knightsnewsonline.com ClearFallsHighSchool May2012•Vol.1Num.44380VillageWay•LeagueCity,TX77573

Soccer Girls Surpass GoalsBy MEGHAN MISTRY

Clear Falls girl’s soccer team contin-uedtheschool’straditionofexcellenceinsports.Theteam,likeallotherClearFalls sports, was expected to merelysqueeze themselves into the playoffs;however, their third place in districtstrictlysecuredthemaspotwheretheywenton towin two rounds and com-pete in three. The girls battled

through district, easilydefeating district oppo-nent’s LaMarque andGalvestonBall.The team faced off

against rival Friend-swoodonFeb.2.Steadyand strong defense heldFriendswood from scor-ing the majority of thegame. Unfortunately,Friendswood slipped ina goal towards the end,leavingFallswithadev-astating 1-0 loss. “We were still de-

veloping as a team when we playedFriendswood for the first time. Wedidn’tknowwhat toexpect.Weknewtheyweregood,butwekindofunder-estimatedthem.Afterourinitiallossweworkedashardaswecould,sointhesecond roundwe came back and tiedthem,”sophomoreHayleyDurdensaid.During the second round of district

the team emerged strong, continuingtheir winning streak.When the teamfaced off against short-staffed La-MarqueonMarch23,theKnight’stooka remarkable approach to the game.LaMarque, short one player, had yettoscoreagoalallseason,soafterhalftime the knights chose to merge with LaMarque, forming two new teams.“Wemixed itup, so that itwas some

Falls and LaMarque players againstsomeotherFallsandLaMarqueplay-ers,”HannahKorenek, a junior, said.“Whentheyscoredtheirfirstgoal theLaMarque coach actually started cry-ing. Itwassoexcitingandoneof themostfunexperiencesoftheseason.Wejust cheered them on the whole time andbytheendwewereallbestfriendsandteammates,notrivals.”

Oncetheteamsintegratedandscrim-maged, all goals did not officiallycountforthedistrictrecord.Intheend,thescorewas7-0,theKnightsvictori-ousagainstLaMarque.Following two laborious rounds of

district competition, Clear Falls sur-facedwithathirdplacetrophyindis-trict.Theirsuccessmeantmovingontotheplayoffs,whichenergized thestu-dentbody.“We couldn’t wait to come out and

supporttheteam,”MaggyMulholland,a junior basketball player, said. “A lotofpeoplecamewhenbasketballwasinplayoffssowedecidedwe’dgosupportthemtoo.NobodyeverexpectsthisfromFallssincewe’refirstyearvarsity.”The team played their first playoff

gameinhistoryagainstKippAcademy,where they won 4-0. Many studentscameouttosupporttheminthematchup, with a fan bus even transportingstudentsforthelongdrive.A victory against Kipp Academy

meant another game for the Knights,playing to be the Area Champions.Towin the title the girls encountered

Goose Creek Memorial. They played with theirheartsandsouls,defeat-ingtheteam3-0.But the seasonwasn’t

over for the team andthey had the drive andwork ethic to go far-ther into the play-offs.Practicing endlessly, theKnights focused on de-fensivestrategiestohelpthem in the next roundagainstinfamousdistrictrival,Friendswood.For the third time, the

girl’s varsity team bat-tled Friendswood, des-perateforafinalvictory.

Fans and parents poured into theDickinson stadium on April 5, sport-ing posters, T-shirts and even full-blownbodypainting.Theycheeredtheteam on throughout the entire game,asthescoreswayedbackandforth.FriendswoodleadtheKnightsforape-riodofthegame,beforeagoalbyFalls’SamDurandtiedit.Intheend,however,a referee called a penalty in overtimeand Friendswood won in a shoot-out3-2.The teamexceeded all expectations

andClearFallswasproudtocallthemits own. Next year, even though thevarsity team will make the jump to5-A, theywill continue towork hardanddowhatClearFallsdoesbest:win.

Photo Courtesy of Soccer Team

Trayvon Martin Case DevelopsBy SIERRA HAM

Over the past fewmonths theU.S.has been united as theTrayvonMar-tincontroversyrockedthecountryandinitiatednationwidediscussionsontheroleraceplaysintoday’ssociety.Ithasalsosparkedpassionandsupportfrompeoplealloverthecountry.ThedilemmabeganFeb.26inSan-

ford, Fla. when 17-year-old TrayvonMartinwas shot and killed by neigh-borhoodwatchvolunteer,GeorgeZim-merman. Martin was walking home from a

conveniencestoreonFeb.26wherehehadpurchasedSkittlesandicedtea.Itisreportedthathishoodwasupwhenspotted by Zimmerman, who called911toreportsuspiciousactivity.ZimmermanchosetofollowMartin,

although the911operator specificallytoldhimnottofollow,ascanbeheard

overtherecording.Neighborsandeye-witnesses reported hearing screamingandcriesforhelpdirectlybeforeagun-shot.Whenpolicearrivedonthescene,Martinhadalreadypassedaway.Zimmerman’s defense is using the

StandYourGroundAct,aFloridalawthatallowsresidentstoshootandkilliftheyfeelthreatenedbyanother. The media has repeatedly ques-

tionedwhetherthisisaviabledefenseasABCNewshasreleasedavideoofZimmermanarrivingatthepolicesta-tionwithoutanyvisibleinjuries.IthasalsobeennotedthatZimmerman,asaneighborhood watch volunteer, is notallowedtocarryagun.The Sanford Police Department is

under question in how it handled thecase.According to CNN, besides notarresting Zimmerman, the police de-partment didn’t contact Martin’s par-entsuntilthreedaysafterhisdeath.

The Sanford city commissionershave voted no confidence against po-licechiefBillyLee.Hehas sincean-nounced that he is temporarily step-pingdownasheadofthedepartment.SincetheinitialonsetoftheTrayvon

Martinstory,peoplealloverthecoun-tryhavebeenmoreandmoreinvolved.Protests andmarches have sprung upacrossthecountry,includingtwo“Mil-lionHoodieMarches,”oneinNYConMarch21andtheotherinPhiladelphiaonMarch23.Theybothgatheredthou-sands.Martin’s parents even attendedtheNYCMarch.In Sanford, Reverend Al Sharpton

led a rally with thousands of people.AcrossFlorida, students stagedwalk-outs at schools in protest ofZimmer-man’slackofarrest.The movement has gained a lot of

supporters,fromcelebritiestweeting...Story continued on page 6.

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2•knightsnewsonline.com Village ClearFallsPost•May2012

By MAX VERAS

Atthebeginningof2011,BraydenO’Neal,apre-kindergardenstudentatMossman Elementary, was just likeany other 5-year-old boy, until May2011 when things changed for theO’Neilfamily.BraydenwasdiagnosedwithGlio-

blastoma,agrade4aggressivecancerthataffectsthebrain.Glioblastomahasoneof theworst5-year survival ratesofallcancers.Onaverage,peopledi-agnosed with Glioblastoma only livetwelvemonthsfollowingtheirdiagno-sis.TheO’NeilfamilymovedfromOhio

toTexassothatBraydencouldreceivetreatmentattheMDAndersonCancerCenter inHouston.Hehasundergonesixweeks of daily chemotherapy andradiation followedbymonthlychemosinceJune2011.Hewillbereceivingmore radiation and stronger inpatientchemotherapy that will hopefully ex-tendhislife.Doctorsarestilltryingtodetermine

whether surgery is an option. Evenwith the surgery,Glioblastoma is stillnotcurable. Trying to raise awareness of this

devastatingdisease,MossmanElemen-

tary has teamed upwith Clear Falls High School andBayside In-termediateto help raise money forthe O’Neilfamily.

In all three school stores at the EducationV i l l a g e ,bookmarksand tie-dyewristbandse n g r a v e dwith the words “NEGU Brayden” are beingsold for one dollar.NEGU stands forNeverEverGiveUp.“I’vebeenimpressedwithhowmany

studentsaremotivatedandwanttogetinvolvedinnotonlybuyingthebrace-lets, but selling them as well,” saidDebbieBaconCoordinatorofCamelotKids and Child Development teacheratClearFalls.“It’saway touniteallthreeschoolsforthisonecausetohelp

thissickboyandhisfamily.”BraydenalsohasaFacebookpage

called “Prayers for Brayden” and acharitythatgivesaportionofthemon-ey for research on diseases similar toBrayden’satCuresearch.org.Ifyou,oranyoneyouknow,isinter-

estedinsupportingBrayden’sstruggle,youcanbyabraceletfromtheKnightStandordonatemoneytothecharity.“NEGUBrayden.”

No Knight Ever Fights AloneBy MAX VERAS

Peer Assistance and Leadership(PALS)isamentoringprogramwhichbenefits elementary and intermediatestudentswhoneedextrahelponschoolworkorjustneedafriendtotalkto.High school students who apply to

participate in PALS atCFHShave toberecommendedbyteachersandthenchosen to be in the class by Englishteacher Lindsey Hodges and PALSadviser David Ward. After they areselected to mentor a student they gothroughasix-weektrainingperiod.“They[thestudents]shouldbelead-

ers,”saidWard.“TheyshouldhavetheKnights’characteristics.”Once the training is completed, the

PalisassignedtoaPALee,anelemen-taryorintermediatestudentinneedofhelppickedoutbya teacherorcoun-selor.One of the biggest service areas

for the Knights are the neighboringschools: Mossman Elementary andBaysideIntermediate.There,theClearFalls studentswho cannot drivewalkoverandeithertutortheirpaleeorjusthangoutwiththem.KelseyLippert, junior,hasaPALee

from Bayside Intermediate who sheenjoys helping.“IlovePALS,”saidLippert.“Ihelp

myPalinalotofdifferentways.Some-times I help them with their school work and other times we’ll just talkaboutwhat’sgoingonandwhatprob-lemstheymaybehaving.”TheKnightsalsogotofiveotherel-

ementaryschoolsandoneother inter-mediate school. PALS is not only anorganization.Itbuildsnewfriendshipswhile helping one another.JuniorTaylorMastersenjoyshelping

herPALee,“Iwanthimtofeellikehecanalwayscountonmeandthatheiscaredfor.”

PALS at the Village

Junior Catlin Windus and her palee smile for the camera. Photo by Lilly Boily

Brayden smiles in the hospital. Photo courtesy Sylvia Hevet, Brayden’s Pre-K teacher.

ClearFallsPost•May2012 Arts knightsnewsonline.com•3

By SIERRA HAM

On Feb. 18, Clear Falls hosted theVisual Art Scholastic Event (VASE),astudentartcompetitioninwhichthestudentschoosetheartworktheyenterandfill out awritten formexplainingtheirartandhowtheycreated it.Stu-dents have a face-to-face interviewwithaprofessionalartistandmeetwithajuroronthedayofthecompetition.This year there were 1,812 entries

and only the top 10% went to state.Clear Falls took 40 students, 30 ofthemreceivingthehighestscoreof4.EmilyHansen,HeatherHayes,ShaneConnaughton and Xochitl Perez ad-vancedtostate.“We are so proud of all of our stu-

dents,” said art teacher Shara Appa-naitis.Appanaitis went on to explain how

muchworkallofthestudentsputinandhoweverylevelofart,fromArt1toAPArtcanenterthecompetition.Asidefrombeingagreatmotivation-

alboostforstudents,ithelpsthemtrytheirbest.“Next year,we hopemore students

enter.It’savaluableexperienceanditsfun,”saidAppanaitis.Thestudentsalsohavealotofwork

andpreparationthatgoesintotheVASEcompetition. Preparing is an important aspectandXochtilPerezachievedjustthatbythinkingofanimageshethoughtwasgoodandnottooextravagant.

Besidesbeingamotivationalboost,making state was a great confidenceboostforPerez.“I feel more confident in art now,”

saidPerez.Thenextstepforthesefourstudents

and the art teachers is the state level.Preparationsforthatarealreadyunderwayandacompetitionmindset isbe-ginningtotakehold.“I’mkindofexpectingtheworstso

if I get a big score, Iwill be happy,”saidPerez.Whethertheygethighscoresornot,

the studentswill have put in the besteffortandachievedalot.

Xochitl Perez, junior, and Shane Connaughton, junior, both show their award winning pieces of art. Photo courtesy of Shara Appanatiis

By JULIE JORGENSEN

LastyeartheEmeraldsperformedagoodspringshow:thisyearitwillbeeven better.Held onMay4 and 5 attheClearFallsauditorium,ticketsarealready for sale for$8fromanEmeraldor$10atthedoors.The show will

have all the Emer-alds,boththebabies(firstyearEmeralds)and the ones fromlast year.“Dance is an

art and everybodyshouldcome,”Alex-is Walter, a sopho-more and an Emer-aldsaid.Their theme for

this year’s spring show is color, andthe Emeralds areready to color youaway. Each dancewill focus on a dif-ferentcolor,suchaspinkandpurple.Earlier this year the Emeralds had

totryoutforeachdancetodeterminewhowouldparticipate.TheEmeraldsarecurrentlyworking

their hardest for the upcoming showandtheyareputtingalltheirsweatandpassion into it.“WehavepracticeMondaythrough

Thursdayuntil5.Buttheweekbeforespring showwe practice in the audi-torium every day to 6:00 p.m.,”KariWadeanEmerald,said.The spring show this year is filled

withnew things fromdances to peo-ple. “This year we

have a lot moredances and theyare all really good.There is even goingto be a few specialguests, you have tocomeandseetofig-ureout,”Wadesaid.Thisyear’steamis

twice as big as lastyearandisexpectedto get even biggernextyear.Madison Price,

oneoftheEmeralds,thinksyoushouldgosee it because “Thespring show is gonna befun;wehavebeenpracticingforalong

time andnowwe can showwhatwecan,”MadisonPrice,ajuniorEmerald,said.TheEmeraldshavebeenbusysince

the start of school. They have beenperforming at basketball and footballgames.Thisshowissuretohavecol-oredyournight.

Art Goes to StateA Colorful Knight

Junior Lieutenant Kari Wade practices for spring show. Photo by Max Veras

4•knightsnewsonline.com School Scoop ClearFallsPost•May2012

By SANDA CAVALLARO

Forthe2012TheaterUILCompeti-tion,ClearFall’sdramadepartmentputona renditionofAuthorMiller’sThe Crucible. Before performing for theUILcompetition,thecastofThe Cru-cible preformed their play all day forallEnglishclasses.The play is set in colonial Salem,

Mass. at the same time as the Salem WitchTrials.Ayoungwoman ignitesthe hysteria over the Salem ‘witch-es’when she tries to get her revengeagainstherlover’swifebysayingthatshehadbeenpossessedbythedevilbe-causeofthewoman.Theensuingpan-demoniumdrawstheentiretownintoapanic,andmanyinnocenttownspeopleare accused of witchcraft and put todeath.UILrulesstipulatethatanyplaypre-

formedforthecompetitionmustbecutdownto40minutesorlessandhavenomore than15castmembers.Whenatcompetitionaschoolisallowedalim-itednumberofpropsandsevenminu-etstosetuptheirstage.Judgesadherestrictlytotheserules;anyinfractionisgroundsfordisqualificationIf your school doesn’t get disquali-

fied, then the play is judged by thequality of acting (the whole cast and

individualmembers),theeffectivenessofprops,howwelltheplaywascutandthetechnical(lighting,music,scenery)aspects. Schools compete to have thebest play because the best two playsmoveon to thenext levelof judging.Individual castmemberswhose skillsstandoutcanwinAllStarCastawards.Overall,ClearFall’sdramadepart-

mentwonthirdplace,orfirstalternate.FivecastmemberswerementionedintheAllStarCastawards.CarlySpan-gler,LindseyUrestiandDavisShelferwere all given honorable mentions.FernValezandKatarinaBrownmadeAll-Starcast.The drama department has worked

hard for UIL. According to castmember Lindsey Uresti, rehearsalswere,“longand tiring.” In accordancewith UIL rules, rehearsals were heldMonday through Thursday for twohours;supplementedbyfour tosevenhour rehearsalsonFridaysandSatur-days.Their hard work reaped more re-

wardsthantheawardswonatcompe-tition. The drama department has thesatisfactionofknowing theyputonasuperiorplay,and,inthewordsofDa-visShelfer,“Itwasanenjoyablejour-ney.”

The Crucible at UIL

By SIERRA HAM

“TheFirstAnnualClearFallsTalentShow”startedoffonagreatnote;theatmosphereof theaudiencewasquiteenergetic.Everyonewascheeringandhavingalotoffun.EmceesandStudentCouncilofficers

MaddieHuerta,ToriRuskowski,Han-nahKorenek,AndrewEdoimioyaandTaylor Gore ran the show smoothly,announcingtheactswithvariousskits.They did a great job of keeping theshowtogetherthroughallofthestrug-gleswithsoundcuesandtheorderofthe show. ThefirstactopenedwithaDJmixby

DJJesusGonzalez.Alongwiththetwofigures simply standing, arms crossedinthebackground.Theever-changinglightsgavethemusicanevenbetteref-fect.The next actwas a beautiful rendi-

tionof“AlmostLover”sangbyfresh-man Zoe Ulrickson. The audienceappeared moved by her voice. Next,Lizzie Smith, PaulWalcott andAlexCoronadoperformedFlorenceandtheMachine’s“TheDogDaysAreOver.”Theirversionwaswonderfullyacous-ticandtheyreallydidthesongjustice.Thefourthperformancewassopho-

more Brooke Thompson showcasingherbatontwirlingskills toKatyPer-ry’s“PartofMe.”Next was sophomoreMaddie Bail-

lio’s first performance of the night.She gave the audience a wonderfullydramatic versionof “DivasLament”fromtheBroadwaymusical Spamalot. She really actedup the dramtics ofthe song, givingexpressive facialexpressions thatshocked the audi-ence. The sixth act

was a dance fromEmeralds’ OliviaPenaandJuliaLeeto “Ain’t Noth-ing Wrong WithThat.”Theirdance,while slightly offat points, was oth-erwise good, andyou could tell theamount of practiceanddedication thattheyputintoit.Braxton Feem-

ster and EastonLingo partneredupfora interestingbut altogether lov-able rendition of“One Last Breath'byCreed.Feemster sangwhileLingo

played the guitar. There was a slightmishap in which the guitar became

unplugged butotherwise it was a very smooth per-formance.The next act

meant to go up was AndreaOchoa sing-ing Amy Wine-house’s “Valer-ie.”Howeverhermusic got mixedup. To try andsave her set,Ochoa involvedtheaudience inasing-a-longof“Ifyou’rehappyandyouknowit.”BeforeOchoa’s

music could getsorted, the crewreorderedtheset-list and F.L.Y.Nation, the firstplace winners ofthe talent show,went on instead.They entertainedeverybody withtheir variousdances.Theaudi-

encewas enamoredwith their perfor-

mance, made obvious by the cheerstheyreceived.After F.L.Y.Nation, the setwas al-

tered even more, as the Barracudas,who came in third place, took thestage.Thetenmaledancersperformedtoadancemix.After that, Ochoa retook the stage

andthis timewasable toperformhernumber.The ASL III class, consisting of

Rocky Reinagel, Arielle Zakarian,Shelby Drew, Hannah Jones andShaneGardner, gave the audience anextremely moving, signed version of“JustStandUp.”MaddieBaillioandTaylorTrouttook

the stage for a slowed down duet of“Poker Face.”Their performance andvocals were incredible, earning themsecondplace.The last number was Underlying

Factor.Whileittookawhileforevery-thingtobesetup,andthevocalswereabittooloudinthebeginning,theeffectwasagoodone.After they were finished the audi-

encevotedbyballotforthewinnerandF.L.Y.Nationtookthetitle.Student Council did a great job of

pullingoffClearFall’sfirsttalentshowandhopefullynextyear’swillbeevenbetter.

First Annual Falls Talent Show: A Review

Dodgeball for the Freshman

Freshman students await the next round of the highly popular dodgeball tournament. Photo by Staff

The winning teacher team poses for a group shot. Photo by Staff

By SIERRA HAM

During TAKS week, while thesophomoreandjuniorstestedinmath,science and social studies, the fresh-manhadadodgeballtournament.Theteacherswonagainstthewinningstu-dent team, Coach Evans’ advisory.Mrs. Caraveo’s advisory achievedsecond.

Fashion Show at Clear Falls

By ZOE ULRICKSON

ArebusyonMay14th?Ifnot,comeout and see the Clear Falls fashionshow,“AKnightontheRunway”from6:30-8 p.m. in theCFHS auditorium.

This show will contain various fash-ionsfromMilanandParis,toLondonand even Dallas. The show will alsoholdaraffle.StudentsinMrs.Smith’sFashionMarketingclassandMrs.Yor-lano’s Professional Communicationsclassareworkingtogethertoputonareally great show!The admission forstudentsis$3andadultsare$5.

We also ask that if you have anyGENTLYusedpromdressesthataren’tofusetoyou,pleasebringtheminthenight of the show or to either Mrs.YorlanoorMrs.Smithfor“TheFairyGodmother Project.” This programhelpsstudentsintheHoustonareawhocannotaffordtopurchasepromattire.

Andrea Ochoa sings “Valerie” at the talent show. Photo Courtesy of Charlie Herring

ClearFallsPost•May2012 SPORTS knightsnewsonline.com•5

By SIERRA HAM

ClearFallshasanexcellentathleticprogram,withwinning teams in bothgirlsandboyssports.Butwithout thetrainer program at Clear Falls, manyofourathleteswouldbeinalotmorepain.Thetrainingprogramismadeupof

a wide range of students and run bycoachesJessicaHilgendorfandThom-asBradley.TryoutstobecometrainerswererecentlyheldonApril30,butHil-gendorfmadeitclearthattheprogramisopentomorestudents.Lots of time and effort goes into

being student trainers. Trainers learnaboutthedifferentbonesandmusclesinthebody.Theyalsogotoalotofthesportinggamesandevents,butstudenttrainerShelbyRodriguezsaidshelikedthatpartbecausethegamesarefun.

ThetrainersatClearFallsreallydoalot,fromevaluationsandrehabofinju-riestotapeingandstretching.“I clean, helpout thehead trainers,

and tape, wrap and ice the athletes,”saidRodriguez.

Participating in the training program canalsohelppreparestudentsfortheirfuture careers. It helps students whowanttogointothemedicalfield.“Somestudentsgoontoaprofession

[in training] and some do it for fun,”saidHilgendorf.Some students even devote their

whole high school careers to being atrainer.Besidesbeingagoodandhelp-fulexperience,itispossibletoreceivea college scholarship, not to mentionlettermen patches if a student stickswith training.“Iloveit.It’swhatIwanttodo,”said

Rodriguez.

Inside with Trainors

By MEGHAN MISTRY

The 2011-2012 school year wasClearFalls’firstyearforamajorityofsportstogovarsity:duringitsinaugu-ralyearonly individualones, suchastennis ,wrestling or swimming, madetheUILqualificationstobevarsity.Manyoftheathletesinvolvedinthe

athleticdepartmentparticipatedat thevarsitylevelforthefirsttimethisyear,leavingmanyschoolstoexpectgamesagainst Falls to be the easy “gimme”games.However,ClearFallswas justthe opposite, leaving their mark onDistrict24-4A.Boysfootballwastheonlysportthat

remainedatthejuniorvarsitylevelthisyear, leaving soccer, basketball, soft-ball, baseball, volleyball and cheer-leadingtomoveup.Even though football remained JV,

theteamfacedmanyvarsitylevelop-ponents. At times the team emergedvictorious, but at others itwas left toleavethefieldwithonlyknowledgeofthegameandthesatisfactionofknow-ingtheteamworkedhard.Othersports,suchasgirlsbasketball,

volleyball and soccer, dominated dis-trictplay.GirlsvolleyballwasthefirstClearFallssporttoentertheplayoffs.Theyremainedastrongteamthrough-outthedistrictseason,endingitinthirdplace.Fromthereon,theywerenamedthe Bi-District and Area championsbefore losingaclosematch in the re-gionalquarterfinals.The girls varsity basketball team

received second place in district andwentfourroundsinplayoffs.Addition-ally,theychallengedthemselvesbyen-teringtournamentsthatincludedsomeof 5A’s top teams, such as the ClearCreek Classic. Girlssoccergotthirdindistrictand

competed in three play-off rounds.They battled hard against district op-ponentFriendswood(threetimesactu-ally) and showed their compassion inanintegratedgameofFalls/LaMarqueplayers versus Falls/LaMarque play-ers.Boys basketball battled hard the

whole season long but ended up notadvancingtoplayoffs.Boys soccer played their hearts out

but fell short in their first play-offgame.Theteam,however,placedthirdin district, a great position consider-ing District 24-4A includes the state

-rankedFriendswoodteam.Other sports, such as softball and

baseball,havenotconcluded.Softball,however, has already begun playoffsafterplacingthird.Cross country was a second year

varsity sport and continued its (one-year)traditionofadvancingtoregion-als. Girlsgolfcompetedat regionalsaf-

ter they were named district champsbutdidnotadvancetostate.Boysgolf(alsodistrict champs)was just shyofadvancingasavarsityteamtothecom-petitioninAustinbutdidsendsopho-more,RaulHernandeztostate.Clear Fallswaterpolo team stunned

theschoolinthemiddleofAprilafterwinning all their games at regionals andsecuringaspotatthestatecompe-tition.Thewaterpoloteamis theonlyvarsity level teamsport toadvance tostate.

So what is it that makes Clear Falls so talented? The school, included onmany others schedules for easy com-petition,exceededallexpectationsandplacedinalmosteverysinglesport.“Successcomesfromallsortsofdif-

ferent places,” said Head Girls Ath-leticCoordinatorShannonOsborne.“Itcomesfromathomeandtheworketh-ic,anditcomesfromthekindofweightprograms installed at Clear Falls. Itcame from prior knowledge, and thekindofprideandloveastudenthasforthesport.Italsocamefromthekindofcommunity we fostered. We fosteredacommunityof sharingathletes.Andwhenyoushareathletesthebetterath-letesgettodomultiplesports.”Maybe the doubts of other schools

compelled the Falls athletes to workendless hours at full force, ormaybetheschoolisjustfullofnaturaltalent.One thing is for sure though, theath-letic department is staffed with somehard-working,knowledgeablecoaches.“Beingthenewkidontheblockand

the baby of CCISD, there was somewishful thinking thatwewouldn’t betoosuccessful.Idon’tthinktherewasanyquestionthatwehadalotofniceathletescomingover.“Mygoal is thesamefornextyear.

I see us as top four in district.Obvi-ously5Aisbiggerandfasterandstron-gerbutI thinkourteamssawalotof5Acompetitionthisyearaswell,”saidOsborne.

Clear Falls Knights Succeed in 4A Sports

The Clear Falls baseball team members show their sportsmanship with the Sante Fe team. Photo by Staff

The Clear Falls Basketball team plays Sante Fe during thier breast cancer awareness game. Photo by Max Veras

Junoir Jack Blythe stays focused during the varsity game against Sante Fe.Photo By Staff

6•knightsnewsonline.com NEWS ClearFallsPost•May2012

By SANDA CAVALLARO

Pop quiz: what is pink slime andwhereisitfound?(No,itisnotthenewgoousedatNickelodeon’sKidChoiceAwards.)Pinkslimeisaninexpensivebeef additive that is made from fattyleftovers and low-grade trimmingsfrom connective tissue. It is found incheep ground beef, most school beefproductsandinmanyfastfoodrestau-rants. Thepublicstartedtocomplainabout

pinkslime(notbecausetheverycon-cept of unknowingly eating cow ten-dons and ligaments is too disgustingfor words) because it came out thatbefore pink slime is sold it is treatedwithammoniatokillbacteria.Yes,thesameammoniafoundincleaningsup-

pliesmighthavebeenintheburgeryouatelastFriday.Thankfully pink slime has been off

ClearCreekschoolmenussinceMarchof2012.In reaction to the widespread, un-

knowing consumption of pink slime,massprotestshavebeenstagedagainsttheuseofpinkslimeasatypeoffillerincommercialbeefproducts.Protesterssightthehealthriskofeat-

ingmeatwithahighfatcontentandtheammoniaused toclean thebeef.Pinkslime producers responded by sayingthatthehypewasunfounded,andthatpink slime,madewith fatty leftovers,is actually a healthy lean beef substi-tute.Pink slime producers have been

feeling thepinchas restaurants; some

schooldistricts,grocerystoresandin-dividualconsumershavestoppedbuy-ingtheirbeef.AFAfood,agroundbeefprocessor,hasfiledforbankruptcy,andthe Iowa governor has called for aninvestigationontheeffectspinkslimehas on health. To boost consumer confidence in

pinkslime,andtoplacateconstituentswhosetaxdollarswillhelppayforpinkslimeinschoollunches,TexasGover-nor Rick Perry, alongwith two othergovernors,touredapinkslimeplantonThursday,April 5.The tourwas sup-posedtoprovethatpinkslimeissafe,healthyandactuallytastelikebeef.Thegovernorshopetheiractionswill

buoytheprocessedmeatindustryasthe300Texanworkerswhoareemployedbypinkslimeprocessingandpacking

plantsarenotabletoworkbecauseoftheprotests.Theywatchedtheproduc-tion process and listened to speechesfromthecompanyowners.Theydidnotactuallyeatapinkslime

burger.The most shocking reaction to the

publicprotestagainstpinkslime:TacoBellandMcDonaldshavebannedpinkslime from their burgers. This corpo-rate decision completely underminesthe three governors attempt to showthat pink slime is okay. Iftwofastfoodcompanies,whoare

notknownforservingfivestarrestau-rant quality food, refuse to use pinkslime in their food, there has to besomething wrong with it.

Do You Want Slime With That Burger?

By SANDA CAVALLARO Whenpeoplegoonacruisetheyunderstandthateverymeasurehasbeentakentoassuretheirsafetywhileinthecareofthecruisecompany.Allbagsarescreenedbeforetheyareal-lowedonboardand100-metersafetyzonesaresetuparoundtheshipwhenitisdockedtopreventterroristattacks.

Thecruisecompanycannotbookmorepassengersthancanbeheldinthelifeboat,uptodatenavigationinstrumentslimittheamountofhumanerrorthatcanoccurwhilepilotingtheshipandthecrewistrainedtodealwithemer-gencies on the high seas. Sowhyhavetherebeenthreebadac-cidentsinvolvingcruiseshipsthisyearalone?OnFriday,March13theCostaCon-cordiacrashedoffthecoastofItaly;22peoplewerenotrecovered,andthecaptainisfacingcriminalmanslaugh-tercharges.Survivorssaythecrewwasdisoriented.OnFeb.2theMVRabaulQueen

sunkoffthecoastofPapuaNewGuiney;therearestillaround100people missing. Mostrecentlyaluxurycruiseship,theSilverShadow,collidedwithacargoshipoffthecoastofVietnamonMarch16.Noonewasharmed,butpassengerssaidthatthecrewwasunhelpfulanddisorientedduringthe

accident.So,isgoingonacruisewithalargecommercialcompanystillsafe?TheItaliangovernmentistakinglegalac-tionagainstthecaptainoftheCostaConcordia,butitistoolatetosavethelivesofthepeoplewhoperished.InsituationssimilartotheConcordiaandRabualincidents,lawenforcementcanpunishthepeoplefoundatfault.Peoplecannotberesurrected,andtheholetheyleaveinlovedones’heartscanneverbefilled.Congressislookingintoenforcingstrictersafetyregulationsoncruiselin-erstobetterprotecttheconsumer.

about the case to a petition run byMartin’s parents on Change.org. Thepetitionhas receivedover1.5millionsignatures.The casehasgotten somuchatten-

tion;politicalfiguresaretalkingaboutit. PresidentObamaspokeaboutitina

WhiteHousespeechonMarch23.“IfIhadason,hewould look likeTray-

von.” The now famous quote has re-ceivedalotofpressbyitself.On Wednesday April 11, Florida

State Attorney, Angela Corey, an-nounced charges against Zimmermanforsecond-degreemurder.Hehassincebeen released on bail from a Floridaprisonfor$15,000.HeisnowawaitinghisarrangementsetforMay29.

Cruise Regulations Questioned

By JULIE JORGENSENNorway’sterrorcomingtoanendNine months ago July 22, 2011,

Norwayfacedoneofthemostterriblecrimes in its history.Seventy-sevenpeopledied,8ofthem

werebombedinthecapitalofNorway,Oslo,and69fromashootingatUtøja.Theman that is accused for all the

terroris33oldAndersBreivik.OnApril 15, 2012 his trial started,

news outlets from all over the worldarecoveringit.ThetrailistakingplaceintheTingreetcourtinOslo.Breivikwillbetrialedoneachindi-

vidualcharge(the77murders)duringthenexttenweeks.Breivik both smiled and laughed

duringthefirstdayoftrial.Beforehesatdownhemadeagreetingwithhisleft arm, similar towhatAdolphHit-lerusedtodoashisgreeting.Thelistof the people killed was read aloud.Breivikadmits tohavecommittedthecrime, but doesn’t think he shouldbe punished for his crimes. Duringthe trial apropagandavideomadebyBreivikisshownwhichbringshimtotears.LateravideoisshownfromthebombingoftheparliamentofNorwayinOslo,whichmadeBreiviksmile.TheseconddayoftrialBreivikread

his explanation that took more thanan hour, even though Judge WencheElizabeth Arntzen had only allotted

him 30 minutes. Here he said that ifhecouldhewoulddoitagain.Healsodemandedthathebefoundnon-guiltyin the trial,believinghehasnotdoneanything illegal. OnthethirddayofthetrialBreivik

seemednervousandrefusedtoanswermultiple questions. Breikvik said heexpected to die during the bombingoftheparliament.Healsotoldthatheonlyconsidersdeathpenalty,whichisnotallowedNorway,orthatheisfoundnon-guilty,asfairoutcomeofthetrial.On the fourth day of trial Breivik

saidthathehadplannedtobeheadthepeople atUtøja, he had even broughttools tohelphimwith it.He said thegoalhadn’tbeentomurder69peoplebuttomurdereverybodyatUtøja.The fifth day of trial Breikvik said

thatmoviesinspiredhimtocommitthecrimes.Hesaiditwaseasierforhimtodoitbecausehehadputallhisfeelingsawayatthemomentofthekilling.Onthesixthandlastdayofhearings,

Breiviksaidthathefeltsorryforalltheliveshehadruinedbutthatpeoplealsohadtounderstandthathislifewasalsoruined.The trial is expected to come to an

endnolaterthanJuly202012,2daysbeforetheone-yearanniversaryoftheterror.Alltheinformationgiveninthsarti-

cleisfromtheDanishnewspaperB.T.

Breivik on Trial for Killing of 77 People

Trayvon continued from page 1

Photo courtesy of MCT Campus

Photo courtesy of MCT Campus

ClearFallsPost•May2012 POP CULTURE knightsnewsonline.com•7

Israeli Modeling StandardsBy MEGHAN MISTRY

The modeling world crawls withsize0women,flawlessandperfectorsoHollywoodportraysthem.Thisim-age, plastered on magazines and adsanddisplayedoncatwalksorinmov-ies,setsthebarformanyteenagegirls.Butthisstandardisunrealisticandof-tenisn’teventrulyachievedbymodelsthemselves.Millionsofteenagegirlsaroundthe

world suffer from eating disorders,suchasbulimiaandanorexia,as theytrytoattainthebodiesofnumerousce-lebrities.As teenage girls and Hollywood

models suffer from disorders, Israelhaspassedalawbanningmodelsfromwork if their bodymass index (BMI)slipsbelow18.5,whichnormallyindi-catesmalnutrition.Additionally, the law requiresmod-

elstohandoveramedicalreportfrom(atmaximum) threemonthsagopriortoeveryphotoshoot.Beyond actual health, the law re-

quires magazines and ads to clearlywrite on themwhether images of the

modelsweredigitallyenhancedorma-nipulated.The new legislation is a landmark

for the fashionworld,which is large-ly self-regulated. According to ABCNews, this is the first law passed byany country to regulate the health ofmodels within the fashion industry.Manycountrieshavepassedguidelinesbutnotanyactuallegislation.

BoththeMadridandMilanfashionshowshavesimilarrequirements,ban-ningmodelswithaBMIof less than18and18.5,respectively.Theregulationswillrequirewomen

whoseBMIsnaturallyfallunder18.5togainweight,buttheywillalsocre-ate a healthier, positive image forwomen in the lime-light. Thicker,morerealisticmodelscould

also improve teenage thinkingby re-ducingthenumberofgirlswitheatingdisordersandestablishingmorerealis-ticstandards.

Israeli’s legislation comes at a per-fecttimeasHollywoodsparksdebateoverbodyimageinlieuoftheactresswho plays Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. Jennifer Lawrencehasbeencriticizedasbeing“toobig”toplaythestarvingheroinewithinthemovie. Her healthy body, which ismoresimilartogirlsoftoday’ssociety,issaidtobealmost“toohealthy”andthatweightneedstobeshedforhertobe a more accurate representation ofthe character.

Roman Reloaded Review

By SANDA CAVALLARO

The100yearanniversaryofthesink-ing of the Titanic has been acknowl-edged in a number of dif-ferentways:manyacademicjournals(NationalGeograph-icincluded)haverunarticleson various aspects of theTitanic, three luxury cruiseships have crashed this year(curseof theTitanicmuch?)and most importantly (ifyou are into romance mov-ies) James Cameron’s 1997smash hit Titanic was rere-leased onApril, 4 2012. In3D.Don’tworrypeople; noth-

ing fundamental about themovie has changed. Titanic 3D is the same epic romanceof JackandRose thatmadeyou love,orhatewhateverthecasemaybe,theoriginalTitanic flick.CélineDion’s heart still

goeson,Rosestilldumpsthediamondin the sea (woops, spoiler) and Jackstill drowns/freezes to death. Just inglorious‘real’3D.

WoopdeDoo.IsHollywood so strapped for ideas

thatthemovieindustryfeelslikeithastorereleasea15-year-oldmovetoturn

aprofit for thisquarter?Dofilmpro-ducershavesuchadisregardformoviegoers that theybelieve that refurbish-inganoldfilmin3Dwillmakeupfor

thefactthattherehaven’tbeenanygoodnewmov-iesof late? (Theanswerisyesbytheway.)Apparently moviego-

ers worldwide are OKwiththat.TicketsalesforTitanic 3D made $88.2million by the secondweek of showing, andpushedtheprofitsforthewhole Titanic franchisetotwobilliondollars.So,ifyouareamovie

writer, director or pro-ducer and your NewYear resolutions includ-

edjoininganewtaxbracket,justcon-vinceyourbosstoconvertyourfilmto3Dandreleaseversion2.0tothepub-lic.

Photo Courtesy of MCT Campus

Photo Courtesy of MCT Campus

By MEGHAN MISTRY

If you took two hours out of yourscheduletogowatchNicholasSparks’latestbooktomovielovestory,youcer-tainlyweren’tasluckyasthetitlewouldyouleadyoutobelieve.Basically,TheLuckyOne,isawaste

oftwoorsohoursand$9.25.Thebook,however,isawiseinvestment.Sowhatmakes the two differ? Maybe it’s thecast, with hottie Zac Efron and untal-ented Taylor Schilling. Or, maybe it’sthefactthatthemovieisanincrediblypoorrecreationofSparks’clevernovel.Whateveritis,theonlywaytotruly

experience Sparks’ masterpiece is tobuythebookandloseyourselfineach

andeverypage.TheLuckyOne follows thestoryof

Logan Thibault (Efron), an ex-marinewho walks from Colorado to NorthCarolinatolookforBeth(Schilling),awoman in a photograph who he claims ishisluckycharm.*SpoilerAlert*Thetwo begin an exclusive relationshipwhileThibaulthelpsBethbattleagainsthersexuallyharassingex-husbandandherbulliedson.Theplot is prettybasicbut includes

some original scenes that make the love story one of Sparks’ sensations.Butsomehow,directorScottHicksandscreen writerWill Fettersmanaged toscrew the entire story up by develop-ing theirownscenes,onesnotwritten

bySparks.Specifically,theyaren’thalfbad,butinthemixofthemovietheun-Sparks-ly-like scenes alter the tone ofthemovie.So why did Fetters and Hicks do

this? The scenes created do help di-vert attention away from Schilling’sclearly scripted performance. Her act-ing throughout themovie is incrediblyatrocious:sheseemstostareintospace(ormaybeatateleprompter)tosay,notevenactout,herlines.Efron, however, does a remarkable

job stepping out of his High SchoolMusicalpersonaandintotheshoesofarealman…andaheart-throb.Hisactingisn’ttooshoddy,evenifhisgoodlooksanddeepblueeyescoverupforit.

The Lucky One Not-So Lucky

By MAX VERAS

Bestknownforhermultipleperson-alities, including everyone’s all timefavorite, Roman Zolanski, and hismother,MarthaZolanski,NickiMinajdebuted her sophomore album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded onApril 3,leavingher fans,knownasbarbzandken barbz, celebrating the “RomanHoliday.”The album, composed of multiple

genressuchasrap,hip-hop,R&B,popand even some ballads, gives a widevarietyofmusic,suitabletofitanyofMinaj’sbarbztasteinmusic.

Commencing with the song that causedcontroversyatthe54thAnnualGrammys, “RomanHoliday,”Minaj’salterego,Martha,warnshersonabouthimneedinga“shortvacation,”whileRomanreplieswith,“I’maputherinadungeon,under,under,”meaninghe’snotgoingtorestuntilhe’sontopoftherap game.WhileRomanargueswithhismoth-

er,Minaj continues on the “rap” partof the album. She features Cam’RonandRickRossin“IamYourLeader,”2-Chainzin“BeezintheTrap,”andhermentor,LilWaynein“RomanReload-ed.”ShealsoboastsaboutbeinginthesamelaneasrapperJay-Z.“I’mintheHOVlaneandyou,soultrain.”Allowed to brag about her accom-

plishments,Minajcelebratesthemwith“Champion,” featuring Nas, Drake,andYoungJeezy.Shelatertalksaboutmissingherlovedonein“RightByMySide”withChrisBrown.Track 10 on the album seems to

switchgearsfromRomantoNickiwiththe summer-feel song, “Starships,”whichpeekedatnumberfiveonBill-boardsTop100chart.Fourotherclubbanging,technosongsfollow,showingthatMinajcanproduceothergenresofmusicwithouthesitation.And since pop music wasn’t hard

tohandleforMs.Minaj,shegaveherbarbz and ken barbz three ballads:“MarilynMonroe,” “Young Forever,”and “Fire Burns.” In “Marilyn Mon-roe,”Minajletsherfansknowthatshemakesmistakesjustlikeanyotherhu-manbeing.“I’minsecure,yeahImakemistakes,sometimesIfeel likeI’mattheendoftheworld.”InaninterviewonNBC’sTheTodayShow,Minajsaidshe saw something in Marilyn Mon-roe’s eyes. “Itwas like a longing forsomething, like a longing for approv-al,”saidMinaj.After showing her barbz the softer

sideofNickiMinaj,shefinishedwith“GunShot”featuringBeenieManand“Stupid,Stupid,”whichbrokeVevo’srecord of video most seen within 24hourswith4.8millionviews.Between thesick rhymes thatcome

outofRoman’smouthandthebubblyphrasesthatNickiannunciatesinPink Friday: Roman Reloaded,it’snowon-der the album is already platinum intheU.S.andgoldintheU.K.

Titanic 3D Just Won’t Let Go

6)AnEmerald dancer readies herselfbefore theMiss Drill Team Competition byapplyinghermakeup.ThisisthesecondyearfortheEmeralddrillteam,whichwonnumer-ousawardsthiscompetitionseason.Photo by Peaches Bretanus

4) Juniors Jonathan Lowery andMaggy Mulholland pose with their milkmustaches. The two were chosen for theirathletic abilities to be used as models onposters distributed to various elementaryand intermediate schools. The posters willhelppromotetheintakeofhealthysubstanc-es,suchasmilk.Photo by Stephanie Branch

ClearFallsPost•May2012 Fun@Falls knightsnewsonline.com•8

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2)CarlySpangerandMaryKoreneksharea scene from their performance of the theatredepartment’sUILoneactplay,The Crucible, toClearFallsEnglishclassesintheauditorium.Thetwoplayyounggirlswhoaccuseolderwomenofbeingwitches.Photo by Van Huynh

3) Juniormembers of theVarsity base-ballteam,MarkSkinnerandKyleThomaspre-paretobat.Theteammatesandpairoffriendsstretchtogetherandreadythemselvesfortheirdistrictgame.Photo by Van Huynh

1)MossmanElementarystudentsofvariousgradesgathertogetherforapictureduringthesecondannualMoss-man Elementary Carnival. The stu-dents sport “Knight’s Fever” t-shirtsthatmatchthethemeofthecarnival.Photo by Staff

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5)LyndseyReynolds,afreshman,com-petesinpole-vaultatherfirsthighschooldistricttrackmeet,heldhereatClearFalls.Thevarsitygirlstrackteamhadthreemem-bersqualifyandcompeteattheRegionalcompetition,heldatSamHoustonStateUniversityonApril28.Photo by Will Blalock

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