Klein High SchoolVolume 74/ No. 1 October 2011

BEARCHAT16715 Stuebner Airline Klein, Texas 77379

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OCT. ( inside ) BEARCHAT Staff

As Thomas Jefferson wrote in the US Declaration of Indepen-dence, all people are born entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

In view of the fact that “happi-ness” is one of the most subjective words in the English language, Jefferson’s statement means some-thing different to everyone.

In the competitive environment of high school, a widespread defi-nition of “happiness” is that of a prominent GPA.

For those motivated enough to apply themselves, a GPA in the top percentile was within reach until the second chance testing policy was tweaked. The new re-testing policy is now limited only to students who fail an exam with a grade of 69 or lower, and limits their grade to a maximum score of 70.

This change backslides what used to be one of students’ great-est motivations to relearn or re-hash materials they did not grasp the first time around. Teachers argue that the previous retesting policy was unfair because it gave students who did not study for a test an advantage over those who did study. The reality is that it did not give anyone an unfair advan-tage.

Two ends exist to the student spectrum. There are those who care and those who do not. As painful as it is for educators to ac-cept, school is not a priority for every student. The student body

New retesting policy crushes motivation

is more concerned with romantic chemistry than academic chemis-try.

Without a doubt, students ex-ist who abused the previous pol-icy and treated the second chance test as an extension to study time. There are people who take advan-tage of the food stamps program and handicapped parking spac-es, but this does not mean those benefits should be revoked at the fault of those few who do abuse the system.

Who the rights to retest are be-ing robbed from is not the only disturbing aspect of the new poli-cy, but what the consequences will be. Students agree that a grade of 70 does not give them sufficient incentive to undergo the retest process. They conclude that striv-ing for a grade of “D” is simply “not worth the effort”. If students do not have the motivation to re-view materials to improve, that denotes a system that is flawed.

Sure, the new policy may calm the melee of the “GPA game”, where teens compete for the high-est ranking, but if a student choos-es to push themselves to the limit, that is their prerogative.

A retesting policy that aver-ages the original test grade with the second retest grade would be good middle ground. It would desist students from being off the hook from the first score received but still provide motivation to those who care to relearn materi-als they once failed.

BEARCHAT Staff Chamrang Mau

Death occurs around the world every day, even as you read this.

For me, I’ve experienced the loss of my significant other from a drunk driving incident, my mother from liver cancer and my grandmother from old age.

I wish I could turn back the hands of time.

My mother and grandmother both played a great role in raising their children. They implanted tender love and patience through the process of growth within their lives as well as mine. Now it’s my time to shine as the man in the family to carry on those traits.

Three individuals inspire lifetime of lessons

The Klein Bearchat is the offi-cial news publication at Klein HS and is distributed free to the stu-dent body. Opinions expressed are those of students and do not necessarily reflect the views of the adviser, or campus faculty and administration.

Letters to the editor must be signed and submitted to journal-ism room 820. Unsigned letters

will not be published.Bearchat is planned, designed

and created by students (not pro-fessionals) during periods 3 and 4. Errors and technology problems may occur.

Contact Advertising Manager Meridith Pettye for information concerning advertising in an up-coming issue.

16715 Stuebner Airline Klein, TX 77379 832. 484. 4245 email: salexander@kleinisd.netVOLUME 74 BEARCHAT Staff

Editor-In-Chief - Karina Pinzon Managing Editor - Patricia C. JamandreAdvertising Editor - Meridith PettyePhotography Editor - Roman PelhamStaff Writers - Aubrey Holt, Lyndsey Hill,Chamrong Mau, Meridith Pettye, Chelsea Beeson, Mina Khan

What is left to accomplish is the filling of empty chapters that are waiting to be created as the next generations hunger for more col-or.

The inspiration passed onto me is a warm voice that tells me “it’s going to be okay”. Replays of mo-ments spent together flash back from time to time and I know I am to be comforted. I am to carry on with what they left behind.

What remains are the lessons all three of my loved ones taught me, along with the reigning es-sence they anchored into the core of my life.

Karina PinzonEditor-in -Chief

Construction surrounding the campus continues as workers place bright green sheathing on steel beams. Photo by Roman Pelham.

PAGE 5 Teens stand outto make difference

PAGE 6 Evolution of video games

PAGE 8 Senior dances with Russian ballet

PAGE 11 Kat football makespush to bounce back

PAGE 12 Cool classes offered on campus

PAGE 10 Sports teams prepare for season

PAGE 4 Budget cuts raise concern

BEARCHAT

Brian JonesJimi HendrixJanis JoplinJim MorrisonKurt CobainAmy Winehouse

Grammy artist’s July death adds to theory of ‘27 club’ of rock and rollersHer 60’s inspired hair and

wing-tip eyeliner were part of her iconic look.

With her soulful, jazzy voice, Amy Winehouse rose to Grammy fame, spiraling downward due to a rock and roll lifestyle until her July 23 death at age 27.

Although an autopsy found no drugs present in Winehouse, talk of the latest entry into the ‘27 Club’ continued on radio and campus hallways.

The club is said to be reserved for musicians with a lifestyle that fueled early death at age 27 as in

the likes of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain or The Door’s Jim Morrison.

“They did not lead a good life-style and I am not surprised that they ended up dead,” said sopho-more Jasmine Tahri.

With recent buzz of the club, campus teens compared the jazzy legend to that of popular Cobain.

“He is gone and all we have left is his music,” sophomore Jo-seph Scalia said. “ It’s a big deal because that’s the music that has been played throughout my life.”

- LYNDSEY HILLBearchat SOPHOMORE

27

Drama jump starts season with different take on famous writer with the...

Dr. Seuss never met rapper V.I.C., but both brought laughs during the season opening cam-pus play The Seussification of Ro-meo and Juliet.

The play, a modern, comedic spin on Shakespeare’s classic trag-edy, opened Sept. 15 with enter-taining children in mind.

“The fact that we’re aiming the show to kids and the way we are introducing it to drama and high school theatre is really cool,” sophomore Tevia Loeser said.

Preparation for the play began in mid-August before the start of the school year.

“It’s been insane, but it’s been really fun to work with everybody and to see a different side of the production,” junior Audrey Spell said.

The production, set in the Eliz-abethan era, referenced to the modern world throughout the play. The play’s stand-out piece involved rapper’s V.I.C.’s Wobble,

featuring it’s own original dance choreography.

“The best part was wobbling my butt off,” said junior Bari Bel-lard. “It’s been really fun but also tiring and exaggerated.”

The show featured seasoned campus actors such as seniors Zane Muddiman and Leah Van Vranken.

From the understudies, lead actors and technicians, the entire team focused for two months on the success of the show.

“Opening night, being in the booth and going ‘okay guys, we have an audience and we’re ready to go,’ was awesome,” senior Shel-by Stark said. “Seeing it all come together is cool because we have had hard work put into every as-pect of the play. It is great to see it come together as a whole. Prepar-ing for a show is very chaotic and stressful, but worth it.”

- CHELSEA BEESONBearchat SENIOR

Seussification of Romeo & Juliet

A Twist of FateWith love in his eyes, senior Zane Muddi-man dips junior Alexa Banda during the Sept. 17 matinee. “It was such a wondrous experience to be a part of this show. We tru-ly became a family and it was so much fun to be a part of this cast,” said Muddiman.Showdown of the CenturyA tumbleweed is created by sophomore Te-via Loeser during a tech production work call. “Watching the actors and seeing all the costumes and props be put together was eye-opening. The experience was great and the best play I’ve done so far,” said Loeser.

What’s your opinion on

the ‘27 Club’? “They’re a disgrace to the music world and they give artist a bad name.” Junior Marshall Pringle

“They had potential but we don’t know what they could have done.” Junior Danielle Dutchover

“It’s just a coinci-dence that they are 27 and dead.” Junior Paola Uranga

PHOTOS BY CHELSEA BEESON

“They’re not going to be known for their-music, they’re going to be known for being drug addicts.” Sophomore Danny Marchant

July 23, 2011 - Fans place flowers outside the home of Amy Winehouse in London. MCT Campus Photo.

BEARCHAT Page 3

( your voice )

( campus club briefs )Chess Club

With determination, chess club quickly started with a first tour-nament on Aug. 20 in which they placed second.

Sponsored by science teacher James Hammons and Jim Lip-trap, the group of 26 competes for individual tournament spots.

“I like playing chess because it takes a lot of stragedy,” senior Christian Hofsommer said.

The next campus tournament is scheduled for January 21.

-Senior Sue Jamie Cruz

46th nation average SAT scores

33rd nation for teacher salaries

47th in nation for amount spent for an indi-vidual’s education - Feb. 2011 Houston Chronicle

2.2 GPA of Texas Governor Rick Perry’s Texas A&M degree in Animal Science - Aug. 2011 Scholastic

36th in nation for high school graduation rates

3.8 million Texans lack high school diploma

49th in nation on verbal SAT scores

47th national literacy rates

Can Texas afford to make more cuts with it’s

“Everything’s bigger in Texas” has always been the state’s way of life.

And Texans have no problem proving to you how accurate they think it is.

Yet it seems the citizens tend to overlook the negative side of their famous motto.

Texas has recently been ranked near dead last in the national pub-lic educational system, and with the budget cuts growing it does not seem likely to climb its way to the top any time soon.

“I think the Texas school system could use improvement like any other state education program,” junior Aaron Zarvou said. “Over-all, I feel as though I am learning what I am suppose to be learn-ing.”

In the US, Texas already ranks 44th in dollars spent per student and managed to make a cut of $1,000 per student. Klein ISD students already felt the impact due to book shortages and a lim-ited number of paper teachers can print off.

“The budget cut affects us with issues such as technology, books and even teachers who are im-portant to our education,” Zarvou said.

“Budget cuts are going to put us further and further behind the other states because we are not go-ing to have the materials we need in Texas such as books and new technology to learn with,” junior Sarah Munsch said.

Yet, campus teens are already looking ahead. With Texas stu-dents applying to colleges each year from all over the nation, high school students are competing with states with higher educa-tional rankings such as Maryland, which holds the top spot in the nation.

“Students who are not in the top 10 percent at school should hopefully have more things on their college application,” Zarvou said. “Sports and extracurricular activities will help with college admissions.” - Meridith Pettye

Bearchat junior

Texas by numbers...

GSLSportsmanship is typically re-

garded in a sport as morality, consisting of fair play. The group of seniors involved in the Good Sportsmanship League (GSL) pro-mote spirit and friendship with other schools.

Sponsored by Jacqui Pluckham and Sandy Theiss, the GSL focus is more than sharing a basket of items for the opposing team as a courtesy.

“GSL members from both schools should encourage each other and wish the opposing team good luck on the field,” Pluck-hahn said. “Good sportmanship is all about respect - for oneself, for teammates, coaches and others in the stands.”

-Senior Mashal Nathani

Senior Class Officers

Senior class officers are busier than ever raising money for prom as well as organizing it.

“I enjoy being involved with the

officers and watching them grow and be successful,” said sponsor Curtis Lewis. “ I make sure all the hard work runs smoothly.”

“Being a class officer in previ-ous years has generally been a lot more relaxed when it comes to responsibilities,” senior Alexan-der Barlett said. “We have more responsilibies, such as raising the money for prom and meeting with Mr. Whitehead about school functions and events.”

- Senior Tiffany Young

Junior Statesmanof America

Increasing awareness and teaching the importance of gov-ernment, the campus Junior Statesman of America group meets each Friday to build skills.

“JSA has helped me become a well-rounded individual by shaping the way I view politics and government,” senior Con-nor Jones said. “We pick apart, in detail, current events and think about how these events affect societies. We also focus on how some of the world’s issues could be changed to make things bet-ter.”

Sponsored by science teacher Julie Shehata, the club strives to make stronger, more politically aware students who will go on to be good leaders.

“This club has definitely made me a stronger leader because it has taught me how to listen and respect other viewpoints on cer-tain topics,” Jones said. “It has prepared me to be a strong, opin-ionated, well-informed individual.”

-Freshman Lynn Albright

Educational system?Former First Lady Barbara Bush wrote in the Feb. 6, 2011HoustonChronicle...

“We can not afford to sit and wait for Austin to figure this out. Our schools are in crises.”

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In a campus crammed with 3,115 bodies, teens search for ways to express themselves and...

STAND OUT IN THE CROWDOne feels he can give up his life

while in the military in order to protect his country.

Another can paint a portrait of a mural with a sharp knife.

They are campus artists, activ-ists, brainiacs, and express them-selves with an individual style of their own.

“I want to go to the Air Force as a CROW, which is an officer that’s a pair rescuer. I want to save the lives of the people that are risking their lives for this country,” ROTC senior Enrique Ramos said. “My passion is to pursue happiness and find what makes me happy.”

Sophomore Raeanna Haight’s mode of expression connects her life with books and movies by going to comic book conventions and meet-ups with favorite au-thors.

“I love going to conventions and meeting the people that write and illustrate my favorite graphic novels,” Haight said. “When you go to comic book conventions, most people dress up as a charac-ter from a book or movie. It helps

you connect with them because you can relate to how they feel from the similiar bond they have with the character. It is something shared.”

Senior Brandon Paiz however, views his expression as a “grace-ful guidance”.

“I don’t want to center myself with my own passion as I want to help others find theirs,” Paiz said.” I remember knowing some-one that felt like their life didn’t mean anything, so I told them that they were more important than what was happening to them and not to doubt themselves.”

Paiz added, “I told them ‘you’ll always make it through’.”

Pushing his creative edge, ju-nior Ayise Daniels has his own recording studio and challenges himself by writing songs that have been signed by 18 recording labels.

“Music is my passion for sure. I performed at a concert this sum-mer and my friends came to watch me,” Daniels said. “The sound of the crowd going wild made me

more pumped to keep my passion going for the music.”

However, Sana Hanif reached across borders to project her pas-sion in helping three war-torn countries. The senior fundraises by selling wristbands in order to help save lives.

“One of the countries I’m sup-porting is Somalia due to the whole famine and drought that is occurring at the moment. I want to help people make a difference by saving lives with clothing, health care, and shelter,” Hanif said. “We don’t really know how much we’re blessed with. In the future, I want to help more non-profit organizations by doing hands-on projects.”

Yet making minuscule paint-strokes is what senior Justin Shih does to reveal the bigger picture in his mind. Starting from small strands of technical motions, Shih visually pieces together art by us-ing a knife in place of a brush.

“I paint with knives because I am interested in impressionistic styles,” Shih said. “By using evi-dent brushstrokes and marking, it becomes a complete picture from far away. I encountered this idea by artist Leonid Afremov a few years ago and it appealed to me. At first I tried to imitate his style but then I started adding my own distinct interpretation.”

- Chamrong MauBearchat SENIOR

“We don’t really know how much we’re blessed with.”- Senior Sana Hanif, studentwith a passion for saving lives.

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BEARCHAT Page 5

-AUBREY HOLTBearchat SENIOR

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From Pong to Call of Duty, digital world grabs bytes of attentionFrom the first Bleep-Bloop! of

Pong in 1972 to the BOOM Head-shot! of today’s first person shoot-ers, video games have evolved in design, purpose, and acceptance. After the release of the Wii, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3 gaming plat-forms, the world of video games took its sharpest rise in history.

“Games have grown up with us. Most of us had a Gameboy or a Nin-tendo Entertainment System and al-most everyone has a computer now that we play some sort of game on,” sophomore Michelle Hinton said. “The only real difference is that we have more choices and more types of games.”

While graphics and capabilities have advanced to include more complex customization and detail, the social aspects of being able to talk about a game as if it were a sports play still remains true.

“I had a Nintendo 64 grow-ing up and now I have a Playsta-tion 3,” senior Jeffery Evans said. “The plots and gameplay are the same. It is harder and more com-petitive, but that makes for a bet-ter community. My friends and I talk about Call of Duty: Black Ops all the time as if we were talking about football practice or what happened on TV last night.”

Casual games, such as Mine-craft and Mario Kart Wii have just as big a following as games played professionally for cash prizes, such as Halo: Reach and Starcraft 2.

“Minecraft is a really expres-sive game. There isn’t much of a

plot, but you can build things like houses with your friends,” said Hinton. “It’s a social game because it’s casual and creative and can be played with people from all over the world.”

“When I first started paying attention to professional Star-craft games back in 2005, Brood War was still the newest Starcraft game,” senior Justin Shih said “I joined an online forum called ‘TeamLiquid’ and started talking with others in the gaming commu-nity. You can connect with people from all around the world through

the shared experience of a game and its strategies.”

Through the communities cre-ated, tournaments have sprung up and gained popularity. The largest competitive gaming competition in North America is Major League Gaming (MLG). Drawing thou-sands of fans in person and over a million viewers per stream online each competition, the dream of be-ing a professional gamer can be-come true for anyone.

“Watching professionals helps me see what I can change about my play,” said junior Lindsay Fischer.

“The players are on teams with sponsors that pay for everything. All they have to do is worry about playing the game they love.”

Whether a progamer or a ca-sual gamer, the ability to separate one from the controllers they have come to know and love is harder than you might think.

“We have grown up with these as a part of our lives and as we make more friends, we are able to find greater common interests in video games than anything else,“ Evans said.

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BEARCHATPage 6

- AUBREY HOLTBearchat SENIOR

Surrounded by Japanese cherry blossom trees, Dr Martin Luther King’s granite memorial hon-ors the man behind the iconic civil rights movement. Four-teen memorable Dr. King quotes are engraved in the 450 ft. wall marking the first Washington DC monument that honors an African American.

“The detail of the memorial looks incredible,” sophomore Kasey Cherematong said. “The statue looks just like him and Dr. King deserves this memorial for what he did to promote equality.”

Dr. King, a peace protestor for the Civil Rights Movement, trav-eled over six million miles, speak-ing 250 times about equality.

“Dr. King’s dedication and pas-sion for equality are admirable,” senior Duyen Van said. “If anyone

MLK Memorial unveiled in DC

Looking up - With heads toward the sky, tourists see the giant sculpture of Dr. Martin Luther King just off Consitution Ave. MCT Campus Photo.

in Washington deserves a memo-rial it is him. He never stopped fighting for what he believed.”

The construction of the memo-rial involved a four step process of mobilization, infrastructure, art and landscaping. The completed monument’s dedication ceremony was held Oct. 16.

-MERIDITH PETTYEBearchat JUNIOR

UK riots witnessed by campus junior while on summer vacationIn early August, British youth

burst into riots that started in Tot-tenham and later spread to the boroughs of London.

Junior Vivian Moreno saw the impact of the turmoil during her ten day long summer vacation to England.

“I believe there was more to the rioting than just burning stuff down, “ said Moreno. “There was some indication that the youth were trying to make a political and economical stance.”

The four day pandemonium resulted in five deaths, and 18 civilian injuries with 200 million (UK pound) damage. The alleged cause of the riots was the death of a 29 year old male who was shot

by police on Aug. 4 on suspicion of a planned revenge attack. So-cial media such as Twitter enticed young Britons to carry weapons and join the protest.

- MINA KHANBearchat Senior

Making memories - Standing in the breeze, junior Vivian Moreno stands next to her sister Dominique, in front of Big Ben in London.

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“The news said that the riots included arsons, lootings, mug-gings and police assaults,” said Moreno. “As far as safety concerns that went through my mind, I was

alarmed because I did not know when the next riot would occur. The damages made it obvious that the rioters felt strongly about their opinions but I felt that they went to extremes. My parents were aware of the circumstances and kept us prepared for anything.”

The riots also affected the secu-rity of the entire UK.

“I visited Cardiff City and the Cardiff Bay the night right before the riots began,” Moreno said. “It was scary to think the riots oc-curred during my vacation in Lon-don. The risk of getting caught in the violence and lootings was all too real for my family and I.”

Coming together - The crowds gathered in August 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial to hear Dr. Martin Luther King present his “I Have A Dream” speech.

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From Russia With Love Senior dances in Moscow with famed Bolshoi Ballet

Pinning her flowing brown hair up into a bun, senior Sarah Mo-halley peered into her dance bag, ensuring no item was left behind.

Pointe shoes? Check. Bandaids? Check. Lamb’s wool? Check.

That morning’s routine was nothing short of ordinary for Mo-halley except that she was not prepared to dance in her Houston ballet studio. She was scheduled to dance in Russia.

As a member of the Ballet The-atre Houston (BTH) under direc-tor Robert Underwood, six danc-ers received invitations to dance at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in July.

“When Robert told us that a small group was invited to dance at the Bolshoi, I was floored,” Mohalley said. “It was hard to believe that I would be using the same barres and mirrors as some of the most important dancers in history.”

Also invited, Morgan Mattfeld, a 2011 Standleader and graduate made the 5,927 mile trip to the Bolshoi, which was in the middle of renovations.

“I was very honored to be se-lected for something so incredible but I was also intimidated,” Matt-field said. “I was terrified of danc-ing at a place full of such incred-ibly talented dancers.”

Throughout their two weeks as Bolshoi Academy students, the two local dancers followed a rig-orous schedule.

“Being a full-time academy stu-dent would be a stressful life as there is so much pressure to be the absolute vision of perfection at all times,” said Mohalley. “The stakes are high but if you have the passion for it, it is worth it as the classes and instruction are so eye-opening.”

The classes varied in styles in-

tegral to classical ballet.“In ballet, the males are usually

the ones doing the strength work,” Mohalley said. “My partner back home just supports me while I do most of the work but the boys in Russia had so much experience that it planted a new challenge in front of me. I was forced to relin-quish the control I had grown so comfortable with.”

Though their schedules were filled with twirling, waltzing and conditioning, the group still had

time to explore Russia and im-merse themselves in the culture of ballet and Moscow itself.

“We watched two ballets and went to the Russian circus, which is a huge deal in Russia,” said Mo-halley. “When we weren’t going to performances we walked down to Red Square, visited the Kremlim, and shopped at The Arbat.”

Sampling Russian cuisine also ranked high on their travel lists.

“Instead of the hot dog stands found in New York, Moscow has

corn on the cob and ice cream stands which people adore,” said Mohalley. “Everything in Moscow is endearing as you get a sense of the age and history.”

The trip was a priceless experi-ence according to Mohalley.

“The most rewarding part was feeling myself grow into a stronger dancer. Dancing is what I want to do with my life and because of this trip, I feel closer to my dream.”

-KARINA PINZONeditor-in-chief

GOT YEARBOOK?Time to pre-order the 2011 - 2012 Bearkat Yearbook and we have three EASY ways to order...

1Call 800-853-1337to order by phone! 2

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3 Return order formssent to studenthome addresses!

A once in a lifetime trip - Sitting in the Small Bolshoii Theatre in Moscow, Russia, senior Sarah Mohalley watches the Cuban National Ballet’s performance of “Viva Alicia,” a tribute to re-tired Cuban prima ballerina Alicia Alonso. Top: A view of the historical Moscow Kremlin in Red Square, the central and tour-

ist heavy square of Russia. Middle: A variety of Russian desserts at the My-My restaurant chains in Russia. Bottom (left to right): graduate Morgan Mattfeld, Klein Oak sophomore Helena Oli-ver, Cypress Creek High School senior Emma Hunter, and Mo-halley.

BEARCHATPage 8

( Sports briefs )

With the goal of getting back in the playoffs, coaches Glenn Ar-nold and Eric Brewerton measure success by how hard the team plays together.

“We expect Austin Shockley and Cooper Hudson to be our leaders,” Brewerton said of the two team captains.

With the season starting in early November, the team feels their communication is at a higher level.

“I think that if we play raw and fearless, we will have a good season,”senior point guard Rashard Wilburn said.

-Junior Jazmine Lyles

With plans underway, for the first game in February, coach Misty Kroon’s goal is set at tak-ing the first place honor in district play.

Girl’s varsity volleyball kicked into gear with action-packed games that resulted in four wins and six losses.

“Our team has gotten smaller and we only have nine players compared to the 14 we had last year as original players gradu-ated,” varsity junior Abby Orsini said.

Yet even size does not get in the way of what the girls know best - teamwork.

“We show good teamwork by working hard and diligently at every practice,” varsity junior Monica Rodriquez said.

With three more games until the end of the season and three games against main rivals Tom-ball, Klein Oak and Klein Collins, team players are focused on win-ning and giving their all.

“Play with heart and give it your all, all the time,” coach Cyn-thia Yarotsky said.

-Junior Hannah Farag

Page 10

The record heat in Texas throughout the summer and early fall did not hold back the junior varsity team from football prac-tice.

Despite triple digit tempera-tures, the team focused on their

chemistry and focus to build strength as next year’s varsity players.

“We practice everyday except for game day and are determined to win games against our big com-petitors, Klein Collins and Klein Oak,” coach Joel Reichling said. “We’ve been focusing on lifting weights and techniques in order to provide future success for the team.”

Reichling was not the only voice heard on the sidelines. Cap-tains of the team, chosen every few weeks, were selected for their leadership and playing skills.

“I’m the starting quarterback and a captain for the team this year which allows me to lead and make sure our chemistry is grow-ing,” sophomore Aiden Upchurch said. “The biggest thing for the team to overcome will probably be losing our first game since we have not experienced that feeling yet. We’re undefeated so far and we plan to stay that way for the remainder of the season.”

-Jennifer Roach

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Girls Varsity Soccer

“I am looking forward to the upcoming season with my girls,” Kroon said. “Right now we are in pre-season conditioning in order to be strong and ready and I hope we play hard and give it our all.”

Last season the team ended third in district rankings due to injured key players such as junior Megan Waters, and seniors Laura Alcorn and Alexandria Lindquist.

Yet returning varsity player Taylor Burrer, junior, feels rank-ing first in district is possible.

“My own goal is to improve on overall skills, bond with the team and do well in playoffs,” Burrer said.

-Sophomore Brianne Boucha

Varsity Boys Basketball

Varsity Girls Soccer

Junior VarsityGold Football

Girl’s VarsityVolleyball

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Theiss Stadium brings community to watch...

With a packed stadium at every game and three wins under their belts, the varsity football team not only has hundreds of supportive fans but also the season looking in their favor.

“Though there are still a lot of games to go, so far this has been a great season,” varsity coach Shane Hallmark said. “No team can go undefeated but our kids are positive, strong and even if they happen to lose, they will always bounce back.”

The first game of the season against Aldine on Aug 26 re-sulted in a convincing win of 28-13. This was just the first victory that triggered two other straight wins against Katy Taylor and Kingwood. The first district game against Klein Forest resulted in the first loss for the team.

“I feel we played a great game against Klein Forest,” offensive lineman Chris Morton said. “It was a total team effort and the defense was amazing while the offense really came alive in the fourth quarter.”

Despite the loss, the team is de-termined to continue their string of wins, not letting defeats bring down the competitive drive.

“Competition is what keeps these boys going and football is a sport for competitive people as it has that edge they crave,” Hallmark said. “The night of the Forest game, we were up until 3 a.m. watching and re-watching the game footage. The next morn-

ing at 6 a.m. we were excited to get back to work for the Westfield game; that hard work and plan-ning pays off.”

“Football is played with your heart and is not a game that is cut out for just anyone,” offen-sive lineman Nick Praetorius said. “You really have to love the game to go out every day and practice, sweat and bleed. As a team, we love playing with our brothers and we love competing.”

“We’ve already got the team-work down pat,” linebacker Brooks Villarreal said. “It does not take one mistake to ruin a whole game; whether win or lose, it is always because of the team effort watching the film and correcting our mistakes at practice is what prepares us for the next game and then the game after that.”

Coach Hallmark said that ev-ery game is important to the sea-son’s outcome and practice is not devoted strictly to one opposing team or specific lineup.

“You can never look ahead and stress about one particular game in the future,” Hallmark said.

Yet the feeling of winning a game continues to be the team’s motivativing force.

“Every guy on the team con-tributes to the game,” Praetorius said. “Everything depends on every player and that feeling you get when you win is unbelievable. I think we all devote ourselves to the sport because we love the game, plain and simple.”

-KARINA PINZONeditor-in-chief

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Varsity football’s strength to ‘bounce back’

Varsity Football

8/26 ......... vs Aldine .........W 28-13 9/02 ..... vs Katy Taylor ......W 14-8 9/08 ...... at Kingwood ......W 34-13 9/22 ..... at Klein Forest ......L 21-28 10/01 ..... vs Westfield .....W 48-16 10/07 ........at Spring ........ W 14-21 10/14 ..vs Klein Collins .....L 19-29

(Homecoming)

Junior Varsity Football

8/25.......at Tomball/Aldine.....W 7-6/W 27-0 9/01 ....... at Katy Taylor ....... W 20-7 /T 20-20 9/07 ........ vs Kingwood ........ W 42-14/L 7-12 9/21 .......vs Klein Forest ........W 21-6/W 21-6 9/29 ......... at Westfield .................Rained out 10/06 ......... vs Spring .......... W 28-0/W 18-12

Freshman Football

8/27 ....... vs Aldine ..................W 35-8 9/01 ...vs Katy Taylor ..L 8-12/W 40-010/06 ...... vs Spring ..W 14-6/W 32-16

Getting ahead - Ball in hand, senior Andrew Santacroce sprints from rival Klein Forest player Michael Crawford in an attempt to gain yards. Klein lost to the Eagles 21-28. Photo by Roman Pelham.

Saving the team - Junior Nicholas Kaderli protects senior quarterback Alex Smith from Westfield’s defensive lineman Jona-than Palmer with a tackle at the Westfield game. Klein beat the Mustangs 48-16. Pho-to by Roman Pelham.

Thrashing through the competition - The varsity team kicks off the third quarter by stampeding through the spirit banner, a tradition that marks the second half of ev-ery game.Klein lost to Spring High School 14-21. Photo by Roman Pelham.

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Freshman Kats vs Katy Taylor on Sept. 1. Photo by Brooks Roach.

Digital Arts Pablo Picasso never met Apple’s Steve Jobs. Georgia O’Keefe nev-er used Adobe Illustrator in her famous flower paintings. Art did not meet computer sci-ence until the advent of desktop publishing which ignited a new digital art form. The campus Digital Art class sets the pace for students interested in gaining skills in illustration, mar-keting, advertising, and anima-tion. “Unlike Art I, there is no hand-book into teaching this class,” in-structor Chau Nguyen said. “Ev-

Culinary Arts Open the door to the culinary arts classroom and the aroma of caramelized cinnamon fills the brain. Learning smell, texture, taste, presentation and patience, classes work the senses each day as they whip up another experimental dish in their massive kitchen. “It is not playtime as it is basi-cally a science class that involves food,” Culinary Arts teacher Julie Crider said. “You can get easily hurt in the kitchen if you don’t take precautions.” While most classes have desks and several computers, room 107

ery year I modify my lessons to make it more exciting and engag-ing, to see different outcomes of work from students; it’s never the same.” Using programs such as Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Illustra-tor, students generate masterpiec-es on their blank computerized canvas. “Taking this class gave me a new perspective of my view of art,” se-nior Michael Decker said. “Learn-ing Illustrator filled a void in my hunger for new ways to manipu-late my art.”Requirement - Art I

holds a working vent, stove, oven, dishwasher and a large sink in the back of the room. The course began in 2010 and Crider said that the kitchen work is “heavy, hot and hard work”. “We do a lot of planning, such as market ordering,” Crider said. “Students have an assigned job but work as a team.” Yet the class also has a sensory advantage over others. “This (culinary arts) class gives me an opportunity to try out dif-ferent foods,” said senior Jon Ryan. Requirements: Human Services, Hospitality, Seniors have excep-tions

Robotics From designing on the computer to building the robot and program-ming the machine to finally seeing the robot come alive. The process is nothing short of magical to the students in the class such as senior Jacob Duncan. “Getting to build our own robot as students allows us to express our creativity and personalities into our robot,” Duncan said. Yet course instructor Mike John-son also looks at the bigger picture. “This class not only intoduces the idea of robots as a substitution to do jobs that can harm humans, we

program robots to do realistic sce-narios.” Robotic class prepares teens that are pursuing engineering because “robots can save and help people.” “They (students) also have a great time building the small machines,” Johnson said. “The robotic experience and chal-lenge of this class will prepare me for not only college but for my fu-ture,” Duncan said.

Requirements - Concepts of Engi-neering, Engineering Graphics or Electronics

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(1) Junior Kristina Sparrow (2) Junior Freedom Curry (3) Senior Jon Ryan (4) Mango cole slaw (5) Instructor Julie Crider

(1) Instuctor Mike Johnson(2) Senior Jacob Duncan(3) Junior Greg Stepchinksy(4) Robot Created by Klein Students

(1) Senior Michael Decker (2) Artwork by Senior Kassidy Daussin (3) Artwork by Senior Emily Pirkl (4) Junior Jessica Dennison and Jennifer Mazina (5) Instructor Chau Nguyen

N e w c l a s s e s a d d s i g h t s , s o u n d s a n d a r o m a t o h a l l wa y sPhoto and Design by Patricia Jamandre