Now that the weather is gradually getting colder, the sniffles are getting more frequent and the coughs are growing louder. Flu season is upon us. While we should be home resting in bed, we’re at school sleeping through classes and spreading germs.

KATY ISD policy states that if a student has had a fever or diarrhea within the last twenty-four hours, they are not permitted to come to school. The consequences for missing school include not being able to participate in a sport/activity if more than half a day

of school was missed. However, the most feared consequence is no exemptions.

Danielle Grisko11 has had a fever and flu-like symptoms but she refuses to miss school because that would mean missing after-school theatre rehearsals.

“I’ve brought a blanket to school for the past week just to get through it; I’m exhausted,” Grisko said.

Nathaniel Riggan11, who is on the varsity swim team, also happens to have bronchitis at the moment. However, he comes to school anyway

to keep his exemptions, which unfortunately means early morning swim practice as well.

“Getting in the pool in the morning is brutal but there’s nothing I can do about it,” Riggan said.

A more extreme case of ‘flu season’ is Kylie Nunnmaker12 who has had mono for over six weeks and managed to only miss three days of school this year.

“I can’t miss anymore, now I have to pull A’s to exempt, and all I want to do is sleep. This is going to be a rough semester,” Nunnmaker said.

IF YOU HAVE THE FLU, NO SCHOOL FOR YOUkayleeWHITE // Junior staff writer

For fourteen years, Frau Schneller has been dedicated to teaching German to high school students. She first taught in New Orleans before coming to Seven Lakes. However, before she started teaching she had to find her love in the language.

“I didn’t want to take Spanish in high school because everybody takes Spanish and I wanted something different,” Schneller said.

“My great-grandfather, whom I’ve never met, was German, and I thought that maybe that would be the way to get to know him.”

Last fall in Austin, Schneller attended a conference held by the Texas Foreign Language Association. This group was founded in 1953 and is a non-profit organization that focuses on recognition of excellence in study

and teaching. The conference centers around inspiring, motivating, and helping instructors better teach foreign languages. Russian, Latin, Spanish, French, and many other languages are represented there.

At this conference, Schneller was selected as the Texas Foreign Language Teacher of the Year. This award is given to teachers who demonstrate evidence of outstanding teaching, involvement in campus and language activities, professional contributions, curriculum development, and teaching experience. Schneller was surprised at this prestigious recognition.

“I appreciate that they hold me in such high esteem,” Schneller said. “Sometimes it’s a little uncomfortable in that way because I don’t think I’m the best

teacher, but it is such an honor.” She first was selected as German

Teacher of the Year, but is now in the pool for the National Foreign Language Teacher of the Year.

If you want to nominate a favorite teacher, or learn more about this organization visit www.tfla.info/recognitions/ for more information.

GERMAN TEACHER WINS PRESTIGIOUS FOREIGN LANGUAGE AWARDdaniWARDINSKY // Junior co-editor

Flu Symptoms

•A cough and/or sore throat

•A runny or stuffy nose

•Headaches and/or body aches•Chills

•Nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea

TFLA recognizes Frau Schneller

iPhone 5: Latest in technoLogy Does it live up to the expectations?beccaRIOS // Sophomore staff writer On October 12th, the

recent release of the iPhone 5 kept Apple fans waiting in lines for hours.

Many were anxious to see the Apple phone with its new sleek features.It has a bigger screen, slimmer size and weight, 4G LTE wireless connections, and a panoramic camera.

“I like that the 5 has a bigger screen and it’s much faster,” Agustina Gerez11 said.

People from all over had been excited by the announcement of the iPhone 5 since the 4S came out last year. Rumors were swirling. Expectations were set high.

“I was so excited to get my iPhone 5. I was really curious to see how they’d change

it.” Estefani Rivas11 said. People have been

comparing the new Droids and Samsung Galaxy to the abilities of the iPhone 5. Even though the differences between the phones are minute, people are strongly biased towards one phone over the other.

“I love my phone. It’s a Pantech Droid and it works better than the iPhone,” Maria Soto10 said.

The iPhone 5 has the new upgraded IOS6 that includes that panoramic camera and many new emojis that everyone has been excited to use.

Another big change was the deletion of the YouTube and Google Maps applications. The apps are

still available but not on the initial activation.

“I didn’t notice at first, but I think it’s okay because some people may not want the YouTube app, and if you do you can just download the app which I’ve heard is better,” Pamela Leal10 said.

If ordered online, the iPhone 5 would take up to two weeks to ship.Despite the long wait for the iPhone 5, it has been a new addition to the advancing technology in our generation.

“They were the longest two weeks of my life,” Alexis Camacho11 said. “But it was so worth the wait; I love it!”

TWERK TEAMA new club for students who enjoy philosophy and “real knowledge”katiBRIGGS // Senior staff writer In most cases, the term ‘twerk’ is generally associated with the latest dance craze. However, in this specific case, ‘twerk’ is actually a club created by students for Teens Who Enjoy Real Knowledge.“We have friendly debates over social issues and different views in philosophy”, Temi Omilabu12 , co-founder of the TWERK club, said. “It’s an opportunity to understand other people’s perspectives.” The club discusses things such as life and death and right and wrong, through introducing multiple scenarios that allow people to discover themselves. “We discuss philosophical questions, current issues in our political system and social issues that affect our lives,” co-founder of the club, C.J. Blakely12 , said At last week’s meeting, the

group discussed issues for which people believe are worth dying. Blakely and Omilabu presented the situations and allowed the members to discuss the question and voice their opinions.

“CJ and I are the proctors, which means we don’t exactly give our opinions blatantly, we just help the conversation move along

smoothly,” Omilabu said. The club will have two basic types of discussion days; philosophy or current events. “Philosophy days are more of an open forum, where current event days are more structured, like an official debate,” Blakely said.

Though the club has only had a few meetings, people truly enjoy the discussions. “It’s great for people to get out of their shell and voice their opinions without being judged,” Taffy Nhubu12 a member of the TWERK club said. The club meets every Wednesday at 6:50 a.m. in Mrs. Pastor’s room, 2638. “Sometimes there are donuts,” Omilabu added.

The Gay/Straight Alliance, founded by Bailey Bueno11 and sponsored by Kim Glasgow, is open-ended, meaning that no sign-up is needed and walk-ins are welcome.

“I wanted to make a difference in how things are viewed. I’m bisexual and it’s kind of a new thing,” Bueno11 said. “ I felt like I didn’t have anyone to talk to about it.”

Bueno11 said that the club is “to be used as a support group, along with talking about anything news-wise and political revolving around the rights for bisexuals.”

The Lumberjack Society was founded by Chase Snider12 and

Amy Smith, and is sponsored by Mrs. Smith. Its activities include taking part in community service, having fun, wearing plaid and eating pancakes.

“What makes our club different from others is that our community service is outdoors. We build paths, cut down the trees and create a service dedicated to building friendships and lifestyles,” Snider said.

Snider commented that the Lumberjack Society is a positive group that just wants to make people feel a part of something. The group has a Facebook page for more information.

an aDDition to the nUMBeRsangelVALDES // Junior staff writerTwo new clubs dedicated to feeling INCLUDED

Taffy Nhubu, C.J. Blakely and Temi Omilabu discuss a new club at Seven Lakes. Photo by Kati Briggs

// the gay/stRaight aLLiance //EVERY OTHER WEDNESDAY 3:15

ROOM 1195Clubs, organizations,

competition based clubs; it’s all available here at Seven Lakes! And if the

already large number of 82 sponsored clubs wasn’t enough, many more have

just been approved.

// the LUMBeRJacK society//1ST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH

ROOM 2663

With the Presidential elections coming up in November, a tight race between two potential leaders is coming to a close. The incoming votes will determine the direction in which the U.S. will head. Changes will be made and lives will be altered, including those of millions of young citizens through various educational reforms. Due to all these changes, the average number of young voters is increasing despite allegations stating that the youth involvement is gradually decreasing over time. According to the United States Census, voters from ages 18 to 24 were the only group of voters to show a substantial increase in voter turnout from 47% in 2004 to 49% in 2008. The last time there was such a great increase in voters of this age group was in 1972 with a 52% voter turnout.

This was the year the 26th amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18, was adopted. However, while this group has grown in votes, other age groups have declined.

One of the major factors for the increased turnout is thought to be voter education. The 2008 Presidential election

showed that 70% of young voters ages 18 to 29 attended college, which meant that voters who received a college education were more inclined to vote. Despite the voting boost, political illiteracy is still a prevalent issue among the younger generation. As a result, several nonpartisan organizations are arising in order to promote youth involvement in politics and voting. The Young Vote Coalition is among the nation’s largest association that works toward participation in politics. Additionally, they try to encourage political awareness to those who aren’t at the legal age to vote. Due to positive increase in young voter turnout, it is predicted that the political atmosphere will lean towards benefiting education, job recovery, and other fields that affect youth.

Y O U N G V O T E R T U R N O U T AT A N A L L T I M E H I G HsanjanaMADAKSHIRE // Junior Staff WriterYoung voter turnout is at an all time high despite allegations to the contrary

“The Rose was created by women who shared a passion for life and women’s issues. Dr. Dixie Melillo’s main concern was saving lives. If a woman could be convinced that she was worth the cost of a mammogram, then she’d believe she was worth anything.

They met Rose Kushner, journalist and breast cancer advocate, who challenged them to “get off their duffs and do something!” So, they did!

Since the beginning, The Rose has depended upon community support. Civic groups, foundations, corporations and individuals along with the unwavering commitment of employees, physicians and volunteers all helped to create an organization that has changed the lives of countless women and families.

Yet, then, as now, the women who select The Rose for their mammograms are the heart of our life’s work and the basis for our success. It is a mission. It works.”

Here in Houston, The Rose Foundation provided 48,000 mammograms for women, 26,000 of which were uninsured.

In today’s society, cancer

has been a topic of awareness throughout the country. We all know of the impacts that it can have on someone’s life, and we all want to make a difference, and help find a cure to this awful sickness. On Friday, October 19th, Seven Lakes had one of our biggest dress-out days, and the best part is that is was strictly to help raise money to fight breast cancer.

A senior, Addie Hilliard12 has had a firsthand experience with this foundation, as her mom is now in remission from a two year battle with breast cancer. Hilliard had a busy life being fully committed to band, and raising an animal for FFA.

“It was my sophomore year, the week before school started when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer,” Hilliard

said. “It was a really hard time for me, but through it all I, knew everything would turn out okay.”

The Rose Foundation was a huge support to her and her family, and the idea of the “Pink Out” was her way to give back. She designed and helped with the selling of the t-shirts, hoping to raise money to the organization that gives back directly to Houston victims of breast cancer.

Mr. Pope, who was a big proponent of this pink out, has

also had experiences with cancer in the family.

“I’m one of the only people in my family that hasn’t had cancer,” Pope said. “Addie came to me with the idea, and I could tell from then that she was so dedicated to this, that there was no stopping her. We ended up selling around 2,500 t-shirts and raised about $5,000 to donate straight to the cause.”

Overall, the Principals and those involved were very pleased with the success of Pink Day, and the money donated.

“Not only were we proud of the spirit of all the Spartans, but their commitment to the cause revealed a very important lesson, Pope said. “It might sound a little cliché, but you really can do anything if you set your mind to it, and work to achieve your goals.”

information provided by www.therose.org

A fellow spartan inspired to go pink for the causeFIGHT LIKE A GIRL

WIN

LIK

E A

SPA

RTA

NdaniWARDINSKY // Junior co-editor & anoshkaKALLIE // Sophomore staff writer

photo by D. Blevins

lindaFLORES // Senior entertainment editorFALL PUZZLE

HOW CAN YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Need S.O.S hours or just feel like giving back to the community? Take the quiz and see how you

can make the world a better place!

jessieCHAN // Sophomore staff writer

The intellectual

The Sport-a-holic

Mother Nature’s Advocate

They don’t like me, I don’t like

them.

Stuff it in your pocket for a vending

machine treat later. Slip it into the donation box.

There’s some extra change left over from your Chik-Fil-A

lunch. What do you do?

How are you with kids?

It’s a rainy Sunday. What are

your plans?

Get ahead in your homework. It’s never

too early to be prepared!

Text your friends to see if anyone’s up for a movie marathon.

Are you the outdoors type?

Heat? Mud? Bugs? I don’t think

so.

LOVE THEM.

Pass the dirt please!

PUT YOUR BRAINS TO GOOD USEShare your wisdom with others! Ask your teachers if they can help set you up as an after school tutor. Or, if you’re a

math wiz, think about joining Mu Alpha Theta! For more

information about membership, talk to Mr. Placette in Room

2201.

REACH OUT TO OTHERSYou’re a social butterfly and a great people person! Offer babysitting to teachers and neighbors, spend a day with

the elderly at retirement homes, or simply volunteer at special

events, school event concession stands, etc.

GET OUT THERE AND SAVE THE WORLD

You’re a nature lover with a kind heart and an instinct to make a difference. Sign up for beach or

city clean-ups, recycling projects, or tree planting missions. And

don’t forget about the wildlife-volunteer at pet shelters; who

knows, you might even make a cute and furry friend!

STARTWho are you?

A W

eek

Wit

hout

...

juliaNAJM // Senior editor-in-chief

Taffy Nhubu12 lives for the internet. Its going to be a long seven days...

Day2 Someone said that I looked like Tony from the Ellen Show so, as you would figure, I was obligated to look him up on Google. It was an impulse. I realized what I had done as soon as I did it. It was already too late. I was weak. I did manage to last the rest of the day without going on the interwebs. It’s a terrible feeling, though. Just a few clicks and I can be streaming through a plethora of cat pictures and awkward penguin memes. But I can’t, and my hands actually tremble at the thought of this. I might be going through internet withdrawal.

Day1I forgot that I had agreed to a week without the internet. Well, no, that’s not true. I just chose to ignore the fact for a couple of minutes. But just a couple. I did not realize how difficult this would be. I am ALWAYS on the internet, especially when I have my phone. It’s what I do instead of talking to people. Now I have to find other means of being reclusive.

Day3Hi, my name is Taffy and I am an internet addict. (Hi, Taffy!) I can proudly say I’ve been clean for the past 32 hours. I just figured out that I agreed to a 7 day regular week and not a 5 day school week hiatus. I’ve been tricked. I can last for a couple of days but how am I suppose to last that long? Fortunately, I made it through today. I had work to distract me. As per usual, I was exposed to customers and coworkers spouting off “not-so-smart” remarks that I believe deserve to be quoted. But I can’t do that because I can’t use my Twitter. So not only am I suffering, but you guys are too, because you’re missing out on my (potentially) funny tweets. By the time you’re reading this, I should be able to use the internet. So do yourself a favor and follow @mrnhubu. Do it now.

Day4 Debates were on last night and I have to admit that I did send one, maybe two, err, three tweets. I had to. I couldn’t control myself. This is obviously becoming a problem. What did I do with myself before the internet? I probably went outside. So that’s what I did today. I went outside. That didn’t last too long, though. It started pouring outside, so I saw that as a sign from the gods that I should probably stay inside. I don’t know why I agreed to this. I should have gotten rid of something easy, something like Chapstick...

Day5 I have English homework due today that requires the internet. How am I going to get it done? Well, I found a loophole in this little system. I got my little sister to use the browser for me and I just navigated her to where I had to be. It had to be done. No apologies here. But once my sister knew that I couldn’t use the internet, it wasn’t too long before my brothers caught wind of it. Endless jokes, all a variation of, “Taffy can you check out this website for me... ohh... sorry.... you can’t”. Who does that?

Internet

Day6&7 IT’S THE WEEK-END. WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH MY FREE TIME? Throughout this week I’ve realized how much time I waste…no, hold on... utilize on a daily basis. I thought that going off the internet would make me more productive, but it just gives me more time to complain about how I can’t go on the internet. This is the definition of “struggle.”It’s the last day before I get to use the internet. I already have a list of the websites I’ve been dying to go on. Tomorrow is my day to relapse and I am going to binge on Reddit posts. This week made me realize that I am way too addicted to the internet. This week made me realize that I don’t care.

Election year demands mania—a hype that saturates television screens and permeates into nearly every aspect of our lives. Yet despite being encircled by political campaigns asking for donations, volunteers, and of course, votes, young voters have the lowest poll showing of all age demographics. Though young voter turnout certainly has increased over the years, high school political indifference still retains its infamy. However, a stereotype is only as strong as those who define it, and Spartans seem to have set themselves apart from generational apathy.“I would say, to the credit of Seven Lakes, there are probably

more politically aware teenagers here, I think, than in a typical high school,” said John Mitchell, political

science major and current AP U.S. History teacher.While the voting age is 18, volunteering is an effective way for anyone to get involved in the election season.

“Lately, we’ve just been trying to get people to come and volunteer, we’ve been working the phones and the front desk,” said senior Kirsten Lee, a regular volunteer at the GOP headquarters in Fort Bend. “Mostly though, we’re making cold calls, to get people who are on a registered Republican list to come and work there.”

Lee, who is also the founding president of the new Young Republicans’ Society at Seven Lakes, got involved with the Republican Party after attending a Ted Cruz rally with another Seven Lakes student, Philip Ayala. They were approached to come and work at the newly opened headquarters,

where Cruz had given the inaugural speech.“People came up to us and were like,

‘You’re interested in Ted Cruz, you’re a young person, do you want to be involved?’” Lee said. “And we said, ‘Sure!’ We didn’t intend to work there, but now we go every single week.”Some students get involved through their parents,

be it direct participation or just initial interest in politics.“[My mom] helps out with the area’s

democratic meetings and ways to help out the democratic election,” said Pillay. “She asked me if I wanted to get involved.”Whether making cold calls with the Silver

Democrats of Fort Bend County as Kiara and her mom do, or at the GOP headquarters like Kirsten Lee and Philip Ayala, both sides would agree that their interest in politics began with the last election.

“I guess I’d say I became interested when the stock market crashed,” said Lee. “My parents were really big conservatives too, and the situation had started

2012 : GET IN YOUR SAY

He would have liked to be an architect if he were not a politicianHe repaid his student loan only eight years ago, after signing his book dealHis favorite artist is Pablo PicassoHe doesn’t like ice-cream. He worked in Baskin-Robbins as a teenager, which is where his distaste for ice-cream comes from.

l

l

l

l

Born in Honolulu, Hawaiil

l

l

l

Served as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law SchoolRepresented the 13th district in the Illinois Senate from 1997 - 2004From 1961 to 1971, Obama lived in Jakarta, Indonesia

kamiaRATHORE // Junior co-editor & katieBLAND // Feature editor

the DeMocRat

affecting me. That’s when it hit me, and I started caring.”Which begs the question: how much are high school students’

political opinions influenced by those of their parents?“I think everyone is inclined to go with what their

parents believe; maybe if my parents were liberal, then I would be a liberal. But my parents are such huge conservatives,” admitted Lee, “I’d like to think I’m a free-thinking person and that I came to this conclusion by myself, but in all reality, I probably didn’t. Not entirely.”Pillay agrees that many of her friends also mirror their parents’

views, despite not fully understanding what those views entail.“I feel like if they just took the time to learn about

the different parties, then they would know what their true views are,” said Pillay.Parental views and community biases

seem to play a huge role in shaping an individual’s political opinion, not only among high school students but across America.“Political scientists have studied this, and one

thing they have known for over a century is that you can almost always predict how someone will vote if you know how their parents and peers vote,” said Mitchell. “So are Seven Lakes students judging the issues freely and independently and arriving at their own conclusions? No. But most Americans don’t do that either.”However, Mitchell also admits that any

opinion at all is generally preferable to apathy.“Personally, I would rather see an engaged

person who’s trusting a peer or a parent than a disengaged person,” said Mitchell.This inevitably leads to the central issue upon

which the future of our nation is contingent: the political apathy of today’s youth. No matter where they stand on the conservative-liberal spectrum, those who are politically involved would encourage other students to participate.“I hate it when people say ‘Why do you

care about the election? You can’t even vote,’” said Pillay, “But you’re going to vote one day, so you need to know what’s going on and what the issues are all over the country.”Lee admits that her work for the campaign

has led to a greater awareness of politics than she had before experienced.“I talk to other people who think that it’s just

as important as I do,” said Lee, “I know there are a lot of kids that don’t really care about politics, but when you’re around adults that care, you know how important it is.”

2012 : GET IN YOUR SAY

l

l

l

l

Served as Massachusetts governor from 2003 to 2007

Ran the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah

Born in Detroit, Michigan

Has five sons: Taggart, Matthew, Joshua, Benjamin,

and Craig

Youngest child of four l

l

l

l

Father was chairman and CEO of American Motors

Attended Stanford University, Brigham Young University, and

Harvard UniversityHis father, George Romney,

ran for the Republican party nomination for the 1968

presidential election

kamiaRATHORE // Junior co-editor & katieBLAND // Feature editor

the RePUBLican

kamiaRATHORE// Junior co-editor

BATTLE OF THE BURGERS

“You get to pick exactly how your burger is made!” - Thomas Barfield11

“They let me get all the vegetables.”- Thomas Achee11

“The cards you fill out make you feel super official and in charge!” - Temi Omilabu12

“Perfect amount of greasiness.”- Akash Punoose12

“Mooyah is so good.” - Andrew Steele12

“The ice burger is really cool.” - Carson Kuzawa12

“The seasoning on the fries is really good!” - Matthew Vu12

“The salty fries and the seasoned burger is so good.”- Maddi Boldt12

The portions are ridiculously large, I can never finish!” -Rachel Litong11

“The portion size is great, you can either pick to get the big burger, or the small burger.”-Gabby Brewer12

“The huge amount of fries they give you are great!” - Bianca Gomez11

Mooyah or Five Guys: you decide

hoRoscoPes

7/23-8/22 5/21-6/20

6/21-7/22

8/23-9/22

10/24-11/2211/23-12/22

2/19-3/20

andreaSTENDER // Junior Libra staff writer

3/21-4/20

NOVEMBER

Don’t hesitate this month. Things that come your way are probably meant to be. Your financial life will be peacful. Keep up the good work on saving and

organizing your money.

You are excited with your social life. You will be spending a lot of time

with friends and family. You aren’t too bought into your love life at the

moment. You are considering life from the best angle.

You feel mentally and physically great at the beginning of the month. This month is promising on your luck with

money. Perhaps play the lottery? You are full of passion around this time, and

eager to meet someone new.

You won’t be that lucky in your professional life. You are suffering from

a feeling of not getting anywhere. Also, if you happen to be looking for

that special someone, you can expect interesting encounters.

You will be filled with great ideas in October. You tend to be very impatient at the moment. But you’re living your

life day by day. Nothing truly incredible is happening in your love life but

nothing bad either.

You are really into your family life. This month brings more drive into it. You’ll

be experiencing confusion and dissatis-faction, so you’ll start to focus on what

you truly need.

You are up and ready to take risks. But don’t commit to something right away.

Try to be less blunt. You could come across a negative encounter. Be

smooth and subtle with your words.

Ever thought you would be falling in love soon? This could be the month!

You’ll be taking everything very seriously. You’ll undoubtedly get your

job done in the best way. A lot of energy will be put into your life.

You are highly motivated this month. There isn’t a spectacular encounter anytime soon, but if you are already taken you will be happy enough. Be careful with your money. You tend to

impulsively buy or sell anything.

You are on top of your game this month. The month encourages you to be bold. Relationships with the people

around you are good but it will be mainly towards the end of the month

that you will be able you enjoy a sweet love life.

Your love life is right on top this month and if you’re single your extravagant nature attracts many. You feel very confident so you go for the gold with

out the fear of being rejected.

Friendship will be a big part of your month. You will also be less worried

about your love life. The month urges your ambition to make more money. You know the value of money, and

how to make a profit.

12/23-1/19

1/20-2/18

4/21-5/20

9/23-10/23

ReVie

WeD

katiBRIGGS // Senior staff writercD: tWo DooR cineMa cLUB / BeaconW o r d s

c a n ’ t e v e n descr ibe h o w wonderful this album is. The s e c o n d

I heard it, I fell in love with every single track. I mean really, it’s upbeat and catchy and it’s got neat lyrics. And if

you’re a fan of Tourist History, don’t worry: this album isn’t much different. A lot of times, a band succumbs to the sophomore slump – though, Beacon accomplishes sounding different while simultaneously sounding so genuinely Two Door that it’s hard not to love it. Now, I’m not saying that Beacon is necessarily better than the previous album: they’re on

different levels. Tourist History has no competition, but that doesn’t mean that this album should be kicked aside. Beacon is truly, truly amazing. You just have to listen to it as if it’s its own thing without its impressive older brother, Tourist History, in mind. Definitely give it a listen, even if you’re not already a fan of Two Door. I promise it is lovely.

“And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.”

Here it is: the movie containing that line you’ve probably heard a thousand times by now. Considering the novel was originally published over 13 years ago, and has been a favorite of teenagers for well over a decade, hopefully the wait for the film adaptation has been worth it. So does the film live up to the hype of the much-loved book?

Spoiler alert. It does. And here are the reasons why:

1) How close it stays to the book - Probably because the book’s author, Stephen Chbosky, was allowed to pen the script, this movie stays closer to the details of the original novel than most films.

2) Logan Lerman’s portrayal of Charlie - Lerman manages to pull

off all the character’s quirks and mannerisms, striking a perfect balance between damaged and innocent.

3) The soundtrack – honestly, it makes the entire movie. Highlights include “Come On Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners, “Heroes” by David Bowie, and of course, “Asleep” by The Smiths.

4) Ezra Miller’s everything – That’s it. That’s the entire reason. Ezra Miller.

For those who have read the book and those who haven’t, this movie is definitely worth going to see; catch it before the film’s limited release ends!

BooK:MoVie: the PeRKs oF Being a WaLLFLoWeRkatieBLAND // Feature editor

the gooD, the BaD, & the oKaythe tRageDy oF aRthUR

kamiaRATHORE//Junior co-editorFor a book with such an

interesting premise, The Tragedy of Arthur is a bit of a let down. The novel in and of itself is a complexity, layering reality and illusion over each other. Author Arthur Phillips is his own protagonist, son to a con artist who leaves much to desired for in a father figure. Phillips’ father and his twin sister both share a love for Shakespeare, and desperate for their approval, Phillips becomes an author. The story begins when Phillips receives his father’s copy of a long lost play by the Bard, sharing the title of the novel, and it passes all authentication tests. Despite this, Philips remains convinced that the play is just his father’s last con. Tragedy is great at parts- but also horribly dull, too. Sometimes, it gets caught up in analysis of Phillips relationships- with the Bard, with his father, with his sister- that it becomes largely a novel of ideas. Final consensus: read if you have time. Skip if you’re looking for something engaging.

the gooD, the BaD, & the oKaythe tRageDy oF aRthUR

shreyaBAGALI & olyaGRYNYSHYN // Senior staff writersStarbuckS Spirit!

“I love dressing up, and this seemed like a great opportunity to show my school spirit!”

~Chris Wise12

“The pumpkin spice lattes--they will be

many, and they will be had, and they will be wonderful.”

~Mr. Frishman

On Friday, October 19th, Starbucks offered one Spartan student and one teacher free coffee for an entire year. The requirements? Most school spirit! In the spirit of National Breast Cancer Awareness month, students from all grades dressed Spartan--and dressed pink!

Winners:

Student

Teacher

”In the mundane world of teaching,

having this opportunity was a

fun way to show spirit.”

~Coach Weaston Mr. Frishman

ChrisWise

sanazNAMAKI Junior staff writer // trentWEBER Sophomore sports writerSeven Lakes, who is 3-2 in district

play, is looking for a crucial win this Saturday against Memorial. The Spartans are coming off 2 tough losses to Katy and Cinco, but a win against Memorial could very well keep their season and playoff hopes alive.

With the exception of the last two games, the team has been electrifying on offense. Led by Sophomore Running Back Braeden West, the Spartans have put up 251 points, and over 3,000 yards. West has 1,300 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns alone, as he has already broken multiple school records this year.

“With this being my first year on Varsity, I feel like it’s amazing to come in and be able to do what I am doing,” West said. “I’m a really lucky guy for having those big

guys up front. They’re what make everything happen.”

Look for the sophomore to have yet another breakout game against Memorial.

Although the passing game seemed to completely disappear against Cinco, it has been nearly unstoppable at times throughout the season. Senior Quarterback Kyle Postma has proven he can get the job done, and Senior Wide Receiver Totorian Vaughns has been more than advertised.

“My relationship with Kyle is, and will always be, great,” Vaughns said. “The chemistry we have between the ball and the air just comes from years of him passing to me.”

Seven Lakes also likes to sprinkle in Senior Quarterback Jon Duplantier, who has recently

returned from a knee injury he suffered earlier in the year. Postma and Duplantier have split time the last 3 games.

With the offense coming off a sluggish performance against Cinco, I believe the key for Seven Lakes winning is playing shutdown defense. Look for Senior Linebacker’s Derek Orlando, and Victor Martinez to rise to the occasion. They are backed in the secondary by Senior Cornerback Roderick Champion (RC for short), and Senior Safety Ryan Sigers.

Expect a hard fought game on each side of the ball between these two teams.

A much needed win would keep Seven Lakes alive and in the playoff hunt.

seVen LaKes, MeMoRiaL FootBaLL PReVieW Seven Lakes looks to knock off 6-2 Mustangs in a must win game

Senior Wide Receiver Totorian Vaughns finds the end zone, one of his many touchdowns this year.

Photo Credit: Ignacio Rodriguez

Photo Credit: Ignacio RodriguezPhoto Credit: Ignacio RodriguezSenior Quarterback Kyle Postma rolls out to complete a pass to Sophomore Running Back Braeden West.

As the new sports season begins, the Spartan swimming and diving team has already started on a positive note. Currently undefeated, the varsity swim team recently picked up another win at the Cy-Ranch swim meet. With this, they are ready to tackle the rest of the year, working their way to state.

“It feels really great to start off the season strong, namely with a new record in the 100 fly and fast swims across the board,” Varsity swimmer Pierce Bartine12 said. “We’re off to a good start and hopefully this momentum will lead to bigger success down the road.”

In order to continue their winning streak, the team has continued to put long hours into training. A majority of the varsity swimmers, including Rachel Grooms, Pierce Bartine, Kirsten Hepler, Melissa Hepler, Kate Arceaneux, Lindsay

Shabet, Andrew Steele, Cole Kuzawa, Carson Kuzawa, and Steve Wascom, do both club and school swimming, resulting in longer training hours.

“I have put a lot of training in, as the rest of the team has too,” Varsity swimmer Rachel Grooms11 said. “Most of us swim club too, so we go twice a day for several hours at time.”

With such hard work and dedication, the team has grown extremely close, as each member strives for a stronger and larger team to take to state next year.

“I honestly have the best team ever,” Grooms11 said. “I love every single one of them and we are like a family! We spend so much time together so we became close really quickly, also my teammates help me train harder and push myself more.”

Because swimmers workout alone, they need teammates and coaches to push

them.“Coach Beck has worked us

pretty hard so far with lots of endurance sets along with sprints at the end of every practice,” Bartine12 said. “As November and December come around we’ll be ramping up the intensity even more. We are very unified this year and the energy shows at our meets. As a whole, we are aiming to defend our title of district champions on the men’s side and have our women win their first district title.”

With only three meets down, the team has already created new records and marked new goals. The Spartan swimming and diving team continues to display passion for their sport and will continue to be one of the top teams in the district.

“It feels good to have a successful season so far, it gives us confidence that we can do well at the end of the season, when we are up against all high schools in the district,” Melissa Hepler11 said.

SWIMMERS START STRONGbrittanySCOFIELD // Junior sports editorPreparing for state becomes team focus

CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS COME UP SHORT OF DISTRICT TITLESBoth girls, boys qualify for eighth consecutive regional meetjeremyDYE // Torch Adviser

The Region III Cross Country Championships this Saturday at 9am provides the only chance for a team to qualify for the UIL 5A State Championships at Old Settlers’ Park in Round Rock on November 10th. The top three teams will advance, but what worries Head Boys’ Coach Marvin Rathke is last year’s 4th place finish. The girls’ team finished 3rd last year and were able to take the entire team to state, whereas, the boys qualified Greg White and Nathan Ricketts who graduated last May. Depending on four sophomores, Coach Rathke hopes for a return to Round Rock.

“We’re just excited to go back and have a chance to get to the state meet,” Rathke said. “It’s always nice to have those consecutive years but the state meet is what’s important to us. Hopefully, we can move on this year.”

Thirty-three members of the boys’ team ran their fastest times of the year and Rathke was not surprised.

“We did expect that.” Rathke said, “We expect those guys will run personal bests again when we go to the regional meet this week.”

Each team consists of seven runners but ten will travel to regionals with three being alternates. Senior Zack Schranck ran in the Open Division at district but feels his role as an alternate at regionals is still important.

“If one of the people can’t run I’m automatically the one that gets to step in and fill in for them,” Schranck said, “but I have to do my best and do what I need to do to get to state.”

Sophomore Magnus Sletfjerding ran a 39 second personal record of 16:50 in the junior varsity race and will make the transition to varsity at regionals.

“I thought I was going to do well, but I didn’t expect anything that great,” Sletfjerding said, “I’m just really happy that my training is finally paying off and it really means a lot to me that I get to run region.”

Chandler Rathke10 has been one of the leaders on varsity all year but was not happy finishing out of the top ten at district. He hopes to use his 11th place finish as motivation for this Saturday.

“It was very disappointing, I really wanted top ten,” Chandler Rathke said, “It’s a good feeling when you’re in the top ten. This Saturday I’m going to try and get in the top five actually.”

Roderick Bell10 started out slow at district but worked his way back up to finish as the fifth and last scorer. He feels he will need to pick it up at regionals and is revising his race plan.

“I’m going out harder the first mile and I’ll try to stay with the top pack,” Bell said.

The girls’ team placed second behind Katy to also qualify for regionals for the eighth consecutive year, but first year Head Girls’ Coach David Pollack wants more than just a regional qualification.

“My expectations are to win. That’s what we always try to do and it doesn’t matter if we came in second to Katy, I think we can put a better product on the field this week and we plan on doing so,” Pollack said. “I was very happy with the girls’ performances, a lot of personal bests and I think we are heading in the right direction.”

Erica Brown11 led the team with a third place finish and a five kilometer time of 19:03.

“We did expect Erica to run as well as she did,” Pollack said, “she’s

getting better every single week and we are really looking forward to her putting it into overdrive this week and breaking that 19 minute barrier.”

Beating Katy this Saturday will take the best runners running as well as they can, which they did not do completely this past week.

“[Katy has] to make some mistakes. They are a very talented team, led by a very dynamic coach,” Pollack said, “but I think we can definitely compete with them if we show up.”

Team leader Allison Tracy11 was battling illness the week leading to district and Pollack expects her to make more of an impact this week.

“Allison has been a factor all season; she did have an off week,” Pollack said, “We are really looking forward to her return at full speed and we really think that may be the X-factor that leads us to our first regional championship.”

“I want to beat Emily Voss [of Katy],” Brown said.

What is your dream? Do you want to go to Harvard? Do you want to meet Jennifer Lopez? No? Me neither. Honestly though everyone out there has

a dream and not the Martin Luther King kind of dream, but an aspiration that we want to complete for ourselves.

I had a dream. I wanted to meet Wesley Schultz. Over the summer I developed a crazy obsession with the band called the Lumineers. Most people have no idea who they are because they are still trying to make their bones. Right from the first song, I was hooked. I saw the music

video of “Ho Hey” and that is when I saw him. My Wesley. I knew right away we were soul-mates. It did not matter that he was ten years older than me and that he had no idea I even existed. We would be together soon.

I hurriedly searched online to see if they were touring their new album. At the end of the summer my family was going on vacation to Virginia. I noticed that they already came to Houston; my heart sank. But alas, Fate intervened, The Lumineers were coming to Virginia the same week as my family and I. I bought the tickets on the spot and convinced my reluctant brother to come with me.

At the venue, before the band came out to play, I saw him. Twenty feet away. I literally could not even speak. All I had

to do was scream his name and the stars would align as we meet eyes, but no. I was speechless. Or I had no guts. He walked back with his band members and I lost my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Naturally I was devastated. I would never get to meet him again. I did not know if I should scream and then cry or act out violently. Instead I just watched their set with a heavy heart.

Obviously, I am being dramatic, but the point is that if you have a dream, no matter how crazy or impossible you think it is, do it! Do not be scared or embarrassed. We only get one life and sometimes we allow ourselves to get held back. Don’t be that person. Live your life with no regrets and don’t miss out on what could be the best moment of your life.

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM?juliaNAJM // Senior editor-in-chief

Spartan Who’s our mystery Spartan? Crack the case and find the teacher behind the silhouette!

jessieCHAN // Sophomore staff writer

The secret Spartan will be revealed in the next issue

SpotlightFavorite Movie

Quote: “You whine

like a mule. You

are still alive.” –

Robin Hood

“I lived in Japan for a year.”Dream Vacation

Getaway: Greece

“Once I saw MC Hammer

at the airport.”

Favorite Superhero:

Batman

Favorite Food:

Mexican

“I have a fear of driving over overpasses. They’re scary!”