Volume 42 Number 4

8/9/2019 Volume 42 Number 4

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NORSEMANVolume 42, Number 4 • May 2013

T h e B r y a n H i g h S c h o o l

• IN-BRIEF •www.BryanHighNoresman.com

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Little p rt of bi portle cy

Enh ncin educ tionthrou h technolo y

Follo u :

BREakINg NEws

FEaTUREs

OPINIONs

sPORTs

The ‘News’ category of The Norseman is the best way to

stay up-to-date with the news& information at Bryan High.

Asisstant editor AndreaMendes takes a look at the im-pact sports have had on seniorBrittany Little as she makes her

way to TCU.

To stay up-to-date withthe latest sports scores forBryan High School athlet-ic programs, be sure to visit

bryanhighnorseman.com/sports.

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Not lone in ne re lity

Emma RaleighCo-editor At the beginning of the 2012-2013 ac-ademic year, the Board of Trustees dis-cussed Bryan High School’s move from5A to 4A division. In February, the boardconstructed a committee to redraw theattendance zones within the district toincrease Rudder High School’s numbersand decrease Bryan High’s in order toshift the UIL category of each school. “We put a committee together of par-ents, administrators, teachers, and agentleman from outside of the district who came to run the meeting,” superin-tendent Tommy Wallis said.

The committee included students as well, and principal Lamond Dean says aplan of action was reached. “Information was disseminatedamong the community of Bryan Highstudents and parents,” Dean said. “Wehave tried to balance the numbers, andplan to work towards a more balancednumber between Bryan and Rudderover the next ve years.” Besides more evenly distributing thecommunity’s student population, thechange will bene t the district in many ways, such as affecting multiple athle ticteams and other UIL competitors. “Hopefully it will combine efforts withmore local high schools like CollegeStation High School and Rudder HighSchool to help formulate a district that will lessen travel, and it would be betterfor our students,” Dean said. Each year in October, UIL takes en-rollment counts from every public highschool in Texas. This academic year,Bryan aims to lower their enrollment,

even with changing UIL classi cationsand alignments. “UIL will go through the schools anddivide them up in equal parts, withabout 250 schools in each district,”Dean said. “Next year, they’re going torenumber the districts, so though Bryanmay be 5A next year, it’s actually 4A be-cause the number scale is going up to6A.” Currently, Bryan High competes

against other 5A schools with about2,200 students. Other schools in Bry-an’s division such as Conroe ISD schoolscompete with nearly 3,000 students. “Some schools are double our size asfar as UIL participants, and that less-ens the competition opportunities for ussince we just aren’t the same size thatthey are,” Dean said. By making this move, Dean says stu-dents will not only receive more oppor-tunities competition wise, but their timespent traveling will decrease. “As opposed to going to Conroe twice a week, we can easily go to College Stationor across the street to Rudder,” Deansaid. “We can have more of a centralizedtravel schedule that will help economi-cally, as well as help our students not beon the road so much.” The economic upsides to this shift indivisions were one of the initial reasonsfor considering redistricting and down-sizing. “We began to look at the nancial im -plications of our budget, and what wecould do to cut spending because we’ve been cut so much money from the state,” Wallis said. “One of the things that was brought up at one of our budget meet-ings was the possibility of Bryan HighSchool going 4A.” Student athletes and other competi-tors will see additional changes outsideof the competitions.

“I de nitely think it will help theschool as far as school spirit is con-cerned,” Dean said. “A lot of studentsgrow up together, and all of the sud-den get friendly competition becauseof locale. We will get a chance with our

two campuses to compete against Col-lege Station’s two campuses, as well asmaybe some more centralized districts.Brenham is one of the ideas.” Possibly one of the greatest impactsthe district will see is a better communi-ty brought together through UIL events. “I think it’s all positive,” Dean said. “It will create a more closely knit commu-nity.”

Di trict re li n to move to m ller UIL divi ion

Staff writer Gabby Martinezshares her experience with be-coming a rst-time mother.

Staff writer Jesse Baxter ex-plores how technology helpsstudents learn in the class-room, but only if teachers knowhow to implement it.

by the numbCurrent Texas school classi ca -tion divisions for the 2012-2013school year.

UIL attendance zones are re- viewed every two years in thefall.

•1A: 199 and below

•2A: 200-429

•3A: 430-889

•4A - 1: 900-1527 students•4A - 2: 1528-2064 students

•5A - 1: 2065-2545 students•5A - 2: 2546+ students

Classi cation into the two 4Aand 5A subdivisions is only thecriteria for certian activities.For example, UIL Academics ishoused under just a 4A and 5A

subdivision instead of two sub-divisions within each.

UIL attempts to align schoolsinto equal brackets so that noclassi cation is over populated.The current two-year alignmentincludes the following break-down.

Class 5A: 245 schools




Class 1A: 390 basketball schools,168 eleven-man football schools,138 six-man football schools


2/11

News & events at Bryan High School

Summer School Summer school applica-tions have been posted on-line.

Students must have acounselor/academic adviserapprove their application.Registration for summercourses is May 20-31, 2013.

BHS students can see Mrs.Kveton in the Blue front of-

ce to register and pay fortheir summer courses. Stu-dents may enroll in only one

course at a time.

Graduation Practice Mandatory graduationpractice will be conductedon Thursday, May 30 at9:00 am in the pep-rallygym, Gym 2.

Graduation Services Graduation services will

be held at Reed Arena onthe campus of Texas A&MUniversity at 4:30 pm on

Sat., June 1.Graduates should arrive

in the Multi-purpose Meet-ing Room by 3:30 pm.

Administrators haveasked that the clothing at-tire worn by each studentadhere to the rules of goodtaste by being conservativeand in line with the BISDDress Code and the follow-ing: Young Men should weardark slacks, white shirts,

dark ties, dark shoes andsocks. The gowns for menare designed to be worn withshirts and ties. Hair should be neatly trimmed, wellgroomed and in compliance with the dress code. Do not wear ip- ops, shorts , caps,or any head covering otherthan the graduation cap. Young Ladies should wearan appropriate-length skirtor dress under the gown. Young ladies also should

wear dark shoes. Do not wear ip- ops, house shoes,

owers or jewelry on thegown.

Project Graduation Project Graduation 2013 will be held at the Texas A&M University RecreationCenter from 11:00 pm - 5:00am the night of graduation,June 1.

Doors will close at 12:30am and no other students

will be allowed ent ry.

Viking Bucks Students, please remember to turn in your VikingBucks to the Silver FrontOf ce.

On May 27, there will be adrawing for three at screenTVs, Visa gift cards, BestBuy gift cards, fast-foodgift cards, movie bucks, andmore to reward students forpositive behavior.

Around Campus

O s c a r N i g h t

Page 2 - Around Campus/Features

STUDYING FOR FINALS Shirley Horton - Anime Club

Sudoku

5 3

6

9 8

7

1 9 5

6

84

7

68 3

2

31

6

6

4 1 98

2 8

57 9

5 3 4

6 7 2

1 9 8

6 7 8

1 9 5

3 4 2

9 1 2

3 4 8

5 6 7

8 5 9 4 2 6

7 1 3

7 6 1 8 5 3

9 2 4

4 2 3 7 9 1

8 5 6

9 6 1 2 8 7

3 4 5

5 3 7 4 1 9

2 8 6

2 8 4 6 3 5

1 7 9 The objective of sudoku is to enter a digit from1 through 9 in each cell, in such a way that:•Each horizontal row contains each digit ex -actly once•Each vertical column contains each digit ex -actly once•Each subgrid or region contains each digitexactly once


3/11

Jesse Baxter Staff writer Everyone likes to be recog-nized, whether it’s a simple paton the back or a Nobel Prize.One of the most memorable

recognitions is graduation, but sadly not all students canattend. However, there is analternative opportunity. LifeSkills graduation was started

by Bridgenettle Johnson in1982 and has since broughtthat special feeling of recogni-tion to those students. “For some of our students,the stimulation of a large grad-uation in a large unfamiliar

place overwhelms them, there-fore they choose not to partici-pate,” Johnson said. “The LifeSkills graduation gives thosestudents and their families achance to have a similar expe-rience in a smaller setting.” The graduation is a team ef-fort, with various classes andclubs working together to trulymake the occasion spectacular. “Culinary classes headed byBrenda Guzman and RhondaCupit prepare delicious des-

serts and serve them duringthe luncheon,” Johnson said.“Barbara Volk-Tunnel and her

oral design classes decoratethe auditorium and dining ta-

bles according to the theme we

have chosen. Renee Richardsand mural club design mem- bers a mural that lights up thestage.”

There are many parts thatmake up the ceremony, includ-ing students shaking hands

with administrators and lis-tening to a guest speaker. This

year the guest speaker is RoseNorwood, who was the dean ofSpecial Services for ve years.

“The students know andlove [Rose], so she was a greatchoice to speak to them,”Johnson said. “This year we

will be entertained by assistantprincipal Baldomero Valdez

who will sing and play beauti-ful Mexican music during theprogram.” Life Skills graduation has aunique theme each year, help-ing to make each graduationmemorable. “This year’s theme just hap-

pens to be Mexican,” Johnsonsaid. “We don’t try to take awayfrom the regular graduation so

we have themes.” One memorable event in thegraduation is each student pre-

senting a speech about whatthey have accomplished in thepast year. “I started writing simplespeaking parts for the studentsto practice and later let them

write their own,” Johnsonsaid. “They loved it! It madethem proud to stand before themicrophone and practice theirspeeches. Everything else justfell into place and the result is

what we have now.” The graduation started whenJohnson noticed that LifeSkills students weren’t attend-ing graduation. “I met with the counselor atthe time, Linda Asberry, andtwo of our Special Educationteachers, Nancy Fuchs andMae Frances Wells, to plan agraduation program for thenext graduating class and theyall shared in the vision.” John-son said.

From its simple beginning,Life Skills graduation has blossomed into a great pro-gram that continues to cel-ebrate the students’ accom-plishments.

“The graduation ceremony isher baby, it’s what she has envi-sioned for her students,” careertech teacher Nina Wright said.“She started it as an alternativefor them so they wouldn’t belost in the crowd at Reed, andeach year she tries to make it better and more meaningfulfor those students. It’s very im-portant to her for those kids tohave special recognition; and

that’s what’s it all about.” Johnson originally plannedon going into Home EconomicEducation, but then her moth-er began to work for the Men-tal Health Mental Retardation(MHMR) association and it in-

uenced her career choice. “Through her job I met herclients and fell in love withthem, and I wanted to learnmore about people with specialneeds,” Johnson said. Johnson teaches Life Skills

by varying the activity, butkeeping the skills the same. “[Johnson] is very patient

with the students, what shouldtake one or two times to learna skill take her students’ takes

multiple times, going over itand over it and over it.” Wrightsaid. Johnson gives to the stu-dents, but the students alsogive back to Johnson in many

ways. “Before my surgery in Octo-

ber of 2013, I received a heart-shaped pillow with hearts ap-pliques with all the studentsand staff names stuffed in

the pocket,” Johnson said. “Itmelted my heart! Then one ofthe students said to me ‘I’m go-ing to pray for you Ms. John-son, so you can come backschool!’ I never felt so lovedand appreciated.” Through Johnson’s hard

work, Life Skills graduationcontinues to thrive. This year’sgraduation took place on May23 at 11:00 am in the Blue Au-ditorium.

Teacher’s passion paves way for students to be honored at graduationFeatures - Page 3

Sophomore breaks world record, plans for future Andy Ramirez Staff writer It is no secret that the rodeo culture is still very

much alive and well, especially in Texas. With youthmoving toward a more technical society, students

who still take an active partin these agricultural activi-ties are harder to come by.However, sophomore Tris-ten Sisson participates inshowing livestock, and herecently added an impres-sive win to his record ofachievements by breakingthe record for the top saleof turkeys at the Hous-ton Livestock Show andRodeo. With an astound-ing $110,000 sale, Tristentopped the previous record

by more than $4,000. “I was pretty shocked,”Tristen said. “Everybody in the whole room was pret-ty shocked. I didn’t know what to say to the buyers. I

just kind of gave the [buyer] a hug, and we were both just standing there in shock.”

Tristen says that investing so much into a particular

project is important in order to be successful. He saidthat it is unrealistic to think that such a large returncan be achieved with so little invested into it.

“Over the years, I’ve probably invested around$8,000,” Tristen said. “Paying for all the feed and

making the housing for them[was the hardest part]. Over-all, you’re going to have toput effort into it it, don’t just

be lazy. You have to try hardand focus on things.” Although there is a signi -

cant cost involved, there arealso signi cant yields, as wellas some interesting momentsin between.

“One time I was holding aturkey upside down, and I [letgo of] one leg, and she startedto ap and just slapped me inthe face with her wings andran off,” Tristen said. “[Also],

in the county show, I was holding my ring up in theair, and the turkey was following me and she bit it andthrew it 20 feet; it was funny.” No matter how much planning and preparation is

involved, the actual competition will always be a little

scary.“It is very intriguing,” Tristen said, “The judges try

to trick you a lot, and make you think that you’re ei-

ther last or you’re rst. It makes you think.” According to his teachers, the skills he has learnedshowing animals are helping him throughout his life. “He is driven, so if he puts his mind to it, he is goingto accomplish it and stick with it,” career tech teacher

Amy Bruner said. “I think that that is probably the biggest asset right there.” When it comes down to it, those who know Tristensay that his people skills and great personality are

what matters most about him. “He is a good kid,” Bruner said. “That is prettymuch all it boils down to.” With new encouragement to do well again next year,Tristen has already made plans to compete again foras long as he can, and even plans on taking on differ-ent challenges. “I plan on doing it for 2 more years, until I turn 18.”Tristen said. “I’m going to do turkey’s again, and alsodo chickens next year.”

Despite the intensity of the actual competition,Tristen says he has enjoyed the overall experience. “I probably wouldn’t want to change anything.”Tristen said. “[The experience] helps me get a lot of

money for college, and it’s easy.”

Feathers fy at rodeo

Sophomore Tristen Sisson broke the recordfor Reserve Grand Champion Turkey at theHouston Livestock Show and Rodeo.


4/11

Page 4 - Sports

Love for sport inspires charitable event to bene t children’s hospital Emily NashCo-editor He’s got a big passion, a big smile,and a big heart, and he’s made a bigdifference to kids he’s never even met. Senior Jacob Atkins’ love for tennis

began after being a gymnast until theage of twelve. That’s when tennis tookover. “My brother played in high school,and I caught on to it after gymnas-tics,” Jacob said. “Tennis is an indi-

vidual sport, and I like being by my-self and guring things out on myown.” Jacob’s brother and Bryan Highalumni Brady Atkins has seen howmuch tennis has meant to Jacob overthe past seven years. “Tennis is such a big part of Jacob’slife,” Brady said. “He is always itchingto play more, and if there is a tennismatch on TV, he is w atching it. Tennisgives Jacob so much drive and deter-mination in his life.” Jacob’s favorite part about tennis? “Just the individualism of it,” Jacobsaid. “I play singles mostly, so just be-ing on my own, being out there gur -

ing out how to play the opponent andhow to manipulate his weaknesses.”

Tennis wasn’t always smooth sail-ing for Jacob, however. He was diag-nosed with scoliosis, a medical condi-tion in which one’s spine is cu rved, ata young age and his back uctuated ashe grew, forcing him into a back brace

which he wore for four years. “[The back brace] was supposed to

make the curve so it wouldn’t be at alevel to have surgery, but it didn’t getthat way,” Jacob said.

In the summer of 2009, Jacob wastaken out of tennis after having backsurgery. He couldn’t play for about

ve months, and a full recovery tookabout two years. “It was hard,” Jacob said. “I like[tennis] a lot, and to not be able to dosomething, it’s hard. But I knew thatafter all the recovery I could get backon. Now it’s like I never had it.” Jacob was back on the court as soonas he got the okay from his doctor toplay again, and tennis coach RandyStewart saw a growth in his athleticabilities. “There were certain things, espe-cially in rehab, we couldn’t do, buthe always played pretty good tennis,”Stewart said. “He got a l ittle stronger,got a little quicker, after his surgery,so that helped him a lot.” Because of his experience with sco-liosis, Brady said that it gave Jacoba broader perspective on life and thepeople he can in uence. “At the hospital that he went to,

there were little kids w ith deformitiesor diseases walking around in much

worse shape than himself ,” Bradysaid. “I think seeing these kids gaveJacob an appreciation for his cir-cumstances and showed him that heshould be grateful in all situations be-cause there is always somebody elsestruggling more.” With that in mind, Jacob wanted to

give back to Scottish Rite Hospital inDallas which is funded through dona-tions.

“The doctors talked to me aboutthis kid who started a golf tourna-ment and it’s been going on for about

ten years,” Jacob said. “I was like, ‘Heliked golf, and Ilike tennis, andso maybe we canput on a fund-raiser!’” And with thehelp of his team,his family, andthe Brazos Val-ley Tennis As-sociation, that’sexactly what Ja-cob did. On Oc-tober 27th, abouteighty peoplesigned up to playin Jacob’s ten-nis tournamentand he raised$1500. In earlyJanuary, Jacobgot to present

the money tothe hospital, andnow it’s hangingon their wall.

“That’s why I started it,” Jacob said.“They’ve done so much for me, and soto give something back to them it wasreally cool.” Jacob wasn’t the only one excitedfor the tournament; his teammates

were right behind him every step ofthe way. “I don’t think we ever thought fora second that we didn’t want to helphim,” junior Karen Gonzales said.“We all love him; he’s so nice and car-

ing, so we were all ready to help him.Even if some of uscouldn’t play, we were all willing togive a donation sohe would be able toful ll his goal.” With his rst fun -draiser being sucha success, Jacobhopes to continueto host it annuallyand to educate thecommunity. “People were ableto learn about bothscoliosis and thehospital,” Bradysaid. “It has givenJacob so much joy,inspiration and vi-sion to continue tohelp out both the

Scottish Rite hos-pital and anybodyelse he encounters

in life.” As for Jacob, he’s an inspiration toeveryone he meets. “[I hope I made] a great [impact],a positive one,” Jacob said. “One thatcould maybe change people’s mindsabout giving back.”

Gabby Martinez Staff writer A person whose behavior or success can be emu-lated by others: A role model. Senior Zac Slaydonis the de nition of a rolemodel not only becauseof his baseball achieve-ments, but also becauseof his academic success.

And his positive attitudeabout baseball doesn’tstop at the baseball foulline. Slaydon says his out-look on baseball is just aspositive as his outlook onlife, and sports have in-

uenced him greatly. “Baseball has taughtme to persevere no mat-ter what happens in life,” Slaydon said. “It has alsotaught me to look forward to the next play or the

next thing in life.”

Slaydon’s teammates admire him as he strives to work to his ful l potential and push his teammates todo the same. “I look up to him because I’ve known him my

whole life,” senior teammateRyan Way said. “He’s consis-tently made good decisions.My respect for him has onlygrown as I’ve played baseball with him through life. I lookup to him; he gives me con-structive criticism, and I de -nitely listen.” Slaydon’s maturity on boththe eld and in school hasmade an impression on theteam. “He’s a leader and more likea father,” Way said. “We ac-tually call him ‘dad’, that’s his

nickname. He’s de nitely the most mature one ofthe bunch, and he keeps us all together.”

School is just as important to Slaydon as baseball.

“The only thing that exceeds his academic skills ishis baseball ability,” Way said. “Off the eld and onthe eld he’s the same, he’s consistently excellent.” Coach says his athletes’ academic success is one to

be emulated. “School wise he’s one of the best stu-dent-athletes we have,” Coach David Powers said.“He always talks about his academics and exudeshow important academics are to him” Powers’ pride Slaydon is immense. “He has three years of varsity experience,” Pow-ers said “He knows what it’s all about. He gives goodguidance to all the guys we have out here.” Both Powers and Way think Slaydon is a “classact”. Slaydon says his baseball future remains a mys-tery. He will be attending Texas A&M in the fall forengineering, and hopes to continue to use the skillsof leadership that he’s learned on the eld. Slaydon said sports help him adjust to the twistsand turns of life. Slaydon said when times are hard,he always hits the fastballs. For Slaydon, baseball ismore than a sport. It de nes who he is as a person.

Senior Jacob Atkins sends a pow-

er ul serve across the net duringpractice afer school.

Students demonstrates positive attitude, perseverance through sport

Senior Zac Slaydon takes a healthy cut thatends in a hard hit ball against Consol.


5/11

Maurissa Ramirez Assistant editor For many cheerleaders and dancers nothing mat-ters more than memorizing a routine, landing theperfect stunt, and winning the competition. For Ju-nior Mackenzie O’Neal, cheering and dancing aremore than just being the best she can be, they’reabout doing what she loves. Despite the obstaclesshe has faced and been forced to overcome, she con-tinues to excel at her demanding activities.

As a child, Mackenzie was diagnosed with diabe-tes, but she hasn’t let it bring her down.

“I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was in the5th grade,” Mackenzie said. “For 6 years I’ve hadto wear an insulin pump and constantly monitor myhealth. My family has been so supportive.” Mackenzie’s family continues to be supportive

of her in all she aspires to do, contributing to herdaily ght with managing her diabetes and stayinghealthy. “It came as a surprise to our family because we donot have a family history of Type 1 diabetes,” motherSusan O’Neal said. “Our family was impacted a lotand we had to learn about diabetes as a family. Sim-

ple things like eating a meal together became moredif cult for a while.”

With Mackenzie’s diabetes diagnosis, she and herfamily had to do everything they could to keep herhealthy and in check. “Mackenzie keeps track of the carbohydrates thatshe eats at meals so that she can enter the amountinto her insulin pump and it calculates how muchinsulin she needs,” O’Neal said. “ It gives her insulinevery 3 minutes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Thepump basically acts as her pancreas.” Being heavily devoted to dance, Mackenzie has of-ten been faced with having to manage her diabetesto where it will not affect her.

“My diabetes could hinder me,” Mackenzie said.“But I don’t let my diabetes get to the point where Ican not participate in what I love, so I just stay posi-

tive.” In dance, cheer, and in her school life, Mackenziecontinues to set an example with her sense of bal-ance and courage for girls her age. “I feel like a lot of the girls look up to her,” cheersponsor Samantha Morgan said. “Especially sinceshe always has a great attitude and always works

hard. She sets a good example for them. Macken-zie handles her busy schedule very well and alwayskeeps a smile on her face.” Mackenzie looks at diabetes as just another part ofher life and she hasn’t let it get in her way, but hermother sees it as shaping the person she is today.

“Mackenzie is amazing and she has truly made animpact on our entire family,” O’Neal said. “She hasnever let diabetes slow her down. She would tell youthat it has truly made her into the person she is to-day and she wouldn’t change that.” For a solo dance showcase for Gentri Gandy’s stu-dio, Mackenzie performed to Nick Jonas’ “A LittleBit Longer”, which was a song that he wrote abouthis life and struggle with diabetes, something thatMackenzie can identify with. In the future, Mackenzie hopes to attend Texas

A&M University and aspires to join their danceteam.

“I don’t plan on dancing professionally,” Mack-enzie said. “But, in college I would like to dance. I would love to go to Texas A&M and join their teamand dance for the Strutters.”

Dancer doesn’t let diabetes hold her backStudent Spotlight - Page 5

Erin Garcia Staff writer The brown dirt, the freshly cut green grass, thestands lled with eager supporters, the smell of na -chos and hotdogs in the air...the game of softball.Junior Rebecca Peirce has a love for this sport andfor what it’s done for her outside of the eld.

“My relationship with my family has strength-ened due to the countless hours spent on the softball eld,” Rebecca said. “I think it is the relation -ships formed and strengthened over the years thatmake softball such an important part of my life.”

For many, sports can be a relief for stress andstruggles. Rebecca also nds it as a relief for her,and a time to not have a care in the world.

“When I am on the softball eld or in the dugout,it’s as if the rest of the world doesn’t exist,” Rebeccasaid. “It is a very liberating feeling to be able to fo-cus on this one thing.”

Excelling in the classroom is a must for athletes,and Rebecca has learned to balance both worlds.

“I feel that my success on the eld and in theclassroom is largely due to determination and hard work,” Rebecca said. “Growing up, I was taught toidentify my abilities and talents and use them to bene t others. I nd satisfaction in succeeding bothon and off the eld.”

Balancing both school and sports can be hard todo. Remembering how to handle these situationsgets Rebecca through them.

“At times it can be dif cult to balance both schooland softball, but when those times come, I remindmyself to focus on living today and tackling tomor-

row when it comes,” Rebecca said.

With sports come the fans, and Rebecca is grate-ful for her supporters on the team, out in the crowd,and the man upstairs.

“Bryan High softball fans do a wonderful job ofsupporting and cheering for the team,” Rebeccasaid. “While I am on the eld, I do my best to sup -port and work for my teammates and for the peoplein the stands because I know that they all supportme. It is truly a great thing when you can go andplay this sport notonly for yourself, but for your team, your fans, and God.” Many learn andtake life lessonsfrom their involve-ment in sports, thisis especially true forRebecca.

“My involve-ment in softball hastaught me to bal-ance my priorities,”Rebecca said. “Ihave learned the im-portance of communication and teamwork and alsohow to battle through tough times and keep a posi-tive attitude.”

Softball coach Enrique Luna has nothing but pos-itive things to say about Rebecca, and says that herleadership skills are worthy of admiration.

“Rebecca does an outstanding job of controllingher emotions,” Luna said. “She remains cool under

pressure. She leads the team no matter what is hap-

pening.”Being a good role model to others can be dif cult,

but Rebecca handles it with composure.“Rebecca does a great job being able to keep up

with it all, and she is an incredible young lady whomour younger athletes and her teammates can reallylook up to,” Luna said.

Many athletes have their favorite sports moments,and one especially comes to mind for Rebecca.

“My freshman season isone that truly stands out,” Rebeccasaid. “For the rst time in my life, Igot to play alongside my sister, andthat was an amazing experience.During that season there werethree sets of sisters on the team. Inone of the games, all six of us wereon the eld at the same time, andthat was a very fun game!”

Aside from sports, Rebeccais involved in many other activi-ties.

“Besides softball, I enjoysinging as a member of the BryanHigh Choir and playing the piano,”

Rebecca said. “I am also very active in my churchand youth group.”

Strong bonds are important for any team, and thesoftball team de nitely shares a unique one.

“The bond that is present throughout this teamis very special,” Rebecca said. “I feel as though thegirls on this team have my back and I have theirs. We stand up for each other, help each other out, and

build each other up.”

Batter up

Student nd focus on eld through endurance, dedication

Junior Rebecca Peirce launches a ballinto the outeld against Consol.


6/11

Alanis King Staff writer It functions as a girl’s dream closet,personal cookbook, future house plan,

wedding-day checklist, workout mo-tivation, and everything in between.Most notably though, Pinterest is thedatabase of basically every “Do-It-

Yourself” project known to man (bet-ter yet, woman). The DIY projectsfeatured on Pinterest are so enticingand look so very simple, but the fact ofthe matter is that most normal people

just end up with craft-supply mayhemon what was formerly known as their

workspace and have nothing i mpres-sive to show for it. Anyone with a Pinterest account hascome to the realization that DIYs are

virtually impossible. Well, everyoneexcept for the professional DIY-ers

who post tutorials with perfectly n -ished products for everyone to gawkover and envy - but those people area rare species. Most of us have falleninto the DIY trap only to be disap-pointed and left with a giant mess, be-cause let’s face it, curiosity killed thecat (or the table that was used for theproject). DIY projects can’t possibly be aseasy as their creators make them outto be, right? Judging from the appear-ance of the table that was destroyed in

the making of the project, it’s simplynot possible. Whatever the case may be, the chance of nding a DIY projectthat actually ends up like the picture atthe end of the tutorial is slim to none. Since we’ve all experienced, or atleast heard about, how these inevi-tably doomed DIY crafts are goingto end, why even bother making themess? Somehow, someway, Pinter-est compels us to attempt yet anotherproject, just one more time - becausemaybe this time it’ll work out. While Pinterest has many differ-ent functions and can be used for ar-chiving all of one’s life dreams, takesome advice: stay away from the DIYtab. It’s like getting sucked into anendless vortex, again and again, withthe exact same outcome. Unless ofcourse, one of those rare projects thatlooks somewhat decent when nishedis sifted out of all the ones that won’t work. But the majority of the time, theproject will just end up in a mess. If turning the house into a catastro-phe of craft supplies for a measly proj-ect sounds like fun, go for it. Other- wise, don’t even attempt it. Pinterest istempting, but from someone who has been there and done that, do not givein to that inevitably doomed project. But maybe, just maybe...that project will be successful.

Page 6 - Pinterest Pinterest - Page 7

DIY tab terrorizes, traumatizesTricky trap

Emma RaleighCo-editor Organization makes us feel in con-trol. When everything is in its place,the world just seems happier. Sort-ing, sifting, and maybe even pinning,all help us feel accomplished and or-ganized. At least that’s the effect ithas on me. Pinterest, created in 2010, has been helping stay-at-home moms with so-called ‘life hacks’, craft gurus

create, and (much to my annoyance)teenage girls plan their weddingsand child rearing techniques. Userscan search any topic, product, style,or recipe or they can simply browseone of the website’s 34 sections rang-ing from the titles including “geek”,“animals”, “design”, and “health and

tness”. Once you nd somethingthat grabs your attention, it’s easyto repin it to a board and come backlater. As a member of Pinterest, I canhonestly say I wish it was actually worth my time . By this I don’t meanthe websiteisn’t funto browseor look upcute craftsand babya n i m a l s , but th at it doesn’t hold my interestfor very long. Strange seeing that thename itself implies that it is interest-ing, right?

In theory, Pinterest seems like agood idea. It’s a place for you to saveall those articles and tips on the inter-net that have you saying ‘I am so try-ing that’. Or maybe it’s a place to ndnew recipes if cooking is your thing.However the reality of Pinterest, asmany people seem to discover, is thatnothing is ever as good as it looks inthe picture, or the task seems far toodaunting. Many of the crafts, recipes,or activities that I repin never see thelight of day again. There are manyfamous failed projects; almost everygirl knows you need superhuman orsupermom powers to take a projectfrom the boards to real life. It can just be assumed t hat if a craft popsup on your feed, it shouldn’t be at-

tempt. And if it’s labeled as ‘so easy’it’s safer to just walk away. The second issue I nd is the ‘forthe future’ category of boards I seeon Pinterest, and the wedding onesin particular. Sure, every little girldreams of her wedding dress andpossibly even the perfect venue forher day. Whether it’s a ball gown oran A-line dress, a gorgeous cathedralor the beach, there’s never a short-age of pins when it comes to wed-

ding planning. I guess this can behelpful for those women out there with a quickly approaching we ddingdate, or at least women of a mar-rying age. I don’t know about you, but a 16-year-old girl with her en-tire wedding planned to the T sendsup a red ag to me. It seems just alittle strange. Maybe this is just ourgeneration’s way of dreaming of our wedding day. But how about we planfor redecorating our bedrooms, or apretty nail design rst, ladies?

Some of the things I actually usethe site and the mobile app for are

very simplerecipes thatusually re-quire littleto no cook-ing, andhair and

nail ideas. However, some style in-spirations and room decor ideascome from the pins I see as well. Ido enjoy the website, but I enjoy the bene ts of other social media farmore, and I only resort to Pinterest when the others have not hing new tooffer. Scrolling through Pinterest ismuch like ipping through the pagesof a magazine. There are expensiveitems you’ll probably never buy, ri-diculous workouts that will never beattempted, dessert recipes that lookso delicious but far too complicatedto make, and beautiful celebrities who champion great out ts and greathair, both of which you only wish youcould have. It’s fun to go through the website’s many tags and save a fewneat ideas, but at the end of the dayPinterest leaves much to be desired.

Pinners lose interest, focus onneeded improvements

Bored with boards

“As a member of Pinterest,I can honestly say I wish it was

actually worth my time.”

Experimenting with food, craftsStaffers take on the boards in attempt to create

& CanvasCrayons M e x i c a n C h i c k e n & C h i l i C a s s e r o l e S t r aw b e r r y

M e r e ngu e Cup ca k e s

Co-editor Emily Nash and assistant editors Andrea Mendes and Maurissa Ramirez tried their hand at pinterest projects going fromcrafty to snacky. Visit bryanhighnorseman.com to view the expanded project and color pictures.

Supplies: Crayola crayons, blank canvas,hot glue gun, glue, hair dryer, tape, scis-sors, paper, silhouette

Crayons will begin melting very quickly,so be prepared to move the heat over thedifferent colors. If you are planing to havea space that does not have color on it,make sure you tape that space off ahead oftime.

The nal product turned out really well.There were few dif culties with the proj -ect. Overall the the dif culty level wouldrate a 6/10 and the enjoyability a 9/10.

Assistant editors Maurissa Ramirez andAndrea Mendes cook down some of theingredients for the Mexican chicken andchili casserole.

Co-editor Emily Nash lets assistant editorAndrea Mendes taste the chili sauce beforeadding it into the casserole dish.

The casserole turned out really well, but wasvery spicy because of a heavy hand with thecrushed peppers, but overall it had a great

avor. We would rate the dif culty level ata 9/10 and the enjoyability a 2/10 but a 7 ifyou’re cooking with friends.

Supplies: See recipe to the left for boththe basic red chili sauce and the Mexicanchicken and chili casserole.

Co-editor Emily Nash slices fresh strawberries to prepare them for the strawberrymerengue cupcakes.

Assistant editor Maurissa Ramirez spoonsthe cupcake batter into the tins while pre-

paring the dessert.

The cupcakes turned out a little like corn- bread because of a miscalculation for the baking powder/baking soda conversion, butthey still had a good taste. We would ratethe dif culty level at a 4/10 and the enjoy -ability a 11/10, cupcakes are always fun.

Supplies: Flour, cake our, baking powder,salt, unsalted butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs,milk, strawberries

Basic Red Chili SauceMexican Chicken and Chili Casserole

Red Chili SauceIngredientsSubstitute sauce for canned enchilada sauce 1/2 cup Chili Caribe (or crushed red chili) 2 garlic cloves 2 cups water 1 teaspoon cumin 2 teaspoons oregano Salt to tastePreparationSimmer the chilis and garlic in the water in acovered sauce pan.Let it cool and pour into a blender a little ata time. Blend until the mixture is thick andsmooth; you can add water if necessary. Pourthe mixture back into a sauce pan and add thespices and vinegar. Let simmer.

Mexican Chicken and Chili CasseroleIngredients 1 cup fat-free, less sodium chicken broth 2 cans chopped green chiles, divided 1 3/4 pounds boneless chicken breasts 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup evaporated skim milk 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/4 cup tub-style light cream cheese

1 1/4 cups red chili sauce (left) 12 corn tortillas Cooking spray 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1 ounce tortilla chips, crushedPreparationBoil chicken in water until it’s almost done;shred and set aside.Combine broth and 1 can of chilis in skil-let; bring to a boil. Add boiled and shreddedchicken; reduce heat, & simmer 15 min. or untilchicken is done. Remove chicken from cookingliquid, reserving cooking liquid.Preheat oven to 350° F.Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 can of chiles and onion; saute3 minutes or until soft. Add reserved cookingliquid, milk, Monterey Jack, cream cheese,and enchilada sauce; stir well. Stir in shreddedchicken; cook 2 mins. Remove from heat.Place 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 2 quart cas -serole dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon 2cups chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat lay-ers twice, ending with chicken mixture. Sprinklewith cheddar cheese and chips.Bake at 350° F for 30 minutes or until thor-oughly heated. Let stand for 10 minutes before

serving.


7/11

Cell phone screens have become excessivelylarge with no additional benefits. A bulgingpocket, the struggle of holding and using it, and being caught attempting to secretly text i n class,it seems like no breakthrough has really comefrom increasing the screen size.

The iPhone has it right. With the 3.5 inchscreen, it’s the sweet spot; not too small to whereit is a hassle to type, and just the right size to where it can be operated eas-ily with one hand. Even withthe release of the iPhone 5,featuring a new 4 inch screen,the width did not change, and

it is still big enough to do anything you want. Although a bigger screen may a llow more con-

tent to fit on the screen, does an extra scroll re-ally hinder the experience? With a bigger screencomes a heavier and bulkier phone on top of ashorter battery life due to the amount of powerthe screen needs.

The convenient size of a smaller phone also

allows for one-hand texting. With a massivescreen one handed texting would become a fin-ger work out constantly having to stretch acrossthe screen.

Before phones had touchscreens, companies were attempt ing to make them smaller andsmaller.

Now, it seems as though the trend has changedfrom smaller and smaller to bigger and bigger,

when there is no ap-parent need for it to be bigger. Humanshave not morphedinto giants, our hands

are still the same size and our pockets have re-mained the same. So why do we need to make aphone screen bigger?

Having a big phone is like having a bigtruck. It is something that isn’t neededand really isn’t worth bragging about. A normal sized phone can complete thesame task as a giant phone, just as a

small car can accomplish the same task as a largetruck.

Good luck carrying a Galaxy Note with a 5.3inch screen. Unless you wear cargo shorts, it will be hanging out of your pocket.

Walking around with essenti ally an iPad heldto your head in public makes you look downrightsilly, and when it drops and cracks because yourhands aren’t large enough to hold your massivephone, maybe the thought will cross your mindto get a normal sizephone. On top of allof that, a smallerphone is more con-

venient and doesthe job just as well,if not better.

Phones performance, capability not linked to screen size

Justin Sanders, 11

Page 8 - Opinions

Everyone has their preference when it comes to the seasons of the year. In Texas, we all look forward tothe time of year when it’s not 100+degrees outside. I could care lessabout the temperature-my favoriteseason doesn’t have much to do withthe temperature, but instead, centersaround when my parents go to thegrocery store to stock up for craw shseason.

Anything homemade tends to be better, but sometimes you just don’thave the time or the patience to do it yourself, so you turn to local restau-rants. I’ve been to every restaurantin town that serves craw sh, and forevery good restaurant, there’s a res-taurant to avoid.

For a relatively small city like Bry-an/College Station, there are plentyof restaurants to choose from when

looking for craw sh. I’m the kind ofperson who tends to be particularlypicky when it comes to food, and when craw sh season rolls around,I de nitely know what I want and where I want to go for it.

Craw sh lovers: whatever you do,and I mean by any means necessary,craw sh lovers avoid the ShipwreckGrill. My experience with this restau-rant didn’t live up to what so many

people made it out to be. I ordered

ve pounds of boiled craw sh andside of fried craw sh and after a few bites it tasted like the cooks went alittle too seasoning happy when they were adding spice to pot. Sure, if youcan’t handle the spicyness of craw-

sh, then you might as well not eatit, but their spice tasteda little off. I gave up allhope after the rst six Iate, without even trying

the side of fried craw sh.I just wanted out of thereas fast as I could. Whenthe spices are so over- whelming that you can nolonger taste the craw sh, you know you’ve gone toofar.

Crazy Cajuns, which is now closed,used to have some of the greatestCajun food in town, but new own-

ers took over and things just wentdownhill from there. The best partabout their food was how authenticit was, I felt like I was tasting realCajun food when I ordered my usualshrimp jumbo and couple pounds ofcraw sh.

Some of the best craw sh dishesare made at home and at craw sh boils all around town. If you ever getthe chance to buy a few pounds and

cook it yourself, I’d de nitely recom -

mend it. Even if you’re not sure whatto do, just throw in some potatoes,corn and spice with and you’re set.Don’t forget the spice either. Leavethem to boil for 15 minutes andthey’re ready to eat. The Chamber of Commerce hosts

their annual craw sh boil to bene tthe Brazos County Youth Livestock.Its $100 per couple for tickets butit’s de nitely worth it. For the past

two years I’ve gone and I was notdisappointed. If you want to get closer to the wa-ter to grab some seafood, Galvestonis great for spring break, the begin-ning of craw sh season, my bestfriend and I headed down to Galves-ton for the day expecting good sea-food. We spentthe day onthe beach and

asked around

to nd where the best craw sh placein town was, someone told us to trythe Olympia Grill on the Seawall,and surprisingly it wasn’t that bad.Their gumbo wasn’t half bad ei-ther. So if you’re ever in Galveston,I would recommend being a little

more adventurous andtrying something new.

Craw sh season be -ing my favorite season,

I will never pass up anopportunity to eat it.If you’re one of thosepeople who doesn’t par-ticularly like seafood, you’re missing out. Asalways, don’t judge a

book by it’s cover. Mudbugs maysound unappealing and the idea ofsucking their heads might turn yourstomach, but it will thrill your taste

buds.

Craw sh season, the best season of the year

Bigger isn’t always better

Maurissa Ramirez, 11

“I could care less about the tempera-ture-my favorite season doesn’t have

much to do with the temperature, butinstead, centers around when my par-ents go to the grocery store to stock up

for craw sh season. ”

“Having a big phone is likehaving a big truck.”


8/11

Racing isn’t just a sport, it’s a lifestyle, centeredaround a sport. Racing is something that gets in your blood, and stays in your gene pool for gen-

erations. For those who haven’t experienced racing rsthand, it seems like it is simply “left turns for afew hours”, but it’s so much more than that.People who have never been exposed to rac-ing only know it to be broadcast television,the highest levels ofracing. Racing is ev-erywhere, though, andcomes in every form -from the roots of rac-ing, the mud-slingingSaturday nights at the local dirt tracks, to thehuge productions, the Sunday afternoons broad-casted on major sporting networks. “Cars driving in circles” is a lot more compli-cated than the general public perceives it to be. I thas so many components, so many small piecesthat go into the high-speed puzzle of racing, piec-es that all have to be perfectly in sync to be able

to compete for victory. The fact of the matter is,not everyone is willing to look past the “200 mph billboard” aspect to see what gets people hooked

on racing, to see what it’s really all about. Racing is an atmosphere, an atmosphere all itsown. It’s an atmosphere complete with fumes of

rapidly burning oil, roars of engines down thestraightaways that drown out roars of the crowd,tailgates for days in advance, anxiety-causing wrecks at high speeds, and victory celebrationsthat leave the grandstands and the winning

car engulfed in a cloud ofsmoke.

Racing is the ability to con-quer adversity. It’s ne tun -ing a car and qualifying onthe front row, only to havethe track conditions, thus thecar’s handling, change min-

utes after taking the green ag. It’s having the cargo from being on rails to wrecking loose in no time,and battling back from that - sometimes taking theentire race to do so. The sport of racing is the effort of a team, a very large team, at that. From an outside view,all the glory of racing seems to go to the driver, but achieving that glory takes the effort oftheir crew, the spotter, crew chief, team-mates, coaches, and everyone back at therace shop. Even the fans are a part of theteam. They can’t physically help a driver

get into victory lane, but they experience everyemotion that the rest of the team does - from thethrill of victory to the anguish of defeat, from the

adrenaline rush of leading coming off turn fouron the last lap to the anxiety of running in a four-to ve-wide pack on a superspeedway, and every -thing in between. Racing is off-track camaraderie and the on-track rivalry. It’s the drama of getting caught inthe heat of the moment, the competition, andthe will to win. Racing is unpredictable moves,uncensored aggression, and the unmatched aurasurrounding it all. But most of all, racing is a lifestyle. And once you’ve had a taste of that lifestyle, it spreadsthrough your bloodstream like a virus and becomesa vital part of you. Sono, racing isn’t justa sport. Racing be-comes your life, andif you’re lucky racing becomes your legacy.

Adviser Rebecca Dominy

Co-editorsEmily Nash

Emma Raleigh

Assistant EditorsRegina Flores

Andrea MendesMaurissa Ramirez

Yvette Ybarra Photography Editor

Justin Sanders

The opinions expressed are those of the writers and are not re ective of theadministrators, faculty or staff of Bryan Independent School District.

Submissions to the editor are welcomed, but must be signed and should not exceed300 words. The editor reserves the right to edit submissions in the interest ofclarity and length or to not print a letter at all. Letters containing obscene or

libelous material will not be considered.

Bryan Independent School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, reli-gion, color, national origin, sex or handicap in providing education services.

NORSEMANhttp://www.

bryanhighnorseman.com

http://www.twitter.com/ bhsnorseman

http://www.facebook.com/BryanISDBryanHigh-

Norseman

Staff writersJesse Baxter Erin GarciaAlanis King

Gabby MartinezLeigh Ann Netka

Andy Ramirez

Highlight editions are published in print on the last Friday each month

What’s too young? Too young to beplugged in? Too young to be held respon-sible? Too young to be given access to un-limited resources? The rst question to be answered is

why children have these devices in therst place. Until a kid is in 7th or 8thgrade, they really don’t have a real needfor such a device.

When elementary age kids have An-droid phones and iPhones, what are theyusing them for? They just play games and

watch Net ix, neither of which justi esthem having their own device when theycould simply borrow their parents devic-es. Even when a kid gets a cell phone orother technology, they shouldn’t get themost expensive, top of the line product

because they are neither responsibleenough to keep up them, nor are theycapable of keeping them safe and crackfree. With devices like iPhones and iPads,

young children still need parental super- vision because of what those devices al-low access to without restrictions. Society as a whole encourages the

young indoctrination of technology by

promoting the educational value. Whilesuch devices have made parts of educa-tion easier and more accessible, those de-

vices should not become a baby-sitter forkids.

It seems like children no longer playoutside or use their imagination in thesame ways as previous generations. And

while there is nothing wrong with thenext generation being different, thereis a problem with relying too heavily oncomputers or phones as the only sourceof entertainment. So instead of doing the easy thing andhanding a kid a piece of technology, takethe money and invest it in an after schoolactivity so they can develop a new skill, orat the very least develop social skills byinteracting with other kids the same age. And if you can’t avoid a child having adevice, at least make sure to install pa-rental blocks to keep them safe. Also remember to hold on to old pasttimes like books, board games, outdoorplay, and even a little educational tele-

vision. No matter what kids are doingthough, parental involvement will onlyenchance the activity.

-The Norseman Staff

Unplug, focus on childhood

More than just a sportOpinions - Page 9

Racing becomes part of your life, gets in your blood, changes who you are

Alanis King, 11

“Racing is the off-trackcamaraderie and the

on-track rivalry.”


9/11

Duo narrowly avoids fatline with Heartthrob

Page 10 - Entertainment

Overproducing and a bom- bardment of synth make foran okay album, unfortunatelythis is the case for Tegan andSara’s 2013 album Heart-throb ; which incidentally issomewhat of a heartbreak.

Tegan and Sara initially broke through to the musicscene in the late 90s as anindie rock duo, and the twoquickly caught the atten-tion of producers. Like many

bands, their sound has devel-oped with their experience.Over the span of their 14 yearcareer, Tegan and Sara have

morphed from their once

friendly indierock sound toa synthpop, in-die pop mix.

The twin sis-ters have re-leased sevenstudio albumsover the courseof their career,each of thema commercialsuccess, which

is why I expected their newalbum to bring the same sat-isfaction as the rest.

With the upcoming hypeover a new album, it came as a

surprise that the album would be entitled Heartthrob . Thename brought about an imageof a middle school girl, which

was far from their fan base.The album name served as anode to fans, hence the album

Heartthrob .My experience with the al-

bum was bittersweet. I hadgrown to love Tegan and Saraand I watched them mature

and grow into the band theyhad become, but with this al-

bum I was left deeply disap-pointed. The album starts off with

what is commercially the bestand most popular song onthe album, “Closer”, which is

just as upbeat and covered insynth as the rest of the album,

but it some how works forthis song. Tegan and Sara’s

voices belt out in the chorus,and make it easy for fans tosing along, which makes it theperfect song to listen to whiledriving around with friends. The next song on the album,

“Goodbye”, is my second favorite and a little less upbeatthan “Closer”. This song isreminiscent of the 80s andincludes a very pop and new

wave beat that remains play-ful and fun.The next two songs “I Wasa Fool” and “I’m Not YourHero” have misleading intro-ductions. What I proclaim the‘sad’ songs of the album, these

feature meaningful lyrics butinstead of being paired witha quiet tempo, feature upbeatguitar and drums, similar to

what they did in previous albums like The Con, a personalfavorite of mine.

“Drove Me Wild” and “ICouldn’t Be Your Friend”

were next up on the album,and although they weren’t myfavorite, I thought they stillincluded musical elementsthat were pleasing to the ear.

What they lacked was ‘punch’or something that pulled thelistener in like the previoussongs had.

The next few songs droveme crazy: “How You WantMe”, “Love They Say”, “Shockto Your System”, and “NowI’m All Messed Up”. There wasno problem with Tegan andSara’s beautifully written lyr-ics, which were lled with anoutpouring of their feelings;the problem lay with produc-tion. The band always hadmore of an upbeat vibe to it,

but new producers who have worked with Ke$ha and KellyClarkson pulled them in a dif-ferent direction. Their musicis more focused on pleasingthe masses with too muchsynth and tracks of beats be-ing laid over echoed vocals.

Tegan and Sara remain oneof my favorite bands to listento when I’m in the mood todance in my car or just singa the top of my lungs and al-though parts of this album

broke my heart because a fewsongs were disappointing,I keep faith with the songs

that stay true to the duo. I’msure that the two will prevailand that the music they make

will return to what made fansoriginally fall in love withthem So if you’re in the moodfor something fun to listen toI recommend any of Teganand Sara’s past albums, andif you’re daring, take a chanceon Heartthrob as well.

Yvette Ybarra Assistant editor The blood, the screams, and

the killings are all aspects ofscary movies that churn ourstomachs and shake us to ourcore.

Scary movies have long beenpart of popular culture andthey have drawn in people

with their horror-based storylines.

While not everyone enjoysthis kind of entertainment,there are some people thatthink the more realistic, the

better. Movies with vivid pic-tures of chopped up bodies orrealistic story lines help createan atmosphere of fear.

It allows people to experi-ence the thrill of danger with-out actually being in it. But whydo people want this? Shouldn’tthings that make people cringe

be pushed away, especially if

these things are plausible in

the real world? People like the idea of expe-riencing fear in a controlled

setting, it allows them thethrills and chills without put-ting themselves in danger.They would rather experiencethe feeling of terror in the com-fort of a chair alongside somepopcorn and a large drink, be-cause when the credits startrolling, people know the fear isover and they are thrown backinto the safety of reality.

Still, it seems strange tosome that movies contain-ing so much violence captureso many people’s attention.I can’t explain the reasoning

behind watching these movies, but I know I am not the onlyone that enjoys the violence,gore, and blood - lots of blood.People seem to like to terrifythemselves.

Take the American television

drama Dexter which is about a

blood spatter analyst who isalso a serial killer. As a child,Dexter Morgan was trauma-

tized by having to watch themurder of his mother.

He was then taken under thecare of Miami police of cerHarry Morgan, who later ndsthat Dexter was corrupted bythe murder and now hasa need to kill.

Harry then teach-es Dexter only to killpeople that have killed

without a reason. Kill-ing people doesn’t usu-ally sit well with most,

but this show contradicts thatidea with it’s massive amountof gore. And the audience con-tinues to sit and watch. Why?If someone knew they wereto die in some horri c way, I

would assume they would bepretty scared - but watchingsomeone else go through it is

mere entertainment?

People enjoy this kind ofpsychological thriller for allit’s darkness and gore.

I’ve also heard of a show calledThe Walking Dead which re-

volves around zombies and brain-eating. The show drawshuge crowds each week with

blood, sweat and tears.

Slashers aren’t new to thepopular culture, either. Mov-ies like Friday the 13th, Hal-loween, and Nightmare on

Elm Street have been cultclassics for years and continueto gain followers in each newgeneration.

While some believe the thrill

of being scared is just not logi-

cal, others believe that it has todo with the feeling of adrena-line.

People like the jolt they get with every scare. Others say itis a way of seeing the charac-ter’s point of view through theeyes of the audience.

Some people even yell at thescreen about how stu-pid the characters arefor stepping foot into aroom or for not realizingthere is someone behindthem.

I don’t think every-one can understand the

appeal of scary movies unlessthey have the mind of a twist-ed, sadistic and possibly dan-gerous person.

I’m not saying you have to be insane to like scary movies, but it takes a certain type ofperson to like the scare over ahappy ending.

Fear provides weird twist on entertainment, excitementThrills, chills, and shrills

“People enjoy this kind ofpsychological thriller for all

its darkness and gore.”


10/11

Entertainment - Page 11

Nicolas Sparks’ Safe Haven, safe choice for movie night

Emma Raleigh Co-editor “Gossip girl here, your oneand only source into the scandal-ous lives of Manhattan’s elite.” Inever thought I would hear these

words without laughing. I mean,Gossip Girl, really? The namesounded stupid to me every timeI heard or saw it, but recently I’vehad a change of heart.

Now we all have those week-ends, or weeks in my case, where

we sit and watch Net ix forhours. I heard great things aboutthe recent Gossip Girl series -nale from my friends, so I decid-ed to start with the Pilot episode.Two words: instantly hooked.Gossip Girl took over my life. The story takes place in TheUpper East Side of Manhattan,a magical land of ridiculously

wealthy, entitled, and scandal-ous high school students. Theshow starts with a group ofclose knit friends and enemies

who know everything abouteach other via an anonymous

blog, Gossip Girl. Blair Waldorf,Nate Archibald, Serena van der Woodsen, Dan and Jenny Hum-phrey, and Chuck Bass walk thehalls of their respective privateschools. And after school hoursthey just as easily walk amongthe elite millionaires and social-

ites at the most exclusive bars,restaurants, and galas. I was en-thralled in the world of designerclothes, personal limos, and ex -travagant homes.

Based on Cecily von Ziegesar’s

book series, Gossip Girl ran forsix seasons, the most recent end -ing in December 2012. The showis shot on location in New York,The Hamptons, and Paris, andprovides more twists, turns, upsand downs than a roller coaster.The creators of the show, Steph-anie Savage and Josh Schwartz,stayed somewhat steady when itcame to character development.There were a few holes in sec-ondary character plots, but thisis to be expected of any televisionshow. The best things Savageand Schwartz did for the show

was create the authentic eliteUpper East Sider, and continuethe story successfully into eachof the character’s lives after highschool. But let’s not get ahead ofourselves. My personal favorite Upper

East Sider from episode one wasBlair Waldorf, played by Leigh-ton Meester. Blair is “QueenBee” at her school and thedaughter of a clothing designer.She has a close relationship withher lifelong Polish maid Dor-ota and a knack for scheming.

Blair’s sneaky side often bringsout the funniest one-liners andcomments in the show that arequotable beyond compare. Hercomplex character is sometimeshidden by her polished exterior,

but Blair has her share of secrets.Meester executes the role aw -lessly, alternating between sweetand manipulative at just the rightmoments. Besides the spot-onattitude problem with a dash ofclass, Blair’s sense of style is sim-ply perfect. She usually sportsher trademark headband, along

with out ts I could only everdream of being mine. The partof Blair’s character that I love themost is her complicated relation-ship with the elusive, strangelyattractive Chuck Bass, played

by Ed Westwick. To be truthful,these two kept me watching theshow at certain otherwise lowpoints of the series. Not to revealtoo much, but their relationship

will keep you at the edge of yourseat. Some characters, on the other

hand, I could do without. Onesuch nuisance to the show wasJenny Humphrey, or as Blairand her minions not-so-fondlycall her, Little J. She epitomizesthe annoying wannabe perfectly,and she only remained on theshow until the fourth season. Ac-

tress and singer Taylor Momsenportrayed Jenny well; it was thecharacter herself who botheredme. Best friend to Blair, Serena

van der Woodsen is a character Ihad mixed feelings about. Played

by Blake Lively, Serena probablyhas the most secrets of all thecharacters, and the most boy-friends. She often would meeta man on the streets of New

York and they would instantlyconnect, and while she is very

beautiful, how many girls dateupwards of 10 guys in a matterof 5 years? Besides this, Serenaand Blair have countless andpointless drawn out ghts overthe course of the show that couldhave been minimized.

As the show evolves from fo-cusing on the petty drama ofhigh school juniors, to the moreserious and sometimes scarydrama of young adults, there isno way to stop watching. I seethe rst few seasons as the best

because I like to think I cansomehow relate to these entitled

teenagers, (as if my life is any-thing like theirs). As they grewolder however, I felt as if I hadless in common with them. Oncethe beloved characters graduate,college awaits for some while theslightly less realistic task of be-coming CEO of their deceased

father’s company awaits others.This is where things get crazierand the events become less re-alistic. In high school, girls willspread rumors, and boys will be,

well, boys. Post graduation, the

characters of Gossip Girl werestill wrapped up in this mental-ity, and even though we knowthat ‘high school never ends’, weexpect them to grow up a little atleast. Despite some frustrating, un-necessary side plots along the

way, the show came to a closeon a more than fabulous note.Friendships and relationships

were mended and everything,including the identity of Gos-sip Girl was revealed. The naleepisode, ‘I Love You New York,XOXO’, featured a ash forwardat the end after a riveting seriesof events. This look into the fu-ture really helped wrap up theseries and left the door wideopen for viewers’ imaginations.I recommend this show becausealthough it may sound dumb,

the writing is smart, the actorsare talented, and the story is richin more ways than one. It won’tdisappoint, and Gossip Girl will

be right in saying: you know youlove me.

XOXO, Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl , viewers tune in, leave it no secret how good it is

Regina Flores

Staff writer If you’re in search of a movie that

both you and your signi cant other would enjoy, Safe Haven might be justthe right movie. This movie is not onlya powerful love story, but a thriller that

will have you jumping out of your seat, biting your nails and crying your eyesout, all at the same time. Based on a novel of the same name

by Nicholas Sparks, the movie is abouta girl in an abusive relationship who istrying to nd a way out. Katie, played

by Julianne Hough, chops off all of herhair and changes her name as she runsaway to Southport, North Carolina toget away from her abusive, psychotic,alcoholic husband, who happens to bea police of cer, while trying to nd a“safe haven”. She rents a small, aban-doned shack in the woods where shemeets her friendly neighbor, Jo, played

by actress Cobie Smulders. Katie fre -

quently visits the nearby store and res-

taurant where she meets the owner,

Alex, played by Josh Duhamel. Alex isa widower whose wife died of cancer,leaving him to raise two children alone.They get to know each other well, butat this point, Katie has not yet told Alex why she came to North Carolina. Everything seems ne, except there’sa problem. Katie’s crazy, abusive hus - band is out to nd her and will do what -ever it takes to do so, including accus-ing her of murder and putting her on a“wanted” list, even though she is inno-cent. Alex soon nds Katie on a wantedsign, which causes problems betweenthe two, and while all this is going on,Katie’s husband uses his police of cerskills to do quite a bit of stalking. Asusual, he is drunk, enraged, and armed,and, well, I’ll let you nd out what hap -pens for yourself. Let’s just say the end-ing will blow your mind. While the story line to this movieis extremely engrossing, I think what

makes this story so interesting are the

ashbacks. The movie starts out with

Katie’s husband frantically search -ing for her, andthe audience hasno idea what’sgoing on. Then viewers watchas Katie eesto North Caro-lina and meets Alex. Katie fre -quently dreamsof a woman with brunette hairholding a knife,sneaking away asa dead man lieson the oor in the background. Sheremembers her-self, cutting off her hair and runningaway from home. Before the audienceunderstands the whole story, they seeclues as to what exactly happened be -

tween Katie and her husband. This is

very intense because the audience gets

to witness all this going on and gets toput the clues together for them-selves to understand what hap-pened. Not only was this movie inter-esting, but it was also well made.The scenery was great, most ofit being on the beach. Katie’sneighborhood of trees was also beautiful, the sunlight alwaysshining beautifully through thefoliage. I also thought the actorsdid a great job portraying theirdramatic characters. Although Ihave not read Safe Haven, I was very impressed with the movieand have no complaints. Some may be resentful about watching a so called “love story”

and “chick ick”, but I guarantee thisone is worth seeing. It is loaded withaction, drama and suspense, and you

won’t regret renting it.


11/11

Page 12 - Schedule & Fun

Fall Semester Exam Schedule

•Senior Exams begin Tuesday, May 28 for 1st, 2nd,3rd, and 7th period.•Exempt seniors must stay in their testing room onTuesday, May 28.•Exempt seniors may report to the Blue Auditorium

after each period roll check on Wednesday, May 29.•Exempt underclassmen must go to their testing roomfor roll check then report to the Blue Auditorium.•Exempt underclassmen must have the pink copy oftheir exemption form to enter the Blue Auditorium.

•All students who have nished their exams are dis -missed at 12:15 if they have a way off campus on

Wednesday and Thursday.•Students unable to leave campus must follow the af -ternoon schedule.

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