.
Kezia said it was the first time she Hebron Robotics by eleven places and
Senior PJ Crayton runs the ball through the Marcus defense in the fourth quarter in a game on Oct 4. The Hawks went on to beat Marcus for the first time since 2018, with the final score being 31-6. (Photo by Gavin Lambert)
Attacker Dane Johnson looks for an opportunity to pass the ball in a game on Aug. 30 against Prosper. He scored five goals and had four assists during the game.
(Photo by Avery Boyle)
Junior lieutenant Shawn Effertz does the splits during the Silver Wings halftime performance at the Homecoming game on Oct. 4. The team performed a ladder routine while the band played, “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC.
(Photo by Peyton Kushmeider)
Senior Kamryn Mullican sets the ball over the net in the middle of the second set against Denton Guyer on Sept. 20. This play added to Hebron’s lead, making the score 3-1 in the second set. (Photo by Saahir Mawani)
Seniors Arvind Kurup and Caroline Coffman celebrate after an ace against Flower Mound on Oct. 1. The pair went on to lose the set 6-2, leaving them to lose the match 2-0.
(Photo by Andrew Higgins)
Incoming call: Coach Keeney. She steps out of the basketball game she’s watching. She picks up the call like she has hundreds of times before, but there’s no greeting — just one phrase.
“It’s time to come home.”
That’s all former head volleyball coach Karin Keeney said to her — and that was all she needed to hear. She knew what she had to do, even if it meant leaving a head coaching job to be an assistant, she wanted to come back to where it all began — she wanted to come home.
Head volleyball coach Rachel
AgainHome
Volleyball Coach OVERCOMES LOSS, BREAKS RECORDS
“Believe“
Story by Shiren Noorani
club coach still wanted her to play for him. She went on to play for Dallas Premier during her junior and senior years while also playing on varsity for Hebron and captaining the team both years.
“She just loves the game,” Keeney said. “She was such a strong leader because she didn’t demand anything of someone else that she didn’t do herself. She knows the game and has the passion for [it].”
In Buckley’s senior year of high school, the Lady Hawks made it to the state championship. It was her third year on varsity and second year as captain. The team won the first two sets of the game and came back to win 2725. They became state champions — Buckley got what she believed in.
“I looked at [my teammates,] and was like, ‘We can do this. We’ve done this before in the district championship in middle school,’” Buckley said. “They were like, ‘Shut up. That was middle school.’ When [Keeney] called that time out in our third set, I was the one who talked to the team. I [always thought] if we believe we can do it, [then] it can happen. They bought into everything I said in that moment. We started our run back and we did it.”
Buckley convinced her mom, Deborah Buckley (Debbie) to buy the state championship ring even before the team made it to the tournament. Debbie made sure to go to Buckley’s high school games with the rest of their
family; they all drove out to watch every game of the playoffs run as well.
“Volleyball has always been a part of Rachel,” Buckley’s older sister, Katharine Farish, said. “She’s always been very passionate. After they won state, we were waiting to see her and we had to wait behind two police officers who were getting her autograph. It was weird, but that was the force that was Rachel, and she still is.”
Though she had offers from multiple programs, Buckley was only interested in two: North Carolina State or Texas A&M. She decided on NC State, committing in May of her junior year for a full-ride scholarship.
“[NC State was] going to make their whole program around me, which as a freshman, [was] rare,” Buckley said. “I went out there, and I fell in love with it. I had never seen grass that was so soft.”
“Be love“
Let go, let God.
It’s what she told herself throughout college — to let go, to get out of her own way and just play the game. There were times where it got hard and she wanted to quit, but she kept going.
“I said [to Rachel,] ‘When you get to college, it’s a whole different ball game,’ and she didn’t care,” Buckley’s dad, Scott Buckley, said. “She just wanted to do it. That first year was probably the hardest thing she’s ever done. She called and said, ‘Dad, I can’t take it.’ [But] she got through that year, and started to realize that she had the ability to unite and convince her teammates of [her] goals [and] how realistic they can be.”
When Buckley came home for Thanksgiving during her freshman year, her parents told her that her mom was diagnosed with cancer. The rest of her family found out about the diagnosis in August but told her in November. Debbie underwent chemotherapy for stage three breast cancer and was in remission.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect because that was my first experience with cancer,” Buckley said. “There was a fear around it, but at the same time I was naive because I didn’t know what to expect. It was more the scariness of having your mom sick than anything [and] not being close in proximity.”
The summer before Buckley’s junior year, Debbie came to NC to help Buckley move into a new apartment when she noticed something was off. When Debbie came back home, she was hospitalized due to breathing issues; what was originally diagnosed as walking bronchitis and pneumonia was the cancer coming back as stage four. By that point, it had metastasized and spread to her lungs and brain.
“[We had to] pull over in the car because I [was] crying so bad [when I found out],” Buckley said. “I remember coming back from Mexico [after spring break.] I called her, and I couldn’t understand a word she was saying.”
Debbie worked as a youth director at their church throughout Buckley’s life. She said that her mom’s goal was to always spread love, even if it meant offering random students rides home — she lived a life full of inspiring young children and loving everyone.
season, she was awarded MVP for all four of their preseason tournaments.
“She’s constantly [been] competing, [even when she was] a toddler,” Buckley’s older brother, Nick Buckley, said. “Maybe it’s from being the youngest of four, where she’s always wanting to get up [there] with the rest of us. She’s [found] a way to harness that [and it] helped her continue to grow. “[Our mom passing] threw her into it
“Her biggest thing was that love is a verb,” Buckley said. “It’s not this puppy feeling that we get or attraction — that’s lust. It’s how you show love towards others, and that we should be that. That I should be a channel and spread that love — [to] be love.”
“The day the music died “
April 22, 2014. North Carolina time: 7:30 a.m. — Dallas time: 6:30 a.m.
Incoming call: Dad.
She knew.
She knew the second the phone started to ring. She knew what he’d say when she picked up the call. She knew that was the moment her world came crashing down. She knew that her mom had passed away.
“It [didn’t] hit me at that moment what was going on,” Buckley said. “It was a final end to something that we knew was coming. I was just numb.”
She channeled all the numbness into feeling something on the court. Buckley continued to play volleyball all four years at NC State and was captain her junior and senior year. In her senior
even more, because when you lose that family piece of your life, and you have that mom hole in your life, you try to fill it any way you can. Volleyball was what she loved and so she dove into it even harder.”
Buckley has two tattoos in honor of her mom: one saying “Be love” and the other is a line in her mom’s handwriting saying “I am always here.” Buckley said she looks for her mom in different ways, and that ever since there was a rainbow at Debbie’s burial, every time she sees a rainbow, there’s one thing on her mind: “Hi Mom, you’re here.”
“Every year, there’s a different moment where it hits,” Buckley said. “There’s songs that are her song, [like] ‘The Day the Music Died.’ She would always sing that song, [and] on the way to her burial, all five of us were in the car, and it came on the radio, and I was like, ‘It’s mom.’ Still to this day, during the national anthem [at games,] I always picture her in a seat near the flag — wherever that is. There [are] moments where I need to tell her [something] and then it’s like, ‘Oh, [I] can’t do that anymore.’”
Story continued on page 10...
Debbie and Buckley pose for a photo at Buckley’s high school parent night game. “My dad was stuck in traffic, so it was just my mom and I,” Buckley said about the game. “She always said it was one of her favorite memories because it was just us.” (Photo via Rachel Buckley)
“Time to come home“
As she stands in the same gym she did 14 years ago, there’s one thought on her mind: she’s home.
Buckley worked a sales job after college for a year before coming to the Hebron 9 campus in 2016 as a teacher, where she worked for four years. She volunteered for the volleyball team her first year before officially becoming an assistant coach the following year. After assisting for three years, she was hired by The Colony High School to be the team’s head coach.
“I could have gone the sales route and made a lot more money than I do now,” Buckley said. “But [I] chose something that was morally more in my wheelhouse, rather than just doing something for money.”
Buckley was at The Colony for three years before she came back to Hebron to assist Keeney in 2023. Keeney spent 24 years building the volleyball program from the ground up. The program won five state titles in Keeney’s tenure, in which Buckley was a part of three — winning one as a student and assisting Keeney in two. When Keeney announced her retirement in February of 2024, Buckley — along with the other assistant coach at the time — took over the team during the off season.
“She lived it, she was a part of it, not only as an athlete in a state title,
but also as an assistant coach in state titles,” Keeney said. “I knew she was ready. She’s a Hawk, she comes from Hebron. This is her home. This is her love. She wants to be here. Even when she was at The Colony, she still had her Hebron sticker. She wanted to come back and take over the program that she was once a part of.”
Buckley uses examples from her experiences of playing volleyball in high school and college to help the team through their season. Farish said because everything Buckley does is with love, it’s genuine.
“Nothing that is involved in volleyball is fake,” Farish said. “She loves to act as that mentor figure for people. She’s seen and experienced a lot of different things, and so [being] able to learn from her experiences and give genuine advice back to other people [has] shaped her. She loves it to her core — what you see and what you get with Rachel, it’s all real.”
Farish said watching Buckley coach is just like being back to the days she was on the court playing. Though Buckley’s family still comes to games to watch and support her, the person that Buckley said was her biggest cheerleader, Debbie, never got the chance to see her coach.
“Debbie is [still] at every game,” Buckley’s best friend Hayley Miller said. “Her presence is felt all around Rachel, she is in every game.”
In her first season as head coach, Buckley led the Lady Hawks to an undefeated district season, winning the district title, and three rounds into the playoffs.
“It’s easy to get caught up in the titles, the accolades, the awards and the medals,” Buckley said. “Obviously, we’re competitors, and we want to win, — but [I’m] here to help these kids through life and [in becoming] adults. That’s what it’s all about; that’s why [I] do this job. I want to be a source for them in their life going forward. To have the opportunity to be there, help counsel them through things: it’s a confirmation as to why I do what I do.”
It feelS like I’m in tHe rigHt SPot; it feelS comfortable, Peaceful anD juSt rigHt. [tHe DeciSion] waS a no-brainer, becauSe tHe goal waS alwayS to get back Home.”
-rachel buckley, head volleyball coach
n Other than routine volleyball practices and drills, outside hitter Addison Vary said Buckley has taught the team anything from breathing exercises to more about their body and how it works. Buckley had the team take personality tests at the beginning of the year so the team could understand what one another needs.
“She knows what our bodies need, she’s there for her kids [and] she treats us like her daughters,” Vary said. “She’s not going anywhere anytime soon: she was born to be a coach. Even though she’s not on the court with me, it feels like [she is.] She went through Hebron volleyball. She went to play beyond. She’s good about reading us and she looks more into players than just volleyball.”
Buckley said she plans to coach at Hebron for as long as she can. After seven years of working toward it, she’s finally got the job she had been dreaming of.
“It feels like I’m in the right spot; it feels comfortable, peaceful and just right,” Buckley said. “[The decision] was a no-brainer, because the goal was always to get back home.”
The 2010-11 Lady Hawks celebrate after winning the state championship on Nov. 20 against The Woodlands High School. The team won the game 3-0, ending the season with an undefeated playoffs run — both in sets and games.
(Photo via Rachel Buckley)
OPINION:
Nostalgia: a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past — a feeling I’ve grown familiar with since turning 18 and becoming an adult in the eyes of the world.
I’ve felt “grown up” for a while now. For as long as I can remember, I’ve taken things too seriously, taken responsibility when I didn’t need to and recognized the importance of my decisions.
I missed out on being a kid. I spent too much of my youth being worried about the wrong things, whether it was how my grades looked, how I could take care of those around me or the pressure I put on myself to do better. I missed out on the joy of innocence and no responsibilities.
Since turning 18 in October, I’ve felt a sense of regret. I regret that I didn’t spend more time with my friends. I regret that I didn’t meet people sooner. I regret that I didn’t enjoy the time when I had no responsibilities.
Being an older brother, I have always viewed it as my responsibility to protect and guide my younger siblings. I had to do everything right and set a good example for them. In hindsight, I realize that I didn’t need to do that because my parents were there every step of the way for them, and by taking that responsibility on myself, I harmed my own experience of being a kid. I was too focused on making sure my siblings were happy, rather than focusing on my own happiness and experience.
I’ve started to realize that I lost that precious time of being a kid. I had fun and did everything a kid does, but in the back of my mind, I knew I was
The regret slowly built up to anger at myself — for taking things too seriously, for not having fun and for taking on responsibilities that I didn’t need too. It makes me mad to think about the things I could have and should have done, instead of focusing on what I thought was more important. I can’t get that time back — that I’ll never be a kid again.
Now that I am an adult, I have more responsibilities and less time to enjoy the silly, fun things in life. I realized that I wasted a good portion of my childhood worrying about pointless things, which led me to revisit some old TV shows and cartoons that I enjoyed, like “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” Rewatching the shows I watched as a kid was insightful because as I watched them, I remembered the fond memories I had as a kid. I looked through my memories and saw a kid who didn’t know anything better about the world, who hadn’t yet seen the difficulty and wasn’t exposed to all of the horrendous things happening around the world.
I used to create intricate storylines and have full blown battles with my younger brother using Legos, but now we live through those intricate parts of life — they aren’t just stories in our imagination. We don’t spend as much time together; focusing on our own worlds has become an individual battle, rather than creating a new one with each other.
But we have still found ways to share our passions and spend time together. We’ve both started our own collections of Hot Wheels. It is becoming a bit of an addiction, but I’m happy because it means we can spend more time with each other before I go off to college. I look back on being a kid now with a sense of longing, which is why I seek out things that are nostalgic to me. I want to go back to a time where I had no responsibilities other than the ones I put on myself. I took the time I had as a kid for granted. All I wish I can do is sit down and play, enjoy time with my siblings and hang out with friends.
Watching those old shows made me want to relive some other special moments from when I was a kid. They inspired me to play with old toys — not the same way I would as a kid, but to revisit old memories. I found my old Nintendo 3DS and “Pokémon” games that I used to be obsessed with, and I played them for hours. The games brought me a sense of joyfulness because I remembered a time where I would play them with my friends for hours on end.
I’ve made it my goal to enjoy the little things and let the child inside of me out. I’ll keep playing with Legos, building different worlds. I’ll keep collecting Hot Wheels and finding ways to connect with my brother even when miles apart. I’ll keep rewatching old shows and stepping back into my childhood. Because, in reality, I just want to be a kid again.
Opinion: More than you get
It is important to live to help others
“The more you give, the more you get.”
The phrase, though cliche, is the embodiment of how I’ve grown up. Ever since I was a kid, my family instilled in me the importance of giving to and helping others. It’s become a way of life rather than just a good deed.
It was never about “giving back” — it wasn’t a debt owed, but a conscious choice made every day to live a life full of helping others.
From the day my Nanu (grandma) found out that someone in her community was in an abusive relationship about 30 years ago, she supported her — both financially and emotionally — all the way to 2021. My Nanu helped her get out of the relationship and sent her son to school; my Nanu paid all of it.
Giving despite no materialistic gain for herself never stopped her because it was never about that. It was about the calls she got years later, telling her how the same kid who was running around the streets of Pakistan was now a successful CEO in London. It was about helping people out of the goodness in her heart, hoping they grow to live a life where they can pay it forward.
It was never about the money — it was the fact that someone was willing to give something of their own in order to help someone else,
Story by Shiren Noorani
which is the very thing I live up to every day. Whether it is picking up my friends when they don’t feel like driving or talking people through the things happening in their life, I live a life of giving and I wouldn’t change anything about it.
My Nanu was, and still is, that person for more people than I could imagine; she’s that person for me, and I’ve spent my entire life trying to be the same for others.
I live a life of unparalleled luxury; I have access to everything I need and more. I’m blessed to be able to go out and get what I want whenever I want it, so I try to use a fraction of that for others.
On my grandpa’s death anniversary, I sent money to Pakistan to feed the underprivileged in honor of him. Every year on my grandma’s birthday, instead of a random gift to her, I give her a gift of helping others — I always save up and ask her to send it to someone who needs it.
Whenever I go to the cemetery, I put 11 flowers on my grandpa’s grave, and then take the last one of the bouquet and put it on an empty grave. On my way in and out, I pray for every grave I walk past.
Now, I’ve started driving up to my local hospital and putting flowers on random cars in the parking lot every month.
Giving has never been about some extravagant gesture, it has always been about the act of making a difference from the bottom of my heart.
All I want in my life is to live a life of giving — one where I give more than I get.
living with regret
story by Avery Boyle
Rows of chairs separated me from my mom’s body on the table.
Each passing second made me dizzy. The raw skin on my cheeks burned each time I wiped away my salty tears.
She was beautiful, but unrecognizable — heavy, strategically placed foundation attempted to cover every inch of death on her skin. I chose the blue, simple dress she was wearing, and the artwork I made weeks before her death rested on top of her still stomach. It felt like I was watching everything in third person.
The closest I got to my mom during the viewing was a few feet away. I wish this weren’t the case.
I wish a lot of things: I wish I had held her hand and kissed her forehead.
I wish I would have taken a photo of the sunlight coming through the window that softly bounced off the hairs on her arm. I wish I could remember how it felt to be physically intertwined again, like we used to when we watched movies.
My mom passed away in 2020, when I was 11 years old, and the pandemic gave me an immense amount of solitude and time to reflect — something I avoided doing at all costs.
Her death was expected, but the way she died wasn’t.
She was an addict, and in her last living years, she was homeless and not present in my life. Her death wasn’t because of an overdose, sickness, hunger or assault; she was killed by another little girl’s dad recklessly driving under the influence.
She was killed by someone struggling just like her, a human who has felt immense love, sadness and regret.
Despite my mom’s absence, I never felt angry at her. In my oldest memories, whether it was playing at the park or eating Oreos in front of the TV, I always felt loved, comfortable and seen.
I was put in programs to help kids who live with addicts, so I understood from a young age that her disappearance was never my fault. However, when I see a dandelion in spring or a kid holding their mother’s hand in the grocery store, I regret that I didn’t beg my family every day to find her and bring her home.
When I feel this way, logic doesn’t matter; all I wish is that I could hug her one last time and tell her I love her.
But I can regret all the things I didn’t do or I can accept that I was just a kid meeting the face of grief for the first time. There were things I couldn’t change, no matter how much I tried.
I remind myself that she loved me, and I know that deeply. All I can do now is hope she knew I loved her, too.
The most important thing I learned from my regret-related grief is that I need to feel everything — no matter what. Every pain in my heart and ache in my bones is an expression of my love for her. It isn’t easy, especially when a wave of grief hits me at school or when walking down the street, but with time, it becomes more tamable and beautiful. With each passing autumn and spring, I see her more and more in the little things and feel more alive in my love for her again.
Point/Counterpoint:
When Is It Appropriate to Decorate For The Holidays?
As early as October: Saahir Mawani
Days until Christmas: 61.
The date was Oct. 25, and I began decorating my house for the winter holidays. To the people around me, this was absurd. There were two more major holidays in between the day I decorated and Christmas; I couldn’t care less. As a family, we don’t participate in the fall holidays. Halloween is an excuse to buy chocolate, and Thanksgiving means a good meal with family at someone else’s house. But Christmas has always been so much more than the gifts under the tree.
Christmas allows me to bring back my inner child while I put up the tree. It isn’t just hanging ornaments on a tree; it’s the same 10-year-old boy decorating his first tree with his family but now instead I anticipate for them to come home and tell me all about how much they love my decorations. While decorating the house has gone from a full family activity to just me, the memories attached to each ornament I hang, each garland and wreath I put up and each string of lights that brighten my house are a reminder of the little things that protected my innocence and ignited my love for the holidays.
Over the course of the year, my family friend group takes turns hosting get-togethers. Every family switches around their preferred date for that year, but it’s common knowledge that everyone will gather at my house on the 25th. What was once a competitive game of white elephant became doing “Just Dance” and blind karaoke into the late hours of the night
Throughout the first 11 months of the year, stressors build up over time. Decorating can be a great stress release, as it allows you to isolate your brain and let the warm, incandescent lights be your primary focus. The warmth of the lights are proven to increase dopamine production, giving the psyche a temporary mental release.
Walking through Target, looking at all of their red and green knick-knacks makes me feel right at home. Scrolling on TikTok seeing how many Fridays are left until Dec. 25 keeps me pushing through the semester. These signs remind me that if people didn’t care about decorating this far in advance, then we wouldn’t hear about the holiday this early.
Any time after Thanksgiving: Peyton Kuschmeider
Days until Christmas: 61.
The last thing on my mind was decorating for the holiday. Instead, I was thinking about what I was going to wear on Halloween — only six days away — and what I was going to do with my family on Thanksgiving — 34 days away.
I take after my mother in our opinions on holidays; our favorite is Halloween and our least favorite is Christmas. Halloween night has always been my mom and I’s bonding time. As a kid, she would take me trick or treating, do my makeup and help me find a costume. Now that I’m older, our traditions have changed, but our emotional attachment hasn’t.
Christmas has never been enjoyable to us. Extravagant holidays are not our thing — putting on fake smiles for family members we’ve never liked and pretending to enjoy gifts from people who have never taken the time to get to know us isn’t fun in any world.
It feels personal that an unenjoyable holiday spans for months out of the year, while my family’s favorite holidays are overshadowed.
The sounds of Christmas music in November is enough to drive me crazy. When I walk through a store in the middle of fall, I should be listening to normal music, browsing fall decorations with a pumpkin latte in my hand. Instead, Christmas music is playing and winter decorations line every wall. The saddest part is: it’s all about profit.
Stores sell the idea of a joyful holiday for months solely to capitalize off of the holiday.
Considering the holiday is rooted in gift-giving, it seems selfish for companies to use it for their gain, taking advantage of people’s emotions to take their money.
One holiday should not consume a quarter of the year. It’s not worth people’s money, time or sanity. Other holidays deserve recognition, too. Christmas has nothing that any other holiday cannot offer, and it should be treated with the same amount of appreciation as any other holiday.
sipping through the season
The holidays are here, and with them come the days of spending an absurd amount of money on themed beverages. In the spirit of the season, I tried drinks from various locations in DFW. With a range of locations and price points, here’s my ranking of new holiday drinks for the rest of the season.
STORY BY: Saahir Mawani
5
7Brew - Eggnog Chai
This drink tasted like a candle — more specifically, last year’s Eggnog Latte candle from Target. Upon first sip, my face soured. While I appreciate a small amount of eggnog throughout the season — and chai is an inherent part of my daily routine — the two flavor profiles do not go together. If I had to go to 7Brew throughout the winter months, I would stick to their classics.
Dutch Bros- Winter Shimmer Rebel
4
3
Starbucks - Peppermint Mocha
Arguably the most iconic winter drink on this list, the peppermint mocha fell flat in the middle of this ranking. In the last five years, this was the only drink I would get between the first week of November until February; however, my taste has evolved. When I most recently had the drink, instead of a comforting holiday beverage, I was met with a sharp toothpaste flavor, followed by a bitter chocolate aftertaste. As a whole, I have phased Starbucks out of my list of preferred drink spots, and unfortunately, their peppermint mocha followed suit.
For those who desire caffeine but don’t choose coffee as their primary source, look no further than the Oregon-originated espresso bar Dutch Bros. Its holiday Rebel is the Winter Shimmer Rebel: a blue raspberry and sweet cream energy drink with their Soft Top. While the drink wasn’t bad, there was nothing new about it aside from the colorful sprinkles. I am a fan of Rebels in other seasons, but I would stray from picking this off their menu.
Summer MoonRoasted Chestnut Latte
2
1
An unsurprising second place, the Texas chain wowed me. During the season, the only thing drawing me to chestnuts is “The Christmas Song,” and its opening lyric. The depth of the chestnut flavoring perfectly complemented the sweetness of Summer Moon’s signature Moon Milk. I will definitely go back and get this drink throughout the season.
Swig - Jolly Elf
I was thoroughly surprised at this drink taking the top spot in this ranking. As someone who has always had a natural affinity toward warm, spicy drinks in the fall and winter seasons, the Jolly Elf was a refreshing change compared to the rest of these drinks. The pomegranate and strawberry flavors perfectly complemented each other, yielding a refreshing relief in the warmer Texas winter.
Girls Basketball
1/3 Home vs. Lewisville
1/7 Away vs. Braswell
1/10 Home vs. Flower Mound
1/14 Home vs. Coppell
1/17 Away vs. Marcus
1/21 Away vs. Guyer
1/24 Home vs. Little Elm
1/28 Away vs. Lewisville
Boys Basketball
1/3 Home vs. Lewisville
1/7 Away vs. Braswell
1/10 Home vs. Flower Mound
1/14 Home vs. Coppell
1/17 Away vs. Marcus
1/21 Away vs. Guyer
1/24 Home vs. Little Elm
1/28 Away vs. Lewisville
1/31 Home vs. Braswell
Girls Soccer
1/7 Home vs. Plano
1/10 Home vs. Bridgeland
1/21 Home vs. Coppell
1/31 Home vs. Little Elm
January at Hebron
Boys Soccer
1/2 Home vs. Horn
1/9 Home vs. Bel Air
1/10 Away vs. Georgetown
School Events
Theater will perform “The Addams Family” 1/30-2/1
Make sure to get tickets!
No school on 1/20 for MLK day
1/11 Home vs. Permian
1/14 Home vs. Creekview
1/21 Away vs. Coppell
1/24 Home vs. Marcus
1/28 Home vs. Guyer
1/31 Away vs. Little Elm