A little problem-solving lends itself to Student Alex …...HawkThe X Volume 10 X Issue 1 X Birdville High School X North Richland Hills X Texas X September X 2008 A d e c a d e o

XHawkThe

Volume 10 X Issue 1 X Birdville High School X North Richland Hills X Texas X September X 2008

A decade of...

Free

Hawk Radio................................p. 3

A little problem-solving lends itself to new media with the addition of the Hawk Radio online sports broadcast.

German Exchange Student.......p. 5

Student Alex Stojanow visits the U.S. on a trip inspired by curiosity and sponsored by the local Rotary Club.

School Changes.....................p. 6-7

New administrators and faculty arrive at school, announcing policy changes and plans for the future.

Homecoming Activities.......p. 8-10

Parade, pep rally, carnival and court voting kick off the festivities for a week of spirited costume display.

Register to VoteThe time is here. Reg-

ister to vote in the upcoming presidential election.

The deadline for reg-istering for the General Elec-tion is October 6.

Voters may register by October 6 as long as they are 18 or will be before the election day, November 4th.

To obtain a voter reg-istration packet, go to the local voter registrar’s office. Also libraries, most post of-fices, high schools, or www.

sos.state.tx.us/index.html have available packets.

Registering online takes less than 5 minutes. Register online at www.rock-thevote.com. or www.sos.state.tx.us/index.html

The Tarrant County Voter Registrar is located at 2700 Premier Street Fort Worth 76111, to reach them by phone (817) 884-1115.

Kili FerrellStaff Writer

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Homecoming, the time when alumni are welcomed home, new royalty are crowned and the students show their true spirit. It is the time when football is widely celebrated. Students find new and old friends, and experience the true meaning of fun and being a teenager.

Now cut to Friday, Septem-ber 26 the lights were bright and the stands filled; conces-sions were sold and memo-ries were made, but the most prevalent events of the night were the game against Azle

High School and the crown-ing of the King and Queen at halftime.

The events of the week were topped off with the an-nual Homecoming Dance on Saturday night.

The Homecoming court included: Meredith Case, Juan Alviso, Bethany Flem-ing, Steven Davidson, Kayla Freeman, Marcus Finnell, Jazzy Johnson, Andy Hamp-ton, Klara Knypinski, Ethan Hutchins, Shena Ly, Will LeBlanc, Rebecca McCarty, Daniel Lee, Amber Shepherd,

Jake Perkins, Elizabeth Thorn and Tyler Walker.

On monday the homecom-ing parade stepped off from the Legacy Church of Christ parking lot and ended near the stadium.

The parade, included floats from many organiza-tions and clubs not only within Birdville High, but also several elementary schools and mid-dle schools. Most of the sports teams were represented with floats, Academic UIL, Math

Taylor CarpenterStaff Writer

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Exes come home to parade, pep rally, carnival, game

On November 4, Demo-crats and Republicans alike will stand in line to vote in the 2008 Presidential Election.

The candidates are Barack Obama for the Democratic candidate, and John McCain for the Republican candidate. Obama’s Vice President, Joe Biden, also ran for the Demo-cratic Party candidate, but lost out to Obama. John McCain’s VP, Sarah Palin, is the gover-nor of Alaska.

This particular election is also historical. It is the first time any major party has elected an African American as their party’s candidate, as well as the first time a female has run as Vice Presidential candidate of a major party. John McCain, if elected, will be the oldest president at the time of office entry.

Obama comes from a middle class family, and has a multiracial background, his mother being white and his fa-ther being an African American

born and raised in Kenya. His father and mother separated early in his life, and Obama saw little to nothing of his fa-ther, with the exception of a visit in 1972. He was born and, for the most part, raised in Hawaii.

He also attended Occi-dental College in Los Angeles, and eventually transferred to Columbia University in New York City. He then applied at Harvard Law School, where he was elected president of The Harvard Review journal, the first ever African American to serve in that position.

John McCain, the Re-publican candidate, was born in 1936. He graduated from the US Naval Academy, and served as an Officer in the Navy for 22 years, attaining the rank of Captain (which, in the Navy is an 0-6, the Equiva-lent of a Colonel in every other branch of service aside from the coast guard). Between 1967 and 1973, McCain was a

prisoner of war in a Vietnam-ese POW camp after he was shot down in Hanoi.

After the Vietnamese learned that his father was a high-ranking officer in the Navy, he was offered to leave. McCain refused, and stayed with his comrades.He then began an extensive po-litical career, which has, so far, spanned 26 years.

Joe Biden, the Democratic party’s vice presidential candi-date, is a recognized leader in foreign policy. Being elected as a Delaware State Senator in 1972 at the age of 29, he is active in matters against ter-rorism, drugs, and most other forms of crime. He is also ac-tive in the fight to stop geno-cide.

Losing his first wife and daughter to a deadly car wreck, Biden raised his two sons as a single parent until marrying his current wife.

Biden ran for the Demo-cratic party’s nomination for

president, but lost to Obama. Obama then selected Biden as his running mate.

Sarah Palin, the 11th Governor of Alaska (and also the first female to hold the position), was born in 1964 in Sandpoint, Ohio. She played basketball in high school, and placed second in the Mrs. Alaska contest in 1984.

In 1992, she joined the Wasilla city council, and then was elected the mayor of Wasilla in 1996. In 2006 she was elected governor of Alas-ka, after running a campaign based on ethics and a clean government.

The families of both party’s candidates have also been prominent in the media, with Obama’s heritage being a large part of it, as well as the pregnancy of Palin’s 17 year-old daughter.

Both candidates are wide-ly criticized and praised for many reasons. Mostly based on policies, the exposure of

The HAWK is printed on 100% Recycled Newsprint

Please recycle this newspaper...give it to a friend or family member!



Candidates square off as election day approaches families in the media, histo-ries, religions, ect. McCain, for example, has been criticized for his age and his sudden selection of Palin as a run-ning mate, and many people criticize him for supporting current President George W. Bush. Obama has also been widely criticized for his foreign

policy experience, lacking ma-jor leadership experience, and his abortion views.

Either way, as the elec-tion date draws close, many are speculating about the out-come.

and Science, Yearbook and Newspaper and all of the spirit organizations were included.

A crowd favorite included the knitting club, whose sign read, “Needle the Hornets”.

The North Richland Hills Fire Department led the way with a fire truck.

“We want to thank every-one that participated in the pa-rade, including those organi-zations that had floats and all the participants including the safety volunteers that made it

a success,” Assistant Principal Phyllis Scott said.

Following the parade, a crowd gathered in the sta-dium for a pep rally that in-cluded introductions of the Homecoming Court members and honored guests followed by performances from the band, Golden Motion, Rawkin’ Hawks and Cheerleaders.

The pep rally concluded with the awarding of plaques for best floats and thank you gifts to the coordinators of the

events.The carnival was held di-

rectly after the pep rally in the student parking lot, and includ-ed booths from a few elemen-tary and middle schools, as well as activities from Birdville High School. Food, games, a dunking booth, Karaoke, live guitar music and a variety of extras provided fun until clos-ing time.

Meredith Benton, Jazzy Johnson, Anna Rose and Caleb Prouty entertain the crowd at the karaoke booth.

Involvement essential for success

2 The Hawk September 2008Opinions

Rachel StonecipherEditor-in-ChiefFeatures Editor

Rachel FountainAssistant Editor-in-Chief

Opinions Editor

Ethan HutchinsSports Editor

Taylor Dukes

Life & Arts Editor

Rachel Jenkins

News Editor

Laurel Wheeler

Senior Staff Writer

Staff WritersTaylor Carpenter

Kili FerrellKaycee Giammarco

Devin HarperRachael Morgan

Jannet Hiles

Adviser

Jason Wells

Principal

The HAWK is published monthly, during the regu-lar school calendar, by the Journalism Department of Birdville High School. Its purpose is to serve as an open forum for the students, faculty and staff of Birdville, and the surrounding communities of Colleyville, Hurst, North Richland Hills, Rich-land Hills and Watauga. The HAWK is a member of the Interscholastic League Press Conference and Southern Interscholastic Press Association. Advertising Rates are $5.00 per column-inch. Current circulation is 1500. Papers are distributed free of charge. Editorials reflect the views of The HAWK staff, signed columns reflect the views of the writer and do not nec-essarily reflect the views of the school faculty, staff, students or administration. Letters to the Editor are welcomed and must be typed, double-spaced and limited to 200 words. They can be delivered to room A400 or emailed to [email protected] and must be signed and include a phone number and address for verification.

Recently, Dallas Indepen-dent School District decided to allow students to opt out of homework.

Homework should be considered mandatory for students in school. Students who do not do their homework should be punished.

Homework is assigned in school as a means to help stu-dents learn. If students do not do their homework they do not learn anything.

If a student does their homework and actually learns something, they usually will make a higher grade than a student who does not do their homework and therefore does not learn very much.

Homework is also neces-sary because it allows teach-ers to gauge how much a stu-dent is learning and whether or not they understand the material.

If a teacher sees that a student is attempting their work but is not making good grades, that teacher can help the student.

The teacher will have a chance to help the student in the areas in which they are struggling.

Another reason students should be required to do their homework is because if they are not required to do work and they choose not to, they are being allowed to slack off

It is a common occurrence to overhear students during the course of the day complaining about various subjects, but only a few actually take action. Some teens may believe that if they do voice their opinion, no one will care due to their age. This is simply not the case. More students should become actively involved in not only school activities but also in the community itself and as citizens.

When looking back on high school, a student will not remember what grade was received for that big biology test or what their final average

in calculus was. A student will remember the bus ride home from the band competition, the homerun hit, and painting the sets for the spring musical. The purpose of high school is to prepare someone for college and the real world. A very major part of those years is to learn and grow mentally. Yet, just as important, is to experience and try new things by getting involved in sports, activities and clubs. This is where and how one matures and tries out things to find out who they are.

There is no argument that a sound education can get

Rachel FountainAssistant Editor-in-Chief


you anywhere; however, to supplement that knowledge, one must know how to interact with others. School activities give a social interaction that is needed in all aspects of life. At the school level, it is of a great deal of importance to be involved.

Many traditions such as Project Celebration and Prom would not be remotely pos-sible without fundraising help from students. More recent additions such as the Win-ter Dance last year, and this year’s Homecoming carnival also would not exist without assistance from students. Ev-ery school year would be a little bit more boring if not for the school organized events. The more effort, the better an event will be.

The presidential cam-paigns also recognize the im-portance of youth. This group of voters traditionally either out of plain old apathy does not

show up on election day, or just out of sheer laziness. This is a disappointing trend, since “the youth vote” as it is called makes up millions of Ameri-cans. An example of this is the Iowa caucuses. Here, the “under 25” crowd turned out in record numbers - more than double that of 2004 - to vote for Senator Barack Obama, which caused him to win the caucus against Hillary Clinton and gain approximately 17,000 additional votes, according to TIME magazine.

Teen voices can be heard in this society. It is only a mat-ter of knowing what to do to make it heard.

Do not simply lay back and watch the world go by. Get up off the couch, make the iPod sleep and see what can be done today. The results may be surprising.

in school. If schools allow students

to opt out of homework just be-cause they do not want to do it, they are being told that they can choose not to do things in life just because they do not want to.

This could easily make students feel like they can be lazy and not do their work both in and out of school and get away with it.

It can also cause students to lose their jobs in the work-place, because they might get the impression they do not have to work hard for their em-ployers to be paid well.

Finally, students need to be taught responsibility and a hard work ethic.

Many students are learn-ing to be irresponsible and are learning to have a bad work ethic outside of school.

The school setting may be the only place in the students life this is being modeled.

Schools should require homework, because it helps students be less lazy and helps them make better grades. It helps teachers help students be more successful.

Doing homework also helps students develop a sense of responsibility and a strong work ethic.

Homework builds character, values

Laurel WheelerStaff Writer


Uniforms are the new dress code at Richland Middle School. This year, after long thought and hard planning, Richland Middle School stu-dents have to wear uniforms. The upside is they are allowed to wear any jewelry, hair ar-ticles and shoes they want.

“We were trying to estab-lish an environment conducive to learning, same rules for ev-eryone,” Principal Cheri Size-more said.

One of many reasons the uniform dress code was ac-cepted was because of the low socioeconomic situations of some RMS students.

“There haven’t been any complaints. People in the community and people in the school feel the uniforms are safer. Parents and Leadership from Birdville also say there is a very noticeable difference,” Sizemore said.

The uniforms are provided through the school for low cost, to allow for cheap and easy access. For special cas-es uniform scholarships are awarded, allowing the student to receive the bundle for little

to no cost. The students, all wearing

the same thing, are not given the chance to ridicule other students because of clothing. It allows for more peace in the classroom setting, with less bullying everywhere.

“[The new uniform policy] reduces bullying because of things the kids were wearing. There has also been very, very few discipline problems,” Size-more said.

Last year the TEA for RMS rating was acceptable. Board members and staff are hoping for high scores, with a more compatible learning area.

“[People] seem to be proud of them. There’s a calming at-mosphere, the teachers have more kids coming to class pre-pared to start being told what to do,” Sizemore said.

To the kids it may seem unfair, but it is a way to pre-pare them for the future. They are allowed to dress how they want in high school, but many jobs require uniforms.



Uniforms benefit students at RMS

What was your favorite summer movie and why?

Dylan Slick

Freshman

“The Dark Knight. I mean, it’s Batman -

what more could you want?”

Will Griffin

Faculty

“Hancock, because Will Smith is the best actor

in Hollywood today.”

Erin Mosher

Senior

“The Dark Knight, because I saw it with my parents, whom I rarely get to see and it was awesome.”

Casey Burns

Junior

“Iron Man. It’s by far the best superhero

quest movie ever created.”

Tyler Wagley

Sophomore

“Pineapple Express, because it’s just hilarious and the best movie ever.”

HawkThe

StaffX

Learning calls for home effort

hoo.com, or talk to assisstant principal Glenn Serviente.

“I think that the internet broadcasts are good and they’re cool and they are there if you need them,” student James Jackson said.

For home games, the broadcasting will be done in the Announcement Box and for away games it will be done anywhere they can find a spot to put the team.

The process of broadcast-ing a game is simple accord-ing to Laurel, the only equip-ment needed is a microphone, a mixer, and a computer. Hook them all up, head to the web-site and its finished.

The live broadcasting of the Varsity Football games will be online throughout the sea-son for anyone who wants to listen.

Readers can go to www.birdvillehawksradio.com or fol-low the link from the Birdville Home Page.

September 2008 The Hawk 3

Phelps achieves Olympic successStanding at 6’3”, 185lbs.

and 23 years of age, Michael Phelps has broken 31 world records in his swimming career as of August 2008. Phelps’ philosophy is to swim his best every single time he performs. Many agree he is the greatest all-around com-petitor in the sport today.

Phelps’ image and pos-tive attitude definitely made the endorsement opportuni-ties pour in after his success in the ’08 Olympics where he walked away with eight gold medals, one more than for-mer gold medal record holder Mark Spitts, and more gold medals than any Olympic ath-lete ever.

“Michael came out of the Athens Games an American sports hero. His face seems to be popping up everywhere since the 2004 Olympic

games where he walked away with six gold medals and two bronze,” said Michael Lynch, head of global sponsorship management at Visa.

Phelps is a force with which to be reckoned. He is d e t e r m i n e d and is very humble about everything he has achieved.

“I think that anything is possible as long as you put your mind, work and time into it,” Phelps said.

Phelps was born and raised in Baltimore, Mary-land. He is the son of a middle school principal and a police officer. He was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and

Hawk Radio broadcasts sports liveAttending football games

can sometimes be difficult, because of the distance, or homework or other commit-ments; however, if fans would still like to be in on the action, when not attending, they can now tune in to new Birdville Hawks Radio.

The idea of broadcast-ing came up between father and daughter Larry and Lau-rel Wheeler after missing an away game, during last year’s season.

“My dad and I were sit-ting there one day talking after

an away game mentioning if we could ever get the games broadcasted over the Internet, people would probably listen, especially for away games,” Laurel said.

Deciding it would be ben-eficial to create another way for students to know what is happening at the games, they created the Hawk Radio Team.The only thing needed was a website, which they found in Live 365 which charges a small fee to host the site, and a crew.

The crew consists of four



members for now, including Larry Wheeler, along with se-niors Laurel Wheeler, Tyler Walker and Baird Harbin.

“I really support the whole feeling of being a part of the game, without actually being there,” Harbin said.

Included in every game broadcast will be play-by-plays, updated scores and statistics, and excitement from each member of the team.

The group is looking for a new member to do stats and on-field reporting. If interested email birdvillehawksradio@ya-

Volleyball sets win quota, plans focus on teamwork

Run, jump, spike, dive, hit; it is just another day at the Lady Hawks’ volleyball prac-tice.

They play hard, and practice even harder, a mental-ity that the team is going to need to make another trip to the playoffs.

With 18 wins under their belts and a goal of over 30 wins by the playoffs, the Lady Hawks are well on their way to an-other successful season.

At the core of the Lady Hawks’ game plan is teamwork.

They must work together to achieve any goal they set for themselves, and with many district games still left to be played, their camara-derie will be needed now more

Taylor DukesLife & Arts Editor


began swimming at age 7 as an outlet for all his energy. A gifted swimmer from the start, by age 10 he already held a national record for his age group.

“If I didn’t swim my best, I’d think about it at school, at dinner, with my friends. It would drive me crazy,” Phelps said.

P h e l p s qualified for the 2000

Olympics at age 15. In 2004, he attended the University of Michigan and majored in sports marketing and man-agement, where he continued to train for the 2008 Olym-pics.

Phelps is seen as a role model for kids and teenagers;

and because of this when he was arrested for drunk driving in 2004 it was a huge con-troversy. At the time he was 19, two years under the legal drinking age.

“Getting in a car with any-thing to drink is wrong, dan-gerous and unacceptable. I’m 19, but was taught no matter how old you are, you should always take responsibility for your actions,” Phelps said.

He pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to 18 months of probation, a $250 fine and was obligated to speak to high school stu-dents about drinking and driv-ing.

Phelps plans to return to the Olympics in 2012 to be held in London.

Swimmer becomes first to win eight gold medals in history

Devin HarperStaff Writer


Kelsey Plunk sets the ball as Caitlyn Juarez prepares to return it over the net.

Photo by Jordan Monahan

Sports

by Ethan Hutchins

HutchinsSports

Highlights

When Olympians compete every four years in the summer games, their achievements are sometimes re-warded with a large amounts of money, cars or endorse-ment opportunities.

Olympic medalist Michael Phelps was promised one million dollars if he beat Mark Spitts record, which he did in August, but should these glorified Olympic athletes be given extremly huge amounts of money for their efforts?

The work and effort that athletes put into their training should be recognized, especially those who train many years to even make it to the games.

Training for the the Olympics is an athletes career, so technically the money that a medalist could make from sponsorships or gifts could be considered their belated paycheck, but should the athletes just stick with their tra-ditional gold, silver or bronze medal for their reward?

In the past, Olympians actually, believe it or not, com-peted in the Olympics for the pure prideful feeling of suc-cess, but now, it is as though, the public expects those who compete in the Olympics should be rewarded with not just the traditional medal, but with a fortune, or like in some countries, gigantic mansions.

According to the Moscow Times, governments are also rewarding Olympic medalists by giving them free apartments, cars and money.

Take Zimbabwe for instance; their lone athlete, Kirsty Coventry, broke the world record and won gold in the women’s 200m backstroke, and received three separate silver medals, therefore; the Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe gave Coventry one hundred thousand dollars for her achievements.

Should a country spend that much money on an ath-lete, when they win a gold medal? Michael Phelps won eight gold, and he is getting one million dollars from spon-sorships.

The athletic performances of Olympians should be recognized, because they go through rigorous training, over a period of years just to make it to the Olympics, and therefore should be praised.

The amount of praise, however, should be consid-ered, because spending lots of money on medalists is unwise.

“I think that anything is possible

as long as you put your mind, work and time

into it.”

Michael Phelps

then ever.“Our team this year is re-

ally close on and off the court. We are all like sisters,” Kelsey

Plunk said. The team must utilize this

sense of closeness to get even stronger throughout the

season. Showing their support of

one another on the court al-lows the Lady Hawks to grow

and be successful, as a team, rather then a one man show.

Volleyball, after all, is a team sport, and everyone will be needed to win future games, and eventually go far in playoffs.

“We shine the most when we lift each other up. We have big plans for this reason,” Ra-chel Parra said.

With five se-niors leading the Lady Hawks way to victory, the vol-leyball team’s sea-son is just begin-

ning to heat up.

Golden rewards

4 The Hawk September 2008FeaturesFreeman tells story of disease, coma, survival, life

English teacher Johnny Freeman has not always taught English. He became a teacher after working with teens in youth ministry, when he felt ready to work with teens on a more for-mal basis.

Before he was a youth minister, he worked on a ranch. From ages 16 to 27, Freeman was a ranch hand, until he got a serious illness that motivated him to seek other career op-tions.

At age 21, in the summer of 1989, Freeman worked at the Padlock Ranch in southern Montana. The ranch contained over a million acres of land and about 10,000 head of cattle. Freeman worked on the north end division of the ranch, which housed roughly 5,000 cows. It was branding season; for six to seven weeks in the summer about 16 ranch hands branded cattle.

It was during this period that Freeman caught the Janta Virus, an airborne virus that is spread in the fecal matter of mice. No one even came up with a name for the virus until seven years later, in 1996. In 1989, it had not been around very long and many doctors did not even know it existed.

One of the places Free-man and the other cattle hands camped was a century-old cattle camp. Freeman was one of four who stayed in the camp’s run-down bunkhouse, which was equipped with cots for sleeping. Conditions in the bunkhouse, were unsanitary, and one of the mice living in the building carried the virus. A week later Freeman’s symptoms kicked in.

“I felt like I had the flu and just thought if I took the day off, the next day I would be fine,” Freeman said. “I was sitting in church and it hit me in the blink of an eye. One second I was fine and the next I almost fell out of a chair and got very nauseous.”

Throughout the next few days the virus began to take its toll. Freeman was unaware of the nature and severity of the disease, so no emergency measures were taken for some time. An unknown virus was kill-ing him. He started to feel dizzy, disoriented and dehydrated and could not keep any food down.

Freeman’s boss’ wife came to check on him occasionally and bring him food. On the sec-ond or third day she came in, she looked at him and gasped because his skin had turned blue. He was nearly dead. She told him to stay where he was, because she was going to take him to the hospital.

“Being the polite young man that I was, I thought that I would walk out of the house to meet her at the car,” Freeman said. “Dumb idea. At the time my pulse was very low and I was almost dead, but neither one of us knew it. I made it to the foyer and then passed out and hit my head on the wall, which is how I got the scar on the back of my head.”

His boss’ wife took him to a small hospital in Hardin, Mon-tana. When she brought him in, attendants immediately knew he was dying.

The Hardin hospital called St. Vincent’s Hospital in Bill-ings, Montana and that hospital airlifted him in a helicopter to its trauma center. The center was known to be one of the best re-spiratory centers in the region.

“I could see all the lights on the ceiling and one of the doctors was asking me some questions, and then I was gone,” Freeman said. “I was in a coma.”

Attendants put Freeman in intensive care and started treating him with several differ-ent drugs, because they did not recognize the disease. All told, Freeman’s treatments included a respirator, ten different nee-dles, and several IVs and heart monitors.

Freeman’s parents arrived three hours after he did. A priest for St. Vincent’s met them at the door. He told them that Free-man had roughly a 50 percent chance of surviving.

Freeman’s father’s oil com-pany flew all of his family mem-bers to the hospital, one of which was his cousin Rusty Freeman, a close friend. Freeman’s doctor came in one morning and told his family that he would be dead by noon and to be ready. The doctor could not figure out what disease he had contracted.

One evening, a nurse mis-understood the doctor, think-ing he had told her to take out Freeman’s respirator, the only thing breathing for him at the time. The Janta Virus attacks red blood cells, preventing them from carrying oxygen. Freeman had pneumonia in both lungs. When the nurse removed the respirator, it allowed him the abil-ity to speak, because the pres-sure on his vocal cords caused by the respirator was alleviated. Rusty had been by Freeman’s bed the whole time he was in a coma, thinking he was waiting to watch his best friend die.

“He told me that I opened my eyes and looked at him, and he had gotten new glasses and I said ‘nice frames,’ and I was out again,” Freeman said.

Freeman remembered see-ing Rusty’s glasses and thinking they were nice. He remembered feeling his hand, but did not re-member saying anything.

“It felt like a dream to me, and during this dream I con-sciously thought, ‘I’ve got to wake up, Rusty’s here,’” Free-man said. “It was at that time the doctor said I started getting better.”

Later that evening his im-provement began to show and the nurse put his respirator back in. He could breathe again.

Five days after he came out of the coma, the doctor told him they did not know how he had survived, and they had never seen anyone so sick improve so much in such a short period of time. They had used every drug they had and, finally, one of them had kicked in.

“He said, ‘We don’t know why you are walking out of here, but we’re glad you are,’” Free-man said. “I was too.”

He took a jet home to Hous-ton, where his parents lived at the time, to recover.

“I was totally terrified to go outside,” Freeman said. “For the first time in my life, I was afraid. I thought I’d go outside prick my finger on a little thorn and all the sudden die. I felt totally help-less.”

It took about a year until Freeman’s body fully recov-ered.

A few weeks after his trip home, he noticed a bump on the back of his head and saw hair all over his pillow. He called the

doctor, and the doctor said that the pressure inside the lump was so great that it killed the hair follicles, and that his hair would never grow back in that spot again.

Freeman noticed soon af-ter that the scar that remains is shaped roughly like a heart.

“I’m not very religious at all,” Freeman said. “I don’t go to church, but I am spiritual. I do believe in God. It’s like God’s heart just reminding me that everything’s going to be okay. Even though we feel like we’re out of control, we’re always

okay because we’ve got some-body watching out for us.”

In 1996, the Janta Virus was discovered. Many Native Americans on Indian reserva-tions in the “four corners” area of New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and Colorado were dying.

Researchers finally had enough cases and similar symptoms to identify a single disease.

There is now a vaccine to prevent the Janta Virus.

Kaycee GiammarcoStaff Writer


The thought of donating food makes some restaurant managers cringe, not be-cause they are bad people, but because donating perish-able dishes to charity requires a lot of planning and, most likely, some amount of finan-cial sacrifice.

Red Lobster appears to be one of the only national restaurant chains that have managed to organize a dona-tion program. (Other known “big donors” include Panera Bread, Starbucks and the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island.)

The seafood giant began its Harvest Food Donation Program in June 2005, per-mitting unused food at more than 640 of its restaurants to be donated to local charitable organizations. The program has survived three years, and a manager at the 7800 Bed-ford-Euless Rd location in North Richland Hills reports that Harvest donations there are still going strong.

So, why is it that Red Lob-ster has figured it out while others are still scratching their heads?

Many restaurant repre-sentatives are under the mis-conception that donating is illegal.

“I don’t think you’re al-lowed to do that, by law,” said an office person at the Chili’s, Inc. headquarters in Dallas. “If somebody got sick or some-thing, there’s liability.”

Many restaurant owners are intimidated by health ordi-nances that would require an approved freezing and stor-ing process before food could be transferred. Price is the General Manager at Cotton Patch’s 4020 William D Tate Ave location in Grapevine.

“I’m a new general man-ager, and I looked into giving the food to shelters, since we don’t let cooks and servers take it home,” Tommy Price said. “But before you take it to a shelter, [prepared food] needs to be inspected. The food needs to be held at tem-perature, inspected at temper-ature, and taken to the place at temperature.”

Price is the General Man-ager at Cotton Patch’s 4020 William D Tate Ave location in

Restaurants face food dilemma Grapevine.

Local food providers like Mission Central, sponsored by the First United Method-ist Church of Hurst, have the same problem on their end.

“We’re not equipped to take care of perishable food,” Mission Central Executive Di-rector Emily Youngberg said. “If I did have the facility and the space and a refrigerator, I

would definitely accept [res-taurant donations].”

Youngberg said Mission Central has seen fewer cor-porate gifts (with regards to non-food donations) in re-cent months and more con-tributions from individuals.

Price’s Cotton Patch could donate perishable food to Mission Central within a few months if the cities and the two parties could work out an inspection process, a safe means of transporta-tion, and the necessary stor-age space.

The Good Faith Donor Act of Texas, passed in 1981, protects two groups from li-ability in food donation, indi-viduals donating to nonprofit organizations and nonprofit

organizations donating to the needy. The conditions are the food being donated is “apparently wholesome food” and no charge is being ap-plied to the transaction. The federal version of the law, the Emerson Good Samari-tan Food Donation Act, was enacted in 1996, but neither act contains a provision pro-tecting for-profit businesses.

The answer to this prob-lem may lie in a simple part-nership. Red Lobster, and parent company Darden Restaurants, Inc., have part-nered with Food Donation Connection (FDC), a nation-al organization that matches restaurants and other food service companies with char-ities that feed the needy.

Red Lobster restaurants are required as part of the Harvest program to bag, weigh, label, chill or freeze, and store the unused food so that it can be safely do-nated to charitable organiza-tions. Through this initiative, roughly 1.5 million pounds of food that would otherwise land in the dumpster end up in the hands of hungry peo-

ple instead.Chili’s, though it provides

charitable contributions in the form of money through its parent company, Brinker International, has not yet in-stituted a corporate program to transfer unused food to shelters or other charities.

“We don’t normally have a lot of waste, but I know I used to work at Cotton Patch

and they had a lot of waste because everything is made daily,” a customer service representative at the Chili’s Grill & Bar in Euless said.

This may have changed:“We try to prep the food

so that we don’t have food left over,” Price said.

Either way, Red Lobster has proven the reality that massive-scale restaurant donations are just one cor-porate policy away. Rather than focusing only on reduc-ing excess food, restaurants can now consider company programs that ensure a more useful home for their surplus than the trash bin.

School dumpsters, filled with the day’s lunch throw-aways, await emptying. Photo by Rachel Stonecipher

Rachel StonecipherEditor-in-Chief


Johnny FreemanPhoto by Taylor Carpenter

September 2008 The Hawk 5Features

When Alex Stojanow walks down the crammed halls of BHS, few would guess he is different from anyone else. Al-though he came to the United States as an exchange stu-dent from Germany, he seems to act just like every American teenager his age.

In his hometown of Dres-den one morning, Stojanow awoke and decided he need-ed to do an exchange to an-other country. Through an elite group called the Rotary Club, Stojanow came to the United States.

Stojanow enrolled as a student and is staying with a family in Hurst. The Rotary Club requires that he attend monthly meetings and give two to three speeches about his life and family in Germany.

Although he attends Birdville, Stojanow’s level of knowledge in some subjects is beyond that of his fellow class-mates. He believes he is espe-cially strong in mathematics.

“School is very boring,” Stojanow said. “I learned most of this a couple of grades ago.”

For Stojanow, academic accomplishment did not come without effort. At his high school in Germany, he is en-rolled in several advanced classes that, combined with others, make up a busy sched-ule.

Contrary to American teen-agers, who are only required to take an average of seven to nine courses per year, stu-

dents at Stojanow’s school in Germany take sixteen to nine-teen. This advanced prepara-tion primes him for the immi-nent adventure of college.

“I think I would like to ma-jor in audio engineering,” Sto-janow said.

Although Stojanow has found a swarm of friendly

greetings and prospective friends here, he is still adjust-ing to his new surroundings. There are many differences between his home lifestyle and the customs of the United States.

For example, most Ameri-can teenagers his age have their driver’s licenses. In Ger-many, teens are not allowed to drive until age 18. Also, the drinking age in Germany is 16, and most teens are ac-customed to beer at an even earlier age. Sometimes the dissimilarity between Germa-ny and the United States can be a little overwhelming.

“I never thought it could be so different,” Stojanow said. “Our whole mentality is com-pletely different from Ameri-cans’.”

Since Stojanow does not participate in any after-school activities, he finds himself with a lot of time on his hands. He uses this time to express him-self by playing the guitar, writ-ing songs and poems or read-ing books.

Believing that love proves to be one of the biggest prob-lems facing teenagers today, Stojanow often uses this as inspiration for his writing. With all the free time he has, he finds more opportunities than ever before to sit down and write.

Back in Germany, Sto-janow also participates in a cluster of sports, including bas-ketball, soccer, snowboarding, skiing and volleyball.

He participates in a group at his school in Germany called “Student Company.” The company consists of a group of academically talented students who come together to provide private lessons for other students who are in need of academic coaching.

Partly because of his age, Stojanow does not really have strong opinions on problems in today’s world. He does believe, however, that facing reality is important to solve problems.

“When we have problems we have to face them,” Sto-janow said. “Change it, or we

Stojanow discovers differenceswon’t learn anything.”

Stojanow has high hopes and aspirations for his future; among them, to be the best guitarist in the world. He is also intrigued by Shakespeare; al-though a meeting is purely hypothetical, he would enjoy talking to him and getting to know what kind of person he was.

He does not look up to anyone. He feels that limits a person.

“No one,” Stojanow said. “When you do that, you only want to be as good as the per-son you look up to, but I want to be better.”

Rachel JenkinsNews Editor


On March 20, 2003, the United States went to war with Iraq.

The U.S. casualties have risen to roughly 35,000, with 4200 dead, one missing in action, and roughly 30,600 wounded in action. In an effort to boost soldiers’ and their fam-ily members’ morale and show support for them, the Student Council began selling ribbons

German exchange student Alex Stojanow

Photo by Kili Ferrell



StuCo ribbons honor troops, buy care packagesto tied around trees in remem-brance of their sacrifices.

“A lot of students here have family members and friends and people they really care about that are off in the Army right now,” StuCo presi-dent Kelsey Plunk said.

Many students have fam-ily members or dear friends overseas in different branches of the armed forces, filling dif-

ferent occupations, each doing their job for the country.

“We sold ribbons for 25 cents each so that we could send it to the Welcome Home Organization at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport, and they put to-gether little care packages like waters and snacks when the troops come home,” Plunk said.

Many schools have done

things to support the troops, such as hosting car washes, selling quilts, asking for dona-tions and holding bake sales. The idea for tying ribbons around trees was from a song about a man who has been away three years. He writes his love to tie a ribbon around a tree as a sign she still wants him.

“We came up with the idea

to support the troops, and we just wanted to show our pride and patriotism, because the

war has dragged on a long, long time in Iraq, and there are lots of people that do lots of things, but we wanted to do our little part for the troops,” StuCo advisor Terri Wilson said.

Troop support and ribbons are often associated, as well as the color yellow. Magnets are stuck to cars. On wind-shields stickers are applied to the glass as constant remind-ers of the men and women overseas. On mailboxes and

refrigerators similar emblems are placed, as well as smaller novelties such as coffee mugs

and ballpoint pens.“It’s just kind of fun way for

us to remember,” Wilson said. “The yellow ribbon is a sort of universal sign of troop support, like magnets and stickers.”

The ribbons represent the prayers and hopes of many of the students and faculty mem-bers who wish the men and women in the service a speedy and safe passage home.

Sharing CDs, Guitar Hero, laughing over coffee, these are times shared with friends.

These are memories peo-ple make that shape and de-velop them socially. Best Bud-dies is an organization that provides the opportunity to form friendships and relation-ships between children with in-tellectual disabilities and their general education peers.

Social experiences and relationships are a part of life from which individuals with intellectual disabilities are sometimes excluded.

With this program they are given social opportunities and memories that are very worthwhile according to Sta-cey Gannon, special educa-tion teacher and Best Buddies

sponsor. “They like to have friends

outside of our class,” Gannon said.

Best Buddies will be a club, and each member will be matched up in a “one-to-one friendship” with a buddy based on their interests. Members will attend monthly group ac-tivities that include, but are not limited to, board games, mini-golf, movies and parties.

“They get matched up and start looking at all the things they can do instead of all the things they can’t do,” Gannon said.

Best Buddies is meant to be a mutually beneficial pro-gram. Not only do the special needs students get to experi-ence a new friendship and

have fun with their buddy, but the general education students will also learn what the special education class is like while building a fulfilling relationship with someone they normally would not have the opportunity to get to know.

Friendship is often seen as the key to building self-es-teem.

“It’s critical in them feeling like they’re part of the school and like they’re not alienated in any way,” Gannon said, when asked how social inter-action and relationships shape kids with disabilities.

Best Buddies also hap-pens to be the world’s largest non-profit organization, found-ed by Anthony Shriver in 1989. He began the group as a vol-

unteer activity while attending Georgetown University.

Shriver is the son of Eu-nice Shriver, the founder of the Special Olympics and Sargent Shriver, founder of the Peace Corps.

“It’s up to us to create op-portunities for individuals to develop and share their skills,” Shriver said.

The organization is now present at more than 1400 middle school, high school and college campuses nation-ally and internationally. The program impacts more than 350,000 lives. They have ac-credited programs in 40 coun-tries. It is a thriving program with a positive mission.

“They’re all wonderful and amazing children,” Bobby Hall,

New club fosters relationships, uncommon bonds



educational assistant, said. “Being a Best Buddy is such a great opportunity, and it’s just like having any other friend. Reaching out and touching another life is something that is too often passed up or over-looked.”

Students who plan on joining will fill out a question-naire about their interests and be interviewed. They will be paired up with a buddy based on their interests and commit-ment level.

There are full time mem-bers, who will attend all func-tions and meetings and will have designated times to meet with their buddy. There are also associate members. Associates attend all the functions and meet with their

buddy, though they are not re-quired to meet a quota or be a part of every meeting. This level of involvement is strongly encouraged.

The time for interested students to join Best Buddies is now. Since the program is brand new, there are officers needed. There are numer-ous opportunities to join, and members are needed as soon as possible.

The goal is to have four of-ficers and at least ten pairs of buddies. Those interested in joining can visit room A303 to sign up with Stacey Gannon, or collect more information and sign up during lunch at the Best Buddies booth.

Traffic Tickets DefendedIn Fort Worth, Arlington, Euless, Grapevine, Southlake, Hurst, Keller, Forest Hill,

White Settlement, Colleyville, Bedford, North Richland Hills, Richland Hills, Watauga, Haltom City, Crowley, Mansfield, Pantego, Dalworthington Gardens

and elsewhere in Tarrant County.

James R. MalloryAttorney at Law

(817) 924-32363024 Sandage

Fort Worth, TX 76109-1793

No promise as to results.Any fine and court costs are not included in fee for legal representation.

www.JamesMallory.com

StuCo officers Meredith Case, Maddie Serviente and Tyler Walker tie yellow ribbons around trees on campus

in honor of American military personnel. Photo by Kya Costello

Changing TimesThe band has a new director along with a new as-

sistant director. The new band director, Jolette Wine, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in music education from the University of Texas at Arlington. She went on to receive a Master’s Degree in music flute performance from the University of North Texas.

Before coming to the school, Wine taught at L. D. Bell High School. Some of the things Wine is most proud of are her 16-year-old son and the awards that she has won as a mu-sic instructor.

The new assistant band director is Mi-chael Cherepka. Cherepka plays the trum-pet and percussion, specializing in jazz. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a focus on jazz, brass and percussion.

During his time at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, he was a member of several

drum and bugle corps and studied under Dr. Kevin Eisensmith. Eisensmith is the vice president and president elect of the International Trumpet Guild.

The returning assistant band director is Gary Barnard. Barnard holds a Bachelor’s Degree in music from the University of Texas at Arlington. Some of the things that Barnard enjoys include the Chicago Bears, fishing, reading and everything music-related.

Barnard and Cherepka plan to begin a new fishing club for students and are looking forward to getting out and catching a few in their spare time.

Wine and the other band directors are hoping for a great year. They are competing in four competitions, one at Birdville, one in Carrollton, one in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford district and one in Frisco.

Not only is the band competing in these competitions, but after marching season is complete, Wine and the other directors are hop-ing to start the school’s first jazz band. This band will be open to all current band members who have an interest in jazz.

There have been many changes to the faculty this year. One high-profile dif-ference in the lineup is the new principal, Jason Wells. Between Debbie Tribble, Susan Fisher and Dr. Lane Ledbetter, this school has seen a number of leaders. Jason Wells can now add his name to that list.

Wells graduated from Granbury High School, going on to study at Tarleton State University. He was an assistant principal at North Ridge Middle School alongside Phyllis Scott and Ledbetter before all three moved up to high school. He has a love for

school, and hopes to make a difference in the lives of students. “Being principal is a challenge,” Wells said. “I like working with people - I’m

just a people person,” Wells was the assistant principal for the junior class last year, and

when Ledbetter moved on to the administration building, Wells was chosen to replace him. He believes he has been given a ‘great opportunity,’ and loves working at Birdville, calling it a ‘great school.’

When Wells was at Granbury High School, he looked up to his prin-cipal, Mitch LeMoine, because of LeMoine’s spirit and friendly manner. A love of school was instilled in Wells by his principal’s influence, and because of the experiences he still cherishes from high school.

Not surprisingly, Wells ended up following in the steps of his high school role model. He hopes

to help instill a love of school in every student while principal. “My principal at Granbury High School always said, upon conclud-

ing the daily announcements, ‘Keep a smile on your face, a song in your heart and a pep in your step,’” Wells said.

It can be assumed, from the respect he still shows for his high school principal, that Wells intends to emulate LeMoine. It remains up to the school to see just what characteristics of his role model, and what individual aspects of himself, Wells will bring to his new job of principal.

Glenn Serviente has been working with teens and children for 19 years, 17 of which he has spent in the Birdville Independent School District.

“I was here [as a teacher] when Birdville High School first opened, for the first five years,” Serviente said.

Serviente graduated from Trinity High School in Euless, then went on to college in his home state.

“I started off at TCU and then finished at Southwest Texas, now Texas State,” Serviente said.

This year marks his third year as an admin-istrator. Since his presence at Birdville’s begin-ning, he has moved to several other schools, most of which are in the district. These schools include North Oaks Middle School, Haltom High School and Smithfield Middle School and most recently from North Richland Middle School, where he was an Assistant Principal for two years.

“I want to see the kids be successful here,” Servien-te said. “I want to see us as a staff and all of the students come together as a team. I’d also like to see the school move forward and improve, academically, athletically, fine arts...the whole academic way.”

Serviente, however, has another side to him, he loves sports and is a devoted family man.

“I’ve got two children,” Serviente said. “My daughter Maddie is a junior here, and my son is a seventh grader at Smithfield, so we do stuff together.”

Serviente is also an avid baseball player, fan and coach. When he was a teenager he wanted to play baseball professionally. He did play baseball in high school, and was good enough to continue playing in college. Serviente used to coach football and baseball in the district. His favorite baseball team is the Texas Rangers.

“I’m into sports,” Serviente said. “I go to Cowboy games. I just kind of mess around and spend time with my family.”

To increase enrollment, this year the district had an open enrollment for students who do not live in the area. Birdville Independent School District is surrounded on all sides by other school districts, which decreases the likelihood that students will enter Birdville schools. Most districts nearby are growing, and BISD is facing the problem of population stagnation.

The state finance system sends money according to the number of students in each district. Every year the legisla-ture is cutting back on funding; in order to receive more mon-ey than is currently allotted, the district must bring in more students. Each student gets a certain sum of money to pay for books and other finances. In order to get more money for the schools, they had to find a way to get more students into the schools.

“We can not receive any more money unless we get more students,” Superintendent Dr. Steven Waddell said. “We think it will also help us academically.”

Residential building firms have not been building signifi-cantly more houses in the BISD zone in recent years, which has left this district in the financial wake of other, faster-grow-ing districts. The administration attacked the problem with a marketing approach, to bring in kids through open enrollment and allow them to come through an application process.

“We’re only going to except the best of the best, and so we should only be bringing in quality kids.” Principal Jason Wells said. “The end result is that we’ll bring in more kids and get more money from the state.”

The application process for enrollment is a series of four short questions. The district want to know if the student’s at-tendance rate is at least 95 percent, if they passed all of their Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills tests, if they passed every class for the semester and if they stayed out of alternative school for disciplinary reasons. The student must bring their school records, be interviewed, and if the principal approves their application they can enroll.

“We have approximately 77 new students,” Wells said. “The district was hoping for 100 kids this year and we ended up with 324, so we more than tripled our number. Our cam-pus has brought in the most.”

Serviente returns to high school

New band faculty impress

Opening district ups enrollment, school revenue





Laurel WheelerStaff Writer


Changing Times There have been many changes to the faculty this year. One high-profile dif-

ference in the lineup is the new principal, Jason Wells. Between Debbie Tribble, Susan Fisher and Dr. Lane Ledbetter, this school has seen a number of leaders. Jason Wells can now add his name to that list.

Wells graduated from Granbury High School, going on to study at Tarleton State University. He was an assistant principal at North Ridge Middle School alongside Phyllis Scott and Ledbetter before all three moved up to high school. He has a love for

school, and hopes to make a difference in the lives of students. “Being principal is a challenge,” Wells said. “I like working with people - I’m

just a people person,” Wells was the assistant principal for the junior class last year, and

when Ledbetter moved on to the administration building, Wells was chosen to replace him. He believes he has been given a ‘great opportunity,’ and loves working at Birdville, calling it a ‘great school.’

When Wells was at Granbury High School, he looked up to his prin-cipal, Mitch LeMoine, because of LeMoine’s spirit and friendly manner. A love of school was instilled in Wells by his principal’s influence, and because of the experiences he still cherishes from high school.

Not surprisingly, Wells ended up following in the steps of his high school role model. He hopes

to help instill a love of school in every student while principal. “My principal at Granbury High School always said, upon conclud-

ing the daily announcements, ‘Keep a smile on your face, a song in your heart and a pep in your step,’” Wells said.

It can be assumed, from the respect he still shows for his high school principal, that Wells intends to emulate LeMoine. It remains up to the school to see just what characteristics of his role model, and what individual aspects of himself, Wells will bring to his new job of principal.

With forty years of experience as a choir director under his belt, Danny Detrick takes Robert Stovall’s place as head choir director this year.Most recently, Detrick served as head choir director at Colleyville Heritage High School. Before his career as a choir director, Detrick was in musicals and plays. When

he was in college, he sang in the chorus for several opera productions.Becoming head director for the choir department is thrilling to Detrick. He is looking forward to all of the competitions ahead, and is ready for whatever is in store at his new school.

“I am absolutely prepared,” Detrick said. “ I’ve gone to choir UIL [competitions] for 20 years with lots of success.”Other faculty members, as well, are excited to have Detrick with the choir department.

“I am elated to have the opportunity to work with Mr. Detrick,” Assistant Choir Director Peggy Graff said. “He brings a lot of enthusiasm, passion, experience and expertise with him and he is also a gifted choral director. Besides, he’s just a lot of fun to be around.”

Detrick plans to stay for a while.“I try to take life one day at a time,” Detrick said. “As soon as I say forever to anything, life seems to say differently. So instead of saying ‘forever,’ I’ll simply say I’d like to stay at BHS a long

time.”

1. Visible IDs are only required for the first six weeks, unless students do not fully comply during those weeks.

“We’ve listened to the student body over the years,” 9th Grade Assistant Principal Tim Waldmann said. “We agree it can be difficult to keep up with, especially after classes where it needs to be taken off: chemistry in the lab, athletics, art…however, we still feel the need to wear the IDs, at least for a period of time so we can get to know the students and become familiar with their faces. We thought six weeks was a good time period to do that. If all the stu-dents help us out and wear them consistently, we’ll loosen up on the policy and only require them to carry their IDs with them at all times.”

2. Passing periods are now five minutes long, a minute shorter than they were last year.

“[The change was made] to increase instruction time and decrease any opportunities for problems to arise during passing period,” Waldmann said.

3. New clubs: Current Events Club (political activity and discussion), Green Teen (environmental initiatives), and Best Buddies (provides social and vocational opportunities for those with intellectual disabilities).

4. BISD’s “Partnership” newsletter is going green. Sign up for the online version on the district’s official website, www.birdville.k12.tx.us.

5. The club responsible for helping freshmen adjust to high school, formerly called “Fishheads,” will be referred to more often as “Link Crew”.

“The nation wide organization we are a part of is called Link Crew,” club advisor Lisa Gomez said. “Seniors can go to the website and even apply for a Link Crew college schol-arship. We still use the name ‘fishheads’ when referring to the student leaders, but they need to feel comfortable with both titles so that when they meet people who are Link Crew leaders from other schools and even other states they will still have a connection.”

6. A new online version of the Nest is up and running. Visit the school’s website and click on the “Nest” link to ac-cess the online store.

“The new Nest Online is actually an updated site,” sponsor Lisa Gomez said. “We have had an online store for the last three years, but we changed providers this year due to a problem with our previous provider (they went out of business). Our new site has an expanded variety of spirit items, including apparel, mugs, blankets, hats, et cetera…The point of having an online store is the added variety of product that we can provide without having to stock the merchandise.”

7. The school’s new radio station, Birdville Hawks Ra-dio, is an up-to-the-minute source for school sports play-by-plays. Listen to broadcasts live at www.birdvillehawksradio.com.

Choir director makes BISD debut

Familiar face wins principal seat

BHS adapts with new additions,policy changes

Rachel StonecipherEditor-in-Chieff


Rachael MorganStaff Writer


Ethan HutchinsSports Editor


8 The Hawk September 2008Homecoming

Amber Shepherd

Andy Hampton

Bethany Fleming

Daniel Lee

Elizabeth Thorn

Ethan Hutchins

Jazzy Johnson

Jake Perkins Kayla Freeman

Court & ParadeFollowing the North

Richland Hills Fire Department Truck,

the JROTC leads the parade down

Mid Cities Boulevard.

Rawkin’ Hawks travel the parade route using various

modes of transportation.

The Swim Team waves at the crowd as they ride

in the lap of luxury on their custom float.

The Volleyball team serves up a feast for the eyes,

netting big smiles from the fans as they pass by.

September 2008 The Hawk 9Homecoming

Juan Alviso Klara Knypinski

Marcus Finnell

Rebecca McCarty

Steven Davidson

Shena Ly

Tyler Walker

Meredith Case

Will LeBlanc

Court & Parade

The parade enters the stadi-um parking lot, for students to disembark and begin the pep rally and carnival.

Members of Choir sing the Alma Mater as they travel the parade route.

Varsity Tennis scores with an award winning float car-rying oversized equipment along with the team.

The Special Olympics team enjoys their golden moment with cheers and smiles.

10 The Hawk September 2008HomecomingPep Rally

Duncan McAlpine entertains the crowd with his talent on the electric guitar.

Principal Jason Wells presents Student Council

Sponsor Terri Wilson with a token of appreciation

for her part in helping coordinate the parade, pep rally and carnival.

Members of JROTC take turns holding a chin up to

test their endurance.

Art students Miranda Cunningham and

Courtney Landreneau draw caracatures of patrons at the

Art Club booth.

Members of The Mighty Hawk Marching Band

trumpet section play for the crowd at the pep rally.

Cheerleaders pump up the fans with a cheer, finishing

with a stunt formation.

& Carnival

September 2008 The Hawk 11Hangman’sIt all began with the leg-

end of the Hangman in 1882, when an angry mob finally put the end to Hezekiah Jones, a.k.a “the Hangman”.

Legend has it that when the sun fell he would stalk his victims on the bank of the

Trinity River and hang them dead. So one night in October of 1882, he was strung up with his own bloodstained rope.

The next morning when the gravedigger came back, the only thing left was the rope, Jones was gone. It is

said that Hangman will not die, until all the souls of his victims are gone, so he will be around again this October, stalking the banks of the very river he was killed on in 1882.

This year Hangman’s House of Horrors will cel-

ebrate its 20th year as the top-charity benefiting haunted house in the nation.

As of 2008 the haunted house attraction has had 484,000 “victims” and has donated $1.5 million to local charities.

Hangman’s is currently claiming victims until Novem-ber 1 on selected evenings, including nightly the week of Halloween, or on Friday and Saturday until then.

In addition to just Hang-mans House, which is over

30 minutes long, other attrac-tions include Hillbilly Cafe, The Beast and 3-D Funhouse. For more information on pric-ing, times, and more legends visit www.hangmans.com.

Haunted house surpasses $1.5 million in donations



12 The Hawk September 2008Life & ArtsConcert performance series electrifies, disappoints

With summer in the air, it seems only fitting that one of biggest theme parks in the na-tion was a hot spot for the mu-sic scene this year. Six Flags Over Texas brought some of the best artists to their park this past summer for a concert series free of charge for park attendees.

The series began on June 6th and ended August 24th, and brought a wide range of artist and genres. Natasha Bedingfield, Flo Rida, Boys Like Girls, Plain White T’s, Katy Perry, Danity Kane, Day 26, Prima J and Raven Sim-one are just some of the many artists that performed in the Music Mill Amphi Theatre, Six Flags’ outdoor arena.

The sun was beaming down with scorching heat, but the crowd was still excited for a free concert and some good summer fun. Most of the per-formers gave their show a full effort despite the heat, but there were still a few artists who stood out above the rest.

Prima J opened for Danity Kane on July 24th. It was a particularly hot day; and the fans packed the arena with very high anticipation. When walking into the Music Mill, a huge banner of Diddy, the

rap mogul, greeted the fans and whispers could be heard of his popular series “Making The Band” that appeared on MTV. The series followed the development of Danity Kane as a group.

This television exposure deceived many people into viewing them as just another “TV band”, but once the music started to crank up, and a loud microphone announced that Prima J was taking the stage, they gave a great perfor-mance. The group’s dancing is what really pulled in the crowd. Their movements were very crisp and fluid as they sang Corazon, and the entire show was a great opening for the headlining act, Danity Kane.

When Prima J exited the stage, the tension and antici-pation grew as the beginning notes of the popular song Damaged pumped out the speakers. The whole crowd screamed and D. Woods, Au-brey O’Day, Dawn Richard, Aundrea Fimbres and Shan-non Bex entered the stage. The first thing noticable about the group was that every mem-ber of Danity Kane was wear-ing an all black ensemble, with the exception of Aubrey, who was wearing a pink dress. Her

choice of outfits only added to the rumors that she may be going solo.

The per-formance was h igh-energy and the girls interacted with the crowd in a way that is not expected from most celebri-ties. D. Woods strutted off the stage and walked through the crowd of star-struck teen-agers. She even brought a young girl back on stage with her and let the fan take the mic.

T h e r e was never a boring moment, with the girls belting out note after note flawlessly. Dan-ity Kane, as a group, gave a wonderful performance that included songs from both their debut album and their newest release.

If only this trend had been repeated at all the concerts included in the series. The



With tests and homework and project due dates all looming in the near future, the school year is well under way and summer seems like a thing of the past. The pool parties, hanging out with friends, the music, all seem like just a distant memory. It does not have to be over though, at least not the music. Summer 2008 was highlighted by hits like Metro Station’s Shake It, Boys Like Girl’s The Great Escape and Katy Perry’s I Kissed a Girl. Here is a playlist that will be sure to keep the summer spirit alive, even through December.

1. The Maine – Girls Do What They WantPower-pop to the extreme, The Maine’s newest single off of their debut album Can’t Stop

Won’t Stop is melodic and downright infectious. Although not the most original of bands, The Maine still captures the essence of summer with catchy hooks and relatable lyrics that sing of love, heartbreak, and just having fun.

2. The Secret Handshake – Summer of ’98The Secret Handshake is no stranger to summer melodies. A one man band straight from

the DFW, Luis Dubuc has been making music for many years, and although he does not have the Top 40 fame yet, his techno beats and power-pop melodies are sure to propel him to the charts. His single Summer of ’98 is by no means a new song, but it is still relevant to any noe wanting to remember their first summer love.

3. We the Kings – Check Yes JulietSlowly making its way into the Top 40 radio stations, Check Yes Juliet is starting to become

a chart topper. Set to a pop beat, the song plays on school day crushes and the anticipation of wanting to know whether or not the feelings are shared. We the Kings wrapped up their summer on the Warped Tour and is starting a new tour with The Academy Is… this fall, even making a stop on Oct 8 at the Dallas House of Blues.

4. All Time Low – Poppin’ ChampagnePoppin’ Champagne is the latest single from All Time Low’s newest album So Wrong, It’s

Right. The band , known for their antics on and off stage (their latest music features one band member in a bubble bath and another imitating Flavaor Flav) is a popular underground band that is looking to break into Top 40 radio with their pop tunes reminiscent of Blink -182. Poppin’ Champagne is a testiment to their early pop-punk roots and provides a healthy dose of fun for anyone missing summer vacation.

Disney performers, such as Raven Simone, Demi Lovato, and Kate Voegele were dis-

app ion t i ng in both mu-sic quality and perfor-mance.

Most of the people in attendance were under age eleven and were not lively or r e c e p t i v e to the per-formances. The Raven Simone con-cert flopped; many people walked out of the arena before the concert was even over.

She sang the first half of the concert and after it became apparent that her voice was

highly damaged, she decided to lip sync the second half.

She attempted her chore-ography, but she was off beat in many of her movements. For all these reasons the Dis-ney concerts never received the same response as many of the artist who attracted a more mature audience.

The last and most antici-pated concert in the series was the Katy Perry and All Time Low Concert that was held on August 31st. Katy Perry’s I Kissed A Girl was a summer jam that was quickly played in just about any teen hot-spot and all over the radio.

The concerts were very anticipated and had a great re-sponse because it was hosted by mtvU. Tyga and Shwayze were the opening acts and they were no small time artists either, both releasing summer hits, like Tyga’s song Coco-nut Juice and Shwayze with Buzzin.

The arena reached maxi-

mum capacity very quickly, with fans constantly pouring in.

Katy Perry’s performance was acceptable, but it was evident she lip synced her en-tire performance, depending on the backup vocals heavily. She still, however, managed to have a great stage presence and kept the audience inter-ested. All Time Low opened with “Dear Maria, Count Me In”. Their concert was an overall success, with the band performing well both instru-mentally and vocally.

The Six Flags concert series was a huge hit and brought people into the park by the thousands. The art-ists that performed reached all demographics, from teens, to tweens and families. The concert series will be repeated next year with a new slate of artists.

D. Woods from Danity Kane performs at Six Flags

Amphitheatre. Photo by Devin Harper

This year, murder is com-ing to the school, through a theatre show. The fall show is called Muscial Comedy Mur-ders 0f 1940. The show follows a creative team responsible for a Broadway flop. The setting is in a huge, gigantic mansion in upper New York state, during a blizzard.

A creative team is assem-bled to put together a show for a backer’s audition, or a preview for potential inves-tors.The team is really hired to find the Stage Door Slasher, a murderer who has killed three chorus girls. The comedy has many secret passageways, fake identities, and no one is

ever who they say they are. The murder mystery is set to open on October 31 and run through November 3 with a double cast, with two different sets of actors starring on dif-ferent dates.

Murder, laughter, mysteryto be played out in theatre



Meyer ends book series following internet leak

Stephanie Meyer, author of the acclaimed bestselling Twilight series, announced she would no longer continue to write her latest Twilight proj-ect, Midnight Sun.

This comes after Meyer discovered the first couple of chapters of the new book were leaked onto the Internet ille-gally and without her consent.

The leaked draft of Mid-night Sun was never intended for publishing in its current form. On the author’s website, she pointed out that the writing in the draft remains flawed and full of mistakes.

“I think it is important for everybody to understand that what happened was a huge violation of my rights as an au-thor, not to mention a human being,” Meyer said.

According to Meyer, the source of the leak is almost completely obvious. Each manuscript that left her pos-session was unique, due to little changes made to it at various times.

“[It] was given to trusted in-dividuals for a good purpose,” Meyer said, “I believe that there was no malicious intent with the initial distribution.”

Yet, fans still wonder if Meyer will eventually over-come this breach of right and finish Midnight Sun.

At first, Meyer believed that there was no way to con-

tinue. Her feelings no longer allow her to write the story the way it should be told.

“If I tried to write Midnight Sun now, in my current frame

of mind,” Meyer said, “James would probably win and all the Cullens would die.”

For now at least, Meyer has decided that Midnight Sun will remain inside her head alone, and she will not share it with the rest of the world.

“I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working on Midnight Sun,” Meyer said, “and so it is on

hold indefinitely.”Even though she remains

upset about the violation, Meyer still did not like the idea of people reading the unlawful version of Midnight Sun.

So to ease the guilty feel-ings of curious fans, Meyer au-thorized the posting of the ini-tial chapters on her website.

“This way, my readers don’t have to feel they have to make a sacrifice to stay hon-est,” Meyer said.

On her website, Meyer thanks all her “wonderful fans” and expresses her gratitude for support they have offered her over the last couple of years.

She only wants to end all the speculation so that Twilight can once again serve as the “happy escape” it once was.

“I hope this fragment gives you further insight into Edward’s head and adds a new dimension to the Twilight story,” Meyer said, “That’s what inspired me to write it in the first place.”

Meyer is now expecting to spend her free time with her three sons, Gabe Seth and Eli, and her husband Poncho.

She is also planning to spend more time working on other projects, like her newest sci-fi novel.

Rachel JenkinsNews Editor


“I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working

on Midnight Sunand so it is on hold

indefinitely.”

Stephanie Meyer

Taylor’s TopPlaylist Picks

Documents

A little problem-solving lends itself to Student Alex …...HawkThe X Volume 10 X Issue 1 X Birdville High School X North Richland Hills X Texas X September X 2008 A d e c a d e o