TOMPKINS HIGH SCHOOL 4400 Falcon Landing Blvd. Katy TX 77494 February 2018 Vol. 5 Issue 4

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GENERAL INQUIRIESTompkins High School4400 Falcon Landing Blvd. Katy, Tx 77494281-234-1072

The Nest is an official publication of OTHS. Editorials represent the opinion of the writer, but not necessarily of KISD administration or faculty. The Nest is a member of the Interscholastic League of Press Conference (ILPC), the Texas Association of Journalism Education (TAJE), the Journalism Education Association (JEA), the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA), the Texas High School Press Association (THSPA), and the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA). It is the policy of KISD not to discriminate on the basis of sex, disability, race, religion, color, age, or national origin and its educational programs, activites, and employment practices.

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Katy ISD

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Carbon

Footprint

Teacher

Celebirity

Crushes

Mr. and Mrs.

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Cover Photo by Mya Stalnaker

Editor in ChiefMaddie Fossitt

Managing EditorsRiya KaleCeline Low

Business/Social ManagerSamantha Hennig

Layout EditorCeline Low

StaffCaroline HoffmanSamyuta RajagopalanLexee DecmanPayton ChaissonLauren BuehlerFabiana ChaparroNicole RuoppDiego RiveraRoque Techera

Head PhotographersDaniela GuevaraTaylor Ross

Asst. Head PhotographerMya Stalnaker

PhotographyAaron BeykEmily KlavanAlex MarreroNick O’BrienJewel PataniMaddie PorterMakena PyAisha SamiLeanna YeeBrielle WoodSamantha Wood

AdviserShetye Cypher

Texting and

Driving

Smart phones have

been the leading cause

of death among teens.

Read about this fatal

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February 20183

Junior Blake Russell gently brushed his animal’s back as he received a belt buckle for having the best swine in the 75th Katy ISD Livestock Prog-ress Show. For the last four months, Russell has woken up in the early morning hours to care and train his animal, and the belt buckle is proof of his hard work. Russell is more eager to impress judges with his swine’s drive and growth at the 75th Annual Katy ISD Live-stock Show, and being awarded the Grand Champion Swine Showmanship buckle is the motivation he needs in the final weeks leading up to the show.

“At the Livestock Show, I will basically show-off the swine I have been raising to judges. All your hard work leads to this one moment, and you just have to hope that your animal is well-trained enough to follow your commands in

the ring,” said Russell.Being able to compete in the

Annual Katy ISD Livestock Show requires Future Farmers of America (FFA) students to raise and train a farm animal such as a pig, steer, goat or lamb. Before raising the ani-mal, the students go through the selection process and try to pick the best animal based on the following criteria: breed, age, price, body volume and muscular or skeletal structure. Picking the healthiest and most appealing farm animal is imperative during the selection process if the student wants the animal to show well at compe-titions.

“Finding the right animal is a lot more complicated than it sounds. Many have faults in their legs, knees, shoulders and other body parts, and these faults will only become worse once the animal ages and gains

weight,” said Russell. “Once you feel like you found the right animal, you have to train it by teaching them signals which can be an easy or diffi-cult process depending on the animal.”

At the competition, the students have to drive their animal. This means that the students must teach their animals how to move forward and make right and left turns. By applying pressure to the side of the animals’ head or firmly tapping the animal on its side, the animal will be able to understand the command and move around the ring. The judges will score the animal based on how well it responds to these commands.

“The competitions are a lot of fun, but they can be stressful for the students,” said agri-cultural science teacher. “You have to keep in mind that these

are still animals, and some-times they do what they want even if you train them.”

Aside from driving the animal, the students also have to fit them. For the last four to five months, the animals have been steadily gaining weight on their feeding diets. In order to show the animals, the students have to properly clean, trim and groom the hair. If the ani-mals appear unattractive, then points will be deducted from their score.

“In order to do well at these types of competitions, the stu-dents have to be knowledgeable about animal science. It’s more than just raising an animal.”

The 75th Annual Katy ISD Livestock Show is Feb. 14-17.

Maddie Fossitt

Editor in Chief

75th Annual Katy ISD Livestock Show

FFA Prepares for the...

Left: Science teacher Christian Clarke and senior Jenny Marler hold Clarke’s award. Tompkins’ teachers came out to support FFA students at their Progress Livestock Show. Photo by Chelbie Boehm.

Above: Principal and campus secretary Crystal Janczak drives a cow during the Katy ISD Livestock Progress show. Tompkins staff came out

to support FFA. Photo by Chelbie Boehm

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For many people, New Year’s Eve is a day of prepara-tion: buying soda and foods for a barbecue cookout, inviting family and friends over and setting up fireworks to celebrate the coming of a new year. But for teachers Jarred Darens-bourg and Hanna Ward, New Year’s Eve was more than a day of preparation for the new year: it was their wedding day.

“We got married on New Year’s Eve downtown at Hughes Manor off of Washing-ton Avenue,” said Ward. “Our ceremony was outside. It was 40 degrees, but we wanted an outdoor ceremony because our venue’s courtyard was beauti-ful.”

Ward, Algebra II teach-er and cheerleading coach, met Darensbourg, Algebra II teacher and assistant coach for football and girls basket-ball, while working together at Tompkins. They were both part of the Algebra II team, and as coaches would be on the side-lines together during games.

“Our very first actual en-counter was after a basketball game, and I had accidentally left my wallet at the game when leaving. He had to get my phone number from another

coach to contact me and meet me to give it back,” said Ward, recalling the turn of events. “It’s fate, I guess.”

Eventually, their rela-tionship became Tompkins’ favorite teacher couple. Ward remembers the amazing moment when Darensbourg proposed to her at the last staff meeting of the school year. He had secretly planned to pop the question then, even making sure her mom and sister were there to witness the surprise.

“In the meeting there was a slide show, and in the last slide I started to propose, but then the slide show stopped. Most people laughed thinking it was a prank on Ms. Ward, but then I walked over, got on one knee and popped the question,” said Darensbourg. Adding humor-ously, “Well, I froze and forgot the words at first. But then I popped the question.”

Their wedding seven months later was like a dream come true. Surrounded by their clos-est friends and family, Ward reminisces on her favorite moments, like having their first dance to “Say You Won’t Let Go” by James Arthur and get-ting ready with her best friends, mom and sister-in-laws.

“It was the best night of my life, so there are so many favor-ite moments. One of my favor-ite parts was when our officiant officially announced us as Mr. & Mrs. Jarred Darensbourg. It made me so happy to finally be his wife and get to start our lives together and leave behind all the stress of wedding planning,” said Ward. “I also loved both moments when my dad saw me for the first time that day in my dress and when Coach Darensbourg saw me. It was such a relief to see my best friend before the actual ceremony and get to laugh with each other before everything happened.”

Darensbourg had many favorite wedding moments, much of which were the same as Ward.

“My favorite part was definitely the officiant pro-nouncing us as Mr. and Mrs. Jarred Darensbourg. I remem-ber thinking, ‘Wow, we just

Darensbourg and Ward

Tie the Knot

got married!’ It had finally sunk in,” said Darensbourg. “Another favorite part was the New Year’s countdown at midnight. There was a slide show of pictures of the two of us accompanied by the num-bers 10 – 9 – 8 and so on until the clock hit midnight and a bunch of confetti cannons went off. Everyone toasted to the new year.”

Darensbourg and Ward have many years to look forward to in their marriage, and they look forward to building a family, traveling and growing togeth-er not only in their marriage, but in their faith, careers and friendship.

“Coach Darensbourg allows me to be myself and also encourages me to continue to follow my dreams and goals and help me grow,” said Ward. “I think we both bring out the best in each other and I can’t wait to see where we go in this life together.”

Hanna Ward and Jarred Darensbourg pose with their bridesmaids and groomsmen. Both bride and groom were belated to share their big day with their closest friends and family.

Photos by: Main Squeeze Photography

Celine Low

Managing/LayoutEditor

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Feburary 20185

Sam Hennig

Business/Social Media Manager

Carbon footprints are the results of all the carbon dioxide emissions released by a person within

a given time frame. Use of transportation emits these gas-es through gasoline, and even small activities such as eating a burger, using plastic bags and straws or even using a comput-er for 32 hours adds onto the carbon footprint. By accumu-lating a carbon footprint, the emissions are steadily warming the earth, a long term negative impact of releasing carbon dioxide into our environment. As society continues to address the issue of gas emissions, at-tempting to lessen one’s carbon footprint can lead to long term advantages. “Carbon footprints are the

equivalent of how much carbon dioxide a person or a group of people emit in the atmosphere around them. This can become a large amount of emission and can greatly alter the environ-ment over time,” said environ-mental science teacher Shawn Van Kampen.As carbon dioxide emissions

becomes a more prevalent issue, it is important to take precautions to lessen the damage humans are creating. It is important to evaluate one’s situation, and what actions can have a more positive environ-mental impact. The easy steps to take are small ones, such as

using glass products, reusable straws and travel culinary sets to limit use of plastic.“Some ways that Tompkins

could lessen our carbon foot-print is by turning off the foot-ball field lights when they are not in use, and also changing the lights within our classrooms to something more efficient,” said Van Kampen.Within the school and homes,

students can take small steps

Reduce Your

Footprintto achieve a more carbon footprint conscious lifestyle. Using reusable water bottles instead of plastic water bottles and utilizing the refillable water stations Tompkins provides can help lessen plastic waste. Students can individually ride bikes instead of driving, com-bine errands to minimize gas used, turn all lights off when not needed, eat local rather than from the grocery, and re-

duce water usage by turning off the sink when brushing teeth, and shortening showers. Within the cafeteria, bringing reusable Tupperware contrary to plastic bags along with reusable forks, spoons and knives can greatly lessen the amount of waste made not only by the student, but by the school as a whole.

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The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) lists car accidents as the leading cause of death amongst teenagers and young drivers. Up until a few years ago, drunk driving used to be the most deadly threat on the road. It is estimated that in recent years, around 2,700 teen deaths were caused by drunk driving - a horren-dous and avoidable statis-tic. However, in the past year alone, over 3,000 teen deaths were caused by an-other danger: texting while driving.

In Texas alone, drivers texting while driving were blamed for over 3,000 injuries and 455 deaths in 2016. In September of last year, Texas became the 47th state in the U.S. to insti-tute a ban on texting while driving. The first offense can draw a fine between $25 and $99. Exemptions apply for devices used for mapping and stereo system control. Law enforcement is specif-ically targeting drivers they can see texting, unless the vehicle is stopped.Most people who text believe they can do so safely because they are able to multitask. Psychology teacher Amanda Sandlin explains why this is faulty logic.

“Multitasking is a myth. Many of us believe that we can focus on many things at once. In reality, our brain

Riya Kale

Managing Editor

can only focus on one item of information at a time.

When we attend to more than one item, it’s actual-ly our brain switching its selective attention back and forth constantly. Some of us are better at this than others, due to our working memory capacity and experience, but we are still playing cognitive hopscotch. We will be less successful and less efficient if we try to juggle multiple things at the same time. Our focused attention on a text leaves us blind to what is on the road and can lead to deadly outcomes,” said Sandlin.

Cars coming out today are often equipped with Bluetooth to provide hands-free connectivity to our phones. However, they can still serve as a threat.

“Car and phone man-ufacturers would lead us to believe that Bluetooth, or hands-free devices are a safe alternative to being on the phone on the car. While some studies show that it reduces some risk, you are still not giving your attention to the road and you are at greater risk for an accident than if you were giving your full attention to driving,” said Sandlin.

Sandlin wants teens to understand that they often take for granted the re-sponsibility they have when getting into a car. They are excited about the freedom

from school or home and gain a sense of indepen-dence and pride in their ability to do things for our-selves in their very own car.

“It is critical that teen-agers understand that their lives, the lives of those in the car with them, and of other people on the road are always going to be more important than a text, social media post, our favorite song or our makeup for the day. Nobody plans to be involved in an accident, you never know what obsta-cles or situations you may come across on the road. Every time we get behind the wheel we have a duty to reduce as much risk as possible and to respect the power that the machine we are driving wields,” said Sandlin.

Apps to Prevent Texting:1. Cell Control A hardware device paired with an app on your phone prevents you from texting while driving.

2. Drive Safe Mode This app helps prevent distracted driving, monitor teen drivers, and keeps you focused on the road.

3. LifeSaver This app makes it simple to end distracted driving for the ones you love through monitoring and rewards.

4. Do Not Disturb While Driving on iPhone This setting comes with iOS 11, preventing notifications while your vehicle is in motion.

The Digital DangerThe Deadly Threat of Texting and Driving

Texting while driving caused more than 3,000 injuries and almost 500 deaths in 2016 alone. Photo by Makena Py.

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February 20187

Junior Lydia Synder sits across from a deaf person and signs about the pets she has at the monthly deaf social hosted in the Katy Mills food court. At first, these type of gatherings seemed intimidating because she had never actually communicated to a deaf person before. Fears of signing the wrong letters or words in front of a person who had signed their entire life loomed over her head, but she realized that these small fears were common among beginning American Sign Language (ASL) stu-dents and expected from the receiving life-long signers. As Synder explained the differenc-es between her energetic dog and lazy kitten, she realized the importance of this nonverbal, all-inclusive language and why she’d taken the course through high school.

“The deaf socials are the ASL students opportunity to actually apply what we’re learning in class. Signing to people who aren’t deaf is a lot different than signing to people who actually are,” said Synder.

Attending deaf socials is one way ASL National Honor Society (ANHS) members can earn their hours, but many non-members attend simply to get better at sign language and to see how the deaf community interacts. Besides being able to sign, an important aspect of the class is learning about deaf culture. Deaf culture is a set of social beliefs, behaviors, art, literary traditions, history, values, and shared institutions of communities that are influ-enced by deafness and use sign languages as the main means of communication.

“There is proper etiquette to use when actually signing to a deaf individual. Not only

Junior Addison Hurst signs a conversation to the rest of the ASL III class. ASL students focused on perfecting their hand gestures for the Farrington Competition. Photo by Mya Stalnaker

ASL III students, juniors Ben Fossitt, Lydia Synder and Girik Chawla prac-tice signing in class. The students practiced for the Farrington Competi-tion in Houston. Photo by Mya Stalnaker

is it rude to make fun of the sounds a deaf person makes while signing, but it’s like dis-respecting the entire culture,” said Synder. “Silence or being quiet is really valued, and for the majority of our classes we aren’t even allowed to speak.”

The deaf community is a small, inclusive environment that welcomes individuals that use ASL as their primary language and people with any degree of hearing loss. The opportunity to sign with any deaf individuals at the monthly socials is a way in which the students can see the benefits of learning a nonverbal language and having a skill many people do not. Students, selected by the ASL teacher Amber Warren, also attend language competitions to represent Tompkins.

“We have a language competition coming up, so our main priority is preparing for that,” said junior Ben Fossitt. “There a lot of opportuni-ties to win awards or even a scholarship, because students are dedicated to ASL and have shown commitment.”

Tompkins ASL students, along with other foreign-lan-guage students, will compete at the Farrington Foreign Language Competition against hundreds of other schools in Houston. The competition consists of written and oral exam for verbal languages, whereas ASL students are judged based on their receptive and expressive skills.

“ASL is a type of language that has visible benefits, be-cause you can go into the com-munity and talk to deaf people who may be socially isolated due to their condition,” said Fossitt. “It’s rewarding to make a small difference.”

Maddie Fossitt

Editor in Chief

The Silent Language Conveying More with Less

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A group of girls occupy the gym, hours after students were let out to go home. They are tumbling, doing stunts and working on chants. They perfect their routines down to every kick and jump and make sure that their cheers are im-peccable. Only a certain group of people are able to push their bodies to the limit with these stunts and hours, and they are cheerleaders. Tompkins cheer-leaders are present at football, basketball, volleyball and playoff games, cheering on our teams to victory. Leading these young ladies are Tompkins cheer coaches, Hanna Darens-bourg and Brita Johnson.

“The past month or so we have been focusing on our UIL routine and most of our prac-tices include finalizing small details, cleaning motions and lines and perfecting placement of signs and poms,” said Da-rensbourg.

While many sports have an off-season to rest, the cheer team is in constant training for the year. The cheer team is of course present at all the foot-ball teams’ games and when football season is over, they transfer over to the basketball team. Also during the spring semester is the start of com-petition season where cheer-leaders compete at UIL events. At one of the biggest events, in the beginning of January, the Tompkins cheerleaders placed 10th out of all of the other squads in the state. They placed 40th last year, and are moving up the leaderboard in hopes to win the gold next year.

“Cheer doesn’t really ever end, because as soon as basket-ball is over, it’s tryout season and then it’s preparing an entirely new squad for camp,” said Darensbourg.

Like other sports, cheer consists of a varsity team and

a junior varsity team. Each of these teams consist of 14 or less cheerleaders. Varsity cheer is a major commitment in that they attend more games and competitions and it is very time consuming. Commitment is seriously taken into account when adding a cheerleader to the squad. These athletes are chosen and evaluated based on their devotion, talent, positivity and of course spirit.

“The cheerleader candidates complete a tryout process in

Nicole Ruopp

Staff Writer

Power of the

Pom PomThe cheerleaders pose for a picture after placing tenth in a state competion. The team was joined by cheer coaches Hanna Darensbourg and Brita Johnson to celebrate their victory. Contributed Photo

early March where they are evaluated on a variety of differ-ent categories including spirit, tumbling, voice projection and overall effect of both cheer and dance ability,” said Johnson.

Tompkins cheerleaders al-ways bring original, innovative cheers and dances to many of our school events, but where do they come from? The squad’s iconic chants are assembled

at the Universal Cheerleaders Association summer camp and their dances and routines are assembled by an outside chore-ographer. Both coach Darens-bourg and Johnson are retiring as Tompkins cheer coaches and the replacement coach has not yet been named. As for try-outs, which are coming up very soon, prospective cheerleaders have to turn in a packet with three teacher recommendations before March 2nd, to be able to tryout.

“We’re taking our “Deep in the Heart of Texas” routine to our UIL Competition, and it’s something different that no other cheer teambrings to competition. They’re typically bringing “Go Big Blue” or more traditional band dances you see everyday,” said Da-rensbourg.

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February 20189

Brotherhood Born of Blues and RockSmalley and Hernandez

Friendships can come in many forms. The ones that last the most are those that form from common interests, dislikes and views on life. A true friend is defined by their selflessness and companion-ship to an individual who they recognize as their close friend. At Tompkins, there are many dynamic duos. There are two gentlemen who have been basically brothers to each other since the beginning of their teenage years. They indulge in all kinds of creative activities and have found their own rock band, Kenton Place, as tribute to their coinciding love for rock. A pair of seniors on their way to graduating and becom-ing rock stars one day, Logan Smalley and Noe Hernandez have been rocking the blues away for five years now.

“We sort of bonded over dumb jokes and our music. Within the first year we talked about putting together a band and in our freshman year we did. That’s when we really got to be best bros,” said Smalley.

Smalley and Hernandez have spent all of high school together, getting each other through their hardest times and also having some of their best memories. They hang out with each other and other friends at all kinds of places every weekend. Their alterna-tive rock band, named Kenton Place, was founded by the pair in their freshmen year. Their musical journey has brought them close together as writing music is a way of bonding and coming together as brothers. As their band thrives and the more

they rehearse, the closer they become.

“We love to jam out to-gether, watch DC and Marvel movies, go get fresh hot chick-en at Cane’s and talk about the ladies,” said Hernandez.

These two rockers rely on each other for anything. Not a day passes where they do not hang out or discuss music and how they can become better musicians. They met in the eighth grade, where they bonded with their similar sense of humor. They are always mo-tivating each other and finding simple things to laugh about. There is claim from both that they would not be where they are today if they did have the other.

“When one of us is feeling down or we can’t do some-thing, the other hypes that person up to where they feel like they can do anything,” said Smalley.

Another prominent topic of interest between them is their love for superheroes and comics. During their lunch period, they sit at a table and they discuss different movies and stories of superheroes and villains from both Marvel and DC in an intellectual, unique and hilarious way. It is one of the things that also cemented their friendship and made it as strong as it is today. Overall, these two gentlemen have a unique kind of friendship that will continue to grow alongside the success of their band.

“Our deep connection to our instruments and our pas-sion for performing bonded us together,” said Hernandez.

Roque Techera

Staff Writer

Seniors Logan Smalley and Noe Hernandez discuss future ideas for Kenton Place. They were planning out the next ven-ue they were going to perform at. Photo by: Samantha Wood

10February 2018

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The early years in a person’s life mark the beginning of a new chapter for many: love, relationships and having a sig-nificant other. Although a great amount of these relationships may not be permanent, the experience of loving someone in the early stages of life serves as a great teacher to teenag-ers on how to cope with life problems and the values which are involved in being part of a relationship. The feeling itself of having a person by one’s side who will accompany them in their hardest times and under-stand them just for who they are with great love and care can provide many psychological benefits in someone. Teens in today’s society search for more than just the superficial. They seek someone who will under-stand their issues and be their companion through both good and hard times. An example of a pair who works around their busy schedules and care for each other greatly is seniors Jack Terry and Grace Guerra.

“Our relationship is so special because we understand that to truly love is to make it work no matter what. Our schedules get incredibly hectic as we are both heavily involved with extracurriculars, but we’re always sure to make time for each other,” said senior Grace Guerra.

Many students are part of a romantic relationship. It can be difficult to manage a relationship with a significant other while one can be oc-cupied with extracurricular activities. Guerra and Terry are

both involved in the Tompkins Band, as Guerra forms part of the Open Guard while Terry is in the Wind Symphony, Jazz Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra and other associa-tions. Being in a relationship in high school means that one will have to learn to schedule plans accordingly to see their significant other. Another pair who defines the meaning of a selfless teen relationship is junior Sheila Aberin and senior Chris Le, who have been dating for about five months now.

“He was my best friend, the one who always listened to me talk about my day. When he asked me out, it all felt natural because we’ve been building up our relationship and comfort amongst each other as time passed,” said Aberin.

Teen couples can start out as a strong friendship which then takes one step further to a relationship. Aberin and Le represent it well, as they began as best friends, and then took a step further in their rela-tionship. They met each other through a Student Council field trip, where Le accompa-nied her the whole day. They bonded at once and became really close friends Through time, teens bond with each other and find things they can relate with. This evolution can highly strengthen a teen rela-tionship, as then teens know that their significant other can also qualify as their closest companion through good and bad times.

“My favorite thing about Jack is his heart. I’ve never met

anyone so selfless or so loving. Also, I’ve never met anyone who dislikes him. He’s some-one who truly tries to make ev-eryone’s day a little better and that’s the first thing about that I fell in love with,” said Guerra.

What will draw many to de-sire to have a significant other is greatly centered around the idea that one will always have a place to feel safe and loved in. One can find that being a teenager comes with a lot of personal stress individual to ev-ery person. Teens get involved in a relationship to be able to talk to someone about it with-out getting judged, but instead receive caring and favoring

advice about the matter. It is also important to know that the memories shared in the teen years of someone with a loved one are the ones that will stay with that individual their whole life.

“I think what separates us from other couples is that we were best friends since the be-ginning and we probably knew each other better than we knew ourselves. By the time we made it official we had been through so many highs and lows that putting the ‘dating’ label on our relationship just felt like taking one step forward,” said Le.

Teenage Relationships Meet Tompkins High School

Senior Chris Le and junior Sheila Aberin pose for the camera. They have been in a relationship for about five months. Photo by Celine Low.

Roque Techera

Staff Writer forming

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February 201811

Everyone has a favorite teacher. When teachers form positive bonds with students, classrooms become support-ive spaces in which students can engage scholastically and socially in productive ways. Positive teacher-student relationships create a sense of closeness, warmth and positiv-ity. Students who have positive relationships with their teach-ers use them as a secure base from which they can advance in the classroom both academi-cally and socially.

Research on teacher expectations and student achievement has shown that expectations have a dramatic impact on student academic performance. Numerous stud-ies indicate student behavioral performance is also dependent on the expectations teachers

have for students. Junior Noor Gulrajani

thinks that having a deep stu-dent-teacher bond can benefit both parties.

“Having a strong teach-er-student relationship can help students by allowing teachers to give students need-ed one-on-one help for things that they might not understand and concepts that might be hard to grasp. This is not only important for the student, but also the teacher because they will get to understand how their students learn,” said Gulrajani.

Through a secure relation-ship, students learn about academic expectations and how to achieve them. Further-more, creating a bond can help teachers evaluate how each of their students learn. Biology teacher Jessica Oakley believes

that having such connections produces a mutually beneficial relationship.

“By having a strong rela-tionship with my students, I feel that I get to know them as well as their learning styles. It helps me to modify and adjust how I teach to help every student. I feel that having a strong relationship also helps build a comfort level. I believe that students are more likely to share concerns with me as well as increased participation in class,” said Oakley.

Different teachers have dif-ferent ways to get to know and interact with their students. During the time she has been teaching, Oakley has realized the different positive effects of having friendly bonds with her students.

“I get to know their inter-

ests, I attend their extracurric-ular events and I use my con-tent, biology, to tie it into their interest. I think that I have become a more understanding teacher and I feel that I do a better job planning my course content to appeal to a more diverse group of learners.”

Oakley, like all teachers, wants each student to reach the best of their ability in the classroom.

“I think that having a strong relationship with a teacher leads to increased participation in class and increased tutorial attendance. I truly believe that students benefit academically and socially,” said Oakley.

Riya Kale

Managing Editor

Teacher Student Relationships, An Ally Inside the Classroom

Junior Sussana Pressley and theatre tech teacher Jay Mathews work together to complete a project. Strong student-teacher relationships are beneficial to both parties. Photo by Mya Stalnaker.

Forensics teacher Stephanie Chronister and senior Grace Guerra share a joke in class. Being close with a teacher can help students academically and socially. Photo by Jewel Patani.

relationships

12February 2018

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13

What do you think is the the most important lesson you’ve learned playing basketball?I always try to have a positive attitude and not get down on myself too much.You have to play as a team and play your game.Always improve.

What is your favorite memory of the sport?My favorite memory is playing with my team over the summer, doing really well, and getting MVP.

What aspect do you like most about soccer?I love competing and perfect-ing my technique. I’m always trying to outperform myself each game.

What was your favorite moment during a soccer game?I kicked a game-winning goal, and the entire team ran onto the field and jumped on me. I had this prideful feeling that I’ve never .experienced before play.

How did you first get into soccer? My father had played soccer for a very long time and even played in college. He intro-duced me to the sport when I was 6 and have been played ever since.

Why do you like the position you play? I play defense. I like prevent-ing a team from scoring and helping our team get the ball to score.

When did you first begin playing basketball, and why?I started playing basketball when I was 4. My dad put up a basketball goal in our backyard and me and my cousin would play basket-ball all day.

What are you looking forward to this season?I’m looking forward to win-ning a district championship and getting revenge in the playoffs.

Amanda Nork, 11th

Jamal Bieniemy, 12thJovan Prado, 11th

Micayla McKlusky, 12th

Stories by: Celine Low, Maddie Fossit, Riya Kale and Lauren BuehlerPhotos by: Aisha Sami

14February 2018

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Falcon CriesIf you could rename yourself, what would it be and why?

“I would name myself Kristina with an ‘i’ so people would actually be able to spell my name.”

Krystyna Morawiec 9th

“I would name myself Jason because why not.”

Jackson Hill 10th

“I would name myself any old, sophisticated name that isn’t a girl’s name so that people would actually take me seriosuly. Kendal Allsop 12th

“I would name myself Savannah because it’s a really pretty name.”

Jenna Hunzeker 11th

Where Would You Go For Spring Break?

Ski Trip

Cruise

Beach

Disney

Overseas

Lauren Buehler

Staff Writer

Photos By: Maddie Porter

The chart shows that out of all the Tompkins student’s asked, over half of them wished to travel overseas for Spring Break. The other choices were fairly close in range. 10% of students voted for Disney, 16% voted for the Beach, 12% voted for a Cruise, and 7% voted for a Ski Trip. Overall, the poll shows that Tompkins students wish to spend their time somewhere warm and exotic for their next escape from school.

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February 201815

Preparing for

P R O Mpromcussed themes, colors, deco-rations and party favors,” said McKaskle. “However, the only true stressful part about pre-paring for prom is hoping that everyone will like the event that you plan.”

Most seniors that attend prom spend weeks beforehand planning how they will arrive at the event, whether it means shopping for formal attire, making reservations at a fancy restaurant or hiring a profes-sional photographer to take prom photos.

“I would recommend that everyone make a time schedule on the day of prom to ensure everything isn’t rushed,” said senior Vivian Pham, Class of 2018 vice president. “That way no one has to be extremely stressed.”

Prom is a time for seniors to have one last fun, formal dance with their friends before grad-uating and going off to college. The true essence of prom is not about the color of the decora-tions or the food available, nor is it about the music played or what one wears. What matters is who one chooses to spend the momentous evening with, and remembering all of the friends that made high school a great experience.

“Although there is a lot of work to be put in, the work hasn’t been stressful, but in-stead joyful,” said Pham. “How many people can say that they planned their prom? It’s a great to have the privilege to create one of the biggest memories of senior year.”

With the second semes-ter fully underway, seniors are feeling the excitement of finishing their last year of high school. However, there is one senior event that comes close to outshining the pomp of gradu-ation: senior prom. The Class of 2018 senior officers have been working hard to prepare for prom, which 12th grade assistant principal Heather Campbell can vouch for.

“You want it to be a really nice event for the seniors and everything associated with the event is expensive,” said Campbell.

This year’s prom will be held on April 21 at the Westin Hotel at Memorial City. Last semester, seniors got to vote for the dark blue, black and gold theme “Starry Night” and the class song, “The Show Goes On” by Lupe Fiasco. The class officers and Campbell, however, are the ones that do the hard work of planning the event entirely.

“There’s choosing a venue, food and parting gifts, securing a decorator and DJ, getting chaperones to sign up for time slots to work and designing the tickets,” said Campbell. “There’s also fundraising to pay for all of the costs. It’s quite a lot.”

Fundraising is perhaps the most important part of pre-paring for prom. Senior Abby McKaskle, Class of 2018 Pres-ident, explains that the process begins during freshman year with raising money.

“This year, we have dis-

Senior prom will be held at the Westin Hotel at Memorial City. This is the second year in a row that prom will be held at this location.

Photo by: The Westin Houston, Memorial City

Celine Low

Managing/LayoutEditor

Class of 2018 officers Abby McKaskle, Veruzka Gomez, Andrew Powell, Harrison Stovern and Vivian Pham are the planners for senior prom

Photo by: Aaron Beyk

16February 2018

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Match Your Favorite Teacher to Their Celebrity Crush

2. Matthew Baccari

1. Shetye Cypher

4. Diana Franklin

3. Jason Gigliotti

5. Macey Godfrey

6. Robert Macgregor

7.Jessica Oakley

A. Scarlett Johansson

C. Johnny Depp

B. Channing Tatum

E. Tom Cruise

D. Chris Hemsworth

G.Ryan Reynolds

Answers: 1:C, 2:G, 3:F, 4:E, 5:B, 6:A, 7:D

F. Penelope Cruz

Photos By: Leanna Yee

Lauren Buehler

Staff Writer

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February 2018

17

DIY:Essential Oil Diffuser

Sam Hennig

Business/Social Media Manager

Supplies:-One candle (unscented)

-Himalayan salts-A catch all dish type of plate

-Any essential oils (pure essential oils are the best)

1Find the plate that best fits your aesthetic. Stores like Urban Outfitters and Crate and Barrel have catch-all dishes that typically work for jewelry but can work perfectly for this DIY.

2Place the candle in the center of the plate. Attach some tape to the bottom to ensure that it won’t slide around and will stay in place.

3Surround the candle with himalayan salts, make sure the salts are close to the candle, as the heat of the candle helps diffuse the oils.

4Put 5-10 drops of any essential oils on the salt, light the candle and enjoy your natural, inexpen-sive essential oil diffuser.

Some various mixes to try...For a good night’s sleep... Lavender and OrangeTo Get Rid of a Cold... Clove, Rosemary and Eucalyptus Focus Mix... Grapefruit, Basil and CedarwoodEnergizing... Orange, Eucalyptus and CinnamonHelp with Sinuses... EucalyptusEnlightenment .... Frankincense Soothing... Chamomile and Orange

18February 2018

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Many students have this dilemma: it’s 7 a.m., they are late for school and they have no idea what to wear. Often they have too

many plain white t-shirts lying around their house. To solve these common problems, here are two ways to turn a white tee into a

stylish outfit.

-DIY choker shirt What you need:• A white t-shirt• Scissors• Pen, chalk, or a pencilSteps:1. Take a white t-shirt and lay it face up on a flat surface.2. Take the writing tool of choice and make a mark or circle where you would like the bottom of the v-neck to be. To make sure the mark is in the middle, fold the shirt in half and fix the mark if needed. Then trace the middle of the neckline, leaving about an inch on each side. Trace from the mark in the middle of the shirt to the half-circle line on the top.3. Then start cutting the shirt, following the lines that you have traced.4. Cut any remaining marks or fabric out of place, and the shirt is complete.

Nicole Ruopp

Staff Writer

What to do with a

White T-Shirt

Styling a white t-shirt (no alter-ing required):• Tie a knot in the space be-tween the front and the side of the shirt.• Tuck in a quarter of the front of the white t-shirt in either high-waisted shorts, leggings or high waisted jeans.• Wear the white t-shirt, with a tied knot, and tuck into high-waisted jean shorts, also accessorize with a jean jacket.• Wear a lace tank top over the white t-shirt with jeans or shorts.• Wear a long-sleeved, sheer black shirt under a white t-shirt with jeans or shorts.

Ironing on a design What you need:• A white t-shirt• Item(s) to add to shirt• Iron • Special transfer paper for light/ white shirts• A printer Ironing on a logo: 1. Pick any logo, design, or picture that you desire and have it on your computer. Then reverse the logo before printing. 2. Turn on the printer, slide transfer paper into the paper- tray and print. 3. Lay the shirt down on a flat surface and iron out any wrinkles. 4. Lay the logo faced down on the t-shirt and turn the iron to the cotton setting. Then begin to iron, making sure to press hard and go over the logo many times. 5. When the logo looks secure, stop ironing and let the shirt cool for 5 minutes. 6. Lastly, slowly peel back the backing part of the transfer paper of the logo, and the shirt is com-plete.

With these three easy ways to turn a plain old shirt into a new stylish top, students will never experience the panic of the 7 a.m. dilemma.

Photo by: Nicole Ruopp

Photo by: Nicole RuoppSophomore Adriana Guevara poses while wearing outfits that consist of a plain white t-shirt. She showed how te style this t-shirt three different ways.Photo by: Daniela Guevara.

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February 201819

Mallory Fogt, 11th -Chick-Fil-A

Alexis Leskey, 11th -tcby

Reece Rollins, 11th -One Sports Nation

Katheryn Busch, 11th -Lifeguard at Pine Mill

Ranch Pools

Daniela Flores, 12th -Leafology

Luisa Borges, 12th -Starbucks

Alex Vines, 11th -Sonic

Alyssa Pascual, 12th -Pei Wei

Madison Meyer, 12th -Brixton Pet Health

Studentswith

JobsCeline Low

Managing/LayoutEditor

Photos by: Emily Klavanand Mya Stalnaker

20Feburary 2018

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Coach L’s Driving School Spring Schedule

Call Coach L for more info on in-car testing:281-857-4458

Feb 19 - Mar 12... Mon-Thur 5-7PM & Sat 10-12PM

Mar 5 - Mar 26... Mon-Thur 3-5PM & Sat 8-10 AM

Mar 19 - Apr 9... Mon-Thur 5-7PM & Sat 10-12PM

Apr 2 - Apr 23... Mon-Thur 3-5PM & Sat 8-10 AM

Apr 30 - May 21... Mon-Thur 3-5PM & Sat 8-10 AM

281- 857- 44588945 S. Fry Rd, Katy, TX, 77494