H iL ifeNov./Dec. 2004

1 Vol.79/Issue3 Nov./Dec. 2004In This Issue...

Information on Smaller Learning CommunitiesCENTERSPREAD: pages 10 & 11

From B1-30 Teacher

Boy’s basketball begins season on fi reSPORTS: pages 18 & 19

Brandi MotleyEditor-in-Chief

Clear Creek High School has undergone many changes in the past, but for the next three years Creek will begin its transformation from the inside out. While the exterior of Creek will be changing drastically, the inside will be overcome with new programs. Most buildings will be torn down, reconstructed, and rebuilt to better equip each smaller learning community. Each community will be given the technology, services and information it needs to each student in their fi eld of studies. There will be fi ve smaller learning communities ranging from The School of Visual and Performing Arts, The School of Business, The School of Communications and Law, The School of Health Sciences and Social Services, and fi nally The School of Technology, Engineering, and Trades. Each one of these schools is designed to help further each student’s education in a fi eld of study that interests them.

The School of Visual and Performing Arts includes courses for students who would like to pursue careers in acting, designing, writing, composing, and music. This school is designed to broaden the minds of students and expand their knowledge with a variety of visual and performing arts.

The School of Business offers many choices of courses for students who are interested in commerce, marketing, fi nancing, accounting, and administration. The School of Business is aimed at students who are interested in professions such as entrepreneurs, sales, marketing, fi nance, computer systems, economics, stock market analysts and management. Each student

enrolled within this school will be given the knowledge to further his future career in the business world.

The School of Communication and Law offers courses for students who are interested in politics, law, education, journalism and broadcasting. The School of Communication and Law offers interesting courses within the journalism, government, law and public service fi elds to prepare each student

with a working knowledge offered in their area of interest.

The School of Health Sciences and Social Services includes courses for students to broaden their perspectives in education, health care, medicine, and social services. If professions such as psychologist, dentist, teacher, minister, physician, researcher, counselor, and EMT are of interest, then this school

is best equipped to extend that knowledge within these areas of study.

The School of Technology, Engineering, and Trades offers courses for students who are interested in creating and inventing. This school should attract students who enjoy problem solving and are interested in working with tools and equipment. If a student is interested in being involved in engineering, researching, statistics, mechanics, technology, building and other such trades, this school would best suit their needs. Students in any school may take any elective.

Along with the fi ve different learning communities, a variety of electives will be offered with the concept of each individual community.

Recently, juniors, sophomores, and freshman were presented with information through pamphlets and video on each learning community. Students were asked to make a decision on which school they would like to attend next year.

Corinne Anton Editor-in-Chief

It is becoming colder, Christmas lights are going up all over town, and families are buying freshly cut trees to put inside their homes. Yes, Christmas is approaching, and that means it’s time for Creek’s annual Christmas Dance. This dance is probably the most anticipated social event of the school year. It is a time for seniors, juniors and some specially chosen sophomore girls to chose a date and dance the night away.

The theme chosen this year is A Hollywood Christmas with the Stars and will take place Sunday, December 19, at the Doyle Convention Center in Texas City. This eventful night will begin at 9 o’clock in the evening to 1 o’clock in the morning. To be admitted you must have your ticket, a form of identifi cation, and come

dressed in formal attire. The Christmas Dance is held by

the Clear Creek Dance Committee comprised of over twenty junior girls who have spent many hours

planning and preparing for this day. The Christmas Dance is not school sponsored; therefore, the committee, through fundraisers, earns all of the money used to pay for the dance. This year, the Christmas Dance Committee has been hard at work planning what

they believe will be an elegant and joyous occasion.

Every year a new group of sophomore girls is selected by the current Committee to prepare for the

Christmas Dance next year. Each junior committee member can chose any girl of her choice to participate in the committee.

The Dance is held each year exclusively for Clear Creek’s senior and junior girls along with the new sophomore committee and their dates. Aside from prom, the Christmas Dance is the only other formal that occurs. It is the only “Sadie Hawkins” dance here at Creek. It has been a tradition for Creek girls to ask the boys to acompany them to the Christmas Dance. This is a very nervous yet exciting task.

It seems to make the event much more exciting.

Now the senior and junior boys can sit back and relax as the girls pay for tickets and meals for the night.

Christmas Dance A Night With the StarsChristmas Dance A Night With the StarsChristmas Dance A Night With the Stars

Smaller Learning Communities coming to Creek

Texas textbooks have a new defi nition of mar-riageFEATURES: page 13

Mrs. Collins becomes new PAL teacherNEWS:page 4

Simulated Photo by: Travis Hallet Girl asking guy to the christmas dance

Simulated Photo by Lauren Pourgahan Students ponder which school to pick

H iVol.79/Issue3L ife2 H iL ife

Nov./Dec. 20043Opinion Survey

HiL2305 East Main St. League City, Texas 77573

2004-2005 HiLife Staff

Email us at Hilifenews@yahoo.comVisit us at www.texas.ihigh.com/clearcreekPrinted monthly. For advertising rates call:

(281)-338-5696 or fax:(281)-338-5631

Principal: Adviser: Technical Adviser:Executive Editor:Editors-In-Chief:

News Editors:Features Editors:Diversions Editors:Sports Editors:Creek Speaks Editor:Centerspread Editors:Ads Managers:Photographer:

Dr. Fred HayesWynette Jameson Richard RaschJan O’ NeilCorinne Anton Alex Ybarra Brandi Motley Samah JabariCory Stottlemyer Rawya JabariLibby Sanders Lu Lu ChengRobert Sierra Danielle LealAndy Collins Joey LatulippeKelli Herd Editors-In-Chief

S o p h o m o r e s

J u n i o r s

S e n i o r s

2004-2005Editors-In Chiefs

Alex BrandiSamah Corinne

John Smith Daniel Owen Lauren Pourjahan

Reporters: Christine Cucinotta Lauren Mathena Dylan Curtis Ashli PendletonDixie Hairston Corey SalinasJacob Shideler Natalie SalinasAnne Brown Jade VitelaDominique Smith Austin YoungNeil Golden Michele SalasKelly Groce Kristy FloresTravis Hallett Sarah DemelKatie Norris Caitlin DvorakAaron Marquis Jose Espinoza Rachel Keith Jon Rackham

John Lisano-BrackenridgeSandra ReyesNicole RogersAdam SchoenFeara SmithAlyssa SolomonBrittany Olsen

ife

How do you think Creek can benefit or not benefit from the Rebuild and Smaller Learning Communities and WHY?

“I don’t think it will help you choose what you want to do as a career but it could help you learn better because your subjects will be taught in a way that interests you.” - Alyssa Edwards

“I think that SLC will be beneficial for current sophomores and freshmen but for juniors it will not help because they are still figur-ing out how SLC works. It will take a couple of years before all the problems are worked out and by then the juniors will have gradu-ated.” - Timothy Chow

“I don’t think the majority of underclassmen know what careers they want to pursue and this system forces them to make a rash decision before they’re ready and it prevents them from exploring other areas.” - Heather Timmis

“Creek will benefit from the smaller learning communities because kids can find out what they do or do not want to do so they don’t waste time in college.” - Laura Vaughn

“In my opinion, the concept of being separated into smaller learn-ing communities is brilliant. It will challenge our learning capabili-ties and give us a better understanding of education.” - Van Black-man

F r e s h m a n

“Well, I haven’t given that much thought to it. I think that with the smaller communities, it will help students to achieve more knowl-edge easier and quicker, but at the same time, it will be hard for students in a way to become used to the new school environment and rules.” - Greg Brown

“Creek will definitely not benefit from smaller learning communi-ties. First of all, they’re organized cliques. Instead of preventing people from forming little groups, they’re encouraging it. What is the point of things like Mix It Up day if you’re going to be with the same 600 people? It ruins the high school experience of diversity! The people you’re with have the same interests. Most of my friends have different interests - that’s why we are friends. I’m also against changing the curriculum because most people change their major at least once in college.” - Katie Knoer

“We will learn in smaller classes of smaller learning communities, which is good for our preparation towards college.” - Kalid Arabie

“I think they should rebuild the school, but I also think the smaller learning communities aren’t a good idea.” - Marissa Hammers

“I don’t think we will benfit from the smaller communities. I don’t think it’s going to work.” - Jenny Kroynvich

“I don’t like the fact that you can’t see your friends.” - Samuel Vorgal

“I think Creek will benefit because the school is old and moldy.” - Carmel S.

“We will benefit because it’s a good preparation for college.” - Allie R.

“I think I will learn better because we are in smaller groups.” - Aaren Benson

“I think the school will benefit because we have quite an ugly school.” - Jamie Davis

“Creek can benefit from it because it will be a better learning so-ciety so younger kids can grow up with a better education.” - Alex Cisneros

H iVol.79/Issue3L ife2 H iL ife

Nov./Dec. 20043

Corinne’s World! ......Party Time!

Motley’s Crue

Alex-Tha-Great Gimme’ Some Mo’ Samah

Editorial

Samah JabariEditor-in-Chief

Oh my gosh, half the year has passed in a heartbeat. Seniors have only a semester left before we all go our separate ways.

This is a crucial time for us, because we find out if we have been accepted to the colleges or universities of our dreams. It is the breaking point that many students wait for all their lives. It could make them really happy, and show that all the hard work they have done for the past fourteen years was worth all the late nights finishing our projects and work.

M a n y students think that after they have been accepted to college, they do not have to do anything their second semester. Well, this is wrong. Your second semester is as important to your future as any other previous semester. Colleges take into consideration how students have done their last semester even after a student has been accepted.

Most students do not realize that if they mess up after being accepted to college, their college could pull their acceptance away or put them on probation for their first semester in college. This is the last semester of your high school life and students

should be encouraged to finish off the year the best way they can. This demonstartes that you care about school and that you will try your very best to achieve their goals. Also, it will prepare you for the upcoming college years.

There are a lot of people who think that college is just one big party, but that isn’t so. College requires students to put their old ways behind and learn to adapt to a new atmosphere. They have to learn good study habits in order to succeed in the future.

For some students, the second semester of their senior year is crucial because it will determine if they graduate with their class. Students are required to pass all required courses before walking and have the correct amount of credits, depending on the

graduation plan they are following. Not only do they need to have that all done by May, they also need to have passed all four parts of the TAKS, which includes the math, science social studies, and reading sections. So, students need to work hard and maintain study habits to have their ultimate goal fulfilled.

We have finished half of our last year here at Creek, and we should make the best of the rest. Our prom is just a blink away and graduation is on the top of our minds too, so lets finish this year as best as we can.

Alex YbarraEditor-In-Chief

In 2001, Alex Rodriguez, a shortstop for the Seattle Mariners, struck gold with the Texas Rangers, acquiring an unreal 15-year, $215 million contract. A year later, Donovan Mcnabb, the star quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, became the king of green in NFL history with an unrealistic, 12-year, $115 million jackpot. If that’s not enough money, how about Kobe Bryant signing a six-year, $136 million deal with the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers. Although these people are incredible athletes, do they really deserve to get paid more money than some countries’ gross national product? The fact that today’s athletes receive an outrageous amount of money to play games that children love is disturbing; it is leaving behind that fact that sport is played for desire and love, not for money and social status.

I understand that long and strenuous seasons of physical labor take a toll on a man, but my point is simple: if players love the game so much, which obviously they do since they played their whole life, why do they need the money to continue playing now? Is it because it is available? Is it because they get tired of playing for nothing? Or is it because of competition? The first major contract in Major League Baseball was in 1979 when Nolan Ryan signed a four-year, $4 million deal. Now, fast forward to this generation of ball players, and the numbers make four million look like the period at the end of this sentence. With athletes topping the money charts, our

generation has seen greed and selfishness become a persistent shadow over professional sports.

Latrell Sprewell, a current NBA shooting guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves is disappointed at his team, because they did not offer him enough money. Not because they aren’t playing as a team. Not because they didn’t win a championship; but because they offered him an ‘insulting’ three-year, $21 million extension. How incredibly self-absorbed do you have to be? In a recent interview, Sprewell said, “Why would I want to help win a title? They’re [Timberwolves] not doing anything for me. I’m at risk. I got my family to feed.” Are you serious? Mr. Sprewell will collect $14.6 million after this season, and he has the audacity to talk about feeding his family? Ridiculous. It is situations like this that are taking away from the love of the sport.

Thirty years ago, my father and his grandfather would attend Houston Astros games regularly. According to my dad, $35 was all they needed to have a good time. These days, maybe $70-$100 can do the trick. I love sports, as does my father, so we understand that the money we spend on the games winds up in the players pockets. I believe that prices of all professional sports games should be brought down, as should accessories like jerseys, hats, etc. This would ultimately lead to lower paychecks, and force the players to play for love and dignity. By lower paychecks, I am talking within the range of $100,000 to $5-10 million, with the occasional super paycheck. Still a lot of money indeed, but it will keep greed out of sports.

Brandi MotleyEditor-In-Chief

High school, many look forward to it in junior high and want to get out as soon as they get there. Those four years go by faster than lightning and leave many memories to take with you on your journey throughout life. One of the most important things in high school is to apply to colleges. This process is long and tedious and many do not realize that starts your freshman year with your G.P.A.

A student’s G.P.A. is one of the very first things a college or university looks into along with your high school transcript and your SAT or ACT scores. Underclassmen, do your very best in school and study. If your dreams consist of going to a big university like the UT, ATM, or Texas Tech, your G.P.A. is important.

Finals effect a G.P.A. a great deal and they are just around the corner. Teachers usually hand out a review for finals and although some do not count the review as a grade, they are giving it to you for a reason.

Reviews will have an extreme effect on what grade you get on your final because they remind you of what you have learned at the beginning of the semester. Juniors and seniors remember

the grades you get in each class will help determine exemptions from finals at the end of the year.

School activities are also something colleges look at. If you like to be involved or just want to make friends join some of the various exciting clubs we have around Creek. School involvement looks great on any kind of application or resume.

If you are thinking about applying to colleges or just want to look at your options, I recommend going to the college visits section at Creek at http://texas.ihigh.com/clearcreek. They announce when each school representative comes to creek on the announcements and you can sign up in the counseling center. You can go to the campus visits where the colleges have tours and activity booths to give a personal feel of what it would be like to go there. To start applying, go to two different sites. In Texas go to www.applytexas.org. Out of state colleges go to www.commonapp.com. It is a step by step process and guides you through the application process. If you have any questions about applying to schools or about scholarships, talk to your counselor or go to room A-6 and ask Mrs. Herd, our college and career lab teacher.

As you go through this process, be easy on yourself and do not stress yourself out.

Corinne AntonEditor-in-Chief

“May I take your order?” A phrase that many Americans hear at least once a week. Fast food seems to have become a way of life in today’s society. Everyday about one-quarter of Americans eat at fast food restaurants.

Cheap, tasty, quick, and convenient, fast food is loaded with saturated fat, carbohydrates and calories, not to mention it’s extremely low in fiber and nutrients. Thanks in a large part to fast food; half of America’s adults and one-quarter of its children are obese, which happens to be double the rate of a generation ago. Many people may believe that the popular chicken nuggets are healthier than other choices at fast food restaurants. Surprisingly, chicken nuggets are flavored with beef extract and contain twice as much fat, ounce for ounce, as a hamburger.

Even though most health problems related to fast food are not felt until middle age, some damage starts before children enter kindergarten.

Hoping to shape eating habits, fast food chains are marketing heavily towards children. Most of American school-aged children recognize Ronald McDonald from eating there at least once a month.

This fast food craze is becoming an out of control habit for manyAmericans. Obesity is becoming a world wide epidemic, and the “All American” way

of eating is part of the problem. Our society is putting health behind time and money. To be honest, our priorities are just a little out of sorts. Eating so much fast food has become a serious problem, not only posing long term risks of high fat, or a high calorie diet, but causing serious health

problems. Our society needs to realize what we are doing to ourselves, and begin changing our eating habits.

Next time you are on the go and hungry, consider stopping at the nearest deli or picking up a packaged salad at the closest grocery store. A slight change in how you eat can make a big difference.

H iVol.79/Issue3L ife4 H iL ife

Nov./Dec. 20045News

Briefly Speaking....Briefly Speaking....Briefly Speaking.....

PALs put on a showCory Stottlemyer News Editor

Every year, schools across League City celebrate Red Ribbon Week. Students, teachers, and school organizations all help out by decorating the schools with red ribbons, posters, and other decorations that help promote the week’s purpose: help students stay drug and alcohol free. This year, the Clear Creek PALs helped out by traveling around League City and performing skits for elementary and junior high schools.

During the year, the PALs at Creek lend a hand to several organizations and activities, such as Creek’s open house and Holiday in the Park that takes place at League Park every winter. To add to this list, the PALs and Student Council helped to “wrap the town red”, marking the beginning of Red Ribbon Week. The PALs used ribbons to decorate 518 from the high school all the way to League Park. “We had lots of fun when we went and wrapped the town red. It was hot and very hard work, but we had fun working together,” said senior PAL Rosie Galvan.

PALs then went around to different elementary and intermediate schools to perform skits for the students. The Theyspent many weeks preparing the skits and creating different props. “We worked really hard, had after school practice, spent a lot of time making props, which the kids really seemed to like,” said Rosie. Making their own props for the skits by using cardboard boxes and other materials, the PALs were able to create a large cigarette box

and a large liquor bottle. Students had to write two skits:

one for the junior high level, and one for the elementary students. “The junior high skits were a lot of fun, some of the kids really got into it, and I enjoyed making them laugh,” said Justine Bruner, a Senior PAL.

In the junior high skits, twin brothers Adam and Armin Smith portray two boys who make different decisions. Adam decides to stay drug and alcohol free. Both boys are tempted throughout the skit by the giant liquor bottle and cigarette box, and Adam declines both times. At the end of the skit, Adam marries his high school sweet heart and becomes

a successful businessman. Armin on the other hand, falls to temptation and goes down the wrong path. His material possessions are taken by a mysterious figure dressed in black, which represents how drugs can take away your life and ruin it. In the end, Armin ends up as a drug addict on the street, constantly searching for ways to earn drug and alcohol money.

This skit had a great impact of the students at League City and Victory Lakes Intermediate, who laughed and cheered along with the PALs during and after their skit. “I really enjoyed the skits,” said Senior PAL Adam Smith. “The kids really enjoyed it and

they also looked up to us.” In the elementary skits, three

students demonstrated what to do when tempted by drugs and alcohol. Throughout the skit, Samantha Bates tempted two other PALs through three different periods of their life. While one student continually rejected what was being offered, the other needed help from “SuperPAL” to help them decide what to do. Senior PAL Kristi Anderson said, “I had a lot of fun doing skits at the elementary schools. The kids were really excited for us to be there and it really felt like we had a positive effect on the.”

Elementary students were shown that it is cool to not do drugs or drink, and that they have to make this decision on their own, since they will not always have the help from others. The students at Goforth, Ross, and League City Elementary all laughed and joined the PALs in singing the “drug free

song”, sung to the tune of the “Toys R’ Us” song. “The elementary skits were so much fun. The kids were so excited to see the PALs and they were very energetic about saying ‘No!’ to temptation,” said Junior PAL Lauren Martin. PALs were glad to help out with the skits and hope that the skits impacted the students. Lauren Martin said, “It was really neat to take part in Red Ribbon Week. I think that it is very important to show the kids how being drug free is the right decision, and I think that we achieved that.”

Student Council’s Busy Schedule:The 2004-2005 Clear Creek Student Council is off and running and a great start. The officers and general members are currently involved in events such as helping at Texas City Children’s Hospital where they are attending a Christmas party for the sick children. They are also going to be chaperones and helpers at the district wide (and a couple schools out of district) Life Skills Christmas Dance. DECA Takes Honors in First Meet:

DECA allows Creek students to expand their view of the actual workplace. With tests and role-play, students are asked questions and answer those questions to the best of their ability. When in role-play, the DECA participant is given a scenario and must come up with the best way to deal with it. Clear Creek participated in their first DECA meet this past November. Austin Rau placed 1st in Full Service Management, and Rex Hudson placed 2nd in Food and Marketing. Blankets For Sale: The junior class is still selling the Spirit Blankets for $40.00. The blanket is in the office if you would like to look at it. To order a blanket you can call 281-338-5615, or you can e-mail your request to

tradidio@ccisd.net

Cory StottlemyerNews Editor

After being the director of the PAL program for eight years, Mary Latulippe has decided to step down from her position and take the position as full-time Campus Leader and the Student Activities Director.

Mrs. Latulippe, who has been teaching at Creek for almost twenty-four years, recently went back to school to get her principals certifications. She began this year as the Student Activities Director, Campus Leader, and the PAL director. “I wasn’t able to put the in the time and effort that [the PAL program] deserved,” said Mrs. Latulippe. After being offered the position of full time Campus Leader and Student Activities Director, Mrs. Latulippe had to decide what to do about the PAL program. Mrs. Latulippe’s solution came when Nicole Collins, a Creek graduate, stepped in to become the new PAL teacher.

Ms. Collins, who graduated from Creek in 1995, has been teaching class and working with a Plato lab. Offering her time with the soccer class. Before coming to Creek, Ms. Collins taught IPC at Westside High School in HISD. There, along with coaching the girl’s soccer team, she created Westside’s

PAL program. With the help of Mrs. Latulippe as her mentor, Ms. Collins single-handedly created the HISD high schools PAL program.

Ms. Collins attended William Woods College in Missouri, where she played soccer. Ms. Collins hopes to be able to help more with the soccer team as the year continues.

Mrs. Latulippe has helped the PALs throughout the years in many service projects that have helped both the community and other schools. From Holiday in the Park to Red Ribbon Week, Mrs. Latulippe has been a great leader for the program and has helped many of the students develop into young adults. “I haven’t had time to think about leaving the program,” said Mrs. Latulippe. “It’s very difficult because I love this program and I love the kids very much. I know it’s in good hands now.”

Ms. Collins hopes to bring “Enthusiasm, dedication, and a commitment and drive to go out into the community and help out.” Ms. Collins said, “I’m very excited about becoming the new PAL teacher. PALs is a great organization and I’m glad I can help these students become role models.” She loves this program because it full of “comfort and happiness.”

PALs, which stands for Peer Assistance and Leadership, started the year after Ms. Collins graduated. Two of her younger brothers were PALs. One of her younger brothers, Andy Collins, is a sophomore at Creek and is vice-president of Student Council.

The PALs help out in the community and schools in various ways. The PALs students work with students who attend the feeder schools around League City. Each PAL works with either one student or a class for several months, maintaining a one on one relationship.

Ms. Collins hopes that her ideas will help the program grow and expand to help the community and Creek as well.

Though Mrs. Latulippe will be missed, she knows that she is loved by the PAL students and is willing to let the program go. “I believe if you love something, you need to be able to let it go as well. I do know that this program is in good hands,” said Mrs. Latulippe.

Mrs. Collins becomes new PAL teacher

PALs pose after skits, Photo by: Mrs. Latulippe

Ray Hutchinson Scholarship: Donations are and will always be accepted for the Ray Hutchinson scholarship. As we approach the end of the year please remember that your donations are tax deductible and that we will always be fundraising to help students attend

college in a fallen soldier’s name.

Uniquely Creek:Due to the extreme success of UNIQUELY CREEK, we have become the OFFICIAL website for Clear Creek High School. Congratulations to Wynette Jameson, Jan O’Neil, the HiLife staff and Clear Creek High School for making the list of Top 100 School Websites in the iHigh.com Network for the first quarter of the 2004-2005 school year. In other correspondence, UNIQUELY CREEK learned that not only is it the only Texas school to make the list, but it is also in the top ten websites in the country. We are number one in Texas and number four in the United States.Dr. Fred Hayes, principal of Clear Creek High School, said “There is much hard work that goes into the daily news website but it once again proves that Creek is the best high school in Texas.”Wynette Jameson, Creek journalism/newspaper teacher, said,”It is a great honor for the students and the school. We work very hard to maintain this news site and we do it for the students, parents and community. We have at least 1,000 people looking at us each day. That says a great deal about our meeting the needs of the community. We will strive to continue our tradition of excellence. We would like to thank Dr. Hayes for his faith in our abilities.”

H iVol.79/Issue3L ife4 H iL ife

Nov./Dec. 20045News

Dixie HairstonReporter

Mr. Bill Gibbs had to scream in order for me to hear him above the whirring of the machines as he gave the “grand tour” of the metal shop on Friday morning. He proudly showed off the latest products of the H.U.N.C.H (High school students United with Nasa to Create Hardware) program: a tool drawer and a first aid cabinet. It’s evident that Gibbs takes a lot of pride in the work of his HUNCH students, a class formally known at Creek as Building Maintenance.“The metal shop has come a long way in the past few years,” Gibbs remarked. The HUNCH “quarters” are presently quite cramped, and Gibbs looks forward to adding a whole new section at the back of the shop. With the new addition, there will more space to create an entire section dedicated to welding machines.

Standing under the big HUNCH banner, Gibbs excitedly shows a life size poster of what the class produces every year. The first aid cabinets hold everything that the astronauts might need on the International Space Station.

The CHcCS cabinets (as they are called by NASA) are four feet wide, six feet tall, three feet deep and are made primarily of aluminum. Each cabinet weighs about 1500 pounds and is complete with oxygen hook-up, dentistry tools, defibulators and a full first aid kit.

The cabinets at any given time hold up to a million dollars worth of supplies.The other product the HUNCH students create is an IVA toolbox that NASA equips with wrenches and socket sets. The welding on these tool drawers is

so intricate that NASA sends a welder out to Creek to teach the necessary skills. Students learn how to weld specifically for the drawers and become certified as official NASA welders.

Each project costs approximately

$100,000 and the HUNCH program creates anywhere from $500,000 to $1,000,000 worth of training equipment for NASA each year.

The HUNCH program class is actually a subcontractor for NASA.

The work that the students do in the class can be included in resumes. For some of the students the class may lead to future internships with NASA.

Gibbs says that “In Houston, alone, every year 100 shops close

Andy CollinsSports Editor

Many people never take the time to honor our nation’s heroes. Some people have no respect for heroes either. On November 11, the students of Clear Creek High School honored the veterans in their own unique and heart felt way.

A little over a month ago, the Clear Creek High School Student Council was given a special project by the Public Information’s Office of the Clear Creek Independent School District. The project consisted of many key roles that required great responsibility. Students were given the task of finding veteran’s names, publicizing the event, soliciting donations from local businesses, and designing and decorating.

When given the task, the students didn’t waste anytime. The Student Council sponsors, Ms. Nicole Collins and Ms. Angelica Toupard, assigned two of the Student Council officers the head position in charge of the program. Co-President Amanda Lemmons and Co-Vice-President Andy Collins were the two officers who took on such a big job.

“When we received the task, we were kind of overwhelmed, but Andy and I knew we could do it,” said Co-President, Amanda Lemmons.

From the day they received the assignment and for weeks to come, students set out to accomplish the goals. From driving countless numbers of hours soliciting donations from local business, students were hard at work every step of the way. Each week, the

officers would hold a meeting to discuss the progress and talked about what was left to be done. With Veteran’s Day on November 11 lurking around the corner, the students knew that everything was crucial to this project. November 11, was a day that Creek will not forget.

The ceremony began at 9:00 am in the CCHS auditorium. Around 8:30 am the veterans and other distinguished guests began to arrive. With patriotic pins and war stories mingling throughout the foyer, the anticipation of the ceremony was building. The ceremony opened with the CCHS ROTC Presentation of Colors. Then Student Council officers Dalia Poch and Kelli Herd led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and the Texas Pledge. Krista Tucker led the audience in a touching invocation. With a welcome speech following the invocation by Meredith Molloy, the ceremony was off to a great start.

“We were all pretty nervous before it started but once we got underway our nerves settled and we knew it was going to be a great success,” said Student Council sponsor Nicole Collins. The ceremony continued on with tear-filled poems read by cadets of the ROTC and speeches by officers and sponsors. An extraordinary video, put together by Mr. Joe Perez of CCISD was shown. This video touched the hearts of many, brought tears to other’s eyes, but most importantly, symbolized the meaning of what it means to be a hero. After the video, the Student Council honored Creek’s fallen soldier, Ray Hutchinson. As most of us know, Ray Hutchinson was a graduate of

Clear Creek High School who was killed while fighting for our country in December of 2003. Although he died a little more than a year ago, his memory still lives on throughout our campus and in our hearts. To help carry on his memory, an honorary scholarship plaque was presented to Ray’s mother, Deborah Hutchinson. Following the plaque presentation, the Clear Creek ROTC, lead by Cadet Corey Mennor, repeated the story behind TAPPS. Immediately following the story, the lights dimmed and TAPPS was played. As tears came once again, there was a moment in the ceremony that was not listed in the program. Mr. Peter Noto, a former World War II veteran, was called to the front of the stage. Mr. Peter Noto was unable to complete high school due to the war, and he never had the chance to go back and earn his education. Accompanied by his son, Mr. Noto was informed that he was now an official high school graduate and within coming weeks would receive an official high school diploma and a class ring to help honor such an important

moment in his life. After a very long and loud standing ovation to honor Mr. Noto, the ceremony was brought to an end by closing remarks from Student Council Co-Vice-President Tanya Hutchinson. Immediately following the ceremony, food and drinks were provided for the guests. This gave the veterans, parents, students and other guest of the ceremony a chance to mingle and share stories of the years past. With students, sponsors, and school administrators who are already busy with everyday work, it is good to see they can take time to honor our nation’s heroes. To those people involved in the Veteran’s Day ceremony, our school is greatly appreciative of your efforts. To those who have fought for our freedom and those that continue to do so, an even bigger thank you is sent from our hearts to you.

HUNCH Students work with NASA

A special day touches the hearts of many veterans

their door due to the shortage of men and women that can work the machines.” He also added that the job is a well-paying profession and trained machinists are always in demand.

In order to work more closely with the goals and objectives of NASA, an astronaut sponsor as well as a NASA engineer act as mentors to the class. Stacey Hale, Amanda Hale’s dad, is currently the sponsor. He is a very influential person at NASA and is in charge of training the astronauts who stay on ISS.

Upstairs in the back of the metal shop, Gibbs had stacks of hundreds of metal pieces cut in various sizes just waiting to be assembled. He says that the classes are allowed $14,000 worth of aluminum every year.Due to real life training that students obtain while taking the class, Gibbs is working to make the course a dual-credit class which will be accepted at area colleges.

On the completion of this course, students receive a certificate and a poster with pictures of the students during the year at a special ceremony held at NASA.

The success of this class in the past few years has been phenomenal. Creek is proud of what this class creates and of the hard work and numerous hours that are put into the completion of these projects.

Photo courtesy of HUNCH students

H iVol.79/Issue3L ife6 H iL ife

Nov./Dec. 20047

Bell Schedule for Finals Tuesday, December 14 Period 1: 7:20-9:23 Period 2: 9:30-11:30 Wednesday, December 15 Period 3: 7:20-9:23 Period 4: 9:30-11:30 Thursday, December 16 Period 5: 7:20-9:23 Period 6: 9:30-11:30 Friday, December 17 Period 7: 7:20-9:23 Period 8: 9:30-11:30 Buses will run at normal time, 2:30 all week long

News

Rawya JabariNews Editor

Technology does it again. Projects, papers and school work has been made easier. If you have access to the internet, you can search America’s history without leaving your home by searching for information within the national Digital Newspaper Program.

This amazing program should be available by 2006. The government expects there to be 30 million pages of history from old newspapers, magazines, and other historical documents from 1836 to 1922. These dates are specific because newspapers before 1836 are difficult for optical scanners to read, and newspapers after 1923 have copyright restrictions.

Digitized papers can be helpful to those interested in accessing historical documents. Instead of having to drive to the library to look for information, all you have to do is sit in front of the computer where you will have unlimited access to history.

According to CNN, Bruce

Cole, the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, one of the main reasons for the National Digital Newspaper Program is “...to further the founding fathers’ belief that knowledge of history was a necessity for government by the people.”

Cole suggests that if future generations of Americans do not understand the past, then the future is not something to look forward to. He also said, “We have to know our great founding principles, how our institutions came into being, how they work, what our rights and our responsibilities are.”

The program should not be limited to just school projects or papers. It is beneficial to those wanting to know how they can make a difference in the world, or how the founding fathers established the freedoms. This program is an oppurtunity for everyone.

Shannon Jackson, junior, says, “ I think that the National Digital Newspaper is an awesome program we are going to have. Now, when I need to do a project, all I have to do is log on to the internet, and not waste anytime

looking through books that might not even have any information I need. It makes my life easier.”

Another Creek junior, Georgina Allen, says, “ I think it is a good idea because it will be helpful with my history homework.”

Another purpose of the Digital Newspaper Program is to educate the world. President Bush and Congress want to make sure that every one in school is well-educated in American History. To achieve this goal, other organizations must be involved. The Library of

Congress has digitalized the Military Newspaper, “Stars and Stripes.” This newspaper ran during World War I from February 1918 to June 1919. The National Endowment for the Humanities is also helping the Library of Congress to preserve newspapers from the late 1600s.

The Digitized Newspaper is for everyone. It is here to help educate the future generations that will one day be in charge of the country. Technology continues to be a great resource.

New digital newspapers help further education for students

Cory StottlemyerNews Editor

Sitting and singing among a group of third graders from Bauerschlag Elementary, Clear Creek junior Kelli Love and several other students from Creek’s Hi-Life staff work with the students to gather gifts for care packages which will be given to the soldiers. “I enjoy working with little children and I wanted to help teach them that it’s better to give than receive,” said Kelli.

On Tuesday, December 7, the Clear Creek Hi-Life staff took a trip to Bauerschlag to help the students package their gifts for the soldiers, as well as to commemorate the life of Creek’s own fallen soldier, specialist Ray Joseph Hutchinson. Ray was a 2001 graduate from Creek, and was a part of Creek’s band, PALs, and Hi-Life.

The Clear Creek students showed the elementary students Ray’s jacket, and told them about him. “We showed the kids about Ray because he died fighting for his country and was from Creek. He also helped to start this care package event,” said Creek junior, L a u r e n Pourgahan.

Dressed up in Santa hats, the Hi-Life staff sang songs with the students while packaging large amounts of presents for the soldiers. From food, to personal hygiene products, to toys for the soldiers to give to Iraqi children, the Hi-Life

worked hard to gather it together. Ray, who was killed in action by a roadside improvised explosive device exactly one year from this day, this was the main reason why the staff was there. Robert Sierra, another Creek junior and diversions editor of the Hi-

Life newspaper, said that he helped because, “The soldiers have been helping America by fighting in the war, so we wanted to help them out by giving something back.”

The Hi-Life staff also hoped that by working with the little kids they would show them the importance of giving and the thanks that the

soldiers deserved. “We wanted the kids to know that

we should appreciate what the soldiers are doing for us and tell them that we

support them,” said Lauren Pourjahan.

With the help of Lynn’s Landscaping, who is paying for the complete shipping of the gifts, twenty-nine packages were packed for soldiers overseas. The Hi-Life staff and elementary students were able to make an impact in not only their community, but in the world. “I’m glad

we could help out with the students,” said Kelli Love. “ I hope that they will appreciate everything and just know that we hope they have a safe return and a Merry Christmas.”

Students share with soldiersBauerschlag and Creek combine to send soldiers care packages

Photo by Lauren PourgahanStudent packs care packages

Photo by Lauren PourgahanStudents pose with the kids

H iVol.79/Issue3L ife6 H iL ife

Nov./Dec. 20047Fish Bowl

Alyssa SolomonFishbowl editor

Mix-it-up day was a huge success. Ninth graders enjoyed their lunch as they met new people. Most of the students thought Mix-It-Up was going to be boring, and not cool at all, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. Students were all over the place in the cafeteria. They were talking to people, giving each other hugs, and shaking hands.

Courtney Asbury, Claire Moses, Bette Radius, Jenny Kroynovich, Rhianna Hendry and Meagan Grant helped the newspaper organize this special day at Clear Creek High School.

Courtney Asbury said, “I think this day was a great way to meet people. Everyone got involved and put effort into Mix-it-up day. It was great, and we should have it every year here at the ninth grade center.”

Mixing it up at the fi sh bowlTowards the end of fourth period

lunch, teacher Ms. James “mixed it up”, and everyone was mingling. Students all came together around one of the lunch tables singing, dancing, and fl owing. The vibe in the lunch room was so amazing. When the bell rang, the students didn’t want to go back to class because they were having so much fun.

During fi fth period lunch there were about fi fty students in the cafeteria. About half of them were trying to mix it up but the students were told to sit down because they were not allowed to go table to table. Students could not meet new people unless they were sitting down but that was alright for the students that chose other ways to Mix It Up.

During sixth period lunch, students were mixing-it-up like crazy. The students took construction paper that was on the table and started making name

tags. It was great.During seventh

period lunch, the students were confused about ‘Mix-it-up day’. The “Mix it up crew” went to each table and explained. A group of three girls that always sit together mixed it up with Derek Magahee, who is considered a jock on campus. Students never imagined that another clique would ever talk to them.

The cliques seem more open to talk to the people outside their clique.Thanks to the students that participated in “Mix it up day” it was a huge success.

H iVol.79/Issue3L ife8 H iL ife

Nov./Dec. 20049Diversions

Destiny’s Child reemerges: Houston group hot againRobert SierraDiversions Editor After three successful years of solo projects, Destiny’s Child has fi nally reunited and is back with a new hot album, “Destiny Fulfi lled”. For the past three years, Michelle, Kelly and Beyoncé have been busy with their own solo projects.

Michelle was the fi rst to branch out from the group with her album, My Heart to Yours, which had huge success in the world of Gospel Music. Her album was on the top of the gospel charts.

Kelly fi rst gained solo success with she appeared on Nelly’s number one single, “Dillema.” Kelly soon released her solo album, “Simply Deep,” which featured hits such as “Stole” and “Can’t Nobody.” Kelly also starred in the horror fi lm, “Freddy VS. Jason.”

Beyoncé gained huge success, and was one of 2003’s biggest music star. Beyoncé appeared on Jay-Z’s single, “03 Bonnie and Clyde.” The two soon started dating. Beyoncé released her own solo album, “Dangerously In Love,” which reached the top of the charts, and

reached multi-platinum status. Beyoncé scored a string of number one singles, Crazy In Love, Baby Boy, Naughty Girl, The Closer I Get To You, Me Myself and I, and Dangerously In Love. Beyoncé won fi ve grammys, VMA’s and other countless awards. Along with Cuba Gooding, Beyoncé starred in the hit movie, “The Fighting Temptations”. She also started her trademark “booty hop” dance. Beyoncé recently came out with her own fragrance line, True Star, made by Tommy Hilfi ger.

The girls announced they would reunite this past summer to work on their new album, Destiny Fulfi lled. The girls took the time to catch up with each other. They recorded their conversations in the studio, from which they got some of their inspirations and material for the album. Now with Beyoncé’s relationship with Jay-Z going strong, and Kelly’s engagement with Dallas Cowboy saftey Roy Williams, it is no surprise the album is all about love and relationships.

The new album released on November 16. The album featured the hot new singles, Lose My Breath,and

Soldier. The album includes eleven all new tracks and features guest appearances from T.I. and Lil’ Wayne. Destiny’s Child, along with Matthew Knowles, produced the album.

The album starts off with the track, Lose My Breath. The song has a great beat, thanks to production by Darkchild, which is great for dancing. The song is mostly the girls singing about a man who is full of empty promises.

Soldier is a song saying that the girls only go for the guy from the streets. The girls want a ghetto man with hood status. TI and Lil’ Wayne both appear on the track.

The entire CD tells a story about love. The next track, Cater 2 U, shows how the girls will do anything for their man. Beyoncé said of the song, “It basically talks about how a guy inspires you. You want to make him happy and you want to cater to him.”

The album goes through the stages of love from missing boyfriends, “T-Shirt,” to questioning their man about another women, “Is She The Reason,” and to telling a girl the man she is

with is not goof enough for her, “Girl.” The CD ends with songs,

“Through With Love” and “Love”. Kelly says her favorite song on the album is Love. Overall the album is mostly composed of soft melodies, and mid-tempo beats. “Lose My Breath” and “Soldier” are the only two songs that really get people dancing.

The major concern with Destiny’s Child being gone for three years pursuing solo careers, is if their fans have already moved on. The girls are faithful that everyone who had supported them in the past, still do to this day. The Box 97.9 KBXY, one of Houston’s top radio station; claims that all of Houston still supports the group. This is their hometown, and the people of Houston will always love Destiny’s Child.

“Destiny Fulfi lled” is predicted to be the number one album in the country, but has fi erce competition with Eminem’s Encore, Chingy’s Powerballin’, Snoop Dogg’s R&G, and Ja Rule’s R.U.L.E.

Alex YbarraEditor-In-Chief

The red carpet, the celebrities, the cameras, the lights, the nominees; on February 13, 2005, the 47th annual Grammy Awards will take place in the Los Angeles Staples Center. Surprises have quickly surfaced with the nominations of the world’s most talented music artists.

After leaving empty handed from the American Music Awards on November 30, Kanye West is up for ten trophies including album of the year and best new artist. West’s ability to write lyrics, produce music, and rap outside of inner-city issues enables him to release hit after hit. Directly beneath Kanye’s ten nominations are Alicia Keys and Usher with eight each, the legendary Ray Charles with seven, and the recently resurfaced Green Day with six.

Keys’ album, “The Diaries of Alicia Keys”, and song, “If I Ain’t Got You”, are competing for album and song of the year. Meanwhile, Usher’s “YEAH!”, and “Confessions”, are contending for record of the year and album of the year. Finishing off the album of the year category is Green Day’s “American Idiot”, Ray Charles’ “Genius Loves Company”, and Kanye West’s “College Dropout”.

Kanye West’s “Jesus Walks” will try to fi ght off “Daughters,” written and performed by John Mayer; Hoobastank’s “The Reason,” by Daniel Estrin and Douglas Robb; Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying” written by Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman; and Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You” for song of the year.

Many people have misconceptions

concerning song and record of the year. The song of the year is an award that tends to the songwriters while the record of the year pertains to the artist and popularity of the record. The competition for record of the year is “Let’s Get It Started” by the Black Eyed Peas;”American Idiot” by Green Day; “Here We Go Again” by Charles and Norah Jones; “YEAH!” by Usher; and “Heaven” by Los Lonely Boys.

The award for best new artist will be decided between Los Lonely Boys, Kanye West, Gretchen Wilson, Maroon 5, and Joss Stone.

Album categories such as rock album of the year, country album of the year, R&B album of the year, and rap album of the year leaned toward

the experienced entertainers:

Rock Album:“The Delivery Man”, Elvis Costello and the Imposters;“ A m e r i c a n Idiot”, Green Day;“The Reason”, Hoobastank;“Hot Fuss”, The Killers;“Contraband”, Velvet Revolver

R&B Album:“My Everything”, Anita Baker;“I Can’t Stop”, Al Green;“The Diary of Alicia Keys”, Alicia Keys; “Musicology”, Prince;“Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2”, Jill Scott

Country Album:“Van Lear Rose”, Loretta Lynn“Live Like You Were Dying”, Tim McGraw; “Tambourine”, Tift Merritt;“Be Here”, Keith Urban;

“Here for the Party”, Gretchen Wilson

Rap Album:To the 5 Boroughs, Beastie BoysThe Black Album, Jay-ZThe DEFinition, LL Cool JSuit, NellyCollege Dropout, Kanye West

With the many nominations and new categories in this year’s grammy awards, a few stars squeezed in a few bids. Britney Spears’ “Toxic” is nominated for Best Dance Recording. Janet Jackson and her malfunctioning clothing should make a safe appearance for two nominations. The host and performing artists are still unknown, but the show should be as entertaining as they come. The 2005 Grammy Awards will be fun to watch and will continue its greatness onto show number 50.

The 47th annual Grammy Awards nominations releasedA SPECIAL

THANK YOU TO LYNN’S

LANDSCAPING

for donating postage costs for care pack-ages to the soldiers

-The HiLife Staff

H iVol.79/Issue3L ife8 H iL ife

Nov./Dec. 20049Diversions

Danielle LealDiversions Editor

Now that the Holiday season is here, there are so many movies to watch. It seems as if movie producers come out with all these new movies at the same time, and then viewers don’t get to watch all of them. Well, here are some reviews for the latest releases and the upcoming movies!Starting off with the latest releases.

National Treasure: Released on November 19, making $33.1 million in its first opening weekend, National Treasure stars Nicolas Cage and Diane Kruger. It’s said to be an adventure story. In this movie, Nicolas Cage, playing Ben Gates, comes from a family of treasure hunters, and he seems to want to keep the family trend alive. The family is apparently trying to look for the same thing, a war chest hidden from the Revolutionary War. Throughout the story, there is chaos between Ben and the FBI, once the FBI finds out about this hidden treasure. Ben comes to the conclusion that he has to steal the Declaration of Independence, which has the clues to the hidden treasure on the back of it, and at the same time, he makes sure no one gets to the treasure before him. National Treasure ends up number one in the top ten box office weekly ratings.

The Incredibles: Coming in with $24.1 million dollars its opening week on November 5, a family of superheroes are forced to stop saving the world because of lawsuits against them. The Incredibles are put in a witness protection program. Unfortunately, when duty calls, they have to save the world. Mr. Incredible is fed up with this

Movie reviews for the 2004 holiday season

Robert SierraDiversions Editor

Going out every Tuesday to buy the newest DVD releases now seems to be a ritual. Every week, one’s DVD collection seems to grow bigger. But what if the DVD you just brought two days ago, stops playing? Is it possible?

The answer is yes. The movie NOEL will be one of the first movies to be released on the new Disposable DVD.

The Atlanta-based Convex Group bought the distribution rights to the movie after its showing at this year’s Toronto Film Festival. Starting midmonth, the movie will be available in the disposable EZ-D format for $4.99 on Amazon.com.

Convex owns more than 100 media patents and holds exclusive distribution rights to CD-ROMS that fit into the lids of soft drink cups. Convex also owns the company behind the disposable EZ-D, Flexplay Technologies.

The new EZ-D contains a chemical time-bomb that begins “ticking” once it is opened and exposed to air. Usually after 48 hours, the disc turns darker, becoming so opaque that a DVD player’s laser can no longer read it. The discs can live as little as one hour to as long as sixty hours. These new disposable DVDs look and play like regular DVDs, except that their playable surface is dark red.

This format has been around for a few years, but has not generated much interest from movie studios, video rental companies, or customers. Even though this format delivers movies straight to consumers and eliminates late fees, there still has been opposition.

B l o c k b u s t e r has not embraced the disposable DVDs, because the company says they do not want to confuse its customers. The company instead has adopted a Netflix-like subscription approach to video rentals.

The backers of this technology see this format as an alternative for video rentals and Netflix-type mail-based subscription services. This is bad news for Convex.

After the movie has been watched and has expired, the consumer tosses the DVD into the trash, eliminating late fees and the cost of return mail. One major consequence is the possibility of a new large source of trash. The potential to add to landfills may be why disposable DVDs have so far been a dud.

Like regular DVDs, these discs can be illegally copied and pirated. While they are made of recyclable plastic, consumers would have to

mail them to a special center for processing.

Jeff J, a senior here at Creek, says of the new disposable DVD, “The whole concept of a disposable DVD seems really cool to me. But after thinking about it, it seems sort of pointless. You buy the

DVD off the internet for $4.99, then after including shipping, it comes out to almost the same price as

a regular DVD. If I’m going to buy a DVD, I’m planning on watching it more than twice, and I want it to last.”

Flexplay had provided discs to the Walt Disney Co., which has experimented with the format for the past year in eight test markets.

Disney has already released a number of films on the discs. Some movies included Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Bridget Jone’s Diary. These movies were sold in unconventional outlets, such as convenience stores, and were generally made available weeks after they first showed onscreen.

Disposable razors were a great idea, how about DVDs?

Running out of the entertainment storage: Get the EZ-D

normal life that he is forced to live, but his wife, Elastigirl, has come too far to give up this life that they’ve built. When a chance comes up to perform a superhero’s job, Mr. Incredible jumps at it but ends up in a load of trouble. All along, it has been a trap, and this forces the rest of his family, including his three children, Violet, Dash, and Jack Jack, to reveal themselves and save their father. This movie comes in at number 2 in the box office.

Christmas with the Kranks: Coming in as number 3 in the top ten box office, making $22.7 million in its opening weekend of November 24, is the movie starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis. Tim Allen, who plays Luther Krank, and Jamie Lee Curtis, who plays Nora Krank, decide not to have Christmas because their daughter will not be home for the holidays. Instead of celebrating Christmas, Luther Krank decides to take a vacation. When the neighborhood friends find out that the Kranks aren’t going to have Christmas, this causes a controversy. It’s almost as if they have a contest between each other during this holiday. At the last minute, the Krank’s daughter comes home and the Kranks cancel all their plans and bring the spirit of Christmas back into their home.

Ray: Released on October 29, coming in at number 9, Ray made $3.9 million. Starring the one and only Jamie Foxx, who would have thought he could actually play in something this serious? This movie is about a man, Ray Charles, who was a legend when it came to music. Known by so many people for the good and bad that came from him. As a little boy, he became blind and had to learn how to make his way in the world and at

the same time had to deal with the other hardships in life, such as his brother dying. His whole life he was taught by his mother to be strong and independent and that is exactly what he did. He followed his dreams to become famous. He married a beautiful woman but could never seem to stay faithful, while

abusing drugs. He ended up cheating on his wife and had a child with another woman, and this all happened without his wife knowing. Ray struggles towards the end with all his problems, but he is still legendary in the music spotlight.

As for the upcoming movies coming out this month in December…

Closer: Starring Julia Roberts, Mike Nichols, Natalie Portman, Jude Law, and Clive Owen. A dramatic movie dealing with relationships and “significant others” being unfaithful. How do people react when things like this happen to them? In this movie, there are two different couples which becomes complicated when the man from the first couple meets the girl involved in the second couple. It’s all about love and how far would someone go for love. Coming out December 3rd!

Blade Trinity: Opening December 8th with actors Wesley Snipes and Jessica Biel. For so many years, Blade has gone against vampires that come out in the night, without letting all the other people

in the world know what’s going on. After the FBI finds him, he is forced to join the human vampire hunters (night stalkers), which he never knew even existed. Blade hunts the one vampire that has been after him for the longest time, the original Dracula.

Ocean’s Twelve: The sequel to Ocean’s Eleven comes out on December 10th featuring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Daniel Ocean has to find one more person to help make three major European heists and must make sure he picks the right one. While trying to conquer these heists, they make sure they don’t upset a very mad Europol agent, nor make a French Rival aware of their job. If they make it, they will be the best of the best, but if they don’t…what will happen?

Spanglish: Starring Adam Sandler, Tea Leoni, Paz Vega, Cloris Leachman, Ian Hyland. This movie is about two different cultures coming together in one house hold. A Mexican woman with her twelve-year old daughter comes to the U.S. to get a better life. They move in with a Los Angeles family to be the housekeeper and learn more about American families than they ever thought. With every good there is bad, and while Flor (housekeeper) is learning her new lifestyle, she has to deal with John’s (Sandler) wife Deborah’s jealous ways. Coming out December 17th!

Thank goodness for movie reviews, especially during the holiday seasons. For all the movie lovers, here is the chance to get a feel for all the movies. There is a variety of different types of movies for the guys and the girls. Be sure to check it out!

Heatlth Science & Social Services

Business

Visual & Performing Arts

The School of Visual and Performing Arts includes courses for students intrested in the artisitic production and the communication of ideas. Ca-reers in this academy include actors, musicians, composers, writers, graph-ic designers, and public relations. Also included in this academy are visual and graphic arts, instrumental and vocal music, theatre arts, and dance.

Visual & Performing Arts Electives*Advanced Art *Advanced Dance*Ap Art History *Art*Band *Ceramamics*Choir*Color Guard*Dance

*Drawing*Floral Design*Instrumental Ensemble*Interior Lanscape*Jewelry*Journalism*Music Theory*Orchestra*Painting

The School of Health Science and Social Services inclues courses for students who are interested in helping others. The academy of-fers education in health care, medicine, and social service agencies. Professions in this school include Psychologist, Dentist, Teacher, Minister, Physician, Researcher, Counselor, EMT, and much more.

Health Science& Social Services Electives

*Anatomy& Physiology*AP Biology II*AP Chemistry*AP Statistics*Aquatic Science*Athletics*Child Development*Clinical Rotation*Enviromental Science

*Family & Consumer Science*Food Science & Technology*Health Science Tech*ISM*Individual & Family Life*Student Council*Nutrition & Food Science*Peer Assistance & Leadership*Pharmacology

*Prep for Parenting*Psychology*Sociology

The School of Business includes cours-es for students who are interested in

commerce. This academy offers courses in mar-keting, fi nance, accounting, and administration. Professions include entrepreneurs, sales, market-ing, fi nance, accounting, computer systems, eco-nomics, stock market analysts, and management.

*Business Image Management*International Business*Entrepreneurship*Marketing Yourself*Principles of Marketing*Advertising*Banking & Financial Systems*Business Computer Information Systems*Accounting I, II*Retailing*Business Management*Introduction to Business

*Business law*Business Communication*Marketing Co-Op*Independent Study & Men-torship

Business Electives

Technology, Engineering & Trades

Communications & Law

Visual & Performing Arts

The School of Visual and Performing Arts includes courses for students intrested in the artisitic production and the communication of ideas. Ca-reers in this academy include actors, musicians, composers, writers, graph-ic designers, and public relations. Also included in this academy are visual and graphic arts, instrumental and vocal music, theatre arts, and dance.

Visual & Performing Arts Electives*Drawing*Floral Design*Instrumental Ensemble*Interior Lanscape*Jewelry*Journalism*Music Theory*Orchestra*Painting

*Sculpture*Technical Theatre*Vocal Ensemble* Web Mastering

The School of Communication & Law includes courses for students who interests range from politics, law, edu-cation, and public service to the ever changing journal-

ism fi eld, as well as careers which require public speaking. Professions could include Attorney, Politician, Teacher, Legal and Court positions, Firefi ghter, Police Offi cer, City Planner, Journalist, or Public Relation. This school also includes education involving journalism, military science, goverment and law.

Communications & Law Electives

*AP Goverment*Broadcast Journalism*Buisness Law*Communication Application*Debate*Desktop Publishing*ISM*International Buisness

*Journalism*Law & Justice*Newspaper*Photojournalism*Psychology*ROTC*Sociology*Street law

The School of Technology, Engineering & Trades include courses for students who are interested in creating and inventing. This school offers further education in agricultural science, applied technology, science and engineering. Professions in this school include Engineers, Re-searchers, Statisticians, Mechanics, Technicians, Builders and other trades.

Technology, Engineering & Trades Electives*Agricultural Metal Fabrication*Agricultural Structures*Agriculture Mechanics*Agriculture Power Tech* Agriculture Science*Amatrol*Animal Science*Animation Technology*Aquaculture Production*Architectural Construction*Auto Technology*Computer Applications*Computer Science*Floral Design

*Home Maintenance*Horticulture Science*HUNCH*Intro to Engineering Design*Meat Processing*Project Lead the Way*Technical Writing*Technology Systems*Transportation Systems*Web Mastering

H iVol.79/Issue3L ife12 H iL ife

Nov./Dec. 200413Features

Another fad or respect?

Sarah DemelReporter

In the mornings, everyone is rushing to work, school and to the most popular coffee shop, Starbucks. Starbucks is now adding a CD section and a new hot chocolate drink, “Chantico,” which is named after an Aztec goddess.

Starbucks was founded in Seattle, Washington in 1970. The name “Starbucks” was inspired by the famous classic American novel, Moby Dick. Twenty years later, the Starbucks chain spread its wings by opening new stores throughout America. Shortly after, Starbucks went worldwide and now has over 30,000 locations in over 30 countries.

Starbucks has always been a bustling place associated with the finest coffee drinks. In an attempt to expand their musical offerings, the chain is now allowing customers to make their own customized CDs while waiting for their cup of coffee. The Hewlett-Packer company is the sponsor behind the new idea, but for now this addition is only available in 45 US locations, including the first one in Santa Monica, California and another one somewhat closer to home in Austin, Texas. This new project will not hit Houston until the middle of the year in 2005.

Not only is the new CD-section the buzz about Starbucks, but the new hot chocolate drink, “Chantico,” is too. The new drink is made from cocoa-powder, steamed with cocoa butter and

whole milk, which is aimed to attract “chocoholics.” Rob Grady, Starbucks Director of hot beverages, remarked that the new drink “Will establish Starbucks as somebody who will be in the chocolate category in a bigger way.” The drink is also aimed to solve the problem that Starbucks has struggled with before, which is getting more customers into the stores during midday and after dinner.

In addition, there will be a minimal but significant price increase in the prices of Starbucks coffee. In 2000, the increase was about seven cents per cup and in 2004 the price increase estimated to be about eleven cents. The rise in coffee prices are due to the 18% increase in the cost of milk, the 36% increase in coffee beans, and a 39% increase in sugar costs and employee expenses.

Students here at Creek are excited about the new Starbucks additions. Although the CD section will not be here for a while, junior Brittany Bryant says that, “Whenever the CD part is in Houston Starbucks, it will be really neat to be able to download songs, hang out with friends and drink coffee.” Junior Laura Vaughn has her own opinions on the price increase and thinks that “Starbucks has always been really popular with mostly everyone, and I don’t really think that the price increase will affect their business, because people have to have their coffee.” Looks like the king of the coffee business is stepping up its game.

Starbucks renovates

Sarah DemelReporter

Everywhere, on almost everyone, you see yellow bracelets with the word “livestrong” engraved on it. But where did it all come from and what does it mean?

The yellow bracelets all began as Lance Armstrong’s way to surpass his own cancer and to create support for the survivors who beat the ultimate challenge, cancer. The Lance Armstrong Foundation, LAF, was designed by Armstrong and is a resource for cancer patients and survivors.

Lance Armstrong decided to create this foundation when he suffered from testicular cancer a few years ago. Armstrong knew that he was going to start LAF even before his recovery and before he even knew his ultimate fate. Armstrong was diagnosed at the prime of his life after winning the World Championship, the Tour de Pont and winning several Tour de France stages and becoming one of the world’s best cyclists. During his recovery time Armstrong decided that he was not just beat his battle against cancer but not just live, but live strong, which now is his new found mantra. The Lance Armstrong Foundation as of October 26, 2004 had already sold more than 20 million yellow livestrong bracelets, therefore raising 20 million dollars and people are still contributing to the cause by ordering or purchasing the bracelets. The wristbands have been sold in all 50 states and more than 60 countries and the wristbands have been seen on a number of famous athletes including Olympians, also on musicians, actors

and even political leaders. On average the LAF is receiving approximately 150,000 orders for bracelets a day. And the all record high so far for sale of the bracelets in one day was 382,000. The bracelets are sold in groups of either ten, one hundred or the largest shipment of twelve hundred. Unfortunately, because of the strong demand of these bracelets they are shipped in usually three to four weeks.Students here at Creek also wear the “livestrong” bracelets for all different reasons. Many contribute the one-dollar to the foundation for the bracelet and wear them simply to support cancer survivors and patients. Others may have had a family member suffer from cancer and want to help the fight against cancer and support their loved ones. Senior Laura Baker wears her livestrong bracelet because “it’s always a good thing to contribute to good causes and I think that the Lance Armstrong Foundation is one of the best out there.” Also Junior Victor Cards wears her bracelet to “help the people struggling with cancer become a survivor of cancer, and it the best thing that I can do to help all the people fighting against cancer.” Lance Armstrong with his battle against cancer and his daily struggle with being a survivor of cancer helped to put together a magnificent charitable organization that he decided would a program which will help people who are battling with cancer, someone who is diagnosed with cancer and even the people who are relatives coping with family members or even friends who have cancer and for all of them to not just live but to “livestrong.”

Libby SandersFeatures Editor

With Christmas Dance fast approaching, Clear Creek junior, senior, and select lucky sophomore girls are anticipating one of the most exciting events of the school year. Christmas Dance, to be held December 19th this year, is an exceptionally anxious time for Creek girls, as Creek celebrates this dance Sadie Hawkins style, where students break from tradition as girls ask guys to be their dates. But where does this tradition come from and why is it labeled “Sadie Hawkins”? Well, the pastime can be traced back to a modest cartoon strip from 1937, Al Capp’s Lil’ Abner. As told by Lil’ Abner, Sadie Hawkins was a homely girl living in the hills of Dogpatch who, after being sick of waiting for boys to court her, had her father hold an annual Sadie Hawkins Day. On this special day in November, a footrace was held wherein unmarried girls chased the bachelors of Dogpatch. The result: if a boy was caught, they were married to their captor and couldn’t refuse. Though high school students aren’t claiming matrimony rights, the tradition continues to this day, as many high schools and colleges participate in Sadie Hawkins Day festivities.

This simple cartoon strip

was an empowering force for girls, giving them the opportunity to confront their male counterparts in a sexually o p p r e s s i v e time, long before the f e m i n i s t m o v e m e n t . C r e e k junior Sarah Kinard says she enjoys the Sadie H a w k i n s C h r i s t m a s D a n c e because, “it gives girls a chance to think up a fun date instead of guys,” and adds that because guys have to wait in anticipation to see who they will be asked by, “they know how girls feel about homecoming.” Reversing the roles of men and women, Capp’s comic strip was far ahead of its time in comparison to social standards. The strip was also welcoming to the era, for in the midst of the Great Depression, students could afford Lil’ Abner themed hillbilly costumes of rags and overalls for the popular Sadie Hawkins dances. While Creek’s Christmas Dance is Sadie

Hawkins themed, students do far from dressing down. Considered by some to

be more formal and anticipated than prom, Creek has adapted this colorful holiday to a more mature nature. Different regions celebrate Sadie Hawkins Day in their own unique manners, taking this fanciful event to a national scale. Some towns contrast their Sadie Hawkins dances to Creek’s homecoming, as girls give their dates lavish, extravagant, and gaudy corsages to wear to the dance as Creek boys give their homecoming dates mums. “I think mums are nice and all, but I’d feel pretty humiliated if I had to wear one,” tells Creek

senior Aaron Marquis. Well no worries,

Creek has not yet adopted this eccentric tradition for its Christmas Dance, giving most guys a sigh of relief. Sadie Hawkins dances always prove to be an exciting time for everyone involved. From the day’s witty conception, to the irony that it’s creator, Al Capp, was in fact an amputee and unable to dance, Sadie Hawkins continues to stand the test of time and leave schoolboys nervously awaiting an offer. This December, Creek girls will have the upper hand in the Christmas Dance, paying homage to a quote by Jill Ruckelshaus, “No one should have to dance backward all of their lives.” And thanks to Sadie Hawkins, girls won’t have to.

Christmas dance sadie hawkins style

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Nov./Dec. 200413Features

Texas textbooks have new defi nition of marriageLibby SandersFeatures Editor

It seems as if politics is taking a stronghold over every aspect of life in today’s world, and for this generation’s youth, the hold is stronger and more important than ever. With the issue of gay marriage rights fi lling up the election campaign, sooner or later it will reach the youth, and on November 5 of this year it did, through textbooks.

The United States government, religious groups, civil rights groups, and other activists are in a constant power struggle over who has the right to silence the arguments of others in American classrooms. A popular issue concerning evolution continues to be fought, most recently in Cobb Country, Georgia, where science books now come with warning stickers advising students to keep on open mind when discussing the origin of life and that evolution is merely a theory. Though this piece of information is repeated numerously in textbooks, teachers are encouraged to step on as few toes as possible, uttering the phrase, “it’s just a theory,” to keep up

with the fast pace of a politically-correct America.

While religious groups fi ght for creationism to be taught in schools alongside or in place of evolution, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1987 that creationism was a religious belief, forbidding it to be taught in schools,

w h i l e evolution is not connected to any religion and is classifi ed as a scientifi c t h e o r y . A n o t h e r factor in the creationism-e v o l u t i o n battle resides in which f a i t h ’ s

interpretation of creationism a school would allow. As nearly all world religions have their own theory on the matter, there is simply no way to include everyone.

But hitting even closer to home for many Clear Creek students is a new development in political agenda to take charge of, though supposedly unbiased, the Texas schoolbooks’ defi nition of marriage. On Friday, November 5, The Texas Board of Education approved new health textbooks after pressuring

publishers to adopt this small, but politically driven defi nition, pushed largely by Board member Terri Leo.Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, a major publisher of Texas textbooks, now includes a defi nition of marriage as a “lifelong union between a husband and a wife,” into its middle school books, while the defi nition was already implanted into Holt’s high school editions.

According to AP, Leo refers to the former defi nitions as “asexual stealth phrases” and believes that children should know that “marriage is between a man and a woman,” even though this ban on same-sex civil unions is not a national law, and appears to be more of a personal morality statement than for the well-being of American students.

Creek Senior, Aaron M, says “Opinions should be left out of the classroom,” and an unbiased view should be presented because “kids should grow up and form their own beliefs.”

Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, Texas’s other major publisher, recently altered phrases such as “partners” to “husbands and wives” and “when two people marry” to “when a man and a woman marry,” reiterating that Texas’s republican stronghold will continue the ban on same-sex marriages and civil

Holt’s high school editions.

unions. Reports from Holt spokesman, Rick Blake, confi rm that the publisher will not be adapting its defi nition of marriage in books sold outside of Texas.

Another Board member, Mary Helen Berlanga, said, “We cannot start censoring books because we do not like the terminology,” as all books without the changes were rejected by the board in a 10-4 vote. Political agenda has

always infi ltrated the boundaries of public education, and a bias remains in public schools towards w h i c h e v e r political party

is in offi ce. Bordering on propaganda, Texas Board members have voiced their opinion on the matter, though individual school districts are allowed to choose books that are not approved by the board.

The textbook selection for each district will prove to be a political statement, whether or not it is meant to be. As the censorship of phrases, ideologies, and political agendas run rampant through the nations airwaves, Clear Creek and other schools across Texas must be prepared for a political battle they never bargained for, and even

more restricted education.

Lulu ChengFeatures Editor

Many seniors approach their last year of high school with the preconception that as long as they squeak by in the top ten percent of their graduating class, they are guaranteed admission to any public university in Texas. Known as the Texas Top Ten Percent Law, the rule has recently come under fi re for being ineffective and actually working against the diversity it is supposed to foster.

When the bill was passed in 1997 and fully put into place in 1998, it was intended to promote racial diversity on college campuses. However, with the recent June 2003 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that a university could judge race as a factor in admission decisions, many are wondering if the bill is growing outdated.

In one respect, the law is seen to decrease education because kids are encouraged to take less competitive classes in order to maintain a higher grade point average (GPA). This leads to another possible problem, as the president of the student government at the University of Texas recently observed, “The top 10 percent rule has the potential to result in a freshman class with disproportionate levels of students being admitted under one criterion – their class rank.”

And one can’t help wondering, “How are the standards of learning the same across all Texas high schools?” The simple answer – they’re not. The top ten percent in a high school in Luling, Texas most likely differs widely from the top

ten percent of a high school in Houston, Texas. The law does not compensate for these gaps.

Supporters of the law argue that it promotes diversity in college population and helps minorities gain admission to a school they otherwise might not be able to get into. However, recent studies have indicated that little has improved, if not worsened in universities across the state. Some have argued that the law is aiding more Caucasian students than anything else. Enrollment at the University of Texas was 14 percent Hispanic and 3 percent black, while at Texas A&M University enrollment was only 9 percent Hispanic and 2 percent African-American. In a state like Texas where the demographics show 32% of the population is Hispanic or Latino, and 12% are African-American, the enrollment fi gures at two of Texas’ largest public schools seems quite low.

Complaint has also been coming from the conservative right wing. Republicans have been citing fi gures that say that it is caucasion children, and not minorities, that have been squeezed out by the law. For instance, when the law admits the top ten percent from a majority black school, some Caucasian students from the top 11-20% of majority White schools are left out of the loop.

Perhaps bowing under the pressure from both sides, Governor Perry has recently reevaluated the bill. He has mentioned that he favors a change in the law, and perhaps in response to that concern, the Senate Higher Education Subcommittee has held hearings on admission policies in Texas universities, and assessed recent court decisions on

the Top Ten Percent Law.A recent study conducted by

Marta Tienda, professor of sociology and public affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School, focuses on the impact of the knowledge of the Texas Top Ten Percent Law on high school students. It was found that students who were very familiar with the bill were nearly fi ve times more likely than those who did not know about the law to indicate that they were planning on enrolling in a four-year college, relative to not attending college at all. The study also observes that cost is still the most critical element in a family’s plans for postsecondary education. Tienda suggests that rather than adding to the law, the state should consider making colleges more affordable for high-achieving students from low-income families. “The Texas Top Ten Percent Law has expanded opportunities, but policymakers need to go further to provide college opportunities for the state’s high school graduates, especially Hispanics, Blacks and the economically disadvantaged,”

she noted at a recent press conference. Overall, the study touts the importance of analyzing the factors that make students want to enroll and attend college, especially in minority groups.

Here at Creek, seniors like Courtney Sharpe voice their opinions on the bill. “I think that the law is a nice guarantee for students that are in the top 10%. For those that complain, they should evaluate their reasoning. Guaranteed admission is nice, but it is also a reward – something that is earned. If you cannot receive admission without the law, perhaps you are not qualifi ed to attend anyway.”

The bottom line remains that whatever happens to the law, high school students should know how the bill will affect them. The best advice for any prospective college freshman winds back down to the basic things that common sense often reveals: plan ahead, work hard, be sincere and don’t forget to have some fun along the way.

Top ten percent law being questioned in Texas

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Nov./Dec. 200415Photos

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Nov./Dec. 200415Creek Speaks

Jacob Shideler Reporter

For the past six years, Clear Creek Choir has gained reputation across this state and has become one of the greatest choirs in Texas. Last year, the Clear Creek Choir seemed to have the best year that a choir could have. They were invited to sing at the TMEA convention held in San Antonio, which is one of the highest honors for choirs across the state. The Clear Creek Chamber Choir won the Madrigal Festival, which is a competition where chamber/madrigal choirs from across the state compete to be the honor choir for the next year’s festival. Although chamber has competed many times before and placed for the past four years, it was their fi rst time to win in fi ve years. They placed 41 students in the district choir and had 11 students make the A l l - S t a t e Choir. With such an a m a z i n g year, and so many senior choir s i n g e r s leaving, it seemed like a challenge to beat an unbeatable year, but some how the Clear Creek Choir did it again, and this time raising the bar even higher, and breaking even more records than last year. Forty

nine students made district region choir, the highest Creek has ever had, and now they are getting ready for region, Pre-Area and All State tryouts, hoping to break even more records. The Chamber Choir will sing for the Madrigal Festival. There is another tremendous honor. The Clear Creek Symphonic Chorale will sing at the American Choral Directors Association National Convention held in Los Angeles.

A C D A is one of the greatest honors a choir can receive, and this c h o i r deserves t h i s h o n o r . A C D A is a

convention where choir directors across the nation, and the world, come to hear choirs sing. It takes place in Los Angeles and is four days long. Choirs from all over the world participate, 70 being from the U.S. while 30 of the choirs are international. Clear Creek was the only 5A Mixed Choir to be chosen in Texas to go to this event. During their trip, Creek Symphonic Chorale will be singing at three amazing concert halls, one being the new state of the art

Disney Hall. Hard work and dedication is what helped make this choir known as one

of the best choirs in Texas. Though these amazing, talented students get the choir to where it is now, there are two of the most dedicated teachers making sure this choir stands strong. Dr. Kyle Pullen and Dr. Sean Pullen are the directors of Creek’s amazing choirs; the reason why these choirs are where they are today. They are tough, holding such high expectations of their choir. When asked what their predictions were for this concert, they said “This is going to be the greatest, most wonderful choral experience we have ever had. It is just such a remarkable honor to stand on a stage where the

Clear Creek choir takes top honorsgreatest choirs across the nation and across the world stand and sing, and to sing for the greatest choir directors across the world, it’s just amazing.” Amazing indeed, as known to be one of the greatest choirs in Texas and soon to be known across the nation, Clear Creek Choir is one of the top choirs.

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Nov./Dec. 200417Creek Speaks

Dixie HairstonReporter

A school mascot is a very important tradition. Mascots lead the crowd and pump up team spirit. We laugh at their antics and do the wave when they tell us to. Being a mascot, however, is not all fun and games. “It demands lots of creativity and a huge imagination,” says Lauren Piper, mascot for Clear Creek High School. The student body often takes the mascot for granted and does not take enough time to recognize the face behind the mask. The Galveston Daily News wanted to break the mold and featured three

mascots from surrounding area high schools. Clear Creek’s very own Lauren Piper, Brook’s Josh Ramos and Lake’s Claire Reichert were interviewed by reporter Caroline Amenqual. She highlighted the difficulties of being a school mascot. Running, jumping and cheering are

exhausting with the added fifteen pounds of costume that the mascots must wear. Even with ice vests, the heat under layers of padding is extreme. Piper was awesome last year as our mascot and looks forward to leading us again. She is well-known by

“Willie the Wildcat” brings on the spiritthe children who attend Creek sporting events due to her great candy selection. Lauren gives assorted sweet treats to the young Wildcat supporters. Lauren is very proud of the positive impression that she has made here at Creek and loves every minute of being the mascot. She has even considered working at Disneyland. In the last year, Lauren has brought a renewed sense of school spirit to Creek. Her enthusiasm and charisma are appreciated and will be missed when she graduates in May.

Kelli HerdCreek Speaks Editor

It is hard to believe that our beloved Clear Creek High School is already 49 years old. On January 8th, CCISD will gather together to celebrate the rebuilding of CCHS with an “alumni demolition ceremony”, in which various student organizations will take different hallways and decorate them for all the decades that Creek has been around.

A, B, E, F and J Buildings will be decorated for the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s. The HiLife, Student Council, PALs, ROTC, cheerleaders, and Cavaliers among others will be helping to prepare this ceremony for the district.

The hallways will be filled with class pictures, art displays, and memorabilia from Creek, as well as

reminders of other important events that took place throughout the world during that particular decade.

Mrs. Karen Winters, a secretary here at Creek who also serves as a member on the demolition committee, says, “It’s going to be a very nice time for the whole community to honor Clear

Creek High School. Everyone needs to come and reminisce and enjoy the

memories of this old school. It will be great!”

The students at Creek are really excited about the ceremony. Senior Megan Steinbeck says, “It’s really awesome that Creek has been around this long, and I’m glad that it’s finally getting rebuilt. I can’t wait to come back after all

the renovations and see the new Clear Creek High School.”

S e n i o r A s h l e y P e t e r s h a g e n thinks, “I wish I could go to Creek after all the renovations are over with and the smaller l e a r n i n g

c o m m u n i t i e s are in place. I think Creek is great now,

but I think it will be even better for the incoming classes, especially this year’s freshmen, who will be seniors when everything is completely done and Creek is completely rebuilt.” Mrs. Willie Marcuccio, the registrar assistant who has a daughter on the demolition committee, says, “It’s going to be a great event. Most of the Creek graduates I know would love to come back to Creek for something like this to celebrate the rebuilding of our school.”

T-shirts commemorating the event are on sale now in the Education Support Center building (the big building between the Main Campus and the Ninth Grade Center), and also in Mr. McKinnis’ office. The shirts are $10 and will be white with maroon writing. See Page 14 for detail of what the shirt will look like. The ceremony takes place Saturday, January 8th, at 2 p.m., so come out and see history in the making.

Fifty years and building on tradition

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Nov./Dec. 200417Creek Speaks

Kelli HerdCreek Speaks Editor

For many high school seniors, graduation is a scary, yet exciting event. There’s so much preparation to be done for the event, such as ordering invitations, ordering a cap and gown, and taking as many pictures as possible to remember friends and classmates. When the time finally comes to walk across the stage and accept the long-awaited diploma, it all comes and goes so fast. Before you know it, the diploma has been accepted, the tassel has been moved over, and the cap has been thrown into the air, along with the other members of the graduating class.

Everything afterwards is a big blur: distant relatives coming over to do the whole kissing and pinching of the cheeks thing, the telling of embarrassing baby stories, saying goodbye to friends and faculty, and tons of crying. Everyone has big plans for graduation night. Some people throw a small get-together for family and close friends, some people rent hotel rooms, and some people go all out and throw huge house parties for all

the graduates. Since a number of graduation

parties include massive amounts of drinking and drugs, it was not long before someone thought up the idea to have an all-night party for graduating seniors in a d r u g - f r e e , alcohol-free environment. P r o j e c t G r a d u a t i o n w a s implemented nation-wide in high schools throughout the United States. The event varies slightly a m o n g different high schools, but here at Creek, the event is one brimming with anticipation.

Project Graduation has many ways of fund-raising, including the annual raffle, where seniors check out tickets and sell them to various businesses to be purchased for $100. Seniors who sell

any number of tickets are eligible for cash prizes and a car.

The soirée will be held on Saturday, May 21 at the Ninth Grade Center. The doors open at 9:00 p.m. and it does not end until 5:00 the next morning.

Seniors are allowed to bring one guest with them, and in addition, every senior wins a door prize, as well as additional prizes won at various games.

The theme of this year’s Project Graduation is “Around the World”. Tons of food, casino action, DJ music, a hypnotist, mechanical bull riding, laser tag and prizes

will be available. But as always, there are some ground rules to follow:• All entering seniors must provide their high school ID and all guests must provide a picture ID.• No one is allowed to enter after 11:00 p.m.• Once a person leaves Project

Graduation, they are unable to return. • If wanting to leave Project Graduation, a parent must be notified, no matter what the time of departure.• All Project Graduation seniors must abide by the number one rule: by taking part in Project Graduation, you agree to stay drug-free and alcohol free for the duration of the time you stay.

The Project Graduation committee also puts together a cookbook of seniors’ favorite recipes to sell. T-shirts designed by the student members of the Project Graduation committee are available for sale, and concession stand proceeds from the annual Powder Puff game and the senior musical also go to Project Graduation funds.

Like barbecue? Every barbecue sandwich or plate of nachos you buy will help Project Graduation. Meetings will be held November 10, December 7, and January 12 in the Ninth Grade Center Library. Seniors, stop by one of these planning meetings and be a part of making the last night spent with the graduating class of 2005 one you will never forget.

Project Graduation takes it “Around the World”

Kelli HerdCreek Speaks Editor

Every fall here at Creek, the junior and senior girls and guys trade places to participate in the annual Powder Puff football game. The girls get all pumped up, painting pants and shirts, and learning the basics of a timeless American tradition. The guys who participate have the choice of being a football coach, a cheerleader, or a Cavalump, and the girls can be a football player, a cheerleader coach, or a Cavalump coach. Most sophomore girls offer to be cheerleader and Cavalump coaches so that they are able to enjoy this entertaining ritual with the upperclassmen.

The game was off to a shaky start, due to

inclement weather. The eager football players were prevented from being able to practice, therefore, the game was moved to Tuesday, November 30. The morning of the game, the entire student body gathered together at the gazebo before school to raise the spirit level. Performances by junior and senior cheerleaders, this year, left junior cheerleaders nowhere to be found. The legendary dance moves of the Cavalumps were performed.

Seniors take Powder Puff once againThe players then sent

representatives in from each class to have a battle of the words. Every year, the juniors are filled with spirit and are led to believe that they will entice a victory over the seniors. This year was no different. At the morning pep rally, the juniors were hyped up and almost positive that they were going to win over the seniors, given rumors that the game was not going to be rigged this year. Anticipation was running high at the game Tuesday, and the seniors got off to a slow start in the first half, allowing the juniors to score a touchdown and a two point extra kick.

The seniors came back in the second half and increased the score gap with a final score of 22-8.

As senior Melinda Garrett said at

the morning pep rally, “Seniors get juked on everything, we had to take TAKS instead of TAAS, we have prom at South Shore, and we have to graduate on the football field. We will not be overcome again in Powder Puff!” Seniors took a commanding victory over the juniors once again, and restored tradition for at least one more year. Next year, the class of 2006 will battle it out against the class of 2007, and hopefully seniors will take another victory.

Junior Powder Puff Senior Powder Puff

Cheerleaders Cavalumps

H iVol.79/Issue3L ife18 H iL ife

Nov./Dec. 200419Sports

Joey LatulippeSports Editor

Forty-four year old Coach Ruben Jordan had a near death experience on September 8th when he had a mild heart attack.

Coach Jordan was experiencing symptoms like shortness of breath and chest pains but he was reluctant to visit a doctor. He eventually resented not going and he suffered a near death experience. Coach Jordan was only walking on a treadmill but if he had been doing any strenuous activity he might have suffered a massive heart attack. The doctors found that he had 100 percent blockage on one side of his heart and 65 percent blockage on the other side.

A massive heart attack signifi cantly reduces the ability of the heart muscle to pump and may also effect the functioning of the valves in the heart. Typical symptoms include chest tightness, burning or pressure. Often this discomfort is also felt in the left shoulder, left arm and hand, and sometimes in the neck and jaw. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, sweating, dizziness, and skin that’s cold to the touch. Sometimes symptoms are not typical, and include shortness of breath and fatigue. “I felt shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue, sweaty, and like I wanted to pass out.”

Since he had 100 percent blockage on one side and 60 percent on another they used a balloon and a stent to

prop the artery open. A stent is a wire mesh tube used to prop open an artery that’s recently been cleared using angioplasty. (the surgical repair of a blood vessel). The stent is collapsed to a small diameter and put over a balloon

catheter. It’s then moved into the area of the blockage. When the balloon is infl ated, the stent expands, locks in place and forms a scaffold. This holds the artery open. The stent stays in the artery p e r m a n e n t l y, holds it open, improves blood fl ow to the heart muscle

and relieves symptoms (usually chest pain). The procedure lasted between 45 minutes and an hour.

Coach Jordan spent three days in the Intensive Care Unit at and three days in a regular hospital room at Clear Lake Regional Hospital. He was out of school for 10 days and missed two cross-country meets and Coach Bidelspach conducted practices while he was out. “I’m a tough guy, that little surgery can’t hurt me. I came back quick.” “I have changed my diet, exercise more, don’t let things stress me out, and I try to relax more.”

This heart attack has changed Coach Jordan’s life but in a good way because he is more aware of his physical condition. This experience may have helped in a good way so he can get his health back in order, relax more often and just take it easy by spending time with his family.

Andy CollinsSports Editor

As the football season came to an end, so did the career of Coach Aubrey Schulz. After 20 years of coaching at Clear Creek High School, Coach Schulz has decided to retire.

In March 1985 Coach Schulz came to Creek with a winning attitude and the will to never give up. That mindset carried on with him and continues to do so as he announced his retirement after the 2004 football season. Although his last season as head coach didn’t go as planned, his decision of resigning was made before this year’s season began. Before an off-season work out just a few weeks ago, he shared with the players an inspirational message: “I have had a goal of staying in one place for 20 years, and now I have done that. My decision was based at the beginning of the season, and its time I move on to something new. Never give up in what you do an always work to do your best.”

Coach Schulz career as a football coach began in 1976. Throughout his career, football is not the only sport he has coached. twenty-fi ve years ago, in 1979, he was a track and fi eld coach, but that did not spark much interest for as football. In his 20 year career at Creek, many seasons have been a success and some have been disaster, but everything happens for a reason and you learn from all that you do. In Coach Schulz’s mind, all seasons have thier high points but one in particular stands out in his mind overall. In 2002, the Wildcat football squad sailed through their schedule and went undefeated that season. “We were probably top fi ve in the state but, when playoffs came we had to unfortunately play the #1 ranked team and we lost. But our team fought hard and that

season is one I will always remember,” said Schulz. His career has been fi lled with championships, great moments, close win, close losses and the always-unfortunate heartbreaks. But through and through, his time as coach was always done in the most respected way and he always fought until the end no matter what the circumstances.

After making his fi nal decision and announcement on retirement, Coach Schulz does not really have a strong idea of what will happen next. “I don’t really know what I’m going to do now, but I will try and stay busy as possible.” One of the ideas that he is pondering now is whether or not he wants to be given the role as assistant principal. He has been thinking about being an assistant principal for a while now but giving it a try is still undecided. Coach Schulz also owns and runs his own barbeque business and he would like to work on that full time.

Although Coach Schulz is retiring from football, he plans on “hanging around” to watch games, practices and watch his former students progress and succeed. His style of coaching, his ability to win, and ability to keep fi ghting are only a few of the many tasks that he took on throughout his career.

At Creek, he learned many life teaching lessons through other players, coaches and co-workers but, with his departure he wanted to make sure he taught his men a lesson of his own.

“I hope I taught them to never give up, always go out and get what they are looking for and always keep fi ghting for what they really want. I hope a made a positive infl uence on all of my players that given their all for me.”

Jordan returns after scare Schulz says “Good-bye” after 20

H iVol.79/Issue3L ife18 H iL ife

Nov./Dec. 200419Sports

Athletes of the Month

Josh DarnellSports Editor

Lance Pevehouse, a junior two-year letterman here at Creek is this edition’s Athlete of the Month. Lance plays point guard on the Varsity basketball team. He is one of the top scorers on the Wildcats team averaging 15 points per game. When asked where he would want to attend college he replies, “It really doesn’t matter just anywhere I receive a scholarship.” In his free time, Lance enjoys playing cards and hanging out with friends. When asked about this year’s team Lance says, “Our team has the potential to win district and do well in the state playoffs.” Judging by a tournament game against Clear Brook in which Lance had 35 points; there is a good chance his predictions can come true. The Wildcats expect to achieve goals like winning district and going deep into the playoffs. Lance plans to run an efficient offense with poise and a cool composure. He will do whatever it takes to win and he’ll lead the team that way too.

Lance Pevehouse

Josh DarnellSports Editor

This editions girl Athlete of the Month is senior Rachel Driver. Rachel is a four-year letterman for our Lady Wildcat basketball team. Rachel is almost averaging a double double with points and rebounds. The last game the Wildcats played on November 30th, she scored 16 points, 6 assists, 9 rebounds, and 6 steals. Rachel says, “I expect us to win district and pass at least the second round in the state playoffs.” when she was asked on what he expectations for the team are this year. Rachel stays busy in her free time Working at her job, studying, and visiting her sister who attends Texas A&M. Rachel plans to go to the University of Texas majoring in biomedical engineering. She says, “Choosing not to play basketball in college will be something I always regret so I still think about it all the time.

Rachel is excited about her senior season here at Creek. She plans to go above and beyond her individual goals this year with a good work ethic.

Dylan CurtisReporter

With the Creek football season finished, basketball has now filled the air with high hopes. “I am starting to feel the electricity because of the high hopes of the basketball team,” says senior Seth Freeman. Creek’s basketball team has been without a playoff birth for three years but has now produced a lot of pre-season hype. With a decent amount of returning letterman, Creek is expected to finish high in the district and possibly make the state playoffs.

As many people can tell, this is expected to be the Wildcat’s year. “It just seems like we have all the right pieces to the puzzle,” said junior Brandon Burton. The Wildcats started off the year in a way they are not familiar with, losing. The past two years, the Cat’s have opened up against Yates and have won both times. This year, along with many other changes, Creek opened up against Westfield. The first quarter did not go the Cat’s way as they fell to an early deficit of 24-14. When your team gets down into double digits, the goal becomes cutting the lead in half, which is exactly what the Cat’s did. They quickly answered in

the second quarter by cutting the lead to five with the score 27-32. The Cats went into halftime not knowing what the second half had in store for them. However, Westfield outscored the Cats 38-31 in the second half alone, ending the game at 70-58.

Creek’s varsity basketball team has not lived up to expectations the past several years. Two years ago Creek controlled there own destiny to make the playoffs in the last regular season game against Alvin. All Creek had to do was win the last regular season game and the playoff birth was theirs. Alvin had a different outtake and defeated the Wildcats in the closing seconds of the game. Last year, Creek missed the playoffs but not near as dramatic. Although last year was disappointing, some of Creek’s players were able to shine. Ray Kramer was entered in the Cuttino Mobley’s Clutch City Shootout and finished on top. With his win, Ray made it possible for all of Creek to meet the former Rocket’s sharp shooter. As a senior this year, Ray will lead this team to an exciting season that will hopefully have something to show for it.

This year’s roster consists of:Guard- Lance Pevehouse (Jr.)

Guard- Chris Spencer (Sr.)Guard- Kyle Hopkins (Sr.)Guard- Gerald Hilliard (Jr.)Guard- Darrius Mayfield (Jr.)Forward- Ray Kramer (Sr.)Forward- Chris Boyce (Jr.)Forward- Coy Custer (Jr.)Forward- Nick Blackburn (Sr.)Forward- Austin Yancey (Jr.)

The Wildcats entered in an early season tournament hoping to gain experience for the upcoming playoffs. The Cats made it to the Gold Bracket by winning their first two games against Baytown Lee (86-43) and Huntington, Louisiana (59-42). They opened up the actual tournament losing to North Shore by a score of 87-60. Coach Carlisle said, “It was our only really bad outing in the tourney.” The Cats went on to beat La Porte 70-59 and Dallas Kimball 71-65 before losing to Alief Taylor 53-48 in the consolation finals.

With the Cats trying to change their recent skid from the playoffs, they will look to change many things. One new addition the Wildcats had this year was playing in the Toyota Center November 27th against one of the most underrated rivals, the Deer Park Deer. “We got into the Toyota Center by being persistent and convincing the Rockets to start playing high school games before Rockets games like they did at Compaq Center,” said Coach Buddy Carlisle.

The Wildcats played before the Rockets game, which brought energy the Wildcats have never experienced. For $14.00, fans were able to see thier own Wildcats and the Houston Rockets. The Wildcats started off the game worried because of the limited amount of warm-up time they received. Both teams started off cold, but after the first half, the game was tied up at 28. With an inspiring half time speech, Coach Carlisle was able to outscore the Deer 19-12 in the third quarter. This gave a nice cushion for the Wildcats as they used it for the best, finishing off the Deer by a score of 62-48.

Despite the pressure of playing in front of the pros, Coach Carlisle said “The Toyota Center game with Deer Park was a great experience for our players and coaches. It was a little

more spacious than the Field House, but I thought we adjusted pretty well.” After the Wildcats game, the Houston Rockets hosted Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets but came up short. Not only did the Wildcats play in the Toyota Center but they are also going to play a tournament in Illinois. The will play during the Christmas break against some of the north’s top teams.

On Tuesday November 30th, the Clear Creek Wildcats squared off against Cinco Ranch. The Wildcats did not have one of their better games but were still able to pull away with the win. Junior Gerald Hilliard agreed saying, “We should have beaten Cinco Ranch more than we did.” The Wildcats won by a score of 62-53.

The Wildcats hosted the Clear Creek Invitational starting on Thursday December 2nd. The Wildcats took on Texas City in the first round. Texas City stayed close in the first half but soon found out they were no match for the Wildcats. The Wildcats went on a second half terror finishing off Texas City by a score of 68-42. In the second round, Creek faced off against the number one team in the state of Texas, Desoto. Creek had a scary start as Desoto started off hot going on a 6-0 run. Creek was able to fight back in the second quarter and take the lead going into half time. Creek was able to maintain their lead and finish off Desoto by a score of 52-47. Creek went on to play Brook in the semi-finals. The in district rivals battled hard but Creek came out ahead winning by a narrow three points. With this win, Creek advanced to the championship game against Nacadoches. Despite being a lot shorter than Nacadoches, Creek was able to find a way to win by three points.

This year’s roster may not look strong on paper as it should, but as most people know, it takes more than talent to win. It will take heart, commitment, and that extra time to get where the Cat’s are looking to go. With expectations of no less than excelling in the playoffs, the Wildcats will need to do everything right, from the practice court to the classroom.

Rachel Driver

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Boy’s basketball on fire; defeats #1 team in state

H iVol.79/Issue3L ife20 Photo Finish