Central and Fossil Ridge teamed up last Friday in the first annual “Play for Hope” game benefiting the Trinity Chapter of Habitat for Humanity. After a week long fundraiser, money and awareness was raised for

this service organization. page 6

Centraljournalism.comOctober 21, 2010 Volume 8 Issue 2

CentralHigh School9450 Ray White Rd.

Keller, TX 76244

Central

Helps

Senior insight: our tips for a great final year

A real life Glee Theatre presents “Wayside”

Photograph courtesy of CHS Publications

Central High School Zone NewspaperNews Volume 8 Issue 2 Page 2

Katrina RodriguezOpinion Writer

It is that point in time for seniors to start planning for the end of high school and the beginning of the rest of their lives. From the tedious work of filling out grant and scholarship applications, to the memories that the graduating class will create together dur-ing their last year; here are a few things to do while planning both a successful senior year and a great start after graduation.

Choose WiselyWhen choosing a college or university to apply for, always

remember that tuition varies for each school depending on if you are staying in state (which is cheaper) or finding your education beyond our Texas border.

“Filling out applications for grants can be annoying, but it’s worth it in the end,” says Mercedes Withrow, senior. When applying for financial aid, make sure to fill out a FASFA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and also the school’s own application. Take into account the schools statistics such as GPA averages, demographics and graduation rates to see if the college or university you are interested in is a school of your standards. Don’t be discouraged to look above and beyond. Remember, the college you choose is not as permanent as you believe it to be. Many forget that transfers are available.

Go Chargers Go!Central is filled with different after-class activities like

football games, clubs and theater productions. If you haven’t been really involved in the past, now is a great time to join your fellow

peers and create existing memories that could be considered the apex of your youth. So get on out there, and see the exciting op-tions that our school has to offer. Get your red out shirts on, enjoy our class yell competitions at pep rallies (without the booing please), and cheer on your peers.

Let’s ChillBeing a senior means that you are celebrating all that you

have accomplished when you were a child. From being in band all throughout middle and high school, to finding out you are good at something like wrestling. Senior year is all about having a little hang time before going out into the real world. Some se-niors think that there are a variety of ways you can have a smooth sailing year.

Lauren Juck says that “getting plently of sleep” definitely helps make things easier. Others, like Ashley Roth, aim to “work hard so you can party later” and try to accomplish all the hard work before having all the fun that senior year promises. All in all, seniors should definitely try and find a way to take time for themselves and their friends so that they can enjoy the satisfaction of almost being done with high school.

Be SafeParties and get togethers come with being a senior. Though

many teens don’t think that anything could happen to them, it is still a good practice to think before you act. So when you go to a party and are the driver, do not drink and drive. The No Tolerance Act should give you the hint that there is a reason and a conse-quence to breaking this law. Always wear your seat belt. Driving

at night time (the typical time for parties) is dangerous, so being strapped in just in case an accident does happen is always the safer decision. So go on out and have a good time with your friends; just don’t do it in a way that could potentially harm those around you.

Don’t Give In To Senioritis!Once the AP exams end and spring turns to summer, an

amazing thing happens to seniors. Their capability to retain knowledge suddenly goes to mush and many find themselves no longer working to keep up their GPA’s because they are officially locked in. Classes are skipped, students are less attentive, the entire senior class seems to be in a haze waiting for prom and graduation. This illness, known as senioritis, should be avoided as much as possible. It is critical for students to keep up their grades regardless of their GPA’s being locked in. Many universi-ties revoke scholarships if they see that grades are lacking, and you still need to have certain grades to walk. So make sure you don’t get lost in a sea of daydreams while you are supposed to be taking notes on a lecture. Education comes first before fantasies and seniors should act as a good role model to the underclassmen by not giving in to senioritis.

Take my advice, so that after all the hard work, you can cel-ebrate your future. For the most part, dedication is the only real thing needed in order to have a good time. So hit the books for a little bit, learn a thing or to, and go get it class of 2011.

Ashley WalkerStaff Writer

CHS choir, fresh from competing at all-region and their recent concert, are already working on their next project. Makes you wonder: What is choir all about? What do they do?

“Choir is an opportunity to learn how to sing correctly and the musical concepts,” said Mrs. Leigh Ann McClure, head choir director. Students learn to read music and how to mature their singing voices.

“Choir is a fun, unique class where you learn to become a better musician,” said Sam Whaley, 10. “I want to advance to Chamber Singers.” There are 7 dif-ferent choirs: Chamber Singers, Varsity Mixed, Select Ladies Chorus, Varsity Treble, Freshman Mixed, Womens Chorus and Show Choir.

Choir has many competitions. UIL is a concert and sight reading contest, and some of the choirs even do regional and national competitions. Individuals con-tests are All-state and Solo and Ensemble.

“I like learning all that I can, because I plan to have a career in music.” said Evan Whitmire, 11. Whitmire is one of the 21 students who made the All Region

choir plus the 7 alternates. Two freshman made all region choir too, James Dunivan who got 13th chair, and Dominic Ross who is a 2cd alternate.

Show choir is known as the Voices of Central (VOC). They sing, dance, and even compete out of state. “You could compare [VOC] to a real life Glee,” said McClure.

“I love performance days,” said Ale Cruz, 12, member of VOC. “Hearing the crowd, knowing they support us is the best thing.”

Choir kids also have the opportunity to take voice lessons. Voice lessons are 30 minute sessions once a week where you work on your voice and singing techniques. “You’re really in a competing against yourself,” said Kevin Medrano, 12. “You want to push yourself to be better.”

Most kids that are in choir their freshman year stay in choir until they graduate. “Watching kids be successful and improve from being freshmen to se-niors is one of the reasons I like teaching choir,” said McClure. Choir is the place you go if you want to sing. Who would look forward to going to school? Choir kids do.

Esteban ReyesStaff Writer

“The Wayside School was meant to be one story high, with 30 classrooms! But the archi-tect messed up, and made it 30 stories high, with one classroom on each level!” If that doesn’t already sound strange, the situations that the faculty and students at the Wayside School are even stranger.

Last weekend, the Theater Department of Central High School put on a performance of “Sideways Stories From Way-side School,” a children’s book written by Louis Sachar.

“Sideways Stories” follows the silly and strange every-day conundrums that the third grade class finds themselves in on the 30th floor of the Wayside School. Such situations include being turned in to apples, playing loud music with odd instruments, and defending each other against witch-like teachers.

At the opening of the first scene, the students are being ter-

rorized by the treacherous Mrs. Gorf, played Ashleigh Kim-brough. But upon seeing her own

reflection, the terrible Mrs. Gorf is transformed into an apple! An apple which is later eaten by the short-shorts wearing P.E coach, played by Ben Williams. After this happens, the students are liberated and free, and a new, much nicer teacher, Mrs. Jewls, replaces the old and vile Mrs. Gorf, creating a utopia on the 30th floor.

But this utopia is short-lived.

Mrs. Gorf’s spirit returns and possesses the sweet Mrs. Jewls. If that wasn’t enough, Mrs. Gorb’s

retribution-seeking son Mr. Gorb arrives revenge-clenched fists. In the midst of all this chaos, the students decide to call upon the powers of the mysteri-ous and seemingly divine Mrs. Zarves to banish Mr. Gorb, return Mrs. Jewls to her nor-mal, sweet disposition, and reestablish peace in the Wayside School.

The Theater Department is currently having rehearsals for

their show, “Thirteen” which will come out towards the end of November. All performances will be featured in the Fine Arts Center here at Central High School.

According to actors and teachers in the Theater Depart-ment, they are very excited for their upcoming shows, and hope that you are too!

Shelby YanceyStaff Writer

As evident by the new horse on the sidelines of football games and pep rallies, mascot changes for Central High School were voted on during the August 31 Princi-pal’s Council meeting. Dal-lena Nguyen, student body president “implemented” the change in mascot.

“We were talking about how hard it is to rally around a lighting bolt, so we decided to add a charger from medieval times,” she said. “Student counsil talked about it throughout the summer, so we sent it to Mr. Hinson; he approved.”

Also decided at the meet-ing was the new mascot’s name. “A charger is a Trojan horse, so we chose the name Charlie,” said Victoria Hitz, senior, present at

the meeting. The recorded minutes from the meeting include other suggested names for the horse: “Bolt, Flash, Strike, Thunder, Lightning, Spark Biscuit, C Biscuit, Spar-

kie, Charlie Charger, and Charge.” Further discussions at the meeting

included, “a lightning cape, football jersey, and lightning bolt on head,” recorded secretary Nehlin Mehra.

Nguyen also said, “(Hinson) had been behind (the change) the entire time.

He had the right to just change it if he wanted to, but he wanted his high school to back him up on it,” said Nguyen.

Although those in the Council are sold on the idea, some student controversy does exist. “I’d have to see a picture (of

the horse) but I’m not sure what a Trojan horse has to do with Chargers. Unless it

was a charging horse,” said Thomas Brand, junior. However, accord-

ing to Nguyen, there was no opposition in the

meeting.

Central High School Zone NewspaperNews Volume 8 Issue 2 Page 3

Charlie the Charger

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on display/sale• Conference room rental• Delicious pastries• Gift Certificates• Free Wi-Fi

Children’s Story Time -- Saturday 1:00 pmBilingual Story Time -- Wednesday 10:30 amMusic by local musicians -- Saturday 7:30 pm

Central High School Zone NewspaperOpinion Volume 8 Issue 1 Page 4

The trend of cheating Life begins at the age of 18

Hayley BuppNews and Opinion Editor

Is the grey area between right and wrong, really so big? Why is it so hard to know what the right thing to do?

I ask myself these questions every time I see someone commit something that I deem as “wrong.”

I always wonder if some’s vision of right and wrong is clearer than others, or is it that these students commit wrongs knowledgeably?

These questions may never have clear answers, but I believe it is a combination of both. For example, teenagers obviously have the ability to decipher if cheating is wrong or not. But if cheating is socially acceptable, is it such a bad thing?

My answer to this would very clearly be a yes. But just one look in one class, would contradict my answer. Every single day of my high school career I have wit-nessed some form of cheating. From copy-ing homework from peers, to cheating on tests, students use every way imaginable to attempt cheating.

A root of this problem lies in the availability of opportunities. I do not believe that teachers make it easy to cheat, purposefully. But I do believe, most have a little too much trust in their students.

For example, just this past week I was taking a quiz in one of my AP classes. This was one of those moments where the teacher inadvertently makes it just a little too simple.

A girl sitting close to me is obviously struggling. I can tell by her quick sighs and pencil tapping that she was having trouble. And honestly, so was I.

We all knew this quiz was sched-uled, but maybe she had other homework. Maybe she had to work the night before. Maybe she just plain forgot.

Whatever the reason, it still doesn’t make it justifiable.

As everyone finishes up, my teacher asks how we did.

“Ah, it was easy,” one kid cries from the corner of the room. It seems as if a mutual glare goes in his direction. I see some eye rolling. Most of did not feel the same.

“Alright, lets start grading.” My teacher does not even ask for us to get a different color pen.

As he begins calling out the answers, I notice that the girl I had observed strug-gling, still has the same black pen that

she used as she took the quiz. The second question’s answer was not what she circled. She quickly scribbles a circle over the correct answer and crosses out her true answer.

She does this at least five times on the front of the quiz, and once more on the back. The quiz had twenty questions total.

Now, this is not an unusual setting. I notice little things like this quite frequent-ly. This is why I am against in-class grad-ing, especially when one grades his own work. There is simply too much competi-tion and too much leeway to believe that not a single student will “fix” their score in some way.

We write our grade at the top. The girl writes a “-3” and gives herself an 85.

I know, that it could have been worse. She could have given herself an one hundred. But the thing is, I worked hard to get my grade. I studied. I tried and I was honest. I get an 80.

I will admit, maybe I should have worked harder. Maybe I should have studied a few days ahead of time, rather than the night before. But I didn’t, and so I accept what I deserve.

Her true grade barely would have been over a 50.

And this is only one example. I don’t see a day of school pass me by, without spotting somebody cheating, or lying to help out their grades.

In a world where the biggest aid to get in a college of choice is GPA, class ranking, and SAT scores, it makes sense that people would work very hard to meet the standard the college wants them to achieve. But people are working hard in all the wrong places. Students try so hard to push their grade up, just a little more. But they take the wrong route. I would say that cheating is the “easy” way, because that is what it seems like. But cheating is not easy.

To me, the hardest part is what it does to a person, psychologically. In a moment of pressure, we, as humans are extremely susceptible to temptation. We have just moments to decide if the lying is worth the deceit, and we often choose wrong. But the guilt will always be apparent.

And yes, it true that the guilt will fade; but it is incomprehensible to me how a person could cheat, and feel comfortable reaping the benefits. The most difficult part is the ability to hold back one’s consciousness, for the benefit of one’s selfishness.

Alex McCauleyStaff Writer

Turning 18 can be a huge deal to some people and with others they just think it’s another day in the year. With this new age, you have new expectations, re-sponsibilities and rights. With all of these new enquired things, you have some pretty cool things that you can do now. I know these because I’m turing 18 in a few days, I wanted to see what all I could do.

First, you can vote! Even though the small per-centage of voting is from the 18 year old group. you can still try to make a difference in politics. If your not a very big person on politics, then try this. For the interesting purpose, you could change your last name to something interesting. It’s just the fact that your an actual adult; your legal, everything that you do can be counted against you. If you a concert junky, you can go to concerts alone [with ID in hand] and go in the mosh pit or back stage.

Secondly, if your looking for a job; and you love the cop stuff, then you are now old enough to be a undercover cop. That’s right, you can stalk someone, legally. Do you remember watching the TV and it ad-vertising something? For example Aqua Dots or Sock

em’ boppers. Now you can legally order your designers from the TV. Not to influence you to smoke, but you can now smoke legally, without getting a JV or citation from a cop. If you go into a smoke shop; with ID in had, you can buy them.

Last but not least you could have the biggest adrenaline rush, by going Bungee Jumping legally. you can go to that alone, or with a friend. It’s the perfect date! Do you like Ice Cream? Have you ever wanted to drive your own Ice Cream truck? You can legally drive and own one, now that your an adult! It’s almost as cool as owning a monkey! You have to have a wildlife license though before you can buy one. Your legal now, so enjoy your new privileged rights as a new legal adult.

Here’s a birthday that will change your entire life, and it’s just one day. Leaving the 17’s are more of a downer then a happy moment for some people. I’m not happy about it. That’s just my opinion though.

One last tid-bit, you’ll have to serve jury duty. On a case in the court house, if it’s a big case you could have to go for months. If it’s a small case you’ll leave and not go back for a while. More or less, the govern-ment will ask for your assistance.

Amara ThomasStaff Writer

On planet Earth, there are 1.6 million Muslims. Every day we see them at the grocery store, at school and at the mall. We hear about them on the news, the suicide bombings and the terrorist attacks. As Americans, we think we know everything about them and their religion, but do we really?

At Central we have a pretty large Muslim community, who are just like us with the loads of homework, friends and daily events that fill our lives, but at the same time are different. To have a full understanding of the Islamic lifestyle I followed the life of Aseel Al-soub.

“We moved here in 2003,” say Al-soub. Al-soub and her family left their homeland of Jordan, located in the Middle East and moved to America. “We came to America for a good education,” said Al-soub.

She is a 15-year-old Muslim who is a sophomore at Central High school. We spent hours talking about her life and how she dedi-

cates her life to the Islamic God, Allah. “My day is very busy,” said Al-Soub. She wakes up at 6:00am and does her first prayer of the day. When doing this prayer she must face Mecca and use her prayer rug, which Muslims kneel on while praying.

“My prayers make feel connected to Allah,” said Al-soub. By the end of the day a Muslim is suppose to pray five times facing Mecca, the Islamic holly land, this is part of the Five Pillars.

The Five Pillars are made up of Faith, Prayer, Charity, Fasting, and Pilgrimage, which all faithful Muslim participate in before they die. After prayer she eats a quick breakfast and she heads to cross-country. Al-Soub is the only Muslim on the team.

Unlike the rest of the cross country team, who are usually only wearing a t-shirt, running shorts, and when it comes to the guys no shirt at all. Al-Soub wears her Hijab, the Muslim head wrap that girls and women are required to wear once they hit puberty, and she is the covered

head to toe in clothing, because her religion tells her to do so. “I do sweat more than the other runners and I get a lot of confused faces when running in my Hijab. Even my Mom tried to talk me out of it,” said Al- Soul.

After she comes home form a long day of school she must do her ablution, which is when Muslims clean them selves before prayer. “We clean our selves, by washing our hands and brushing our teeth,” said Al-soul. At home she waits for each prayer call, which is a dedicated time for prayer.

During the wait she does what every other high school does when they come home from school, homework, chores, and spends time with her family. Quality time among families is common with in Muslim families. After her prayers are complete she goes to bed, to awake to another day tomorrow.

Even though our live may seem similar there is something Al-souls and other Mus-lims face every day that we never encounter, prejudice people. “Sometimes people give my

dirty looks and during middle school when I first wore my Hijab I was made fun of, but you get use to it,” says Al-soul. Al- soul and other Muslims at Central or around the United States should not be isolated or penalized because of their religious beliefs. “I hate that our society stereotypes the Islamic faith,” said Sam Stroh-meyer, junior.

America is a country of religious freedom and as non- Muslim Americans it is our duty to follow our own constitution and grant them their freedom. We are to accept them for who they are.

In previous years, the Muslim community was very active at Central High School. “There are a lot of Muslims at our school, compared to other schools in Keller ISD,” said Iqura Brohmi. Until last year Central has had a Mus-lim Association club, in which Muslim students were able to interact.

The student newspaper of Central High School is published by the students in the Newspaper class of the Journalism de-partment. The ideas expressed in this pub-lication and on its opinion pages are soley those of the individuals providing them, and do not reflect the opinion of the advi-sor, faculty, administration, or the KISD board. Letters to the editor are welcome. Students recieve one copy free. The Zone is a member of the Interscholastic League Press Corps (ILPC) and ASNE/KRT Cam-pus Newspaper Service.

Central Zone9450 Ray White Rd.Keller, Texas 76244Phone: 817-744-2100

Natalie BrownAdvisor

Hayley Bupp

News/Opinion Editor

Sports EditorJackson Wallace

Creative DirectorCecillia Reyes

Feature/EntertainmentEditorElba Orellana

Editor-in-Chief

Aliza EtkindAle Valeriano

Brandon NowellGraphic Designer

Christine MounceOnline Director

Esteban Reyes

PhotographersCecillia Reyes

Ashtyn Gillie

Managing Editor

Shelby YanceyKatrina RodriguezSam MeadowsKelli Cook

Amara Thomas

Staff WritersKatie Homans

Ashley WalkerAlex McCauley

Fight for freedoms other than your ownCentral High School Zone NewspaperOpinion Volume 8 Issue 1 Page 5

The wondrous World of WarcraftKelly CalameContributing Writer

World of Warcraft, sometimes referred to as WoW, is a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) created by the genius Blizzard Entertainment team. More than 12 million people play this awesome PC game. Subscription is fifteen dollars a month for the updates Blizzard makes every Tuesday.

When you enter the game for the first time, you must select a realm, or a server. You can have 15 characters on each server. Each realm is the same world, just different people and playing styles. Some realms are all PvP (player versus player) where there is more fighting with other people. Other servers are PvE (player versus environment) where there is more of a focus on completing quests and killing monsters for experience.

When creating a character, you must choose between the opposing sides: Alliance or Horde. Then you must select your character’s race. Orcs, Trolls, Undead, and Tauren are for the Horde. Humans, Night Elves, Dwarves, and Gnomes are for the Alliance. You must also then select the class for your character, with choices being Warrior, Paladin, Rogue, Priest, Warlock, Mage, Druid, Shaman, and Hunter.Races like Blood Elves for the Horde and Draenei for the Alliance are only available with the expan-sion set, The Burning Crusade. Death Knights become unlocked with The Wrath of The Lich King and a level 55+ character.

As your characters become more devel-oped, they gain various talents and skills. You go to your class trainers, which are in most major cities, to learn your new skills and abilities. You

can also learn two professions at a time, such as tailoring, blacksmithing, enchanting, leather-working, herbalism, etc. The three secondary skills, cooking, fishing, and first-aid, can also be learned at the same time. Your characters can also join or form their own guild. It’s a good idea to be a member of a guild if you don’t have a lot of friends that play World of Warcraft. Guild members raid together, share money in the Guild bank, and help each other out with ques-tions and quests. You can make a lot of friends by joining a guild.

Most of the time when you are playing WoW, you are questing. Quests are like tasks or missions. Quests usually reward you with some combination of experience points, items, and in-game money. Quests also allow you to gain access to new skills and abilities, explore new areas, and level up. It is also through quests that much of the game’s story is told. You receive quests from NPC’s (non-player characters). They will have a yellow exclamation point above their head. You usually return the quest back to the NPC that assigned you the quest, unless it tells you otherwise. Quests involve killing a number of monsters, gathering a certain number of things, finding a difficult to locate object, speaking to other NPCs, visiting specific locations, or delivering an item from one place to another.

The world consists of two continents in Azeroth: Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms. The other expansions bring Outland and the con-tinent of Northrend to the game. As you discover new places, you can connect flight patterns to the places you’ve already been to. Players can also use boats or portals to move from one conti-nent to another.

In each major city, there is a bank. The bank is your own personal storage place for your items you don’t want to carry in your bags. Auc-tion houses and mailboxes are also in all major cities. Mailboxes allow you to send messages and items to any players on your side. You can also mail yourself items to your other characters. There is also an instant message chat box where you can talk to other players.

Each class has their own little niche. Rogues can turn invisible and “pick pocket” monsters- meaning you can loot what the mon-ster is carrying without killing it. Priests rarely die. They can shield themselves from all damage for a certain amount of time. Priests have many healing powers and can bring others back to life. Warlocks can summon minions as pets. Mages can create portals to just about anywhere. Druids can shape shift into different animals. Shamans use totems to deal damage and heal themselves, too. Being a Hunter allows you to choose pets to fight with you in battle.

Dungeons are available at level 15. You and four others travel in a group and work together to kill monsters usually higher than your level. There is a Tank, a Healer, and three damage roles. Your role depends on your class. You can get your first mount at level 20. Mounts allow you to travel faster than you would normally on foot. At level 40, you get a swift mount that al-lows you to travel 100% faster. Some examples of mounts are horses and night sabers.

You can get achievements for just about anything, like falling 65 yards, saying LOL a certain amount of times, or hugging animals before killing them.

You can create a free ten day trial account by going to worldofwarcraft.com.

Central High School Zone NewspaperFeature Volume 8 Issue 2 Page 6

Aliza EtkindEditor-in-chief

Last Friday night, Habitat for Humanity clubs from Central and Fossil Ridge teamed up to host the schools' first ever "Play for Hope" game, benefiting the Trinity Chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

"[Habitat for Humanity] builds homes for people who are not necessarily homeless, but are living in shelters or people who don't have a house," said Ms. Tracey Babbitt, sponsor of Central's chapter.

Habitat for Humanity was established at Central last year when Caroline Baxter, senior, set out to start the service organiza-tion.

"I'm from Georgia... [and] in Georgia, we had one," said Baxter. "When I came here, I expected there to be one because everyone had them in Georgia. So Junior year, I decided to make one for myself."

After contacting the Trinity Chapter, Baxter set out of find a sponsor at Central. After only a little searching, Ms. Babbitt and Ms. Abigail Quinn agreed to be the sponsors. Last spring, the first meeting was held. With a turn out of more than 50 people, the club was a much bigger success than Baxter had originally anticipated. Due to the sheer size, the club was then able to work on a house.

"We did a landscape day," said Baxter. "We got there [early] and we were there all day. It poured rain and we got stuck in the mud. But it was so much fun too. It was the worst circumstances, but it was the best day ever."

The home benefited a young mother who recently moved into the country. Although the club did not get to meet the family, they were able to learn about her story and why she deserved a new home.

"We got a flyer about the lady whose home we were build-ing and her story," said Babbitt.

"She was from a different country and she didn't have a place to live... She had some hardships once she got here and she had a little boy. Now she has this wonderful thing and there's nothing better than to have a place to come home to for anybody."

Habitat for Humanity is a completely volunteer based orga-nization. Volunteers must give up their time and provide money if they want to do a build.

"I don't think a lot of people realize money has to come from the groups," said Babbitt. "Ev-eryone out there donates their time."

At $76,000, building a house requires groups to fund-raise if they want to build.

"What we're doing is rais-ing money," said Babbitt. "Not that we'll ever get $76,000, but there's different increments. For example, you could pay for the landscaping and then you do the landscaping. Anytime we do a build, we have to pay for what it is you're contributing. Last year, we didn't have any money. They let us piggy-back on another group that had already paid out the money, but didn't have enough people to work."

This year, though, the club wants to raise enough money to do their own build, whether it is painting or landscaping or actually building a house. With that idea in mind, the club brainstormed on how they could raise money.

"Play for a Cure had always been such a big fundraiser," said Babbitt. "I thought, why can't we do that for Habitat? The Habitat

for Humanity [slogan] is Build-ing Hope for Tarrant County. So we thought, why don't we go for the hope theme. So I thought Play for Hope."

Babbitt knew the cheer coach at Fossil Ridge. After calling her up and having a short conversation about the matter, they decided to make the Central vs. Ridge game the Play for Hope game.

"That way, we could get a lot of people involved," said Babbitt. "That's the big thing. We wanted to raise awareness as well as raise money. And we wanted to get as many kids involved as possible. We hope next year we can get even more people

involved and get our feeder schools involved too. First year's

kind of hard to get everything coordinated and people to under-stand what we're doing."

Every day last week, fund-raisers were going on in support of the event. On Monday, Circle of Friends sold plastic hard hats for the hat decorating contest. T-Shirts were sold at both Central and Fossil Ridge. On Tuesday, tickets for the pep rally were sold. On Wednesday, the "Sign a Stud" was put up in the cafeteria. For a donation, one could sign a post that would then be used to build a home. On Thursday, FC-CLA sold cupcakes. On Friday, the construction themed pep rally took place, where games such as building houses out of construc-tion paper and cardboard took place.

Through these efforts, awareness and $5,500 was raised.

"Any penny helps," said Baxter. "Every penny goes a long way."

Building a house has a practical application to those receiving it. To Baxter, however, Habitat for Humanity has a deeper meaning.

"I feel as if there's so many environmentalists now," said Baxter. "It's like, okay, you're worrying about the planet and you're worrying about the animals on the planet, but who's worrying about the people on the planet?

There are so many people out there who don't have a house and I feel like it gets underrepre-sented because so many people are concerned about the planet and not the people on the planet."

Babbitt, too, has personal reasons why she likes the orga-nization.

"The best thing is that when you go out there and you do it, you see what you've done," said Babbitt. "You see what you're money has gone to right before your eyes. And that [is] the best part. You can go back and look at it again. You... see your money in action, see where it's going to.

"Kids like that," added Babbitt. "I think kids today like to see. They're very tangible... [they] want to know what [their] getting for this."

While Central students and staff have found their niche in Habitat for

Humanity, The Trinity Chapter Special Projects Coordi-nator, Margie Curtis, thinks it's "great" what the two schools have done.

"I am amazed to see how much student involvement has already transpired just in a few months," said Curtis. "I'm just overwhelmed, to be honest."

For more information on how to get involved with Habitat for Humanity at Central, see Ms. Babbitt or Ms. Quinn in rooms W214 and W216.

“Who’s worrying about the people on the planet?”

“Play for Hope” game raises money, awareness

Last Friday night, Habitat for Humanity clubs from Central and Fossil Ridge teamed up to host the schools' first ever "Play for Hope" game, benefiting the Trinity Chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

Central High School Zone NewspaperFeature Volume 8 Issue 2 Page 6

To find out more information about the Trin-ity Chapter of Habitat for Humanity, the chapter

that cares for Tarrant, Johnson and Kaufman counties, go to www.trinityhabitat.org.

Ashtyn GillieManaging Editor

It’s hard to tell people things about charity work that they don’t already know: it’s great to give back because you are so lucky to be well off and your actions can really change someone’s life, so on and so forth. But what is the real reason giving back is so important? Answer: It makes you feel good.

What a selfish reason, right? Shouldn’t we want to help people for them, with no benefit to us? Well, in my experience, there is almost no one on the planet that does things for the sole benefit of others. Everything most of us do, from helping someone out on a school project to doing the dishes for your mom, is done for a selfish reason. You might help someone with school-

work so that they think you’re nice and smarter than them. You might do chores without being asked so that your mom will give you praise or buy you something you want.

Charity work is no different. People volunteer time or money for many reasons, and most of them are self-centered. Some do it to show people that they are a good person. This is especially true of celebrities, who give their money and promotion to every charity under the sun because they have money to blow and an image to protect. In the grand scheme of things, is the fight to protect the polar bear really the most impor-tant issue facing our world today? Of course not. Yet time and time again you see some random celebrity on TV trying to convince you to

donate money because they feel that this will make them seem less shallow and more connected to the world.

However, most people probably do it because they find genuine joy in helping people. I would count myself among that number. It makes me feel like a good person, like I really am making a difference in these people’s lives. Giving back bolsters your self-confidence by showing you what you have, and how you can share it with others.

Selfishness can also deter us from helping out. We all have busy lives, and it can often seem impos-sible to make time for others when you can barely make time for yourself. But as clichéd as it sounds, it really is worth it. Giving back doesn’t even have to be something difficult. You

could help a teacher pass out papers or even just pick up trash when you see it floating around the school. Service doesn’t have to be a big production; it’s better to do something small than to do nothing at all.

We all struggle with letting go of ourselves in order to serve others. Most likely, we will never be able to give completely selflessly. But should that keep us from stepping up at all? I think not. Charity should be a self-less act; however, I think it’s better to give selfishly than to not give at all. No matter why you’re helping someone out, they’re benefitting from it, and so are you. It’s a win-win situation. So don’t be afraid to get out there and help people, because if you’re willing to help, there are definitely people to receive it.

Habitat facts

According to Angela Bills,

community partnership and

advocacy director, 1.6 billion

people live in stubstandard

housing and 100 million are

homeless. By the year 2030,

that number is expected to

exceed 2 billion.

To help combact these statistics, Trinity Habitat is

doing a program called “Voice for Hope.” They are inviting

the general public to be part of a group that raises awareness

about homelessness and people

living in inadequate housing.

Part of “Voice for Hope”

is an information promotion

called HabiTours. These are are

short, information programs

that are meant to inform--not

fundraise-- about Habitat for

Hunanity.

October 4 was Habitat and Habitat

World Day. On this day, which was a day

for grassroots action, people involved

with Habitat for Humanity spoke about

what the organization does to anyone who

would listen, trying to recruit volunteers

for Habitat for Humanity. The first World

Habitat Day was held Oct. 4 1985and was

held by the U.N. General Assembly.

The Habitat for Humanity missions is building homes and

hope in partnership with God’s people. Trinity Habitat lives by

this: building and renovation high quality, afforadable hous-

ing, advocating on behalf of those who need housing.

Haylay BuppNews/Opinion Editor

The United Nations Children’s Fund, may be something that seems distant. Just a charity organization that comes up on the news every once in a while. But now, it is coming to Central.

And you can help make a difference.

According to UNICEF.org, 22,000 children die each day due to causes that the modern world has solutions for. These preventable deaths are caused by things such as, “malnutrition, unsafe drink-ing water, and a lack of an affordable vaccine.”

The idea for a UNICEF club at Central was sparked this summer, by Ali Ahmed and Haris Akram, seniors.

“Over the summer, we were talking about the mon-soons in Pakistan and the lack of water,” Akram said.

“Well pretty much I’ve been big on donating money, even when I get it as a gift I put it to charity,” Ahmed said. “I tried thinking of a way I could raise more money so I could actually make a large effort to collect everything.”

The two, put there ideas together.

The result was UNICEF. This organization is dedicated to improving children’s lives all over the world. Already, UNICEF has saved millions of children’s from hunger, illnesses such as AIDS and malaria, and unsafe drinking water.

“So I thought that if a lot

of people could gather money together, then the amount sent over would help much more than a few kids.” Akram agrees. He believes that the club will expand.

Central’s UNICEF club held its first meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 10. The numbers even then were larger than expected. For a fledgling club, an almost filled classroom shows great potential.

“A lot of students were at other meetings,” Akram said.

UNICEF club is sponsored by Mr. Patty and will be held on alternating Wednesdays in his classroom after school.

As the first project, UNICEF is hosting a trick or

treat for change drive. “Instead of asking for

candy, [students will] ask for change,” Ahmed said. “Of course the candy will have to be spared.”

The money collected from this event will be do-nated to the Children’s Fund.

A future project for the club is to, “sponsor a child for a year,” Akram said. Possibly by fundraising with a raffle.

“[Central UNICEF] will make other people realize how they can help without going to great measures,” said Ahmed. “If many hands work together, then more can be accomplished in a shorter time.”

Students create helpful organization

Charity; what’s in it for you?

Central High School Zone NewspaperFeature Volume 8 Issue 1 Page 8

BotheredAshtyn Gille & Ale ValerianoManaging Editor & Editor-in-chief Scratched CD’s bother us. In this technological age, people usually buy all of their music off of itunes. It’s rare when you find an artist you like so much and you go out to invest in their CD. A few months later after listening to this CD for the one millionth time an jamming out as usual, your CD starts to skip. all you hear coming from your speakers is “Lov,lo,lov,lov” and then silence. Aside from the fact that you have to go buy these songs somewhere else your groove was also ruined.BOTHERED. Unfinished stories bother us. There’s nothing better than an overly excited person telling you what occurred to them over the weekend. Right when your an-ticipating what shenanigan they get into next, they loose their train of thought and leave you with a “uhhhhhh....I don’t remember what happened. “ Now all you can do is wonder all the possibilities that could have happened or hope that they remember by next class period. People who ask irrelevant ques-tions in class. Please, take time from our learning to ask a question that is so far fetched, you’re the only person that’s ever thought about it. Why would we ever want to know if the avatar dragon breaths fire and if so what’s an appropri-ate name for it. Oh yeah, I can’t really see how this is more important than my education, so stop wasting everyone’s class time. BOTHERED. People who take to many napkins back to their lunch table bother us. If you’re only going to use a few napkins, then why are you taking 20 and then throw the 18 away. Think about all the trees that were killed to make all those napkins. Be considerate, take only what you need. BOTHERED

Wobbly tables bother us. Nothings worse than walking down to lunch and realizing that once you put your stuff down the table tilts to your side. As you try to enjoy the rest of your lunch and set your elbows on the table everyones lunch falls all over the place as you get evil glances. BOTHERED.

Movie Talkers bother us. First of all, I came to the movie theater to enjoy a movie, in silence. I didn’t pay eight dol-lars to hear your comments on how hot someone is or your opinion on that last scene. Keep it to yourself, till after the credits. BOTHERED.

Sam MeadowsStaff Writer There are 2,700 students walking the halls at Central High School. Sometimes as you are going about your day walking down one of the many crowded halls trying to get to your next class, you end up feeling like just another face in the crowd.

One of those faces is that of freshman Dakota Lindley. Lindley would describe himself as being athletic, smart, sarcastic, and random. Lindley hopes to become either a professional football player or a football coach. The most interesting thing that ever happened to Lindley was when he broke his back on a waverunner when he ran into another waverunner. Others would describe Lindley as being athletic. Everyone has pet peeves, for Lindley it is when people talk too much and when people think that they are funny when in reality they really aren’t. Facebook has become an icon for this generation, Lindley’s current Facebook status is “In a relationship”.

Walking through the halls, you might see a sophomore named Kristen Kesler. Kesler would describe herself as funny, outgoing, smart, sarcastic, and funny. Kesler hopes to go to Texas A&M and major in English and History because of the impact of a past camp counselor. One of the most interesting things that has ever happened to Kesler is when she went to Stuttgart, Germany because her parents are in the

military. Others would describe Kesler as being quiet. One of Kesler’s pet peeves is people who walk slowly. Kesler’s current Facebook status would be “Watching Frankenstein”.

We walked into the nurse’s office and we found a Junior named Matt Day. Day would describe himself as quiet, random, musical, diabetic, and smart. Day hopes to become a music producer preferably for hard rock or heavy metal. An interesting event that has happened to Day is when he was diagnosed with diabetes. Others would describe Day as being quiet while also being courageous and having integrity. A pet peeve of Day’s is when people lie. Day’s current Facebook status would be “Burn it down and Walk away”.

Following a sign on a teacher’s door we walked into the library and found a Senior named Ean James. Five words that James would use to describe himself would be busy, excited, lazy, fun, and bored. James hopes to one day become a chef. James experienced an interesting event when he won $500 from an online contest with GameStop. Others would describe James as being random and friendly. When asked James informed us that he did not have any pet peeves. If James were to post a current Facebook status it would be “Bored”.

These are just four students that walk the halls at Central High School. Next time you are going to your next class, pay attention to who is around you.

Face in the crowd

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Hallway chicAmara ThomasFashion Columnist

Thrift Shops, the best place to get fall finds for cheap.

I have a great passion for fashion and the latest trends, but like most central student I’m always

broke. I have become dependent on thrift shop and consignment stores. The first time I went to “Good Will” I felt defeated, after spending hours looking for the perfect find I found nothing. Over the years I’ve found that shopping at thrift shops it takes patients and detection. This may seem like a lot for just fashion, but in the end its worth it and you save a lot of money. For example, during the summer I was in desperate need of a denim vest. Urban Outfitters has a really cool one, but it was way over price, which is typical when it comes to Urban Outfitters. That weekend I stop by “Good Will” and found a regular denim jacket for

2 dollars. As soon as I got home, I washed it( ALWAY WASH CLOTHES FROM THRIFT SHOPS!), cut of the sleeves and added studs. Wall-a! All for 2 bucks, what a bargain, right. So, wether your going for that new age hipster thrift stores look or the “glam” designer clothes for less. Alway check thrift shops first, you will never no what you will find. My favorite thirt shop locations are Goodwill, Salvation Army, and Buffalo Exchange. Goodwill and Sal-vation Army can be located in any neigh-boorhood, but Buffalo Exchange is located in the art district in Dallas. (of course). If your looking for clothes for dirt cheap then stop at Goodwill first, ignore the stench , in the end its worth it. If your looking for some what pricey thrift store clothing then check out the Buffalo exchange next. Last, stop by the Salvation Army the priceing is the same as Goodwill, but the selction is not as great. In the end you must remeber that this is thrift store shopping and you never know what your going to get.

Artist: Florence And The Machine Song: “Dog Days Are Over” Album: LungsPersonally, this is one of the greatest songs I have ever heard. Florence and the machine executes a beautiful composed song with thrashing-soft melodies and never disappoints with her beautifully powerful voice. Artist: Portugal! the man. Song: “Telling tellers tell me”Album: Church MouthWith their eclectic style of indie-rock post punk melodies, Portugal! The man is a good band to get you in the zone before a school or a game.

Artist: Fiest Song: “Mushaboom”Album: ReminderLeslie Fiest, a Canadian female vocalist gets you singing along with her sweeping vocals and cute melodies. This pop artist combines jazzy-folk throughout her music and that’s why I like it.

Artist: The White StripesSong: “cold, cold night”Album: ElephantThis song is a solo song delivered by Meg white’s quiet voice. Meg does a pretty good job at soothing your soul with its cool bluesy tone.

Music that makes you coolerCecilia ReyesCreative Director

Central High School Zone NewspaperEntertainment Volume 8 Issue 1 Page 9

Film: The Social Network, directed by David Fincher.

As

you may have read on all of your friends’

status updates, The Social Network was a hit. Directed by David Finch-er, The Social Network tells the story of the creation of Facebook, which turns out to be a somewhat disturb-ing tale. Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, played by Jesse Eisenberg, is shown being dumped in the opening scene. What ensues is a deceitful and treacherous journey in which Zuckerberg thrashes his ex on a public blog, get’s thousands of women to hate him, tricks a couple of people out of hundreds of millions of dollars, and ultimately, betrays his best friend.

Although many people have compared The Social Network to an-other movie about a man who loses friends as he grows more successful, Citizen Kane, Zuckerberg does not change as a person at the end of the film. In Citizen Kane, the protago-nist experiences a transformation at the end, and realizes that his friends were more important than any sort of success he might have had; Zucker-berg just remains a social degenerate at the end of The Social Network.

I know I’m gonna be called a bit contrarian on this one, but I had a few problems with The Social Network. First of all, many people will agree when I say that Jesse Eisenberg is hilarious as the spastic, socially awkward guy we see him as in most of his films. But Eisenberg’s depiction of Zuckerberg seems like he was bent and shoved into some mold that makes that quirky, geeky guy almost unrecognizable. Secondly, Mark Zuckerberg stole a multi-billion dollar idea, alienated nearly all of his friends, and acted like a pretty mean jerk through-

out the movie, yet in the end, he’s depicted as a poor, lonely guy who only wanted to get the attention of the girl who broke his heart in the very beginning. But who cares about whether or not The Social Network was historically accurate? It was a great flick. A+

Music: “Innerspeaker” by Tame Impala

On June 5, I went to see MGMT in concert. It was a blast, but I callously overlooked the opening band, the Australian psychedelic-rock band, Tame Impala. What a mistake I made! I am not one to exaggerate, so when I say that Tame Impala is one of the most spectacular bands I’ve come across in a long time, just know that my words hold truth. Tame Impala is simple in a good way: their slow and catchy riffs are mesmerizing and latch them-selves onto the walls of my mind, and force me to listen to their songs over and over again. Their prolific lyrics sort of remind me of Jimi Hen-drix, in the sense that I just listen to one line and think, “Damn, that was cool!” And if you only listen to one of their songs, I recommend “Half Full Glass of Wine.” You’ll know what I mean when I say they’re amazing immediately. A+

Television: 30 Rock on NBC on Thursdays at 10

I could write nothing but praise for 30 Rock all day long. The hour-long comedy follows the work day of Liz Lemon, played by Tina Fey, who is basically a fictional version of Fey. She often runs in to problems and complications with the writing staff on the fictional show inside the show, TGS, or with the stars of the show, such as Tracy Jor-dan, who is also a fictional character whose life parallels that of the actor, Tracy Morgan. The comedy and writing on the show is intelligent, but they keep it goofy as well, which I love. This is one show that I make sure to save on my dvr week after week. A+

Ricks picksRick AstleyContributing writer

Hayley BuppNews/Opinions Editor

The Australian Missy Higgins began her music career when she joined her older brother’s band as a mere 13 year old. In just a few years she was at the start of a top-of-the-charts career, with the release of her indie EP. It quickly made the charts in her homeland, but the United States had not yet seen a glimpse of this upcoming artist. In 2005, Higgins released her All For Believing EP in the United States, and a few short years later, she released the best selling, On A Clear Night.

On A Clear Night features songs ranging from slow ballads to bitter upbeats. Writing the album while touring, Higgins explains that the uptempo songs come from her use of the guitar, as it was the only portable instrument she could jam on. This is why most of the songs on this most recent album re-volve around at least some acoustic guitars, and many are completely centered around the instrument. For example, the song “Secret” was written using just three notes in a simple riff on the guitar. However, as this is the most memorable song on the album, this is not a drawback. The riff includes a complicated rhythm, which also features muted picking and string slap-ping. It is so well-rounded and catchy that during my first listen of the album, I immediately put the song on repeat. Unbelievably, the song is entirely made up of only the simplistic melody of Higgins voice and her enchanting guitar. Following along in the terms of simplicity, the lyr-ics do not deviate from this trend. In traditional Missy Higgins style, listeners are

instantly riveted by her ability to somehow juxta-pose delicacy and power. It is not hard to relate to the song, as she goes right in to explaining the situation. “You were from the North, I was from the South. But I knew it was good and you knew it was too,” she croons impeccably. “Minds becoming two halves of the same, it was real, and in the shadows it grew,” is only a small example of the feeling Higgins is able to render from rhetorical statements. The apex of the song is reached in the bridge, when

she resounds, “I

should know, for I am your secret, aren’t I babe.” This differs from the original line sung in the chorus, “you’ve got a secret babe.” Another highpoint of the song is in the descriptive mood-setting lyrics of, “there was the smell in the air of an old place, that hadn’t seen much daylight in years.” Higgins does an excellent job of enticing listeners with great riffs and just as great lyrics.

One of the most well-received song on the album is the popular “100 ‘Round the Bend.” Once again her distinctive and delightful lyrics hooks the listener right from the start. “I follow complica-tions like a bloodhound. So pick me , twist me around and throw me all the way back down. Because I find

my feet addicted to the ceiling.” Couple this with a bright, fast, and exciting rhythm guitar, and Higgins instantly has a hit.

The chorus of the song sounds happy and anxious to start a new jour-ney, but it is contradicted by the dramatic verses, and most especially the bitter and somber bridge. The contradiction begins when she sings “I want nothing more to do with all the things you made me think I am.” It reaches it’s peak when she cries sweetly and heart brokenly, “you were everything for a little while, but I broke

it, I broke it, I broke it, didn’t I?” Higgins has a deep aptitude for letting her emotion through into her songs, and this is no exception. However, the most passionate song of hers is the raw, unedited, “Forgive Me.” From the point of view of a husband, who has committed a sin. The song is his fervent attempt at an apology. The genuine, complete and soul-filled emotion this song carries is a hard match for almost any artist. Higgins rough vocals, that seem to whisper of a throat thick with tears, team with a heartbreaking and haunting acoustic guitar to bring a gut wrenching experience to the listener. “Oh, my son, look at what I’ve done.” A mundane description of this song

does not do it justice. “And, oh, my wife... Know that I am burning for you still.” These words are only beginning of a dark ride into the mind of a person longing deeply for redemp-tion. Higgins continues with the etching, perfectly carved vocals, “take this one fallen man on his knee, forgive me,” she sings with strong-willed delicacy. And then with an ever increas-ing amount of power. “Oh god, how you make it hard not to pick the apple. How I long to give it back.”

Missy Higgins tal-ent does not end with her brilliant song writing techniques or her ever touching lyrics. Those are only the beginnings of her ability to strike a chord in her listeners. The music is a gateway to the truths that lie within her mind, a peek into the deep muses of her experiences. Her music gives the listeners a chance to fall into her the boat of her journey. We get to fall overboard with her into freezing waters when the times get tough. We get to feel the warm sun on our backs with the moments of bliss. Missy Higgins does something most artists can only accomplish in their dreams. She makes you a part of the music, which is the most a listener can ask for.

Missy Higgins is an artist with few faults. As an admiring listener, I can find no single thing that I would want improvement upon. Therefore, I give this artist five out of five lightning bolts.

Find Higgins work on iTunes or Amazon for under $10. However, for a listening session, check out her website, which contains the full ver-sion of every song on On A Clear Night.

Missy Higgins, upcoming artist

Central High School Zone NewspaperSports Volume 8 Issue 1 Page 10Central High School Zone Newspaper

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Chargers making run toward post season playSpecial to the Zone

The Central High School varsity football team is off to its greatest start in school history. The Chargers have a record of 5-2 and are 2-1 in district play and never before has Central been so poised to reach the postseason for the first time in school history.

According to the players, it is no coincidence that Central has started off with such a historic record. They've noticed a new, positive attitude in the locker room.

Kyle Kirchoffer, senior linebacker/defensive back notes that the old saying is true, “There is no I in team this year.”

Kirchoffer said, “We are ll guys working as a team - looking out for each other. Telling everybody to keep their heads up, don’t worry about the bad plays. Just keep working hard.”

Mario Macias, senior offensive lineman agreed, "We are more determined and we work harder." With that new sense of hard work, every day, the Chargers are on pace to make history.

CJ Kirk, senior running back, has piled up nearly 800 yards this season and credits the team’s new attitude for their overall success.

“During the off season everybody bought into it,” said Kirk. “They come every day with a good attitude.”

Andre Morgan, senior corner back agrees, “I think we’ve gotten to his point due to hard work and team chemistry. I think the teams in the past weren’t as successful because they weren’t

as team-oriented and didn’t have the bond we have.” Even the coaches have noticed a difference in their players’

attitudes.“The 2010 Chargers are a lot more about the team and not

themselves,” said wide receivers coach, Robert Morris. “Nobody is selfish. It has never been about the individual and the kids have played harder because they haven’t been playing for themselves, but for a team.”

Morris notes that this team mentality hasn’t always been a part of the Charger team.

“This team wanted to change that this year and it started in the offseason. The team wanted a new identity, they wanted their opponents and their fellow students respect because they felt like they put the time and effort in and are earning it.”

Ask any varsity player and you’ll hear the same thing. Teamwork. Focus. Communication.

“The teams in the past, they pretty much had talent, but we’re better now because we’re kind of like glue. We stick to-gether; all 11 players doing their job,” said Morgan.

Everyone is focused on the same goal: "Making the play-offs," said Macias, "That's our goal, that's everyone's goal."

In order to reach that goal, the Chargers are keeping their heads in the game at all times.

“Play the next snap. That’s what we try to remember. Play the next snap,” said Diamond Williams, junior defensive nose.

The Chargers will take their next snaps against the Southlake Carroll at Dragon Stadium on Friday.

Photograph courtesy of CHS publications

Central High School Zone NewspaperSports Volume 8 Issue 1 Page 10Central High School Zone Newspaper

Bowling begins anewRecord breaking runners

I believe that we will win

Jackson Wallace Sports Editor

CHS bowling hopes to be yet another well-rounded sports program that CHS has to offer this year. Last year the bowling squad sent several players to state qualifying and had gotten fairly close to achieving their dream of a state title. This year Central is poised to finish on that goal.

Tryouts will conclude for the Charger bowling team this week and the varsity team is nearly set. Unlike last year, this season the Chargers will only have the "varsity team" instead of both varsity and JV. This was put in as a meaning of organizing the teams more.

Aaron Johnson, a freshman whose brother Brian Johnson appeared on the varsity squad last year, hopes to live up to the hype that his

brother has set on him. " I feel that with my bowling average I have a really good chance of accomplishing my goals,” said Johnson. Johnson is hopeful that he makes the team, as he wants to play alongside his brother.

Another rookie, Rachel Kogel commented on the tryouts. "We just go out there and bowl, and try our best," said Kogel.

A veteran senior, Danielle Walker senior, made a prediction about the bowling season: " I think we will do pretty good if we practice and recruit people."

The bowling team, just like a lot of Cen-tral teams this year, feels that they have a real chance to make it far into the postseason. With the leadership of the veterans and the talent of the rookies, Central Bowling hopes to bring home that shining trophy.

Jackson WallaceSports Opinion

For the first time in school history, Central starts off with a significant winning record. Central has begun the 2010 varsity football season at 5-2 and has a decent chance at making the playoffs. That's right I said it, Central football has a likely chance at making it's first postseason appear-ance in school history.

The class of 2011 has been a force to reckon with, and I firmly believe that this could very well be "The Year" for Central Football. Now when I say "The Year", I mean the year we make the playoffs, not the year of the state championship. Cool

down Chargers, we're not quite there yet.

This year there seems to be some swagger in our football team, in years past I've noticed that teams have been kind of like "Oh man, how bad we losing tonight?" Not this year. This year is the complete opposite, and it's all in the mental aspect of the game.

Most people don't know this but you have to be men-tally strong to play football, swimming, golf, bowling, whatever sport it is there is some mental hardships in the game. You have to be strong deep down, you have to be able to find it in yourself to make a play when all you

want to do is take a knee. And this team, this year, has that heart; they have that mindset. And I believe that is the dif-ference in our huddle and it shows in the record books.

For the Chargers to jump from 3-7 last year to 5-2 in mid October this year, there has to be a change some-where. Yes, some coaches left, but I really don't believe it was the coaching change that has brought about this new sense of a winning team. A source of mine says that practices have gotten more intense and more players are using practice to practice, not just as a social event. I believe that this team is more serious with their football.

Volleyball spikes playoff berth

Katie HomansSports Writer

Fifty-six athletes, one varsity region champion. The cross country teams are working hard to establish their dominance of the sport once again. Caullen Parker, Justin Paul and Anna Parsons have shown well at meets this year and both the boys and girls teams expect to make an apprearace at state. First they have to get through regionals and districts, so the varsity team is working hard to step up their game.

Team member Justin Paul is also work-ing toward a personal goal, to break CHS alum and Texas A&M cross country runner Nathan Parker's record. Parker qualified for the State 5A cross country meet in 2009 after placing third in the Region I-5A meet. Paul is only 20 seconds from beating Parker's record.

Paul, senior, said, "I'd be very excited to break Nathan's record. I already have a ton of colleges looking at me. Like Texas Tech,

University of Alabama and the University of Colorado."

This is a fierce competition between the two boys but recently Parker noted, "Records are made to be broken."

On Oct. 8, Paul ran at Coppell and placed sixth out of 150. These next few runs will deter-mine if he can break Parker's record or not.

"I'm gunning for his record. I have a good coach so I just have to trust what she is doing and I believe I will make it," said Paul.

Districts is in less than two weeks and the team is working extremely hard for their posi-tion on the team. Coach Emily Norris said, "Jus-tin has a very strong shot for winning districts, he's in the top 10, and has a really good chance for state."

Caullen Parker, Nathan's younger brother, is also in a constant battle with Paul to see who will be the first to improve their time, and receive the title.

Alexamdria McCauleyStaff Writer

With an undefeated record, the varsity vol-leyball team has shown what work and dedica-tion can do. This Charger team will make its fourth consecutive playoff appearance this year.

"Our goal right now [is] focusing on one game then to the next," said Whitney Little, senior. "Working our way up, we don't want to look too far in the future."

In order to keep their stamina and endur-ance up to standards the team started working out.

Even though the workouts get difficult, Coach Rudiger believes in her varsity team but stresses that grades come before anything else.

"If you're not passing your classes, you don't get to play," said Little.

But hard work and dedication is nothing new to this team.

"What we've tried to focus on is the expec-tations for ourselves," said Little. "It's a honor to be recognized, and every time we get on the floor we try our hardest."

With hard work and great grades, comes great scholarships. Little has already received a to Missouri State. She had a few options when

choosing which school to go to."I wanted to stay in the Big 12," said Little.

"I also chose this school for the campus, coaches and traditions."

Mahoney also has received a scholarship to Cincinnati State.

The volleyball players want to see people in the stands, hearing the crowd cheer.

"Noise on the court gives the players motivation," said Rudiger. "Don't be completely quiet in the stands; keep the noise coming. It's a exhilarating feeling that gives each player energy. I tell everyone that once you go to one (game) you'll get hooked. It's exciting and fun. If people could spread the word, it could possibly get more people coming to the games.

That motivation has led to yet another Central Playoff berth. Central making another run at the playoffs is truly an accomplishment that needs to be recognized. Central has put in the time and the effort to making their game perfect. It has shown in their record, the Lady Chargers are undefeated with a record of 11-0.

"We're very confident in our abilites and our team is playing well." said Rudiger. "We've served tougher, played better defense and all we have to do is keep it up, the sky is the limit."

Shelby YanceyStaff Writer

The new rugby team at Central High School, “Alli-ance,” is starting up its new season as a region-wide sport that includes students from Grapevine, LD Bell, and Southlake.

“I love it, full contact, no

pads, means I get to run full speed,” said Mario Mungia, 12.

So what is rugby? Ac-cording to the official US Rugby website, “a student at the Rugby School in England, William Webb Ellis, was playing soccer in 1823 when he picked up the ball and ran

down the field to score. From this point, the game of rugby was formed. Today rugby is played in over 100 countries all because Mr. Ellis picked up the ball, and ran with it.”

In other words, “It’s a mixture of football and soc-cer,” said Mungia.

“We are always looking

for more players,” said Brian McMahon, coach. Regarding the team, “(they are) all chill, we get along just fine,” said Mungia. McMahon is leaving the football players alone during their season, but says that playing rugby will keep them in shape during their off season, while training them to

be better in both sports. The team meets every

Sunday at the Keller Middle School football field to practice, which is currently an informal touch rugby practice.

“(We) practice touch, play full contact,” said Mungia.

The team competes with other teams across the state,

and is looking for more play-ers; boys and girls.

“All I know is, I like to hurt people,” said Mungia.

For more information on rugby at Central, contact Mr. McMahon in room C001.

Rugby rocks Central

Aliza EtkindEditor-in-chief

The sun is setting in down town Fort Worth. The cool October breeze runs through the city, howling as it settles on a horrific scene. You can see an old bus, long crashed with hapless skeletons sticking their arms out, calling out for help that will never come. Fog descends on this eerie spectacle, adding to the dreari-ness, the helplessness.

Even though the effect can make even the most fearless shiver, this is only a small fraction of the horrors the Cutting Edge has to offer. Located in downtown Fort Worth on East Lancaster, this house has been haunting people since its opening in 1990.

"Initially, it was myself and my brothers and a couple of friends," said Todd James, owner. "We sort of all just loved haunted houses when we were younger. Then we kind of got the idea to put on a haunted house."

Since its humble beginnings, the Cutting Edge has received many accolades. Considered one of the top haunted houses in the country by several media outlets, it is also the world's largest haunted house.

"Guinness Book of World Records came last year and measured us," said Frances Woodruff, back stage manager.

Mea-sured in walk-through distance, it takes a spectator almost an hour to get through the entire show.

"We're rated number three in the nation, AOL online, Fangoria Magazine; we've got sev-eral top ratings," said Woodruff.

Even though the Cutting Edge is rated as one of the best shows in the country, James remains modest in his esteem for his production.

"I don't know that we're at the top, really," said James. "We just do what we do and have fun doing it."

Horrific for the spectators, fun for the creators; backstage before the curtains open, it is pure chaos. Actors

sit, patiently waiting for their turn in front of the make-up artists, clad in various costumes while various staff members dart around. Diva Hargett, a make-up artist who has worked at the Cutting Edge for four seasons, works on an actor, applying a white cream to her face.

"[How long it takes per actor] depends on which room they're going in," said Hargett. "We use latex and other items... gels and things to cre-ate sores and wounds and stuff."

Actors in less gory rooms require less attention in the make-up department.

"People that are in... the cem-etery, we just do straight, graveside creepy," said Hargett. "That's a little faster because we don't have to wait for things to dry or build up."

More involved rooms, or stages in the haunted house where the scaring takes place, in- clude Uncle G's, a

part of the pro-duc-tion based

on the Louisi-

ana Bayou. Fake

snakes hang from

actors' necks while humid air circulates around the air.

Kenneth Rimpel, actor, stands quietly in a

corner of the room while chaos swirls around him.

He works

in the cemetery, a room made to look like a home for the dead.

"I'm more of a mannequin," said Rimpel. "I move and scare [the spectators] and pose back as a man-nequin. I use a piece of chain and hit it against the wall."

A zombie for thirteen years, Rimpel enjoys seeing the reactions of his audience.

"They jump, they scream, kind of bury their heads," said Rimpel, relishing in the memories of the looks of horror he has both witnessed and caused over the years.

Seasoned veterans and rookies alike can connect over this thrill of scaring people. Mik Kachill, a young actor only on staff for three years, works in the clown room, a place where devilish clowns haunt those who walk through.

"Depending on which room I'm in [is how I scare people]," said Kachill.

While the actors relish in the horror they cause spectators, working at the Cutting Edge can sometimes prove dangerous according to the staff.

“It’s kind of a dangerous job sometimes because some people come in and they just want to be really violent and punch you,” said Kachill.

To insure that both the actors and the spectators are safe, the Cut-

ting Edge has a full security team

plus Marshals that are willing

to drag any

perpetra-tor to jail if

they do become violent.

“If an actor gets hit, [I’m] the one that responds,” said John Timmons, head security guard. “We pull the person out [after] we get a description from the actor. If they did it, they’re getting kicked out, [but] it depends on how bad the injure is. If there’s obvious redness, [the actors] are going to press charges.”

During crowded nights in Octo-ber, many people looking for a thrill come to the Cutting Edge.

“On busy nights... we got people drinking who come [in],” said Timmons. “They have tendencies to touch stuff. We usually catch them at the front line. We have people [security guards] that are watching for drunks. If they’re under any kind of influence, we won’t let them in. We do have kids working in there and we obviously don’t want them to get hurt.”

Even though disturbances hap-pen quite frequently, the security teams does find moments when nothing foul is amiss. When they find themselves in times like that, the team is still busy.

“We roam through our zones,” said Timmons. “Pretty much I walk through the whole show and just make sure everyone’s doing their job, make sure my guys are doing their jobs and everyone is safe.”

With safety in check, spectators and staff alike can relax, scaring

and being scared in peace. If you’re a spectator today, that doesn’t mean you can’t be a staff member tomorrow. The Cutting Edge begins hiring at

the age of 15 and does auditions all the way up until October.

“We do an audition process,” said Woodruff. “When they come in, they’ve got an application and we interview. We kind of get a feel if we want to have them back. If we have them back, we have what we call Boo University. [That] is like our seminar. We get everyone in one room and we train them.”

After Boo U, the applicants are allowed to act for a night at the Cutting Edge. They go through make-up and don costumes. They put a number on their backs and as they scare, managers and other veteran staff members rate each actor.

“At the end of the night, they tally the scores,” said Woodruff. “Then we send a letter, saying these are the numbers that made it and these are the letters that didn’t make it.”

High school students frequently work at the Cutting Edge in lieu of fast food and retail jobs that many of their counterparts.

“I went online looking for a job and I saw Cutting Edge,” said Kevin Beavers, junior at Brewer High School. “[If you want a job here] go online and look up when the next audition date is.”

Although it might be too late to seek employment at the Cutting Edge this year, next year, you can audition if you’d like.

The Cutting Edge is opened throughout the month of October. To find more information, go to www.cuttingedgehauntedhouse.com

Behind the scenes of the Cutting Edge Fort Worth haunted house provides ghoulish delights