The Kinkaid Falcon - Issue 2, Vol. 70

News

Arts & Culture

Features

Forum

Entertainment

Sports

Regardless of political stance, we should all be able to agree that boasting about sexually assaulting women has no place in our society.

P2. Serving at Sally’s House

P5. Theatre Co.’s fall play

P9. Behind Steel City Pops

P12. “It’s not ‘locker room talk’”

P14. Halloween throwback

THE KINKAID FALCON

P18. Senior sailor to Stanford

Oct. 28, 2016 Volume 70, Issue 2

The Kinkaid School | 201 Kinkaid School Drive, Houston, TX 77024 | student.publications@kinkaid.org | http://thefalcon.kinkaid.org |

News .......................................2 Arts & Culture ....................4 Features ................................6 Forum....................................12 Entertainment .................14 Sports ..................................16

@thekinkaidfalcon

Kinkaid looks to win fourth consecutive rivalry game Falcons meet the Mavs in Rice Stadium

BY KIRK HACHIGIAN

James Harden and Travis Scott. Photo by Ashley Pakzaban.

James Harden and Travis Scott throw a secret concert Basketball star debuts Adidas fashion line at exclusive concert

BY ASHLEY PAKZABAN On Saturday, Oct. 22nd from 2-5 pm, the majority of students were getting professional makeup done, squeezing in a few hours of homework, and anxiously waiting for the Homecoming Dance. However, a few students, including members of the basketball team, had their Saturday afternoon plans interrupted by James Harden and Travis Scott.

Adidas hosted a secret launch party for the James Harden x Adidas clothing line, Harden Vol.1, and surprised guests with performances by Travis Scott, Young Thug, Slim Thug, and Z-Ro. The guests primarily consisted of Harden’s family and invited media from around the globe, but unassuming Houstonians heard the news from various sources including Twitter.

Continued on Page 2

Sophomores Joshua Ben-Shoshan and Jack Scofield vote in the mock election on Oct. 26, 2016. Dr. Harris and his AP Government students tried to recreate the voting experience for the Upper School student body. Photo by Charlie Marix.

Clinton takes Kinkaid; can she win a divided nation?

Hillary Clinton defeats Donald Trump 44% to 41% in mock election

BY KIRK HACHIGIAN The students have spoken, and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has been selected to be the next president of the United States in a mock

election held on Wednesday, Oct. 26. Clinton defeated Republican nominee Donald Trump by 5 votes to win 44% to Trump’s 41%. This result was surprising given that Texas has a long history of voting Republican, but it does reflect recent polling that shows Texas is now a battleground state.

However, this election cycle

has also been like no other.

The success of Mr. Trump and Bernie Sanders, two anti-establishment candidates, surprised many people throughout the country as neither was considered a threat to win the nomination when primaries began last February.

Continued on Page 10

From the Brown to the Revention Music Center Alum makes a mark on the music scene

BY CALEIGH DORAN & HANA KELETA “Oh my god, is that the bell?” Wrabel exclaimed over the phone, when the 3:05 bell rang on Tuesday. Just nine years ago, that same bell would dismiss Wrabel from class.

Stephen Wrabel (Class of ‘07), better known by just his

last name, is now on tour, opening for Andy Grammer and Gavin DeGraw. He’s been having a good two years. His music played in an episode of the ABC drama, Quantico. DJ Afrojack released a version of his song, “Ten Feet Tall,” which played during a Super Bowl commercial and became an international hit. He recently performed his latest single, “11 Blocks,” on the Today Show.

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Under the bright lights of Rice Stadium, two storied programs will meet for the 66th time in their history.

The Kinkaid Falcons and St. John’s Mavericks first faced off in 1951 and began one of the fiercest rivalries in Texas high school football. The Falcons lead the head-to-head series 40-25 and tonight’s game will have even more importance for some players in coaches. This year’s seniors are hoping to finish their careers with a 4-0 record against St. John’s and must win tonight to finish third in SPC. “I’m excited and can’t wait for the game, but also a little sad knowing that it will be my last one,” captain Ben Padon (12) said.

Kinkaid will enter the game with a 6-3 record, coming off wins over Concordia Lutheran, Episcopal School of Dallas, and Houston Christian.

Continued on Page 17

Debate Update

Sweet 16

Place Jack Scofield (10) received out of 80 at the Bellaire High School Tournament.

8th

Now qualified for TFA State Tournament, Vivian Liu (12) placed eighth in the Klein High School Tournament.

91 schools

Wrabel performs “11 Blocks” in Dallas on Oct. 25, the night before his Houston show. Photo by Courtney Favaloro.

The number of schools represented at the St. Mark’s School Tournament.Sam Richey and Sabrina Bajwa (12) placed in the octofinals in policy.

NEWS

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Oct. 28, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 2

NEWS IN BRIEF

Overheard in assembly

Community Service Update

With 13 days before the last day of voting, AP Government teacher Dr. Ed Harris helped organize a mock debate that took place during assembly on Wednesday, Oct. 26. Moderated by Jason Yang (12), the debate was followed by open voting in the Commons.

I’m going to do what President Obama’s doing with my own kinda thing.

Simple acts of kindness at Sally’s House make all the difference

Left: Community service volunteers spend time with the women at Sally’s House. Top Right: Students give a manicure to one of the women in recovery. Bottom Right: Lauren Rice (11) assists a Sally’s House resident with her project.

BY FARAZ VIRANI As part of the Upper School’s Community Service program, students visit Sally’s House, a safe haven for single women that went through a substance abuse detoxification program.

Sponsored by the Salvation Army, the shelter located in downtown Houston cares for women for as long as a year, and residents can participate in a multitude of programs and support services available to them.

This year, Rebecca Noel (12), a four year member of the Community Service Council, was the project leader for the Sally’s House event, taking twelve students

members of the Community Service Council brought fall-themed decorations for the women to adorn and personalize their doors at the residence. Noel remembers a resident in particular who took the task to heart and really made her decorations special.

“One woman made a really detailed, beautiful banner on which she wrote all of her kids’ names, and she had the biggest smile on her face as she told me about all of them.

She was really glad to be able to have something to remind her of them while she was staying at the shelter. She kept thanking us for coming,

to serve twenty women at Sally’s House and participate in activities with the women there. This is Noel’s second year on the project, and she appreciates that just a small act of kindness can put such a big smile on the residents’ faces.

“Sally’s House is an easy and fun project because it allows volunteers to really talk with the women at the shelter and form personal connections with them. They all are so kind and have such amazing stories, so it is really rewarding to serve them and hopefully make their day a little better,” Noel said.

Earlier this month,

but I think we all were equally as glad to have been a part of it,” Noel recollected.

Simple activities such as painting the ladies’ nails or a twenty minute conversation with them can make a resident’s day, who don’t have many people visiting them at all. They light up when the Upper School volunteers come. What appear at face value to be the smallest deeds are cherished by the women overcoming and fighting their own, personal battles and demons. The Sally’s House event offers unique perspective and a positive experience for everyone involved.

Upcoming Community Service Events

James Harden and Travis Scott throw a secret concert

10/29 10/29 10/29 11/5 11/5 11/12 12/3 12/3

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KIPP Connect Tutoring Fall Festival at The Center Social Motion Skills LASER TAG KIPP Connect Tutoring Easter Seals Bowling KIPP Connect Tutoring KIPP Connect Tutoring Easter Seals Bowling

For more information, contact Mrs. Jennifer Monteleone at jennifer.monteleone@kinkaid.org!

870 books borrowed from the Moran Library since the start of school. The most checked out book is Galileo by Stillman Drake.

The Roundup Student body elects Homecoming court

BY ASHLEY PAKZABAN

Upon arrival to The Secret Group, the hosting venue, guests were greeted with a locked front door. Truly determined fans eventually found a back entrance after trekking through dirt paths and parking lots in the blistering heat.

(Free tickets, food and water were the rewards for a fan’s determination.)

Inside, an Adidas video booth was set up along with various basketball-themed settings, made for documenting on social media. There was even a James Harden geotag sticker for Snapchat users. Towards the back of the

venue, over a small stage, a digital clock counted down the minutes to the launch.

The Harden x Adidas clothing line consisted of all-black sports wear that could easily be mistaken for cool, New York Meatpacking District-esque streetwear. The basketball shoes were a hit amongst the mostly male audience. Once the fashion show finished, the giant Harden tapestries that covered the brick walls of the venue collapsed, revealing his collection that hung on a chain fence that was hiding behind Harden’s portrait.

Not quite knowing what to expect next, guests hung around, hoping the Twitter

rumours of a Travis Scott appearance were true. Half an hour passed before Slim Thug, a famous Houston rapper who has been spotted a few times on the Kinkaid campus, took the stage by storm.

After Slim, the DJ worked relentlessly to try to keep the audience in high spirits with popular rap songs at an incredibly loud volume. Finally, just as people were about to leave, the lights dimmed and Travis Scott casually walked through the three-row audience to claim his stage.

For the full article and photos of the concert, please visit http://thefalcon. kinkaid.org

Cole Mitchell (12), President of the Young Republicans Club, portrayed Hillary Clinton, speaking on immigration.

You build the wall higher than the ladders.

Jiya Ghei (11), President of the Young Liberals Club, portraying Donald Trump, on Mr. Trump’s immigration plan.

I don’t have much more to say on this topic because I’m kind of having an Aleppo moment.

Noah Pintar (12) portraying Governor Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party candidate, in response to Mr. Trump— portrayed by Ghei—that “Hillary loves drug cartels.”

It’s the stimulus package of your dreams.

Taqi Hasnai (11), portraying Dr. Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate in the presidential election, on a bailout for student loans.

The Class of 2017 nominated five boys and five girls from the senior class to form the Homecoming Court. In Advisory on Oct. 20, the Upper School student body voted on 10 talented seniors to determine who would the annual Homecoming title. On Oct. 22.

2016, Governing Council President, Rob Lahourcade, and volleyball superstar, Chinaza Ndee, were crowned during half-time of the Homecoming football game. Story by Anna Leon.

James Goettee

Kirby Cravens Eloise Detmering

Rob Lahourcade

Jennifer Jacobe

Ben Padon

Will McLeroy

Louise McCartney

Kaylie Mings

Chinaza Ndee

NEWS

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Snapshots around School 1 Onuchi Ndee (10), Wesley House (11), and Joey Cook (11) purchase sweet treats on Oct. 7. Belle Matire (11) helped sell cookies and cupcakes for the field hockey and volleyball teams’ “Play for Pink” games to students and faculty.

2 Seniors Christine Kendrick and Cody Meng look over their schedule on Alumni Leadership Day, which took place Wednesday, Oct. 19.

Kinkaid alumni spoke about their jobs and experiences in different career tracks.

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3 Juniors Sara Burpeau and Kelley Orr dance to an instrumental hip-hop track in the cafeteria. Dance Company suprised the Upper School students with a flash mob performance in the Dining and Learning Center on Friday, Oct. 21. Dance Co. will have performances on Oct. 29-30.

4 Myles Chandler (11) crowd surfs on the dance floor of the Homecoming Dance, which took place on Saturday, Oct. 22. Students thronged the exit at 10:29 pm. Photo by David Shutts.

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5 Dr. Ed Harris talked about the importance of voting and civic engagement after the mock debate in assembly on Oct. 26. Photo by Teel Mitchell.

6 Alara Ozdogan (9), Merritt Cozby (10), and Margaret Bass (9) glue and glitter decorations for the Student Center. SOK Week took place on Oct. 2428 leading up the St. John’s game, and the members of SOK Club spent every available hour transforming the Student Center.

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Clown threats cause a national and local frenzy

BY JORDAN JAFARNIA & EMMA STOUT On a late, musty August afternoon in South Carolina, an unconfirmed report of a man with a red nose, pale face paint, and faded neon clothing was spotted luring children into the woods. The incident sparked a national phenomenon that would soon lead to rumors of clowns menacing citizens and “clown hunting.”

A longtime childhood fear of clowns has recently become a reality across the United States. Although clowns are often the guest star at birthday parties or fairs, they are also portrayed as murderous horror figures, haunting the nightmares of children and adults since their appearance in early fiction and film, including Stephen King’s iconic “It.” The film featured the sinister Pennywise the Clown, leading to the negative reputation of clowns. Clowns are a

Corrections.

source of fear for many people because they often use face paint and wigs to hide their true identities, making them almost inhuman; people don’t really know what’s hiding under all the makeup.

This fear has sparked a nationwide band of teenagers and adults posing as clowns threatening and attacking young adults. It has also lead to various “clown hunts”; earlier this month, universities including Pennsylvania State University, TCU, and many more, have participated in campus-wide efforts to track down local clowns. But why are so many people on the hunt for these pranksters?

Some do it for the adrenaline rush, for the game; others may do it for fear of their own safety, hoping to arrest or harm the clowns.

Houston has remained free of clown attacks, but

there have been threats. In early October, a 14 year-old boy threatened HISD schools on his Twitter account, @smileytheclown. Soon his threats turned to a more personal spectrum as he stated “After the upcoming week I will be in the cypress area, but this time I will come to your homes. #ipromisethisisnotajoke.”

In response to the threats, Tanglewood Elementary closed for the day and students were advised to take caution in their homes and in public. Police later identified the boy and arrested him shortly after.

As time has passed, the number clown sightings, attacks, and hunts has significantly decreased since early October. However, with Halloween approaching nobody knows what the clowns have in store.

Art by Sophie Lipman (10)

The Falcon welcomes comments and suggestions. We seek to publish corrections and clarifications in the subsequent issue. Please email any corrections to our Assistant Editor, Arman Badrei, at arman.badrei@kinkaid.org. Corrections in Issue 1, published September 30, 2016: In the article “Convocation launches ‘I Will’ campaign, focus on repsonsibility” on P2, it was incorrectly reported that the fourth grade speaker was Jack Smith; the speaker was Daphne Murray. In the Girls Volleyball article on P23, the unidentified picture is of Marynell Ward (10). On P6, in the article “A clash in the library,“ Ebby Randall’s quote was a misquote; he did not provide the included quote.

ARTS & CULTURE

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Oct. 28, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 2

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You Can’t Take Them With You:

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1. The Sycamore family gathers in dining room. 2. Klovenkov flips Mr. Kirby. 3. Avery and Brock after the show (Photo by Brock Looser) 4. Penelope with her father. Photos

by David Shutts.

Show about family bonds actors and seniors

BY SARAH KATE PADON & EMMA GILLIAM On Oct. 14 and 15, Theatre Company performed “You Can’t Take It With You,” a comedic, three-act play about a 1930s New York household and their various problems with the government and relationships.

It is a highly acclaimed play, having won the 1937 Pulitzer Prize and showing on Broadway 838 times since 1936. This family-oriented play served as a way for the Theater Company to bond, especially for the two Looser sisters, as the seniors prepare for their final season at Kinkaid.

Two completely different families are forced together when their children, Alice Sycamore and Tony Kirby, get engaged. At the beginning of the play when the families first meet, there is too much tension for Alice Sycamore, played by Eloise Detmering (12), to overcome. She believes the families are just too incompatible, so she decides to leave town, ending her relationship and abandoning her family. However, by the end of the show,

Tony Kirby, played by Ashton Lambert (11), convinces her to stay with the help of the rest of the Sycamore family.

“Kolenkhov,” the Sycamores shouted in unison as Boris Kolenkhov burst in through the door. Kolenkhov, a bear of a Russian man adroitly played by Ameer Mustafa (10), teaches dance to the Sycamore’s daughter, Essie Carmichael played by Rebecca Noel (12). Practically part of the family, Kolenkhov helped ease tension between the Kirbys and Sycamores.

When they first met, he heaved up Mr. Kirby, played by Matthew Kirkwood (10), and threw him on the floor as if they were wrestling, which brought about bursts of laughter from the crowd and some gasps.

Brock Looser (12) began her fourth and final year in Theater Company in the role of Penelope Sycamore, mother of the Sycamores. For the Loosers, acting has always been a family affair. Her parents met in theater during high school and Brock and her younger sister, Avery (10), have been working on shows together since they were little. Now as

Nick Limon (10) and Tyler Newton (9) build the set for the show. Photo by Mark Sell.

The show can’t go on without tech

BY SARAH KATE PADON & EMMA GILLIAM When building sets, technical theater takes inspiration from other productions of the show they are performing.

Some of the props that gave the home in “You Can’t Take It With You” its eclectic feel were borrowed from families, but most of the house was built by the crew, including the stairs and flats. The home was complete with working light fixtures and a doorbell. The wiring on the light fixtures ran

back to the light board, so the crew could control them from the tech booth during the show.

“The basement was definitely the most fun part of the set for [us],” Celeste Santos (10) said.

The technical theater class converted the orchestra pit into the basement of the Sycamore house, and built trap doors fly open onto the stage. There were technicians underneath to open and close the doors and assist with costume changes. They also placed a smoke machine in the orchestra pit to simulate the explosions that ocurred during the show.

For the complete article, visit http://thefalcon.kinkadi.org

high schoolers, they jam out to Beyonce and drink Very Berry Hibiscus refreshers from Starbucks before every show.

Avery has always been a performer, but last year when Catie Asarch and Emily Grove (then-seniors who graduated in 2016) asked her to stage manage their one-act plays, she said yes.

“They were the two most talented stage managers at Kinkaid, so it was a huge honor for them to ask me, but I was super nervous!” Avery said.

Avery realized how vital stage managing is to the show, so when Ms. Michelle Ludwig, Director of Drama, asked her to manage the fall play, she enthusiastically agreed.

Brock has no idea what to expect at college next year without Avery: whether in the same shows or different ones, they have always worked alongside each other. She is excited to attend college and experience more independence, but doesn’t know what to expect without the comfort of having her sister with her. She is thrilled to experience some-

thing so different, but sad to be away from her favorite people, and her favorite people are not quite ready for her to leave.

They always do a “senior circle” before the Sunday show, and before the last performance of “You Can’t Take It With You”, Brock was mentoring the cast.

“I am so happy that I got to perform my last play at Kinkaid with people who are like my family members, and especially one of my own family members,” Brock said.

That was when Avery lost it. She burst into tears in the middle of the circle.

There were 19 actors in the “You Can’t Take It With You.” The cast of the play is always much smaller than the annual musical production, which allows the group to really bond.

Even though they were already close from working on previous shows, this show was special.

“It is really fun to get to do a straight play with a smaller cast, especially this play since it’s family-oriented. We’ve all grown so close,” Brock said.

For Brock, the most important part of this show is to focus

Clockwise from top left: Olivia Hart (12) as Small Alice; Wesley House (11) as the Doorknob; Ania Lewis (12) as the Cheshire Cat; seniors Drake Greenwood and Jake Hammer as the Tweedles; Aerin Kalmans (11) as the Queen of Hearts; Belle Martire (11) as the White Rabbit. Photos by David Shutts.

Children’s Theatre prepares for Alice in Wonderland show class preparing the fall show,

BY CALEIGH DORAN & HANA KELETA On Nov. 11-13, the Children’s Theatre program invites the community to dive into the magical world of “Alice in Wonderland.” The Black Box Theatre will be transformed into a mythical land where rabbits talk, cats tell riddles, and flowers sing. Under the direction of Mr. Justin Doran, the juniors and seniors in Children’s Theatre have spent the first semester in and out of

and the cast will be put to the test, as they perform in front of their first audience on Nov. 11.

While countless hours of hard work and preparation go into the performance, most students opt to take Children’s theatre because it is less intense than other acting classes. It provides students who don’t have a forte for acting with a chance to explore a field they are unfamiliar with.

Additionally, the shows they put together are intended for

on her character’s intention because she wanted to tell the story of the Sycamores accurately. Her favorite scene is when the whole family comes together to play the game, and they all get to hear about the Kirby’s secrets through an unexpected and inconvenient way, but in the end brings them all together and they become closer.

For Avery, the trick to not missing calls during the show is to rely on her other crew members. Knowing they have her back, and remembering that there is a talented cast that can recover even if mistakes are made calmed her before the shows. During tech week, Celeste Santos (10) mistakenly heard Avery say “go” when she really said “standby,” and the doorbell rang twice during a serious scene. The actors went on as if nothing happened, covering up their mistake.

“We’re like a family and we’re crazy, just like the Sycamores, and we had a play that fit us so well that we could really relate to it,” Avery said. young children, making it a playful and relaxed performing environment for the actors and the audience. Children’s Theatre shows are intended to make everyone feel like a child again, and the performances are full of lighthearted songs, silly humor, and direct interactions with the audience.

With two classes of Children’s Theatre, there will be two casts. Seniors Marie Atmar and Lexie Heim lead the show as Alice. Heim said, “My biggest struggle with my character this year is probably having to memorize so many lines. My worst fear is going on stage and just pulling a blank on my lines.”

Heim and Phin Sprague (12), the White Rabbit in the show, both agree that the Tweedles, played by Jake Hammer, Corbin Priest, William Ison, and Drake Greenwood (12), are the most entertaining parts of the show because of their playfulness and humor.

Due to new special effects (expect some characters to fly), increased audience interaction, and more surprises, the cast promise that this show will be like no other show Children’s Theatre has put on before.

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Upcoming Arts Events That’s Dancin’ October 29, 7:30 p.m.

October 30, 2:00 p.m.

Dance Company will be preforming all types of dance from hip hop to ballet in their production, That’s Dancin’. It will also inlcude two student choreographed pieces.

Alice in Wonderland November 11, 4 p.m. & 7 p.m.

November 12, 2:00 p.m.

November 13, 4:30 p.m.

Children’s Theatre brings all the color and humor of Alice in Wonderland to life in the Black Box Theatre.

Middle & Upper School Band Concert November 13, 1:00 p.m.

Everyone has seen the band play every Friday at the varisty football home games. but the band will be preforming with the Middle School in a more formal setting on Sunday, Nov 13.

Middle & Upper School Orchestra Concert November 13, 2:30 p.m.

60 members of the US Orchestra will perform a variety of selections, including “I’m Shipping up to Boston” by the Drop Kick Murphys, March of the Resistance from Star Wars : The Force Awakens, and much more. This concert will feature the premiere performance of the newly formed Kinkaid Symphony Orchestra (KSO).

Creative Writing Readings November 14, 7:00 p.m.

Students will read some or all of their pieces that they have been working on this year, with the main focus being on poetry.

Kinkaid juniors, Ellie Bolin, Caleigh Doran, and Jojo Gillespie pose for a photo near Honda Stage. Photo by Ellie Bolin

ACL fans gather in Zilker Park near ACL Fest sign. Photo by Ellen Chamblee

Music lovers gather in Austin for ACL

Students make annual trip to music festival over long weekend

BY STERLING ELIAS & ELLA MORGAN A glowing red guitar sign hung above the entrance where almost 450,000 passed through in the span of 6 days. The aroma of barbecue and sweat swept through the festival grounds, and the sound of laughter roared through each entrance gate.

Thousands of people waited a year for this 6-day festival to return to Austin. After making it through security and stopping to fill up Camelbacks at the Hydration Station, the time had finally come to dance, run around, and have non-stop fun at the Austin City Limits Festival (ACL).

ACL is a two weekend affair at Austin’s Zilker Park.

Musical acts ranged from Major Lazer’s bright laser show

and loud, energetic crowd, to Mumford and Sons’ calm and nostalgic sing-along. The festival is an excellent opportunity for students to destress for days of dancing and quality time with friends. For those unable able to attend, here’s a recap of some of the highlights from ACL 2016: While ACL is full of fantastic food and beautiful weather, most people attend solely for the live concerts that take place each weekend. ACL is a great way to see multiple artists in one day without spending the money you otherwise would if they were completely different concerts. This year’s headliners included Kendrick Lamar, Flume, Cage the Elephant, Major Lazer, Mumford and Sons, and many more.

Kcenia Kloesel (12) said

that her favorite concert was Haim.

“I’ve always wanted to see them live, and they weren’t disappointing like some of the other concerts,” Kloesel said.

ACL BY THE NUMBERS 4 p.m. - average time Kinkaid Students entered the festival grounds 40 - number of concerts on Day 2 of Weekend 2 15 - years of Austin City Limits 450,000 - festival goers After running around from stage to stage, festival goers took breaks from dancing to enjoy the other aspects of ACL. “Between concerts, I was continuously trying to find my friends or eating a bunch of food,” Kloesel said.

Sitting on the grass and enjoying the surrounding chaos was also a common way attendees spent their time between concerts. James House (10) said, “My favorite part of ACL was finding a spot in the shade, sitting down, and just listening to some good music.”

After three days of continuous concert-going and non-stop dancing, the ecstatic, sleep-deprived festival goers were more than pleased with their weekend. “ACL is something I look forward to all year and is definitely the highlight of first semester,” said Avery Hartwell (12), a three-year ACL attendee.

While ACL 2016 is now in the past, fans are already planning for the fun and excitement of next year’s festival.

2016 ACL is a food extravaganza The food scene at Austin City Limits Music Festival nails it every year. From kimchi fries, to cold press juice, ACL Eats never fails to satisfy festival junkies in dire need of food and water. Here are the best things we ate at ACL Eats 2016:

BY EMMA CARR & ASHLEY PAKZABAN

What started as an accidental creation, the Original Kimchi Fries

by Chi’lantro, are now served at almost every Austin event throughout the year. As if the incredible concoction of Sriracha mixed with a magical sauce created

by Chi’lantro, cheese, marinated ground beef, and crispy fries aren’t enough, they are served sizzling hot and topped with sesame seeds. Although stacks of napkins are necessary, these kimchi fries won’t disappoint.

Although Mac & Cheese is probably considered a side dish, its heartiness could qualify it as a main course. This “mac” from Lonesome Dove Western Bistro was actually orzo, pasta shaped like rice grains.

And if eating something called “orzo” sounds scary, all of your fears will melt at first bite. The explosion of truffle flavor, with a hint of black pepper, pairs itself perfectly with the smooth orzo. But if truffle isn’t your thing, stick with Kraft.

Sometimes a festival– goer just needs a break from meat, bread, and cheese. Solution: Tofu Tacos by Chi’lantro.

This light meal is simply topped with crispy tofu, cilantro, salsa, and lettuce all wrapped in a homemade flour tortilla. It’s a perfect meal for those looking for something that isn’t going to put them in a food-coma right before dancing, fist bumping, and attempting to scream the lyrics to The Chainsmokers, or something of that sort.

For those looking to expand their South American palette, the unique concept of fried plantains will win them over. The hot, fried plantains at MMMpandas are a little dry on the first bite.

However, the slightly spicy mango salsa on the side completely transforms the snack.

Add a little salsa, and you have the perfect snack to hold you over until it is time to come back to the brightly lit “ACL EATS” sign after concert hopping.

After a long day of dancing and singing under the hot Austin sun, East Side King’sFrried Chicken Sandwich completely satisfies any comfort food cravings. Topped with pickles and onions, the lightly breaded chicken, providing a much needed crunch, was sandwiched between a sweet roll and drizzled with a spicy mayo. The one downside to this sandwich was the small portion, which only meant you HAD to go back for seconds.

The only thing better than brisket tacos?

Brisket tacos topped with coleslaw and housemade barbecue sauce. After waiting in the long line that usually congregates in front of The Peached Tortilla’s booth, these brisket tacos are a must. The coleslaw gives the tacos a crisp crunch while the housemade barbecue sauce gives them a sweet kick, making them a consistent festival goer favorite at ACL.

FEATURES

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Oct. 28, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 2

Responding to the times, school steps up security As campus increases security measures, administration responds to students’ concerns

BY ARMAN BADREI & ALI AMMONS Most Upper Schoolers know that Kinkaid has a bomb shelter. Now it’s some dusty, old storage closet, but it used to serve a far more important security purpose.

During the Cold War when nuclear fallout was a very real possibility, that bomb shelter was a means of survival. Students were shown educational videos that described the “duck and cover” technique in the event of an attack. People were filled with fear as the places they thought were most safe could be targets for destruction.

Although nuclear tensions may have settled, current times bring more real threats: in particular, mass shootings. Today, people don’t practice putting their hands over their heads and crouching to the floor. Instead, students scurry to one side of

the classroom, lock the door, cover the windows, and turn off the lights. As the country has witnessed, no one can be sure where a shooting might occur; it could happen in a movie theater, a local store, or a school.

Kinkaid has taken measures and precautions against these threats. Anyone who has driven around campus or rushed to a class in an empty hallway has seen the signs of increased security.

Armed police officers and private security guards have a more visible presence this year, but school shootings are not a new phenomenon.

So what’s the reason behind these new safety protocols? In an effort to understand the situation, Dr. Ed Trusty, Assistant Headmaster, offered answers to the questions in the minds of many students.

Dr. Trusty attributed the increased security measures to “national concerns about safety” derived from the fact that “many atrocities that occur in the world occur on educational campuses.” Given the shootings at colleges, grade schools, and other educational areas, the school is committed to ensuring the safety of students, employees, and also the parent population.

“Obviously we are a school, and we are here to educate, but we also want to make sure we do so in as safe a manner as possible. It’s in that vein that we have fire drills and lockdown drills and all those other drills to ensure that if an emergency was to happen, that we would be able to account for everyone and keep everyone as safe as humanly possible,”

Protecting our school Here are some of the measures that Kinkaid has undertaken in order to protect its community on campus.

Kinkaid gets around 20 visitors to campus per day.

Freshman hall door is now locked after 9 a.m., directing visitors to an entry point where they must sign in.

There are now police officers who patrol the hallways to protect all from possible external issues.

Faculty and staff receive education on security protocols, for example the assembly held on profesional development day.

There are 184 security cameras on campus. In 2015, footage was used to identify a woman who drove onto campus to steal items.

Guests to campus must present their driver’s licenses to the security kiosk where their info is put in the system, and a sticker with their picture is printed out.

Dr. Trusty said.

New changes include the addition of a 24-hour security team on campus and a full-time security employee who oversees everything.

Officers also patrol the hallways during school hours.

Contrary to some of the student’s fears and rumors, the officers are not here for “in ternal reasons” or “to try to police the school,” Dr. Trusty emphasized. Instead, the administration wants offi cers as a conspicuous presence to reduce the likelihood that someone would target Kinkaid.

To further improve the security awareness, during a professional development day on Oct. 11, a Houston police officer informed teachers of protocols and policies they should follow in the event of an active shooter on campus.

The entire lesson can be summed up in the “run, hide, fight” plan.

Dr. Trusty said, “The plan is that the first step would be if something is to happen, and you can run and get out of the building, you should do that, because it’s less likely for you to be injured. If for whatever reason you can’t, you should hide and barricade yourself into some place so that it’s less likely for that person to see you. If running and hiding aren’t options available to you, you have to be prepared to fight.”

Students shouldn’t feel intimidated or unsure about the increased security presence: instead, they should feel relieved that such a serious issue in the state, nation, and world is not being ignored in our own community.

FEATURES

Oct. 28, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 2

The Kinkaid Falcon / 7

From the Brown Auditorium to the Revention Music Center Kinkaid alum makes a mark on the music scene

BY CALEIGH DORAN & HANA KELETA Continued from Page 1

Top: Wrabel performs “11 Blocks” at the South Side Ballroom in Dallas on Oct. 25. Photo by Courtney Favaloro (Class of ‘14). Bottom: Wrabel and Kesha from Kesha’s Instagram, @iiswhoiis. Kesha helped promote his latest single.

“It’s been the best thing, the worst thing, the happiest thing,” Wrabel said, describing his touring experience.

From his bus breaking down, to having to use the side of the road as a dressing room, the tour experience hasn’t always been glamorous, but the fans have made it worth it.

“One of the best parts is meeting, I guess, fans?

That’s weird to call them that because it’s so new to me,” Wrabel confided. “I like to call them friends because it’s like meeting new friends.”

Wrabel entered Kinkaid in ninth grade, where he participated in the spring musicals and was an avid member of the choir for all four years of high school. Wrabel was especially close to his choir teacher, Dr. Sandra Derby, who left Kinkaid in 2009 and is someone he still keeps in touch with. “I felt understood and supported by her,” Wrabel said.

He was awkward, self-described as “a little chicken nugget” who was self-conscious about sharing his gift with his peers. “It took me until my senior year to sing in the talent show,” Wrabel said.

“Everybody was freaking out, so I wish I had done it sooner.”

Though to his peers it may have seemed like a hidden talent, it was an expression of his hard work. When Mr. Scott Lambert was the musical director and Encore! choreographer, he recalls being approached by Wrabel one afternoon. He remembers Wrabel as being one of his most “enigmatic” students: a tall and slender student, with a distinctive textured brown mane shaping a young face.

“Listen to this,” the young man said, holding up a CD. Mr. Lambert slipped the

disc into his computer and hit play. A song Mr. Lambert knew quite well played over the speakers. It was a classic: “The Circle of Life” from Disney’s The Lion King.

Suddenly, an “angelic voice” interrupted the prelude of the melody, and echoed throughout the office, even with Mr. Lambert’s mediocre sound speakers. As Mr. Lambert listened to the tape, he wondered who was singing. It was a voice he had never heard.

He was stunned to realize that the voice belonged to this young man.

“I had never heard him really in his element. It was at that moment that I was like, this kid is legit. This is the real deal,” Mr. Lambert recalled.

Wrabel pursued his passion for music at school, spending hours in practice rooms playing piano, singing, and writing. Mr. Lambert remembered him “[standing] out as being an artist full of expression” and joked that Wrabel’s practice sessions “would maybe be at the same time he was supposed to be taking his history test or when he was supposed to be studying for his history test.”

He hung out frequently with debaters. Mr. Eric Emerson remembers him as a “sincere and empathic person, shoe/fashion crazy student.

And an endless ball of frenetic energy.”

“He played racquetball when it existed at Kinkaid, and you could tell his skills were in music,” Mr. Emerson joked. “He played mini-concerts for his friends in the debate room.”

After Wrabel graduated from Kinkaid in May 2007, he entered the Berklee College of Music in the Fall. After a year of college, he was offered a deal from Pulse Recording.

It was a chance that was too good to pass up: he ultimate-

ly decided to leave school in order to chase his dream.

Four years later, Wrabel left Pulse Recording and signed to Island Def Jam in 2012, a label that has signed major artists like Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, Shawn Mendes, Tove Lo, Avicii, and Hozier. He released his first album, “Sideways,” in 2014, which generated good buzz, but it was his 2016 single “11 Blocks” that drew widespread attention and airplay. The mellow beat combined with the rhythmic chorus conveys emotion in the song.

“Unfortunately, a very true story: my first real relationship moved eleven blocks away from me after we broke up,” Wrabel said. “I went and recorded vocals in my friend’s closet and the song was done in only 4 months and 2 days.”

“11 Blocks” gained traction after it was promoted by Kesha. “I’ve become close with Kesha so it feels weird to say she’s my role model because a lot of the time we’re just hanging out as close friends,” Wrabel commented. “She is my first call when I’m freaking out, or when I don’t know how to feel, or when I go crazy in my head.”

He ended his tour in his hometown, Houston, on Oct. 26. A group of Kinkaid alumni and teachers were there in the audience, including Mr. Emerson, who texted back and forth with Wrabel before and after his set.

At the South Side Ballroom in Dallas the night before, Wrabel announced that he will be releasing a new song on Nov. 1. He is currently working on finishing his record.

“I’ve been in LA for nine years now writing for myself and for other artists, but to actually see it come together for the first time is pretty fun,” Wrabel said. He will soon be traveling to Toronto and Europe to promote “11 Blocks.”

Chance the Rapper’s career year rolls through Houston A rookie concert-goer’s account of The Magnificent Coloring World Tour

BY COLIN CONWAY Bouncing in place, caught in a sea of flailing limbs and blaring music, I found myself beaming. I was sweating profusely in an unfamiliar place surrounded by unfamiliar faces. Even so, I could barely contain my joy. I was right in the middle of the crowd at Chance the Rapper’s Magnificent Coloring World Tour, attending my very first concert.

The young rapper from Chicago has enjoyed a recent surge in popularity. His run of success in 2016 began with his feature on Kanye West’s song, “Ultralight Beam.” Chance followed the success of his contribution with a hit album of his own: “Coloring Book.”

“Coloring Book” made history as the first streaming-only album to debut in Billboard’s top ten, boasting 57.3 million streams in the first week it came out as an Apple Music exclusive. His album, univer-

sally scored great ratings from critics.

“Coloring Book” is different from mainstream hip hop albums in that Chance mentions his Christian faith in a majority of the songs. Rolling Stone deemed it a “gospel-rap masterpiece.” The album’s massive summer success set the stage for Chance to go on tour, which he kicked off on Sept. 15.

Chance’s Magnificent Coloring World Tour came to Houston on Oct. 15. I arrived at the Revention Music Center 15 minutes before the gates opened, only to be greeted by a line that snaked two thirds of the way around the building.

Elation coursed through my veins when we finally got to enter the Revention Music Center. Chance’s opening act, Francis and the Lights, came out half an hour after the gates opened. Five songs into the opening set, Chance burst through the curtains as Francis started singing Summer

Friends, a song off “Coloring Book.”

It was just a tease as Chance retreated behind the curtains. Everyone kept dancing and singing as the latest rap hits played during the intermission, but as time passed everyone grew antsy.

The singing turned into chanting for Chance.

45 minutes later, the curtains revealed Chance, who immediately began dancing and singing with childlike glee, his energy reverberating like a livewire through the entire crowd. We instantly forgave him for the wait.

The Chicago rapper took us on a self-defined journey through his concert, even playing songs from his pre-Coloring Book mixtapes. Chance’s authenticity and booming voice (which sounded true to his recorded music) resonated with everyone. He seemed genuinely happy to see us in the crowd and fed off our energy. As the

Chance the Rapper perfoms “Angels at Revention Music Center in Houston Oct. 15. Photo by Violeta Alvarez.

concert rolled on, the building got louder with each song, until Chance closed the night with final words of wisdom and gospel.

It was one of the best nights of my life. I enjoyed singing and dancing–neither of which are my most talented areas of expertise–for an hour and a half in public. I will definitely

be attending more concerts– Chance and other artists.

Chance translated the success and uniqueness of his album into an equally compelling show. In what will surely be looked back upon for a great, perhaps even a career year for Chance, I am very pleased I decided to witness a small portion of it.

FEATURES

8 / The Kinkaid Falcon

username

6min

Oct. 28, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 2

The Feud with Finstas Growing number of fake Instagrams spark debate between users and non-users

BY JULIA DAVIS & MARLEY ORANGE

14 Likes

quinngilmartin All my girls! #tg #fun Like

14 Likes

Comment

hit_the_quinn68 When bae walks by and you’re like #likemeplease

Walking through the school halls on any given morning, one can hear murmurs and hushed whispers of girls gossiping about people’s latest finsta posts. Shocked gasps, disapproving jibes, or outbreaks of laughter are among a whole host of noises that emanate from a group of sixteen-year-olds huddled around an iPhone in the library early in the morning, scrolling through the finsta posts uploaded the previous night.

Urban Dictionary defined finstas as “people, usually girls, get a second Instagram account along with their real Instagrams, ‘rinstagrams’, to post any pictures or videos they desire. The photos or videos posted are usually funny or embarrassing.”

Although fake Instagrams have been around for a while, the sheer number and popularity of the accounts have increased exponentially. This trend is reflected at Kinkaid.

Compared to a real Instagram account, or a “rinsta,” students use finstas to express feelings they feel are too private or intimate to publicly expose on their real Instagrams. Real Instagrams, on the other hand, show a highly curated and carefully edited image of the user’s life. For example, pictures with friends and an

enhancing filter, capped by clever captions, dominate students’ real Instagrams. These Instagram accounts garner hundreds of followers.

Finstas are much more intimate and show a raw, unfiltered image of a person. These fake Instagram profiles have fractions of the followers of real Instagram accounts and are almost always private, a setting that allows owners to hand-pick who views their media, by either accepting or denying requests.

Some students feel their finsta profile gives them a safe outlet to express their thoughts and feelings because these accounts are private. Jamie Rubenstein (9) said, “[My finsta] allows me to be funny with my friends, without everyone seeing [it].”

However, setting a profile to private does not stop the unwelcome eyes of people who are not followers from viewing the intimate posts.

“Screenshots circulate, and everyone sees it,” said Mina Abbassian (12), who does not have a finsta. “Finstas are pointless if you’re not going to let people follow you.”

Many students feel like their finstas provide a protected space to express private feelings and thoughts.

Nevertheless, there is always the risk that posts can be

made public due to screenshots and friends showing them to people who were not approved to follow a particular account.

“You expect people won’t see it but they do,” Louise McCartney (12) said. “[People] shouldn’t post something on [their] finsta that [they] wouldn’t want the world to see.”

Oftentimes with this feeling of freedom, and the desire to make others laugh, students may get carried away, and upload something that may hurt the feelings of others. “Most of the time finstas are funny, but people shouldn’t be talking trash about people through finstas though,” Jaelyn Hamilton (12) said.

Finstagrammers, as they are colloquially known, often have a username that employs double entendres and wordplay to create a type of non-serious or playful persona. For example, Rubenstein’s username on her finsta is @peanut_butter_and_jamie, which is a nickname given to her by her classmates.

As shown by the growing role of social media in young people’s lives, the accounts reflect a shift in the mindset of many users–from a purely social platform to one more personal.

FEATURES

Oct. 28, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 2

The Kinkaid Falcon / 9

Gourmet popsicle shop, Steel City Pops, opens in the Heights

BY COLIN MONTEITH & ANNA LEON The clean-cut metallic sign of Steel City Pops is easy to spot while driving on E. 20th St. in the Heights. Large glass windows cover the entire front, and street art is painted on the adjacent walls.

Inside, the aroma of fresh, housemade popsicles permeates every corner of the shop. Employees greet their customers with warm hospitality, ready to find out which interesting popsicle flavor they are going to choose.

The first Steel City Pops opened in Birmingham, Ala. in 2012. The owner was inspired by a Nashville, Tenn. popsicle shop called Las Paletas. He wanted to keep it very simple and maintain the fresh, locally-sourced concept. Steel City Pops quickly expanded to 14 locations in various cities in Alabama, Kentucky, and Texas.

Fruity, creamy, and cookie pops are the three categories of the mouth-watering desserts. The chilly delights come individually

wrapped and are crafted throughout the week in the kitchen.

The large glass wall next to the counter allows customers to see exactly what ingredients go into their treats. These ingredients are locally sourced and provide customers with a refreshing feel.

For example, the cranberry orange flavor is made of organic cranberries, organic cane sugar, orange, and water.

Some of the most popular flavors include carrot cake, toasted marshmallow, strawberry lemonade, and cinnamon apple.

Flavors change depending on the season, allowing for a variety of choices cycling throughout the year and making it possible to taste a unique flavor every visit.

“Seasonal flavors like gingerbread, eggnog, and peppermint only come in the winter, so people get excited about these flavors,” Hwang said.

On Oct. 20, Steel City Pops

House of Coffee Beans offers quality coffee Local business has served community since 1973

BY SARAH BASS Coffee is an important part of most Kinkaid students’ diet, but continuous trips to the nearby Starbucks for lattes can get repetitive. If caffeine is a must, then the coffee should be excellent. The House of Coffee Beans is the perfect place to go for gourmet beans.

Within seconds of entering House of Coffee Beans, the aroma of fine tea and strong coffee beckons customers past the rows of colorful mugs and straight

announced a new option: “Pop Dipping.” The general manager, Joyce Hwang, described it the ultimate “game changer.” People can now “dip” their selected choice of popsicle into chocolate and “drizzle” their popsicle with an assortment of toppings.

In creating new flavors, Hwang noted that “you look at what pairs well together.” Steel City Pops also comes up with their own recipes.

Their most popular flavor, strawberry lemonade had to go through four trials of experimentation.

The standout popsicle was the toasted marshmallow flavor. The marshmallows are not only melted with a blowtorch, but the top of the popsicle is dipped into the toasted marshmallows, which adds a fantastic touch to the final product.

“We just sort of throw stuff together and experiment with it,” Hwang said. “Our thought process is, ‘let’s just be creative and invent stuff.’”

towards the back, where countless bags of delicious coffee sit just behind the counter.

Nestled in a small shopping center off of Bissonnet St. (there are only four stores in this strip), it is easy to overlook the store.

This, however, would be a mistake. With its wide range of coffee and tea, House of Coffee Beans is the ultimate destination for caffeine enthusiasts. Local Houstonians have been enjoying the store’s exciting array of flavors and options for 43 years.

House of Coffee Beans isn’t a typical coffee shop. There isn’t light folk music playing from speakers or a conglomeration of people studying, meeting or chatting at tables; it’s a place to get great coffee

Top Right: The strawberry lemonade popsicles are being individually packaged. Right 2: Locally sourced fresh cantaloupe is being cut to mix into pops. Right 3: The banana pudding flavor popsicle. Right 4: The cinnamon apple flavor popsicle. Photos by Jeff Parkes.

beans and tea leaves. Daily samples of both iced and regular coffee are written on a small chalkboard above the counter and feature unique flavors like Apple Pie, Chocolate Mint, and Dulce de Leche.

If the long list of coffee so unique it can’t be found at the local Starbucks isn’t enticing enough, the store’s success as a local business for over forty years might be more of an encouragement.

The store offers many options for people looking for good coffee. Customers have a variety of options, including unblended specialty coffees, blended or decaffeinated coffees, dark roast and espresso coffees, and flavored coffees.

Unblended coffee is made when the beans straight from the farms and blended beans are combined to produce a unique flavor.

By using only family-run farms, the store ensures that it serves the highest quality product. The store personally

checks out every one of the farms it is using to make sure they are using sustainable practices. Each batch of beans is stirred by hand in the store and natural flavors are added in to give each bean its flavor. House of Coffee Beans is careful and methodical about the production of its coffee, and their selection shows this attention.

The store offers a variety of holiday flavors from October to December. (Yes, pumpkin spice is included.) The unique flavors allow coffee drinkers to branch out of their comfort zones and explore flavors like Danish Pastry, Swiss Chocolate Almond, and Decaf Coconut Cream.

House of Coffee Beans is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

Whether it’s Vienna Roast or Chocolate Turtle Sundae, House of Coffee Beans offers a wide variety of delicious coffee drinks to many Houston’s locals.

FEATURES

10 / The Kinkaid Falcon

Oct. 28, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 2

FEATURES

http://thefalcon.kinkaid.org

Clinton takes Kinkaid; can she win the nation?

Hillary Clinton defeats Donald Trump 44% to 41% in mock election Continued from Page 1

Both Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton also have record low approval ratings for presidential candidates.

AP Government teacher Dr. Ed Harris described this election cycle as “extraordinarily surprising” but also “fascinating” from a political science point of view.

Much of the media coverage and attention from the campaign has not actually been on the issues facing the country, but rather the scandals and insults surrounding each of the candidates.

“We just love reality TV, don’t we? We want something outrageous to happen, and unfortunately that is not to talk about cohesive energy policy,” Dr. Harris said. “Quite frankly it is because people want to be entertained that the debates have panned out this way, and it is a sad commentary on the American electorate.”

In each debate, Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton took different strategies to appeal to different voter demographic groups. Despite their best efforts, polls have shown that these acrimonious debates filled with personal insults and factual distortions in both candidates’ claims have not resulted in any major shifts in support for either candidate.

“When comparing Trump’s performance in the debates to Clinton’s, Hillary has been a stronger performer. At the same time though, I think it’s important to recognize that there’s been some liberal media bias in the debates,” said Vivian Liu (12), a four-year Kinkaid debater.

While Mr. Trump and Mr. Sanders were able to mobilize large numbers of voters who were dissatisfied with the current political parties, many moderate voters remain unconvinced by either of the major candidates.

“My greatest fear is that the way this election has gone especially in recent weeks that the reaction by voters will be one of frustration and disgust as opposed to excitement about gaining one’s voice in the political process and being able to advocate change for a better future.

I would hope that, if nothing else, young voters and especially first time voters see in the phenomena of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump the possibility of making a difference and having a voice,” Dr. Harris said.

The cosmopolitan nature of Houston as really one of the most diverse cities provides all sorts of opportunities to get involved politically on a whole host of issues in a way that you really couldn’t be in any other city.”

Many Kinkaid seniors are looking forward to voting in their first election this year and have also been involved campaigning for presidential candidates. During the Republican primaries, Noah Pintar (12) ended up working for Marco Rubio. When Mr. Rubio came to Houston, Pintar helped his campaign with a fundraiser at the St. Regis Hotel and at a rally near Hobby Airport.

“My work campaigning has helped me further develop my interpersonal skills a lot, as a big part of campaigning is interacting with voters and discussing the issues that are important to them.

I’m essentially selling a candidate to voters, so I’ve developed a lot of persuasion skills for sure,” Pintar said.

Rylan Maksoud (12) has also been involved in the political

My greatest fear is that the way this election has gone that the reaction by voters will be one of frustration and disgust as opposed to excitement about gaining one’s voice in the political process.” process by supporting the Sanders campaign. However, both Maksoud and Pintar have distanced themselves from each party’s nominee for president. Dr. Harris encourages students to get involved in politics by finding an issue that they are passionate about and figuring out what people represent your perspective.

“The cosmopolitan nature of Houston as really one of the most diverse cities provides all sorts of opportunities to get involved politically on a whole host of issues in a way that you really couldn’t in any other city,” Dr. Harris said.

One of the main reasons that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have struggled to convince voters to support them is honesty. To address this issue, each candidate has simply tried to persuade voters to believe that the other candidate is even more untrustworthy. For many voters including Maksoud, trust is the defining issue of the campaign.

“A president must be honest and trustworthy. That is my only required quality. Other qualifications like good policy ideas and experience are important, but they come second. If a president is dishonest, then you have no idea if they will act on their promises, what they will sell out to achieve them, or how they will enrich themselves at your expense,” Maksoud said.

Because of this lack in faith of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, many voters have looked to support third-party candidates. However, a series of gaffes by Gary Johnson,

the Libertarian nominee, including being unable to name a single foreign leader that he admires, and the extreme views of Jill Stein, the Green Party nominee, have led to many voters deciding between a “lesser of two evils.”

“As of right now, I am undecided on who to vote for. Obviously the easy choice is to vote for Clinton after the egregious, despicable comments Trump articulated in the video from 2005; however, I don’t feel confident with Clinton either, especially after the email scandal,” Oscar Melendez (12) said.

The increased polarization within each party has led to tougher choices for moderate voters. While Mrs. Clinton will most likely tack more towards a centrist position if elected, she has been forced to take a more liberal authoritarian stance on the issues to avoid losing the support of Mr. Sanders voters.

“I think there is a real likelihood that Donald Trump will stay politically involved and lead a third party movement. I see a third party championed by Bernie Sanders as an alternative to Hillary on the Democratic side as a possibility as well because people have been dissatisfied on the extreme left.

Over time one could see not just a third party but a real possibility for a third and fourth party that would have traction to them,” Dr. Harris said.

Mrs. Clinton has gained the support of many important voter blocs including women, African-Americans, and Latinos after Donald Trump made comments that insulted members of each group.

“His treatment of women definitely influences my opinion of him, and I think it should be a large factor for undecided voters when deciding who to vote for in the general election. And I’m not just talking about his leaked audio tapes. I’m talking about how, throughout this election and even before running for president, Trump has degraded and objectified certain groups of people.

I think that’s a potentially dangerous route to go down, to support a

>>MOCK ELECTION RESULTS Immigration

BY KIRK HACHIGIAN, WITH REPORTING FROM ELLA MORGAN & MEGHA NEELAPU

candidate like that,” Liu said.

Mr. Trump is trailing Mrs. Clinton in almost every national poll and will need a big surprise on Nov. 8 to pull off an upset. Latest polls show Hillary Clinton within three points of Donald Trump in Texas.

Early voting in Texas began on Oct. 24, and runs through Nov. 8. Exercise your democratic right to influence the government, and get out and vote.

60% of students belive that illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay and apply for citizenship. 34% think they should be required to leave.

•

“If I win, I don’t want to broadcast to [ISIS] exactly what my plan is.”

—NBC-hosted commander-in-chief forum, New York City, NY on Sept. 7, 2016

Federal revenues would fall by $6.2 trillion over the first decade • Federal debt would rise by $7.2 trillion over the first decade • Marginal tax rates1 would be significantly reduced; however, the largest benefits, in dollar and percentage terms, would go to the wealthiest • Standard deduction5 amounts would be increased • Personal exemptions6 would be repealed • Itemized deductions7 would be capped —Tax Policy Center last updated on Oct. 18, 2016

“When we abandoned the policy of America First, we started rebuilding other countries instead of our own.

The skyscrapers went up in Beijing and in many other cities around the world while the factories and neighborhoods crumbled in Detroit.”

—Cobo Center, Detroit, MA on Aug. 8, 2016

Voting 67% of students believe that photo ID should be required to vote

Taxes

ON THE CLIMATE AND ENERGY.

“Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.”

—Mount Pleasant, SC on Dec. 7, 2015

ON THE ECONOMY.

Gun Control 89% of students would support a law that requires universal background checks for all gun purchases

ON TAXES.

ON NATIONAL SECURITY.

The Kinkaid Falcon / 11

“We’re talking clean coal – beautiful, clean coal … In other words, my plan will make your energy bill much less expensive – much, much cheaper.”

—Fredericksburg, VA on Aug. 20, 2016

62% of students do not support increasing taxes on the wealthy and corporations

VOTE TRUMP ON IMMIGRATION.

STEIN ON CLIMATE AND ENERGY.

“I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall.”

—Trump Tower, New York City, NY on June 16, 2015

“The Green New Deal is an emergency jobs program to solve not only our economic emergency but also our climate emergency...

It creates 20 million new jobs… [and we will have] 100% clean, renewable energy by 2030.”

—The Nation interview on Sept. 1, 2016

THIRD PARTY

ON THE ECONOMY. “We have to build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top... That means jobs in infrastructure, in advanced manufacturing, innovation and technology, clean, renewable energy, and small business, because most of the new jobs will come from small business.”

—First presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY on Sept. 26, 2016

JOHNSON ON WASTEFUL SPENDING.

ON THE CLIMATE AND ENERGY.

“Government spends too much because it does too much: government does too many things that could be done better and more efficiently by the private sector. And there are a lot of things that are just wasteful, and need to be cut.”

—Gov. Gary Johnson YouTube channel uploaded on May 25, 2016

“Some country is going to be the clean energy superpower of the 21st century and create millions of jobs and businesses... I want it to be us.”

—Futuramic Tool & Engineering, Warren, MA on Aug. 11, 2016

VOTE CLINTON ON NATIONAL SECURIT Y.

ON IMMIGRATION. “… we have to pull together and resolve the outstanding issues around our broken immigration system. … We can’t wait any longer for a path to full and equal citizenship.”

—Rancho High School, North Las Vegas, NV on May 5, 2015 Glossary Marginal tax rates: The amount of tax levied on every additional dollar of income. Income is split into sections and each section has a different tax rate Capital gains taxes: Applies to income that is a profit (i.e. investments, personal property) 3 Estate taxes: Imposed on the value of an estate of a deceased person before it is given to his or her heirs 4 Gift taxes: A tax levied on the value of gifts over a certain amount of money 5 Standard deductions: A standard amount of money given to one depending on his or her filing status 6 Personal exemptions: Money one receives for every taxpayer and dependent claimed on his or her tax returns 7 Itemized deductions: Deductions of expenses that are not otherwise deductible (i.e. mortgage interest, state and local income or sales taxes, property taxes, medical and dental expenses, charitable donations, workrelated travel, union dues) 1

2

Art by Ella Morgan

“Radical jihadists, like so many adversaries in our history, underestimate the strength of our national character. Americans will not cower or cave, and we will not turn on each other or turn on our principles.”

—Brookings Institution’s Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Washington D.C. on Feb. 1, 2016

ON THE TAXES. • •

The tax code would become more complex Federal revenue would increase by $1.4 trillion over the next decade • Nearly of all the marginal tax rates1 increases would fall on the top 1 percent • Low- and middle-income households would see small increases in after-tax income • The child tax credit would increase • Capital gains taxes2 would increase • Estate taxes3 and gift taxes4 would increase —Tax Policy Center last updated on Oct. 18, 2016

FORUM

12 / The Kinkaid Falcon

EDITORIAL

It’s not “locker room talk�

BY STAFF

In his comments, made 11 years ago (he was 59 at the time) talking to the television personality Billy Bush of on the set of “Days of Our Lives,� Donlad Trump stated that “[he’s] automatically attracted to beautiful—I just

start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it.� He followed this comment by saying, “Grab ’em by the p***y. You can do anything.�

While Mr. Trump has

apologized for the language he used on the tape, his repeated claims that forcibly kissing and groping women can be chalked up as “locker-room talk� raise many questions. What exactly is locker-room talk, and how common is this sort of discussion?

Well, to answer these questions we asked football offensive coordinator and JV basketball coach, Kevin Veltri. “I’ve been in locker rooms since 7th grade, and I do not remember hearing anyone jokingly discussing a specific sexual assault. I do believe that in older locker rooms crude talk is part of the norm, as some people find it appropriate to make jokes and discuss certain topics in the locker room that they would not discuss in a different setting,� Coach Veltri said.

Many professional athletes have also weighed in on the

The case for voting Hillary

BY ZUBAIR MUKHI (GUEST WRITER) Please tell me you aren’t seriously contemplating voting for Donald Trump or abstaining. I doubt most people reading this plan to vote Trump, but I know there are people who plan to abstain or vote third party in order to express their exasperation with the choices given to them.

You’re the people who ensure that Trump will be in the White House come January 20, 2017.

If you’re registered and contemplating sticking it to the establishment by voting third party or abstaining, please don’t.

Here’s five reasons why not: 1. Trump’s main support core will guarantee him a number of electoral votes. There are enough Trump supporters to win several states handily. The issue comes where he doesn’t have enough supporters to gain the electoral votes for the state.

Every vote for his strongest opposition (Hillary) dilutes his supporters’ influence on the Electoral College. Any vote not cast for Hillary (including abstentions) increases Trump’s relative percentage of the vote in the state.

2. Even if you think that both major party candidates are insufferable, please compare the volume and magnitude of Trump’s myriad insults (they’ve escalated) and his business career (three bankruptcies and underhanded dealings) to Hillary’s “scandals.� The FBI found a bad mistake, but no criminal wrongdoing with the emails; Benghazi is now more a battle cry and an opening exploited by the GOP to undermine Hillary’s credibility than an actual argument; the Clinton Foundation business was again, a misstep, but nothing was found illegal. These mistakes were poor judgement, but by and large Hillary has been a highly competent public servant who understands the system and commands respect.

3. Any vote for Trump basically re-entrenches the elitist power structure and the excessive inequality in this country. Trump doesn’t support minimum wage protection and wants to slash taxes on the top 1%. That’s not a good thing for everyone else. I side with Warren Buffett in saying that the fact that the people with the most money can pay a lower effective tax rate than

the middle class is bad. Even though they’re paying more than the middle class, they can afford more. If one looks at the budget issue, Trump’s economic plan would explode the deficit due to these tax breaks.

Hillary, on the other hand, has a budget projected to be budget neutral, funded by her tax hikes on the highest earners.

4. The Republican Party is abandoning Trump. If the GOP, which put up with all of Trump’s lies, sexism, and racism, finally turns on him, you should realize that something is more wrong with this candidate than the norm.

Trump has repeatedly walked back statements and slandered the US’s allies, and now has hinted at widespread voter fraud and has declared war on GOP leaders.

5. Voting Hillary will send a concrete message to Congress.

For much of Obama’s second term, Congress has been unwilling to confirm justices to the U.S. Federal and Appeals Courts, not to mention the vacant Supreme Court position.

Mitch McConnell has claimed that Congress will wait for the new president before confirming justices. Voting for Hillary puts the pressure on Congress to meet these spoken obligations. By stalling, the Republican Party has caused judicial gridlock and an underserved Judicial Branch. This is a problem, and although a justification may exist in preserving the conservative influence on the Supreme Court, I doubt that Scalia would approve of the lack of confirmations.

Trump would preserve that conservative influence with his nominees, but these nominees espouse policies that are harmful for women’s reproductive rights and the LGBT community.

People say, “vote your conscience,� but if your conscience tells you that Hillary is the problem, please re-evaluate the problem and the potential solutions to the problem. A Trump term will not make America great, because it’s already great and his rhetoric is not the greatness that makes America a center of innovation.

Hillary, on the other hand, will ensure America’s greatness through her understanding of foreign policy and her willingness to use advisers wellversed in unfamiliar fields.

Student Opinion

MARIE MAYS (12) “I think it would be good to have a woman as president for a change.�

WESLEY HOUSE (11) “I feel like Trump would fix our economy and Hillary should be in jail.�

WILLIAM MINER (11) “I like Hillary because she has way more experience than Donald Trump.�

JACK TOWER(11) “Hillary is untrustworthy. She has tarnished her reputation with her mistakes.�

Oct. 28, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 2

discussion of “locker-room talk� as they work in locker-rooms every day. Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley wrote on his Twitter, “Have I been in every locker room? No. But the guys I know and respect don’t talk like that. They talk about girls but not like that. Period.� LeBron James echoes his statement saying, “We don’t disrespect women in no shape or fashion in our locker room...What that guy was saying, I don’t know what that is. That’s trash talk.�

While by no means are the discussions in locker-rooms very elevated or eloquent, it is clear that this is not an excuse for Mr. Trump’s words.

The National Organization for Women held a protest in front of Trump Tower in New York on Oct. 12 holding signs reading “#GOP Hands Off Me� and “GOP: Is it Trump

or Women?� These women, most of them sexual assault survivors, dressed in all black and formed a wall outside of Donald Trump’s office. For these women especially, and anyone else who has been affected by sexual assault, what Donald Trump said in 2005 was definitely not considered locker-room talk.

The excuse of “locker-room talk� can be compared to “boys will be boys,� a statement that brushes off bad behaviour and personal responsibility and should not be accepted. (In fact, Mr. Trump’s wife dismissed his comments as “boys talk� in her interview with Anderson Cooper.) Regardless of political stance, we should all be able to agree that boasting about sexually assaulting women has no place in our society and the excuse of “locker-room� talk is not acceptable.

Hillary Clinton doesn’t follow the four core values

BY JULIAN FERTITTA (GUEST WRITER) At Kinkaid, students are expected to uphold the four core values of Honesty, Responsibility, Respect, and Kindness. Kinkaid puts an emphasis on these values because students need to learn and practice them in order to become successful citizens after they graduate.

These are the distinctions the school believes are important to create well-rounded and able-minded leaders. After one of the most acrimonious and controversial election cycles in recent history, one candidate appears to be pulling ahead. Unfortunately, this candidate severely lacks the traits Kinkaid teaches us to value. That candidate is

manager John Podesta, it’s clear that the real Hillary Clinton is not the same one we see on the debate stage, with her feigned smiles and over-rehearsed one-liners.

The real Hillary Clinton has accepted under the table donations from foreign countries to gain favor in her department. Her reputation has been smeared with the rigging of the DNC primary election, and she has shown clear disdain for “everyday Americans�, Catholics, evangelicals, and millions of Americans who simply support her opponent.

Mrs. Clinton is well aware that the use of a private email server is wrong, but

“Unfortunately, this candidate severely lacks the traits Kinkaid teaches us to value and uphold.�

Hillary Clinton.

She has proven herself to be dishonest and irresponsible time and time again throughout her career.

Whether it’s recklessly using a private email server to handle thousands of classified documents, physically destroying evidence to avoid responsibility in the face of a congressional subpoena, or failing to carry out her job during the Benghazi incident, Hillary has demonstrated a penchant for dishonesty and a clear avoidance for taking responsibility.

For the sake of brevity, I’ll focus on the first core value: Honesty. Unfortunately, in today’s politics, deception and government go hand in hand. Americans are finding it harder to trust the people in charge. We have seen in the leaked emails how disingenuous many of our “big name� politicians really are, and Hillary Clinton is at the forefront of this list.

With the recent release of thousands of hacked emails from the Clinton campaign

that did not stop her. It was no mistake. It was an intentional effort to conceal her transactions and affairs that would be deemed illegal. This shows us that she is a political elitist who clearly believes that she is above the law, and that she thinks she doesn’t have to live by the same rules and regulations that the rest of us do. In simple terms, she is clearly not “for the people.�

There is no conceivable rationale for deleting her emails, destroying several Blackberry phones with hammers, and using “bleachbit� to wipe her secret server in the face of a congressional subpoena.

These facts are not in dispute and no one supporting Hillary seems to care.

To put this into perspective, Richard Nixon faced impeachment for less. I predict she will most likely face the same fate. Before supporting Mrs. Clinton, ask yourself this: If she was a student at Kinkaid, would she model an ideal student in the eyes of not only the Honor Council, but for the rest of the world?

FORUM

Oct. 28, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 2

The Kinkaid Falcon / 13

Where, oh where has the student section gone?

Silence from the Yell Leaders leaves the student section empty

Left: The packed stands on Friday night football game against Loomis Chaffee-Connecticut on Saturaday, Sept. 10. Photo by David Shutts. Right: Field Hockey stands are empty with the exception of supportive parents. Photo by Madi Babine.

BY MADI BABINE Sleepy, nonexistent, lame, disheartening: athletes from field hockey and volleyball teams use these words to describe their student sections.

As an athlete on the varsity volleyball team, I can count on one hand how many students show up to our games. The same goes for field hockey. Of the fall sports, field hockey and volleyball are the two of the three spectator sports that students may attend and cheer athletes on from the stands. It is heart-aching to see no fans in the stands or on the field.

Football games are an important and inclusive event for the whole school; football games have an all school at-

tendance, while volleyball and field hockey struggle to get at least 5-10 students at a game.

Part of the problem is advertisement. We know when the football games take place because the entire Upper School is invited to participate in dress-up days; the student planners also announce the football games whether they are away or at home, but not volleyball or field hockey.

Mrs. Karen Horne, administrator in the Upper School Office, helps make the Upper School planner said, “football is not just a sports event, it is a social event including family and friends. Football is surrounded by bigger events

such as homecoming, pep rallies, alumni nights, and other special events.”

She mentioned that the football games are a Friday night lights scene because we live in Texas; these Friday night games are tradition.

But volleyball and field hockey games should become just as important as football games. The games should invite friends and family to come out and support their teams just as they do with football.

Throughout this season, the one time I saw volleyball and field hockey have an actual student section was our “Dig Pink” games. Field Hockey, the yell leaders and accompanying

students went out to support with pink shirts, ribbons, and bells. Their appearence completely changed our energy.

After the field hockey game, the students attended our volleyball game in the Melcher Game. We were thrilled, blood rushing through our veins, our adrenaline pumping, hearts beating rapidly, and we felt ready to play and represent our school and our student section.

One set into the game, we looked back at our student section and all but a couple of students had left. It had been one set, at most 20-25 minutes, and we no longer had a student section. Students could have stayed to encourage

us and support their fellow classmates; however, they left quickly and we quickly lost our fans and no one was left except for our parents.

The Yell Leaders are partly to blame for the nonexistent student section; they haven’t shown up to a volleyball game nor field hockey game other than our “Dig Pink” game.

The Yell Leaders should be setting and exemplifying the school spirit and getting each team excited and ready to play; however, they fail with their inaction. Yell Leaders should set the spirit within the student section and get everyone excited and cheering. Walking out to an empty student section is a huge let-down and can easily become a factor into how each team plays. No team wants to walk out thrilled to play to see only parents and maybe one or two teachers whispering among themselves like they are at a golf game or the opera.

Where are the Yell Leaders?

Where is our motivation and excitement from the crowd? Yell Leaders attending and whipping the crowd into a frenzy would be a great starting point.

So students, next time you decide to not attend a field hockey or volleyball game, think about your peers and how they would feel to look back and see a huge sea of fans yelling and cheering, and lastly, how you would feel if put in one of our positions, looking into the bleachers to see no fans.

Blinkers. Use them.

The absence of turn signals endangers everyone on the road

BY ALLISON FAVALORO Dear Kinkaid community, The privilege of driving has introduced me to so many freedoms, but unfortunately, it has also introduced me to so many idiots. I have never seen a more concentrated population of idiots than on the road. The common characteristics of these people include: driving 50 miles

per hour above or below the speed limit, trailing dangerously close to the car in front of them so their brake lights keep flashing on and off, and the most common transgression I see, the absence of using turn signals.

It may sound crazy that such a small thing can cause so much distress for me, but it’s also crazy that this small thing can cause so much damage for everyone. According to the Society of Automotive Engineers, drivers don’t use signals while making turns 25% of the time, and they don’t use signals 48% of the time while changing lanes.

It seems like drivers often believe that everyone else can predict their next move, so they decide that blinkers

.

are optional. However, this laziness actually translates to a willful recklessness that endangers everyone else on the road. The failure to use turn signals contribute to nearly 2 million accidents per year. These numbers are uncomfortably high, especially for something that can be so easily prevented.

Unfortunately, I constantly see drivers not using their blinkers at Kinkaid—especially at the intersection of Kinkaid Dr. and San Felipe.

There is no left turn only lane to get on San Felipe from the campus, so the people who want to go straight or turn left share the same lane. On multiple occasions, I have seen drivers who want to turn left fail to use their blinkers and confuse the driv-

voice and feedback. Please email student.publications@kinkaid. org or use the Contact form at http://thefalcon.kinkaid.org.

Corrections will be addressed on our website and published in the subsequent issue. Please direct The Kinkaid Falcon’s mission is to be an accurate advertising inquiries to colin. monteith@kinkaid.org. and reliable source of information for the Kinkaid community by informing readers about The opinions expressed in The topics that are interesting, thought-provoking, Kinkaid Falcon belong solely to the and impactful from the school, local Houston writer and are not a reflection or area and Texas, as well as other parts of the representation of the opinions of world. the school or its administrators.

Questions or comments? We welcome your

Masthead

This lever (located to the left of the steering wheel) controls the turn signals on a car. Gently push the lever up to indicate a right turn, or push down to indicate a left turn.

ers behind them—and the oncoming traffic drivers—and almost every time, this always infuriates one driver.

When I took Drivers Ed two years ago, I learned that good drivers should never be noticed on the road: they don’t attract attention from other drivers because they don’t make stupid decisions.

Editor-in-Chief Kirk Hachigian

Arts & Culture Editor Katie Erikson

Associate Editors Sarah Bass Ella Morgan Faraz Virani

Entertainment Editor Katherine Berman

Assistant Editor Arman Badrei Features Editor Allison Favaloro Forum Editor Nia Caldwell

Web Editor Julia Davis Business Manager Colin Monteith Staff Ali Ammons Madi Babine Brady Brazda

Kinkaid community, the road is a dangerous place where people can’t afford to divert their concentration elsewhere, so please help everyone else out on the road and use those blinkers!

Emma Carr Colin Conway Caleigh Doran Sterling Elias Mac Friday Emma Gilliam Jordan Jafarnia Hana Keleta Laszlo Kranitz Anna Leon-Amtmann Megha Neelapu Marley Orange Sarah Kate Padon Ashley Pazkaban William Scott Emma Stout

Sincerely, Allison Favaloro Adviser LiAnn Yim

The Kinkaid Falcon is published six times a school year. 700 print copies are distributed for free to 597 Upper School students and 93 faculty members, and 220 copies are mailed to subscribers.

The Kinkaid Falcon is a member of the CSPA and NSPA.

ENTERTAINMENT

14 / The Kinkaid Falcon

Oct. 28, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 2

Spooktacular students return to their prime Anna Leon (11)

Kelly Fisher (12)

Mary Helen Burt (12)

Sophie Parker (12)

Allison Le (10) Merritt Cozby (10)

Colin Monteith (11)

Jordan Jafarnia (10)

Marley Orange (9)

Katherine Berman (11)

COMIC: SOK Week

Kinkaid prepares for a win while St. John’s is stuck studying the competition by Ella Morgan

Approval Index New Scoreboards What The Falcon staff approves of, and what they don’t

Fall Weather

DLC “Healthy” Snacks

Mini Crossword by Katie Erikson 1

2

3

5

ACROSS: 1 Our traditional rivals 5 A long time

5

9

6 SOK theme: Mavs

the

Football Season

7 One hundred of these are in a meter 8 There are five of these in the world

6

4

Election 2016

DOWN: 1 Before polo 2 Movie Ice ________

7

3 Singing TV show with four red chairs 4 Morning show acronym 9 A with a vowel

8

Want to contribute a mini crossword or comic for the newspaper? Please contact student. publications@kinkaid.org for details.

Answers available at http:// thefalcon.kinkaid.org 10/31/2016.

Varsity Haircuts

ENTERTAINMENT

Oct. 28, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 2

The Kinkaid Falcon / 15

The Pop Culture Chart: Where we get to know the Kinkaidian tastes and takes on what’s the talk around campus.

t e r r a u h t l C t u e C r r a u p t h l o C u P C p o P

Design by Ashley Pakzaban With reporting from Katherine Berman, & Emma Carr

“Her power pantsuits.”

“I may be small, but I put up a good fight.”

—Bennett Wagnon (9)

“I trump Trump.

I’m friends with Kim Jong Un.” —Jason Gordon (10)

—Carson Keller (9)

What would be your presidential slogan?

“Fingerlickin’

“She’s really good at hiding emails.

Hillary for America!”

—Cody Meng (12)

good.”

—Tommy Beeler (12)

In your eyes, what is Hilary Clinton’s best trait?

“Not being unhinged.”

— Dan King (10)

“It’s gonna be huge.”

—Strater Zarr (9) “All is on for Allison–it’s worked every time I’ve run for Governing Council.”

—Allison Favaloro (11)

“I would take Donald Trump to a Mexican restaurant.”

—Margaret Bass (9)

What’s your favorite Donald Trump Quote?

“We need to build a wall.”

— Sophie Lipman (10)

“We have some very bad hombres.”

— Oscar Melendez (12)

“Wrong.”

“Rob Lahourcade, independant.”

—Ellee Dukes (12)

—Teel Mitchell (11)

Where would you take Hilary Clinton/ “I’d take Hillary to Trump Towers, Donald Trump on a get some tacos, first date?

“I would take Hillary and come talk.”

—Thomas Schuenaman (12)

“Her smile or her pneumonia.

I can’t decide” — Mackenzie Zarr (11)

Clinton to prison.”

—Myles Chandler (11)

“To get dinner and a spray tan.”

Who in your grade is most likely to be President?

“Andrew Linheart, Democrat. He’s already been class president for two years.”

—Claire Richey (9)

“Preston Frede, Republcan.”

—Eli Bakht (10)

“Christos, Greek Party.”

—Elizabeth Baird (10)

—Mia Munn (11)

The Illustrated Interview with Jae LeDee (11) and Mary Cravens (11)

Jae LeDee

Please draw what you look like.

Who is your favorite rapper?

What are you afraid of?

What is your favorite movie?

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Who is your favorite rapper?

What are you afraid of?

What is your favorite movie?

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Mary Cravens

Please draw what you look like.

SPORTS

16 / The Kinkaid Falcon

Oct. 28, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 2

SPC Preview: Fall sports teams wrapping up the season

BY BRADY BRAZDA, WILLIAM SCOTT, & LACI KRANITZ

1 Sarah Fullenweider (12) sweeps the ball toward a teammate against St. John’s in their first matchup. The Mavericks are the only team to beat the Falcons thus far.

2 Ali Ammons (11), Audrey Ho (10), Caroline Keller (10), and Alexandra Blake (9) sprint into the first mile moments after the gun was fired at the John Cooper Meet.

1

3 Socs Zavitsanos (11) sprinting down the home stretch towards the finnish line at the John Cooper Meet. The team had a second place finish in early September.

4 Lauren Ho (11) serves as she tries to ace the opponet. Ho is one of the four juniors on this year’s varsity squad.

4

2

5 After spiking the ball, William Gage (12) lets his emotions out after the big point and celebrates with his teammate Alex Frumovitz (10).

Field Hockey After a devastating loss to St. John’s last year in the SPC title game, the field hockey team has fully recovered with an exceptional performance this year. To achieve their goal of winning SPC and reach the championship again, they will need to do what they couldn’t do last year—defeat an outstanding St. John’s team.

Last night, the Falcons fell to the Mavericks in heartbreaking fashion, losing 2-1 in overtime. The team’s only two losses this season have been to the same bitter rivals.

With star player, Kaylie Mings (12), sidelined with a jaw injury for the season, Caroline Hanan and Ellie Bolin (11) have stepped up to lead the Falcons.

Before every game, the team has special pump-up rituals, their biggest being music, specifically Beyoncé.

The team also loves when there is a crowd chanting during their games.

“If there are more fans and they are loud, then they can get everyone more pumped up,” Bolin said.

5 4

3

Boys Cross Country The Boys Cross Country team is a tightly bonded team in the Upper School, frequently spending time with each other in and out of practice. Winning SPC is their only goal, which has kept the team motivated to succeed in every race this season.

Their greatest threat to impede their SPC title hopes will be a notorious rival, St. John’s. This bitter feud forces the whole team to stay committed to their ultimate goal of becoming champions.

“We understand that you can’t take days off, and if you do, it can be catastrophic,” Oscar Melendez (12) said.

After a very successful season, the team looks to bring home a championship next weekend in Austin. The team had a third place finish in the South Zone championship meet. With an impressive group of upperclassmen leading the charge, every man on the roster expects nothing less than a ring.

Girls Cross Country Going into SPC, the Girls Cross Country team is excited, yet nervous. Their first place finish in the South Zone championship at Spring Creek Park, on Oct. 22, shows that they are tough competitors. Despite their dominating performance in the South Zone championships, other teams in SPC, such as Greenhill and Hockaday, will still be difficult opponents to beat.

In addition to their hours of training and hard work, they believe that working together will be a competitive advantage over the other teams. Although the team’s bond, special pre-race diet restrictions, and individual rituals work in their favor before races, the team has a special tradition: touching each other noses and saying good luck. This ritual helps the runner relax and lighten their mood before stepping on the line to compete.

Boys Volleyball

Girls Volleyball

With a current 2-13 record, the Boys Volleyball team has had a rough season to say the least. Six seniors graduated last year, leaving only one senior, team captain William Gage.

With that being said, the team is very young and is still developing. Hopefully in the next few years the team will start to win more. They are trying to improve, but progress has been slower than they would like.

Cole Nockolds (10), who plays on JV but is pulled up to varsity when needed, said, “The MVP of the season so far is Parker Browne (11).”

Browne makes a perfect spike almost every game said Nockolds. Even if the team’s future going into SPC looks bleak this season, they still manage to have fun while playing.

The team enjoys when there is a crowd chanting during their games. They feel as if the crowd hypes them up to play more.

“The more hype the crowd, the better we do,” said Nockolds

Despite an early coaching change, the Girls Volleyball team is having a strong season going into SPC this year. Senior captains, Ella Morgan and Chinaza Ndee have stepped to their leadership role, consistently motivating their teammates on and off the court.

Before games, the team has a habit of dancing to get in the zone. It’s also become a superstition.

“If we don’t dance before the games, we are definitely going to lose,” Ndee said.

Nia Caldwell (11) gets everyone pumped up in the locker room by playing upbeat songs like “Purple Lamborghini” by Rick Ross and “Bet On it” from High School Musical 2.

The fans are really important to the team. The crowd normally consists of supportive parents who know all the names and numbers of the players, but occasionally students come to the games, which really pumps the team up.

Performing for their peers always turns up the energy and intensity.

SPORTS

Oct. 28, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 2

The Kinkaid Falcon / 17

Kinkaid looks to win fourth consecutive rivalry game Falcons meet the Mavs in Rice Stadium for the 28th time

BY KIRK HACHIGIAN

IMPACT PLAYERS: OFFENSE Kirby Cravens, WR (12)

IMPACT PLAYERS: DEFENSE Continued from Page 1

This season has been a up and down for the Falcons, as they have won by over 20 points in three games but have also been blown out by over 20 in two games.

“I think any coach would Josh Williams, RB (10) look back and think their Number: 4 team could have done some Stat: 645 things better. There were a rushing yards on 89 carries couple of games where Stat: 9 rushing we beat ourselves.

TDs Not to say the other teams didn’t deserve the win, but Ford Young, WR (12) we handed them a Number: 34 few gifts to make Stat: 197 receiving yards it easier,” said on 13 catches Kinkaid Head Stat: 18.7 yards Coach Nakickoff return than Larned. yards average Larned has coached the FalZach Daniel, QB (10) cons since 2013.

Number: 2 MeanStat: 160 passing yards while, and 1 passing St. TD this season John’s Stat: Starting his has first game at QB also Malcolm Hedgepeth, WR (11) struggled Number: 85 with Stat: 282 total receiving yards consisStat: 2 tency receptions for this TDs season.

They are coming into Ben Padon, OL (12) tonight’s Number: 70 Stat: Fourth game off a year playing on 41-7 win over Varsity Football St. Mark’s that Stat: Height is improved their 6’4” record to 3-5. For the Mavericks to compete against Hayden Rome, K (11) the Falcons, they Number: 40 will need a strong Stat: 37/38 on extra point kicks performance from Stat: 7 for 7 on their defense that field goals has given up almost 34 points per game. The Mavericks head coach, Steve Corbin Priest, OL (12) Gleaves, spent 11 years coaching at Kinkaid before Number: 57 Stat: Third year moving to St. John’s in 1991 playing Varsity and will certainly need an Football. inspired performance from Stat: Height is his team to come out with a 5’10” victory tonight.

“We have a pretty young Jake Hammer, OL (12) team that has improved each week and shown their Number: 55 Stat: This is his dedication to work hard to second year on do their best every day. I varsity think that staying away from Stat: Height is penalties and turnovers, con5’10” trolling the ball on offense, and not allowing any big William Ison, OL (12) plays on defense will be the Number: 61 keys to winning the game,” Stat: His father, Gleaves said.

Scot Ison, also Last year, Kinkaid defeatplayed football ed St. John’s 35-24 to win for Kinkaid their third consecutive vicStat: His height tory over the Mavericks. St. is 5’ 7” John’s last win came in 2012 Matt Maggi, QB (12) when they stopped the then Number: 6 7-1 Falcons 27-21. To emerge Stat: 1,439 victorious again this year, passing yards the Falcons will need producStat: 13 passing tion from their high-powered TDs offense. *will not play due Number: 11 Stat: 361 total receiving yards Stat: 5 receptions for TDs

to concussion

Running back Josh Williams (10) will lead the potent rushing attack for the Falcons after Johnathon Thomas (11) broke his leg in last week’s game against Houston Christian. Williams has rushed for over 600 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground this season. The offensive line, led by Padon,

has been crucial in freeing up the running lanes for these explosive backs. However, the Falcons must use the passing attack effectively to maintain balance while on offense.

With quarterback Matt Maggi (12) also out for the game after suffering a concussion, the Falcons will rely on Zach Daniel (10) to lead the offense. He will need to develop chemistry quickly with star receivers Kirby Cravens (12), Ford Young (12), and Malcolm Hedgepath (11) to keep the Falcons’ passing attack effective.

Cravens has been a big play threat for the Falcons all season and is averaging almost 25 yards per catch along with five touchdowns on the season.

“Our guys are really coming together. I know that sounds like generic coach talk, but you can truly see a difference in how they treat each other. It’s taken a while, but I believe we have them all heading in the same

direction now as far as what we want as a team, and what we have to do to get there,” Coach Larned said.

The St. John’s offense is headed by dual-threat quarterback Wesley Gow (10), running back Malcolm Sturgis (10), and receiver Wheeler Gibson (12). Gow has racked up over 1,500 passing yards and over 500 rushing yards on the season.

Gibson has also hauled in almost 50 passes for over 500 yards and six touchdowns. The Falcons’ secondary will need to neutralize Gibson if they hope to keep the St. John’s offense in check.

“St. John’s is always really well-coached.

Every year, they improve significantly from their first game to when we play them. The biggest challenge is always to get our guys to ignore their record and focus on us being the best we can be just like every other week,” Coach Larned said.

The hard work for every player on the field began long before they will run out through the tunnel into Rice Stadium tonight. The Kinkaid players participated in 7 on 7 competitions throughout the summer while also working on strength and conditioning the entire offseason.

When playing in a rivalry game, emotions run high for players and can lead to careless penalties or miscues.

Because of this, the Falcons’ coaches have stressed focusing on only one play at a time and keeping a cool head while on the field. They have summed this philosophy up with the motto “Do your job.”

For everyone involved in this rivalry, there have been many great memories from games that have gone down to the wire or dominated by one side.

“My favorite moment from a St. John’s game has to be shutting them out 45-0 two years ago. That was really a special game,” Padon said.

While the game tonight begins at 7:30 p.m., the pregame activities and tailgate will start around 6:00 p.m.

Rob Lahourcade, DE (12) Number: 18 Stat: Third year on Varsity Football Stat: Caught a TD pass in the championship Alex Williams, DB (12) Number: 13 Stat: 114 return yards on 6 kickoff returns Stat: Height is 5’11” William Alcorn, DE (12) Number: 15 Stat: Fourth year playing Varsity Football Stat: Height is 6’2”

Marquise Hubbard, LB (11) Number: 25 Stat: Averaging 23 yards per kickoff return Stat: Rushed for 169 yards last season Tommy Beeler, DL (12) Number: 56 Stat: Height 6’3” Stat: Brothers Joe and John also played football for Kinkaid Adam Harter, DB (11) Number: 10 Stat: 2 interceptions this season Stat: Second year playing on Varsity Football Pierce Johnson, LB (12) Number: 7 Stat: Brother Hill Johnson (11) also plays on varsity Stat: Third year on varsity Jervon Monroe, DB (11) Number: 23 Stat: Second year playing Varsity Football Stat: Height is 5’6”

Jack Nevil, LB (11) Number: 12 Stat: First season playing Varsity Football Stat: Height is 6’2”

Wyatt Young, DB (10) Number: 3 Stat: 1 interception returned for 30 yards Stat: 1 fumble recovery Michael Horne, OL (11) Number: 67 Stat: First year on Varsity Football Stat: Height is 5’10”

SPORTS

18 / The Kinkaid Falcon

Oct. 28, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 2

Falcon Feature: Two seniors commit to Stanford University Seniors Sophia Solé and Kaylie Mings to join the Stanford Cardinals’ athletic program next fall

BY FARAZ VIRANI

Kaylie Mings Field hockey has taken Kaylie Mings (12) across the nation and around the globe.

And from her travels, Mings has learned one thing about herself that became useful in her recruiting process: “I don’t do cold weather at all.”

Ranked as a top fifty field hockey player in the country for the Class of 2017 by Max Field Hockey, Mings has been committed to the Stanford since her sophomore year.

Next fall, she will join the Cardinals field hockey team.

Mings knew what she wanted and it is her dogged determination and persistent pursuit of excellence that put her in the elite of her sport and put her in the position to join a world-class program

where the cold is never an issue. Mings’ resume speaks for itself: A four-year member on the varsity field hockey team, she has also played for the Texas Pride Field Hockey Club and was selected to participate in the Junior Olympics in 2014 and 2015. She competed in Germany in May with the U17 Junior National Team.

Her path to Stanford started early in her freshman year.

“I went to a clinic in the spring of my freshman year, and I loved it,” Mings admitted. ”Of course I looked at various other schools, but Stanford was always the frontrunner.”

Besides the unbeatable weather, Stanford offered so much more to Mings. Even how she was recruited by the coaching staff impressed Mings, as she appreciates the standard that their athletes

were held to when hitting the books and running down the field.

Mings said, “Stanford was really the only one of the schools that actually cared about my grades and test scores. Pretty much every semester I have to send in my grades to my coach to make sure my grades were staying consistent.”

It’s no secret that Mings is competitive—really competitive. If it were up to her, she would be playing alongside her teammates right now even with a broken jaw. This mentality and grit is part of the team dynamic at Stanford, and their high level competition is another reason she is thrilled to be joining the Cardinals.

“What I’m most excited for is that Stanford is usually an NCAA tournament contender,

Above: Solé pictured with her teammates sailing in Japan this summer, including her younger sister, Ana Clare Solé (10)

Sophia Solé “Oh, I didn’t know Stanford had a sailing team!” is the reaction that Sophia Solé (12) has become all too used to hearing since Oct. 10. That Monday, shortly after Solé finished cross country practice, she reached for her iPhone and froze. Instead of the texts and social media updates, there was one missed call and voicemail from a 650 area code number.

Specifically, a Palo Alto number.

The call that she had been waiting for:

Solé was going to be a Cardinal. How she reached her goal of competing in the next level is anything but the norm.

At the age of nine, it was an Intro to Sailing class at the Houston Yacht Club that sparked Solé’s love for the sport. Beginning in fourth grade, Solé travelled forty-five minutes almost daily to Kemah to master her craft.

When she entered Kinkaid in ninth grade, she continued spending her weekends on the water.

Solé competes in two different boats: a Laser and an I-420, a two person boat. At Stanford,

Above: Riding the tumultous waters, Solé competes on a field that is always moving, and the enviornment around her determines her strategy.

and I can’t wait to play at that level,” Mings explained.

Just give Mings a field hockey stick, a ball, and a goal, and she’s set. Mings cites her love for not only the game she plays, but also her teammates that fuel her energy and drive.

“Probably that at the end of the day the most important thing is that I love what I do. I mean l wouldn’t put all this time and energy into field hockey if I didn’t love it.

But not just loving the sport.

Through amazing teammates and coaches, Kinkaid has taught me that playing for them is the most important thing, and that’s what makes me want to be successful,” Mings said.

Right: Mings stares down her opponent as she prepares to make her next move for the Junior National Team.

Above: A member of the U17 Junior National Team, Mings joined her teammates in Germany in May after her verbal commitment to Stanford University earlier in the year.

she will be specifically be sailing in a Laser, but will also learn how to operate other boats as well.

“Different programs have different types of boats, but I am going to focus on Lasers, using the double-handed college sailing method,” Solé said.

Years of repetition and practice led Solé to have the opportunity to sail as a college student. However, sailing is not a sport under the NCAA, so her recruitment process was unlike any other athletes playing team sports. In fact, Solé had to send out her sailing résumés herself to respective college coaches to initiate the process.

“I started sending out emails the fall of my junior year with my grades and competition results because sailing is not like other sports in that you can’t go on an official visit or recruiting trips,” Solé recalled.

Because sailing is a sport largely focused in the northeastern part of the country, schools such as Yale, Dartmouth, Georgetown, and Harvard have dominated the sport for decades. Having the oldest and storied sailing programs nationwide, Solé approached these universities as well.

But for Solé, these prestigious, Ivy League schools

paled in comparison to the opportunities and excitement surrounding Stanford and their sailing program. From the first time she stepped on campus and after meeting members of the sailing team, she knew that California is where she wanted to sail. And from that point forward, it took constant emails and visits for to finally have a chance to join the team.

“I was constantly contacting the coach at Stanford. I assured him over and over that Stanford was the top choice for me, and when I stepped on campus, I just knew,” Solé said.

The pink envelope. A Stanford tradition, prospective student-athletes are sent pink envelopes which include the entire application to their university to be done by hand.

“So what came in the mail was the famous pink envelope and inside it was the Common Application all printed out for me to fill out. So I actually had to go with a pen, and fill out every little detail, which was extremely stressful and not fun at all,” Solé said.

The envelope reached Solé’s door in June and she finished her application in August, right before she started senior year. Just two months later, Solé got the call.

“The waiting. The waiting

was painful,” Solé laughed.

Between now and her first September practice in Palo Alto, Solé plans on continuing to practice with her Laser boat, as well as participate in a sailing competition in Miami over the winter holidays.

Last year, Solé took her talents across the Atlantic and took part in a summer competition in Japan with Team USA. It was her first experience in Asia, and her mother, Mrs. Kendall Solé, was anxiously checking her phone as her daughter entered international waters for the first time. If that wasn’t enough, Solé also prepared to take on the challenge of sailing in a typhoon, too.

“It was the first time [Sophia] had gone out of the country without her parents, so it was a stressful time for us. I don’t know how she did it, but she persevered through the conditions and did great in the competition,” Mrs. Solé said.

Looking even further than her future at Stanford, Solé has aspirations to represent the United States in the Olympics one day, too.

“I would love to go to the Olympics; it would be an unbelievable opportunity,” Solé said. “I don’t know if I can put my full commitment to it just yet, but maybe, we’ll see.”

Oct. 28, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 2

SPORTS

The Kinkaid Falcon / 19

Young alumni make an impact at the next level

BY FARAZ VIRANI

Halle Wilson ‘16

Kelli Montgomery ‘16

Mavin Saunders ‘14

Louise Stephens ‘16

Cheerleading in college wasn’t the plan for Hallie Wilson (Class of ‘16) when she enrolled to Southern Methodist University in May. Influenced by her Kinkaid coaches and friends, Wilson made the squad and immediately connected with her new teammates.

“I immediately fell in love with my team. I was so nervous about meeting them since they are all so talented but they were actually so welcoming,” Wilson said.

The Mustangs won Nationals last year, so Wilson is joining a dominant program with the expectations to repeat as champions. And each member is fully committed to do just that.

“Competition is on a whole different level. Every single practice we’re working on new things trying to get better and better and prove we’re still the best small co-ed team in the nation,” Wilson explained.

Even as a freshman, Wilson is using the skills she learned from Kinkaid and new techniques to establish herself on the squad and work towards improving her craft.

Kelli Montgomery (Class of ‘16) is continuing her athletic career this season at University of Houston, but she is not the only new member of the team. The coach that recruited Montgomery to the Cougars is no longer with the team, so she is not alone in the transition to her new school.

Even though she is playing in the same city, Montgomery was able to overlook the distance from home as she found a group of athletes dedicated to the same sport and as passionate for the game as she is.

“What attracted me to play for Houston was the culture of the program and the people on the team. Our team is very close and we are a very tight family. even as a freshman, I was welcomed the second I got here and have made so many close bonds already,” Montgomery said.

Softball season hasn’t begun, but in pre-season play, Montgomery is already seeing her hard work pay off.

“The most rewarding moment was when I hit my first collegiate homerun this fall. I have been changing my swing all fall so for it to come together finally was the best feeling,” Montgomery explained.

A redshirt sophomore out of Florida State University, Mavin Saunders (Class of ‘14) has embraced college life. An ongoing learning process, Saunders has taken on the challenge of mastering Jimbo Fisher’s offensive schemes with full speed ahead.

“It was tough at first to join a new offense, but all of my teammates are great and motivated, so I am doing my best to catch up to speed and help the team,” Saunders said.

As a member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll last season, Saunders is grateful for the rigor of the Upper School and that it prepared him best to thrive in college.

“Focusing on academics at Kinkaid has helped me so much now. Even today, things like getting ahead in classes and time management skills are really important lessons that I have Kinkaid to thank for,” Saunders explained.

Saunders’ hope is that in the next two or three years to be in the NFL. Being close to his friends and family in the Bahamas, Saunders has the relentless motor and drive to succeed during his remaining time in the collegiate level and beyond.

In soccer, speed kills, and Louise Stephens (Class of ‘16) had to learn that lesson even faster as a member of Rice University’s soccer team. Although she is close to home, Stephens is transitioning to her new role as a freshman on the squad, and adapting to a whole new team dynamic as well.

“On the first day of preseason, I had this realization that I had just gone back in time to my first field hockey preseason practice at Kinkaid. All the girls had all their inside jokes and I felt so awkward and nervous and nauseous,” Stephens said.

Although the Upper School prepared Stephens to juggle academics and athletics, her experience at Rice thus far has been challenging, as even more activities have been thrown into the mix.

“This season has felt like a never ending vortex on the struggle bus.

For example, I’m keeper of the mascot and I already left in a hotel room in El Paso (I got it back don’t worry),” Stephens said.

As the season approaches, Stephens’ positive attitude and support will confidently lead her into her first games as an Owl.

Monday through Wednesday Shellac.........................$30 Pedicure......................$30 Dipping powder..........$35

SPORTS

20 / The Kinkaid Falcon

Oct. 28, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 2

Upgraded roster leaves Rockets fans hopeful

BY KIRK HACHIGIAN James Harden sliced through the Warriors defense, spun off Andre Iguodala, and stepped back, draining a midrange jumper to win Game Three and cut the Warriors lead to 2-1 in the series. The fans erupted into cheers, but when the cameras panned to the Rockets bench, the players looked sullen and weary. In the macro, this moment encapsulated the lack of chemistry and camaraderie that led to a team with championship aspirations self-destructing into one of the most disappointing teams in the league.

The Dwight Howard era in Houston ended just as it did in Orlando and L.A., with Howard slinking out of town leaving drama and all responsibility for failure behind him. This offseason, the Rockets made several acquisitions including bringing in new coach Mike D’Antoni, re-signing James Harden, and acquiring former New Orleans Pelicans Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon for $136 million. This new-look roster has given Rockets fans hope for a more promising season this year. “I am expecting the Rockets to beat the Warriors this season and make it to the Finals. Also, it’s really a shame that a lot of Warrior fans

can’t own Durant or Curry jerseys because kids 12 and under should not play with choking hazards,� diehard Rockets fan Eren Baysal (12) said.

The first key to getting back on track will be to get players, coaches, and the management on the same page after a year of toxicity and disappointment that resulted from the rift between Howard and Harden. The Rockets are now undeniably Harden’s team and he needs to embrace this leadership role on and off the court.

Last year, the combination of underachievement, involvement with the Kardashians, arguments in the press with Howard, and shoddy defense that resulted in 8-minute video showing his carelessness culminated in Harden being isolated from many teammates and failing to make any All-NBA teams, despite averaging almost 30 points per game.

However, this season he has already shown more maturity and taken on a leadership role in working out with teammates throughout the break. Harden is the difference between the Rockets being one of the worst teams in the league and a Playoff team, and this year’s offseason signings reflect that.

Both Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon are excellent

three point shooters and should be able to space the floor well when Harden drives into the paint. Gordon should be a contender for Sixth Man of the Year if he

can stay healthy and run the second unit offense. D’Antonio is also a very creative coach and hasn’t had a superstar like Harden on one of his teams since Steve Nash. In

Photo courtesy of nba.com

James Harden walks down the court with new signings Eric Gordon (10) and Ryan Anderson (3) during the NBA Global Games in Shanghi.

the first game of the season, Harden scored 34 points, racked up 17 assists, and pulled down eight rebounds. “I think Harden truly has a good shot at being the MVP this season. He is one of the best players in the entire league and should thrive in the new offensive system,�

Baysal said.

In fact, D’Antonio expressed interest in playing Harden as a point guard similar to Nash this season. Anderson also provides stability for the Rockets at power forward, which they have been struggling to find over the past few years. The offense will be extremely potent this season and should be second

only to the Warriors.

However, the strength of the offense is countered by what looks to be a very porous defense. D’Antoni’s defensive reputation is a bad as his offensive is good, and he is joining one of the league’s worst defensive teams.

After losing a powerful paint protector in Dwight Howard and adding feeble defenders in Anderson and Gordon, the Rockets will undoubtedly struggle mightily on the defensive end.

Another possible weakness of the roster assembled by general manager Daryl Morey is durability. If Harden suffers any injuries this season, the Rockets are in serious trouble. Patrick Beverley, NenĂŞ, Anderson, and Gordon have all had issues staying healthy in the past.

While the Rockets have definitely upgraded the roster from last season, many fans are still a bit over-optimistic for this upcoming season.

While people inside the organization have voiced their hopes for a championship run, a more realistic expectation would be to advance to the second round of the playoffs. The Rockets lost their first game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, and face off against the Mavericks tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Dallas.

Missing: Brock Osweiler

Fantasy football Week Eight: Waiver wire pickups

BY NIA CALDWELL & MAC FRIDAY

BY HARRISON TURNER (GUEST WRITER)

Swallowed by the boos of spiteful Denver Broncos fans, Brock Osweiler strutted onto his old stomping grounds, ready to earn something not yet accomplished this season: a win on the road. 107 passing yards, and zero touchdowns later, it was clear Osweiler would not achieve his goal.

The Texans appeared to be ready for their Monday night duel after coming back to beat rivals, the Indianapolis Colts; surprised, Houston was warily skyhigh.

Photo courtesy of Dustin Bradford

But on Monday Night Football, the team disintergrated in front of the whole nation.

The main cause of their inefficiency seems to be Brock Osweiler. After going 0-7 on throws 15+ yards downfield and 18-34 in passing attempts overall, Osweiler collapsed, only to deliver his worst game yet.

Failing to connect with top receiver, Deandre Hopkins, Osweiler is making his job much harder. During the first seven games during the 2015-16 season, Hopkins had 776 yards with two different average quarterbacks. This season through seven games, Hopkins has just 390 yards.

Osweiler’s inaccuracy is not only costing the team wins, but costing Hopkins the stats needed to elevate his legacy.

Although the defense and special teams could step up, Osweiler’s erratic inconsistency is most troubling.

With the Detroit Lions visiting NRG Stadium this Sunday, Osweiler little time to muster up some of the $72 million dollar talent the Texans seemingly wasted.

The NFL season is now in full swing and with it have come many injuries, retirements, and new stars. From Ezekiel Elliott to Melvin Gordon, these new young talents on the scene have made a lot of noise in the fantasy football world. If you are someone who may not be aware of these young stars or are struggling to stay in the top half of your league, here is some advice on waiver wire pickups that could win you Week 8 and get your fantasy season back on track.

1. Jay Cutler, QB I know what you are thinking: Jay Cutler? Jay Cutler sucks. He’s old,washed up, and gets hurt every year, right? While I can’t disagree with you there, in the world of fantasy football he’s not a bad option. If your quarterbacks are really struggling, Cutler could be a great addition. With Brian Hoyer now on the IR, Cutler is now the clear cut starter in Chicago.

He is a veteran and a very experienced quarterback that could be an effective acquisition halfway through the season if you are in a two quarterback league or don’t have any other options.

2. Peyton Barber, RB

Running backs in fantasy football this year have been unforgiving and in high demand . Peyton Barber might be someone you have never heard of, but he can fill a hole in your lineup for a week or two if you are suffering from bye weeks or injuries at running back. With Doug Martin and Jacquizz Rodgers struggling to stay healthy, Barber is the next man up for the Tampa Bay Bucs. He rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown last week on only 12 carries against the 49ers.

He showed his impressive speed and explosiveness with a 44 yard touchdown run late in the game. Barber is owned in less than 1% of leagues, so I recommend picking him up while he is still under the radar.

3. Brandon LaFell, WR The ever changing cycle of wide receivers on the waiver wire brings a lot of frustration for fantasy football team managers. However, Brandon LaFell has showed consistency recently for the Cincinnati Bengals and is on my watchlist going into Week 8. LaFell is a long-time vet who has hopped around the league for most of his career, but has always found a way to produce.

He has a combined 21 targets and a whopping four touch-

downs over the last three weeks (pretty impressive taking into account that he is the number two guy behind A.J. Green). He is owned in only around 15% of leagues, and is definitely someone I would take a close look at going into Week 8 with a plethora of inconsistent receivers on many teams’ rosters.

4. Jack Doyle, TE Last but certainly not least (my favorite player on this list), Jack Doyle could be a huge pickup for fantasy owners this week. Dwayne Allen, the Colts’ starting tight end, is dealing with some health issues, and Doyle has replaced him with flying colors. He has 14 targets over the last two weeks and over 50 yards and a touchdown in each game. That kind of production from a tight end could be the difference between winning and losing a close matchup. Doyle seems to have some chemistry with Andrew Luck, and is regarded as the favorite guy in the Indianapolis locker room.

He is a tough tight end with great hands who gets looks in most red zone situations for the Colts. Doyle is owned in only 30% of leagues and could be a huge x-factor in your matchup next week.