e epleasant grove high school5406 mcknight road | texarkana, tx | 75503

check us out @ www.pgedgeonline.comFebruary 10, 2012 | vol. 27 #4

Just ask us

Be more Flexible

-shelbyraney, 12

Yes, because people are idiots. Even if you have a license you can still be trigger happy.”“

49% said yes

I think people should have the right to their own gun if they are properly educated.”

-jarrodmyers, 12

“51% said no

on th

e ed

ge

People in Texas like guns.Big guns, but not only do they

like own big guns, they like to shoot big guns.

What do they like to shoot their big guns at? Big game.

That’s no surprise, but with the recent outlawing of the open car-rying of unloaded handguns in California, some Texas residents are a little unsteady.

While most believe Texas laws will remain unchanged by California’s decision, others are pressing for the same change here in the state of Texas.

Do you think open carry of un-loaded handguns should be out-lawed in Texas as well?

What’s next?

Five seconds.Enough time to grab the remote and turn off

the TV.Enough time to roll your eyes at your math

teacher.Enough time to change the song on your iPod.In just five seconds, it could all be over. Five seconds is how long your eyes are taken off

the road while texting and driving. When traveling at 55 mph, that’s enough time to cover the length of a football field.

Enough time to make the difference between life or death.

“The technology we have today like texting and e-mailing is all great until you mix it with some-thing like driving,” Dr. Matt Young, emergency room medical director at Christus St.Michael Hos-pital said. “Some drivers don’t realize that sending one text message could end up being fatal.”

Texting and driving, which is an everyday habit for many drivers, kills a large number of people each year.

According to www.stoptextsstopwrecks.org, 5,474 people were killed on U.S. roadways, and an estimated additional 448,000 were injured in car crashes that involved distracted driving in 2009. Of those killed in distracted-driving-related crashes, 995 in-volved reports of a cell phone as a distraction.

Junior Collins Riddell knows just how distracting cell phones can be.

Last summer while driving to Sonic, Collins looked down at her phone to check a missed call as her car rolled up to a stop light on the Summerhill bridge. She thought she was a lot farther away from the car in front of her then she actually was, and before she knew it, Collins’s red Ford Explorer rear-ended the car in front of her.

“I immediately started crying because I had just got my license and I knew I made a big mistake,” Collins said. “Luckily, my wreck wasn’t bad but I still learned my lesson from it. It could’ve been a lot worse.”

Currently, there are only two laws in Texas against texting and driving. New drivers are banned from texting and driving for the first year after they get their license, and all drivers are banned from cell phone use in school zones. In Arkansas, all driv-

ers, regardless of age, are banned from texting, and cell phone use is banned for all drivers under the age of 18. In total, 35 states and the D.C. ban tex-ting while driving, and zero states ban cell phone

use completely. However, things are about to

change.The National Transporta-

tion Safety Board, NTSB, has recently released a safety recom-mendation that calls for the first ever nationwide ban on driver use of portable electronics while operating a motor vehicle. The five member board unanimously agreed to the recommendation, which asks that the 50 states and the District of Columbia totally

ban the use of portable electronics--including cell phones and even hands-free devices, for all drivers, except in emergency situations.

No texting, no talking on the phone, no tweeting, no e-mailing, no Bluetooth.

“It’s hard for law enforcement to try to control something that is such a habit for most drivers, but it’s definitely worth spending the effort on,” Dr. Young said. “It’s proven that distracted driving is dangerous, so it’s wise to have laws against it-- the laws can save lives.”

continued on page 3

Kenzie Floydnews editor

dg Just A Second

New federal safety recommendations put phone use on hold for drivers

Calling, texting, tweeting, e-mailing-- it can all be done in the palm of your hand-- just not at the wheel of your car.

So what’s the best phone to use while you aren’t driving?

The iPhone may be the most popular smart phone among stu-dents, but there are a few other worthy competitors out there.

The iPhone 4S, HTC Inspire, and Samsung Galaxy are a few of the top-rated smart phones that students own.

With a two-year contract, the iPhone 4S is $199, the HTC In-spire is $100, and the Samsung Galaxy SII is $199.

We asked students to rate which one is best.

Okay, it’s probably going to be hard to top the lip dub. We don’t have a pond, there doesn’t appear to be any snow days on the sched-ule, and it seems kind of lame to do Mardi Gras if you’re not in New Orleans.

The NBT (next big thing) is Leap Day, Feb. 29.

“Since you’ll only have one Leap Day during your high school career, we want to do something fun to celebrate,” theater teacher Debby Sutton said.

Leap Day will be a “Hero Day,” but it’s not your typical su-perhero. Students will dress up as their personal hero. Posters with QR Codes will be hung around the school referencing videos from different people, both on and off campus.

Details to follow.

Two three-day weekends in a row are coming up. (Well, if you passed your Benchmarks and scored high enough on last year’s TAKS and are passing all your classes and have 92% attendance --whew.)

If you met those lofty criteria, then February Flex Days are your sneak peek for the much antici-pated spring break next month. A chance to do a few fun things like . . .“Baseball”--Brooks Langdon (10)“Learn to drive”--Jaimee Thoma-son (9)“Sleep”--Lauren Sloan (12)

The goal of this schedule was to encourage students to work harder and take their Benchmarks more seriously. How did that work out for you? Did the promise of three-day weekends affect your performance on Benchmarks and exams?

Seventy percent of you said yes.The good news? Two more

Flex Days coming up: April 9 and April 16.

Owner: Bailey Booker, 12Graphics: 10Speed: 10Programs: 10Why I love it: “I like almost everything about it. My favorite thing is the camera that faces you so you can take pictures with friends easily.”Something I dislike: “Siri has a hard time understand-ing me so I don’t really use it.”Would I recommend it: yes

Owner: Josh Smith, 12Graphics:10Speed:10Programs: 10Why I love it: “It has a big screen, fast dual core processor, and it’s almost unbreakable. Plus, it’s thinner and smaller then the iPhone.”Something I dislike: “Due to the high resolution, a more powerful display is needed and it drains the battery.”Would I recommend it: yes

Owner: Kristina Cox, 11Graphics: 10Speed: 8Programs: 9Why I love it: “There’s an app where you can get free music. I can download any song I want to my phone within ten seconds.”Something I dislike: “Since the screen is so big, the battery dies all the time. And sometimes it just randomly turns off.”Would I recommend it: yes

Some drivers don’t realize that sending one text message

could end up being fatal.

-Dr. Matt Young

“

“

iPhone 4S HTC Inspire Samsung Galaxy SII

Ratemy

Phone

7TAKS TestThe next two months are crammed with state tests. This is just the beginning. Coming up next: STARR tests :(

gimme5

thebottomline events, activities, and news briefly

feb/march

18Starts at 8. Plenty of time to get hitched, get pics and dance for awhile.

Sadie Hawkins

After weeks of practice, the Showstoppers head to Galveston to show off their hard work and bring home more awards. By the way, who is Gussie Nell Davis?

3Drill Team Contest

Four down, two to go. The end is near. Just remember that six weeks doesn’t necessarily mean six. This one is seven weeks long.

20Fifth six weeks starts now

completed by Avery Borrell, Allie Taylor, Elizabeth Stark, Michaela James

12Spring Break beginsTime for the much needed week long break. Sleep in late, travel and get away from school.

25Come watch the PG Winterguard perform their competition routine at this invitational.

Winterguard Contest

4849 Texas Blvd. • Texarkana

page2

Junior Meghan Morphis will be performing with the All-State Band this weekend in San Antonio after earning a spot in the state’s highest honor band.

“It took a lot of hard work with my music and a lot of stress through auditions,” Morphis said.

Only 25-30 total trumpets out of the entire state of Texas make it to state each year.

27Flex MondayFlex Day number two. If you scored high enough on your Benchmarks, no school for you.

Junior named to All-State Band

Yes, we taped a lip dub video at our school.

Students of the month

It isn’t something that should be a hard decision, but somehow it always seems to be. It is the question haunt-ing girls’ minds from the day the second semester begins.

The problem is not who to ask to Sadie, but how.

Sophomore Laikyn Jean knew from the beginning that she wanted a fun way to ask her date, but she really wanted to do it with a poster. After an hour of work, her poster reading ‘Hey Matt, don’t be shady. Let’s go to Sadie!’ was ready.

“I hung it in the math hall during lunch,” Laikyn said. “I stood near my sign and waited for him to come

up the stairs so I could see his reac-tion when he saw it.”

Over the years, girls have struggled to come up with something new, but eventually fall back on past methods.

“One of my friends came up with how I asked Blake Roberts,” freshman Alysa Daniels said. “I got pink balloons and made them look like pigs. I put them in a box with a note saying ‘I’ll go to Sadie with you when pigs fly.’ And he said yes.”

Though some girls didn’t get as creative as others, they still got the answer they wanted.

“In the beginning I wasn’t re-ally creative,” sophomore Kelsey

Kempson said. “I just texted Jace and asked if he would go with me. He agreed, but I decided that I still wanted to come up with a fun way to ask. I got the kids we mentor at the elementary school to hold up signs that spelled out ‘Sadie.’ But in the end it didn’t really matter how cre-ative I got. The answer was still yes.”

January: Megan HambletonFebruary: Kristina Cox

Ladies’ Choice

Girls come up with creative ways to ask their date to Sadie

Sadie Dress-up DaysMonday: Movie Star

Tuesday: Tie DyeWednesday: Wizard

Thursday: Tacky Friday: Flip- Flop

What you need to know:When: Feb. 18Tickets: $10 - singles; $20 - doubles (includes marriage license)Pictures: $15- $30

Mt. Vernon is out. Pittsburg is in. The new district 15-3A alignment was finally decided, putting the Pitts-burg Pirates back on the schedule.

The realignment of districts across the state takes place in even-num-bered years and is based on the en-rollment of students on Oct. 13. De-pending on the numbers, schools can move up or down in classification and could be moved to a new district to balance the number of schools.

“District wise, it doesn’t make that much of a difference for One-Act Play,” theater teacher Greg Schwartz

said. “But it’ll make a it a lot harder to reach regionals because of the schools that were moved into our region.”

Moving into Region 2 are Kilgore and Henderson, which dropped from 4A to 3A.

Athletic director Kevin Davis said he believes the change will most defi-nitely make a difference to PG ath-letic teams.

“Pittsburg has always been a great competitor so it’ll be tougher. It is what it is and we will just have to step up to the challenge,” Davis said.

District realignment brings back old rival

Two weeks after the debut of the Pleasant Grove Lip Dub on You-Tube, the hits keep coming. Over 3,600 people had viewed the video as of Thursday, and the response has been positive, according to drill team director Tiffany Beck.

“I was proud of the creativity that the students showed,” she said. “I’d love to do it again in a couple of years with a new set of students.”

To watch on your smart phone:Open YouTube and scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap “Desktop.” This will take you to the computer version of You-Tube. Search for “Pleasant Grove Lip Dub” and hit play.Starring: 600 students, 40 staffTotal time to tape the video: 46 minutes, including preparation and clean upVideo length, with credits: 12:05Behind the scenes: PGTV execu-tive producer Matt Howell shot the video, from a wheelchair with theater teacher Debby Sutton pushing. Drill team director Tif-fany Beck choreographed the dances.

What is the most common Sadie toy?

How early did you ask your date?

Definitely teddy bear. Brett Eakin (11)

A month ago. You have to have prep-time.Megan Hambleton (12)

2812 Richmond RoadRichmond Park CenterTexarkana, TX

Making Life EZR 4 U!

Five Pleasant Grove Locations

2802 Richmond Road670 N. Kings Hwy.6424 Richmond Road5602 Summerhill Road5121 Summerhill Road

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jewelers

Meghan Morphis performed with the Texas All-State Band in San Antonio, Saturday, February 11 as part of the 2012 Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention. She was chosen for this honor through a competitive process held this year across the state at District, Region and Area levels.

page3

from the Band Boosters

Check us out on FACEBOOK:PG Band Boosters

The impromptu class met at the end of the 300 hall during last period. Wearing her drill team warmups, junior Meredith Bunel strapped on her five-inch heels and wobbled down the hall.

“That’s it, Meredith. Hold your chin up and walk heel to toe,” said English teacher Shawn Edmonds, coaching from the sidelines. “You’re doing great.”

Since almost none of the contestants in the Miss PGHS pageant last weekend had prior experience in pageants, they needed to learn the ropes or at least learn how to fake it. That meant talking to a mirror to prac-tice their introductions, walking around the halls in five inch heels, and remembering to NEVER step with the upstage leg first or let their shoulders slouch.

“I’ve never done anything like a pageant before. I watch a lot of Toddlers in Tiaras, but that’s re-ally the closest I’ve come to pag-eants,” junior Taylor Everett said. “My main challenge was working on my walk. I was really shaky at first but the other girls and Mrs. Edmonds helped me a lot.”

The nerves didn’t show on

stage as junior Katy Beth Irwin was crowned Miss PGHS and juniors Elizabeth Stark and Meredith Bunel were first and second runners up. Junior Taylor Everett was voted Miss Congeni-ality and junior Elizabeth Stark was named Most Photogenic and Most Talented.

“I was thrilled to be crowned Miss PGHS,” Katy Beth said. “I love representing the school I’ve grown up in.”

The pageant consisted of an afternoon interview then three main competitions: Introduction, Talent, and Evening Wear. After these, the final three, juniors Katy Beth Irwin, Elizabeth Stark, and Meredith Bunel, were selected and had to answer an onstage question similar to those asked during their interviews that afternoon. Though they were prepared, the finalists agreed that was the most nerve wracking part of the pageant.

“I wasn’t necessarily planning on doing the pageant since I’m a junior, but I heard there weren’t enough contestants so I decided to step up,” Meredith said. “I ended up having a good time. The onstage question was defi-nitely the hardest part because you are in front of the audience.”

Because Mrs. Edmonds had judged several pageants, includ-ing the Miss Virginia pageant, she became a pageant coach to the contestants as they came to her English class in heels to practice their walks and to get advice about the interview. She also attended the dress rehearsal to give girls tips about everything from smiles to dresses.

“It made me feel good to have Mrs. Edmonds’ opinion because she definitely knows what she’s talking about,” junior Kristina Cox said. “She took a lot of us under her wing.”

Contestants get help with pageant

essentials from familiar source

Elizabeth Starkreporter

mister pghs

No interview. No evening gown. No talent. Students voted for the Mr. PGHS finalists by dropping money into each contestants’ box, with the money going to the Leuke-mia/Lymphoma Society. After weeks of voting, senior Josh Smith took the crown.

Talent and Tiaras

continued from page 1

For Texas, going from a state that has no laws against portable electronic use to banning the use of them for good them is going to be difficult.

“Our society still hasn’t managed to get drivers to know that stop means stop-- not slow down,” his-tory teacher John Miller said. “En-forcing a law that bans all portable electronics is going to be hard.”

For Mr. Miller, the difficulty of enforcing the law doesn’t matter. The ban is personal.

Mr. Miller’s daughter, Katelyn, was in a fatal car accident caused by distracted driving-- because of a cell phone.

In August of 2009, Katelyn’s PT Cruiser veered off of North Kings Highway and hit a drainage pipe, which caused the car to roll several times. Unfortunately, Katelyn died at the scene.

“People don’t realize what being in an accident is like until they experience it for themselves-- it all happens extremely fast,” Mr. Miller said. “In my baby’s case it was no different. She looked down, looked

back up, then it was over.”It’s easy to blame the age group

that’s most wrapped up in today’s technology-- teenagers. However, adults text and drive just as much as teens, if not more.

“You’d think it’s mainly kids that are texting and driving because everyone gives them a hard time, but it’s the grown-ups,” Mr. Miller said. “We have rules against cell phone use in class, but the students’ parents text and call them all the time. It’s the same on the highway-- the adults don’t want to listen.”

In June of 2011, and Governor Rick Perry vetoed a suggestion to banning texting and driving in Texas, saying the state wouldn’t see a ban on portable electronics until at least 2014. However, with this new safety recommendation, things are subject to change.

“You’d think that drivers would know not to devote their attention to a phone while they’re flying down a roadway with 8,000 pounds of steel-- but they continue to please themselves and do what they want,” Mr. Miller said. “The government can’t legislate self-discipline.”

Proposed cell ban would affect drivers in all states

60% of drivers use cell phones whiledriving.

fastfactsA texting driver is 23 times more likely to get into a crash than a non-texting driver.

Using a cell phone while driving delays a driver's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent.

from stopthewrecksstopthetexts.com

Congratulations, Megan Morphis

-aborrellphoto

Meredith Bunel, second runner-up, Katy Beth Irwin, Miss PGHS; Elizabeth Stark, first runner-up.

Naveed HaqueKenzie FloydNathan Taylor

Josh Whitt Editors

Avery BorrellCollin Craytor

Natalie ThigpenPeyton TrippeLandon YoungPhotographers

Hayley AllenKyle Green

Ashlyn HurstMark Northam

Joel WebbCurtis Zachry

Reporters

Natalie IrwinMichaela JamesKendall LindseyErika RodriguezElizabeth Stark

Contributors

Charla HarrisAdviser

William HarpPrincipal

The barrier between a hero and his

little girl.

kendalllindsey,contributor

A Door Closed–A Life Changedphone: (903) 832-8005 . fax (903) 832-5381

Editorial policyEdge is produced by the

newspaper students in the publications department of Pleasant Grove High School and are responsible for its production and content. The newspaper serves as an open forum for student expression and the discussion of issues of concern to students.

Unsigned editorials represent the opinions of the student staffers and do not necessarily reflect those of the administration. Signed columns and reviews reflect the opinion of the author only.

Edge encourages and accepts letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and will be edited to eliminate obscenity and inappropriate content. Letters may be submitted to the editor in room 603.

Edge is a member of the Interscholastic League Press Conference, National Scholastic Press Association and Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

epleasant grove high school5406 mcknight rd . texarkana, tx . 75503

ged

staff editorial

page2

- jontomberlain

Head to Head

-jessicashipp, 11

Who do you think will win the Republican primary?

Name your ultimate Sadie toy.

Should school punishment be decided by one person or

a council?

What are your thoughts on

Longhorn Network?

“George Bush or Newt Gingrich. Newt is a baller’s name.”

“A live peguin from Happy Feet. That way someone would sing and dance with me.”

“Is that a website for cows?...”

“Me. No, one of those white guys.”

“A white Range Rover.” “I think it is great! You have to think big to be big, right?

“Mitt Romney.” “A rabbit’s foot.” “The Longhorns don’t interest me. At all.”

-qyuanwilliams,12

The doorbell rang. My stomach dropped. Normally I would have been excited to see the smiling face of my dad through the slender window of the front door. But this time is different.

This time the hand that rang the doorbell was not the hand that I used to hold in the park, or the hand that would tickle me until I couldn’t laugh anymore.

This hand was different. Because placed on his ring finger was a shining new band of gold. A small piece of metal that would forever change my life. I opened the door and stared into the eyes that were just like my own. I have always been a daddy’s girl. I was his “mini me.” I wanted to grow up to be just like him...

But now something was different. We were no longer the same. The eyes I saw smiling back at me were no longer the same as mine. These eyes were different.

After a few brief moments of acting like this day was like any other, the bomb dropped. Only six months after the divorce from my mom was final, my dad had remarried.

Not only did he not invite his little girl to the wed-ding... he didn’t even tell me he was engaged.

His mouth was still moving at high speed telling me all the “good news” and how happy he was, but all I could hear were my childish fantasies of having my happy family together again disappearing into nothing.

I was three. And from this day on, I was no longer a daddy’s girl.

White noise swarmed my ears as I stared up at this stranger who I had for so long called my hero. I squinted up at his beaming face through water blurred eyes... I could feel my heart breaking.

How could he do this to his family? How could he do this to my mom?

How could he do this to me...? His strong comforting arms reached to embrace me,

but I couldn’t help but cower away. I backed inside and shut the door. Little did I know

that door would remained closed. A barrier that would forever stand between my hero and his little girl.

“A council. It shouldn’t be just one person’s opinion.”

“One person. If it was that bad to require more than one person, you deserve your punishment.”

“One person. It would be a lengthier process than using one person’s judgement.”

A simple solution to keep from being that 10%Principal Bill Harp unlocks his office door before

7 every morning. It’s not to finish up paperwork to put students in detention or watch video from the security cameras. Mr. Harp spends 5-10 minutes reading news stories from a variety of websites because he believes it’s important to be aware of what’s going on in the world.

Remember back in middle school when every Fri-day in class the teachers turned on Channel One? Today most high school students don’t ever watch the news, and history teacher John Miller said he believes only about 10% of the student body is on top of current events. With events around the world threatening our jobs and our financial security, this is unacceptable.

We don’t have to watch some cheesy Channel One series, but we do need to give students an op-portunity to become more aware of what’s going on in the world. A few minutes each day to read and dissect news events.

We’re here to learn, but learning doesn’t just involve events that happened in the past. This gen-eration needs to know what is happening now so as we become adults, we are ready and capable to deal with not only our problems, but those of the world.

Most students don’t really know much about the Republican presidential candidates or even the fact that President Obama is the only nominee for the Democrats. They probably don’t know that the

situation with Iran threatening to block the Straits of Hormuz could result in a catastrophic rise in gas prices. Knowing about the rest of the world would pop the bubble that can be held around Texarkana. A bubble that keeps out all the “bad” news.

Of course, there’s the issue of teachers need-ing every minute to keep us from getting behind. There’s always another test that we need to take, another state test to prepare for, another reason we’re missing their classes.

So how to fit in just one more thing?One suggestion: a news program that could come

on the (currently very rarely used) TVs once or twice a week. Or take the links to news sources that Mr. Miller keeps on his website and distribute to teachers to show during downtime. And Mr. Harp suggests letting students use their new Kindles or other e-readers to watch a news story in those last 5-10 minutes of A/B day classes that are rarely used.

Mr. Miller says that the middle 80% of the stu-dent body is beginning to understand that they need a knowledge of current events to function in the world. They’re beginning to get it. And the bottom 10% are just plain oblivious.

Our school needs to know what’s going on. All we need is a simple news program. A few minutes to keep up with the world. A little time to keep from becoming that bottom 10%.

page5

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Sitting next to the fire, sophomore Logan Young was beginning to sleep when he was jolted awake by screams. He rose from his spot and spun around in an attempt to see what was the mater.

Logan noticed that his head was hot, very hot. A scream tore out of his mouth as he realized his hair was on fire.

“I was out camping, and started to fall asleep next to the fire, some ashes fell into my hair and... ignition,” Logan said. “The scramble to put out my hair was crazy, I ended up with my head in a bucket like one of those old cartoons.”

While his hair couldn’t stand the heat, Logan stayed with the Scouting program until he was an Eagle Scout. The Eagle is the last rank for boys who participate in the Boy Scouts of America. It marks the end of a journey that usually lasts about 4 ½ years.

“Once you get your Eagle badge, they usually have a big court of honor,” Logan said. “It’s a big get together where the scout and his family and friends get to-gether and celebrate this achievement.”

As senior Sean Young explains, Logan didn’t really have a choice but to get the rank.

“Becoming an Eagle scout is a family tradition,” Sean said. “Our grandpa was an Eagle, all nine of his sons were Eagles. Its like this, if your a Young, you’ll be get-ting your Eagle.”

While not every Eagle has a family legacy to ‘encourage’ them, all of them have something that drives them to get the rank. Sophomore Adam Northam found his drive in wanting to drive.

“My dad made himself clear that if I didn’t get Eagle, I wouldn’t get my drivers license.’”

One of the last things a Scout will do be-fore getting the rank of Eagle is complet-ing the aptly named Eagle Scout Project.

“The project must be something that helps the community outside of Scouting,

and it needs to be fairly permanent,” Lo-gan said. “My project was renovating the outside of a UFW building, it took a little longer than expected because most of my help was blocked by their jobs at the Boy Scout summer camp.”

Logan’s project consisted of adding new doors, a sign, and a fresh coat of paint for the building. While Logan’s project took only three hours, some of the projects can last for weeks.

“I built a half mile trail by the St. Mi-chael Fitness Center for my project,” Ryan said. “It ended up taking four weeks for me to finish, I basi-cally had a job with no pay.”

Adam said that his project was to build a fence at the Running WJ Ranch that would work with his brothers and his project.

“My brother, Mark, built a wheelchair ramp that would be used to load handicapped participants onto the horses,” Adam said. “The problem became that the ramp was on a concrete slab about ten times bigger than the ramp. In order to prevent horses getting on the slab and the prob-lems that come from that, I built a fence made of steel cable that could withstand the weight of a horse.”

While the Eagle project is one of the last things a scout experiences before getting the rank, it doesn’t usually sit as the most memorable.

“Believe it or not, the most interesting thing that happened to me wasn’t my hair catching fire,” Logan said. “The most interesting thing happened at summer camp this past summer. Lets just say that a pound of black powder and heat shouldn’t be mixed in a room the size of an average bathroom.”

Logan went on to explain that one of the scouts in the room ended up going to the hospital.

“He had respiratory problems and ended up taking a trip to the emergency room,” Logan said. “He worked there for three years and has three trips to the ER.”

Many Eagle Scouts will continue their involvement in the program by staffing at the summer camp.

“Working at the summer camp is the way many Eagles give back to the scouting program,” Logan says. “I plan on working over the summer and helping educate the next generation of Scouts on their journey to Eagle.”

Getting Eagle Isn’t all work and no play, it’s common for many to spend a couple of weeks at Philmont Scout Ranch. Scouts that attend this ‘High Adventure

Base’ will spend most of their time hiking mountains found on the property.

“Philmont is one of those crazy things that you do in scouting that sounds

like no fun at all,” Sean said. “But most people that go have a great time.”

This great time includes, on average, 87 miles of trails over steep mountains, surprise rain and hail storms, and the constant threat of bear attacks.

“The thing you learn most about is defense against bears,” Logan said. “You have to put anything that smells in a bear bag and store it up in a tree to keep it out of the bears reach. If a bear is sighted you bunch up with your group, bang pots and pans together, and begin singing ‘Row Row Row Your Boat’ in order to scare away the bear.”

Logan never had any encounters with a bear, but camping still ended up burning him.

“We were flicking matches off their boxes and watching them fly, burning, through the air,” Logan said. “I thought one was out and stood near where it land-ed, I started screaming and dancing when I realized that my pants were on fire.”

Boys will be . . . Boy Scouts

If a bear is sighted, you bunch up with your group, bang pots and pans to-gether, and begin singing ‘Row Row Row Your Boat’ in order to scare away the bear.”

- Logan Young, 11

“

Number of years in boy scouts: “I started cub scouts in kindergarten and became a boy scout my fresh-man year. I did my eagle scout project over the summer.”

How Scouting has affected me: “I’ve learned a lot of outdoorsy stuff and how to be a better leader.”

Sean Young, 12

Landon Young, 11

Eagle scout project: “I made a walk-ing trail at the St. Michael center.”

Eagle scout project: “I’m going to clean gravestones at a Civil War cemetery.

Number of years in Scouting: “Since first grade. It’s kind of hereditary in my family. My dad and all his brothers were Scouts and they wanted to pass it on.”

Best part about scouts: “Going to Philmont and hiking with my family.”

Mark Northamreporter

Scouting ties families and friends together with memorable experiences and adventures

Atheism

Christianity

Latter-D

ay saints

Islam

Firstgrade. Thefadedyellowbuscreaks

toastopinfrontof theblueapart ment.Pickinguphisbackpackjunior NaveedHaque,walkstothefrontof the bus.Thesoundof hisshoesechoedagainst thehard,dustyfloor.Witheveryseathe passed,hecameclosertothesafetyandcomfort awaitinghim.Afewseatstogo.Almosthome. Spitshotfromthenextseatandintotheaislein

frontof him.Theresatagirlgrinningwithsatisfac- tion. “Naveed,didyouspit?”boomedthedriverfrom

thesteeringwheel. Thegirlpointedherstubbyfingerathimnodding.The

driverhandedhimapapertowelorderingtocleanupthe spittle. Thiswasn’tthefirsttime.Thefirsttimehehadbeenbul

lied.Thefirsttimehewaspersecutedforhisbeliefs. TheSouth,orthe“BibleBelt”,hasalwaysbeena

deeplyreligiousareaof thecountry.Withmorethan270churchesinTexarkana,thisisn’tasurprise.AsdiverseasPleasantGroveandit’sstudentsare,onethingthatiscommonisreligion.Studentsoftenseetheirclassmates,notonlyduringschool,butanadditionaltwiceaweekatchurchservicesandyouthactivities.

Founded: c. 33 ADFounder: Jesus of Nazareth

Belief: Monotheism (One God)Afterlife: Eternal Life, Judgment Day,

Heaven and HellMajor sects: Roman Catholic,Protestant, Eastern OrthodoxSacred Text: The Holy BiblePlace of worship: Church

Founded: April 6, 1830Founder: Joseph Smith

Belief: Monotheism (One God)Afterlife: Spirits go to spirit world

for instruction until reunited with worldly bodiesMajor sects: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day

SaintsSacred Text: The Book of Mormon,

King James Bible, The Doctorine and Covenant,The Pearl of Great Price

Place of worship: Church

Monotheism(One God)

Founded: UnknownFounder: Unknown

Belief: No GodAfterlife: None

Major sects: NoneSacred Text: None

Place of worship: None

Founded: 622 CEFounder: Muhammad

Belief: Monotheism (One God)Afterlife: Eternal Life,

Judgment day, Paradise and HellMajor sects: Sunni,Shia, Sufi, Wahabi

Sacred Text:Qur’an, Hadith

Place of worship:Mosque

Monotheism(One God)

Eternal Life

Judgment Day

FindingCommon Ground

Ashlyn Hurstreporter

Firstgrade. Thefadedyellowbuscreaks

toastopinfrontof theblueapart ment.Pickinguphisbackpackjunior NaveedHaque,walkstothefrontof the bus.Thesoundof hisshoesechoedagainst thehard,dustyfloor.Witheveryseathe passed,hecameclosertothesafetyandcomfort awaitinghim.Afewseatstogo.Almosthome. Spitshotfromthenextseatandintotheaislein

frontof him.Theresatagirlgrinningwithsatisfac- tion. “Naveed,didyouspit?”boomedthedriverfrom

thesteeringwheel. Thegirlpointedherstubbyfingerathimnodding.The

driverhandedhimapapertowelorderingtocleanupthe spittle. Thiswasn’tthefirsttime.Thefirsttimehehadbeenbul

lied.Thefirsttimehewaspersecutedforhisbeliefs. TheSouth,orthe“BibleBelt”,hasalwaysbeena

deeplyreligiousareaof thecountry.Withmorethan270churchesinTexarkana,thisisn’tasurprise.AsdiverseasPleasantGroveandit’sstudentsare,onethingthatiscommonisreligion.Studentsoftenseetheirclassmates,notonlyduringschool,butanadditionaltwiceaweekatchurchservicesandyouthactivities.

“It’snicetohavepeopleatschoolthatshareyourbeliefs,”sophomoreElenaThompsonsaid,anondenominationalmemberof FellowshipBibleChurch.“Youhaveaspecialcon-

nectionwiththem.Theyunderstand.”But not every student has this luxury. Being a “minority” in the

Grove’sreligiousmeltingpotcanhaveitsdisadvantages.“Oneof thehardestthingswhenIwasyoungerwasbeingleftout.

Ididn’treallyhave“friends”,theyweremoreschoolacquaintances,”Naveedsaid.“EveryonewasinFusion,andIthinknotbeinginit,putmeatadisadvantage.”Thoughreligioncancreateseparation,somestudentsarenotinflu-

encedbythesedifferences.“It doesn’t really affect me,” freshman Elizabeth Smith said. “I

don’treallytalkaboutbeingagnostic,exceptwithmyfriends.Theyareniceaboutitandopentomybeliefs.”JuniorNathanHurst,amemberof TheChurchof JesusChristof

Latter-daySaints,commonlyreferredtoasMormon,seesthisdiffer-encenotasadisadvantage,butanopportunity.“Beingdifferentisn’tabadthing,”Nathansaid.“Itmakesyoumore

interestingandunique.”Despitehishistoryof beingbullied,Naveedalsodiscoveredaposi-

tivesidetohisdifferences.Theyareachanceandachallengetoteachpeopleabouthisreligion.“Ican’thavepork,soa lotof peoplemakebaconjokes.Mostof

themareactuallyreallyfunny,andIhavefunwithbeingdifferent,”Naveedsaid.“MygoalasaMuslimistomakegoodimpressionsandchangeother’sviewsonmyculture.”Thesedifferencessparkcuriosityleadingpeoplelearnaboutthese

“foreign”beliefsthroughavarietyof sources.Butwiththeamountof

unreliableinformationontheInternetandmediamisconceptions,itishardtogetthefacts.“MostpeoplethinkallMuslimsareextremeorterrorists,”Naveedsaid.“Anythingtakentotheextremeisbad,andthe____

majorityof Muslimsaren’t.”Butstereotypesarenotonlymadeaboutunfamiliarreligions.Each

denominationhasitsownfairshareof misconceptions.“Peopletendtothinkwe[Christians]areperfect,goody-twoshoes,

andveryjudgementalof others,”freshmanMeridethPayne,amem-berof HeritageBaptistChurch,said.“Butreallychurch ismoreahospitalforthebroken,notamuseumforthegood.”Falseinformationisspreadandsoonacceptedasfact.Thesemisun-

derstandingsarethebasisforcriticismandpersecution.“When I am facedwith rude remarks and assumptions, I try to

laughitout.I’musedtoit,”Naveedsaid.“Iunderstandwheretheyarecomingfrom;mostof itcomesfromtheirparentsandtheygrowintoit.Irespecttheiropinions,nottheirignorancetolearn.”Curiosity, however, does not always lead to conflict, and can, in

manyways,provetobebeneficial.“Ilovetalkingtopeoplewhoarecurious,”Naveedsaid.“AndIap-

preciatethosewhowanttolearn.”Itdoesn’tmatterif youareChristian,Muslim,Agnostic,orAtheist,

youshouldrespect thebeliefsof othersandkeepanopen-mindtotheircustomsandpractices.“IbelieveinhelpingothersdiscoverwhatI’vefoundinmyreligion,

butIalsorespectwhattheybelieve.Thebestwaytospreadthewordisthroughyouractions,notby“shaking”yourreligionintheirface,”Elenasaid.“ThewayIthinkaboutitis,yoursismine,andweallre-allyaren’tthatdifferent.”

94%

82%

42%

7%

of students believe in God or a higher being

of students actively practice their faith

of students participate in religious activities more than once a weekof students participate in religious activities everyday

Welcome to the “Bible Belt”

The Texarkana area contains more than 270 churches, most ofwhich are a Christiandemonination

Want More?See what students have to say about their

religion at pgedgeonline.com by scan-ning the tag below with your smartphone’s

Microsoft Tag app.

7%

page8

edge knows bestStaff picks-- the apps we think are on the cutting edge.

Some movies are worth every over-priced snack and charge, but some you would pay never to see again. Wouldn’t it be nice if before spending your money, you could discover the real worth of a movie? There’s an app for that. Flixter, partners with the movie critic website, Rot-ten Tomatoes, provides not only professional reviews, but also nearby theater locations, show times, upcoming movies, trailers, and DVD release dates. Named the #1 movie app available, no other app can compare with its amount of information and quality. Don’t waste your time google-ing show times and ratings, when they can be in the palm of your hand.

Cost: FreeAvailable: In the App Store and Android MarketStaffer: Ashlyn Hurst

Flixster.

entertainment:

It’s like Facebook or Twitter minus the drama. Instagram is a free photo sharing app that allows users to take a photo, edit it, and up-load it for their followers to see. The filters users can edit their photos with include black and white, sepia, antique, and many others. After someone posts a photo, followers can like and comment on them. Users can also share a photo off of Instagram to multiple different social networking sites, like Facebook or Twitter. Instagram is only avail-able on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Cost: FreeAvailable: In the App StoreStaffer: Kenzie Floyd

A great place to start.TEXARKANA COLLEGEtexarkanacollege.edu903-832-5565

2500 North Robison RoadTexarkana, Texas

Heroes. Monsters. Strategy. These are the only three things you need to know to play Heroes vs. Monsters. This game is all about hacking and slashing through hordes of mon-sters and bosses, leveling up and gaining skills as you become the fiercest heroes in the land, getting the best weapons and armor, and conquering the entire map. As you conquer the map, you make a team of fighters. The maximum number of fighters in your team is four, but there are many different types of fighters. There are warriors, barbarians, clerics, summoners, mages, archers and bards, all of which have their own special abilities that will make your team much better in battle.

Cost: FreeAvailable:: In the App StoreStaffer: Kyle Green

Heroes vs. Monsters.

games:

Texarkana Location:4258 St. michael Dr.(903) 831- 5366Fax (903) 831- 5376

Shreveport Location: 7511 Youree Drive, Ste. 400(318) 798-2608Fax (318) 798-4359

1-800-JennyCraigwww.jennycraig.com

The classic board game is back in the form of an app. Buy properties, houses, hotels, get sent to jail, pay taxes, roll the dice, take chances, pay too much in rent to other land lords, this game allows you to see the good and bad sides a world in monopoly. You can play with up to three other people or computers, and stealing properties from other players impossible (unlike the board game version). The only downside to the app is that once you have your monopoly set up in the game, you can’t make the people around you get a drink or snack for $100 in game.

Cost: $0.99 or $4.99Available: In the App Store and Android MarketStaffer: Mark Northam

Monopoly.

You hear a new song on the radio, but you don’t know it’s name... Time spent searching lyrics and investigating could be saved with Shazam. With the tap of the screen, you can record a portion of a song, and Shazam will identify the song and artist. Shazam also offers the top trending songs in the country and a history of all the songs you’ve searched or tagged. By connecting to Facebook and Twitter, you can post what you are “Shazam-ing” and see your friends’ tags.

Cost: FreeAvailable: In the App Store and Android MarketStaffer: Naveed Haque

Shazam.

music:

Instagram.

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What’s your favorite animal?Tree owl.

Defiine XENOGLOSSY.A very glossy xeno.

What’s your favorite game?Sherades! Who doesn’t laugh while play-ing that game?

How do you take a hard drive out of a computer?First, you hit the computer with a ham-mer. Then, take a flat head screwdriver and pry it open. Lastly, you rip the hard drive out.

What do you plan to do after high school?

How is your middle name signifi-gant?It’s my dad’s name and his middle name is Llama. My dad’s middle name is my grandfather’s name. My kid’s middle name is going to be Michael.

If you could have two celebrity par-ents, who would they be?Robert Downey Junior and Olivia Wilde.

What do you plan to do with your life?Well, when I was a kid I wanted to be a super hero... except without all the spandex.

What’s your favorite font?ALL CAPS FOLLOWED BY EXCLA-MATION POINTS!!!

If you could have any exotic pets, what would they be?A panda named Pen and a sloth named Bingo.

What are you involved in extraciric-cular wise?Band, Art, Facebook.the big pretty ones.

Chuck Norris or Bruce Lee?Jackie Chan all the way.

Dr. Pepper or Mr. Pibb?Cherry Dr. Pepper.

What do you want for easter?A gigantic chocolate bunny.

Does smart water make you smart?Apparently not... it hasn’t worked yet.

Pokemon or Digimon?Pokemon, never really watched Digimon.

Do you want to be Mr. Rogers neighbor?Yeah! If I had a very tall fence, I wouldn’t mind. He kind of creeps me out.

21

next issue:

with

Tyler Goldsmith

21questions

11 Do you believe in aliens?

14

If you could grow superfacial hair,what would you want to grow?

If you could live on another planet where would it be?Pluto.

13

18Walmart or Target?Target, that place is awesome.

This would be a proud moment

for Einstein.

A goatee with a massive handle bar mustache.

I do if they’re awesome or can do something cool.

with

Michael Dumas

21questions

From marching in the band to drawing in art, sophomore Michael Dumas is a man of many talents.

In his free time, he likes playing Halo on Xbox and Airsoft with friends. He wasn’t too thrilled to be moving for the umpteenth time several years ago because it seemed as if he was never going to settle down, and he hated having to constantly make new friends.

But he was completely unaware of the amazing friends and memories he would make at Pleasant Grove.

12After high school, sophomore Michael Dumas plans to attend Florida Tech.

“I am looking into the fields of mechanical engineering or robotics.” Dumas said, “Af-terward, I plan on getting a masters in one of the two fields then, hopefully, find a good job that gives me the ability to make artificial intelligence robots like Gizmo® made by Toyota or something like R2-D2 or C3PO.”

He intends on pursuing this occupation for the benefit of the military or everyday life rather than money.

“Of course, I would have a huge house, a Lambourghini® that drives itself, a beautiful wife, two or three kids and a bulldog who brings me Doritos® on command.”

Later on in life he would like to open up his own major robot-ics plant in London, overcoming Bill Gates as the richest man in the world.

“I would finish off my won-derful life by traveling around the world in eighty days with my family, retire at millionare es-tates and gain an extra life tile.”

Michael plays the clairinet for the Pride in Motion Band.

Michael dresses up to hit the runway for an art party.

page9

on th

e edg

e

Q&A withJeremy Ramos

Face time

- matthowell, senior“

Are you excited about this years’ varsity baseball team?

“- madisondudley, sophomore

Show them some love

page10

What position do you play? I play goalie and defender.

What are your goals for you and the team?To beat Texas High, finish in second in district, and win a playoff game.

What is it like being the head captain?It is a real honor and I like always making sure everyone is staying on task. I don’t mine the responsibility, it pushes me to preform my best.

When and why did you start playing soccer?I started playing when I was five in TSA, Texarkana Soccer Association. I just started because some of my friends played soccer and once I started I loved it, so I have just kept playing all these years.

The United States is not known for having many great soccer programs. In fact, many people wouldn’t be able to name one professional soccer team. The rest of the world has a different kind of love for soccer, but what about PG sportsfans?

50 students surveyed

Have you ever watched an MLS game?Yes- 24%No- 76%

Which team won the MLS cup?Seattle Sounders- 15%LA Galaxy- 54%New York Red Bulls- 30%Houston Dynamo- 1%

*ans

wer-

LA G

alaxy

It is a summer afternoon out on the football field and junior Cason Cordray is wearing his full

pads waiting to make the next big hit in the side-line tackling drill. Coach Craig Jones yells “Hit!” and Cordray runs and collides with another play-er. He gets up, light-headed, while Jones is yelling at him and runs back to the huddle. Just when he thinks nothing good could possibly happen, Cor-dray catches something out of the corner of his eye. Two kids on the ground wrestling with each other. The whole team turns and begins to laugh as Jones stops the drill to regain the attention of the players and straighten out his kids.

Cal and WT.Jones’ two sons are what make summer prac-

tices just a little more bearable. “They’re just crazy, adventurous kids who love

being around high schoolers,” Cordray said. “And seeing the kids getting involved during a hard practice is pretty motivating if you ask me.”

When the names Cal and WT come up around PG, athletes grin. With all of the memorable mo-ments that they have made during practices and games, everyone knows them.

As the athletes have watched Cal and WT grow up, they feel that the boys are a part of the program and tradition. But what they don’t see is the relationship between the boys and Jones, and why they are even at practice in the first place.

“I am a single parent so I bring them to prac-tice just to spend more time with them,” Jones said.” But I think they enjoy coming to practice anyway. Even though they have a baby sitter at home, I still enjoy bringing them with me.”

Something that a parent might worry about is how older students act in front of their kids, but Jones is confident that his players are smart enough to know better than to act up in front

of Cal and WT. Besides, Cal and WT know better than to repeat what a high school student says in front of them.

“Both Cal and WT are straight A students, so they are pretty smart,” he said. “But even so, I expect my players to always act respectful, whether Cal and WT are around or not.”

When Cal and WT come up for practice, it isn’t just to mess around and make the players laugh, although that is a big part. Jones expects the kids to practice baseball and football just like the rest of the team is. While he like for them to work out with the baseball and football teams, he wants them to make up their own minds about what sports they want to play.

“Right now the kids are playing baseball, soccer and basketball, and they want to play football as soon as possible,” Jones said. “It’s totally up to them about what they choose to play. However, I do see myself coaching them in the future.”

Not only is Jones looking forward to Cal and WT’s future, they are as well. As they see the players at PG play, they are more than ready to fill their shoes, for the games at least. But just like most high school students, they don’t tend to favor the practices.

“We don’t like going to practices because they are boring, but we love going to games. Our favorite sport right now is still football,” Cal said. “But when we get older we want to play both football and baseball.”

They say that they love going to games, but Jones thinks otherwise.

“They always find things to do at the games. They have their games to play during whatever sporting event they are at,” Jones said. “There is a specific game they play at baseball games, football

games and basketball games so they don’t always pay attention to the real game.”

Although they love to dream about the future, Cal and WT love being kids. They are extremely active and just love to play whether it is at prac-tice or their favorite place, at home.

“We love to hang out with our dad, no matter what we are doing,” WT said. “We play baseball a lot at home, and we also play video games with Dad. He doesn’t usually play, but when he tries, he’s not very good.”

It is evident that Cal and WT love their family lives. But to them, Jones isn’t the only family that they have. They also feel that the football and baseball teams are family too.

“We really like when the football team does good, or when the baseball teams win at state,” Cal said. “Because when we get the medals at state or win, we know we helped the team.”

Junior Dustin Thomas had a sister. He doesn’t talk about her, but you can see her every time he plays a basketball game.

She passed away when he was 11 due to a rare blood disorder.

Dustin plays forward and center for the Hawks, scoring in double digits in almost every game this sea-son, and has already won several awards. But for him basketball isn’t just a sport--it’s a way to honor his sister.

“My sister and I were always close, then when she was just 13 and

I was 11 she died from a blood disorder she had been fighting her whole life,” Thomas said. “It was like two

weeks before it sunk in that she was gone and even then it didn’t seem real. After she died, I started practicing hard everyday. I was determined to make something with my life in honor of her memory.”

Dustin’s sister has been with him everyday since then, and that’s how he wants it to stay.

“I think about her still, that will never stop,” Thomas said. “Whenever it’s crunch time or really chaotic dur-ing the game I will think of my sister and it helps make everything going on around me seem unimportant.”

Dustin’s improved work ethic has been noticed by other people, including Reece Dunlap, Dustin’s best friend since kindergarten and fellow teammate.

“Dustin and I always use to practice together when we were younger but after his sister died he started practicing a lot harder it seemed,” Dunlap said. “We got really good, we were always winning. Then in sixth grade LaDarius Reid invited us to be on a traveling team, that’s were we met Reggie to so we have all been playing together for years.”

After playing all over the South together, these four teammates met up again.

“Our traveling team was cold, and now our school team is cold, we are cold,” Thomas said. “As long as we play together, no one can stop us.”

Dustin realizes his hard work has paid off but he isn’t going to stop working anytime soon.

“I am going to keep working until I make it in basket-ball,” he said. “And whenever I do, I am going be able to say, that’s for you sis.”

I really like baseball. I love to watch it.

I don’t really care. I’m not very good at sports so they don’t entertain me that much.

Just Part Of The TeamCoach’s sons catch the eyes and hearts of football and baseball players

Curtis Zachryreporter

Cal and WT Jones show off their muscles in front of PG Elementary.

Kyle Greenreporter

A Higher GoalJunior Dustin Thomas plays basketball in honor of his sister

Dustin Thomas takes a shot in the first game against LE. -aborrellphoto

-ccraytorphoto

After making it to state for the past four seasons the baseball team is not done just yet.

The Hawks senior class got the first use of the new indoor facilities, then got a brand new state ring on their finger and now has a new indoor batting cage.

“It feels really good to be getting all these new facilities,” senior Lucas Wacha said. “It’s like we are being rewarded for all of our hard work,”

The team has been working hard to make sure none of these facilities are going unused.

“In the past we had to work out in the old weight

room, aka the dungeon, and I feel like that was a rite of passage for us,” Wacha said.

The Hawks aren’t satisfied with just making it to state four years in a row, and they are coming back for revenge after last year’s loss in Austin.

“We made it to state last year which is always an accomplishment,” coach Cody Deal. “However, due to some errors in the field we weren’t able to make it to the finals, but with all the talent we have back this season we should be able to make it back.”

The team opens the season with their first game this Friday against North Lamar.

Curtis ZachryreporterCan’t Stop

The HawksVarsity baseball team sets their goal on another ring in Austin

Season Stats:

Historic Fact:

25-1 going into tonights’s game with Atlanta

This is the first team in Texarkana history to go 20-0.

Fun Fact:

Six out of the ten varsity players can dunk the ball.

page11

Sophomore Erika Rodriguez picked up the game ball as her teammates be gan to follow her. As she put the basketball in the middle of the court, her six teammates formed a circle, put their feet on the ball, put their arms around each other and proceeded to say the Lord’s Prayer. The crowd began to get louder and louder as the prayer neared the end. It ended and the girls broke the huddle out. At this moment, five players take the court and one goes to the sideline, and the Super Six is ready to take care of busi-ness.

At the beginning of the year, Erika was skeptical of small teams.

“I used to think that small

teams weren’t any good. The lack of depth would tire the team out quickly,” she said. “But my opinion changed quickly whenever we started the season out with only six players.”

The Super Six, otherwise known as the junior varsity girls’ basketball team, started off on a high note and haven’t looked back since. The girls are 14-2 and are continuing to get better. But coach Jenny Coon believes that even with such a good record there are still things to work on.

“After every game I look back and see what we struggled with. Whatever we struggled with, we practice for the next game,” she said. “Our weak-nesses give us stuff to practice at, so we are always focusing on different parts of the game.”

A big focus of such a small team is the amount of playing

time required of each player, and if the players are in good enough shape to play almost a full game. But both the players and Coon are confident that cardio isn’t a problem.

“In practice we always get a good cardio workout due to the full court drills and all of the scrimmages that we do,” Coon said. “Each player in the Super Six is averaging about 24-26 minutes in a 28-minute game, and they seem to be handling it great.”

But their success hasn’t ex-actly come from the hard prac-tices or the amount of minutes they play each game. It has come from the bond that the girls have made.

“There really are never any stressful moments on the court while playing with these girls because we leave all of the dra-ma off the court,” Erika said. “No matter what we always

find a way to work together.”However, everyone knows

that the relationships between these girls don’t just grow on the court. The girls are con-stantly spending time with each other in school and out of school.

“I depend a lot on my team-mates not only on the court but for advice and school work,” Erika said. “Our team wouldn’t be the same without the trust we share with each other.”

Coon believes that this trust is what has formed the team’s great bond, which is the reason for the success.

“Having a small team like this has really made us play better,” Coon said. “Although it doesn’t come easy, through the girls’ selflessness and great relationships, they now have amazing chemistry.”

He’s German. He has a different sense of style. And is sometimes known as the “good” soccer player. But students may not know that junior Malte Prietz is known back home as a ping-pong player. He takes ping-pong from just a casual game to a real sport.

“People think it’s not very hard,” Malte said. “but in my club it’s a real sport and I train a lot for it.”

Ping-pong is a game that requires strategy more than anything else. Malte enjoys using a more aggressive style of play--he likes to hit the ball fast and take lots of chances. However, he doesn’t just go up and hit the ball as hard as he can. Malte watches and records whatever his opponent is doing to know the perfect time to catch him off guard and score a point.

“It’s mainly a mental game so I have to keep focus,” Malte said. “I have to think about what the other player is doing. But it also requires a lot of skill.”

Malte started sports when he began soccer at the age of three. He played soccer almost every day and loved it, but he didn’t agree with his coach’s philosophy.

“I didn’t like my coach’s opinion about the game. All he wanted was to win,” Malte said. “I wanted to win, but I also wanted to have fun. He just didn’t want to have fun.”

When Malte was 11, a friend told him about a ping-pong club near his house. Malte had only played a little recreationally but decided he would give it a try.

Many of Malte’s friends are also in the same club so Malte uses his practice time to wind down and relax. He finds the coaches much more fun and easy to deal with and actually enjoys going to practice.

Malte practices twice a week and it pays off. So far he has won his club tournament twice, his district title once, came in second in district twice and competed in regionals three times. These ac-complishments are just stepping stones for him.

“I would say I’m pretty good, but I mainly enjoy how the kids look up to me,” Malte said. “Someday I hope to become an assistant or head coach of a club so I can have a part in helping these kids grow up.”

Although he hasn’t seen him play yet, senior Carson Rice wanted to make a challenge.

“Are you kidding me? Yeah I can beat him,” Carson said. “I better see him at the table during prom. He’s going down.”

Malte does not want to lose his skill any time soon and said he would take any opportunity to play a match of ping-pong.

He accepted the challenge with confidence of an easy win.

Malte may play a different sport than normal, but he doesn’t let that effect him. He has became just another Hawk.

Upcoming games:Varsity Girls’ Soccer2/17- Liberty Eylau2/21- @ Arkansas2/24- @ Hope2/28- Texas High

Freshman Chelsea Cole

Varsity Boys’ SoccerHead coach: Matt WrightRecord so far: 5-1-8Story of the season: “Perserverance, hardwork, dedication will play a key factor in our bid for district,” Wright said.Top players: “Carson Rice and Jose Rangel in goal are probably the top players right now,” Wright said.Junior Riley O’Dell

theradarOn

3/2- @ Mt. Pleasant3/9- @ Liberty Eylau3/20- @Texas High3/23- Mt. Pleasant

Varsity Girls’ SoccerHead coach: Andy Allen Record so far: 6-0-7Top Players: “Jordan Day and Jordan Hern are two of my top returning play-ers. Chelsea Cole is also a really good addition to the team this year as a fresh-men,” Allen said.Best Moment: “Winning the Paris tournament was a really big accom-plishment because it told me we could compete with anyone,” Allen said.

Junior Curtis Zachry

JV Boys’ SoccerHead coach: Matt Wright Record so far: 0-1-5Story of the Season: “We haven’t won a game yet, but we have been playing a lot of varsity teams,” Wright said. “When district comes up, we will be more evenly matched.”Top Players: “Curtis Zachry is a top defender for sure, and Kevin Choi is really good at pushing the ball upfield,” Patrick Seung said

Student takes a leisurely activity to higher level

Josh Whittsports editor

The Super SixJV girls basketball team doesn’t let the size of their team hold them back

Kyle Greenreporter

Malte tosses the ball in the air right before he gives another hard serve.

-aborrellphoto

The Super Six gathers around the game ball and prays before their game against North Lamar.

-aborrellphoto

Upcoming games:JV Boys’ Soccer2/17- Liberty Eylau2/21- @ Pittsburg2/24- Atlanta2/28- @ Texas High

3/2- Mt. Pleasant3/9- @ Liberty Eylau3/13- Pittsburg3/16- @ Atlanta

Upcoming games:Varsity Boys’ Soccer2/17- Liberty Eylau2/21- @ Pittsburg2/24- Atlanta2/28- @ Texas High

3/2- Mt. Pleasant3/9- @ Liberty Eylau3/13- Pittsburg3/16- @ Atlanta

The Game Of Ping Pong

The average ball weighs 2.7 grams and is 40mm in length.

40mm

The sport was in-vented in the 1880’s by the Bitish.

The game was banned in Russia from 1930-1950 due to officials believing it was harmful to the eyes.

Not Your Average Sport

This far into your high school career we would hope you know your name, but just in case, we’ll tell you what’s going on here.A name can tell you a lot about a person, even

more when you utilize the internet. You may not be who you think you are online. For instance, there are 317 people named Josh Smith in the United States. There are just nine people named Bill Harp and just one Bob Goline. But it’s not just getting yourself mixed up with

all those other Josh Smiths and Bill Harps. It’s also about the information that’s available about

you to the world wide web. PG students think it’s important to be careful about what they post online (75% of you) and most them are careful (86%). We thought we’d give it a try to see what we

could dig up on three of our own students with nothing but a name.We’ve tasked our very own search engine gurus

and world wide web addicts with finding every last piece of information out there.Let’s see what they found.

HELLO MY NAME IS

Samantha Hua

ng HELLO MY NAME IS

Braxton Joh

nsonHELLO MY NAME IS

Jeremy Ra

mos- Home address

was found, alongwith all other

residents.

- Home addresswas found, along

with all other residents.

- Home addresswas found, along

with all other residents.

What’sin a

Name?

Behind the

NameAs much as we’d love

to tell you that your name translates to the “embodiment of awe-someness and all things swag,” that would be a lie.

But we can use etymol-ogy, the study of words,

their parts and origins, to tell you what your name actually does mean.

So what if your name doesn’t translate to “king of all swag”?

Maybe you’ll find out something interesting anyway.

Quentin Miller, 11

Origin: LatinMeaning: “From the Queen’s estate”Popularity Rank: 823

Caleb Smith, 11

Origin: HebrewMeaning: Dog, Heart,LoyalPopularity Rank: 43

Carissa Blokker, 11

Origin: FrenchMeaning: Caress,embracePopularity Rank: 43

Liam Cork, 10

Origin: HebrewMeaning: “My People”Popularity Rank: 40

Michaela James, 12

Origin: IrishMeaning: Like GodPopularity Rank: 754

Top Names of 2011:1 - Emma2 - Olivia3 - Sophia4 - Isabella5 - Ava

1 - Mason2 - Liam3- Noah4- Ethan5- Jacob

In 2011, Samantha Huang won the Second An-nual Youth Concerto Competition.

She received a $400 cash prize and a contract to be a featured soloist with the TSO on two student concerts in the Perot Theatre the same month.

Samantha’s volleyball stats are online as well: Texas state rank: 516; Attack kills: 126; Digs: 126.

Samantha has photos of band director Ed Gris-som, her sister, and her recital teacher----among others--connected to her google search.

There are 15 people named Samantha Huang in the United States. One of them is principal engi-neer at eBay.com. Others work at Sprint, Hewlett-Packard, JP Morgan.

Jeremy’s soccer stats for the current season will be recorded on www.pointstreak.com. Jeremy Ramos cur-rently plays the goalie position.

Jeremy is also currently the drum major of the PG’s Pride in Motion band.

Jeremy has photos 43 friends, relatives and acquain-tances associated with his google search, including Keyette members Elizabeth Stark and Alex Miller, Malte Prietz, former PG student Kaitlin Schmidt, and senior Austin Reynolds.

There are 27 people named Jeremy Ramos in the U.S. One is a developer at the Dublin, Ireland, Airport Author-ity. Another is a Youth Ministries Intern, and one works as an engineering project manager in France

Other than basic information and social network-ing site bio sections, nothing was found on Braxton Johnson.

Although he has a Facebook page and a Twitter ac-count, there were no references to Braxton on google search.

There are 16 other people named Braxton Johnson in the U.S., according to

-youngphoto -thigpenphoto-borrellphoto

What we found out: What we found out: What we found out:

Naomi Gorse, 12

Origin: HebrewMeaning: Pleasant,delightfulPopularity Rank: 226

You can tell how popular a name is by how many people sitting in class have your name. Evidently Haley was popular with parents about 16 years ago, as was Josh.

Last year Isabella and Edward topped the list. Surprise, surprise.