December 2015 The Rider Chronicle by Rider Chronicle

S.H. Rider High School 4611 Cypress Ave Wichita Falls, Texas 76310 • Volume 54 Issue 4 • Friday, Dec. 11, 2015

Chronicle The Rider

Pg. 10

Pg. 3

Raider of the Month

Pg. 16

Finally Here

Final requirements have changed slightly, so here are the new requirements and the schedule.

• The student has no outstanding fines/fees owed to the school. • The student has not been placed in a disciplinary alternative education program during the semester. • The student’s grade and attendance in the course meet the criteria listed.

Wednesday 7:45-8:45 8:50-9:45 9:50-10:45 10:50-12:30

Blue swing flags spin through the air during a halftime performance as senior Molly Whitaker performs. “It’s really fun performing with swing flags,” she said. “Except for the time I got the silk wrapped around my neck and almost choked to death during my solo.” Photo by Amy Nguyen.

By Sierra Hodges

rushing out her hair, she starts the two braids that hang down the side of her head. As she pulls on her costume and does her make-up, she prepares for the halftime show. As she sings the counts in her head, she goes through the motions silently. She gets off the bus and walks into the stadium. The band playing behind her, she

Inside The Issue

dances on the bleachers with the rest of the guard. With halftime quickly approaching, she gets the “babies” to the part of the stadium to warm up and line up. They walk onto the field and her smile is plastered on her face as she sets her equipment. As she counts aloud, she marches to her spot at the beginning of the show. Starting to count silently, she

picks up her equipment and begins the show. Senior and captain Molly Whitaker has been spinning since freshman year. “When I’m spinning, I think about nothing, absolutely nothing,” Whitaker said. “My mind is completely blank and I just focus on my breathing and my mind goes quiet and my body just takes over.”

See Story on Page 5.

12:30-1:40 1:45-2:55

(December 16)

1 Period Closure 2 Period Closure 3 Period Closure 1 Period Exam 10:50-11:20 12:00-12:30 2 Period Exam 3 Period Exam

Thursday (December 17) 7:45-8:45 8:50-9:45 9:50-10:45 10:50-12:30 12:30-1:40 1:45-2:55

Friday

7:45-8:20 8:25-9:00 9:05-10:15 10:20-11:30 11:30-12:00

4 Period Closure 5 Period Closure 6 Period Closure 4 Period Exam 10:50-11:20 12:00-12:30 5 Period Exam 6 Period Exam

(December 18) 7 Period Closure 8 Period Closure 7 Period Exam 8 Period Exam Lunch

Donation Time

Red Alert

Story on Page 11.

Story on Page 14.

The Rider Chronicle

Cortney Wood Co-Editor-In-Chief Shannon Pyle Co-Editor-In-Chief Miranda Darné Managing Editor Kobie Lunsford Copy Editor Shawn Kirkland Reporter Makayla Schnaufer Reporter Jared Bruner Reporter Anaya Williams Reporter Brooke Inman Reporter Juan Casas Reporter Savannah Dickson Reporter Chris Greenwood Reporter Sierra Hodges Reporter R’yn Miller Artist Amy Nguyen Photographer Dalton Roberts Photographer Jane Coleman Photographer Shelby Davis Photographer Taylor Wilson Photographer Nathan Savage Photographer Justin Houts Photographer

But It’s Sweater Weather....

Trends Star Wars Finals The Holiday Break Sam Pepper

Art by R’yn Miller.

The Staff Editorial

Little Screen, Big Distraction WFISD set in place a new cell phone policy before the start of the year which allows students to use their phones during lunch and between classes. However, students are abusing this freedom and are using their phones non-stop throughout the school day. This is frustrating teachers and disrupting the class’s learning experience. Students need to set down their phones so they can keep up their education. Our lives are infused with all things technology but there are certain places, even outside of school, that don’t appreciate the constant use of cell phones. If there is a bright light distracting people’s attention from the movie they paid to watch, that person can be escorted out of the theater. No one appreciates that distraction. Give school and your teachers the same importance as you would an entertainment you pay for.

Cell phones distract and take away from what is happening right in front of you. The same applies to the classroom. Students need to realize the words that are coming out of their teachers’ mouths are more important than the words of your friends on a tiny screen. The school’s new policy has a purpose beyond giving students more time to look at texts and listen to music. The purpose is to give enough time for cell phones outside of class to prevent the usage during. It also exists to teach responsibility of a technology that has intruded into all parts of people’s lives. The constant connection hurts students everywhere, not only at school. Set the phone down and listen to instruction. Listen to the teacher when they say to put your phone up. Going 45 minutes without your know won’t kill you.

Feedback

From You

“I think students should be able to have the phone out only when the teacher says it is okay.” Carson Lee, 9 “It’s not only a distraction, it’s an addiction. They’re supposed to put their phones up when they walk into class but they don’t.”

English teacher Falesha Wood

“I listen to music a lot. So if the teacher isn’t talking about the lesson, then we should be able to listen to our music.”

Jacob Davenport,10

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December 11, 2015

There’s No Place Like Home

In 2012 my family went to the Amazon jungle for my 14th birthday. We kayaked the river, played with monkeys, held macaws, and climbed a 100-meter tree then zip-lined through the jungle. While in Cartagena I visited an outdoor aquarium and swam with a dolphin. At night my family went to the historic part of the city, riding around in a horse drawn carriage. Photos contributed by Makayla Schnaufer.

By Makayla Schnaufer wo months was all my brother and I were supposed to spend in Colombia. It was supposed to be a simple summer visiting our dad and step-mom and getting to know our baby sister. Two weeks in, that changed for me. My fear of the unknown dissolved into excitement. Everything was new, and the language barrier made it so that even going to the grocery store felt like an adventure. I tried my hardest to learn the new language, insisting on ordering my own food at restaurants and talking to the housekeeper as much as possible. Two weeks into the two months I made the best decision of my life. I called my mom and had a tear-filled conversation, telling her that I would not be returning to the United States at the end of the summer with my brother. I would be staying in Colombia to live with my dad permanently. That August, when my brother left, my vacation came to an end. I was enrolled in a school and had only one thing to do: learn Spanish. My vocabulary had grown over the summer, but I still had no formal Spanish training and sounded like a kid just learning to talk every time I opened my mouth. People laughed and my confidence shriveled. My learning

came to an abrupt halt, and I stopped speaking Spanish altogether. For weeks I spoke only to my family, my best friend Antonia and her family. And only in English. People would try to communicate with me and, even though I normally understood what they were saying, I couldn’t bring myself to reply, fearing that I would say the wrong word or use a verb incorrectly and they would erupt in laughter. Slowly though, I grew comfortable speaking again, but only around certain people. By the time October came, there were five good friends that I would speak to in Spanish. They would listen and help me when I mispronounced something or put a word in the wrong place. One day in November was especially hard. My Spanish teacher had called on me and refused to move on until I read the paragraph he had asked me to. My friends explained my fear to him, but he said I needed to move past it. After five minutes of silence I began to read. I sounded like a robot, having to stop and sound out every third word. My friends and teacher supported me, helping me through it as the boys of the class laughed. I could feel hot tears in my eyes, and mid sentence I stopped, stood up and left the room, walking to the elementary side of the

school and sitting down on the wet grass. Two friends followed me and, by the time they caught up, my crying was uncontrollable. I had never felt so embarrassed in my life. I was ready to admit defeat and give up. My friends held my hands and hugged me, urging me to keep trying and to move forward. Soon the entire class joined us on the grass. The boys who had laughed hugged me and offered words of comfort, apologizing, saying they hadn’t realized they were the reason I refused to speak. I had never experienced this before. In all of my life, I had never had this kind of support from people my own age. I had never had so many people telling me that they wanted to help me. That was the moment I realized I had been overreacting the whole time. I figured out that the laughter had never been meant to degrade me or make me feel bad. I saw that they all wanted to help me become better at Spanish and would have if I had just calmed down and asked. In that moment I realized why I had decided to stay. It was for the people and the culture and the massive amounts of kindness that I had never experienced while living in the United States. I stayed because Colombia was, and still is, my home. Yo me quedo en Colombia porque era, y todovía es mi hogar.

Editorials December 11, 2015

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Uprooted: Secret Life of a Military Kid By Miranda Darné We entered a small room filled with other children like my siblings and I. Sadness was etched on their faces. I was old enough to know what was going on, so when my parents tried to cheer me up I wanted none of it. A man opened the door and started rallying the others saying it was time to go. That’s when I latched onto my dad. I refused to let go of his uniform. Eventually I had to and that’s when the tears started flowing. A year would go by until he was able to come home. A year would go by where he would miss my first day of middle school. A year would go by with my dad risking his life in Iraq and with me at home, missing him. This wasn’t new. He left us to go to Korea a week after I was born. Going months without seeing him is the norm. Never being able to spend time together just because he came home too late and had to go into work on the weekends is just part of our lives. That’s what it’s like having a

parent in the military. I’ve been to seven different schools, lived in three states and even a different continent. This isn’t about getting pity from people who read about my life, but telling people why I am the way I am. I try not to identify myself as an “Army brat,” but when you move once every two years your whole life, you can’t really be defined as anything but. Especially because my dad has been in the Army since before I was born. Since he’s been in for 22 years and is now a Colonel, I really don’t know anything else besides this lifestyle; the constant moving, the new friends, the new schools...the list could go on forever. I could never describe the feeling of saying goodbye to a friend knowing you might never see them again. Believe me, it was really hard, but the only thing I could do was get over it because I realized I wasn’t the only one going through it. I’ve been to ordinary places like El Paso, Texas, and to crazy places like Osan, South Korea. The spectrum of where you live is pretty broad considering there are

hundreds of options. You really can’t choose where you live, so it’s like playing the lottery. I’ve never gotten the chance to actually live in my hometown. I usually get to visit for about two weeks at the most, so you could only imagine how I felt when my dad got stationed at Ft. Sill only an hour away from Wichita Falls. So now I get to finish high school only having gone to two high schools: Fort Knox and Rider, which is pretty rare. Regardless, it’s really nice being so close to my dad, my hometown and my extended family. One thing I’ve learned that is going to really sound cliché in a good way is to enjoy the time I have where I am and who I’m with and to just make the best of the situations I’m in. Being able to see my dad when he finally comes home, knowing he’s safe. Traveling, experiencing and having crazy adventures. Having a really close bond with my family. That’s what it’s like having a parent in the military.

My family and I traveled to Hawaii in 2012 after moving from Korea, on our way to Kentucky.

While living in South Korea, we were able to see the DMZ and step into North Korea by entering the Joint Security Area.

For my sister’s graduation we went to China and toured The Great Wall, Tienanmen Square, the Jade, Silk and Pearl Market, the Ming Tombs, Beijing Zoo and the Forbidden City all spanning over the course of about a week. Photos contributed by Miranda Darné

Around the World in 1998-1999

2002-2004

17 Years

2005-2010 El Paso, TX

San Antonio, TX

Wichita Falls, TX El Paso, TX

1999-2002

2012-2013

Ft. Leavenworth, KY

2004-2005

Osan, South Korea

2010-2012

Ft. Knox, KY Wichita Falls, TX

2013-Present

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December 11, 2015

Raider of the Month Senior Molly Whitaker takes on the many roles of Color Guard By Sierra Hodges Brushing out her hair, she starts the two braids that hang down the side of her head. As she pulls on her costume and does her make-up, she prepares for the halftime show. As she sings the counts in her head, she goes through the motions silently. She gets off the bus and walks into the stadium. With the band playing behind her, she dances on the bleachers with the rest of the guard. Halftime quickly approaches, she gets the “babies” to the part of the stadium to warm up and line up. They walk onto the field and a smile is plastered on her face as she sets her equipment. As she counts aloud, she marches to her spot at the beginning of the show. Starting to count silently, she picks up her equipment and begins the show. Senior and captain Molly Whitaker has been spinning since freshman year. “When I’m spinning, I think about nothing, absolutely nothing,” Whitaker said. “My mind is completely blank and I just focus on my breathing and my mind goes quiet and my body just takes over.” Emotions are a big part in expressing the meaning of the show.

Words

To the captain

Some emotions that are felt are hard to express. Whitaker said this year’s show was challenging yet exciting. “It started out as intense, so much that I felt as though I was lost, like darkness,” she said. “It then translated to a sense of hope. Hope for not only my future but for anything.” That sense of hope translates to Color Guard. Whitaker said Guard is life changing for some of the girls. It can transform somebody in only one season. “Guard can change anyone,” she said. “It’s amazing what it can do for some people. It can change someone from being shy and scared to do anything to someone who feels powerful and can take on the world.” Some traditions die while some tend to stick around. While some girls need somewhere they “belong”, others just need guidance. Guard offers that to the girls. “The family never leaves,” she said. “At the beginning of the year I didn’t know 12 of the ‘babies’ and it was awkward because of the big separation between the ‘babies’ and the ‘vets,’” she said. “Now those 12 ‘babies’ are my family and I would do anything for them.”

“Thanks for continuing the family that Gilbreath created, and the neverending love, talent and discipline.”

Arianna Garza, 12

“You’re an amazing captain and thank you for always making me feel welcome.”

Jasmine Pittman, 10

“Thank you for being such an amazing friend and captain.”

Peyton Wood, 9

Feature December 11, 2015

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When I Grow Up . . . . By Brooke Inman The red curtain was drawing open as eight year old Danielle Hardin watched her fellow actors break into choreography and song across the brightly lit stage. It was in this moment she knew musical theatre was her calling. Since she began pursuing theatre arts, Hardin said theatre gives her perspective. “I get to explore other walks of life and other points of view,” she said. “I feel that’s very important to living in general.” Hardin talks with community actors that perform at the Wichita Theatre for insight on how to get connected in the business. “I’m looking for scholarships to apply for,” she said. “I’m looking for basically anything that can help me on my way.” Zack Brasfield, a continual actor at the Wichita Theatre, had the same goal as Hardin since his first performance in second grade. From then on, Brasfield has portrayed many roles and went on to achieve his Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance at Midwestern State University. Brasfield has gained experience throughout his time as an actor by continuously practicing and learning more about different stories, so that he gets a feeling for how to become different characters, he said. “To anyone who wants to be in music theatre, just keep practicing,” Brasfield said. “Enjoy life with music, because if you can’t enjoy it as a hobby, you can’t enjoy it as a job. °°°

Students discover what it takes to achieve their goals, experience their dream career

Carson Lee watched intently from the side of the soccer field as the team quickly kicked the ball, analyzing all of their moves. As the ball flew into the goal, he realized sports commentating was what he wanted to pursue. Lee, who enjoys being around sports, often watches others report on sporting events and wishes to one day do what they do as a career. “It’s hard to get to where you have to be to be able to play sports,” Lee said. “I’d like to be around sports without actually playing them.” Mickey Miller has also found the same fondness analyzing sports since the beginning of his coaching and teaching career at McNiel, and for the past 20 years has been a radio commentator for Rider. “I’ve been talking most of my life, because I was a teacher,” Miller said. “And from the first time I ever did sports commentating I always enjoyed it.” As a sports commentator, Miller has to be able to identify the terminology of the sport he is reporting for, which is important for those watching to be able to understand what is occurring. Miller has had experience publicly speaking since he began his work in the ministry at the age of 19, as well as teaching up until his retirement in 2014. It’s important to take speech and broadcasting classes if you wish to further pursue sports commentating he said. “Students can become a part of the game,” Miller said. “There are always ways for kids to try new things and see what they like.” Miller also had the opportunity to report at one of

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Rider’s playoff games, and was able to interview Coach Garfield after their win, which is the highlight of his broadcasting career he said. “He was very personable and excited about the win,” Miller said. “It was a very neat experience I wouldn’t trade the world for.”

“I want to work at Walt Disney World because I want to make people happy and want to inspire little children.”

Sydney Wisdom, 9

“I want to be a pediatrician. I love children, and I want to learn more about cancer.”

Sallisa Wyatt, 9

December 11, 2015

Cara Johnston entered the bright orthodontist office, laughter and warm conversation greeting her arrival. As she began talking with her orthodontist about the procedures for her orthodontic needs, she decided working as an orthodontist is what she aspired to be. When Johnston was younger, she always wanted to be a doctor, but this year she has decided to pursue a career as an orthodontist. “It’s always a good environment in the Orthodontist Office and it seems like a good work environment,” Johnston said. Dr. Devek Frech also shared the same experience during his life, and after completing dental school, further pursued his career as an orthodontist by opening his personal office in Wichita Falls. “My career has been such a blessing,” Frech said. “This is one of the best careers to be able to work and still have time for family, friends, church, and all of those sorts of things. Frech’s love for art and science throughout his time in school, as well as his love to help others, made orthodontistry the ideal career for him, he said. “It’s a very laid back profession and you get to know a lot of people,” Frech said. “Especially those you meet a time when they’re beginning to blossom.” °°°

As Sarah MacLagan listened to her youth pastor speak about God every Wednesday night, she began to realize it is her ambition to be a youth pastor.

Since MacLagan has become a youth, she has been inspired by her church pastors and her youth ministry to pursue a career as a youth pastor. “They inspire me because of the relationship they have with Jesus, and they’ve made their life that, and I hope I can do something like that when I’m older,” MacLagan said. Nolen Smith became inspired the same way during his time in college at Texas A&M University when he worked under a college youth pastor in volunteer ministry. “He was very influential in helping me decide I wanted to pursue this career,” Smith said. Soon after college, Smith worked as an associate pastor in Plano for three years, and has now taken a job as the Senior High Youth Pastor at Grace Church. Smith’s biggest passion is that God made him want to teach, and teaching is a major part of his job as a youth pastor, he said. “A large portion of the job is getting to hang out with high school students, and to me, that’s not work,” Smith said. Smith’s experience under a youth pastor during college heavily influenced him and he finds it important to talk to youth pastors about the gifts they see you possessing in youth ministry and how to further pursue this career he said. “Ask mentors in your life that you trust if they think this is something you would be good at,” Smith said. “There are opportunities, so start exploring and praying about it now.”

WHERE DO MOST TEENS WANT TO WORK WHEN THEY GROW UP?

46% 15% 11% 10% 18%

in Public Service

in Art

in Law

in Sports

in STEM careers

Information from www.nbcnews.com

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December 11, 2015

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Depression, The Student shares her journey through sadness, abuse, disputes and trauma

Art by R’yn Miller.

By Avery Bell Tired during the day from crying all night. Waiting all day to be alone, away from everyone else. Staying to herself to avoid others hurtful words. Dreading to go home to the fighting and screaming. Hurtful words glued into her mind, while compliments bounce off like rubber. Losing all trust in the people around her. These are a few of the many feelings that former Rider student *Jackie Rollins feels daily. Depression is to blame for the sleepless nights and dreadful days. However, depression never works alone. According to the Teen Treatment Center, teens nowadays are at a higher risk for depression and anxiety. There are three times more depressed teenage girls than boys. 20 percent of teens seriously consider suicide, while 1 in 12 teens attempt suicide. The numbers are real and are getting bigger every day. At 12 years old, Rollins noticed she was depressed after going two weeks without eating. Although she was bullied at school during her seventh grade year, she believes the main cause of her depression was from what was happening outside of school. Rollins started cutting to cope with her feelings. For a while, nobody knew about her actions until one day in art class a friend noticed scabs on her wrist and grabbed her arm revealing fresh cuts. Quickly, Rollins pulled out of her friend’s grip and pulled back down her sleeve. Her friend became angry and asked why she would do such a thing, but Rollins refused to give a reason. From that day on, Rollins’ friends grew distant and Rollins withdrew from everyone else around her. At the same time, problems in the family

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started to arise. “I guess abuse and fighting runs in the family,” Rollins said. Rollins started noticing the abuse in the family when she saw her parents fighting one day and the fight got physical. After that day, fighting became normal. “Yelling and loud noises would scare me,” Rollins said. For a while everything was pretty calm in her house until her mom got a new boyfriend who was also a drug dealer. Her mother then began to start using drugs along with her boyfriend, which led to fights. Soon after her mother’s boyfriend moved in, CPS came into the picture and Rollins was taken out of the house and moved into a foster home. When eighth grade year started, bullying followed along with it. Right away, people found out about her family issues and things took a turn for the worst. “People called me orphan,” Rollins said. Rollins’ self-harm became more severe and more constant. Social media didn’t seem to make anything better due to the sad or depressing posts on Facebook or Instagram which were triggering to her. Sometimes even happy love posts on Tumblr would trigger her depression. “Not everyone is that happy,” Rollins said. To this day, Rollins is still struggling with depression and self harm, but feels that she is getting better and the cutting is not as constant. She said she is in a better and safer relationship with a new, loving guy. She does not live with her mother, but she has recently moved in with her dad and started at a new school in Dallas, and she is hoping to make a fresh start. * indicates anonymous source

December 11, 2015

Sickness That Strikes Hard Depression hits everywhere; know the signs

Photo Illustration By Amy Nguyen and Miranda Darné

MYTH DEPRESSION AND SADNESS ARE THE SAME THING

MYTH YOU CAN TELL WHEN SOMEONE IS DEPRESSED BY THE WAY THEY ACT

FACT ALL PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESSES HAVE A GENETIC COMPONENT AND AN ENVIRONMENTAL COMPONENT

By Avery Bell If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or self harm, guidance counselor Wendy Risner has shared a few ways to cope: Exercising, talking about feelings, and art/music therapy. “You’ve got to be willing to try these things and be willing to stop self harming,” Risner said. Risner said that sometimes depression may be caused by body history and lack of certain chemicals in the brain, or could be caused by something dramatic or sad that has happened in your life. According to Sound-mind.org, negative thinking and negative self talk is the number one cause for depression. “It is really important to look out for the signs in your friends,” Risner said. According to National Institute of Mental Health noticeable signs of depression include: insomnia, over/under eating, fatigue, and irritability. Risner said it’s really important to reach out for help whether it's help for you or help for a friend. “Not everyone who is depressed or struggling with self harm will commit suicide, but it can happen,” Risner said. Risner advocates for students to tell a counselor if they know someone who is showing signs of depression or suicidal thoughts She said students may feel that they will "lose your friend’s trust," but it's better than losing your friend altogether. Anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts, depression or self harm, should seek help. National suicide prevention helpline: 1-800273-TALK

“Seeing them upset all of the time really made me feel bad. It hurt not being able to help them.” Dru Sawyer, 11

"No one really ever acknowledges mental illness. People thinks it's something that is treated easily, but it takes a lot to be treated.” Lily Tran, 11

“Society treats it very badly. People with mental disorders aren't taken seriously. Everybody handles it differently.” Calista Calhoun, 11

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A Menorah Amongst Christmas Trees Celia Horwitz and family celebrate Hanukkah this month By Makayla Schnaufer Celia Horwitz gathers around the menorah with her family, lighting the first two candles on the first night of Hanukkah. For eight days her family will celebrate the Jewish holiday, also known as the festival of light. Hanukkah received its origin when a Jewish temple was destroyed, leaving the Hebrews with only enough oil to light a candle, meant to represent God, for a single day. A long journey to another town was the only way to get more oil, but through a miracle, the oil of the candle lasted the eight days it needed to while several Hebrews traveled to retrieve more. “Whenever Hanukkah starts my mom will set out the menorah and we will sing a song together and light the first candle,” Celia said. The first night, the shamash, or lead candle, is lit along with one other candle. Each night after, another candle is lit, until all nine candles glow on the eighth night. Like many other holidays, Hanukkah has traditional food that is eaten with it. “My mom makes latkes, which are potato pancakes,” Celia said. “You put them with applesauce, and they are so good.” While Celia loves the latkes, her favorite part of the holiday is the eight gifts she receives, one on each night of the holiday.

What You Think

“Many children enjoy the gifts,” Horwitz’s mother Joan Horwitz said. “I have very fond memories of singing around the candles with my family when I was just a girl.” Horwitz remembers “mumbling the blessing” when she was about four before she had learned it at Hebrew school.

“When we lived in Ohio, the closest service was an hour away. It was like going to the lake for the weekend, without the lake.” Joan Horwitz

“I grew up going to Hebrew school three days a week. In Michigan, 30 percent of the population was Jewish, so there was a service every single day,” Horwitz said. “Celia has never had Hebrew school.” Horwitz has still tried her hardest to present her children with the information about their faith. “I know that if something is forced on me, I don’t really want to do it. So I make sure that Celia knows what she needs to. She hasn’t shown a strong interest, and I don’t want to force her into it.” Living in an area with a very small Jewish population makes attending services more difficult. “When we lived in Ohio, the closest service was

Students say what they think of when they hear the word ‘Hanukkah’.

an hour away. It was like going to the lake for the weekend, without the lake.” Horwitz feels very proud of Celia’s knowledge despite these setbacks. “A few years ago, we were going to sing the blessing and I asked Celia if she knew it, and she knew every word and I was very impressed,” she said. This year Hanukkah began on Sunday, Dec. 6 and will end Monday the 14th. “This year it falls pretty close to Christmas,” Celia said. “Last year it was around Thanksgiving, so it was more like Thanksgiving-akkah.”

Playing Dreidel

Dreidel is a traditional Jewish game played during Hanukkah The game is played with a top-like spinner and a pot of coins. Depending on which side of the spinner is up, the player interacts differently with the coins.

When ‘Shin’ is rolled, the player adds a piece to the pot Shin When ‘hey’ is rolled, the player takes half of the pot Hey When ‘gimel’ is rolled, the player takes everything in the pot. Gimel

“It sounds like some kind of comic con.”

Alexis Harbottle, 11

“All I know is it is a Jewish celebration and they have the menorah.”

Jansen Rouillard,12

“Its a Jewish holiday, and they light the seven candles.”

Jade Fisher, 12

When ‘nun’ is rolled, the player does nothing. Nun

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December 11, 2015

Donation Time

PALs helps Hospice have a donation-filled holiday season by showing that Rider cares By Chris Greenwood After requests from Hospice to bring attention to the tree of lights campaign this winter, PALS tried something new. PALS collect donations during lunch and 4th period classes. “Anyone can donate: teachers, students, anybody at all,” Brown said. “It doesn’t have to be in memory of someone who has been to hospice; you can light a light for anyone.” Brown said that she won’t be upset if they don’t reach a few hundred dollars because “anything that we get is adding more to what Hospice has.” On Dec 18, Hospice will host a radio-athon to help call attention to the campaign and accept donations. “At that time, our president Kylar Walker will present the money from Rider to Hospice at the radioathon,” Brown said. Brown said that if they don’t achieve close to their goal of a few hundred dollars they might bring the donation jugs around the school during the PALS classes, first and sixth periods. “The PALS do at least 4 hours of volunteer work every six weeks, so we don’t really do fundraisers,” Brown said. “This is my third year to have PALS and I’ve been looking forward to giving back.” Assistant Principal TiAda Radtke is also glad to help Hospice with gathering donations. “I have a friend who works at Hospice,” Radtke said. “She had a few flyers about their tree that they light up on top of the bank and she asked me if we can hang a few of them up in the school, I said sure.” Actions that involve hanging flyers in the hallway have to be approved by Principal Dee Palmore. “I went in and talked to him about it and he told me Trish Golding works over there,” Radtke said. “She saw him and asked if he was interested in doing something along those lines as far as some kind of donation collecting and making a donation toward them.” Radtke and Palmore discussed how to go about the fundraiser. “The reason I chose the PALS is because they have a lot of students in there,” Radtke said. “We have to cut the lights out and have people to be able to man the table during the lunches. When I approached her about it she said she would love to do it because it’s something she is very passionate about and she would do anything to help them.

December 11, 2015

On-campus police officers contribute to the PAL Tree of Life fundraiser. Paraprofessional Larry Foster writes two lightbulbs for his parents. The Hospice Lights are a city-wide fundraiser, however PALS organized the Rider lights by themselves. Photos by Amy Nguyen and Dalton Roberts.

“Knowing that people are out there who want to help and want to give back to the community gives Hospice the reminder that we do remember what this time of year is all about.”

“It’s opened our eyes. Sometimes we’re ungrateful for what we have, and this is a way to give back and be more grateful.”

Brea Harrison, 12

“We got asked to help by Hospice, and we decided to do ‘In Honor Of’ and ‘In Memory Of’ because not everyone who is affected by tragedy passes away.

Nicole Linn, 12

Paige Inman, 12

News theriderchronicle.com

“This has definitely brought us closer,” Kaitlyn said. The sisters were able to take a few of their senior pictures together. “It was fun to get to do something like this together,” Kristin said. Photos contributed by Kaitlyn Lowery.

Sharing Worlds

Junior graduates year early with older sister; both plan to attend medical school in the future

By Shannon Pyle She goes through the day in a weird in between. She has core classes all day with only one extra-curricular. They range from APUSH with her junior peers to AP English 4 with her graduating class. Senior Kristin Lowery will graduate this year after only spending three years in high school. “There’s more opportunities for me if I’m not in high school next year,” Kristin said. “Next year, I’m planning to go to UT Arlington. I’m going to do modeling down in Dallas. Then, I’m going to try and transfer to UT Austin and go into medical school to become an OB/GYN.” Not only will she leave school an entire year early, her name will be called right after her older sister’s. “It’s changed a lot of things,” senior Kaitlyn Lowery said. “It’s brought us closer together.” Her initial reaction to having to share her senior year with her younger sister was negative. “I love my sister to death, but at first I was honestly a little upset,” Kaitlyn said. “Because senior year is supposed to be a big year, everything is supposed to be the big year. I didn’t really think I was going to have to share that. Now I’m used to the idea of it.” Kristin said that in the first six weeks, her stress

levels were “through the roof.” “I used to think senior year would be really easy and junior year would be really hard,” Kristin said. “Well it’s a mix of both, and it makes this year a lot harder.” With her family behind her, Kristin has learned how to manage her classes through planning, she said. “It’s a lot of homework and a lot of hard work inside and outside of school,” Kristin said. “But I’m able to manage it. My mom really helps me out a lot by sitting me down and helping me plan out my week.” Kaitlyn, having experienced a heavy course load like what Kristin is dealing with this year, said she was able to give her sister some advice. “My biggest advice to her was to sleep when you can; get some sleep,” Kaitlyn said. “And you have to multi-task and prioritize. You have to consider what needs to be done first and what can wait a day.” Counselor Stephanie Schelter said Kristin had to do a lot of the work on her own time outside of school. “She was already ahead in math and science but had to pay for the online English 3 class through Texas Tech,” Schelter said. “She has a professor who grades her work but they don’t help like a high school teacher. It is all based on your knowledge.” To be able to graduate early, it takes determination

and goal setting, Schelter said. “If someone wants to graduate early they have to have a goal for what they are going to do after high school, ” Schelter said. “It takes a lot of determination and you have to have everything planned out.” Kristin said that although some of her friends are upset that she’s leaving, she will be back to visit family and won’t be out of touch. “I know that I am going to go do something bigger so for me, friends are just here for now; they’re not going to be there forever,” Kristin said. “I feel like I’m in my own boat compared to all the other juniors and seniors.” Schelter said that the counselors don’t encourage kids to graduate early. “We would rather students get their college credit here,” Schelter said. “Senior year is a fun year. You don’t get that kind of experience again once you graduate. But Kristen is driven. She knows what she wants.” “It’s exciting because I’m moving ahead and going really fast,” Kristin said. “I’ll be 16 when I graduate, and will have just turned 17 when I start college. I’m not going to let that hold me back. I have a game plan.”

News 12

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December11, 2015

F Front lip

r Classrooms o F

Teachers begin to follow new style for lessons By Jared Bruner He sits in the back, grading papers while the students collect data from their homemade fish tanks. AP Enviornmental Science teacher Joshua Nielsen teaches his classroom with the “flipped classroom” style. Nielsen first heard about flipped classrooms five years ago and implemented it in his APES classes last year. Before he converted to the idea of a flipped classroom, Nielsen taught with the traditional method. With this, he found that students weren’t able to discuss problems they had questions on. “With a flipped classroom, they’re allowed to watch the boring lecture at home and the homework can be done in class,” Nielsen said. “They can ask questions and I can help them while in class. They do all the boring stuff at home and the stuff they need help on they can do it in class with me.” This gives more time for hands-on work with the student and teacher Nielsen said. Head tennis coach Kyle Apperson has been at Rider for eight years and taught World History for six of those years. He started in his second year at Rider teaching World History, and he began to teach the traditional way like many other teachers. He started to make videos of his lectures for the students who missed the class lecture. On his third year of teaching he decided to put all of his lectures online for his class to use. “The worst part of lecturing is keeping kids interested,” Apperson said. “Like it or not, we are entertainers, and there’s a lot of teachers that are not entertaining. With lectures recorded, kids can watch at their leisure.” While this method isn’t perfect, it can still be improved, so Nielsen always looks for ways to better it. “There is nothing that is absolutely perfect,” Nielsen said. “You can always find something to make it better. I’m always

December 11, 2015

looking for things that didn’t work, so that I can fix it for next year.” As this method isn’t for everybody, it can’t be used if the teacher isn’t able to make the extra effort. Senior Adam Hendricks feels this way. He first heard about APES through students who took it last year and heard nothing but good things. So he decided to take it this year. He gets a vibe that he doesn’t get from other classes. “I walk into his class and immediately feel different,” Hendricks said. “It is not like Calculus where you have to sit there and listen. Nielsen’s class is more like hands-on stuff.” Hendricks knew Nielsen before he took his class, and knows how silly and funny he can be. Nielsen brings this silliness to his classroom. “When we are doing our work he says ‘Why are you guys so quiet?’, because he wants us to get involved and wants us to help each other out,” Hendricks said. “He has fun with teaching, but we are still learning stuff. Most people think it’s not possible, but Mr. Nielsen has definitely proven that it is.”

What do you think about flipped classrooms? “It’s good but I don’t think it’s the best way to learn. It just depends on the student.”

Photos by Cortney Wood To collect data for his eco-column fish tank, Senior Jake Schrass measures his fish’s food supply, the sea plant. “This experiment teaches us the relationship between terrestrial and aqueous habitats,” Schrass said. “It shows us how nutrients are shared between different food chains. It was a lot of fun, but the most important skill I have learned so far would be how to not kill Caesar, my group’s fish.” Photo by Cortney Wood

Tell us what you think on Twitter @theriderchronicle

Time Toss

Flipped

Sarah Tempelmeyer

Traditional

Raider Style

45 minutes

Maaz Tatla

“It’s definitely selective because you have to do stuff at home and at school.”

0-5 minutes To get settled 10 minutes

Reviewing last nights lecture video

30 minutes

To work on an activity related to the topic

0-5 minutes To get settled 0-5 minutes Go over

homework

20 minutes To lecture To work on an

10 minutes activity related to the lecture

Feauture theriderchronicle.com

By Cortney Wood As the on-campus police officers returned from an errand on Nov. 19, they were notified of the shooting at Texoma Armory Gun Shop in the 4700 block on Southwest Parkway at 11 a.m., just before the first lunch bell rang. The police department hadn’t notified the school district of the situation yet, so principal Dee Palmore sprung into action. “I got in my truck and went over to the situation to see,” Palmore said. “All the news media and everything were already there, so to me that meant the situation had been stabilized.” Palmore called WFISD Chief of Police Bill Horton, who was not in town at the time. Though Rider took precautions, it was nearly after lunch by the time the school district sent the email to implement a Red Alert, Palmore said. “I feel like Rider should have gone into red alert as soon as it happened instead of hours after,” senior Dorian Rickman said. “I think Palmore handled the situation pretty well for how fast it happened.” Multiple outside doors primary concerns Palmore said that the on-campus after shooting near school police officers and administration went out to the parking lots to monitor the area immediately. “We wanted to be visible so people could see us,” Palmore said. “I think the most important thing at times like this is to be observant. When people see authoritative figures they tend to shy away from doing anything if they were going to.” Because Rider was built in the 1960s, Palmore said students then didn’t have to worry about the things the students today have to think about. Back then all the doors leading to outside weren’t an issue. The doors that surround the school are often left propped open and allow people to enter as students return from lunch. While using any door to enter is convenient, Palmore said, security is the “primary concern” for the staff. On the day of the shooting, the athletic door, the door at the end of the main hall by the language rooms and the door by the band hall under the stair well were all left open. “We’ve got our teachers that are by the doors checking them between class periods, but our main thing with these situations is our student body,” Palmore said. “The student body is our best alert to anything that is going on. Our students and staff are social media people, and they know what’s going on before we do.” Horton did not return calls made by the Chronicle staff.

Red Alert

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December 11, 2015

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No. 9 In The Nation

Lady Raiders basketball working harder than ever By: Savannah Dickson Sweat pours off their bodies as they sprint up and down the court. Sneakers squeak against the gymnasium floor and shouts fill the air from the court, sideline and bleachers, adding to the clatter. The opposing team pants, frantically trying to score points but the buzzer sounds, declaring Lady Raiders winners of another game. Lady Raiders basketball is currently ranked ninth in the nation and it isn’t hard to see why. “We work harder,” player Airielle Wise said. “We are working out just about every single day of the week.” The team has played together in tournaments in Louisiana, Georgia and all over Texas because they make an effort to play together in the summer in the competitive off-season. “Over the summer lots of girls do that competitive season but none of them do it together,” Wise said. “So while they are losing their compatibility, we are just strengthening it.” Summer workouts are a huge element in the team’s success. The parents help them out on the track with speed and agility to keep them in the best shape possible. “We have to put in work every day, especially in the summer when nobody is watching,” player Karlea Ritchie said. “We are always in the gym trying to get extra shots in to make us better and

we always push each other.” Hard work is instilled into the girls not only by each other, but also by their coach, Ramsey Ghazal. “I don’t think you can be truly successful until you put in the effort,” Ghazal said. “That is the cornerstone we really put out there.” Players and Ghazal think that hard work is an important aspect of a solid player. “The most important thing about getting ready is, when no one is watching, what are you doing?” Ghazal said. “How hard are you working?” Hard work and raw talent can only get a team so far. Chemistry and interrelations are also a huge part of being a on of any team. “We are all so different but the love of the game brings us together so we play better,” Ritchie said. Not only are relationships between the players pertinent but the relationships between the team and the coaches. “We’ve got a good relationship,” Ghazal said. “I know how to take them and they know how to take me.”

Girls Basketball Nationwide Top Ten 1. Duncanville (TX) 2. South Grand Prairie (TX) 3. Riverview (Searcy, AR) 4. Plano West (Plano, TX) 5. North Shore (Houston, TX)

6. Lawrence North (Indianapolis, IN) 7. Lake Highland Prep (Orlando, FL) 8. Amarillo (TX) 9. Rider (Wichita Falls, TX) 10. North Cado (Vivian, LA)

In-Town Schedule Dates 12/15/15 Saginaw (Home) 12/18/15 WFHS (Visitors) 1/2/16 Chisholm Trail (Home) 1/8/16 Brewer (Home) 1/12/16 Boswell (Home) 1/22/16 WFHS (Home)

Sports 12

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December 11, 2015