Volume 3 ● Issue 2

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IndexNews

New Teachers add flavaa...pg.5NHS celebrates annual carni-val....pg. 6

Lifestyles

How to be a heartbreaker....pg. 7A cup full of cookie...pg.7Horoscopes...pg. 8TV favorites return in Novem-ber...pg. 9Upcoming books and movies create excitement...pg.9Fashion trends gone wrong....pg. 10November’s National Holi-days...pg. 10

Features

Rixton mixes genres...pg. 11 Weird or what....pg. 11Claire pan achieves goals...pg.12Shakeel Jessa takes stage...pg.12Hyped up game has potential comeback...pg.13

Perspectives

Year round school...pg.16Or nah...pg.17

Sports

Thanksgiving offers fantasy advice...pg. 14Edwards dunks on life....pg. 15Daly mixes school with ath-letics...pg. 15

Voices

What is your Thanksgiving tradition?...pg. 18 Humans of Clements: If you could bring back any dead rel-ative what would you say?...pg. 19

Publication PolicyThe Round Up, a feature magazine pub-lished by the students in Clements High School’s Magazine Journalism class, is a designated forum for student expression. The Round Up is distibuted to its readers

and the student body at no cost.

Volume 3 ● Issue 2

Your AD could

be here!

From the Editors’ desk Term shows different sides

Loneliness blooms beautiful as well

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By SAMANTHA JREIJCo-Editor-in-Chief Bukowski kills. I mean that in the most respectful way, of course. He said a lot of things, most of which I could have spent my entire high school career trying to de-vour and understand, which, in my opin-

ion, probably would have taught me more about life than Clements ever could have. However, that is not the point. One of the things Bukowski said was, “We are like roses that have nev-er bothered to bloom when we should have bloomed and it is as if the sun has become disgusted with waiting…” Maybe he means we are entirely un-aware of our potential as human be-ings, or more likely he means we are wasting our potential as human be-ings either way he has a point, right? Except there is a lot wrong with that. How do we know which roses are going to bloom? Someone I know recently said to me that people who contribute nothing to the human race should be put in prison, be-cause they are criminals. They are deny-

ing the human race their addition, their contribution, if you will. Keeping to one-self has always been considered taboo. Loneliness, solitude, both things looked down upon with a negative connotation, if you are lonely you are a sad creature. Bukowski had a lot to say about loneliness. To him its connotation was not negative but rather tasteful; he had it down to an art. Being alone with your thoughts- now, is that just a cliché or is it something more? Is it the key to genius? Is it the only way to look at yourself, to reflect? We are born alone and we die alone. No one will ever be in your mind, but you. The lonely rose blooms, too. Just because it does so in private does not mean it failed to do so at all. It was beautiful, too.

By LAURYN MERRIETTCo Editor in Chief Ever since Twilight aired in theaters, vampires have been a popular fixture in entertainment. They are in TV shows, movies, books, and everywhere else you could think of. Some people find it ir-ritating, but I find it interesting and excit-ing to constantly see new takes towards the myth that is vampires. Some sparkle, others burn, sleep, or find a way avoid the sun in the daytime. Some elements are the same but there are things that are different as well. So if you are like me and like a vampire fix every now and then, here are some shows and movies you can watch. Hemlock Grove- Vampires, werewolves, and a murder mystery make for an inter-esting show for all you fans of things a bit scarier. This Netflix original series cen-ters around a town called Hemlock Grove and the strange murders going on within it. If you want to find out who is behind

them you will have to watch to find out. Vampire Diaries- The term vampire is in the title so you know you are in for some-thing good. A variety of supernatural be-ings along with romance and mystery in between make for really good TV show. The Originals- A spinoff of The Vampire Diaries, the show follows two of the sib-lings who are part of the original vampire family as they retake their home of New Orleans. Suffice to say, heads will roll. Dracula: Untold- A new twist to the tale of Dracula shows him as a kind of warrior and how he becomes a vampire to protect his family and people in this new movie based on the legend. A definite must see. True Blood- This show is shown on HBO and is based in the town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. It features main character Sookie who can read minds but doesn’t know why, Bill the brood-

ing vampire,, and many more interest-ing characters. This show is full of sus-pense and action and the end of every episode will leave you wanting more. I hope that next time you get a craving for something with fangs, these suggestions help you out.

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NEWS

By JAIDA SWANSONReporter Meet Brandon Lee and Benjamin Rabideau, new members of the Cle-ments High School faculty. Lee is a mathematics teacher and is currently teaching Geometry, Algebra 1, and Al-gebra 2. Rabideau teaches the LIFE skills ACAP program, a class for stu-dents ages 18-22 with special needs. “I am teaching them functional skills so that they will be able to be inde-pendent at home,” said Rabideau. Lee has been a teaching assistant at Uni-versity of Houston for five years and this is Rabideau’s first year of teaching, but he was an intern at Robinson High School in Waco, Texas. Lee graduated from Kempner High School and University of Houston. Rabideau graduated Morton Lee’s favorite part of teaching is inter-acting with all of his students. Mean-while, Rabideau like to see his students grow and make progress and seeing their smiles when they are able to do some-thing that they previously could not do. To Lee, Clements High School students are a lot more mature than college kids.

New teachers add flavaaaaaaRa bideau

LEE

Photo Cred: Jaime Rodriguez

Photo Cred: Jaime Rodriguez

Ranch High School in Katy and

gradu. “I have a passion for helping students with special needs become as independent as possible,” said Rabideau. “CHS students are great and are defi-nitely top notch students who will do great things with their lives,” said Lee. As a whole, Rabideau thinks that CHS is a great school and could not think of a better place to start his teaching career and Lee knows that CHS soars in academics. Lee likes the staff and Rabideau finds them supportive and very helpful. Both Lee and Rabideau love their job at CHS. Lee’s method of teaching is lec-ture and group discussion then just talking. Rabideau’s favorite method of teaching is called MUY Caliente. “It stands for Me, Us, You, Check for Understanding. The teacher models for the students, works on it with them, let the students work independently, and finally check for understanding to make sure the students learned the material,” said Lee. Lee’s expectations are for his students to work hard. Rabideau wants his stu-dents to become as independent as pos-sible and to progress in his class. Lee

is an avid reader and mainly focuses on work. Rabideau enjoys swim-ming, watching television, sleeping, spending time with family, and cheer-ing for his favorite teams, the Green Bay Packers and the Baylor Bears. Lee’s life motto is to work hard. Ra-bideau’s two life mottos are both by the Green Bay Packer Coach, Vince Lombardi and they state that, “Lead-ers aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that’s the price we’ll have to pay to achieve that goal or any goal.” The second one is “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”

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NHS celebrates annual carnivalBy SAMEEN SIDDIQUI News Editor This year, NHS is holding its annual carnival dedicated to special needs chil-dren on Saturday, December 6 in the Commons. Admission is free and the kids are allowed to bring whomever they would like to go along with them. This carnival is to help support and encourage special ed students to enjoy themselves with a night filled with entertainment and joy. “The purpose of the carnival is that it is for kids with special needs. So it is a really good opportunity for spe-cial needs children to come, have fun and interact with the NHS members,” said Emily Golden, NHS sponsor. NHS has planned many activities that all the special needs children will en-joy. Some activities are face painting, beanbag tossing, and arts and craft. Not only do they have these indoor activ-ities, but the NHS students and Golden

have also organized outdoor activities, such as, blowing bubbles, hula hoop contests and relay races. Once they have finished the fun activities, they get tickets and prizes awarded to them. This carnival is not only fun for the spe-cial needs children, but also for the NHS volunteers because they get the chance to interact with the special ed children. “Volunteers always have a blast as well as the kids. In fact, so many more kids than we expected came last year, and we were actually running out of volunteers! This year we are ready for the large turnout, so we will have lots of volunteers,” said Matthew Muttammara, NHS president. This carnival is beneficial for the NHS students because they get to interact and talk with children that they usually do not talk to. Also, this year is going to be a little different than last year’s because it is held in December and will be winter themed rather than having a fall theme. In the past, there has been nothing but

wonderful feedback from the special needs kids, who become very upset when the carnival came to an end, to the parents that think the NHS members are wonderful for putting up this carnival for all the kids.

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LIFESTYLESHow to be a Heartbreaker

By JAIDA SWANSONReporter Ever feel like Cookie Monster? Do you crave a hot, moist choco-late chip that melts in your mouth? Are you tired of the same old thing? Here is an easy recipe on how to make a chocolate chip cookie in a mug, just in time for fall. This makes one serving. This was based on a rec-ipe found on thecomfortcooking.com.Ingredients: 1 tablespoon of butter (salted or unsalt-ed)1 tablespoon of granulated sugar

½ teaspoon of vanilla extractPinch of salt (1/8 teaspoon)1 egg yolk3 tablespoons of all purpose flour1-2 tablespoons of dark or milk choco-late chipsdash of cinnamon1 cup of love! Melt butter in the microwave (30 sec-onds should be fine). Mix all ingredi-ents except yolk, flour, and chocolate in your mug. Stir in yolk until you cannot see the yellow. Add flour. Gen-tly stir in the chocolate chips. Put the mug in the microwave for 40-50 sec-onds. Enjoy with ice cream or milk!

In a recent survey of 100 college students, over 28 per cent, or one in three students reported having been “techno-dumped.” That means that through voice-mail, an-swer phone, telephone, text, or email, a relationship is ended. Techno-dump-ing has evidently become a popular thing to do. But is it appropriate? Are there better ways to leave your partner? The following five strategies are common ways break ups are cur-rently initiated according to peo-ple who have done the dumping: 1.Withdrawing and avoiding the partner (e.g., ‘‘I avoided contact with my partner as much as possible.’’) 2.Manipulating the partner (e.g., ‘‘I be-came unpleasant to my partner in the hopes that s/he would make the first move.’’) 3.Using an impersonal form of com-munication (e.g., ‘‘inform my part-ner of my feelings in an e-mail’’) 4.Using a positive tone (e.g., ‘‘I avoided hurting my partner’s feelings at all costs.’’) 5.Being open with the partner (e.g., ‘‘I openly expressed to my partner my desire to breakup’’)

The first three can be very hurtful, the worst possibly being the imper-sonal break up. Impersonal breakups are just plain bad manners. It is a sign that the relationship was never really a true one, and it demeans the person being dumped while putting the oth-er partner in the light of a “bad guy.”

Another way many teens get the break up news is through friends. The “dump-er” tells his or her best friend that the re-lationship is over, and that news quick-ly travels to the “dumpee.” By sending the message through friends, one partner

may feel that this avoids a messy situation or hurt feelings, but this is not the case. But techno-dumping is by far, the worst. “The news of a breakup should never be broken over text or email,” said Al-ison Arnold, PhD, a therapist in Phoe-nix. “Texting a breakup is the coward’s way out,” she said on webmd.com. Experts advise face to face or at the least, by telephone, so there is less room for misunderstanding. A discus-sion can be healthy. and the dumpee can get a chance to ask questions. For those not skilled in the art of break up, what does a person say? It is pretty simple. Stick to a straight-forward conversation. Relate that it is not working, it is no one’s fault and that both parties need to make a change. Be honest, but do not be brutal. Be caring. Remember that at one point in time, this person was one of the most important people in the world to you, so respect that. Do not indulge in tit for tat argu-ments and do not let it escalate into a full scale battle. Both parties need to walk away with as few wounds as possible.

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

A Cup Full of Cookie

HoroscopesBy ZAHRA KHERAJ

Perspectives Editor Aquarius– Laugh, cry, laugh, cry. This week is going to be an emotional roller-coaster, but by the time Friday rolls around you will realize that it was all for the best. (If you don’t run out of tissues first).

Pisces – This is the year of transformation and a major rebirth. The

slump you have been in is about to end, and all the hard work you have slaved over is about to pay off. Is it a coincidence this takes place prior to report cards? I think not! Many opportunities are about to come your way, so do not be afraid

to jump on them. Wear a helmet.

Aries – An Aries demands respect. Or else. The drive and am-

bition that you have will get you to the places you need to go. You have the po-tential to be a great leader and improve your relationships with those close to you, but only once you make the real-ization that the world does not just re-

volve around you. Quel surprise!

Taurus – Taurus can get extremely infuriated when the

wrong things are said to them. They are kind of like Megatron. They are ex-tremely sensitive, although it is hid-den very well. In short, leave them

alone or be afraid, very afraid.

Gemini – It’s important to try and act in a fair and impartial manner.

Show some self-control, and remember to make decisions based on what is right rather than what is convenient. Gemini, pick yourself off the floor and quit kick-

ing and yelling. It’s embarrassing.

Cancer – You will be very aware of the changes happening in your

environment. It will be easy to create a notion of what is going down beneath the surface in certain situations, and it will be

easy to use this to your advantage. 9

By ALY BOBOAds Editor Whether or not one has time to sit down and enjoy a break from homework or a busy after school schedule, there are cer-tain TV shows airing this fall that just should not be missed. Along with pump-kins, cool weather, and Thanksgiving break, this fall season is full of all the heart-breaking, drama-filled, light-heart-ed, or intense shows you could imagine. American Horror Story: Freak Show – The fourth season in this anthology thriller series aired Wednesday, October eighth on FX. Only a few weeks ago, one still has time to catch up if the first few episodes have been missed. The fourth link in this intense psycho-drama takes place in the small town of Jupiter, Florida in 1952. It follows the lives of a circus troupe when a dark force takes over and their interactions with the towns-people. Of course, the return of Jessica Lange and Evan Peter was no surprise, but Kathy Bates joined this season as a main

character. Each season is full of surpris-es and so far Freak Show is no different. State of Affairs – This brand new po-litical drama airs Monday, November 17 at nine pm on NBC. Starring Grey’s Anatomy’s Katherine Hiegl as Charlie Tucker, a highly impressive CIA agent

who is selected to be the presidents daily briefer, this show follows her close rela-tionship with President Constance Pay-ton and the stress she feels when dealing

with some of the most vital issues regard-ing the country. She not only has to face internal conflicts but an external conflict of finding the man killed her husband. This show has its ups and downs and is one of the most anticipated of the fall season. Two and A Half Men – If you are tired of the dark and ominous dramas, the long-running comedy Two and A Half Men aired just a few days ago on CBS. This is the twelfth and possibly last season of this comedy that began way back in 2003. This American sitcom fo-cused for years on a divorced dad, Alan, and his son, Jake, and all they encoun-ter when they move in with Alan’s very interesting brother played by Charlie Sheen. With Charlie Sheen out of the cast for the last three years, there is still Ashton Kutcher to look forward to see-ing as Walter Schmidt. This show will add a light-hearted break to the week. So whether people have even an hour to kill at home, there are plenty of TV shows to choose from during this fall season.

By LAURYN MERRIETTCo Editor in Chief November promises to give the public what they want: good mov-ies and great books. Many of these movies and books are much anticipat-ed, especially by American teenagers. Two of the most talked about mov-ies include Mockingjay, Part 1 and The Penguins of Madagascar. Mockingjay Part 1 (November 21)- The latest installment to come in the Hunger Games Trilogy, the producers decided to split the last book into a two part mov-ie as was done in other popular movies like Breaking Dawn and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. After watch-ing Catching Fire, many people were disappointed by that ending. Peeta get-ting left behind? Tragic. Katniss’s reac-tion when she found out? Much worse. The Penguins of Madagascar (Novem-ber 26) - For those who want to reminisce about their childhood days, this movie is

Madagascar with the dancing lemurs, an-imal circus, and top spy penguins. This movie continues to bring back the joy of some of those things as it focuses entire-ly on the penguins and their missions. It is sure to induce laughter and even cute ‘aw’ moments that make people want their own penguin. Definitely a must see if you enjoyed the previous movies in the series. We Should Hang Out Sometime: Em-barrassingly, a True Story (December 23)- In this book written by John Sund-quist he goes back to every girl he’s ever tried to date since middle school and find out what went wrong. It involves descrip-tions of unsuccessful, but sure to be fun-ny, first dates and failed grand gestures. This book will be good for everyone. The Fire Seekers (Babylon Trilogy) by Richard Farr debuted on November 1. This novel is about Daniel Calder, aged 17 who experiences tragedy and discov-eries a strange link to an even stranger cult. The book holds an undeciphered

language in Crete, a lot of mysterious dis-appearances in various places around the world, and a warning from the ruins of Babel. This is a must read for those who

Upcoming Books and Movies Create Excitement

TV Favorites Return in November

perfect. Everyone remembers

Leo – Leos have a strong personality, but are soft under the

surface. You are a hard candy on the outside and soft caramel on the inside. They should make you a product and sell you. This makes a Leo a great friend to have, and they are usually looking out for the happiness and well being of others. Such a sweetie!

Virgo – Each of the respon-sibilities that are about to fall to you

should be a chance for you to create something new and show your abil-ities. Be optimistic even if it is three a.m. and you have not even begun the

research paper due tomorrow.

Libra– Giving your true opinion and being sincere with the

things you say will get you far. Ei-ther that or it will get you a big fat lip when you tell the truth about how your girlfriend or boyfriend looks in that awful sweater. There is a

time to be diplomatic. It is now.

Scorpio - The saying “the harder the battle, the sweeter the

victory” is not always true, like if you are only 5’2” and you are fighting a guy who is 6’ 7”. Learn when to real-ize that not all fights are worth it, but rather that they take energy out of you that could be used for something more positive, such as Mario Brothers.

Sagittarius - You have a progressive, restless spirit. Any-

way, show enthusiasm in whatever journey you embark on, and you will discover new ideas and see things in

a different light. Maybe neon.

Capricorn- Capricorns have a natural, silent demeanor. You could

easily become a stalker. Whenever you show your goofy self is when you in-vite people to be close to you. Just don’t dress up as a clown. One in three peo-

ple surveyed are afraid of clowns.

FEATURESBy MEGHAN BEYTEBIEREManaging Editor Gaining notoriety from their early 2014 release of the single ‘Me and My Broken Heart,’ the four member band Rixton is quickly becoming popular in the United States. Originating in Manchester, En-gland in 2012 the band was first known as The Relics. Before changing their name to Rixton, they found their fame in a way that is becoming more and more common, through YouTube. They posted cover songs as many up and coming artists do and gained listeners through this avenue. The British pop/rock/R&B band has since released ‘Me and My Broken Heart’ as their first single. The single reached number fourteen in the Unit-ed States on Billboard’s charts, while it reached number one in the United King-dom. The following EP also titled ‘Me and My Broken Heart’ and containing three more tracks was released on March 18, 2014. It reached similar chart po-sitions in both countries. The band has informed their followers that a full al-

bum will be released in 2015, the first single already out is titled ‘Wait on Me.” The band came together in 2012. Jake Roche (lead singer, rhythm guitarist), Charley Bagnall (backing vocals, lead guitarist), Danny Wilkin (backing vocals, bass and keyboards), and Lewi Morgan (drums and occasional backing vocals) currently make up the four member band. Through their reimagined cov-ers, the band eventually caught the ear of talent manager Scooter Braun, and their musical careers took off. Rixton’s sound is a mix of various genres, but lends more towards pop and R&B, though some rock beats are scat-tered throughout the songs. Overall, the pleasing sound and musical talent make the band a good listening experience. Listeners of other boy bands such as 5 Seconds of Summer, and oth-er music acts such as Maroon 5, One Republic, One Direction and McFly will appreciate the sounds of Rixton.

Rixton mixes genres

Weird or what?

Experts say that using one word will increase the viewership of your Face-book posts. What’s the word? It’s “Congratulations.” The goal of Face-book’s algorithm is basically, to antic-ipate which content is most likely to elicit an emotional response that will lead to comments, “likes,” and shares. The word CONGRATULATIONS triggers that response, and Facebook sends these types of messages to the top of feeds. So now you know. If you have ever felt markedly stupider after a long period of sleep deprivation, a new study may hint at a reason. Years of sleep difficul-ties seem to be associated with a brain that shrinks in size over time, according to scientists. So now you have an excuse for not staying up late and doing your homework. Nobody wants a shrunken brain. Do you hate your name? Well, you can always change it. Jeffrey Drew Wilshke officially changed his to Beezow Doo-Doo Zopitty-bop-Bop-Bop. He says it means “The explosion of awareness of the inter-connectedness of the infinite love in the universe.” Incidentally, Beezow was arrested this week for the sec-ond time on drug possession charges. Megan Campbell’s parked car was hit by a van driven by a city work-er, so now she wants the city to pay for the damages. Sounds reasonable. But Campbell was the city worker driving the van that hit her own car. The city is reviewing the incident. In 2001, Colorado House Bill 01-1221 became law, banning alu-minum underpants. Its purpose is to discourage shoplifters’ using them to get past electronic detectors.

By HAANIYA DAWOODALLYAds Editor Fashion trends come and go but sometimes they will make a come-back. For example, todays fashion is mostly inspired by 90s grunge. Soci-ety is bringing back flannels, crop tops, and overalls. However, some trends should just stay where they came from. Despite the ranging temperatures in Houston, and the often over 80s weather, it is important to remember that it is still fall. Substitute those basic flip flops for a more fashionable choice, such as mocca-sins or gladiator sandals. Jackets are not necessary and are often impractical with Texas weather, but remember that tank tops and shorts should be left in the spring and summer. On the warmer days when thick fall sweaters are not an option, de-cide instead for a t-shirt or a light sweat-er. It will look as though you are with the season, but not dying from the heat. Keeping with the idea of weather, miniskirts and shorts above the knee are

not good for fall. It looks out of place when one wears the clothes of past sea-sons even after the weather change. Fall is the transition period towards winter and it is time to start wearing jeans and boots not skirts and flip flops. The classic fall colors consist of warm reds, yellows, oranges, and browns. Peo-ple tend to trend more towards more nat-ural colors during this time of year. Neon colors are not an option and neither are pastels, but there is a wide range of colors to choose from outside of these. Also do not do the alternative and dress in all black and grey. When it comes to print there are a variety of styles that are in for fall, just, as always, never mix contrasting prints. To gain ideas for fall fashion, go to a website like pinterest.com or a fashion blog found on Tumblr. There are pages filled with inspiration from all sorts of people. There will definitely be a style to fit your fall fashion within the blogs and pages. Most people trend towards combat or riding boots, oversized cardi-

gans, sweaters, and jeans and leggings. The main rule of fall fashion is to be com-fortable. Theses pre-winter months are filled with warm drinks from Starbucks, cooler weather, and seeing the leaves fall. All of these are images of comfort. It is

important to keep in mind how an out-fit will look, but no one will wear it but the individual so it is more important that they are comfortable in what they wear.

November 1National Authors’ DayNational Family Literacy DayNovember 2National Deviled Egg DayNovember 3National Housewife’s DaySandwich DayNovember 4National Candy DayNovember 5National Doughnut DayNovember 6National Nachos DayNational Men Make Dinner DayNovember 7National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds DayNovember 8National Cappuccino DayNational Parents Act as Teachers Day November 9National Scrapple DayNovember 10

Marine Corps BirthdayNational Forget-me-Not DayNovember 11National Sundae DayVeterans DayNovember 12National Pizza with the Works Day National Chicken Soup for the Soul DayNovember 13National Indian Pudding DayNovember 14National Pickle DayNovember 15National Bundt (Pan) DayNational Philanthropy DayNovember 16National Fast Food DayNovember 17National Baklava DayNovember 18Mickey Mouse BirthdayNovember 19National Play Monopoly DayNovember 20

National Peanut Butter Fudge DayNational Absurdity DayNovember 21National Stuffing DayNovember 22National Cranberry Relish DayNovember 23National Cashew DayNational Eat a Cranberry DayNovember 24National Sardines DayNovember 25National Parfait DayBlase´DayNovember 26National Cake DayNovember 27National Bavarian Cream Pie DayNovember 28National French Toast DayChanukah or HanukahNovember 29Electronic Greetings Day

November’s National Holidays

Fashion Trends Gone Wrong

Photo cred: Jaime Rodriguez

13

By PATRICIA ANNE MANZINARESVoices Editor Claire Pan, an avid fan of books, has very little time for her hob-bies, and there is a valid reason. Pan, known as a talented and smart senior, is currently taking AP Envi-ronmental Science, AP Latin IV, AP Government, AP English IV, AP Mi-croeconomics, Capstone, and AP Psy-chology. She is even taking AP Mac-roeconomics next semester. To add to this workload, she recently became an executive officer for Model UN. If there is one thing that has been chal-lenging for her it would be living far away from Clements. She chose to go to Clements, because she was attracted to the Academy program when she was in eighth grade and she wanted to go into international relations. Though her goals have changed a bit, she feels that the Global Studies Academy and CHS in gen-

eral has helped her to prepare for college Pan has valuable advice for underclassmen. “Do not neglect the ‘easy’ classes. You will need the good grades now to balance out your more difficult upper-classmen classes. That being said, take at least one AP class. You might not get an A for all of them, but at least you will definitely learn something inter-esting. Join a new club every year, but

keep the total number of clubs you are committed to manageable,” said Pan. Pan is planning to major in pub-lic health and her two top college choices are John Hopkins Univer-sity and University of Chicago. Ten years from now, Pan sees herself as a student either working on post-doctoral studies or completing her res-idency, depending on if she pursues a PhD or an MD, or maybe even both. “I have always liked learning about things that affect human life and seek a career that balances science and the humanities. I think public health fits that. Learning about epidemiology in Mrs. Badillo’s AP Human Geography class and outside of class definitely in-spired me to pick this major,” she said. It is good advice to re-member Claire Pan’s name.

By WILL HERNANDEZReporter After only a year of involvement, Sha-keel Jessa was able to land the lead role in SDOAPS’ first round, ‘The Shape of Things.’ For Jessa, it came with his love of performing, and social lifestyle. With life goals of touring around the world, and doing a standup show, involvement in Clements’ theater is simply the first

step in someday reaching those goals. Jessa’s motivation comes from one of his favorite people, Bo Burnham, an ac-tor whose comedic and musical abilities influence him on a daily basis. Instead of feeling intimidated, he goes out tries his best to get better at these things everyday. With music being an essential part of Jes-sa’s life, he also looks up to bands like Say Anything, and The Front Bottoms, both lyrically, and as fuel for his musical fire. “I just love when they get it,” said Jessa, with a huge grin on his face, describing the thrills of being an actor in student pro-duced SDOAPS’ shows. Jessa explained how the biggest reward for his hard work is the reaction of the audience, when they get it, he gets it going, taking the show into his hands and never giving it back. Jessa’s involvement goes beyond SDO-APS’ as well. He is also a sound tech-nician for other school playwwone’s sur-

prise, one of Jessa’s hobbies is messing and playing with technology. He loves coding, decrypting the ins and out of computer software, and putting comput-ers together. And naturally, Jessa admires the people that are able to program, and set the variables for video games. His latest obsession is Bungie’s first-person shooter, Destiny. Coming up with new ways to get loot and upgrade his armor is a new addition to Jessa’s everyday life. He even tried to find a way to set up a contraction that lets him control his char-acter even when away from his room. When he wants to unwind and re-lax, he hangs ou with friends, spends time with his girlfriend. When all is said anne, Shakeel Jessa hopes to look back at his senior year as a great time, something he is ensuring on a daily basis. Jessa is set to make his act-ing return during round two of SDOAPS.

Claire Pan achieves goals

Jessa takes stageHyped up game has potential

COMEBACK By WILL HERNANDEZReporter For those who could not tell from the “Destiny Awaits” Easter egg in Bungie’s 2009 Halo: ODST, Destiny, released in September, is a game that was in de-velopment for several years. With such a long development cycle, it is only natural for the gaming community to come together and dig up the project’s deep and darkest secrets, not to dam-age the game’s image, but to hype it up. If history has taught people anything, and by history, that means Duke Nukem: Forever, it is that the longer since a game’s initial reveal, the more likely that it will not live up to the insane amount of expectations put forth by those ex-cited for it. This is especially true if that game is being made by the creators of one of gaming’s most prolific vid-eo game franchises. Bungie is making an open world shooter with role-play-

ing elements? Who would not shake at the thought of that? Now that Destiny has been out for a little under a month, what do gamers have to say about it? The general consensus is that it is good, and that is about it. Good? Why is a game that has been in development for five years getting critically classi-fied as just “good?” Why do most seem to be disappointed with the final prod-uct? Yes, everyone named it: hype. All these years of Bungie enthusiasts hyping Destiny to be World of Warcraft 2, they just ended up shooting themselves in the foot. All the blame cannot be put on the gamers, though. Bungie is equal-ly responsible for their pseudo-MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online Game). Bungie’s lead writer, Joseph Staten described Destiny as “building a uni-verse” even going as far as to say that it would “take on a life of its own.” Now when one hears that straight

from the lead writer’s mouth, does it not make it seem as if the game they are working on will go on to be the messiah of video games? The game described with those words is cur-rently sitting at a 77 on Metacritic. That is not to say that there are not many gamers out there enjoying Destiny for what it is, but just from word-of-mouth, Destiny sounds like a game that was con-cocted in a year or two, as opposed to the half a decade of blood, sweat, and tears. Fortunately, the future of Destiny does not look to be doom-and-gloom, accord-ing to Bungie. When asked about the decent review scores, they responded on their web site with “we thrive off feed-back.” Bungie has made it clear that Destiny will continue to evolve, and that sequels are indeed in the works. With that kind of mindset from the developers, gamers that were expected to be blown away by Destiny, have some thin hope.

Photo Courtesy of: Jaime Rodriguez

By SANTIAGO DIAZ-ARAUZOSPORTS EDITOR The NFL season is reaching its beautiful climax. We start the month of November, where the greatest tradition stands tall, Thanksgiving football, where families bunch together as a huddle and surround the tv to watch their favorite, throwback teams clash against their formal rivals. This year is vastly special with many outstanding teams battling for playoff spots and along with this comes people gluing themselves to computers to fix their torn lineups in Fantasy Football. No need to worry, as you can see, here are some sit/start players for your troubling lineups. At the dawn of afternoon at 11:30 AM CT, the Chicago Bears play their division rival, the Detroit Lions. Matthew Stafford, Lion’s Quarterback, battles the Bears talented offense led by Matt Forte, Bears’ running back and Jay Cutler, Bears’ quarterback. Fantasy-Wise, the

Bears offense is finally getting ahold of Matt Forte and his running game they also look to pass the ball through the air against the Lions strong secondary. All-Pro receivers, Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall, and Martellus Bennett, look to power through the lion’s defense and make their owners extremely happy on Thanksgiving Day. The Lions on the other hand, look to balance the offense with a mix of passing through Madden 14 cover, Calvin Johnson and run the ball with a mix of Reggie Bush and Joique Bell. At the tip of late lunch, NFC East rivals go against each other at 3:30 PM CT as the famous Dallas Cowboys battle their great, old-timer division rival, The Philadelphia Eagles. Fantasy-wise, a loss of Morris Claiborne demolishes the Cowboy’s Defense, but no need to worry as the Cowboys finally have a running game with Demarco Murray as he looks to bullet through the porous

Eagles’ defense. Tony Romo continues to have his incredible performance early through the season. Romo having a great performance vs. our Texans allows me in saying that he is a fantastic start at QB1. The Eagles had a horrible performance against the 49ers in late September, and look to push through early in the game with Lesean McCoy, running back and Nick Foles, quarterback and return to their hot-start offense which only allowed four turnovers in the 2013 season. On the evening of Thanksgiving at 7:30 PM CT, a rematch of 2013’s NFC Championship game takes place as the San Francisco 49ers battle the 2013 Super Bowl champions, Seattle Seahawks. The 49ers played incredibly against the Eagles and held their offense to 0 points, only allowing 21 points through a mix of Defense/Special Teams. The 49ers finally balanced their game with workhorse, running back Frank Gore hopes to bash the concrete, stronghold Seahawks’ defense. Fantasy-wise, it is important to sit offensive players, such as, Michael Crabtree, and Percy Harvin, while starting red-hot quarterback, Russell Wilson, as this match looks to be a defensive battle through both teams. Lastly, all our teams are cringing with a small glimpse of hope to push through the regular season and vow to excel in the playoffs. The Houston Texans are showing a small beam of light as Arian Foster is lightning-fast, and is averaging over 17 points through 6 weeks. Remember, don’t bet on Jacksonville, they never seem to work on fantasy, have faith on the Seahawk’s defense, they are going to start working together and blending their hard-hitting defense with their savvy leaders and put your faith on the San Diego Chargers, as for once, they are excelling on all levels. Now, let’s hope for some great Thanksgiving football!

SPORTSThanksgiving offers fantasy advice

Edwards dunks on life

Daly mixes school with athleticsBy SAMEEN SIDDIQUI NEWS EDITOR Marie Daly is not just an average high school student. She is involved in many activities such as Student Council, NHS, and volleyball. Daly began playing volleyball competitively for the past four years, but in the future, she will continue it as a hobby or coaching younger children. She believes that upholding volleyball in her life will be a source of joy. “At tournaments, we play all-day long and not only do we get a lot of matches in but also I’m able to hangout with my teammates and it’s always a lot of fun,” said Marie Daly, senior. To Daly, volleyball can be mentally as well as physically challenging. She believes that it is important to have complete focus on every single play even when they are tired; they all have to push through it in order to win. She knows how much effort needs to be put into a certain task for it to be achieved. “One of my bigger achievements would

be making the varsity team during my sophomore year. I worked really hard that summer and my hard work paid off not only making the team but also getting consistent playing time as well,” said Daly. One of her most memorable moments

was when her team was playing against Elkins and was down two to zero, but right when it seemed as if Elkins was going to win, they put in all their energy and came out winning, which gave them a spot into the playoffs. Her other memorable moment was when her team went to Austin and had a tremendous amount of fun making many great memories. “I am so happy to be finishing my senior year with this group of girls. Every single one of them isn’t just great player, but great friends and we have been so lucky to get along so well and have great team chemistry,” said Daly. Her advice to students who want to join volleyball next year is that each of them need to understand that it takes up a lot of time and work, but it is worth it because of all the priceless experiences you undertake and memories we all accomplish as a team. “I’ve had a good high school. I’ve met a lot of new, great people and have made some great friendships along the way,” said Daly.

By LISA NINANAds Editor Coleman Edwards, senior, is a part of the CHS basketball team. Edwards is a dedicated and hard-working player who is determined to win every game he plays. Edwards has been on the varsity basketball team since his freshman year and is seen as a leader for his team. Edwards has a clear vision of himself. “I’d like to say I’m competitive and that’s just how I am.” In his free time, Edwards likes to hang out with friends and family and play basketball. As for academics, his favorite class this year is economics. After school, he usually practices for about two hours, from 6:30-8:30 pm. Edwards first started playing basketball since he was five years old, and has been excelling in the sport ever since. Edwards absolutely loves basketball. “I mean honestly it’s just been a

dream, and everyone has a dream.” Edwards wanted to play basketball, because his dad was into basketball, and they used to play with each other when he was little. He has loved it ever since then. When asked how he feels when playing the game, Edwards said, “I mean it’s a fun sport, and I’m just trying to win. I feel probably like anyone else when they play.” Before the game, Edwards likes to listen to music and relax. Edwards’ favorite basketball player is Kobe Bryant. This talented senior has a favorite life motto. “Hit him with that right price.” Edwards has accepted a basketball scholarship to the University of New Orleans, and after graduation in the spring, is planning to be there for the next four years. Edawrds, a fantastic talented basketball players hopes to take it all the way to the NBA and play professionally there. As a great addition to any team,

Edwards seems to be the determined player every team wants who shares the right mindset with his teammates. As a future prospect, Edwards a freakish athlete loves what he does and hopes to excel in it. As of now, let’s hope this kid

Photo Courtesy of: Jaime Rodriguez

Photo Courtesy of Jaime Rodriguez

Photo Courtesy of: Jaime Rodriguez

SPORTS

By EVELYN LAZARISLifestyles Editor Many students flourish and become inde-pendent in going to school every day. There are many reasons that a summer break in school is not only desirable, but necessary. With school year round, there tends to be many breaks. Often, kids will have a two-week break every six weeks. While it may seem that these breaks give kids a chance to “cool off,” it disrupts their school work schedule. Students could be in the middle of a unit in school and for-get everything when they get back from break. This makes work stressful for both teachers who

will have to reteach the subject and the students who will have to relearn it. Not only does year-round school affect students, but it also affects the teach-ers. Many teachers utilize their sum-mers to take training courses to improve their teaching styles. However, if there is school during the summer, teachers will not have the chance to learn new things themselves. Instead of working with their same old techniques, they could be intro-duced to new methods and technology. Many teenagers take advantage of their summers to earn a few extra bucks with-

out having to deal with the stress of school at the same time. Without

school-free summers, teens lose the chance to get

a summer job. For many, this means

they will not feel the ex-

perience of the

“adult world” until they go off to col-lege. For others it means having to jug-gle school with a part time job. With the added stress that comes with a job, kids may start doing worse in school. Grades may gradually drop and the teenager may begin to feel pressured. It has become a tradition in many fam-ilies to go on vacation during the sum-mer. When kids have to go to school year round, they have significantly less bond-ing time with their families. With such a small window for summer vacation, students will be spending their time do-ing homework rather than participating in family trips. Many kids will rarely ever get to see their relatives, because there would be a small time frame to visit them. While school is very important, it is necessary to give kids a break so they can recharge and come back fresh-mind-ed. If students are constantly in school and not given an ample amount of time to recover from the last year, it is more likely they will be less successful. Kids need to be able to relax before they jump

back into the full swing of things for the next school year. If they

have had an entire sum-mer to prepare for the next school year, they

will have an easier time living up to their potential.

By SANGEETHA PUTHIGAIVoices Editor Say the words, “Year round school.” Just the sound of it can cause students to cower as they imagine sitting in class with no summer break. Yet this is a miscon-ception. There are many advantages to year round school of which students may be unaware. Unlike the common belief that year round school does not allow any breaks, year round school consists of holi-days evenly distributed throughout the year. Students often enjoy one month off for summer, winter and fall breaks along with a two week spring break and the occasional three day weekend. The student’s school day is also short-er in the year round school calendar. How is this better than the schedule we are used to? For one, it helps stu-

dents’ learning abilities. After the usual school year is over, students spend three months away from books and tend to forget much of what they have learned. Upon return to school, students have to adjust to the drastic changes in workload and are retested on subjects they have for-gotten. If a student is supposed to retain information, long breaks cause hindrance. Year round school also allows for ad-equate rest. Rather than having a whole vacation crammed into a three month pe-riod, year round school schedules shorten summer break and lengthens winter, fall, and spring breaks. With these frequent breaks, students are allowed time from classwork without losing knowledge. With the current calendar, students are continuously working and have little time

for sleep. This can lead to sleep depriva-tion. The loss of sleep causes extreme fa-tigue, car accidents, slowed cognitive pro-cesses, heart problems, depression, weight gain, forgetfulness, aged skin and im-paired judgment. With workloads spread more evenly, time for rest is available. Many times after school, students spend hours doing more school work along with having to balance other ac-tivities like work and clubs. Year round school calls for a shorter school day, allowing for students to have time to do both their homework and have free time for their own recreational use. For a stress free, rest- filled, and more knowledgeable future, hav-ing school year round is the answer that the educational society needs.

Perspectives SPORTSPerspectives

Year round school? Or

Photo Cred: Jaime Rodriguez

NAH? (pls?)

1918 19

“Mao Zedong, why communism” The great leap forward wasn’t the great leap forward, it was backwards.”

Rosanne Hu, senior.

If you could bring back any dead relative what would you say?

“I would bring back my mom’s great grandfather back because no one else is dead and I’d ask what’s his name

and how was life?”Samyukta Singh, junior.

“I would bring back my dad and thank him for all the love he gave me and tell him how much I miss him.”

Melanie Carroll, Teacher.

Voices

“Play football outside.”Dante Deberardino, sophomore.

What is your Thanksgiving tradition?

“Spends half the day with one side of the family and then the other.”

Bethany Garcia, freshman.

“Eating an entire pile of mash pota-toes.”

Sienna Mendez, senior.

“We gather all teenage boys together and we have an annual fight and who-

ever wins is alpha of the year.”Rob “Goose” Fenton, sophomore.

“I would bring myself back from past life and say I’m amazing.”Sofia Sadiqi, sophomore.

“I would bring back my aunt and ask her how I was a kid.”Riya Santra, senior.

“I would bring back my uncle James because he was a fun and cool uncle.”

Karen Chen, freshmen.

“I would bring back my grandma and tell her that I miss her.”

Samuel Blair, junior.“I’d bring back my dad and asked

him ‘How’d I do?’”Phil Morgarnte, Assistant Principal.

“My cousin had blood cancer and always had heart problems when he was younger. He passed away when

he was 17. I’d say that his entire family misses him, and nothing is the

same without him.”Zareen Mali, freshman.

“I go on vacation with my family.”Ameena Pervez, sophomore.

“I play Xbox while eating Chicken Tikka.”

Asad Rizvi, junior.

“I like to eat ham with my family.”Allison Lawrence, sophomore.

“I play baseball outside.”Andrew Talley, sophomore.

“I’m not from here so I don’t have any Thanksgiving tradition.”

Angela Utrerera, junior.

Humans of Clements