Volume 27 Issue 6

c o p p e l l s t u d e n t m e d i a . c o m Volume 27 | Issue 6 | May 2016

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FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

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FIRST FOOTBALL PRACTICE IN NEW FIELD HOUSE

Wilkinson leaves intellectual impact on students, friends, not to be forgotten written by Emma Cummins Editorial Page Editor @Emma_Cummins_ Amy Wilkinson: friend, wife, mother, teacher, intellectual. Many hope to leave a legacy as lasting and impactful as Wilkinson, and will spend their lives trying to cultivate the influence she had in the short six years she spent at Coppell High School.

Wilkinson first came to the halls of CHS as an English teacher in the academies. There, she became close with Clara Caussey, who is now the Academies Instructional Coach in the academies. The two would become the best of friends, and learn a lot about life on the way.

“I always felt like she listened without judgement. She was an intellectual and that meant that she really thought about everything,” Caussey said. “She challenged me a lot. We didn’t have the same views and she challenged me to think about things differently but she never judged me and I never judged her.”

IB Head Coordinator at CHS, Michael Brock, saw her

knowledge translate into her role as a teacher and co-worker.

Each day, the IB teachers would have lunch together and discuss anything from normal day topics to deep, philosophical ideas.

Wilkinson was always in the middle, according to Brock.

“Her participation in that was with a smile, with a laugh,” Brock said. “She just enjoyed the opportunity to have a good intellectual conversation with anyone.”

IB Economics and AP Psychology teacher Jared Stansel was also very fond of Wilkinson’s willingness to listen and discuss.

“She was the one teacher in our whole department who was consistently willing to engage me in those conversations,” Stansel said. “Her open mindedness, her intellect and her compassion were the greatest things about her. The enthusiasm in which she went about those things and dedicated herself to those people was amazing.”

CHS junior Lauren Harris first met Wilkinson at the annual IB Christmas party held

in D-hall. Harris described how Wilkinson changed her life at school by coming up to her and simply having a conversation about life.

“It was just a really eye opening conversation, because at that party I felt really alone and like I didn’t have anyone in IB,” Harris said. “She was the first one to make me feel welcome.

After that, I started making lots of friends in IB and I attribute that to her.”

Wilkinson did not stop there; every morning, she and Harris would have a conversation over just about anything.

“She was the person I looked up to, everything I aspire to be in life,” Harris said. “ She was always there for us.”

Stansel also saw that kind of passion and excellence in his interactions with her.

“School or no school, she was a lifelong learner,” Stansel said. “She loved learning and wanted to instill that passion in her kids. She led by example in that regard.”

Although incredibly intelligent in many areas, she had a fun side.

photo courtesy IB

program IB teachers Amy Wilkinson, Karie Kosh, Michael Brock, Kyle Dutton, Jared Stansel and Michael Vergien show off their coordinated Halloween costumes during October festivities in D hall.

“She was very introverted, wasn’t really comfortable in social situations with big groups, yet she liked getting up on stage at a party and singing karaoke,” fellow English teacher Matt Bowden said. “I’m going to miss her intellectual side and desire to learn but she had a fun side to her.”

Wilkinson was no ordinary teacher or friend and, during her final days, the IB and CHS community really displayed how important she was to them.

“I think at the end of it, I feel like we can walk away feeling like she would have been proud about the way we handled [her passing],” Brock said.

Beloved former French teacher, Cullen, passes away leaving legacy of kindness written by Thomas Rousseau Staff Writer

photo courtesy Kimberly Moore

Robert Cullen (left) poses for a picture with Assistance Principal Anthony Poullard.

On April 7 former Coppell High School French and Latin teacher Robert Cullen passed away from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS. Cullen was a much beloved teacher and was known to students and teachers alike as a beacon of positive energy on campus.

Cullen spoke five languages in total and had visited many countries in Europe and around the world.

“I always learned something new when I was with him, you could give him any date in history, he could give you what happened on every continent,” French teacher Kimberly Moore said. “Historical facts, world lead-

ers, political situations, an entire history lesson.”

Moore’s French classes often collaborated with Cullen’s French classes and each teacher spoke very highly of the other to their respective students. Cullen was eventually hospitalized and was staying in Oregon with his mother and brother at the time of his death.

“He is just the kind of person you really needed to take the time to get to know him better, if you did not you really missed someone amazing,” Moore said. “But I think his students knew him better than most adults, I think he felt more relaxed and more himself than when he was with his students,” Known for dry sense of humor and funny jokes, Cullen was very

humble in his extensive knowledge and often found himself sidetracked in class talking about history and telling some of his many personal stories.

“He taught with a passion that I’ve never seen in any other teacher, this was his life, he was up here all the time,” Spanish teacher Paul Sanford said. “He was definitely [at CHS] more than he was at home, he was here after hours sometimes til 7 p.m. or 8 p.m.”

Earlier this school year, students in Moore’s French classes sent a large card filled with messages of goodwill to Cullen while he was in the hospital.

“There’s always that teacher, and for me, I have been out of high school for 20 years, I still remember that one teacher that

stands out, I definitely say [Cullen] would be one of those teachers that stands out for most individuals,” Paul Sanford said. “And he will definitely stand out for me, as a friend and as a colleague, forever.”

Many students at CHS did not have Cullen as a teacher but knew him nonetheless as he was never too busy to say hello to passers by in the halls.

“I went and visited him several times and we did not talk about [his illness], we talked a lot about Spain,” Sanford said. “He would really light up whenever he would talk about Spain, even in his time of illness he still preferred to talk about language and culture and his students, I honestly believe that was his passion no matter what.”

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THE SIDEKICK RELEASES ITS FIRST ISSUE

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Election Day Results

Bond proposal passes, Walker, Popelka, Hill elected to Board of Trustees ensuring that we have the full written by Meara Isenberg Entertainment Editor @mearannee

At 7 p.m. on Saturday evening, the polls for the Coppell ISD Board of Trustees and bond election closed. As the results from each precinct started to come in, it was finally time to see how the future of education in Coppell - and the people involved in it - would change.

The bond election was close until the end, with only 91 of 5,391 votes separating those for and against it.

“Tonight was a victory for the students and teachers of Coppell ISD,” said Coppell ISD Superintendent Dr. Mike Waldrip in a statement. “This record turnout proves the passion our community has for our high performing school district. We are committed to honoring voter approval of this referendum by managing the bond projects in a transparent and fiscally responsible

manner. With the results of this election, we can continue providing a brighter future for our entire community by maintaining our tradition of academic excellence.”

In Place 1 of the CISD Board of Trustees, Leigh Walker won with 3,464 votes.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to serve on the board, and I’m so grateful to the community for electing me,” Walker said. “It was a record voter turnout, and I don’t want the dialogue to end on Election Day. I’m looking forward to getting to work on making our Coppell schools even better.”

In Place 2 of the Board, Jill Popelka won with 2,719 votes.

“I am so excited about having the opportunity to serve our school district on the Board of Trustees,” Popelka said. “Based on very narrow margins in which the bond passed, I think we have a lot of work to do in building trust with our community and

support of our community to execute the projects that are a part of the bond proposal. They are important projects and we need to ensure that everyone sees that we are doing the best thing for our students and for our school.”

In Place 3 of the Board, Anthony Hill won with 2,508 votes.

“I’m excited to be re-elected for Place 3 and I look forward to continuing to advocate for Coppell ISD through building partnerships with all individuals, businesses and organizations that are willing to support the ambition and vision of the district,” Hill said. “I’m also looking forward to the continued work of Pinnacle 20/20, the strategic plan and seeing that executed to allow the district to fulfill the dreams and aspirations that is has for staff and students in the district.”

The new Board members will be sworn in on May 23 at 6 p.m. in the board room of the Vonita White Administration Building.

photo by Meara Isenberg Citizens arrive at Coppell City Hall on May 7 to vote in the Coppell ISD Board of Trustees and bond election. The polls were open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Marching into CHS

Wakeland’s Miller takes over band program from long-time director Mason written by Meha Srivastav Staff Writer @theofficialMeha

photo by Amanda Hair New Coppell High School band director Gerry Miller comes to Coppell ISD with 17 years of experience in public education and recently from Frisco ISD where he worked as the Director of Bands at Wakeland High School.

On May 4, Coppell ISD announced Gerard Miller as the new CHS band director, replacing Scott Mason, who had been the head director of the school band since 1991. After being diagnosed with cancer, Mason retired and left the band in February.

“Things are going to be different than working with Mr. Mason, but this guy’s good,” senior drum major Ryan Cole said.

“He has a really good record with Wakeland; he turned their program into something special.

Our band is definitely not going to go backwards from here; he won’t let that happen.”

Band members and CHS administration are grateful for the vast experience and skills that Miller has to offer to the musical ensemble. However, Miller might

face some challenges in becoming a part of it.

“There are programs that, when they get a new director, they completely disappear into oblivion-or they gain new strength,” the interim band director Kevin Jones said. “But there’s no way that [Miller] is going to let the band fall back.

He’s a very smart and successful person, with a lot of good ideas.

The only direction for the band now is forward - bigger, better, and more success.”

Besides having to adjust to a new school and band, Miller will also have to fulfill the expectation of meeting the high standards that previous head director Mason established over the years.

“It’s a big task. The first thing that I would tell Mr. Miller is ‘you can’t be Scott Mason’,” Jasso said.

“Our love and admiration for Mason was great; he was absolutely a great director. But Miller has to come in here and be him-

self, and lead the program with the vision that he has for making it stay a unique program and for it to grow and prosper even further.”

Jasso and the other band directors are assured that Miller will settle very well into the esteemed place that Mason has left, and succeed in filling it with his broad expertise.

“It’s going to be different. Any time you have a new director come in, there are changes,” assistant band director Brandon Slovak said. “But at the same time, I know that [Mr. Miller] holds our band in high esteem and knows where we come from. He’s going to honor and keep up the heritage of the band program.”

Miller is scheduled to officially begin his tenure with the CHS band next academic year, by July 1, but Jasso was affirmed that he was the right person for the position from the time they began interviewing the band director

candidates.

“Mr. Miller has a strong history of leading high performing bands locally,” Jasso said. “It was important for me and the committee that whoever comes in demonstrates that ability, the confidence to continue the same work for the band. Listening to his answers and the questions he posed made us believe that he’s the right fit for the program.”

The most exciting part for Miller is becoming acquainted with the students he will work with over the years to come.

“At the spring concert I got a sense of what the program has to offer and how passionate the students are, how involved the parents are in the process, and how it was great to see school board members at the concert,” Miller said. “The students in band are wonderful, very intelligent. I’m just thankful for the opportunity to come in and lead this program.”

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EDITORIAL

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FALL RED JACKET BLOOD DRIVE

College is a place to grow up, not be more coddled Safe spaces, trigger warnings not representative of real world; microagressions are part of life As the year comes to a close, seniors find themselves in the position they had seen those before them take. Their time in high school and at home is over; college, real life and adult responsibilities are the new mantle every young person must take up and hopefully master.

But, in the year 2016, it feels as though college no longer requires 20 year olds to “grow up”. Instead, many of us find that college campuses, especially liberal arts ones, have become increasingly less representative of the real world. At many colleges, you can have “safe spaces” and “trigger warnings” all of which create a world of coddled, sensitive students who no longer have to deal with those who oppose and criticize them.

One can list a variety of evidence for this sentiment becoming more and more popular at campuses. From the students cancelling the showing of “Zoolander 2” because it mocked ‘marginalized identities’ at Claremont McKenna College, to students complaining they felt unsafe at the Emory Campus simply because someone wrote “#Trump2016” in chalk, college students are becoming more and more sensitive by being unable to hear opposing viewpoints.

As a group of teenage writers who are set to join these campuses, we would have one suggestion. Do not think of your college as being your mother or your father;

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP Adviser

Chase Wofford Editor-in-Chief

Rachel Buigas-Lopez Managing Editor

Mallorie Munoz Managing Editor

Joseph Krum Managing Editor

Sloane Samberson

EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP News Editor

Sakshi Venkatraman Editorial Page Editor

Emma Cummins Student Life Editor

Amy Roh

Entertainment Editor

Meara Isenberg Webmaster and Graphics Editor

Manu Garikipati Sports Editor

Marcus Krum

BUSINESS LEADERSHIP Communications Manager

Shannon Morgan

BUSINESS STAFF Chelsea Banks

PHOTOGRAPHERS Ale Ceniceros Alexandra Dalton Amanda Hair Dani Ianni Ayoung Jo Kelly Monaghan Aubrie Sisk Jennifer Su Megan Winkle

STAFF WRITERS

T.J. Andres Gracie Blackwell Sruthi Boppuri Eric Cashimere Pranathi Chitta Avery Davis Favor Emenyi Aisha Espinosa Riley Galloway Elena Gillis Nicolas Henderson Jesse Jun Jamie Kimbrell Wren Lee

DESIGNERS

Austin Banzon

Lili Lomas Farah Merchant Lina Pyon Tanya Raghu Thomas Rousseau Kathryn Rudd Gabby Sahm Meha Srivastav Grant Spicer Jasmine Sun Maggie Theel Briana Thomas Reid Valentine Kathryn Wiener

your mental health is not their first priority, nor should it be.

So, for those of you who are going to college next year, remember that the environment has changed. You may not find college to be the welcoming place it is supposed to be; people will disagree with you, people will be mean to you, professors will not like you. But do not be disheartened; these lessons and hardships will make you a better, stronger person in the end.

The real world is a scary place but surviving and flourishing in that environment requires exposure as a first step. College campuses seem to have removed that first step and instead perpetuate the self-entitled attitude many college students seem to have. Many young people have skipped the debate part of growing up and instead chosen to become so ingrained in their preconceived ideals that to hear any other viewpoint is “harmful” to their mental health.

Seeing opposing viewpoints is incredibly vital to growing to be a more accepting, thoughtful person. College is where your ability to survive is tested; it is not a place for you to be micromanaged even further.

Go to college expecting to grow a tough skin and value the experience, you are set to take the reigns of the world from the previous generation; college is the first step in learning how to do so and do a good job.

The Sidekick is the student newspaper for Coppell High School and is published six times per school year.

The newspaper is a member of National Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association and Interscholastic League Press Conference.

The editorials and columns presented in this paper reflect the views of their student writers and not Coppell High School or Coppell Independent School District.

Advertisements are sold as full, 1/2 page, 1/4 page and 1/8 page sizes in black and white or color.

The Sidekick welcomes all letters to the editor. Letters can be emailed to cwofford@coppellisd.com or delivered to the D115 newsroom at Coppell High School. A current email address and first and last name for the writer must be included for the letter to be considered for publication.

To find us on social media, follow Sidekick Online on Facebook, @CHSCampusNews on Twitter, @thesidekickonline on Instagram and SidekickNews on Snapchat.

Contact The Sidekick: 214-496-6239 cwofford@coppellisd.com 185 W. Parkway Coppell, TX 75019

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written by Pranathi Chitta Staff Writer @prannydacheetah As the sun beats down on my skin and the metronome ticks in my ear, the sound growing louder by each tick-- tick tick, TICK TICK. It was becoming harder to lift my foot up and march in a fluid manner, however I fought through it and marched on.

My first peek at high school was freshman band camp. The first memory I had was being intimidated by the senior members and fearing deep down that the myth of dropping freshmen over the senior bridge was true; I tried to stay out of their way as much as possible. It was somewhat easy since they refrained from talking to freshmen as well. Since that band camp, I was a bit lost and felt a bit left out. Sure, I had my friends from middle school but I also had a couple friends from band and I was not sure how to be the friend for both friend groups.

Looking back at freshman year, I can admit I have made some reckless mistakes that I would not have done if I were a bit more mature. However, the best decision I made was joining Business Professionals of America (BPA) as it paved the way for a great high school experience. I was fortunate to advance to the state competition, which definitely forced me to get out of my comfort zone as I met new people. Towards the end of the year, I definitely felt less lost and more aware of my surroundings as I met new people and found new friends.

As my passion for writing grew, I decided to quit band and join the newspaper my sophomore year. Nonetheless, I loved it so much more than band. It was a club where I could express my-

KCBY WINS NSPA BROADCAST PACEMAKER AWARD

self in my favorite way. Of all my years, sophomore year was definitely one of my favorite years as I was still learning how to write and I was just a newbie.

A big milestone that year has to be BPA nationals in Indianapolis.

There were less that ten students on the trip, which let us explore the city more and enjoy our time away from school and AP exams.

Sophomore year was the best for me as I had the greatest teachers I could ever ask for as well as make new and lasting friendships.

Junior year was a difficult year physically as it was the year that counted most. I took many AP classes and prepared for my SAT and ACT exams as I also continued my high school career in journalism. From being a part of a community in newspaper to making BPA nationals again with my team, I honestly had a wonderful experience junior year.

Senior year was probably the biggest year of high school as so much happened to me during that time. At the beginning of the year, I broke my friendship with my best friend for over a decade.

After going through so much with her, I decided I could not handle some of the emotional distress she would make me go through.

During this time, I was thankful for my friends for being there when I needed them. Not long after, I found out that my sophomore chemistry teacher, Bob White, passed away. Mr. White always managed to make me smile with his jokes and humor so it was hard for me to believe that he was gone. Mr. White will always be a teacher I will never forget.

As BPA competition season rounded, my team and I began preparing as much as we could.

As we reached the state competition in Corpus Christi, I can honestly say I took the competition for granted and did not work as hard as I assumed we would make nationals since we have made it for the past two years. However, I was proven wrong. During the awards ceremony, we ended up

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RICHARDSON WINS 20152016 TEACHER OF THE YEAR

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making fifth place and did not make nationals as the top two teams advance. Nonetheless, my team and I took this loss in a positive way as it will give other students the same opportunity we got when we were sophomores and juniors.

As I was preparing for prom, I got other unfortunate news; my sophomore English teacher Amy Wilkinson passed away. I was devastated and in shock; Mrs. Wilkinson taught me the way to write, analyze and read. How was this possible? How were we supposed to celebrate a fun event when a dySenior namic and motivated Pr Americ anathi Chitta teacher passes away? a, whe has pa re r ticipat gained But in the end, we ed in B reward she has gon usin e in t g expe all managed to step riences o nationals tw ess Profess iona ice a nd opp away from reality for or tunit . Through BP ls of ie A, Chit s. one night and enjoy ta has it. Prom was better than what I imagined; all my friends were with me to celebrate and I had a great date to enjoy the event with.

Although I could barely walk in my heels at the end of the night, it ended on a great note since it was spent with friends, food and horror movies.

Looking back at these past four years, I have to say that nothing went as planned. From losing friendships to losing teachers, these years have been a roller coaster. If there was one thing I learned from all of this and will take with me to college it is that you should not be afraid.

There were many times I was afraid during high school, espeta cially transitioning from band to nathi Chit urtesy Pra o c s to o The Sidekick; I was afraid what h p it is not the band directors thought of i Chitta as nds th a n ra P me, I was afraid to start over in a r senior new frie big year fo e chance to make iversity of a n e e b new environment. I was afraid to s th e Un had ar ha attend Th Senior ye year but she also to s n la break a friendship that was only p st hitta only her la hips. In the fall, C jor in psychology. hurting me. However, once I got s a n o l ti il la he w m and re over my fear, I did not regret it; I s where s a ll a D t a Texas was happy and satisfied that I did something that would help myself.

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MADRIGAL FEAST

FREE BOOKS: A tale of little libraries

Hudson, Tindall set up book exchange movement in Coppell to promote community written by Amy Roh Student Life Editor @rohmyboat In 2009, Wisconsin resident Todd Bol built a little library in the shape of a box in his front yard. As a tribute to his late mother who loved to read, he filled it with novels.

“FREE BOOKS”, the handmade sign below it read.

In a few years, the Little Free Library movement would spread across the nation to promote literacy and community in front yards, sleepy neighborhoods and storefronts.

And this movement seems to have spread to Coppell, too.

Resident Michelle Hudson is the steward of the first little free library in Coppell.

Before starting it, Hudson had heard about the idea on National Public Radio (NPR). Hudson, who had seen one while traveling with her family, decided to start one in her own neighborhood.

“I thought it was a great concept,” Hudson said. “But after I saw that, I came home and Googled the organization and looked up our zip code. Weirdly, no one in Coppell had done one yet.”

After registering the box into the Little Free Library organization, Hudson began to see visitors. Neighbors, friends, and strangers alike stop by to add their own favorite books to the collection.

“I really love getting to meet my neighbors,” Hudson said. “On Saturdays when I’m working on the yard, people stop by and thank us for doing it, and some [mention] that there aren’t enough kids’ books, so they bring more kids’ books hoping that other people will share it.”

The library not only comes from Hudson’s personal collection, but also comes from other, unique people as well.

“There’s fiction, nonfiction, there’s a Jehovah’s witness who keeps putting things in there,” Hudson said, laughing. “But you know who knows, someone might need that.”

The visitors feel the sense of community that the little library brings.

“At first, I thought it was just some kind of crafty mailbox but when I saw the actual sign, I was surprised that it was a [little] library,” Coppell High School senior Tejas Kalenithi said. “It was a nice surprise, though. You don’t see things like that every day so the fact that all those

books were there just so that people in the community could [enjoy] them, was refreshing.”

Hudson’s library sparked an interest for resident Pat Tindall, who is now a steward of the second “little free library” that has popped up in Coppell.

“In January, I was in a meeting for the Environmental Education Committee and one of the ladies has been traveling with her children and she mentioned one of these free little libraries and she was going to do one for her neighborhood,” Tindall said. “I thought that would be really good for the community garden and [wanted it] to be like a barn.”

After mentioning that a library would be a good addition to the garden, fellow committee member Earl Rogers took initiative to build it himself.

“It was a surprise,” Tindall said. “He donated his time and materials and built this little red barn.”

The library itself is painted a deep red to resemble a miniature barn. On the outside, it is slightly bigger than your average mailbox. On the inside, there are two wooden tiers filled with books of various genres and sizes.

“My goal really is a sense of community,” Tindall said. “ I don’t know about you, but you read books, but then what do you do with them?”

Visitors can stop by and follow the Little Free Library motto, “Take a book, return a book”.

Nestled comfortably under the shade, Tindall’s little library is even accompanied by a refurbished bench for readers and gardeners to relax on.

With the constant presence of mobile reading apps and technological distractions, Rogers sees it as a way to build bridges between Coppell residents and literacy.

“They do help stimulate an interest in reading,” Rogers said. “It is a good thing to expose people, especially young people, to hard copy books. This helps build a stronger community.”

As stewards, both Tindall and Hudson have similar goals in creating these libraries.

“This would be a way that people could read different things, not have to pay for it, come to the garden, sit under the tree and read a book,” Tindall said. “It would just be a nice feeling and it [creates] a nice sense of community.” photo by Jennifer

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CHS TALENT SHOW

KCBY

KILEY WECKER

MARISA THAKADY

TAYLOR STIFF

NICK WILSON

ABBY FOSTER

University of Texas at Austin “In five years, I’d like to be in a city like L.A. or New York just doing something in media, whether it’s filming or being a part of the business side of media. Radio-TV film is a mix of journalism and film, so when I graduate college if I wanted to move to L.A. and be in a production company or work on a film, I could do that.”

University of Oklahoma “I fell in love with making videos and making up stories when I was in elementary school. I continued to pursue that by taking all of the classes available to me throughout middle and high school, but it wasn’t until Mr. Wofford’s Journalism class freshman year that I realized that I could combine my love for videography with my passion for current events.”

University of Oklahoma “When I joined KCBY, I dived into all the different types of storytelling.

I learned that the media is a place people look to for the truth. I enjoy experiencing different things and with this path you will always run into something new, whether it is a different angle of a story or a new art technique.

I like knowing that everyday will be different, new, and exciting.

University of Missouri “For a long-term career, I see myself making commercials or web content. I’m not sure exactly what that will look like, but if I can use a camera and edit videos and make money doing it, I will be happy with whatever I end up doing. I never want to hate my job.”

University of Oklahoma “Whatever I do, I want it to include sports and journalism. I’ve watched football since I was a little girl. I love sports, and I just love being down on the sidelines of a game. It’s so much fun to get to be so close to the action.

Texas A&M-Blinn Transfer Enrollment “Being editor-in-chief has taught me more than I ever thought it would. Not only did it teach me how to be a leader but I learned so much about myself and I have grown so much this year. The cool thing about photography is that it’s something I’ll always have even if it’s not something I make a living out of. I’ll always be taking pictures no matter what, of my friends, family and kids.My dream is to get internships and jobs with fashion magazines whether I’d be working with the photography side or writing side of things, it’d be awesome.”

ROUND-UP

LAINEY BERLIN

EMMA GINNELL

New York University “Yearbook is a team effort, so working with [Berlin] showed me the importance of communication and cooperation to get things done. Most importantly though, yearbook opened up the doors to so many relationships with people on and off staff and helped me break out of my comfort zone and make friends with so many people I wouldn’t have talked to without yearbook. My dream is to work for a magazine, but I’m looking forward to see how it all works out.”

THE SIDEKICK RACHEL BUIGAS-LOPEZ New York University “I remember this year when it was announced that we were a Pacemaker finalist, which I found out from Twitter, I actually teared up. I’m definitely not a cryer but I am just so proud of us and I was so happy for the staff because I know it’s a big deal. Even though we didn’t get the award, it made me so happy because it made me feel like I was doing something right.”

SHANNON MORGAN University of Oklahoma “As a freshman, I joined [Intro to Media] because I really loved to write and I wanted to be in a class that let me do that. I like being the business and communications manager because it’s allowed me to see how much work it takes behind the scenes to keep a publication afloat. It’s not just the writers and photographers that make a paper. I just feel like I’ve found my niche.”

AMY ROH

MALLORIE MUNOZ University of North Texas “The Sidekick taught me how unique the community is. You kind of go from class to class and you don’t really care about the people around you but I think The Sidekick really helped me see just how everyone has a story.

There’s always something new to do, there’s always someone new to interview, you’re always working on new stories. I like that diversity.”

AISHA ESPINOSA University of Dallas “I’ve known I wanted to be a journalist since I was 7. My mom wanted to be journalist when she was younger and when she found out I liked writing she kind of pushed me towards it a little. The best part of writing a story is when the person who you wrote about reads it and they have this awesome reaction to it and you just get to see that they are really, genuinely excited about having other people read about what they did.”

University of Missouri “It wasn’t until probably December of last year that I realized ‘oh, I’m enjoying doing this, [The Sidekick] isn’t just a class for me’. I was always out covering stuff and I would complain about it and it would be stressful but I realized I liked it and I liked having something to do. It really helped me since I had just moved here. It helped put me out there and get to know the school and the teachers.”

MANU GARIKIPATI Texas A&M “I actually wanted to do KCBY so I took Introduction to Media and Reporting as a prerequisite for that. I learned a lot about writing and I don’t really identify as a journalistic writer, but that class helped me think about things I would never have thought about before. Journalism has taught me that it’s not always in the words; there are also visuals and images that can communicate information and tell a story to our readers.”

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Valedictorian finds joy in learning

Marella recognized as semifinalist for U.S. Presidential Scholars program written by Sakshi Venkatraman News Editor @Oompapa1 In the dog-eat-dog world of high school academics, it is often hard to find a student with a love and passion for learning itself. The class of 2017, however, need not look any further than their number one.

From a young age, Coppell High School valedictorian Pooja Marella was the perfect student. Hard working, intelligent and well rounded, the accomplishments that detailed her application to the UT-PACT BA/ MD accelerated medical program arose from passion and competitiveness.

“When Pooja was young, I bought her a Nintendo Gamecube,” Marella’s father, Purushotham Marella, said. “After a while she got bored with it, so I started playing to encourage her. Suddenly she started playing again and trying to beat me. Basically what she wanted was somebody to push her, whenever there is some competition, she

thrives.”

Through the course of her life, Marella has participated and excelled in several activities in both academics and fine arts. She has learned Indian classical dance and music, piano, flute and chess. As high school progressed, she grew to love science and she worked with renowned scientists at the University of Texas at Dallas and Texas Tech University, where she published a research paper on peptide synthesis.

“I started having a passion for [medicine] my freshman year after I started volunteering at hospitals,” Marella said. “I first volunteered at a hospital just because everyone was doing it, but then I actually started to like it. So I started volunteering at other hospitals, as well, and shadowing doctors, which is how my work in medicine got started.”

Because of her perfect ACT score, Marella was nominated for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Award along with several other CHS students. After a rigorous application progress, she prevailed as semi-final-

ist. She is still awaiting advancement to the level of finalist, which will guarantee her an all-expense-paid trip to Washington D.C. to visit the White House.

Even through all her success, Marella remains humble. She attributes all of her accomplishments in school to her work ethic and encourages future students to put in work if they strive to be as academically successful as she is.

“I know for sure that I am not the smartest person in my grade,” Marella said. “I got to where I am because of hard work and I truly believe that hard work is what determines success. It’s not all about the numbers for me. By focusing on the numbers, you’re inherently falling prey to the system.”

While she does not focus too heavily on numbers like grades and GPA, those are amongst her greatest advantages.

“As soon as ranks came out, I was so proud of [Pooja] I took her to the dealership and bought her a brand new Mustang,” Purushotham

Marella said.

Long hours of work and studying were balanced out by her passion for biology, which was fostered by her work in GT/Pre-AP Biology with Jennifer Martin during her freshman year. “[Marella] was always really interested and passionate about science and biology,” Martin said. “She would often stay after class or come early to ask questions about subject matter; she wanted to be proud of her work. She is never going to allow herself to get an easy answer, she is going to work really hard for her patients in the future. I would want her as my doctor.”

Ultimately, CHS’s 2015-2016 valedictorian urges her peers, and younger students that will follow her, not to give up in their endeavors, academic or otherwise.

“There will be a lot of failures but what’s most important is that you endeavor to fix them and not make those mistakes again,” Marella said.

“Hard work is the most important thing.”

Salutatorian Kalvacherla to start BA/MD program at University of Oklahoma

written by Aisha Espinosa Staff Writer @aishaespinosa1 When one typically hears of a student pursuing medicine as a major, the words that typically come to mind are biology, med-school and doctor. The subjects of English, History and the Arts are tossed aside, categorized as a completely different area of study.

But the University of Oklahoma’s Medical Humanities Scholars Program will allow Coppell High School senior and salutatorian Vinay Kalvacherla to combine medicine with social sciences, history and even visual art.

“I’ve known since sophomore year that I’ve wanted to become a doctor,” Kalvacherla said. “So in applying for colleges that have a BA/

MD program, this particular program was pretty flexible. It offered a well rounded education and the tools to become a good doctor.”

His parents could not be prouder or happier at his choice in school and career, as well as his status as salutatorian of the CHS class of 2016.

“I expected him to do well in school, but I did not expect that he would in the Top 10, let alone the top two,” his father, Prabhakar Kalvacherla, said. “He wanted to be in the science field, and he is going to be doing what he likes the most. I am very satisfied.”

As one of the first in the family to gain an education in the United States, attending high school was a learning experience for both Vinay Kalvacherla and his family.

“Being first generation immigrants, I never knew how much work it would take to do well in high school,” Prabhakar said. “I saw for the first time how rigorous it was to go through high school and actually do well.”

Over his four years at CHS,

Vinay has been in a variety of programs and clubs. He was a member of Business Professionals of America (BPA), Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), Varsity Tennis, vice president of the Akshaya Patra DFW chapter and co-president of the Coppell Spanish Club. Between all the activities, he also chose to participate in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, and is part of the fifth class of IB students graduating from CHS. “My favorite class was senior year IB English,” Kalvacherla said. “And my favorite memory was the IB Christmas Party in 2014.”

Before IB, Kalvacherla was able to take AP Biology, taught by Jennifer Martin, who has become one of his favorite teachers during his time at CHS. “He is very enthusiastic, hard working, highly motivated and enjoys learning,” Martin said. “He’s kind of just a model student. He is fun to teach.”

Martin is proud of Kalvacherla’s accomplishments, and thinks that

he has the qualities to be successful in his studies and career.

“He’s smart enough, motivated enough, and bold enough to ask questions when he doesn’t understand something,” she said. “I think those three things will enable him to be successful.”

As the school year draws to a close, Kalvacherla will miss the teachers, the people and the supportive environment he found at CHS. But he is excited for new things yet to come - and his parents are too.

“What makes me

happy is that he is able to do what he likes,” his dad Prabhakar said.

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CHS seniors share college interests

“I was looking for a Christian school and I didn’t want to stay in Texas and I guess [Biola] has a really nice family vibe to it. [What convinced me] was the teachers that came up to us and said ‘we’re praying for your decision even if you don’t go to this school, that’s God’s plan for you.’ When you ask them questions and you’re worrying about it, they just say ‘don’t worry because God always has a plan for you.’ They really get personal with their students.”

“The final decision came down to not only the location of the school, which in the case of Rhode Island School of Design is Providence. It’s a nice place, but it also came down to the ability of the school to provide me with sort of a bunch of open doors as well as the opportunity for a job placement after that fact. Right now, I’m planning on studying photography and first and foremost my plan A for after college is going to be photojournalism, hopefully working for a company like National Geographic or Discovery or something like that. I want to document and I really want to help out in the Himalayan area especially with the Chinese Imperialism of Tibet and the Dalai Lama.”

“I’m doing the Navy ROTC program there so for five years after college I’ll be in the navy… It’s called ROTC, Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and they give out scholarships. So they pay full tuition and in turn, I have to give five years back after college and there’s like a class that I have to take every semester at Yale for that and some training stuff that I have to do also. Ever since I was a kid it seemed like military service was a part of my future. I come from a family of a lot of military history so I’ve always kind of seen that as a part of my future. I feel like it’s kind of like my duty to serve. It’s kind of like the best of both worlds because I applied to the [United States] Naval Academy also and it came down to the Naval Academy versus Yale and I thought going to a regular college would be the best of both worlds.”

“I found out in early March. I am going into the real estate finance side.

My end goal is to go into investment banking. Cornell has no direct investment banking track so I’m probably going to go through real estate finance, maybe pick up a minor in Spanish if that’s applicable, try to get an internship with a Bulge Bank over the summer. And then eventually go into that. I’ve always been interested in economics and finance in general.

I started learning about the stock market, and doing some investing of my own. I mainly did model portfolios and I always went up in percentages.”

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written by Meara Isenberg Entertainment Editor @mearaannee After returning from a trip to the Northeast, Coppell High School senior Ananya Rajesh sat down with a photograph of a lighthouse, paintbrushes and a blank piece of watercolor paper.

Without a sketch to guide her, she painted the lighthouse from an image in her head, all in just an hour.

Over four years at the high school, Ananya has managed to balance art, volunteering and her rank as No. 3 in the senior class, seemingly as smoothly as a paintbrush to canvas.

Her hard work has not gone unrecognized, as she has been selected as one of four recipients of $20,000 for the O’Donnell Excellence in AP Arts and Music Theory Award Scholarship.

Being an only child, Ananya first started drawing in elementary school to pass the time when both of her parents worked.

Her art began to grow and evolve as she transitioned to middle school and then to high school, practicing and picking up techniques quickly.

“My passion kind of developed as I had more opportunities and resources to develop artistic skill,” Rajesh said. “I was determined to take art classes in high school, which I did.”

However, her passion also grew out of the art and architecture she was able to observe when traveling with her family to places such as Florence, Italy and Delft in the Netherlands.

“I’ve been lucky enough to go to many places in Europe and Asia over the years and everywhere me and my parents have gone, we’ve always gone to an art

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RAJESH EXCELS IN ART, ACADEMICS, RECEIVES O’DONNELL ART SCHOLARSHIP museum,” Rajesh said. “Just walking around different cities and seeing different styles of architecture really opens your eyes to the cultural traditions of another country and another people.”

Ananya’s art teacher, Tamera Westervelt, has known her since her high school career began, and saw her propensity for art from the beginning.

“Coming in ninth grade year, she was kind of like a sponge, just absorbing, but she was learning rapidly,” Westervelt said. “She’s always been extremely dedicated

‘‘

The key to her success? Organization.

“I have a planner with me at all times,” Ananya said. “I have a list of everything I need to do, and I try to finish that as quickly as I can when I go home everyday.

When I have time I usually paint.”

Westervelt has observed how Ananya is able to make time for art through organization, without skipping any steps in the process.

“She is the most organized person- and I don’t mean student - I mean person - I have ever met in my life,” Westervelt

She accounts one of her biggest mistakes in choosing courses was not taking art her junior year, which made it harder for her to get time away from school work.

“One of the reasons why this year has been a lot more relaxing than last year is because I had that one hour in my day when I just stop and focus on something outside just books and words,” Rajesh said.

Not only has returning to art her senior year offered her a break, but the challenging art course she chose to take was of

Art taught me to relax, but it also fueled my ambition. Art taught me that more than talent, more than privilege, it is a passion that drives excellence.

Ananya Rajesh, senior

to doing her best, working really hard, re-working things if needed.”

As her skills improved, Ananya’s courses grew more advanced to match them. She took AP 2D design class her sophomore year and would take AP Drawing her senior year.

At the same time, Ananya was taking multiple AP courses, volunteering in Teen Court,and serving as a youth advisor to the Environmental Education Committee.

said. “She has a schedule, she makes time for art, she sets a certain amount of time everyday for it. It really shows in her end product.”

Over the years as Ananya became more involved in academics and extracurriculars, high school would change the role art played in her life.

“For me, art has never been an obligation, it’s kind of been an escape from the academic side of whatever I have to do,” Rajesh said.

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one of the factors that qualified her to apply for the scholarship.

The O’Donnell Scholarship is open to students taking taking either AP Music Theory or AP Visual Art courses in one of 13 North Texas high schools. In addition, qualifying students also had to meet a high academic criteria, write three essays of 1,000 words each, and submit two letters of recommendation.

After she was selected as one of 10 finalists, Ananya then had an interview. Two days later,

photos by Aubrie

Sisk when she received the congratulatory email, her parents were the first people she told.

“I normally keep my cell phone with me, even if I’m in a meeting, but that day I had left it on a desk,” her mother, Jayashree Arunachalam said. “I came back and pressed the [home button] and there were several messages. My husband had said ‘this is great’ and I started looking and I saw she had won the scholarship.

I was so loud. I was telling everybody around me ‘I’m so thrilled.’”

Rajesh will use the scholarship when she attends the University of Texas at Austin in the fall to study Business Honors and Plan II. “I will definitely try and take some art classes through the University, but in case my schedule doesn’t have time for that, Austin is a great place to be for artists and musicians,” Rajesh said. “I think that there will be no dearth of upcoming artists or art show that I can go to.”

However rigorous her classes may have been, what Rajesh will miss most is the community of people who have not only facilitated, but enhanced her love for art.

“People can get really competitive, in academics for instance, things like ranks and GPA are so competitive at this high school, so what I really appreciated about the art program is you’re not really competing against each other, you are competing against yourself,” Rajesh said. “Everyone has their own unique style and their own different way of expressing it, and what they want to express.

In that sense, you aren’t trying to make a better piece than someone else, you’re trying to make artwork that is the purest expression of your own voice.”

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Stubblefield’s music career comes to a crescendo SMU-bound senior wins National Trumpet Competition for high school division written by Jesse Jun Staff Writer @jesse_jun16 You enter the concert hall and look around for an empty seat.

The concert hall is packed with people eager to hear the next trumpet finalist perform. The next finalist walks onto the stage, closes his eyes and begins to play his piece.

Captivated by his performance, everyone is in awe.

As the last note leaves the instrument, he lowers his trumpet and opens his eyes. And suddenly, the room erupts in applause and praise as a smile devours his face.

On March 12, Coppell High School senior Christopher Stubblefield competed in the National Trumpet Competition -- the largest competition of its kind in the world.

“This is actually my fifth time competing in the National Trumpet Competition,” Stubblefield said. “I started in seventh grade when my private lesson teacher introduced me to it. I won second place that year, which was really exciting.”

Over the past five years, Stubblefield found a unique motivation in the competition that continues to push him to keep playing the trumpet.

“A lot of my motivation actually comes from this competition,” Stubblefield said. “It’s honestly extraordinary how much talent you find there as well as the guest artists who are literally the best in the world. When I hear them play live, all I can think is ‘wow, one day, I want to be as good as them’.”

Chasing after and focusing on this goal, Stubblefield spent weeks practicing to master a new piece to submit for this year’s competition. Mother Sandy Stubblefield recognizes the difficulty of the piece.

“This year, he played a piece called the Tomasi and it is an extremely difficult piece,” Mrs. Stubblefield said. “In fact, when we got to the competition, there were several people that commented to us saying that they were in college and they didn’t even play that piece.”

Despite the difficulty, Stubblefield practiced more and more, and his final performance was a clear reflection of his dedication.

“Christopher just loved it,” Mrs. Stubblefield said. “He played it and it was just beautiful. When he finished, everyone was just yelling and screaming and cheering for him while I was yelling ‘that’s my son!’ And we jumped up and ran around the stage door to wait for him to get off the stage. It was just a really fun experience. He has just always loved playing the t r u mp e t .

A n d

when he was announced first place winner, I just nearly died.”

Stubblefield’s close friend and CHS senior Annabelle Kim recognized his humble attitude despite such an accomplishment.

“I’m super excited about him winning the competition and I definitely think he deserves it,” Kim said. “He’s so humble about it too so it’s really nice to see that someone who works so hard finally got what he deserved.”

Though his passion and hard work led him to win first place at this prestigious competition, the journey was not easy.

“He had a lot of setbacks coming into senior year,” Kim said. “But

he really took that experience and used it to change his whole perspective on music. He’s been doing this competition for five years, but this year was definitely different because he learned that music is not about the competition or being the best, but it’s doing what you love and being able to portray that to the audience. With that, he’s excelled the entire year just because he’s had this whole entire new outlook on music.”

After about seven years of playing the trumpet, Stubblefield looks forward to a career in which he can continue pursuing his passion.

“I’m going to Southern Meth-

odist University to study trumpet,” Stubblefield said. “I’ll actually be studying with two members of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra so I’m really excited to see how it will go.”

Working with two members of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra allows Stubblefield to gain additional experience on a career he hopes to be a part of one day.

Through his career, Stubblefield hopes to inspire more students to find a motivation like he did.

“It’s different for every single person,” Stubblefield said. “But if you can find what motivates you, you can achieve anything.”

“

When I hear them play live, all I can think is ‘wow, one day, I want to be as good as them’.

Christopher Stubblefield, senior

To watch Stubblefield practice, scan here

photo by Ayoung

Jo

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Munro takes leap of faith to serve with NET ministries written by Aisha Espinosa Staff Writer @aishaespinosa1

At the end of this summer, current Coppell High School senior Meredith Munro will pack, just like the rest of her class. She will bring the essentials, maybe a few personal mementos, and she will be dropped off at a place to start her next adventure.

Where? She is not exactly sure.

While her previous classmates will be heading for colleges scattered across the country, Munro will be working with the National Evangelization Team, or NET ministries. It is a Catholic organization that travels around the United States, sending out teams of 12-14 young Catholics, ages 18 - 28, to different churches. There, the teams will put on ministry events, lead youth groups and put on retreats.

Munro has yet to find out whether she will be serving as part of the traveling team, which traverses around the U.S., bouncing from city to city, or as part of the Parish/school team, which stays in one place and helps the community build their faith. Both positions take place over nine months, the course of a regular school year.

“Most people have an idea of where they are going to be, and I just do not know yet,” Munro said. “But I am excited to be in a new place with new people. I am excited because I love church retreats, and that is where I really started developing a relationship with God. “ She heard of the program through Joey Scancella, a NET Ministries alum and the current the Director of High School Ministry Program at St. Ann Catholic Parish in Coppell.

“When I told him was kind of thinking about doing it, I told him I wanted to do it after college,” Munro said. “And he told me that it was something I could do straight out of high school and thought it would be really good for me to set that

foundation for my faith before going off to college.”

When she confirmed her desire to defer going to Franciscan University and pursue Net Ministries, Scancella was ecstatic.

“I was really proud that she took the leap to give a year of her life to do missionary work,” Scancella said. “She has always had a disposition about herself of service, and to really give up herself and lead others to Christ. This really makes perfect sense that she would go do this.”

Her parents, too, were proud that she made this decision, and were only a little surprised.

According to them, Munro had been talking about the program for a while and had always expressed interest in serving.

“The more she talked about it, the more serious she sounded about it, so ultimately, when she came to us with the decision, we were not caught completely by surprise,” her mother, Denise Munro, said. “We fully support her because she tends to make really good decisions.

She has always had a good head on her shoulders, and we trust that she is doing what is best for her.”

Munro’s mother is excited at the prospect of her daughter getting to travel and experience first hand the trials and tribulation of working with the youth everyday. Her father is also thankful that she gets the chance to discover herself and her passions.

“It is good for her to go see what that is like before she spends four years studying and finding out in the end that it was not what she thought,” her dad, Charlie Munro, said. “This will really help her know what she wants to do and to know what path she will want to take.”

Her parents are also a little nervous for their daughter, and apprehensive about the fact that she has the potential to be anywhere in the United States But, as her mom says, “It comes with the territory of being a parent.”

As she finishes up her last

year at CHS, Munro can only look ahead at what is yet to come. She has a few preparations to make, raising funds so she can travel, thinking about what she will have to pack, but overall she’s excited.

“It will be cool to bring that to people basically every day,” Munro said. “I know that that is where my faith took took off, so to be able to be a vessel to help someone know God more

‘‘

She has always had a disposition about herself of service, and to really give up herself.”

-Joey Scancella, Director of High School Ministry Program at St. Ann Catholic Parish in Coppell

is what I am really excited about.”

Before she goes, Scancella has advice to share with her, as an alumni himself.

“Trust in God, be open to what He wants to do in [her] life, and know that everyone back here loves and supports her,” Scancella said.

photo courtesy

Meredith Munro

Coppell High School senior Meredith Munro wraps up her last day of volunteer work for the St. Ann Sunday School program. She credits her desire to serve youth ministry to her time at St. Ann Catholic Parish, where she strengthened her faith through its High School Ministry Program.

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KILL IT at Division I university

Kilic

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to

written by Lina Pyon Staff Writer @linalinaapril The struggle that many seniors face is which path they want to take through their college years. This big decision has the potential to carve out the rest of their lives.

Senior and defender for the Coppell Cowboys soccer team, Stjepan Kilic, found his calling early on and has been passionate about soccer ever since one afternoon as a 6-yearold.

“I fell in love with the sport of soccer and I just had so much fun playing it and I thought I’d give it up eventually but I’m so passionate about it I just wanted to keep going,” Kilic said.

Kilic will attend Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey starting next year. Fairleigh is a Division I soccer program, which is the highest athletic division in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

He found his prime opportunity to play at the “next level” through Fairleigh, but that opportunity comes with more responsibilities.

“My biggest hardship will be adjusting to the level of play because it will be much higher than what I am used to,” Kilic said. “And I’m sure college schoolwork will not get easier, so I have to balance school and soccer even more.”

Kilic got the opportunity to continue his passion of playing soccer throughout college, but finding stability between doing what he loves and collegeacademics is a challenge he will face.

“You have to manage your time, that’s the most important thing, and to plan your days

and just get a lot of sleep so your physical and mental state can be at their best,” Kilic said.

CHS soccer coach Chad Rakestraw understands the change of pace when playing soccer at the collegiate level.

“I was playing against grown men and getting knocked around for the first time ever, and I was used to doing the knocking around,” Rakestraw said. “So maintaining your composure understanding that it’ll take time to adjust, but continuing to work hard and remaining confident in your ability, your work ethic and what you’re going to bring to the table is important.”

Rakestraw thinks Kilic will be able to adjust well.

“He’ll thrive because he’s a guy who is ready for the next level and it’ll be a time of growth for him,” Rakestraw said. “He’ll adjust well if he continues to understand that it is a process [being where you want to be].”

Close friend, senior and teammate Waleed Cherif has been friends with Kilic for over 10 years. He also thinks Kilic deserves to attend a Division I college.

“He’s one of the smartest players; he knows what to do on the ball,” Cherif said. “He’s really something else and in my opinion one of the best players.”

They have had a special bond through soccer and as friends ever since their first encounter at Lakeside Elementary.

“When I first moved here in fourth grade the teacher said, ‘Stejpan, can you help Wall-ed out,’” Cherif said, in an Americanized version of their names.

“We were both shy so he whispers to me, and everyone hears this, he goes ‘do you play soccer?’ and I just nod my head and the class goes crazy, because everyone at Lakeside loves soccer,” Cherif said. “And we have played soccer together since.”

When asked what the embodiment of soccer means to him, Kilic responded with a simple yet potent word.

“Love.”

A word that not only represents the epitome of soccer to him, but also the attitude Kilic has toward a sport that keeps him going and keeps him passionate.

“She is the tennis equivalent of a

GYM RAT.” Rich Foster, Coach

photo by Alexandra

Dalton

Hard work,

dedication

leads Coburn to Idaho State written by Joseph Krum Managing Editor @joseph_krum Senior tennis player Melissa Coburn, on some days, plays tennis as much as she goes to school.

After practicing on the courts from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Coburn goes to her classes at Coppell High School until 4, and then after school hits from 4 p.m. until 7.

That would total around six hours for each activity, a feat accomplished by few people.

And now, her dedication to and persistence with her craft has finally payed off as Coburn has accepted a scholarship to play college tennis at Idaho State University.

“It’s really exciting,” Coburn said.

“It has always been what I’ve wanted to do and I’m really glad that I’ve met my goal.”

According to Coppell tennis coach Rich Foster, playing college at a Division I school like Idaho State is an extremely prestigious accomplishment.

“It’s very difficult to get to go to a Division I school,” Foster said. “Since a lot of schools recruit across the globe, it takes a very special person to be able to play at the level she will go play at.”

The special person that Coburn has become has not just come naturally. With hours of works on the high school courts each day to playing in tournaments and even playing at Brookhaven Country Club, Coburn has earned the respect of her teammates for her work ethic.

“She works harder than anyone else on the team,” Coppell varsity player Erin Crumpler said. “She puts in a ton of work outside of school which has let her improve to the level she is at now.”

Yet even earning a scholarship and being on the tennis team is not enough for Coburn, as Foster sees her competing at a high level in Pocatello, Idaho.

“With her work ethic, and if she can bear her injury, I see her being very successful and playing high in the lineup and having a great career,” Foster said.

Yet Coburn herself has even bigger goals for her and her team in the four years to come.

“One of the biggest things I would hope to do is win the [Big Sky Conference] or go to the NCAA tournament,” Coburn said. “It would be awesome to do but difficult since they’re in such a tough conference.

But overall I’m excited to see what could happen.”

Coppell remembers the impactful lives of friends Carter, Gantt written by Amy Roh News Editor @twitterhandle As seniors reflect back on their high school years, one thing they will never forget will be the lives of Tommy Gantt and Noah Carter.

The two Coppell High School students will always be remembered for the light and joy they brought to those around them. The class of 2016 especially, will take these memories in tandem as they prepare to enter a new chapter of their lives.

Gantt, who lost a two-year battle with Nasopharyngeal cancer, was largely active around campus. He was a basketball trainer during his freshman and sophomore year, a part of the football team and a percussion player in the CHS band.

Outside of school, he continued his passion for music by playing as

a drummer in the Coppell-based band, Around the Sun. Despite the stress that could come with a packed schedule, Gantt remained as a positive influence among his peers.

“He was always picking people up,” bandmate and CHS senior Trevor Arteaga said. “And I think everyone here would do the same for him. He was always positive about everything and if there was any doubt in what we were doing, he would reassure us.”

Those around him knew Gantt as a leader who could encourage them to achieve beyond their own abilities.

“There was no ‘can’t’ with him,” said close friend John Kalu, who is a senior at Archer High School.

“Whenever we did a project together if I had a seemingly impossible idea, he would just find a way we

could do it without thinking twice about it.”

Carter was a figure of understanding and empathy to his close friends, and seniors always miss how great of a friend and he was.

Carter played trumpet in the CHS band his freshman year, and competed with the tennis team.

“If you were his friend, he did not take it lightly. He put everything he could into his friendships and relationships,” CHS senior Nadia Mathis said. “He had an extremely strong sense of empathy. He felt others’ emotions as if he was experiencing them himself, both their pain and joy.”

Besides his compassion, Carter also possessed the uncanny ability at making others laugh at any time.

This remained to be one of the many qualities that Carter’s friends have come to cherish.

“He was extremely caring and understood how I felt without even asking me,” close friend Collin King said. “A close second would have been his humor. He could always come up with clever things to say in any situation.”

Throughout his life, Carter was a selfless student who consistently cared about his friends, listening to them in a way that made them felt assured.

“I want people to remember him as someone who cared more about his friends, family and even strangers more than anyone else I knew,” CHS senior Emily Ziperman said.

“He was intelligent, funny and very thoughtful.”

As 2015-2016 year comes to a close, the memories of Gantt and Carter will live on in the hearts of those who had the privilege of knowing them.

photos courtesy Rachel Buigas-Lopez and Julianne Sulski

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New Tech senior writes Science Fiction trilogy for Capstone Project Jackson completes three full length novels for graduation project written by Thomas Rousseau Staff Writer While most high school students have trouble writing a three-page essay, Catherine Jackson, a senior at New Tech High@Coppell wrote a full length science fiction trilogy for her senior Capstone project.

A Capstone is a project required for graduation that seniors develop and complete on their own to showcase their knowledge and readiness for postsecondary education. The Capstone project is done entirely outside of class and tests a student’s time management skills and ability to work independently.

“I have loved writing for as long as I can remember,” Jackson said. “The first book took about a year, and I was writing them overlapping each other, I first had the idea in July of 2014 and I started writing in November of that year.”

While writing itself is nothing new to Jackson, the editing, formatting and publishing process was a new challenge to overcome. “[The Capstone] is really something that the goal is that you would master an academic area and be able to tie it in with something you are interested in and passionate about, or maybe

your future aspirations,” New Tech High Capstone facilitator Jennifer Greever said. “It is very individualized, they all look very different, in the end we are hoping to have a product that is based on research.”

The Capstone project involves a high amount of research, and the first semester of school is used primarily for research in order to build a foundation for the rest of the project.

“Catherine’s research was reading a ton of books, and then she did an annotated bibliography for her research component where she summarized all the books and assessed them for what was good about them,” Greever said.

It took Jackson around a year to finish the first title, but after that the other two came more easily. The premise of the book is that the United States lost a future world war, and genetically modified super soldiers known as “Hijacked” are hunted down afterwards. The story follows several Hijacked and their struggle for survival.

“I eventually had to quit [my job] because they were scheduling me too much, so I did not have any time to write,” Jackson said. “Sometimes I would turn down things on the weekends because it was the only time I could

write.”

Jackson’s final Capstone presentation has been completed, and with her trilogy done, she is looking forward to expanding on her new ideas.

“She handed me the first book to edit as a Christmas present, actually,” Neera Jackson, Catherine’s mother and editor for her books, said. “It was really pretty amazing, I was so proud to do that.”

Jackson has self published a book in the past, and h a s gained a vast amount of experience and confidence

throughout writing the trilogy.

“One of the most amazing things for me is that, here is my daughter at 17 years old, and she trusts me enough with her work to be able to ask me for advice,” Neera Jackson said.

There is already another book in the works for Jackson, and she is determined to become a professional published author in the future.

“She was definitely dedicated to it, so I not only saw the elements of the girl I knew since she was born, but also a professionalism that I actually see a difference inbetween the first book and her third book,” Neera Jackson said.

“She has developed as a writer, even throughout the course of this trilogy.”

As of now, she has sold 14 print copies of her books and 15 copies on Kindle. All three books are available on Amazon.

Purchase Jackson’s Hijacked novel here.

photo by Mallorie Munoz

graphic by Farah

Merchant

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Author of More Happy than Not shares life, struggles written by Wren Lee Staff Writer @LaurenWrenLee Sporting 11 tattoos and a sassy attitude, bestselling author Adam Silvera strolled into the Coppell High School library on Friday to talk about books.

Silvera began writing at 11, when he wrote Harry Potter fan fiction.

He did this until, one day, he decided he needed to write his own story. “You can’t be a famous fan fiction writer,” he said. So he began to write original stories.

More Happy Than Not was written because of the misconception around sexuality.

“People think we choose to be who we are,” Silvera said. “I didn’t choose to be gay. I mean, choosing to be gay in south Bronx seems backwards. I was really answering the question: ‘What if you could choose your sexuality?’ And that’s where the involvement of the mem-

ory institute [Leteo] was involved.”

The title More Happy Than Not came from the fact that Silvera did not want to write a book with a happily ever after; he wanted the story to end on a bittersweet note because he thought that too many works of fiction had unrealistic expectations of a happy ever after.

There are many similarities between Silvera’s life in the Bronx and protagonist Aaron Soto’s. He called More Happy Than Not “the fan fiction of my life”. The two of them are both gay and both struggle with suicidal thoughts. Those are not the only similarities.

Silvera used some people in his life in his book; for example, Thomas Aaron’s love interest in the book is based off of Silvera’s best friend.

To understand his characters more, Silvera wrote in the perspective of other characters.

“I had to inhabit each character,” Silvera said. “Doing that was life changing. I was finally able to for-

give people who wronged me. And it brought my best friend back into my life.”

Families are sometimes the hardest part; you never know how they will react.

“I knew my mom would be supportive,” Silvera said. “When I showed her a photo of the guy I moved to Texas for, she said, ‘You look good together’. I was so surprised she didn’t say something like ‘I knew all along’. I walked out of the house thinking ‘You stole my thunder’. But then my mom told the rest of my family, and they were all accepting. I got really lucky.”

Even friends sometimes react differently, as was the case for Silvera.

“I came out to other people over Facebook.” Silvera said. “I didn’t expect the people whom I thought would give me backlash gave me the warmest messages. I was ready to fight.”

His first book has received a lot of critical acclaim, but there are pos-

itive and negative sides to that.

“I’m super honored to be given praised and given such critical acclaim, but there’s a lot of pressure for the next book,” Silvera said. “I was writing [History Is All You Left Me Silvera’s second book] when all the reviews for More Happy Than Not came in. It influenced me to step up my game.”

And other authors have been very impactful in his life, on and off the page. He made quick friends with others authors like Becky Albertalli, David Arnold and Jasmine Warga.

“I went through a really, really bad suicidal phase this past fall,” Silvera

said. “ I t was really bad. My publisher knew about it. My book was taken off the table. But the first people I told were three of my author friends. I sent them a group text saying ‘I’m feeling this way right now. I’m like really bad’. They called me, and we spoke about stuff. It didn’t necessarily heal me, but being able to talk to them, people I met through books, was so important to me.”

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COPPELL COWGIRL CATCHER COMMITS TO written by Maggie Theel Staff Writer @magggggiee The first thing Coppell Cowgirl varsity catcher Madi Traver did after she verbally committed to play softball at Duke University in 2017 was call her best friend, Coppell High School junior Sami Thomas.

“My recruiting process started back in the summer before my eighth grade year and I didn’t end up committing until I was a junior,” Traver said. “I think once it came down to my final two schools [my parents] knew what was going to happen, they know me really well. So I called [Thomas] right after I made the final decision and was just like ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe it’s finally over.’”

As a junior at New Tech High@Coppell, Traver has played on the Coppell Cowgirls varsity team for three

photos by Ale

years and after hard work both on the field and in the classroom, she has verbally committed to continue her softball career on the first ever softball team at Duke.

Traver has seen massive success as an individual player. In the 2016 high school season, she has had seven home runs in the 2016 season and her batting average was .650 in district.

“She knows how to play the style of ball. She’s good, and she’s smart,” Coppell softball coach Mike Dyson said. “She understands the game. That’s the biggest thing: she understands the game.”

As a freshman she was named defensive player of the year, made First Team All-District and First Team All-Academic; as a sophomore she was named her team’s Most Valuable Player and also made First Team All-District and First Team All-Academic.

Her success in softball has acted as a driving force to inspire Traver to succeed academically.

Colleges began to recruit her before she was in the eighth grade, and the academic quality of the

DUKE UNIVERSITY

schools that were scouting her pushed her to study hard and keep her grades up.

Traver’s parents support her in all of her athletic and academic endeavors and they appreciate how softball has helped improve her opportunities for education in the future. “[Playing softball] has taught her, from a young age, that the harder you work the better you do,” Traver’s dad John Traver said.

“She’s definitely taken that into the classroom.”

Committing to Duke University is an amazing accomplishment that certainly required a lot of hard work, but it was not the only school that was recruiting Traver.

At first, Traver was looking at large schools that are in large athletic conferences, but, after evaluating the type of education and athletic program she wanted, she decided Duke University had the smaller student body, large athletic program and rigorous academic opportunities that she was looking for.

Ceniceros

Coppell Cowgirl varsity catcher Madi Traver has played on varsity for three years and she has verbally committed to continue her softball career on the first ever softball team at Duke University.

“Duke was kind of like a fairy tale school,” Traver said. “It had everything that I wanted.

My first visit [to Duke University] immediately felt like home. I loved it. Everything just felt right.”

Duke will field a softball team for the first time once Traver arrives for her freshman year, so plans to make history as a part of the university’s first ever softball team in the 2017-2018 school year.

At Duke, Traver will have the opportunity to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) one of the premier athletic conferences in the nation.

“I’m excited to play college ball, face some of the best pitchers in the country and work towards making a name for myself as a hitter and player,” Traver said.

“We have a huge amount of talent coming in and I’m excited to see what we’re capable of.”

Although being able to make history and play at Duke is an amazing opportunity, but Traver’s greatest opportunity will begin once she graduates.

“What I’m most excited about is once she gets a degree from Duke, she’ll have the opportunity to kind of do whatever she wants with her life and you can’t ask for anything more than that for your kid,” Mr. Traver said.

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Shadowed Lacrosse warrants recognition for achievements written by Mallorie Munoz Photography Editor @munoz_mallorie In the south, high school football is widely popular. Ask anyone who has seen NBC’s “Friday Night Lights”. Despite being named National Collegiate Athletic Association’s fastest growing sport, lacrosse has yet to land a TV show, or even a substantial amount of credit.

As a non-profit, privately funded organization, rather than a University Interscholastic League (UIL) funded sport, the Coppell Lacrosse Association does not receive the same recognition as the football or basketball team.

Unlike district-funded sports like football and baseball, teams that are allotted a class period to practice and utilize school facilities such as the fieldhouse and locker rooms, the high school lacrosse teams must practice outside of school and often find themselves competing with other school sports such as soccer for field use and practice time. Lacrosse is not a UIL sport, leaving the teams to fund themselves and seek out practice space.

“It is tough for them because they do not get the financial support like other sports at the school,” CLA communications director Diane Scalley said. “They do not have access to the different facilities at the school.

They don’t have a class period during the day to practice.”

According to a user agreement with the city of Coppell, CLA teams are granted practice space at Coppell Middle School North and West. This agreement does not entail usage of Coppell High School facilities.

Although scheduling conflicts rise upon occasion, the CLA is prepared to work around it.

“We are thankful for the fields we do have access to,” Barron said. “And although the way our user agreement is set up that Coppell ISD always has the priority, the city is always good about letting us know about conflicts ahead of time, and working with us.”

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Success into consideration the setbacks the lacrosse team faces on a regular basis, it becomes clear how strong and committed the players must be.

“I feel like because of all of the hardship we go through, it brings us together and forces us to bond more, for we have to work more just to play,” senior goalie John Scalley said.

Finding a place to play is not the greatest for the high school

concern teams.

“A l though playing at the school would be great, just being recognized and given credit every now and then would be greater,” Barron said. “Our players are attending CHS and New Tech@ Coppell. They are amazing kids, and most of them are multisport athletes.

They are Red Jackets and honor society members, and they are doing an excellent job of balancing everything.”

The occasional tweet from the CHS twitter acc ou nt , a shoutout on the announcements and especially school spirit from their peers is what the CLA wants to see more of, due to the work the players put in.

Lacrosse players must commit more time, money and patience in order to play the sport they love.

With this commitment has come a strong bond between the team.

“Without strong spirit and financial support from the school, the boys are forced to support one another more,” Scalley said.

After four years with the former head coach Alex Poole, the boys team has gained a new head coach, Jeff Roberts, who has

brought change to the program with a new coaching style. This transition has been smooth for both the team and Roberts, but the lack of access to school facilities has given Roberts difficulty adjusting, considering the 20 years he spent coaching on a collegiate level at Marquette University, Dartmouth College,

Concordia University and the University of Vermont.

“It was a huge transition for me, because I am used to working in an athletic department, and being readily accessible to my players,” Roberts said. “The only real interaction we have is at practice and games.”

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Connor Choate, junior photo by

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