The Sidekick - Issue 1 - October 2012

VOLUME 24 ISSUE 1 OCTOBER 2012

sidekick

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COPPELL HIGH SCHOOL WWW.COPPELLSTUDENTMEDIA.COM

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See You at the Pole

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185 W PARKWAY BLVD

Dirty duty of CHS custodians

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COPPELL, TEXAS 75019

New quarterback propels success

Rakestraw inspires support in battle against cancer SAMMY ROBBEN

Photo by Rowan Khazendar

Sports Editor

C

oppell athletes are used to playing to win, but now they are playing for something different. They are playing for Kamryn Rakestraw.

Last May, Kamryn, the 18-month-old daughter of Coppell boys soccer coach Chad Rakestraw, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. The cancerous tumor located on her aorta artery was too big for doctors to remove upon initial discovery.

After three months of chemotherapy, doctors successfully removed 100 percent of the tumor on Sept. 10.

“At the moment, we feel like we are drowning in mercy and grace because of the miracle removal of the tumor,” coach Rakestraw said. “They were 100 percent sure they would have to leave some of the tumor in her body because of where it was located. We are so thankful and know that the Lord has been merciful on Kamryn and us through this whole journey. Now as we go forward we pray for the chemo left in her body to destroy any microscopic cancerous cells that might remain, and we are praying that the chemo has not damaged any other part of her body.”

Boys soccer coach Chad Rakestraw kisses his 18-month-old daughter. She has made a steady recovery so far by walking and playing with sister Madison.

Through the process, the Rakestraws have experienced ups and downs but have been able to maintain a strong faith through it all. Their motto during this experience has been

“keeping the faith” and with the help of those around them, they have been able to do just that.

“Since May it has been a rollercoaster of emotions,” coach Rakestraw said. “There have been

times of celebration for good news, almost always followed by something that grounded us and caused worry. But through the whole journey it has been amazing to see God’s divine interven-

Jasso ‘all in’ for second year

tion in so many circumstances.”

After Kamryn was diag-

see Coppell on pg. 22 To see more go to Coppellstudentmedia.com Photo by Rowan Khazendar

Photo by Rinu Daniel

THOMAS HAIR Opinions Editor

Now in his second year as Coppell High School’s principal, Mike Jasso has ended his transition period and he is ready to implement his own vision for CHS. After serving as an assistant principal in Coppell from 2000 to 2005, Jasso departed to become the principal of Haltom High School before returning home, so to speak, last year. Jasso’s first year back wearing red and black was largely a process of becoming reacquainted with the inner workings of CHS and the parents and community.

“We were able to transition from a hugely popular and hugely successful principal in Mr. Hunt to a new guy in town without the school falling apart,” Jasso said. “We’ve got a lot of data

Coppell ISD Superintendent Jeff Turner thanks TASA for the honor of being elected president of the group.

TASA honors Turner MICHELLE PITCHER Editor-in-Chief Principal Mike Jasso cheers for the Cowboys during the game against Allen on Sept. 28. He plans to implement a new vision at CHS this year.

to point to that shows that we did that successfully, that we are still a strong school and hopefully getting stronger.”

Since last spring, Jasso has repeatedly stressed to his staff to prepare for the trans-

formations that will begin this year. The second-year principal expects every teacher on campus to “transform” the way they teach – to employ

see Second on pg. 2

Two members of the technical crew stand at attention on either side of the stage, armed with confetti cannons. They are ready to show the crowd what Coppell ISD is all about.

CISD Superintendent Jeff Turner has a lot on his plate this year. After being a member of the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) for 23

years and serving on various leadership committees, Turner has been elected president of the group, which holds an annual joint conference in Austin with the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB).

TASA is composed of superintendents, assistant superintendents and curriculum officials from over 1,000 school districts in the state of Texas, totaling around 3,000 members.

see Performance on pg. 2

2 news

OCTOBER 2012

Photo by Eric Park

Perfomance showcases Coppell excellence at TASA continued from pg.1

Turner rose to the top of this organization through networking, years of leadership experience and with the help of Coppell’s status.

“Coppell has such a great reputation,” Turner said. “What we’ve been able to do in Coppell in terms of pushing the envelope of what it means to be educated in the 21st century [as well as] the kind of success we have with our students, we start to get a lot of recognition about that.”

It is customary for the presidents of TASA and TASB to prepare short presentations about their districts to show to all attendees of the conference. At this year’s conference in Austin, which was held the weekend of Sept. 28, Dr. Turner and 89 students from across CISD gave the approximately 6,000 guests a taste of what it is like to be a learner in CISD. After reviewing presentations from past conferences, Turner decided he wanted to do something different. He noted how segmented all of the shows seemed – band in one corner and choir in another while the drill team does high kicks center stage.

He wanted to create something

that would showcase Coppell’s unique talent and cohesiveness.

Theater department head Lisa Tabor was put in charge of the script last February, and with the help of several other teachers and administrators, she came up with the idea for this year’s show.

The show begins with a traditional black and white video playing on the large screens. A spin on the sitcom Leave it to Beaver, “Leave it to Coppell” tells the story of a young boy, Pete (named after former CHS theater teacher and graduate Pete “Wheelice” Wilson), living in the 1950s who is reluctant to begin his first day of kindergarten.

Pete, in an odd twist of fate and extreme technical malfunction, is sucked into the TV, straight into 21st century CISD. Here, he is shown around by a Red Jacket, played by senior Alex Smith, and led through several musical numbers featuring members of Vivace!, theater, Lariettes, Air Crew and cheerleading, as well as middle and elementary school students.

“It’s so wonderful to see all of the fine arts come together,” Tabor said. “One of the bad things about all of our departments being so good is that we don’t get to work together.

This has just been so amazing.”

Tabor worked closely with fellow CHS theater teacher Bruce Hermans, who was in charge of all things technical; Cottonwood Creek music teacher and CHS graduate Sarah Meador, who was in charge of all things musical; CMS North theater teacher Brittany Reese, who served as assistant director; Hayley Hoffman and Julie Stralow worked with the drill team; and varsity cheer coach Tiffany Ganss was in charge of the cheerleaders in the show.

While the teachers have spent numerous hours planning, writing, choreographing and delegating, the kids have been working just as hard to bring their ideas to life.

“I can’t even venture a guess as to how many hours these kids have put into this show,” Tabor said.

Last year, several KCBY members, including seniors Eric Park, Mason Adams and Adam Borel, were enlisted in the project to help create the video components of the show. They began filming in April, traveling around the district to collect footage of real students and their everyday lives.

“During the song ‘Fly,’ a video plays that highlights everything that’s going on in our district,” Meador said. “It shows the parts of Coppell we cannot bring to the stage; the technology shows the football team, the elementary classrooms, the huge band – all the different aspects we have in Coppell that make us great.”

The students, both workers and performers, have put in countless hours of rehearsal to reach the standard they wish to achieve. This is no small undertaking, either, especially for the younger cast members.

As choreographer Whitney Hennen shouts, “Little ones, you’re about to run onstage,” the concentration and determination in the room is palpable. The elementary kids come into the light to do their part, and it is evident how much work they have put into this show.

“It’s nice working with the younger kids, giving them insight into what this district is about,” said junior Jack Robertson, who plays Pete’s father in the video. “A lot of the younger kids are getting a head start on being involved in making CISD better.”

The quality of the show seems to suggest a high production value. The school district provided a budget for this rare opportunity to showcase itself in front of some of the most distinguished administrators in Texas. However, all possible cost-reduction measures were taken to ensure the show not cost the district too many resources.

“We solicited some donations from some of our local businesses, and that’s one of the reasons we wanted to put this show on – to try to raise some funds,” assistant superintendent Brad Hunt said. “All the money from the show goes to offset the cost of getting the kids down to Austin. We did a lot in house; the kids pretty much did everything. We did get help with choreography; we utilized existing staff members.”

In all, Turner is pleased with how Coppell was represented in the state capital.

“It’s a really exciting opportunity for these folks to see the great things that are going on in Coppell ISD,” Turner said. “It’s not just the musical performances we have going on here with our kids, but also the things we’re doing in our schools academically.”

Second year vision influences modernized teaching Photo by Rowan Khazendar

CHS Principal Mike Jasso asks junior Nick Hruby how he likes the new Virtual Design lab.

continued from pg.1 new and innovative ways of instructing students.

“He [Jasso] is very interested in leading the way in transforming education,” English teacher Samantha Neal said. “His aim is not to follow the way that education is changing, but for us to really be the ones leading those changes.”

Jasso’s emphasis on reinventing education and developing 21st century learning styles is already evident on campus.

This year, CHS has added several new blended learning and virtual classes.

In these new virtual classes (offered only for government and economics this year), the textbook and the vast majority of the coursework is completed online on a program called GradPoint.

Students are only required to meet

in the classroom with the teacher one or two times per week. This allows students much more freedom, but they must attend remediation if they do not keep up.

These new virtual classes fit into Jasso’s goal of making CHS a place that prepares students for the real world, where technology is paramount and teachers are not constantly reminding you of assignments.

“I would bet that 100 percent of students who go to college for four years will take at least one online class,” virtual government teacher Brian Johnson said. “Next year, when these kids are in college they’ll need to understand time management and working at your own pace.”

A new, state-of-the-art computer lab, dubbed the “Virtual Blended Learning Lab,” is now available to all students enrolled in Virtual Classes. Located in up-

stairs C Hall, the cutting edge lab includes sofas, couches, collaboration stations and spaces designed for students to use their laptops and wireless devices.

Another way Coppell teachers are pushing the boundaries of innovative teaching styles is with the new FLIPPED method, currently being tested by certain math classes. In FLIPPED classes, students watch their teacher’s lecture online at home and then do the “homework” at school the next day, where a teacher can help them.

CHS is even revamping the way that students and their parents receive school news. Instead of the traditional newsletter, campus news will now be delivered primarily through Facebook. Jasso recently launched an official Coppell High School Facebook page on which he will regularly post valuable news and information.

“I’ve talked about how I As returning staff members expect teachers to learn how to adjust to the evolving instruction do things differently,” Jasso said. techniques and other changes “Well, that relates to us [admin- that come with new adminisistrators] as well with trying to trative policies, dozens of other maintain updated information teachers are still trying to figure with students.” out how to get to D Hall from B So far, the response to the Hall.

Facebook page, already with hunCoppell High School hired dreds of likes, has been quite pos- 48 new staff members for the itive. new school year. Thirty-six of As Jasso goes about trying to these are new teachers, while make CHS a local leader in mod- the remaining 12 are filling roles ern education techniques, he ex- such as secretaries and aides. Enpects teachers to be “all in” with glish IV teacher Samantha Neal the changes. As a result, “all in” is one such new hire. has become the year’s theme for “It’s crazy to think almost the staff. Jasso gave some teachers 50 new people came in,” Neal a poker chip to go all-in with to said. “I know we have more kids help illustrate the theme. here than ever before. Students There has been some slight from all over the world are movapprehension about the chang- ing to Coppell. That’s very telling es from some teachers who have of what kind of district this is.” been at Coppell for many years New teachers and CHS vetand believe in erans alike will more traditional “all in,” work“It’s crazy to think be teaching mething together to almost 50 new peo- make Jasso’s viods.

Jasso un- ple came in. I know we sion for Coppell derstands that have more kids here reality. Though change can be the staff and difficult, but has than ever before. Stu- their leader are made it very clear dents from all over the doing as much as that every em- world are moving to they can to make ployee on campus CHS a bastion is expected to be Coppell. That’s very for innovation “all in” with the telling of what kind of and real world transformations. preparation, it district this is.”

“I told is up to the stu-Samantha Neal, them, if you can’t dents to take English teacher look me in the advantage of the eye and say ‘I’m all in’ or ‘I’m go- improvements Jasso is making. ing to try these things that you “I hope that you help your want me to do’ and be sincere teachers as they go about trying about it, then I encouraged them new things,” Jasso said. “I hope to do some soul searching,” Jasso that you guys are “all in” as well said. “To do the type of work that and that you do your part as far I expect and the type of work that as trying the new things that your [CISD Superintendent Dr. Jeff teachers are trying to do because, Turner] expects, we’ve got to have in all actuality, we’re trying to people who are on board.” make school better for you.”

news 3

OCTOBER 2012

Students cross exam relevance, role of religion

people walking away from their advancement and discovery in religion. science, and as we venture furStaff Writer The Sidekick conducted ther and further beyond our own a survey of 142 students from existence, I think more and more Religion has undoubtedly all four grade levels to investi- people are searching for more played a huge role in the forma- gate trends among Coppell High concrete answers,” Rohloff said. “I tion of our country, even the de- School’s own student population. view religious texts as literature. velopment of civilization around Out of those surveyed, 28 They are artifacts.” the world. However, as a growing percent said they sometimes Sophomore Jack Meyer number view religion as out of doubt the existence of a god or thinks the drop he sees in the redate and out of touch with a mod- gods; 14 percent said they out- ligiosity of students has both the ern society, the role of religion is right doubt the existence. redefinition of what it means to be changing as quickly as water turns Students were also asked to religious and a change in students’ to wine. assign their parents a rank on a behavior to blame.

On a nation“religiousness” “The reason people don’t “Another person’s scale, and then claim to be religious anymore is al and worldwide beliefs are so readily themselves. The partly because of social status, and scale, the number of people who are accessible. Belief is students’ rank- partly because they don’t want to seemingly abanings of them- make a time commitment,” Meynot as important as selves had a sharp er said. “They don’t want to walk doning their faith tolerance to some skew or beginning to towards around boasting their beliefs in doubt religion’s less religiousfear that they will be judged, and people.” necessity and relness, with a large they don’t want to wake up early - Rich Rousch, youth gap between the on Sunday mornings to sit in a evance is on a pastor steady increase. number of par- church.”

WIN-Gallup International con- ents and the numbers of students To remain relevant, accordducted a survey with thousands who ranked themselves in the ing to Meyer, religion must find a of participants from 57 countries most “religious” level. way to modernize to fit society’s in 2005 and again in 2012 called Overall, the religiosity of needs.

“The Global Index of Religiosity students followed a similar trend “The easiest way for religion and Atheism.” to that of their parents, estab- to stay alive today is to let their In America, the number of lishing the trend that a student is believers have whatever lifestyle citizens who identify themselves much more likely to be religious if they want, and still let them be as “religious” declined from 73 their parents are. accepted,” Meyer said. “Nobody percent in 2005 to 60 percent.

“If parents are healthy in lives the same lives, but they could Those who identify themselves as their faith and they practice what still at least have a similar mindset atheists rose from one to five per- they preach there’s a pretty good about things.” cent. chance that the kid will go the Scancella believes religion In another poll, the 2008 same way,” Roush said. just is not as important to stuAmerican Religious IdentificaFor students, Roush believes dents as it was and should be. tion Survey, found 15 percent of that the common trend of an ap“To students, religion isn’t as Americans say they have no reli- parent decrease in religiosity is for important. They don’t understand gion at all, up from eight percent a similar reason as to the global the question of why we need reliin 1990. trend-the number of faithful isn’t gion,” Scancella said. “It will be an Valley Ranch Baptist Church decreasing as much as the number interesting next few years to see if youth pastor Rich Roush thinks who are afraid to teens start to rethe numbers represent more than give themselves own their faith.”

“People are not being just a drop in religiosity; in his the title of being Accordview, people are not truly aban- faithful. as vocal or necessarily ing to Merridoning their religion, as much as “We live to living out their faith as am-Webster, just abandoning the title of being in an age of tolbe religious is to much.” religious. erance, right or be “relating to Roush believes, to some, wrong, where or manifesting - Joey Scancella, being religious has become syn- students are faithful devotion coordinator onymous with intolerance and more connected to an acknowlbeing closed minded, and that has than ever,” Roush said. “Another edged ultimate reality or deity.” driven many to abandon labeling person’s beliefs are so readily ac- Whether that definition itself is themselves as religious, despite cessible. Belief is not as important changing, or the implications it still staying faithful. as tolerance to some people.” brings in a modernized society, is “People may still be walking To Scancella, it’s the incon- up for debate. the walk and talking the talk, but sistencies between religion and To stay true to itself, reliare more reluctant to call them- society that cause confusion in gious scriptures and the teachings selves religious than before be- religiosity. of religion may not have much cause they are afraid of being laAt CHS specifically, accord- room to adjust to a changing beled or judged,” Roush said. ing to Roush, the trend also can be world. But to stay relevant at all, Joey Scancella, high school attributed to the immense diversi- religion may have to find ways to outreach coordinator at St. Ann ty found in the student body. appear more approachable and Catholic Parish, also believes that “I wouldn’t think that a lot of cooperative with a changing landthe change does not have as much the parents in Coppell went to a scape of science, belief and polito do with people becoming less high school as diverse as Coppell, tics. religious; the religious are just not where [students are] surrounded being as open about their faith. by people who believe something “People are not being as vo- totally different,” Roush said. cal or necessarily living out their AP World History teachfaith as much,” Scancella said. er Brian Rohloff believes “They are confused between call- that, with the inevitaing themselves religious and prac- ble growth of scientific ticing their faith.” thought, for many, Roush does not believe the religion has become drop has come solely from this re- too outdated. definition of the word “religious,” “With new and does attribute some of the decline to

BEN COWLISHAW

142 Total Replies 44 Freshmen 36 Sophomores 37 Juniors 25 Seniors

Graphic by Julianne Cauley

This anonymous poll was passed out by five select teachers: Matt Bowden, Barbara Cross, Ian VanderSchee, Bill Montana and Grant Garner. Judaism was given as an option but was never chosen.

“With new advancement and discovery in science, and as we venture further and further beyond our own existence, I think more and more people are searching for more concrete answers.”

-Brian Rohloff, history teacher “Society tends to say do what you want and what makes you happy, so obviously society and religion are giving conflicting messages. To students, religion isn’t as important. They don’t understand the question of why we need religion.”

-Joey Scanella, coordinator

“The reason people don’t claim to be religious anymore is partly because of social status, and partly because they don’t want to make a time commitment. They don’t want to walk around boasting their beliefs in fear that they will be judged, and they don’t want to wake up early on Sunday mornings to sit in a church.”

- Jack Meyer, sophomore

“People may still be walking the walk and talking the talk, but are more reluctant to call themselves religious than before because they are afraid of being labeled or judged,”

-Rich Rousch, youth pastor

Photo by Regan Sullivan Illustration by Rinu Daniel

4 news

OCTOBER 2012

Historical Coppell barbershop stands test of time NIKKI DABNEY Staff Writer

A red and white helical striped pole is the iconic symbol of a barbershop. Everyone in Coppell has seen this pole beside the quaint white shop on the corner of South Coppell Road and Bethel Road, but few know the man behind the shears.

Joe Shirley has been owner of the Bethel Road Barber Shop shop since 1997, when he purchased it from the family of the original owner, Floyd Harwell, after Harwell’s widow passed away.

Harwell resided in the building that is now the Home Décor store next door to the shop. He ran a barbering business out of his home until he decided to have the current building moved in after WWII. One would not expect to find Shirley working at a barbershop; as a physicist and engineer, he is clearly overqualified. Shirley was always interested in haircuts, but it was not until the mobile oil company he was working for geared up for a big lay off that he reevaluated his career direction.

After chatting about the lay off, Shirley’s barber at the time advised him to get his barbering license. In 1992, he volunteered for his company’s lay off and attended

barber school on Saturdays.

“I know he has been here a long time. I have been here since 1990,” Coppell Deli owner Jay Khorromi said. “I know he has a good reputation.”

After owning the shop for 15 years, one would expect Shirley to renovate and expand, but he has worked to keep it as close to the original as possible and does not plan to change it. In fact, the shop still has the same cabinets and the same mirror as it did in the 1950s.

“It is historic and it works fine just the way it is,” Shirley said.

“It is functional for what I need.

Two chairs are perfect.”

Shirley seems unfazed by

the current construction of Old Town Coppell. Although it has caused some drivers to take a different route and, therefore, slowed down business, Shirley remains optimistic.

“I think they have done a nice job on the road and at keeping traffic moving,” Shirley said.

“It will be better in the long run.”

The barber’s pole draws in a hodge-podge of customers. Shirley has regular customers, but he has a lot of walk-ins. The shop’s website and out-of-towners’ GPS lands people at Shirley’s steps.

“I was house sitting in Coppell and the shop was down the street. I decided to stop by and Photo by Mia Ford

Barber shop owner Joe Shirley gives Coppell resident Mike Ford a haircut in his quaint barbershop in Old Town Coppell.

Photo by Mia Ford

The Bethel Road Barbershop located in Old Town Coppell stands open to customers on a sunny afternoon.

have been coming off and on since,” customer Nick McMackan said. “He is usually not jam packed so I can get in right after work and he gave me his cellphone number in case I need him to stay late.”

The walk-ins only policy contributes to the shop’s momand-pop feel. There is a notebook paper pinned to the wall where customers can sign up on the waitlist. That way they can leave and come back if there is a wait.

“I do not like feeling pressure to rush and people can go mow their lawn and come back if they need to,” Shirley said.

Shirley works to offer high

quality service and make his customers look and feel good. He enjoys visiting with people and giving them tips and suggestions.

“I keep coming back because he has not screwed up. And he is the only barber I know who uses a straight blade, which keeps the hair off my neck longer,” McMackan said.

The Bethel Road barbershop has been around for a long time and Shirley will continue to add his flavor, seeing as he does not plan to retire. This building is proof that history to be treasured is right around the cornerliterally. They just have to look for it.

CHS undergoes technology changes for new year NATALIE GILBERT Staff Writer

With a heavy workload assigned to students in and out of class, access to school files at home is vital. To meet this demand, the district has switched from Fileway to VM Ware View Client.

According to Coppell ISD technician James Journey, Fileway will be eliminated in the duration of this school year.

However, the removal of Fileway will not bring chaos to Coppell High School. In fact, the efficiency of those working on assignments and projects at home should now increase tremendously.

Technology Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) Shalone Willms said Fileway is a good resource but has its faults.

Technology is improving with virtual computer desktop called

VM Ware View client. This element is essentially a way access school files from home while actually being connected to the school system. When one logs in to the virtual desktop, it is as one is using a school computer.

Access to virtual computer is available on any type of computer no matter how old or new. Mac, PC and iPad software is downloadable on view.coppellisd.com. Although Mac and iPad are available to access the virtual desktop, it is not Apple software. When logged on, one is using Windows 7 software because it is linked to the school’s system, not the users’.

By utilizing the virtual computer, the need to convert files from one version of an appliance to another is eliminated because work is on the same version of an application. Whether at school or at home, one uses the school’s version of Microsoft, Adobe, Audacity, Flash and

all other applications the school offers.

“If a computer can access the Internet, it can run and it can run as fast as a new computer,” Willms said. “It is not using the resources on the computer itself, it is using the resources on the server.”

This provides students with opportunities to work on classwork at their convenience at home and still be able to turn files into the assigned folders or save it to continue to work at school. Every file is backed up through the school technology system and can be placed in H drives, S share folders and T share folders for staff.

Virtual Computer is available for students and staff to download, however, the VM Ware has not been implemented into all computers at CHS. Since the VM Ware allows older computers to run as fast as the server with Adobe CS6, older comput-

ers at CHS have been put in the library and a few labs around campus with virtual computer implemented.

Technology is rolling the new element out in a test phase.

They are putting it in three labs and library at CHS and implementing it at a few other CISD schools in order to get the glitches noticed and removed.

As of now, there are minor glitches such as having to plug in a headset before logging in if wanting to use a headset, only being allowed to log in on one computer and not having a generic user.

Through the test phases, technology is notified of any glitches or concerns, and since the computers are all connected at one place, the glitch can be fixed on one server instead of going to every computer and fixing each problem.

Implementing the Virtual computer at school gives reason

for students to bring their own device. It allows easy access to personal files already converted to school software and they can continue on the same device at home.

Students who have used Fileway throughout their attendance in CISD and have begun to use VM Ware notice increased productivity.

“Fileway would be down or would have complications when I needed to use it for classes, but the new software works on my Mac and I easily access and work on files at my convenience,” sophomore Madi Badura said.

Benefits to staff and students have already come into play when the decision of approval comes along.

“At first I was a skeptic. The idea of connecting to the server made me nervous, but with one use I found the many benefits we receive through the use of new software,” Willms said.

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH VM WARE VIEW CLIENT? YOU CAN...

Access the s-share, your h-drive and everything from the school’s desktop on your home computer.

YOU CAN...

Have access to all the software owned by the school such as Adobe Photoshop.

Graphic by Rinu Daniel

OCTOBER 2012

Graphic by Rinu Daniel and Haley Madigan

opinions 5 WHAT DO

n c o u n g t d r l o u l o h t s r i S ws be cter? la

YOU THINK?

Recently, uncommon amounts of public shootings have terrorized the nation.

Should America tighten its laws on gun control?

This summer, several gunrelated catastrophes left many Americans horrified at how little impact the presiding gun control laws have had on the country. With the presidential election nearing, it is time to truly ask our candidates, who are ever so eager for “change,” how they plan to reduce deaths associated with the gun market.

On July 20 James Holmes walked into a Century 16 theater in Aurora, Colo., killing 12 people and injuring 58. This number of casualties accounts for the largest mass shooting in United States history. Roughly two weeks after this incident, Wade Michael Page walked into Sunday service at the Oak Creek Sikh temple and shot six dead, injured four. Three weeks later, a student opened fire without a target on the first day of classes in Maryland, critically injuring onestudent.

Still there is not a sign of new gun control laws in the works—and these are only recent events. More than 200 people are shot daily, 87 of which die, 33 of those were murdered, according to the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

In response to the Aurora shooting in July, the presidential candidates cowered on gun control but offered statements to concerned citizens. While Republican nominee Mitt Romney believed “changing the heart of the American people may well be what’s essential” he did not provide any information on how he planned to do that—maybe an intervention with America? He also seemed to be confused on Colorado gun laws, for he said the shooter “shouldn’t have had any kind of weapons.” That is kind of funny considering that all of the shooter’s purchases, including the assault rifle were legal in the state as reported by The New York Times.

On the other hand, President Barack Obama’s solution to the problem consists of summer jobs for young people and crime reduction programs in cities—all ideas that could help round up American citizens, none of which can stop urban bloodshed. According to The New York Times, he also discussed “enhanced background checks to weed out criminals and the mentally ill”, but did not discuss anything regarding the closing of the “gunshow loophole or ease in which the mentally ill can get their guns restored”—a position that the president could easily argue without significant opposition against The National Rifle Association, which insisted on making the repossession easy (The New York Times).

According to studies of federal data, states that have stricter gun-control laws have a significant amount of fewer firearms deaths.

The study reports that policies such as banning assault weapons and requiring trigger locks and safe storage actually work. However, few politicians will advocate these measures.

Change is indeed possible, take California for example, before 1997 its mortal- ity rate was consistently higher than the rest of the nation. When its newly established gun laws later took effect, the states mortality was cut by 53 percent, to a low of 8.1 per 100,000 people.

Compare that with the decline of only 30 percent for the rest of the nation where firearm mortality rate is 10.2. These statistics are in accordance to the CDC’s latest 2009 data.

While many factors may contribute to mortality rates, California has passed more than 40 laws since 1989 after the mass shooting in a Stockton schoolyard that led the state’s assault weapons ban a ten round limit on ammunition magazine capacity, according to Griffin Dix, president of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence California chapter.

Some of the most significant gun laws that Nix recognizes in an article for the Brady Center are California’s laws restricting “illegal gun trafficking by requiring background checks on all gun sales or transfers (including at gun shows) and limiting handgun purchases to one per month, prohibiting gun purchases by persons guilty of certain violent misdemeanors and facilitating crime gun tracing and recovery of illegally owned weapons.”

An additional law that has had a significant impact on California’s gun market is its requirement for licensed gun dealers—handgun buyers must pass a written safety test and hands-on demonstration.

This law, along with the others that encourage safe gun storage, help reduce gun suicide, one of the biggest components of firearm mortality As a procedure new hand gun models being sold in California must also meet the state’s safety standards (facts provided by the Brady Campaign).

California’s gun laws should be taken by America as an example of a system that does not conflict with the rights of its citizens and would help reduce the mortality rate significantly. It is understood that guns will always be an issue, but with new laws we can set forth some effort to help keep our citizens protected and pre- vent future massacres. At the worst, we tried. But we cannot sit on our behinds until the next carnage occurs.

Kimberly Del Angel Entertainment Editor

Election campaigning in America and the Olympic Games in London made the months off of school memorable ones, but ultimately, the summer of 2012 was marred by something far more sinister.

Twelve were killed and 58 more were injured when a shooter turned his weapons toward the audience at a premier of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colo on July 20. Only a few days later, 10 people were shot at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and seven more in the shooting at Texas A&M. The bloody summer was capped off by a school shooting on the first day of classes in Ohio.

This recent onslaught of firearm violence has given proponents of increased gun control the ammunition to push their cause back to the forefront of national attention.

While each of these incidents was tragic and devastating, tightening the regulation of guns or banning their sale altogether would be an overreaction of cosmic proportions.

Cars and tobacco are responsible for more deaths each year than guns. Should the sale of cars and cigarettes be restricted by the government? If a man falls down the stairs and dies, should we ban stairs?

The guns are not responsible for homicide. People are responsible for homicide. We need to address the roots of the problems that cause these crimes, not the tool used to commit them.

Aurora was the result of police failing to act on numerous red flags about the killer’s mental health in the weeks leading up to the shooting. The Sikh temple shooting was the result of racial intolerance and blind ignorance.

These are the sorts of issues that must be improved upon to prevent future homicides in our communities, not banning or restricting the sale of guns.

Do you want to know what benefit enhanced gun regulation would have? Absolutely none. In fact, it would actually make the job easier for potential murderers. Criminals will get their hands on a gun one way or another. If criminals cannot buy guns legally, they will get them illegally.

Here is the crux of the matter: the only thing ramping up gun control would do is take guns out of the hands of the victims and ensure that criminals are the only ones with guns.

It is essential that the citizens’ right to bear arms is not infringed upon. If someone in the Aurora movie theater or Sikh Temple had a gun on them for defense, the loss of life could have been greatly reduced.

A survey determined that 40 percent of convicted felons had at one time decided to not commit a violent crime because they suspected that the victim possessed a gun. Seventy percent of felons reported that either they or a peer had at one point been deterred from committing a violent crime by a citizen who shot at them or wounded them.

Heightened gun control would prevent citizens from taking such actions – actions to defend themselves. Don’t just take the criminals’ word for it. Gun control has been proven to backfire and result in an increase in crime.

In 1976, Washington D.C. passed a law prohibiting its citizens from possessing handguns.

While this law was in effect, the city’s murder rate averaged 73 percent higher than it did before – despite the national average decreasing by 11 percent during this time. Similar situations in Chicago and other cities have proven that gun control laws have catastrophic and unintended consequences.

The 1976 Gun Control Law in Washington D.C. was struck down as unconstitutional in 2008. Denying citizens the right to own a gun is paramount to tyrannical. It goes directly against the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees the people’s right “to keep and bear arms”.

That is not the only lesson history can teach us about the negative consequences of a gun ban.

If a law were passed in 2012 that restricted the purchase of guns, it would follow a very similar path to the government’s attempt to prohibit alcohol in the 1920s. It would lead to a sprawling black market to support the undiminished demand for guns – people will still feel the need for weapons to defend themself.

And just like with alcohol in the 1920s, this black market will lead to a huge spike in organized crime, and – you guessed it – more risk of homicide.

Terrible people used guns to do terrible things this summer.

Though I understand the need to act now to prevent future atrocities, more gun control is not the solution. We need to address the roots of the problems that cause homicides to occur, not the tool used to commit them.

Thomas Hair Opinions Editor

Eric Park Senior "I say [gun control laws need to be] more strict. First of all, people seem to use handguns as destructive. People conform to society and will do more destructive things; guns are detrimental to society."

Sean Bagley Assistant Principal "[Gun control] is necessary with all of the unstable people in society. We need a good system of checks and balances to address the problem. I think where we are now is a good place with the law because at some point, it's not going to matter. If someone really wants to get ahold of a gun, they will get ahold of it."

Seshu Brahma Freshman "[Gun control] should be more strict so psychologically disturbed people can't get their hands on guns."

Morgan Koranda Senior "Gun control laws are fine as they are. They don't need to get stricter; we have the right to bear arms. I don't think the freedom should be taken away. I don't think stricter laws will stop people from getting guns; people should be able to defend themselves."

Joe Carroll Sophomore "Not much can really be done about [gun control]. Maybe the hidden gun law should be stricter with a background check. People should still have the right to hold guns; it's America."

6 opinions

OCTOBER 2012

Editorial

Students take political freedom, voting for granted

Every country has its faults, but the United States is truly the land of the free, the land of opportunity. People can always find something to complain about, but if it came down to it, most everyone in America would prefer to have things stay exactly the same over living in another nation.

Most people - especially the youth - take this freedom for granted. They forget that other nations are nothing like the United States. Although the economy is in a recession, Americans still have the privilege of entrepreneurship and the opportunity to change their circumstances. Some

people may not agree with our leaders, but at least they have the ability to elect them.

The youth of America seem to think that their vote will not be pivotal.

Democracy will always exist in America. Minorities will always be minorities. The economy will never be severe enough to place the population in poverty. A president’s decisions will not affect my life that much.

These are the lies we tell ourselves to rationalize why we do not need to pay too much attention to politics or effectively participate in voting. The truth is

to the contrary: democracy will always exist in America if we fight to keep it that way.

In a dystopian society, we turn our eyes away from the government, approve new fancy technology laws, like VeriSign, and end up not being able to buy or sell goods. That is an extreme scenario, but anything can happen when people are not watching.

Young people, who tend to lean towards the liberal side, generally have low political participation. That means that conservatives are often over-represented and control policies. This is not an issue because they’re

conservative policies- the case would be the same if it were the other way around - it is because the population is not represented accurately. If seniors become the majority of voters, we could end up with an increased Social Security cut coming out of our paycheck and funds toward schooling slashed.

It is important for young people to participate in our political system and vote because we are the future. More often than not, policy changes take time to reap consequences, positive or negative. The youth is the group that should be thinking long term

because it is our future it will affect. Graying congressmen are not too concerned with how their decisions end up thirty years down the road. We should be.

The presidential election is next month and many of Coppell High School’s seniors will be eligible to vote. It is time we pay a little more attention in Government class, keep up with current events and prepare ourselves to hit the voting booths come November.

The United States gives its citizens an avenue to make a change: voting. We could be the generation to change the world, and all we have to do is vote.

COMMENTS from the

Graphic by Lauren Ussery

Teens need break from the law

This city is breeding teenage criminals.

Coppell is not a seedy place.

If you’re in a “bad part of town,” that simply means that there are no ice cream places within a one mile radius. Crime rates are low, but “criminal” activity among teens is not.

The city shuts down early.

The parks close at sunset, the bakeries at 7 p.m., the restaurants at 10 p.m.; curfew is 11 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on the weekends, leaving an entire generation of young people shut in for the night or seeking refuge at the only 24-hour establishment in the city.

If you think the majority of teens are sitting in their friends’ living rooms playing Canasta and watching ABC Family movies while their parents sip tea in the other room, stop reading. I would hate to ruin that for you.

On the other hand, though, it’s not as if teens are out in the woods at midnight practicing satanic rituals, but from the way the city restricts us, you would think that was what we are all doing.

Anyone who goes on a walk past curfew is at risk of getting

stopped by a police officer. Anyone who sits in the parking lot of a closed business, thinking of what to do next, can be questioned for suspicious behavior. By these standards, almost every student at CHS has been a “criminal” at one point in his or her life.

I know these kids. I’m friends with these kids. These kids are intelligent, fun and sociable.

And they are just as bored living this routine as I am watching it.

It’s always the same with me and my friends. We’ll meet up for dinner, someplace like Corner Bakery if we’re feeling fancy (but we’re usually not feeling fancy), then we play the ever-so-enjoyable game of “Now what?”

The answer is nothing.

There is absolutely nothing legal for us to do after dark, aside from staying in and watching Mary Kate and Ashley specials on VHS. I find this to be rather disconcerting.

In short, I live in a town where the police force’s primary job is keeping teenagers in check.

But why do we pose such a threat? Personally, I don’t see the harm in my sitting at Andy Brown West at 9 p.m. Chances

are, teens who are out in public are far less likely to be doing illegal things than those who keep to the indoors. Why criminalize activities that are a safer alternative to many options people turn to with the current restrictions?

If all the city wants is to keep us out of trouble, then it needs to give us somewhere to go. Make the parks a destination for things to do after 6 p.m. Make them safe, well-lit and easily monitored. Or perhaps encourage activity-based businesses to take up residence in our little town, rather than attracting more members of the food service industry (please, no more yogurt shops).

It is up to city officials to see to it that well-meaning kids are not tempted to turn to questionable activities. These people – not the parents and not the kids – have the ability to change the culture of our town, turning it away from this path it’s headed down.

Give us some options, Coppell.

We’re good kids.

WEB

Coppell starts season with big bang against Longview Go Cowboys! Offense and Defense looked phenomenal. Looking forward to this season!

-CC

Coppell gets bitten by West Nile virus The cross-country team practices almost every day; these students have taken some precautions to ensure safety from West Nile virus.

-Daisey Grisham

21 National Merit Semifinalists set Coppell record Congratulations to all the winners. What was the cutoff score?

-Phillip

Michelle Pitcher Editor-in-Chief

The Sidekick is the official student newspaper for Coppell High School. Its purpose is to inform, entertain and provide an educational resource for its readers. This newspaper is a public forum for student expression and thus student editors make all content decisions.

The Sidekick is a member of ILPC, NSPA and JEA. The Sidekick was the NSPA Pacemaker finalist in 2002, Online Pacemaker finalist in 2012, The Dallas Morning News best newspaper honorable mention in 2006, Best Newspaper in 2011 and 2012 and Best Website in 2009 and 2011. It also received the Award of Distinguished Merit in 2003 and 2008 and is Bronze Star recipient for 2009 from ILPC. The editorials

and columns presented in this paper reflect the views of their writers.

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

For more information you may reach the adviser in his classroom (D115) or by phone at (214) 496-6239.

To read more stories by The Sidekick staff members, and also to find videos and photos, you can visit coppellstudentmedia. com.

The Sidekick welcomes all letters to the editor, but letters must be signed before consideration for publication. Send letters to cwofford@coppellisd. com or bring them by D115.

opinions 7

OCTOBER 2012

Shepard says time to teach coaches gentle rejection It is not an unusual sight. break the bad news are downWhen the results of a tryout or right hurtful and embarrassing. audition are posted on the door I will never forget a club volof a gym or auditorium, students leyball tryout I attended during are divided in emotion. Some my eighth grade year. Thirteen rejoice, offer hugs and shriek years old, I was shaky and nerwhile others slip away in tears. vous. I knew that this club was one On a campus as large as Cop- of the more prestigious in the area, pell High School, or any school for and I was willing to fight for a spot. that matter, there are not always At the end of the tryout, the enough spots to coaches sat accommodate evthe group of ery student who girls When a student tries sweaty tries out for a podown on the out for something, they gym floor and sition. There can only be one lead called each should be role in a play and person who guaranteed two things: only six starting made the team, a fair and full evaluation name by name. varsity volleyball players. Not of their ability and the After the 24 everyone can girls who right to not be make everything were offered humiliated if there is not a spot walked they try out for. a position for them. in front of the And thus, a problem is creatgroup to get ed. What is the best way for a coach their envelopes, the rest of or teacher to break the bad news us sat and watched as to students? Is there a best way? the girls celebrated.

It is no secret that coaches I understand are busy people. Being respectful that the “sit-theand encouraging to players who g r o u p - d o w n were not lucky enough to secure a method” proves spot may not be very high on their quick and priority list. That is the problem. straightforward, When a student tries out but no one withfor something, they should be out a congratulaguaranteed two things: a fair and tory envelope defull evaluation of their ability and served that kind of the right to not be humiliated if embarrassment. We there is not a position for them. watched our friends and Some of the methods schoolmates celebrate, waitcoaches and sponsors use to ing with anticipation for

an envelope that never came.

In a school like Coppell with many organizations, tryouts and applications are ongoing throughout the school year. Any involved student has become accustomed to the different ways results are delivered to them.

Many coaches post lists of selected players on gym doors, or with a 21st Century twist, on their team website.

While I have found this met ho d to be most common f o r sports a n d

RIGHT NOW, 55.5% OF HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES

PLAY A SPORT ON A SCHOOL TEAM

PARTICIPATION IN SPORTS

C A N CO M B AT R AC I S M ,

LOW SELF-IMAGE AND H I G H S C H O O L D R O P O U T R AT E S ABOUT 90% OF INVOLVED STUDENTS

A R E L E S S L I K E LY TO EXPERIMENT WITH DRUGS

COACHES CHOOSE ATHLETES WHO ARE

P H Y S I C A L LY M AT U R E CUT TING THOSE STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT YET MATURE

PROHIBITS THEM FROM MATURING IN THE FUTURE Information courtesy of usnews.com and cwu.edu

theatre activities, it often leaves players hanging. Oftentimes, rejected students walk away from the lists with lingering questions. Why didn’t I make the cut? What can I do better next year? This method lacks closure.

But sometimes students do not want closure. If they make it, they make it. If there is not a spot for them, they do not want to drag out the rejection.

Some sponsors lean towards a more personal approach. Generally, this involves a face-to-face confrontation or e-mail, an explanation or justification and the cliché “Thanks for your interest.”

This shows the students that they were appropriately considered, but also causes the student to feel supremely uncomfortable.

Sometimes, all the student wants is a “yes” or “no.”

While many coaches have become creative with their methods of rejecting students, I have yet to discover a method that works u n i ve r s a l l y.

Coaches need to consider the nature of

their activity and use the most respectful method to let their students know the results.

There is no easy way to let a student know they will not be admitted, cast or recruited. However, coaches should be discreet, honest and cordial about the way they break the negative news.

In many Coppell sports programs, including volleyball and soccer, coaches will approach those who do not have the skill set to play on the team as soon as they realize this. Tryouts are excruciating, and the coaches should not put players through the strenuous conditioning if they know they are not interested.

Too often, coaches seem to forget how hurtful rejection can be. Anyone who has been cut from a team or not been accepted into a club can sympathize with the embarrassment and shame.

If coaches can make rejection easier for students, ideally, they will not let fear stop them from trying new things. When “I don’t know if I have what it takes” becomes the mentality, so many opportunities are missed.

Rejection happens, but it does not have to be made any more embarrassing or demeaning than it already is.

Kristen Shepard Staff Writer

8 opinions

OCTOBER 2012

Dads deserve more recognition, McCaskey says

I was watching the Olympics with my dad - a great fellow, a man I hope to be like in the future - when he made quite the interesting observation. A Proctor & Gambel commercial came on and announced how moms are the best and should be awarded for their efforts of raising such great athletes.

“Hey!” my dad said. “What about me?”

Yes, Dad. What about you?

What makes moms so special?

Why do they personally deserve their own ad campaign throughout the largest sporting event of the summer? What about you?

The only logical answer I could find is that P&G is simply against dads, and that was that.

As my dad said, “They just hate dads and it’s not fair.” Not so fast.

It does not end there, people. It does not end there.

While watching gymnastics, I noticed that they kept showing people’s reaction to the events.

And what pattern did I notice?

They almost always showed only the mom’s reaction. Rarely, if ever, did they show how one of the dads reacted.

Graphic by Sophie Nauyokas

There comes a time every year, about a month after Mother’s Day, when fathers across the world stop and think, “Hey! What about me!” Father’s Day is supposedly a day of appreciation for the people in our lives who are supposed to be just as important as our mothers.

Think about Mother’s Day for a minute with me. We go out of our way to make our mothers feel special. They get flowers, extravagant and thoughtful gifts and hand-made presents that their children took the time out of the school day to create.

Now think about Father’s

Day for a minute. The only Father’s Day present I can remember giving my dad was a crayon-colored paper tie I spent two minutes on at school. A paper tie.

Why don’t we care about Father’s Day? Why are dads seemingly unimportant in today’s society?

I began a mental investigation to find out.

After I blew the cover off the mainstream media’s anti-father regimen, I turned toward everyday life. What things do I do on a day-to-day basis that give moms all the credit without any mention of the dads? It hit me recently while I was sitting in a restaurant.

I was out celebrating my grandfather’s birthday with my parents and grandparents, and at the end something happened that changed me forever. The manager of the restaurant came by and asked a simple question.

“How many ladies do we have at this table tonight?”

I thought to myself, “Why would this be significant?

Why would this matter?” It turns out that the women who dine at this particular restaurant get free chocolate, while the men get to pick up the check. I do not wish to reveal the identity of this restaurant, but you know who you are, and you should feel bad.

The chocolate was a wakeup call. No one cares about dads anymore. Dads are just there.

They are just in the way of mom sweeping in and being the ultimate parent. It takes a village to raise a child, and when you can’t get a village you might as well use your dad.

Dads are underappreciated in today’s society. Why? I can’t really tell you. All I know is that I love my dad. Without him, many of the things I do wouldn’t be possible. So give your dad some credit. Go get him a real present for Father’s Day, not just a colored-in paper tie. Go show your dad that even though the rest of the world has given up on him, you still haven’t.

Lance McCaskey Co-Webmaster Photo by Jessica Rivera

Graphic by Haley Madigan

Racism still a problem at CHS Sometimes, just three words can permanently change your outlook. Even three words read on a tiny cell phone screen during a monotonous bus ride.

It was a particularly bumpy bus ride. I was sitting there texting a friend of mine, unsuccessfully attempting to block out the screeching chatter of the freshman girls behind me.

Admittedly, my friend and I were gossiping about another student, a black student named John*, whom neither of us really like.

We were exchanging rumors that John could soon be facing suspension. Speculating about a kid we find annoying being suspended was all fun and games until I heard the familiar ding of my cell phone and read the first three words of my friend’s newest text.

Just three words. I do not want to repeat the words because I do not want anyone else to be offended by them in the way I was. The words blatantly equated African Americans with animals.

I didn’t read the rest of the text. I just froze, struck by the malice of those first three words. Regardless of my lack of fondness for him, John is not an animal. He is a perfectly normal human being.

In today’s society, it is nearly impossible not to be racist. I’m not saying we all have a buried desire to run off and join the KKK, but we all commit minor forms of racism on a daily basis.

We do. No matter how principled you are, you sometimes expect people to act, behave, dress or think a certain way or like cer-

tain things because of their race.

Lightheartedly joking about the cliché stereotypes associated with various races can be funny to some, but there is a line we must not cross. We must not let these false stereotypes seep into our brain and change the way we view people.

We must not typecast our peers, whether they are black, white, Asian or Hispanic.

It has been a few weeks since I first read that text, but those three words of blatant racism have stuck in my brain. The more I think about them, the more disgusting they become.

I wish I had confronted my friend about the text to let him know how wrong he was, that I don’t tolerate that sort of bigotry.

My friend nonchalantly equating people of African descent with dumb animals is one of the worst forms of bigotry I have experienced firsthand. Just those three words can be far more hurtful than any physical pain. It can make an individual feel subhuman and belittled.

It can make an entire family, an entire race, feel subhuman and belittled, like apes on display at the zoo for their amusing primitivity.

Incidents like these remind me how recently it was that African Americans and other minorities suffered terrible discrimination in this country.

As recently as 50 years ago, blacks were cast off in sub-par schools and bathrooms. For some of us, that is during our parents’ lifetimes.

Slavery and segre-

gation are enormous black eyes on the face of America that still have not completely faded away.

Though no one sells slaves at the Town Square anymore as they once did in centuries past, traces of it remain today in the form of silent racism. Is discreetly belittling African Americans really any better than doing it brazenly?

All types of people are human beings, and deserve to be treated as such. Skin color has absolutely no impact on someone’s personality, intelligence or behavior. We all experience the same emotions and feelings.

Why is it so hard for humans of every culture to realize this fact and be more sympathetic with others?

My friend despicably labeling John as subhuman has opened my eyes to how much racism still exists, even at Coppell High School. This even includes subconscious racism, such as labeling that Asian you’ve never met as a quiet nerd.

Every person of every race has more to them than a stereotype.

We all must start doing our part to make the world, or at least these halls, a better place by treating people of all races with the respect and dignity they deserve. *Real placed.

name

re-

Thomas Hair Opinions Editor

Sept. 10, A delegation of eight journalists from Africa come to CHS to see the high school's journalism program EMAC along with student coverage electives like newspaper and KCBY. Photo by Rinu Daniel

Sept. 28, Passionate Coppell fans throw up baby powder at the beginning of the game to show their spirit, leaving a smokey effect.

Photo by Rinu Daniel

Sept. 18, STEM Academy senior Ryan Maloney works on his Arduino engineering project in class.

PHOTOS of the

DAY

features 9

OCTOBER 2012

Students cashing in on new economics club

site, but instead, making it and giving it to a good cause,” AgarStaff Writer wal said.

While the distribution of funds is a large aspect of the club, As the business world continues to evolve, students are the club is mainly focusing on looking into learning about busi- organizing themselves in order ness and entrepreneurship in to have a hands-on experience preparation for their future ca- that teaches important economic concepts as well as tureers.

Seniors Archie Agarwal toring AP economics and Kash Basavaraju founded students. “[Archie and I] the Economics Club at Coppell High School this year. Their goal both love economics, for the club is to teach students just the logic and ratioabout the art of economics. This nale behind it, how peoincludes marketing, finance, ple interact with each othaccounting and entrepreneur- er, how society works, at ship. They plan on providing a least how it should work,” better understanding of these Basavaraju said. “This inconcepts through creating and spired us to take initiative, get people to know about managing an actual business.

Last year, they were inspired economics a little more and to create this club after establish- to start up our own business.”

But before they could ing a business in economics class to donate to Kiva, a company do- start thinking about profit nating to working entrepreneurs and learning, they had to first around the world. While they think about the actual product for the busiare setting the business. Since it ness up to learn more “My goal is to make this is the beginabout economics like a big enough club to ning of foottheir previous expeball season, rience, the money is where people are they decided going to a different interested in joining it to aim their cause. for next year,” product at “I was inspired football fans by the business we -Archie Agarwal, senior to make an started in our economics class and I wanted to in- easy profit. Although the club is volve more kids in it on a greater still very new, they have made a basis, where our focus would not considerable amount of headbe giving money to a Kiva web- way, already thinking up some

product ideas such as clappers, T-shirts and more. While they have not finalized a product just yet, they still have plenty of time and many ideas to choose from.

“For the first semester, our main focus is the football games; we

Likewise, denominations of religion tend to stick with each other in church groups or Bible studies outside of school.

Christianson and Cacheria serve as the See You at the Pole leaders. They sought out to bring a diverse crowd together through the love of a Savior.

“When I would walk in the

social media posts.

Promotions through the school for See you at the Pole are allowed because the event is taking place on the national event day. Both leaders now recognize the importance of doing something for a bigger purpose and have stepped out of their shell to make a difference in the lives of students at CHS. “You do not realize how much you can touch someone’s life through a few encouraging words,” Cacheria said.

The event last year consisted of prayer, song, scripture and individual speakers. The coverage of temptation and stress, which is highly relatable to a teenager, started off the school year strong, but Cacheria and Christianson have been planning and preparing to further the spiritual experience of the attendees.

According to Quirk, those who attend See You at the Pole gain an experience that has changed lives through individual prayer and passionate worship.

This year, on Sept. 26 at 7 a.m., the leaders hoped to address more about intimate topics to truly involve the students, as well as touch on how to manage time and stress as they did during last year’s meeting.

Cacheria and Christianson have created a comfort zone for students from diverse groups who have all been through distinctive and painful experiences in the duration of their lifetime.

Now all CHS students of the Christian religion have something to look forward to each year and have people to look to when in a difficult situation.

JORDAN BICKHAM

are definitely going to want something that will be desired by the fans of the Coppell student section,” Agarwal said. “But our second semester, we are going to try to focus on other activities around school or maybe just something the seniors will be interested in taking as a souvenir from their high school.”

While the club seems difficult enough with the goal of creating a business, the club itself was difficult to create.

“We first had to set some guidelines and create certain objectives and goals. Once we had that sort of laid out, in some

shape or form, we were able to start publicizing it,” Basavaraju said. “That is why we started the Facebook group and added 50 people,

Even though White has a limited economics background, he decided to sponsor the club after seeing Agarwal’s persistence and dedication to getting it started. Now, as the sponsor, White is already impressed with how the club is going and where it is headed. s a “They k o y u hie Na have just startby Sop ic h p a Gr ed, but they seem to be and we actu- a l ly enthusiastic. They seem to be got some pretty good feedback.” committed,” White said. “And I But a CHS club is not com- think, based on what I have seen plete without fitting into the so far, that they will learn some school’s guidelines for clubs, important lessons about being which includes having a teach- entrepreneurs and having, at er sponsor. For the econom- least, a small-scale business to ics club, chemistry teacher Bob initiate and manage.”

White decided to help support With a full year ahead of the club and guide the students. them, the economics club has a White chose to sponsor the club lot to do and a lot to learn, but after Agarwal, a former student with their dedication and drive, of White, asked him to sponcer the profit is promising. the club.

“My goal is to make this a “Archie made two or three big enough club to where peoattempts to talk me into being ple are interested in joining it for the sponsor; economics is not next year because it is not only a my thing, and I wondered what good thing to put on an applicaI could really add to their activ- tion, but it is also just a fun thing ities and their projects,” White to do,” Agarwal said. said.

Christianson, Cacheria organize school wide day of prayer NATALIE GILBERT Staff Writer

On the fourth Wednesday of September, millions of Christian students gather around their school flagpole to lift up their friends, families, administrators, school and nation to God for the upcoming school year.

See You at the Pole is an annual day of student prayer.

This nationwide connection of prayer stemmed from a group of teens attending the DiscipleNow weekend in 1990. This act of faith is led, organized, initiated and attended by students.

At Coppell High School, See You at the Pole began with a small group of students a couple years ago, but the small gathering has developed into a popular community-wide prayer group.

For the most part, individuals at CHS find their niche in the system, or find specific friend groups dividing students by similar beliefs.

“You do not realize how much you can touch someone’s life through a few encouraging words,” -Zoe Cacheria, senior hallways, people who attended See You at the Pole and I would make eye contact and have an unspoken bond,” junior Courtney Quirk said.

“I not only get to help bring the community together,” Christianson said. “I get to bring it together through something greater than us.”

With over 50 students attending last year from simple Facebook and Twitter invites, Cacheria and Christianson hope for an improved turnout through the ability to promote the event during school announcements and posters hung throughout the hallways in addition to their original

Photos by Rowan Khazendar

On Sept. 26 at 7 a.m., students gathered at the Coppell High School flagpole to participate in the global event “See you at the Pole,” where they prayed together and reflected to the groups on their inner struggles.

10 features

SEPTEMBER 2012

Students work at covering expenses, balancing school CHRISTINA BURKE Features Editor

The four years students spend at high school are their last hurrah before being thrown into the world on their own. However, some students stand up to the responsibility of their near adulthood and do something crazy get a job.

Senior Ally Rood seems to have found a pretty good balance between work and school. She has been employed at Market Street for a year and a half and works almost 40 hours per week.

While upperclassmen at Coppell High School spend the majority of their time studying for their classes and living it up, some students choose to manage their time in a different fashion.

“The experience of high school students working a job is great,” counselor Debbie Fruithandler said. “Students work outside their home and get rewarded for doing something on their own. That is not only a good self-esteem builder, but it is also good for a student to see what it is like in the workplace.”

The transition between be- school year can be work in and of ing underclassmen and upper- itself. Between extracurricular acclassmen seems to come with a tivities, overbearing work loads load of responsibilities. During and trying to find some time to that transition, most students are relax, finding extra time for a job maturing into a working age. As can be difficult for some students.

However, other an unspoken students remain rule of society, I think this will help me determined to most students juggle the balance in the long run apply for their first job the because it gives me between personal work and schoolsummer before work experience that work. These worktheir junior will also help me in the ing students tend year, thus creto have different ating a boom job market. strategies and moof 16-year-old -Ally Rood, senior tivations behind workers at local them. companies.

Junior Connor Savard has Market Street, a local grocery store, is a popular place to been employed at American Eagle apply for a job among local stu- Outfitters for about four months dents. Market Street Manager now. After earning a fair amount Darren McDonald states that in summer wages, and in order around 40 of their 350 employ- to focus on his academics, Savard ees are under the age of 18. The has been working approximately company functions well for the 10 hours per week since school students by working around the started.

“I decided to get a job so I availability of the teenage employees flexibly by tending to over hire could pay for gas, my phone bill, and rely on different employees at and also just to have some extra different times. They take into ac- spending money,” Savard said. “I count the busy schedules of high balance school and work by only school students and create a com- working on weekends. It would fortable working environment for be too stressful to work during the school week with the amount those who work there.

It is one thing to be em- of homework I get.”

Savard takes both AP classployed during the summer months, but keeping a job into the es and dual credit courses at

“I think it’s important because it allows you to save money for the future and teaches you to be responsible.”

- Sarah Ritchie, senior

North Lake College. He keeps up stressful at times, Smith finds it with his schoolwork during the possible to manage her schoolweek and personal work over the work and keep up with her hours weekend to reinforce his belief at American Eagle. that school comes first. It is easy Some students take the chalenough for him to maintain the lenge of finding a balance between strategy of working just enough work and school farther than othto pay for his personal expenses ers. Rood works more hours at and keep up with his schoolwork Market Street per week than most efficiently. students work per month.

Junior Kaylan Smith has “I got a job so I could start also worked at American Eagle saving for a car, and so I would Outfitters for a little over three have money to go and do things. months. Smith works on average I have to pay for my braces, my 10 to 16 hours a week working to phone, rent, my gas and anypay for specifthing I do with my ic things. friends,” Rood said.

[Having a job] is not “There are defi“I got this job benite benefits from only a good selfcause I have to especially esteem builder, but it working, pay for certain as many hours as I is also good for a stu- do. I learn how to things that my mom can not dent to see what it is manage time and and will not like in the workplace. still perform my pay for such as best even when I - Debbie Fruithandler, am tired or run dance classes, a new phone down. I think this CHS guidance and a camera will help me in the counselor for my digilong run because tal photography class at school,” it gives me work experience that Smith said. “It is hard to manage will also help me in the job marmy time between work, school ket.” and Lariettes.”

Rood’s personal work Smith gets the motivation schedule falls into a category to put more time and effort than that adds up to more than the most students into her person- average student’s. As a reasonal work due to the expenses she able and responsible student, has to pay for her own. Although Rood finds it easy to manage

“i don’t have a job, but it will probably teach you time management, respect for authority and cooperation with your co-workers.

- Alisha Kalangara, sophomore

her time between long hours at work and four AP classes at school, still getting everything done by putting in a little extra effort.

While many students try, maintaining a job is clearly not for every teenager. Accomplishing everything necessary for the advanced classes that upperclassmen tend to take consumes an incredible amount of time, making it hard to judge whether or not they have enough time to work outside of school.

“You have to take each individual on their own and know what is going on with them,” Fruithandler said. “Sometimes you have individuals who are struggling with other issues, and if you add work into the mix, it might send them over the edge.”

Stressful as work and school may be, working on time management can actually prove to help benefit students in their futures.

Having a job allows students to work on time management by adding another time factor to their busy schedules. A little work can go a long way.

“Sometimes, if you do have a struggling student, a small little job helps them be more organized, do a little better at school and also feel like they are valued,” Fruithandler said.

“Having a job teaches students how to be responsible. Working for your own money teaches you how to budget.

- Alyssa Frost, junior

features 11

OCTOBER 2012

Rohde explores job, challenges of a high school custodian ERICA ROHDE Staff Writer

Custodian Margie DeLeon arrives at 6 a.m. and turns on the lights. She then cleans the office areas, checks the restroom toilet dispensers, puts up the flags outside and then moves on to clean breakfast tables. Cleaning around the tables, she watches a group of students leave out bundles of empty trays and wrappers.

She does not always expect students to take the responsibility ; this is a normal routine.

Students hardly know the name of this woman who cleans their messes, or the impact she makes on CHS and its inhabitants in a single day. She is one of the few who work hard for a good cause to clean a building to fit hundreds.

“Trying to keep the school clean is a challenge,” DeLeon said. “Sometimes I do not even take a break. Sometimes I will be working through my break. I try to get stuff done.

I like to work because if I stop I feel lazy. I really love it though.”

The jobs that the custodians complete help teachers and faculty a great deal with cleanliness in the classrooms and other areas around the school. AP Jeremy Varnell knows the effort custodians put into their work.

“They always go above and beyond,” Varnell said.

“Some of the stuff that they have to clean up at this high school that is supposed to be of refined young people is quite unbelievable. They do thankless work.”

Putting in a 40-hour week, in and out of a school day, in large and small groups custodians unite for a cause putting in the sweat and grit to benefit the student-learning environment.

For some, even their shifts are not enough. Many of the custodians leave their job at CHS to go to a second job they have.

“At home, I was not thinking about relaxing; I was thinking about a part time job,” DeLeon said. “When I get home I do not stop; I clean or babysit my grandson.

I would take a double shift here, but I would not have enough time.”

Several shifts take place for custodians. DeLeon’s shift goes from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Angel Gamez then carries on for her from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. After both shifts, an entire new set of custodians comes in for after school clean up.

Although the shifts are spread out throughout the day, one shift in particular

carries into the late night.

“My shift goes until 2 a.m.,” Custodian Blanca E. Alfaro said. “It is my last turn to make sure the school is clean and secure so the correspondent areas are clean in the morning.”

Cleaning the hallways, classrooms and cafeteria of CHS is not the only task custodians complete, however.

Their work extends to the field house, tennis center and football stadium as well. Al-

“Some students could at least throw their stuff in the trash; if they see something could they pick it up,” DeLeon said. “Sometimes they just kick around the bottles of bags or sometimes when they are talking to each other they will use a bad word, and I would just like to be respected when I am cleaning around them. I just get away when I can.”

Through DeLeon’s years of working as a custodian

faro has the big responsibility of cleaning the sports area.

“I am always in the gym during my shift,” Alfaro said.

“It is a pretty hard job, but I love my job and I love my responsibility. I like knowing that all of [the students] are happy and at a clean school, so they can be more organized and more together. --I also just want the students to be gracious and say thankyou for keeping it clean.”

Even though they put in an enormous amount of work into keeping the school a nice place to be, their work often goes unnoticed by students.

Senior Betsy Dean admitted an every day reality.

“In general they are underappreciated,” Dean said.

“People take it for granted that people are going to take care of things. Obviously the school couldn’t function without them. Especially with a school this size, they have a really big job to do.”

Outward gratitude from students would be appreciated by each of the custodians, but there are acts that work just as well as a heartfelt thank you. Doing things as easy as simply cleaning up after yourself when you leave an area of the school would be extremely helpful.

“Try to keep your area clean where you are sitting to eat lunch,” DeLeon said.

Try to be cleaner in general. Sometimes [students] see me working next to them and afterword when they get up they just leave their trash there.”

DeLeon also knows that respect would make a big impact on her and the rest of the custodians. Just like other people, the custodians are grateful of positive feedback and responses.

through elementary, middle, and high school’s, she has discovered a startling fact.

“Elementary schoolers are cleaner,” DeLeon said. “It is because there are a smaller amount of students and because there are more teachers who monitor the students very well. I do think there should be more teachers monitoring here at CHS.” To Gamez, DeLeon has the relatively clean part of the job. One area that can be quite scary is the destruction in school bathrooms and the vandalizing of furniture.

Due to the typical conditions of the high school bathrooms and the amount of work necessary to properly clean them, Gamez would like for students to take their part in keeping the bathrooms neat.

“Angel comes and stall doors are completely off or people will throw stuff in the toilets that are not supposed to be there, and he has to clean it up,” DeLeon said.

“That is his worst job.”

Some custodians have additional tasks added to their everyday jobs. For example, Gamez also takes work orders. This means the organizing of classroom desks on testing dates in every room.

“It is the hardest part because of the heavy things we push around,” Angel said.

“I find furniture destroyed while I do my job. Please do not destroy stuff.”

Angel and the other custodians work hard all day to provide a clean and healthy environment for CHS students and faculty. Their hard work amazes many people, including AP Kayla Brown.

“All that they do is just incredible,” Brown said.

“They know where to put the

tables, how to c l e a n off the tables, how to set up for different events. The custodians here, much different from the other schools that I have been at, they do a lot of the moving.

That is something that I feel is above and beyond in comparison to other districts.”

T h e custodian staff needs students to respect and care for school property and to keep areas clean to respect other students, teachers and staff. Their diligence and commitment to keeping the school clean should be met with e q u a l respect from the students.

“We want to keep it clean where students will not come in and say ‘gross, look’, or students will come in and say ‘that is dirty’; I will try to get there and clean it before they get there,” DeLeon said.

Despite custodians’ view about student cleanliness, they take happiness in their job and care for the individual student the best that they can.

“We say hi to [the students],” Deleon said. “ S o m e times they do not say hi but I say it anyway. If they lose something, or if I see the student drops something I will try to help with it. If they need help, I will help them.”

12 in-depth

in-depth 13

illustration of U.S. political bunting. Lexington Herald-Leader 1995

Student’s Guide to Presidential Race

By Thomas Hair and Lauren Ussery

Chris Ware color caricature of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

MCT 2007

Barack Obama Barack H. Obama is currently serving as the 44th President of the United States. Born in Hawaii in 1961 to a Kenyan father and Kansas-native mother, Obama was brought up in a hard-working middleclass family and eventually moved to Chicago and graduated from Harvard Law School magna cum laude in 1991.

He worked as a civil rights lawyer for much of the 1990s until winning a spot as a Democrat in the Illinois State Senate in 1996. As a member of the senate Obama worked on social issues and managed to pass legislation that expanded health care services and early childhood education programs for the poor.

In 2004 Obama won a seat in the U.S. senate. In 2007 Obama announced his candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, eventually defeating Hilary Clinton for the nomination. On Nov. 4, 2008, Obama defeated Republican presidential nominee John McCain for the position of U.S. president.

During the first 100 days of Obama’s presidency, he managed to pass a $787 billion stimulus bill as an attempt to promote economic growth during a period of recession. Additionally, he cut taxes for middle-class families, small businesses and firsttime home buyers. He also sought to reform America’s foreign policy and set a date for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

The passage of the Affordable Health Care Act, the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, and the capture of the al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden are all considered to be amongst Obama’s biggest successes during his first term as president.

Unemployment

Immigration

Economy

As job growth has slowed down over the past few months leaving unemployment rates around 8.2%, many Americans are looking for a new job plan that will help the nation’s economy fully recover.

One of Obama’s major goals during his first term was to help turn the economy around by creating jobs. Although the nation has seen 21 consecutive months of positive job growth, the slow growth rate has many concerned about the effectiveness of Obama’s job initiatives. As the election nears, Obama continues to actively push for new job policies that will keep jobs from being outsourced, which were central to his 2012 State of the Union Address.

If elected president, Romney would take an entirely different approach in combatting unemployment. The current corporate tax rates of 35% would drop to 25% in an effort to strengthen private corporations that would, in turn, have the ability to hire more employees. The nation’s wealthiest Americans would also see significant tax cuts.

The issue of immigration reform gained attention this summer as two important decisions were made regarding the path to gaining citizenship and securing the Mexican border. As the issue continues to gain prominence in this election, both presidential candidates are striving to solidify their reform plans.

After failing to pass legislation on immigration issues during the first half of his term, Obama recently passed a Department of Homeland Security objective which halts the deportation of illegal immigrants under the age of 30 who have obtained a high school diploma or GED or have served in the military.

Although Obama continues to enforce immigration laws, he is in favor of making immigration policies more fair by focusing attention on removing immigrants who pose a national security risk.

Romney is a strong supporter of strengthening the Mexican border, which would involve lining it with a fence. His immigration policy would also include a path to citizenship for immigrants who have served in the United States military.

Whether it be Social Security or taxes, the economy is likely the most critical election issue as the nation is still recovering from recession. Both candidates have different ideas about how to strengthen America’s economy.

After a term marked by high unemployment, Obama wants to reform Social Security by increasing tax on those making more than $250K to make up for the budget shortfall. Meanwhile, he plans to extend George Bush’s 2001 and 2003 tax cuts only for those who earn less than $250K. Obama still backs his 2009 stimulus plan and his opposition to raising the minimum wage. Under Obama, the federal government would subsidize farmers.

Romney wants to reform Social Security by raising the retirement age to account for people living longer and extend President Bush’s 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. He is adamantly against Obama’s 2009 stimulus plan and raising the debt ceiling. Under Romney, adults who receive government benefits would be required to work.

Health Care

Gay Marriage

As Americans continue to recover from the 2008 economic downturn and unemployment rates remain high, citizens who are struggling to find jobs are also left with the challenge of finding affordable health care plans, making the issue central to the current presidential election.

Often considered Obama’s biggest accomplishment during his first term, the Affordable Health Care Act was passed in March 2010 making it easier for citizens to become insured despite factors such as pre-existing conditions. Although the act originally generated concerns over its constitutionality, the Supreme Court ruled that it is constitutional as long as the health care is funded by taxes.

Like other members of the Republican party, Romney’s goal is to repeal the Affordable Health Care Act, which he refers to as “Obamacare.” While Romney criticizes the large tax increase required by the act, he supports mandated health care plans regulated by individual states.

The last time gay marriage was talked about as an election issue, in 2004, a strong majority of Americans were against gay marriage. However, things have changed. Recent polls have found that roughly 50 percent of Americans are in favor of legalizing gay marriage. Both candidates have been very sensitive about what they say on the issue.

In early 2012, Obama stated that he was “evolving” on the issue. But in May, he became the first President in American history to publicly endorse gay marriage. Obama is in favor of giving gays and lesbians equal rights to marriage. This is a bold step in civil rights that supporters applaud as being on par with the Nineteenth Amendment and Emancipation Proclamation. However, it may cost him votes in swing states that are opposed to gay marriage, such as North Carolina.

Romney is in support of a constitutional amendment banning marriage equality. The candidate maintains that homosexuals should be able to “pursue a relationship of love and respect and raise a family as they choose”, but that the term ‘marriage’ should be defined as being between a man and a woman only.

Photo by Haley Madigan

Drake Lovelady Senior

Obama or Romney?

Obama because I do not like Romney’s policies and Obama’s been doing well recently.

6%

would be undecided

Abortion Whether or not to ban abortion, the act of terminating the unborn child in a pregnancy, has been one of the central social issues of the 2012 Presidential Election. There is perhaps no other issue where the American populace is so clearly divided into two opposing sides: Pro-Choice and Pro-Life.

Pro-Choice. Abortion should be universally allowed. Life begins at birth, not conception, according to Obama. Women should have the right to make decisions concerning their own bodies. Pregnancy is a family matter, and Obama argues that the government should not involve itself in the business of the family. Obama does, however, want to limit the need for abortions by funding programs that promote abstinence, adoptions and contraception methods.

Pro-Life. The Republican Party’s platform calls for an absolute ban on abortions. Romney agrees that life begins at conception and that abortions should be outlawed, but is in favor of allowing abortion in cases of rape, incest, or danger to the mother’s health. Despite his more lenient approach, it is not clear whether or not Romney would oppose Congress if it attempted to put an outright ban on abortions. Romney’s voting record shows that he started out as pro-choice and has flip-flopped on the issue several times in his career. Like Obama, Romney would fund programs that promote abstinence, adoptions and contraception methods.

Shannon Von Strohe Senior

45%

Just the ability to get something done when they say they’re going to.

I’m going to vote for Mitt Romney because his experience in business may give America hope to get itself out of poverty.

I think they have to be able to listen to the voice of the people, but also have a good head on their shoulders and be open to other people and also have their own opinion.

I think it’s important to be fair and thinking of his people.

Which issue is most important?

Probably social security because the federal budget is running out of social security money and it will be gone soon.

49%

I think that gun control is a big issue just because the United States has the right to bare arms, and I think that if we take away that amendment that’d be a really serious issue.

I don’t know which issue is the most important, because they’re all really important.

Why is it important to vote?

would vote for Obama CAMPAIGN-BATTLEGROUNDS, McClatchy Washington Bureau by David Lightman. MCT 2012 *Information as of Oct. 1, gallup.com

Photos by Jessica Rivera

What are important qualities in a president?

If America were polled right now...*

would vote for Romney

I feel like Mitt Romney has a good ground and I think he would make a good president.

Justin Domingo Senior

America’s voting percentage is terrible and it’s the only country in the world that has as bad of numbers as we do.

I think it’s important to vote just because people risk their lives for our ability to vote, and a lot of people fought for it and strived to give us the opportunity.

I think it’s important to vote because even if you don’t know who to vote for or not, you still have to vote.

Chris Ware caricature of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. MCT 2012

Mitt Romney

Willard Mitt Romney is a 64 year-old Republican from Detroit. He has a strong family history of success and prominence. His father, George Romney, rose from humble beginnings to become Governor of Michigan. Romney is married to his wife, Ann, with whom he has five sons.

The Romney family, including Mitt, has historically been a member of the Mormon Church. Mitt quickly established himself by graduating from Brigham Young University as valedictorian of his class. After a Mormon mission trip to France, Romney attended and graduated with Master’s degrees from both the Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School in 1975.

Shortly thereafter, Romney co-founded the successful Boston-based investment firm, Bain Capital. In 1994, Romney unsuccessfully ran for Massachusetts senate. In 2002, he took over the Salt Lake Olympic Games Organizing Committee, which was struggling due to internal conflicts. Romney almost single-handedly turned things around and made the 2002 games into a huge success story for Salt Lake City.

Using this momentum, Romney was elected Governor of Massachusetts in 2003 and held office until 2007. Romney was popular during his term in Massachusetts, reducing the $3 billion deficit and passing a bill that provided universal healthcare to state residents. Since then he has sought Presidential office, finally obtaining the Republican nomination in 2012 after being defeated by John McCain in 2008.

In August, Romney announced his running-mate to be Paul Ryan, solidifying the support of conservative voters. His platforms for this election include lowering taxes, strengthening the military, ending Obamacare, promoting free enterprise and privatizing healthcare.

Education Both Obama and Romney recognize that the future of our nation rests on the capability of the educations system to prepare students for the 21st century world. However, their ideas of how exactly to do this starkly contrast.

Obama plans to get rid of most aspects of Bush’s No Child Left Behind law. The President believes the federal government should be involved in education and has rewarded states with huge sums of money for best following his education policies. Obama believes that the key to America’s future is to provide every student with the opportunity to pursue a college education through Pell Grants and increased funding to Universities. He also plans to increase the funding of K-12 education by 2.5 percent in 2013. Obama funded a $1 billion plan to commence a program that stresses specialization in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in public schools.

Romney supports Bush’s No Child Left Behind law. Romney persists that the federal government should be less involved with education and spend less on K-12 education. Romney opposes Pell Grants and “giving blank checks to Universities” and says we should instead support institutions that are innovating ways to lower costs.

Romney is strongly in favor of privatizing the education system and reducing public education.

14 features

OCTOBER 2012

Foreign exchange students learn American culture biology to pre-calculus, Salviato must take on a complete course Staff Writer load even as she adjusts to the culture and language.

The first day of school is an “I have liked my classintimidating experience for any es, but the first day was hard student, especially if you are new since the school was so big and to the United States. crowded,” Salviato said. “I have Two new faces at CHS ingotten to take some fun classes clude foreign exchange students too like photography and dance.

Mercedes Rodriguez of Spain My host family helps me whenand Carolina “Carol” Salviato ever I have a question.” of Brazil. The two have recently Joe and Marilyn Barnett, begun an exchange program for Salviato’s host family, have been long time residents of Photo by Caroline Carter Coppell, whose children were in the school system during the late 1990s.

Though the two have hosted a foreign exchange student in the past, they say that Salviato has adjusted to life in America better than expected, and her positive attitude is making the process easy.

“She is just so easy to host,” Joe Barnett said.

“She is willing to try different things and has a great amount of courage.

We took her to a Rangers Foreign exchange students Mercedes Rodriguez and Carolina Salviato both game the second day she came to CHS from Spanish-speaking countries (Spain and Brazil). was here, and have been to their junior year in high school. change student and appreciates a Cowboys’ preseason game with Rodriguez will be in the program the special relationship formed. her, as well as the high school’s for 10 months, and Salviato will “I met Mercedes this sum- two [football] games. [Baseball be in it for six months. mer before she came to America, and football] are two sports that “I come from a group of so I knew a little bit about her be- they do not have in Brazil, but 73 students in Spain that are all fore she officially came to Amer- she is so excited to see what they foreign exchange students.” Ro- ica,” Marin Hulme said. “I helped are about.” driguez said. “We are staying her get to know the school and Although deciding whethin different parts of the United Coppell. I also help her with her er to host an exchange student States. In Texas, there are about language if she wants me to cor- is a lengthy and sometimes diffive students.” rect homework, or if she mispro- ficult process, the Barnetts feel Rodriguez, who has partic- nounces something. It is also fun that by simply opening their ipated in other foreign exchange for me because it is basically like home to a student, they can programs before, has attended having a sister.” greatly change and help their school in Germany, France and Like Rodriguez, Salviato life.

England, but for a shorter period had to complete an extensive “We felt that if a student of time. This is her first time in process to come to the United has the courage to come to a the United States. Rodriguez says States. completely different country to that she has enjoyed her experi“We first had to go to an learn our language among other ence so far, and that being a for- agency and talk to them about things, we would enjoy being a eign exchange student has taught why we wanted to come (to part of the experience,” Marilyn her independence.

America),” Salviato said. “We said. “It would give us a chance “I came here alone with had to take a lot of tests to test to help them through a difficult no family or friends, since they our English language. I have and scary experience.” are all in Spain,” Rodriguez said. been to the United States before, Rodriguez and Salviato “You become independent and but this is my first time for the have only completed the first few you grow up fast since you are in foreign exchange program.” weeks of their year in America; a new place. The host families are As a foreign exchange stu- both are optimistic about their very welcoming and have made dent, Salviato is required to take time here and know that their it easier. Everyone in Coppell has the same classes as any other host families will make the probeen very friendly to me too.” student at the high school. From cess easier.

Coppell Photo by Caroline Carter residents Kelly and Thom Hulme, who is also a Coppell ISD trustee, are serving as Rodriguez’s host family.

The Hulmes have served as a host family for the past. Last year, the family hosted Uxia Fernandez Bustillo, who is also originally from Spain.

“After being a foreign exchange student in college, I knew that I would want Junior Carolina Salviato sits with host parents, Joe and Marilyn Barnett, happy to to host other stube experiencing life in America. dents since I had

CAROLINE CARTER

a good experience,” Kelly said.

“Through this, I think that we have become a better family, and it has helped us become more patient with each other. We help the girls in any way that we can and show them our culture. We have taken Mercedes to a theater in Dallas and spent some time in Austin and San Antonio.”

Sophomore Marin Hulme, Kelly and Thom Hulme’s daughter, also enjoys the experience of getting to host a foreign ex-

Meet

s t n e d tu S e h T Mercedes Rodriguez Photo by Regan Sullivan

Spain Junior

“For me, [this experience] seems like a movie, with the lockers. We don’t have lockers in Spain, and the schools are smaller, we don’t have music between classes in Spain, and we don’t have a homecoming dance.”

Pia Buschhuter Photo by Mia Ford

Germany Junior

“The school here is big. Everything is bigger. We don’t have lockers in Germany, and we don’t have heavy books like here.”

Carolina Salviato Photo by Rachel Bush

Brazil

Junior

“The people here are so friendly, and I came here because I want to improve my English and become more independent.”

features 15

OCTOBER 2012

PSA looks toward future changes with new instructor ELIZABETH SIMS Staff Writer

The Academies at CHS received an unexpected new leader for the 2012-13 school year. Debra Johnson became the Public Service Academy (PSA) lead after the former lead, Brenda Brinkman, left Coppell High School to become the assistant director for New Tech High at Coppell.

“I learned about the Public Service Academy this past summer while looking at the Coppell website,” Johnson said. “I was intrigued by the concept of the Academies.”

Prior to leading PSA, Johnson has had experiences working in both medical and educational fields. Her background in critical care nursing gave her a job in the intensive care unit at Baylor Medical Center. While working there, she was offered a job to open a specialty school and work in the health science technology department.

“I took that job to try something different,” Johnson said. “I quickly discovered how rewarding it was to prepare high school students for careers in health care.”

To prepare herself to teach high school students, Johnson has been attending graduate school for nursing education. Research for these classes has provided her effective teaching and learning strategies she hopes to implement in the classroom.

“I hope to bring opportunities to my students that are more

relevant and meaningful to their interests,” Johnson said. “I believe when students have ownership in the curriculum, they are more motivated to work hard and master the skills needed to reach their goals.”

Johnson’s experiences in nursing and educating gave her the qualifications to take on the PSA lead position.

“The certification for teaching the health science technology class is very limited,” CHS associate principal Michelle Kellen said.

“The teacher must have experience in nursing or training, and [Johnson] had a nursing certification as well as experience teaching health science technology in Irving.”

Though the students in PSA miss Brinkman, they are happy to have an academy lead to guide them through the year.

“Ms. Johnson will be a good leader,” junior Kevin Songco said. “She looks out for us, and I am glad she was able to step up.”

Brinkman still has high hopes for the future of PSA though she is no longer its leader.

“My hope for PSA is that it would constantly change to meet the needs of the students while emphasizing service,” Brinkman said. “Who better to do that than someone with a career based on service?”

After witnessing Johnson’s excitement about PSA at the new teacher breakfast over the summer, Brinkman is eager to see the opportunities that will be set in place for her former students. “[Johnson] will be able to

Photo by Rinu Daniel

New Public Services Academy lead Debra Johnson is teaching students valuable lessons about health to take with them into their future careers.

create opportunities Photo by Mia Ford that we had talked about for the academy,” Brinkman said. “She can emphasize to the students that it is not just a career path but giving back to the community.”

With big shoes to fill, Johnson’s singular focus is the success of her students. She is excited to be a part of Coppell High School and leading PSA. “It is an honor and privilege to work with the CHS team,” Johnson said. “I look Juniors Hira Raza and Hannah Clark practice giving CPR and oxygen to the forward to a great year.” practice dummy.

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OCTOBER 2012

McIntyre sets the stage for performing arts future tually lead to the Jimmy Awards,” Director and CHS theatre teachStaff Writer er Lisa Tabor said. “The cast won a total of five individual awards, At a young age, there was with Emily winning ‘Best Acno doubt that Emily McIntyre’s tress’. One of the reasons Emily future would involve the per- had success is that she does whatforming arts. Little did she know, ever is asked of her. She really she would one day become a studied her character and took rising star among high school all the advice we had given her.” actors and actresses nationwide.

After winning the title of Having landed the lead role “Best Actress” at the regional in last year’s Coppell High School awards, McIntyre was able to theater production of “Beau- travel to New York City and comty and the Beast,” McIntyre and pete in the Jimmy Awards. She the rest of the cast and the othhave won numerous er 60 high She does whatever is school stuawards for their acasked of her. She really dents secomplishments. Individually, McIntyre studied her character lected to won “Best Actress in were and took all the advice attend a Leading Role” for featured on we had given her.” a television her portrayal of Belle at the Schmidt and show, which - Lisa Tabor, Jones Awards, the rem i e re d CHS theatre teacher pre gional high school Sep. 9. musical awards.

T h e “I was lucky enough to win three part TV series features the recognition of ‘Best Actress the 30 actors and 30 actressin a Leading Role’, which also es chosen to travel to Broadincluded a $500 scholarship,” way for a week of fierce comMcIntyre said. “It was a huge petition, long rehearsals and accomplishment because I was valuable mentoring. The week also able to come to New York ended with the Jimmy Awards. to compete against the best ac“Broadway or Bust is this tors and actresses in the country.” series that gives you a behind the In addition to McIntyre’s scenes look at what happened to win, other cast and production the competitors in New York,” members also took home several McIntyre said. “The first episode awards including Austin Huens, shows the process of us getting Sarah Bauer and Jackie Malish. to New York. The second part “Basically the Tony Awards is showing our ‘boot camp’ in for high school theatre, the New York, and the third episode Schmidt and Jones Awards even- is the day of the show. I met so

CAROLINE CARTER

many great people through it, and they were basically like my second family when I was there.”

Just being able to attend the competition was a huge accomplishment; McIntyre was awarded the “Rising Junior Star Award” at the end of the week. With this, she was given a $7,500 scholarship to attend Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh for a summer intensive program.

“Ever ything that Emily has earned, she has worked extremely hard for, and I am very proud of all that she has done,” Emily’s dad David McIntyre said.

“With her audition for Belle, she probably watched Beauty and the Beast at least 50 times so she could nail her voice and mannerisms. She always puts in so much effort to study her characters so they come to life when she performs.”

David says that

Emily always showed an interest in the performing arts. At a young age, McIntyre enjoyed watching musicals and big production movies, Phantom of the Opera being her favorite.

“Emily had tried a few different activities before she found her love for drama,” David said.

“We allowed her to choose her own p a t h and did not force her into a certain sport or lifestyle.

She was in cross country for a while, but when she arrived in middle school, s h e had caught the theatre bug.”

At CMS North, theatre teacher Brittany Reese

helped McIntyre develop into the actress she is today. Through the drama classes provided at the middle schools, her love for performing truly flourished.

“Emily really blossomed in seventh grade,” Reese said. “It was the first time that she had to do a distinct character voice, and for this particular play, it was a Russian accent. When she did it, she was just spot on and fabulous. Emily has a great understanding of how to use her voice as a tool, and she has a good feel on how to interpret scripts.”

McIntyre will continue to impress audiences this fall with the Coppell High School Theatre’s production of The Drowsy Chaperone. The production follows a musical loving man who puts on his favorite record, “The Drowsy Chaperone.” whenever he is feeling down, and the musical comes to life in his apartment. McIntyre was cast as Kitty.

“My character is the extremely ditzy blonde, which is the exact opposite role I played last year,” McIntyre said. “She is the typical obnoxious girl, but I am actually really enjoying this role. I have had so much fun playing ‘dumb’, and it will be a surprise to the audience to see me play such different roles.”

Though the role of Kitty is a very different character than Belle, there is no question that McIntyre will continue to shine in the theatre world in Coppell and rise up among young performers nationwide.

Teachers, students consider The Shallows’ ideas JULIE NAKUMARA Staff Writer

The extent of recent technology on Coppell High School is unparalleled; students depend on it, using it as a stress reliever, a communication device and for its vast database of information.

The Shallows, a nonfiction novel by Nicholas Carr, argues that technology and internet are changing people’s minds, affecting how they think without them even noticing. It proposes that the short bursts of information people have become accustomed to are shaping their once streaml i n e d thought p r o cess, replacing it with a more shifting, shallow concentration that absorbs less information while covering more topics.

With the accumulating amount of technology, the concern of it and its effects on both adults and teens has not been well received by the entire population.

The development of the internet, calculators and smart phones are some of which many voice their concerns about.

“Students are more rote

in using a calculator in solving a problem,” chemistry teacher Bob White said. “But they don’t necessarily have a grasp on the concept or theory; some of that mental acuity has been stolen away by the advent of calculators and electronic devices.

They are perceived to be a bother or a source of distraction in the education of students. Students seem to now have a hard time refraining from checking their phone or opening a new tab for social media and the like when working on online assignments.

Technology has been portrayed as an evil, a cheat source, a short cut and

an easy answer in an overcomplicated logical process.

However, not all see this shift from a negative aspect; in fact, several people embrace this, due to their experiences and positive outcomes.

“Last year I spent a lot of time redirecting kids. Now, kids are more and more in charge of taking on their learning,” librarian Lex Anne Seifert said. “They are on task and are taking care of their business.”

The CHS library is planning to change its title to the Learning Commons, since the librarians have already managed the space to be mobile and easily accessible for both virtual and textual learners alike. “ W e are adapting and changing to how our students learn,” Seifert said.

For others, this technology, though it has produced several changes in the student population, has affected them for the better, creating more dedicated and sharp minds. This can be seen with the updated classrooms making their way into current schools. It is a tool in which people can expand their knowledge on several different topics that they would

otherwise not have even known.

Whatever differences there are throughout the opinions, there is one thing both sides can agree on; these advances in technology are going to continue despite the thoughts of others. Increases in technological development and use of it in many venues is inevitable.

“Technology is here to stay,” Seifert said. “We have to learn how to use it.”

So has the technology created The Shallows? All that can

be determined is that for better or for worse, internet and technology will continue to influence who we are, where we will go and who we will become. It is the job of the student to adjust to the ever-developing technology epidemic and keep themselves from developing the shallow mindset described in the book.

“As technology moves along, you have to move along with it,” White said. “Or you’ll be on the outside looking in.”

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OCTOBER 2012

Coppell introduced to a taste of Zenzero Bakery TOLU SALAKO Staff Writer

Walking into Zenzero Bakery is almost like stepping into a time machine and being magically transported into the 1960s.

Classic music, such as Nat King Cole and Louis Armstrong, plays in the background, a perfect medley that immediately allows you feel at home.

With a rather home-like and comfortable feel to the bakery, the staff treats customers like family. The staff tries to satisfy customers’ sweet tooth, help them get familiar with the menu and help them make delicious decisions.

I ordered a slice of chocolate cake, expecting a normal “Happy Birthday” slice. Instead I received a generous portion, three times the size of a standard piece

of cake. My mother on the other hand ordered quiche and a loaf of banana bread to-go, all for a reasonable price of $15. On top of all of this, the Zenzero staff gave us even a complimentary fruit tart because of our rather large order.

Zenzero fortunately does not only sell muffins, quiche and cake; its menu is quite large, including cinnamon buns, pumpkin bread, cupcakes, cake balls, cookies, pies and much more. With all of these choices, there is bound to be at least one treat that someone can enjoy.

What I really liked about Zenzero Bakery was the opportunity to order pastries in advance and for pick-up, which is very efficient for customers. People can also order wedding cakes and loaves of different kinds of bread in advance.

As I was devouring my huge slice of chocolate cake with vanil-

la icing, I noticed how customers felt at home once they walked through the door. The staff was eager to help customers have a great experience and even informed them on the different deals available. Every customer who leaves Zenzero always has a smile on their faceand a delicious pastry in their hands.

With free Wi-Fi available and a light hearted atmosphere, Zenzero is a great place to get work done in a nice and mellow environment and share a tasty treat with friends and family.

Zenzero is very close to Coppell High School and can be a new option for students to spend their Renaissance lunches. It is conveniently located close to popular restaurants such as Palio’s, Quiznos,

Sonic and Zena’s sushi.

Zenzero is definitely a place that I will surely visit again. Open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, Zenzero is a great place for a fulfilling breakfast or lunch.

To find out more about Zenzero visit their bakery on Denton Tap, next to Palio’s, or visit them online at http://zenzerobakery. com.

Fort Worth band releases worthy debut album BEN COWLISHAW Staff Writer

I rarely listen to the radio anymore because so rarely do I ever find something new and exciting. Local station KDGE 102.1 FM proved me wrong when it featured a local alternative-indie rock band with a short history and a big future: Mon Julien.

After listening to a rogue single titled “Abandoned House,” I immediately searched for information on the band.

Out of Fort Worth, Mon Julien was formed from the remnants of another local – and now defunct - band, Black Tie Dynasty. Its music encompasses shades of The Killers, Muse and Radiohead, with a distinctive blend of alternative rock and dance-pop to form a fairly unique sound.

“Punchline,” the opening track to Mon Julien’s self-titled debut album, begins with a calm mix of ethereal tones and arpeggios that slowly dissolve into the

main beat of the song.

With the next song, “Darkest Hour,” the band quickly establishes that it has several different brands of song in its catalog with a very natural sounding acoustic guitar that foreshadows a later song on the album, “Boring Place.”

“The Inventor” is a highlight of the album, with an ever-prominent guitar that suddenly switches gears and nods towards The Kaiser Chiefs with clear, undistorted vocals.

A slow-down from the song before it, “Roll the Dice,” sounds borrowed from instrumental alternative band Explosions In The Sky in its calming rhythmic guitar.

The aforementioned “Boring Place” may be the best song on the entire record.

Avoiding over-cluttering by using an untouched acoustic guitar rhythm, the band leaves room for a layered vocal chorus that grows larger and more complex as the song progresses.

Nearly at the end of the album, Mon Julien has not yet

clearly defined what exactly it is.

The band continues to show that it either could not decide on, or tried their best to not have, just one sound.

“Wilderness” has an almost grunge-rock sound with a low, heavy guitar rhythm that sounds like a tribute to Nirvana. Halfway

through, it breaks open with a blindingly angry-but-not-angry, poignant coda, and ends with an antithetical chord of heaven-reaching optimism.

“Dreams” is a fitting title for the upward looking and innocent feel to the last song on the album.

The lyrics reflect vulnerability and

show signs of a real relationship where they would do anything for each other while still busting chops in every conversation.

Writer and director David Ayer did a fantastic job overcoming the ordinary clichés of a police drama using total momentum to grasp the viewers’ interest within the first fifteen minutes of the movie. He then slows it down to show us the chemistry between Gyllenhaal and Peña through their “ride-along” conversations, which are sure to keep you entertained.

It is not all police work.

Relationships are formed, family is brought together and the partners continually mock each other. While you will experience a lot of violence and vulgar conversation, you will still see the effects of being a police officer in a dangerous area like south central Los Angeles. The film serves as a “ride-along” with police under extreme circumstances.

There are a few holes in the “found-footage” aspect of the story. It still succeeds in giv-

ing the sense of realism, but you will occasionally wonder where the camera is or why a camera is there in the first place. The plot is exciting enough for us to overlook the errors, and there is never a moment where you feel the movie is going too slow.

The only unrealistic aspect of this movie, outside of the conveniently placed cameras, is the ridiculous number of dangerous calls the officers take.

There is never a slow day, and there is always a risk. Every single action scene is one that most police officers would describe as their most terrifying moment.

The film is carried by the strong characters and the intense action sequences. The story itself may take place over the course of a few months, but it has the “one day in the life” vibe. The actors make you worry about them during the movie and even after it ends. Performances like this are potentially “Oscar” worthy.

End of Watch reminds us that there are real people risking

their own lives every day for all of us. I highly recommend it to anyone who can handle large amounts of strong language, intense violence, drug use and disturbing images.

are asking for forgiveness for something not revealed to the listener.

While one of Mon Julien’s main members, guitarist and vocalist Cory Watson, moved to New York City, the group is still making music despite the massive separation between Fort Worth and the Big Apple.

The band is working on another album due out at the end of the year, and according to an interview with Pegasus News, Mon Julien may still not have quite found its sound.

“So far, the songs that we have are a little more pop, a little more electronic, maybe a little less guitar-heavy,” Watson told Pegasus News.

For a taste of Mon Julien, listen to “The Inventor,” “Boring Place” and “Wilderness” off of the self-titled album, and the single “Abandoned House,” all of which are available on iTunes, and can also be heard on live radio stations, such as KDGE 102.1 FM.

Gyllenhaal, Peña impress viewers in End of Watch WILL THOMAS Staff Writer

End of Watch is a “found-footage,” buddy cop movie about two young south central Los Angeles police officers who become targeted by a cartel after making a huge bust at a routine traffic stop.

After following up on their incredible weapons bust, the partners make a discovery that connects the man they arrested to one of the most dangerous cartels in the country.

They eventually learn the cartel has targeted them. This is a simple plot, but it definitely works in the way this movie was made.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña star as Officers Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala. The two actors have amazing chemistry, and are totally believable as partners. Officer Taylor is taking a film class, which allows him to carry a camera around with him everywhere he goes. The characters both

Rating:

A-

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OCTOBER 2012

Aspiring rappers prove One Love to be everlasting

QuentinX

(Left to right) Josh Angrinsano, Quentin Guillory and Marco Garcia-Blizzard stand together in the Mary Garden at St. Ann Catholic Parish in Coppell, TX. The group aspires to spread the word of God through their rap music. Photos by Lauren Ussery.

I learned how to beat box, so that I could hang out with people that Entertainment Editor rapped, and I got really good.”

As soon as the group began to “vibe” together, the magic It is a prominent Christian sparked instantaneously, and belief that the everlasting love and although their first song, “How grace of the Lord gives people the We Roll,” did not see the light, power to do incredible things. their second song “Blind Man” For three spiritual rappers, faith took off during a mission trip in has led them on the journey to Laredo and aired on HOT 106.1 a career topped with passion, FM, a branch of a well-known devotion and love. Together they radio network popular for its rap have crossed barriers that aspiring music.

“I was doing my thing artists only wish to accomplish.

Irving MacArthur senior during the mission trip, helping Marco Garcia-Blizzard (MGBlizz), churches out there, and there was Carrollton Christian senior Josh this DJ, from the hottest radio Angrisano (AugustFlow), 2012 station, basically 106.1 [KISS FM], Lake Dallas graduate Quentin but Laredo’s Hot 106.1—and Kurt Guillory (QuentinX) and [our youth minister] talked to DJ members of St. Ann Catholic Sammy, and showed him one of Parish in Coppell have all merged our hits, and he liked it, and said through both their love for Christ ‘Hey for my morning show, how about I play a and fervor for snippet of it and rap music to give them an form the group, One Love “The difference introduction?”

Revolution, with our music Garcia-Blizzard said. their way of is that it is real.

This helped spreading Rappers nowadays push the group God’s love and wisdom with just talk about to the next level and gave the world. girls and money them the drive “This all and it’s not even to create a mix started when tape, G.I.F.T.E.D. I first met about that.” (an acronym Quentin at -Quentin Guillory, for God Is First Stephenville, a rapper and Everything Catholic retreat; Disappears) we both started rapping, and everyone knew we over the summer. Through the loved to rap, but we never really church, the boys had support and met until the retreat,” Garcia- a medium of circulation. Recently Blizzard said. “Then we came they performed at the annual St. up with a name and ideas and Ann Catholic Parish Carnival the next night we had a rapping where they put on a show for session where we would beat box over 300 people and were able to distribute 300 CDs. and trade off.”

Their mix tape on Later, the pair was introduced to Angrisano, son of hotewhiphop.com has received over 1,000 views and over 110 Christian artist Steve Angrisano.

“I’ve always grown up loving downloads. They estimate they music, and my dad has been a will have over 500 new views at Christian artist, so I got to see that the end of each coming week.

“The difference with our life where he gets to go perform music is that it is real. Rappers and travel all around the United States, and sometimes out of the nowadays just talk about girls and country in front of thousands of money, and it is not even about people,” Angrisano said. “I grew that,” Guillory said. “We’re not just up loving rap, and then I heard trying to appeal to the Christian these guys and I was like that’s so crowd, we are trying to appeal to cool, but I could never do that. So everybody, so I like to think about

KIMBERLY DEL ANGEL

it, as a Christian point of view on all aspects of life—you hear a lot of stuff on the radio about how you should go live your life this way, but it is a lie. We put out positive music.”

Students and fellow church members have also noticed the group and the positive output of their music; they feel that this sets them aside from popular artists.

“Regardless of the fact that they are young and inexperienced rappers they rap about things that I relate to, and struggles that are present in young people’s lives that I like to hear about and that bring me up, rather than other rap artists that are out there,” senior and St. Ann member Clare Ruedi said.

Because rapping is known for its vulgar and vile nature, some of the boys did have trouble integrating into their home.

“As a little kid, rap music was always a cool thing for me, and my mom would always yell at me and tell me not listen to it, so I would have a radio that I took from my sister and I would secretly just listen to it in fourth grade in my bed,” Garcia-Blizzard said. “That is when I began to appreciate rap.”

As they got older and their talents began to shine through, their parents seemed to grow more understanding and supportive of their sons’ aspirations.

“The first time that he used rap in a competition was in a science competition—they had to do a weather report, and he used rap and won second place,” Garcia-Blizzard’s mother Cecilia said. “That was the first time I was like ‘hmm, maybe he is using his talents,’ and then he started using his abilities to write lyrics to express some of his feelings; I was very impressed.”

The relationship that the group has established with their faith is an enormous and part of their wholeness, and if fame accompanies their success it is their priority that their views and beliefs stay evident through their music.

“If we ever had the chance to go ‘big time’, we would never change our views and the way

we present our music,” Guillory said. “We talk about what we know, and God is something we know—but I necessarily do not like to be labeled as a ‘Christian artist’, because people should be able to hear my Christian aspects through my lyrics without saying defining me as a Christian artist.”

On Oct. 12, One Love Revolution will be featured in an album release party with another Christian rapper in the Dallas area, D-Ray, who has helped mentor the boys through the beginning of their career in the music industry. They will be featured in a song, “Wildin,” and will perform a song, which has yet to be decided, from their mix tape at the end of the concert. The concert will be held in Ft. Worth at Greenway Church at 7 p.m.

The group understands that there is a long road ahead for them, but they are ready to accept the challenge and show people what they are made of.

“People are always going to say ‘you are not going to make it,’ and that ‘you don’t have a chance,’ but that gives us a better strive to do better, and if anyone wants to tell us ‘you are not going to make it,’ we won’t just back at [their comments] we will just show them,” Marco said. “Keep it moving, and no matter what anyone says, let the results show.”

On Oct. 1, the group launched their website. You can now visit them at oneloverev.com for more information.

Augustflow

MGBlizz

l el Ange berly D im K y sb Graphic

entertainment 19

OCTOBER 2012

Intensity of Coppell dance rivals television show STEPHANIE ALEXANDER Staff Writer

The competitive side of dance has been glorified through the channel Lifetime’s show “Dance Moms,” and the notorious teaching of Abby Lee Miller, the owner of Abby Lee Dance Company. The show consists of screaming dance moms, the ever-competitive Miller and talented young dancers under pressure.

Despite being all the way in Philadelphia, the competitiveness of the dance community is right here in north Texas, but not to that extreme.

“The show is not far fetched, but it is not reality,” Dance Machines Dance Studio co-owner and teacher Sandi Parker said. “We do not have parents that are cutthroat like the moms

on the show. This will be our 30th year as a business, and all we have had was a small group of show moms that wanted to know what to do to get their kids up front and center. We do not have any fighting between the moms. We are like a family.”

There is no doubt that the drama on the show is captivating, but sometimes you just want to get in the middle of the fights and scream ‘enough is enough.’

“Those moms are totally over the top. The environment at Dance Machines is much more family oriented than the studio on the show,” Irving resident and dance mom Valerie Kaatz said.

Kaatz’s daughter Kyla, a seventh grader at the Zavala Middle School in Irving, is on the school volleyball team, cheer squad, in National Junior Honor Society and also makes time for

Photo by Rowan Khazendar

dance.

“The dance Photo by Rowan Khazendar teachers [at Dance Machines] have kids too; they understand the pressure and stress the dancers get from school,” Kaatz said.

“They would not have a screaming fit if my daughter had to skip dance for something school related.”

Parental and authority pressure is tough enough, but all that topped with schoolwork is a whole other load of stress that everyone can relate too.

Coppell Middle School Coppell Middle School North student Bri Margolis practices for her upcoming North seventh grader dance performance at the Dance Machines Dance Studio.

Bri Margolis and Coppell High School sopha full on babysitting job, hectic when their daughters do well, and omore Kenna Broomfield juggle homework schedule to be topped of course and they want them to busy schedules with off with three hours of dance always do their best, but they do homework and other three times a week. not push them.” outside activities, but “Dance takes up my Broomfield furthermore still seem to have the time, but it does not consume discusses that Dance Machines is spirit needed to be part me. I love it and it is a big part of a more calm and comforting enviof an award winning my life. Our teachers are much ronment than at Abby Lee Dance dance team. more encouraging then Abby— Company.

“I have a lot the pressure given by our dance “Everyone at our studio of homework, but the teachers is like positive pressure pretty much dances for fun, not teachers sometimes let for us to do the best we can,” a career. Some of the older girls us do our homework in Broomfield said. have gotten dance scholarships, our technique class, so Kenna’s mom, Mary but I have never seen any of the it all equals out,” Mar- Lynne Broomfield, is also a car- moms in our group put any presgolis said. “All they do ing dance mom that watches the sure on their daughters,” Broomon the show is dance. show “Dance Moms,” and thinks field said.

They seem to be drilled the show can be a bit overboard As far as reality TV goes, the to do dance, but we “They all [the moms] majority of the drama on “Dance dance with heart. We accept whatever the teachers say. Moms” is probably for viewers are We never argue or fight, I would and ratings. Dance Moms is going like a family.” consider most of us friends,” through its second season right Margolis has Broomfield said. “They are happy now.

Business proves Cox to not be short on creativity ALLISON ARNOLD Staff Writer

If asked, anyone who knows sophomore Lovell Cox would say the one word that describes her best is “creative.”

Cox recently put this creativity to use by selling her own line of hand designed shorts.

In mid-August, Cox began making and selling high waisted shorts she crafted herself by using bleach, lace, fabric and even sharpie markers. Her popular shorts can be found on etsy.com under her website name “artisticstormm”.

Cox has always been interested in fashion, art and creating something amazing and unexpected. She wanted to do something different that no one in Coppell would ever think of doing by using the materials and clothes she had at home. Cox put her creativity to good use when making her first pair of bleached shorts she intended for only her to wear.

“I received a few compliments from my friends on the first pair that I made,” Cox said. “At the time,

I did not really think much of it. I had no idea I would soon be selling them.”

Not long after creating her first pair, Cox received her driver’s license and gas began to burn a hole in her pocket at a rapid pace. Cox needed to figure out a way to earn money for gas and other teenage luxuries.

“I had just got done dropping my mom off at the airport when I found a goodwill on the side of the road,” Cox said. “I found a lot of high waisted shorts, and I figured I could turn them into something r e a l l y cool that o t h e r g i r l s my age would e n joy.”

A f Photos by Mia Ford ter ripping, bleaching and sewing several more pairs, Cox was ready to put her designs out there for the world to see and purchase.

“I found out that I could create a website on etsy.com and sell a few pairs of the shorts I make to people across the Sophomore Lovell Cox’s fun and fashionable shorts that she has made lay in a row on country,” Cox her floor, as she preps them to be sold on www.etsy.com. said. “So far I’ve sold them Cox’s mother, Ginger a young girl too,” said Ginger for anywhere from 20 to 40 dol- Cox, being artistic and cre- Cox. “I feel like reading music lars depending on how much ative herself, has transformed and knowing how to play an inwork is put into them.” the whole upper level of their strument is always a great thing The reactions towards house into a studio where to be able to do, but Lovell the shorts from people Lovell works on the shorts for wanted to take art classes more not only in Coppell, but artisticstormm, as well as for than anything, so I had to let other states as well has other projects. her do what she wanted to do.” been astounding.

“I definitely get my Lovell Cox knew right more creative side from my from the start what she was in“As soon as I mom,” Cox said. “We both terested in and decided very saw all of share a love for art and design.” early to take her talents and do L o v e l l ’s Cox’s mother majored something amazing with them. s h o r t s in home economics and mi“I am always trying she made, nored in costume design. How- to find more fun and creative I was blown ever, Ginger wanted Lovell to things to do and make because away,” sopho- take a more musical route in- doing things like this is somemore Kimberly stead of an artistic one. thing I want to do my whole Anderson said. “I “Ever since I was a lit- life,” Lovell Cox said. had never seen any- tle girl and I got my first sewWith her new online thing like them and I ing machine I have loved de- business taking off and a bright knew right away that her signing and being creative, but future ahead, there’s no telling business would be successful.”

I also played the saxophone as what Cox will do next.

20 sports

OCTOBER 2012

Gardner, Elliott fast pitch to collegiate baseball JULIANNE CAULEY News Editor

After four years of playing baseball for Coppell High School, senior pitchers Austin Gardner and Jake Elliott have verbally committed to Wichita State and University of Oklahoma, respectively.

For Gardner, the decision to play for Wichita State was inspired partly by his older brother Kris Gardner.

“My brother Kris is a senior up at Wichita State in Kansas so that’s where my first interest came from,” Gardner said. “Once I visited and looked more into the program, the more I liked and appreciated the baseball tradition there. They don’t have a football team at that school so all the attention is put into baseball unlike it is at some other big [Division I] schools.”

College baseball had always been Gardner’s goal after both his brother his dad Scott and brother

played at that level.

“My dad has been a big factor in me wanting me to continue on with baseball in college,” Austin said. “He is the one who taught me how to play baseball, and he pitched at the collegiate level and professionally for the Astros and Padres. I look up to him and all he has accomplished and for advice because he has been in all the tough game situations before that I have been in and will be in at the next level.”

Gardner’s control in these tough game situations is what has gained him much attention from college scouts. “[He does] his best each moment in the game trying to make the pitch even if the wheels have come off the wagon and the game has gotten stuck in a ditch,” Coppell coach Kendall Clark said. “Even when momentum has swung he is spot on with his pitches which is another reason why he is where he is, committing to play Division I baseball in college as he blocks all factors out

and focuses on his job.”

Gardner’s future plans include a career in the business and marketing field. If he gets the chance to play professionally, he said he would be honored and has the hopes of doing so.

Elliott, a starting pitcher for the Cowboys since freshman year, is the first of his immediate family to play collegiate baseball.

He chose the Sooners this August after pitching at the Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, N.M. After receiving offers from Texas, Baylor and Arkansas, Elliott selected Oklahoma due to its historic tradition of baseball excellence and college town feel.

“I wanted more of a college town feel when I went to play college ball and OU really captured that more than the rest,” Elliott said. “I picked OU because I just felt right when I went for the visit. I really like the coaching staff.

They feel more like a friend rather than a coach.”

Last year, Elliott was named co-pitcher of the year for District

7-5A. He credits much of his success to the motivation from his mom Kathryn.

“My mom has really pushed me and inspired my road to playing college baseball,” Elliott said.

“She has always pushed me to be the best that I could be. Even when I didn’t want to go get better, my mom made me go. She would even videotape me pitching in games so that we could review what I did well and poorly.”

This past summer, Elliott adjusted to new conditions for his upcoming year and collegiate baseball after being invited to play at the Connie Mack World Series by the host team, the Strike Zone Cardinal.

“This summer really prepared me for what is ahead of me,” Elliott said. “I learned how to control my nerves in front of a huge crowd because before [playing at] Farmington, I had maybe pitched in front of 500 people max. There, I was put on the mound in front of 8,000 plus people. It was the single greatest experience of my

Photo Courtesy Jake Elliot

Senior pitcher Jake Elliott pitches at the Connie Mack World Series in August. After this series Elliott committed to play baseball for the University of Oklahoma.

life thus far because of all the police escorts, the parade of all the teams through the city, staying with a host family and just how much the city embraces that tournament.”

With one more season ahead of them before they travel to school, Elliott and Gardner have high hopes for the team to win the district title and ultimately go to state.

“These boys are competitors and they have the ability to throw the other pitch, the pitch you aren’t looking for, and throw it for a strike,” Clark said. “They have an arsenal to pick from where some guys only have the fastball, which we can figure out. They simply have that fire to just win and win again which is just as important as talent. If boys want to play college baseball they definitely have to want to win. These college coaches were looking for boys that aren’t worried so much about their form being right, but the fact that they want of win the game for themselves and their team.”

Photo Courtesy Austin Gardner

Senior pitcher Austin Gardner pitches for the Coppell Cowboys in the 2012 season .

Gardner has committed to play baseball for Witchita State Universty.

Red, White make perfect playing partnership TANNER MCCORD Sports Writer

As one grows, the need to find a comfortable place where they can fit in grows with them.

There are several opportunities to recreate who you are as you transition between elementary to middle school and middle school to high school.

For some, finding this niche is a lot more difficult than for others and outside factors can largely affect where you think you may fit.

For senior Abby White, finding her place was a process, but since the day she picked up a tennis racket, she knew tennis was where she could shine, and shine she has. As a freshman in high school, White began her four year time on the Coppell varsity tennis team and just the next year was playing in the number one spot, and has held that spot for the last three years.

White began her athletic career at age five as a gymnast, which is as good a sport as any to start out with. Through gymnastics, she was able to develop as an athlete and her time as a gymnast has actually helped her greatly today; however after six years, she decided it was time to move on.

“I quit [gymnastics] so I needed to find a new sport,”

White said. “I just started getting [tennis] and was learning how to play and really liked it.”

Although she did not play for her middle school, White’s tennis career started in sixth grade when her dad, Rex White, decided to sign her up for a tennis clinic at Brookhaven Country Club.

“She did that for three and a half years to build up her technique and skills,” Mr. White said.

“She worked her way up in Texas and she’s been a super champ for the past four years.”

“She’s got this desire inside that you can’t teach, it just happens to be there. That is part of what makes her successful.”

-Jane Jackson, coach In Texas, most young tennis players earn their stripes through playing ZAT (Zonal Advancement Tournaments). Through ZAT tournaments, players are able to earn points and move up to the championship level. It takes 65 points to move up and winning a ZAT tournament will get you 65 points, second earns 32, semifinalists earn 16, and any other match win is worth four points.

Contestants can only enter one ZAT per month.

After moving to the championship level, the point process starts over, and a total of 80 points are needed to get into super championship level tournaments, where a victory earns you the title of super champ.

Abby actually came into her freshman year as a super champ before even experiencing high school tennis, her work ethic and yearning for improvement being a key part of her success in tennis.

“She’s got this desire inside that you can’t teach - it just happens to be there,” CHS tennis coach Jane Jackson said. “That is the part that makes her so successful.”

Due to her consistent super champ status, work ethic and overall love for the game of tennis, Abby has attracted the attention of several colleges including division two schools like Nebraska Omaha. The offers are there, it really just comes down to scholarship money and personal preference for Abby.

“I’m still looking, I haven’t found the right one yet,” Abby said.

However, she is sure that tennis is something that she wants to continue through college, and perhaps even as a career path as a coach.

Photo by Mia Ford

Abby White plays a match against another Varsity player after school, to practice for their upcoming tournament.

Abby White A Q& with

What is your favorite tennis memory?

“My favorite moment in tennis would probably be after I won my champ tournament to qualify as a super. This was important just because I got to compete with a whole new level of competitors.”

What makes you laugh?

“My family makes me laugh. We always makes jokes, and I love spending time together with them.”

sports 21

OCTOBER 2012

Coppell looks to state titles depsite various changes

Graphic by Sophie Nauyokas

You could basically use any cliché phrase to describe this upcoming year at Coppell High School. We are starting fresh. We are are turning over a new leaf.

We are changing for the better.

Whichever you chose to say the meaning is the same, from the newsroom to the football field, things are changing at CHS. I’ll start with The Sidekick.

This will be my second year to serve as sports editor, and though my previous year was filled with the ups and downs of being a first year editor, I am back. Besides that, there is not much that is

staying the same in The Sidekick sports section. Our emphasis is changing to make sure that every sport from football to golf has its place in our paper.

We have daily notebooks that give an idea of what is going on with that sport that week, and even give notice to the less talked about JV sports teams here at CHS. In other years we have been quick to push aside sports like golf and tennis to do multiple stories on the star football player and volleyball player, but not this year. Every sport will be represented in some way in the paper.

Our last big effort to improve the section and make sure that all sports is getting covered better than ever comes with the people writing about them. This year, instead of having staff writers that happen to occasionally write sports stories, we have sports writers. Their only deadlines revolve around their particular sport, and making sure it gets covered.

For many sports, the changes that came with a new year have only made them better.

The Coppell Cowboys football team came into this season with something to prove after a faulty 2011 season in which they didn’t even make the postseason playoffs. The Cowboys replaced their passing offense and offensive coordinator with a running offense and new offensive coordinator Michael Odle.

Along with their change in offense, the Cowboys also gained senior Colby Mahon from Bridgeport to lead the Cowboys as starting quarterback. Coming up from a Class 3A school, Mahon was new to the pace of 5A, but has proven he can keep up it all. Extenuating circumstance also took two players off the team this year, but the Cowboys have also proven they can adjust to changes in their line up.

The Cowboys proved that they could rise above these changes when they beat Allen 26-24 in overtime. Coppell was predicted to lose this big matchup, but a strong defense helped them pull out a win. With this, the Cowboys moved up to become the second ranked team in the state and fourteenth in the nation.

Despite all the changes, the Cowboys are currently 5-0 in their season beating teams like Longview, who was ranked eighth in the state, and Allen, who was ranked second.

The Coppell Cowgirls volleyball team also has something to prove this year as it no longer just another Class 5A team.

They are the state champions.

The Cowgirls lost nearly half of their state team when they graduated four seniors and lost two juniors, but have shown in their preseason that even the six new members have what it takes to do it again.

The Cowgirls last preseason game was against McKinney Boyd, who the Cowgirls played in the state finals last November.

The Cowgirls defeated the Lady Broncos even fast than before in a 3-0 match, and even did it without senior captain Cassidy Pickrell who twisted her ankle

on the third ball. This game was crucial to the Cowgirls season as it gave them the confidence to strive for state again.

One thing the Cowgirls are keeping the same is their two time state winning coach Julie Green. Green came to the Cowgirls last year after leading Lake Travis to a state win in 2010.

Green was the first coach to win to two state titles at two different schools in two years. The Cowgirls hope that with Green leading them again this year they will be able to do it again.

Though things will continue to change throughout the season and the year here at CHS, these changes have brought fresh faces, big plans and new atmosphere to the school. You can read about these changes through The Sidekick and coppellstudentmedia.com.

SAMMY ROBBEN Sports Editor

Katemeni hopes to lead CHS golf team to state STEPHANIE GROSS Sports Writer

Golf is a sport of concentration and skill. Many successful golfers start young in the game, but for CHS sophomore varsity player Chaithra Katemneni this skill has come quickly and since beginning 5 years ago she has even gone as far as half way around the world to play in tournaments.

Katamneni’s love for the sport began when she was just 10 years old. At that time, her father enrolled her in a summer camp and she immediately became interested in the sport.

“Golf is something that became a part of my everyday life,” Katemneni said. “I began to love it more and more from the tournaments I played, as well as the people I met.”

After getting a feel for the game, Katemneni began participating in many well-known regional, state, national and even international tournaments.

In November of 2010, Katemneni traveled to India to play in a weeklong international tournament where she had the opportunity to meet and discuss the game with PGA pros from countries such as Switzerland, Italy and South Africa.

“I asked them what I could do to eventually become a pro and they all told me to keep with it, practice extremely hard, and just have fun with this sport,” Katemneni said. “I took that advice and it helped teach me more about myself and the game.”

One of the most important and most remembered tournaments for Katemneni was the Starburst Junior Classic in Waco, Texas. Players from all over the southern United States and some parts of Mexico showed up to play in this tournament.

Thirteen year old Katemneni took her age division by storm and ended up winning first place overall, which was yet another success

“I asked them what I could do to eventually become a pro and they all told me to keep with it, practice extremely hard, and just have fun with this sport -Chaithra Katmeni, sophomore

to add to the many that she had previously achieved.

Once high school rolled around, Katemneni went out for the Coppell High School golf team. She made the varsity team her freshman year. She had a great first year and went as far as the last round of regionals.

Katamneni, who is a scratch golfer, shot a 69 last year during the last round of the Class 5A Region I tourna-

Photos by Rinu Daniel

Sophomore Chaithra Katemeni practices driving at after school golf practice at Riverchase Golf Club during the fall season.

ment and tied for first alternate for state.

“As far as being on the CHS golf team goes, the atmosphere is great,” Katamneni said. “I love all of the people; they really know how to make you feel like you are home. Since golf is such an individual sport, playing for Coppell really gives you that sense of family and for me personally, I like that alot.”

Incoming freshmen members of the team look up to experienced golfers such as Katemini to mentor them and make them feel part of the team.

“Chaithra is really friendly with the freshmen and makes them feel comfortable about being on the team,” sophomore golfer Sol Lee said. “They look up to her and learn from her as well.”

As far as playing in college goes, Katamneni aspires to play at Alabama or UCLA. She for sure wants a career in golf down the road ahead and college golf would be the next step.

With years of golfing experience, Katemneni hopes to continue to take her golfing career to the highest level and strives to constantly improve, working hard and giving advice to aspiring incoming CHS golfers and just young golfers in general.

“Just have as much fun with the game as you can. Don’t pressure yourself too much, just relax and do your best,” Katemneni said. “Always love the sport no matter what and no matter how hard you try, you cannot fail. All you can do is just keep improving.”

22 sports

OCTOBER 2012

Photos by Rowan Khazendar

Photo by Rinu Daniel

Kathy Krug, softball coach, sells T-shirts to students during lunch to support the Rakestraw family.

Coppell keeps faith strong for Rakestraw family continued from pg. 1 nosed in May, the Coppell Cowgirls volleyball team decided to give half of the proceeds from its annual beach volleyball tournament to the Rakestraw family. It was these same girls that decided to give to the family once more with the Cowgirls and Cowboys for Kamryn fundraiser.

“We just kept thinking ‘what more can we do?’” senior outside hitter Cassidy Pickrell said. “We designed the shirts, but everyone came together to support them. They get all the money we make, and just from the T-shirts it is almost $15,000.”

When they created the idea, the Cowgirls hoped to provide more than just financial support for the Rakestraws.

They wanted to provide strong support system of friends, teachers and students throughout the community.

“The shirt is a quiet show of support,” volleyball coach Julie Green said. “I hope that in some way it is comforting and feels supportive to coach Rakestraw to go through the halls or go around town and see those shirts and know that everyone did that for him and to help in some small way.”

This experience has taught the Rakestraws more than just about others willingness to help, but the importance of helping others if you can. Along with their feeling of gratitude there are feelings of humility and respect for all the people who have shared their experience with them.

“It makes you feel guilty for feeling like you have not done enough for other people before this,” coach Rakestraw said. “It is hard to receive that much and not give so that has been a hard deal. We have just been receiving, and it has really opened my eyes to just be will-

ing to help others quickly and with any need that they might come to.”

Coach Rakestraw shares these feelings with his athletes, who have been with him through the experience. Knowing what their coach has been going through has been a motivating factor for the team this year.

“It humbles you because it makes you realize how fortunate you are,” senior soccer captain Nick Hazlerigg said. “It gives us something to play for. A lot of us went to visit her in the hospital last year when she was first diagnosed, and that made us want to do anything we could for coach Rakestraw.”

The volleyball team designed shirts reading “FAITH, COURAGE, FIGHT” and sold them to students at CHS. After one week of selling shirts, they had been sold to every sports team at CHS and most of the campuses in Coppell ISD. Both the volleyball team and the

Coppell Cowboys football team joined together and honored Kamryn and her family by dedicating one of their home games to her.

“It is personal,” Green said.

“The kids become invested, and they wanted to do more. Our booster president designed the T-shirts and it has really just taken off. Every sports team and campus has joined in, and it has been incredible to see how the community has jumped it.”

Many of the students that have been supporting the Rakestraws this year have not ever met them. They do not play soccer, they are not required to help, but they still do. For these students, it does not matter who it is.

“Even though I don’t know coach Rakestraw I wanted to by a shirt because I knew how much having this extra money could help him,” track senior Leah Yates said. “I think it is really important to help others if

you have the chance to, and this was a great way for the school to come together to do that.”

For Coach Rakestraw and his family, the generosity of the students and faculty at CHS and around Coppell is overwhelming. The white and pink shirts can be seen throughout the halls and even the stadium stands as nearly every group or organization at CHS came together to support Kamryn.

“It is pretty amazing,” coach Rakestraw said. “We always talk about being a family here at Coppell whether it is through athletics or just the entire school, and this is a prime example of that playing out and being real. It’s a humbling experience for us to be on that side of it as receiving, receiving, receiving. We are very thankful for the support and the prayers just everything that everyone has done.”

Photo courtesy Megan Luttmer

The girls track team proudly wears the Rakestraw shirts. Many athletic teams joined to support Kamryn by purchasing the shirts.

Photos by Rowan Khazendar

sports 23

OCTOBER 2012

Personal RECORD New quarterback leads Cowboys Hernandez carries tune on cross country trail

Photo by Jessica Rivera, Illustration by Haley Madigan

Jenna Hernandez, senior, divides her time between running for the cross country team and singing on the Madrigal choir.

of CHS’ impressive chamber choir, anybody would be impressed with how much HerSports Writer nandez is capable of. However, Cross country senior cap- Hernandez doesn’t feel that way tain Jenna Hernandez demands at all. everyone’s attention with her “I wouldn’t say I’m some astonishing speed and agility on fantastic singer,” Hernandez any course she takes on, but her said. “I can hit the notes and ability to run isn’t the only thing I’ve been told that I’m good, that makes her shine. but I don’t consider my singing “Running” and “Hernan- abilities anything out of the ordez” are more than likely always dinary.” said in the same sentence. With However, senior Zeb White a personal best mile time of and fellow Madrigal member 5:18, everyone knows what she doesn’t think Hernandez should is capable of on any day on any be so modest. course when it comes to running, “Jenna is an amazing singbut very few know that Hernan- er,” White said. “She is a great dez also plays an important role leader in the choir and was the in the Madrigal choir at Coppell only sophomore girl to make the High School.

Madrigal choir “She’s in cross two years ago, “ T h e Madrigal choir country as well as choir which is very imis the chamber which is crazy and so pressive.” choir at the With both because cross high school. awesome country We sing mostly the time put into both and choir, there R e n a i s s a n c e of those activities is is no doubt that music which any normal high is some of the astonishing.” school student oldest music of -Josh Brown, Madrigal would get overall time,” Herwhelmed, but choir director nandez said. “I Hernandez manlove it so much; it’s a blast.” ages to do both with a smile.

When hearing about the “With running and singMadrigal choir for the first ing and school work on top of time, most are shocked and all of that, anyone would think rather intrigued by the idea of she’d be going crazy pulling her a group of young high school hair out from all the stress, but students singing music from so she’s very calm all the time and long ago. welcomes any and all challenges “In the Madrigal choir, we that come her way,” White said. have a feast every year and we Madrigal choir director even make our own clothes for Josh Brown admires Hernanour performances,” Hernandez dez’s perseverance through said. “It’s cool because when managing her tough cross counyou’re in the Madrigal choir it’s try and choir schedule. actually like living in the Re“She’s in cross country as naissance ages.” well as choir which is crazy and Hernandez began sing- so awesome because the time ing the same way most Coppell put into both of those activisingers get started. ties is astonishing,” Brown said.

“I took choir as an elective “Even with so much going on in the sixth grade,” said Hernan- she remains prepared and condez. “I liked singing so when I sistent.” heard about the Madrigal choir There is no doubt with as when I got to the high school much as Hernandez has accomand it sounded fun so I figured plished so far at CHS that she it would be a great fit.” will finish out her running and As a senior captain of var- singing career strong in high sity cross country and a member school.

ALLISON ARNOLD

ALEX NICOLL Sports Writer

After the Coppell Cowboys had a difficult 2011 season filled with injuries, internal problems, and a collapse at the end of the season, the Cowboys needed some good news. The arrival of senior quarterback Colby Mahon has been the answer to their prayers.

Mahon did not grow up going to games at Buddy Echols Field or dream about playing for the Cowboys one day. He transferred from Class 3A Bridgeport High School, located west of Denton, after the first semester of the 2011-12 school year. But his football career did not start from there.

His story starts much earlier. Mahon could be considered a late bloomer by football standards by not playing it at the peewee level and starting in middle school.

“My dad would not let us [younger brother Blake, CHS junior tight end] play because it was seventh grade and you really could not start lifting weights until seventh grade, so it was a good decision to wait,” Mahon said.

After only playing three years of football, he was already ready for varsity. He played varsity football starting his sophomore year but did not see much playing time, and then things changed.

His junior year at Bridgeport, Mahon led the Bulls to a 7-4 record and became an All-State quarterback, eclipsing the 3,000 yard pass mark and throwing for a whopping 34 touchdowns.

Then his dad decided to move the Mahon family to Coppell, after much thought and religious conviction.

“The Lord was really speaking to my dad on a daily basis about how it was our time to be here and this is where He wanted us, so after a week or two with spending time with the Lord, my dad told us this is where we needed to be,” Mahon said.

Mahon did not know why his family had been called to Coppell, but thought it could possibly be due to the fact that the Mahons have ties to families in Coppell.

They are members of a church started by junior running back Gavin McDaniel’s dad, Danny McDaniel.

The new quarterback, regardless of why he came, has been

the spark the Coppell needs to have a great year.

With past success of Coppell quarterbacks, Mahon has pressure to produce. The coaches have already seen that he is ready to make the jump from 3A to 5A, as Mahon has led the Cowboys to a 4-0 start.

“He has a lot of experience.

He is used to playing on Friday nights,” coach Joe McBride said.

“He is like [2011 graduate and former Cowboys quarterback] Joe Minden, from a size standpoint, arm strength and some other things.”

To Mahon though, the feeling is different.

“It is a lot more intense, and the speed of the game has changed dramatically,” Mahon said.

It also does not hurt when you resemble a former player that the coaches can work with.

The new quarterback is the perfect fit for Coppell’s offense.

He is strong, accurate, has intangibles that only make quarterbacks great, and he picked up on the new offense quickly.

Coming from a school where the primary focus of the offense was centered on you, things can get a bit crazy when you are not the star anymore. Mahon came from an offense that utilized his strengths as a pocket-passer to create an “Air Raid” offense that uses five receivers, whereas Coppell uses the I-formation and runs the ball.

But this is no trouble for the All-State quarterback. Mahon came in and adapted quickly almost to the point where people thought he was there all last year.

“He is the type of person that, even if new to a school or team, will walk in and do his job like he has been with the team for a long time,” senior wide receiver Cameron Smith said.

Mahon is very dedicated to making sure that he will do everything in his power to make sure that Coppell is ready for their next opponent. This is the type of leadership Coppell needs.

“I am in the film room every morning, every day I go to practice and in my free time I take care of my school work so I can play on Friday nights and spend my time watching film,” Mahon said.

It has already start-

ed to pay off. Mahon already has proven his ability this season, leading the Cowboys to a 4-0 record and in impressive form too.

Across three games Mahon’s stats rank in the top-15 quarterbacks in the area. More important than this though, is that he has solidified his spot as a leader on the team.

“He (Mahon) is a great leader, a high character guy that the coaches can trust,” McBride said.

Even his teammates rave about him.

“Colby provides the leadership that is needed for an offense to be successful, not only during the football games, but also in practice. He consistently encourages the offense throughout the week,” Smith said. “He knows when to have a good time and when to get focused. His desire to excel has helped him to develop into a great quarterback. He is a key to our success now and in the future.”

Mahon’s future is bright and he is ready for the next level, wanting to play college football at the Oklahoma State University, but his goals right now hit close to home. Before he goes out Mahon wants to make sure Coppell wins a state title, does well in district and goes undefeated this year.

These are high hopes, but with him at the helm anything is possible for the Cowboys.

Photos by Rinu Daniel

Coppell Cowboys quarterback Colby Mahon helped lead the team to victory against the Allen High School Eagles on Sept. 28.

24 the sidekick

OCTOBER 2012