dysseyF R I DAY, O C TO B E R 29, 2010 t VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3 14000 WECKFORD BLVD. HOUSTON, T X

TheOSummer Creek

High SchoolFOR ALL THE LATEST SCHS HAPPENINGS CHECK OUT

WWW.SUMMERCREEKHIGHSCHOOL.COM

Back Pagen Ramon Vassquez,

‘12, and teacher Wendy Bethany

dressed up for Nerd Day. Check out Page 8 for more highlights from

spirit day.

By Starr JaureguiStaff reporter

At some point in time, every child wants to be some-thing out of the ordinary whether it be an actor, the President or a rock star. Unfortunately, as they get older the majority of kids seldom know how to make those dreams come true. A few, however, seem to have everything going for them. Some are blessed with talent. Some happen to be at the right place at the right time. Some work very hard to see those dreams become reality. I Christen It Legion is a Christian hardcore metal band whose members are working hard to achieve their dreams and make their way to the top. ICIL’s drummer, Jose Puga, ‘12, became interested in music in the sixth grade. At that time music became a main factor in his life. “Music is important to me specifically because it keeps me going on a daily basis,” Puga said. “It can brighten up my day or it can explain my feelings to another per-son.”

Coming Together I Christen It Legion came together at the end of their sophomore year. Treavor Taylor, ‘12, and Puga were the two original members of the band who started playing covers of songs from other bands. The boys both shared a love for music and decided they wanted to make their own. Taylor tried to teach Puga how to play guitar but later realized that he had a natural talent with the drums after pulling out his dad’s old drum set out of curiosity. “We were a two-man band for a while, practicing in the garage with a small Line 6 amp and an antique drum set,” Taylor said. “It was hot and sweaty, but those are good memories.” Tyler Larson, ‘12, and Ian Dartez, ‘12, came later while Taylor and Puga were recruiting new members to form a full band. “I was by accident,” Larson said. “Treavor remem-bered that I played guitar and so he asked me if I could

play bass. We’ve all been close ever since.” Dartez had already been in a band and was looking for something different. “Treavor and Jose needed a guitarist, and I agreed to be their temp,” Dartez said. “I felt like I belonged in the band since I love the guys like brothers, and our music was sparking a new attraction.”

Becoming Interested The boys all became interested in music at young ages. They were surrounded by the sound throughout their childhood. “Way back when I was little I remember jamming out to Van Halen and Ozzy (Osborne),” Larson said. “There was just something about the guitar that moved me.” Dartez has played instruments since he was young. “I started drums when I was three and played until I was eight,” Dartez said. “Then I picked up guitar, and I’ve been in love ever since.” Taylor was brought to music by listening to other bands while growing up. “The very first band that I was obsessed with was Korn back in middle school. Their eccentric music style got me into heavy music, and it made me want to play and make it myself,” Taylor said. “So I bought a guitar and expanded my knowledge of various music styles.” Taylor and Puga decided on the name together one day while hanging out. The boys wanted a name that would describe what they wanted to do as a band. The meaning behind I Christen It Legion is “to baptize an army.” “When we play we want God’s word to touch many peoples’ hearts in a positive way, therefore, changing the legion,” Puga said.

The First Show ICIL played and headlined their first show on June 11, 2010, at Fuel Cyber Cafe, 120 E Main St. All four boys were stoked to play a show in front of their friends.

HEATING UP THE MIC

All photos by Rikki Hurt

Treavor Taylor, ‘12, Jose Puga, ‘12, Tyler Larson, ‘12, and Ian Dartez, ‘12, huddle to pray before a performance at Grace Church on Sept. 22. The group was performing at a See You After the Pole celebration. They have already performed at a number of local venues, and they have aspirations of someday being signed by a major record label.

Treavor Taylor, ‘12, is the lead singer of I Christen It Legion. He also showed his skills on acoustic guitar at last year’s talent show.

Tyler Larson, ‘12, started out playing guitar and now plays bass in ICIL. He used to listen to Van Halen and Ozzy Osbourne when he was younger.

MEET GREET&

Jose Puga, ‘12, fell in love with music in sixth grade and was one of the two original members of ICIL. He is the drummer.

Ian Dartez, ‘12, started playing the drums when he was three. He now plays gui-tar for ICIL and performed with Treavor Taylor, ‘12, in the talent show last spring.

Band fueled by ‘rush’ of being on stageSimilar passion for music and performing keeps ICIL members focused on their dreams of performing

ICIL continued on Page 3

Page 2 Summer Creek High School The Odyssey Friday, October 29, 2010News

Ward joins Copper II as counselor, replacing Kite Jana Ward, who spent the past four years at Atascocita Middle School, has moved into her of-fice as the Copper II counselor and SCHS’s master scheduler. “The first few days have been busy,” Ward said. “I have been trying to jump right in. Even though it has been hard, it has been wonderful.” Ward started splitting her days between AMS and Summer Creek on Oct. 18. She began full-time at SCHS on Oct. 25. “I am really excited to be here,” said Ward. “I am looking forward to getting to know everyone, the teachers and students. I wanted to come here because I had heard really great things about Summer Creek.” Copper I house counselor Phyllis Cart, who is the new lead counselor, was close to Kite but has gotten to know Ward since her arrival. “Ward cares about kids and is here to help them,” Cart said. “She is here to help them with whatever their needs are. She is adding exactly what we are losing by Mrs. Kite leaving. She is very bright, a quick study and young.” The transition has gone smoothly. Since Ward was a counselor at AMS, she is familiar with many of her students already. After teaching high school math before becoming a counselor, she is excited to be at a high school again. “I really missed the high school level while work-ing at the middle school,” Ward said. “I like the pace of the high school environment and that all the students are young adults.”

- Madison Rice

Bulldog Leadership Club joins Key Club to form one service-learning group Realizing that both clubs had the same goals of providing service-learning opportunities, the Bulldog Leadership Club joined with Key Club to form one organization. “Key Club is an international organization spon-sored by the Kiwanis club,” Key Club sponsor Laura Brunson said. “We are a service-based organi-zation that believes in building good leaders. Bulldog Leader-ship Club had similar beliefs.” BLC members were encour-aged to join Key Club because of the commonality between the two. “It’s a good thing,” Key Club president Rawand Abdelghani, ‘12, said. “We can all join in and work together.” This month Key Club will be holding Alex’s Lem-onade Stand to raise money for childhood cancer research. They will also visit The Door, which is a battered women’s center.

- Lisseth Lopez

Teen Leadership department to lead school in Thanksgiving food drive A year after supplying approximately 40 local families with Thanksgiving dinner, the Teen Leadership department is organizing another food drive. Students will join together in their fourth period classes to decorate boxes or baskets and fill them with canned goods and other items that will help families have a good Thanksgiving. Each basket will also include a gift card for a tur-key, so students are asked to donate at least $1. The baskets are due by Nov. 17 and they will be judged by Teen Leadership and the cheerlead-ing department. The winning class will earn the “Bulldog Spirit of Giving” award for the class that donates the most items and also has the most festive looking boxes or baskets.

FFA students earn honors at recent invitational held at Summer Creek The FFA students hosted the Summer Creek Invitational LDE contest with Huffman, Atascocita, Humble and CE King on Oct. 20. First-place honors went to: Sr. Creed Speaking: Lauren Willis Sr. Chapter Conducting: Willis, Karrie Dodson, James Haygood, Katie Parrish, Ade Capellero, Breanna Haden, Nik Skaggs Radio: Madison Cruse, Haden, Alexa Calhoun Sr. Quiz: Parrish, Dodson, Haygood Jr. Quiz: Allie Stanfield, Eric Berry, Daisie Mulkey, Bryan Lubbeck

ROTC students shine in first competition With 13 schools and more than 500 students competing, ROTC members racked up honors at the Sam Rayburn competition. Summer Creek won first place in female physi-cal fitness and also captured two second-place trophies in the team building category. Their next competition will be Dec. 4 at Har-grave High School in Huffman ISD.

BITS PIECES&

Photos by Wayne Barloco

George North, ‘12, sits in the control room and monitors three computer screens as Dale Irvin, ‘12, anchors SCTV. It’s in the control room where the anchor’s desk and background are placed into the image. The classroom is fitted with high-tech equipment that the students learn to use in Intro to A/V Production. In Advanced A/V Production, the students produce the TV show.

SCTV shines spotlight on students, staff

By Bethany ProulxStaff reporter

News show produced by students has become a fixture in the daily routine around school

With a state-of-the-art TV studio and four determined students, SCTV is becoming a fixture in the daily routine at school. “Last year it was the intro class and this year it’s the actual class,” Oscar Escobar, ‘12, said. “It’s really fun and interesting and you get to use all the technology.” Last year, there was Intro to Audio/Video Production. This year, there’s Advanced au-dio video production, and with that came SCTV. “There are only four kids in the whole class,” Instructor Brett Parrish said. “They are ex-tremely talented and very determined.” Escobar, George North, ‘12, Dale Irvin, ‘12, and Nathan Campbell, ‘12, rotate daily to create a day’s worth of news for approxi-mately 1,400 students and teachers to watch. “You feel proud of what you’ve done,” Esco-bar said. “And also, we’re the only people who see our mistakes.” SCTV is a year-long class that takes up two class periods. They spend time decid-ing what’s going into the announcements. Each day, they try to include two feature stories with video clips. “I think the hardest challenge is actually doing it live,” North said. Students in grades 10-12 are eligible. No specific GPA is needed, but students must take the intro class to get in the advanced class. “There isn’t really a grade requirement be-cause some student who may not be good

in math or science may be good for this class,” Parrish said. “I need someone who is reliable.” Students in the intro class-es also contribute. “Basically, every morning people around the school e-mail us their news and we compile them,” Parrish said. “The video clips come from the other class.” The TV announcements are getting loads of positive comments and are definite-ly getting everyone in the group recognized. “Well, the teachers will be like ‘Good job!’” Escobar said. “Some people will be like ‘Hey, you’re that kid from SCTV!’ and I’ll just be like ‘Yeah!’” SCTV also teaches students a lot about

As his classmates watch from the control room, Dale Irvin, ‘12, attaches his microphone and prepares to anchor the morning announcements. Each of the four students takes turns anchoring the show from the single chair in front of the green screen.

the technology and everything that comes along with it.

“I’m most proud that I’ve gotten better at doing all the jobs,” North said. Parrish has had a lot of real-life experience with audio and video tech. Be-fore teaching he did video production for the Houston Texans as well as corporate video for a real estate com-pany. Even now he still does shows for the Texans, Rock-ets, Aeros, Rice University, and the Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo. “I want the students to

have a new way to express their personali-ties, make each other laugh and be profes-sional at the same time,” Parrish said.

FAST FACTSClass: Advanced Audio/Visual ProductionPrerequisite: Intro to Audio/Visual ProductionInstructor: Brett ParrishStudents: Oscar Escobar, George North, Nathan Campbell, Dale Irvin.Meets: 1 1/2 hours each day during first and second periods.What they do: Record the announcements every morning for students to watch during third period.

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Page 3 Summer Creek High School The Odyssey Friday, October 29, 2010Features

Photo by Rikki Hurt

Art teacher Amanda Fast talks with Kyrone McClendon, one of the Falloween Store managers, Oct. 20. Students in Maria De Veyra’s Applied Skills class created Halloween, Christmas and non-seasonal items to sell in hopes of raising enough money for t-shirts for the students. The students were in charge of promoting their store and encouraging shoppers to make purchases. “It was teaching the students real-life experience,” said Remmie Hurst, a paraprofessional in the class. “They are making things and selling them.” The class plans to set up a similar store every season.

Candy craves replaced by crave for creepy

By Kodie AdolphStaff reporter

The old buildings typically smell like a carnival with the scent of funnel cakes in the air and badly painted ghouls roaming the grounds. It’s such haunted houses that often attract the students who want to move past the tradi-tion of trick-or-treating on Halloween. “I prefer haunted houses to trick-or-treating because I like getting scared,” Melissa Lane, ‘13, said. Costumes are another part of Halloween. They can get kids in the right trick-or-treating mood - even if they go wrong. “My most memorable mem-ory of Halloween was being a ghost,” Hunter Attard, ‘13, said. “Everyone was yelling at me and I didn’t know why.

“Honestly, we wasted those days having fun, swimming, staying up late laughing at stupid things, raving in the backyard, walking around and everything else but practicing, which left us mad at each other for not getting the work done,” Taylor said. “We were practicing our set while the band before us was playing the day of the show, but we pulled through and played a great show.” Playing the show stirred up many emotions for the boys. “It was kind of scary, but I had an adrenaline rush. It was very magical,” Larson said. “Being on stage and having all of those people wanting to hear you play is what I live for now.” Puga had achieved his biggest goal by playing their show that night. “I was seriously pumped to play our first gig,” Puga said. “This show was really personal because a lot of my closest friends were there. Playing on stage was just an indescribable feeling of hap-piness. After we played, people

came up and complimented us; and I knew we were going to start getting somewhere.” Dartez was the only one out of the four who had experience with performing in front of an audi-ence. “It was absolutely phenom-enal,” Dartez said. “When I play I feel like I’m on top of the world and nothing could ever bring me down, especially with the guys from ICIL.” Kenette Manalo, ‘13, is in charge of merchandise and promotion. He is there at the shows selling demo CD’s for $3. “When people hear ICIL play, they all get down and enjoy the music,” Manalo said. “I wish that people would crowd surf and mosh more, though.” Since that first show, ICIL has played shows at Java Junction, Walter’s, Fitzgerald’s, and Grace Church for “See You After The Pole.” “We’re really working on getting our name out here, promoting ourselves and recording our own material,” Puga said.

Inspiration All the boys chase after the same dream; but all have different in-spirations, whether it be people or the music itself. “Mostly my dad and my band,” Dartez said about who he is in-spired by. “Little do they know that they inspire me to do better. My dad is also a musician, and he puts me in a position to strive for the best that I can be.” Larson is moved by the sound. “I’m inspired by the way music makes me feel alone with others around me,” Larson said. “It’s like a safe haven just to put my feel-ings out and do what I want to do. I can turn it into head banging that makes people want to throw down and brutalize something. I love it.” Puga is inspired by writing and the reaction he sees in the audi-ence. “Every time Treavor and I make a song I always get an amazing feeling and I love it,” Puga said. “The facial expressions people get is something I’m eager about.” Taylor gets his inspiration from

life experiences, his walk with God and unforgettable memories that spark great emotion for him. “That emotion usually directly correlates with the music I pro-duce for the band and my own solo acoustic work,” Taylor said. “I always write at night because that’s when I’m at my calmest, so I can focus on the music I’m cre-ating.” The boys said they believe that if they practice and chase after their dream as musicians that they can achieve something great. “There’s no doubt in our minds that we all would love to get big and get signed to a good record label, tour and play shows to fans everywhere,” Taylor said. “We definitely would love to take the band as far as we can. We won’t give up, I mean. It’s our dream.” To achieve a career in music, one must work hard and refuse to take “no” for an answer. “Make sure you’re doing what you love and don’t do anything just for fame and money,” Puga said. “If it’s not from the heart, then it won’t be special.”

Dartez: When I play, I feel like I’m on top of the world

Opportunities extend beyond SCHS campus

By Narda MartinezStaff reporter

A limited number of students are taking advan-tage of special opportunities this year. Some are be-ing bussed to Humble High School for Cosmetol-ogy 2, while students from other schools get bussed to SCHS for Culinary Arts. “I like it because I don’t have to be in the same place all day, but then I have to figure out if there’s traffic or the bus driver is late,” said Symone Wade, ‘12 who takes Cosmetology 2. Wade gets bussed to Humble with Chaquail Hall, ‘12, and Chealsia Ruffin, ‘12. They spend the last one and a half hours of school taking cosmetology each day. In cosmetology the students learn to braid hair, give manicures and do make-up. At the end of the year, the students will earn their cosmetology li-cences once they pass the state board for the class. The students leave the class job ready. “This class will help me with getting a job in the hair and make-up industry,” Wade said. “I want to study psychology and be a professional make-up artist.” In order to get into cosmetology and other classes that meet for one and a half hours every day, stu-dents often need to take online classes or summer school. For cosmetology, students also must have taken Cosmetology 1 and purchase a $400 cosme-tology kit for the class. “Be passionate about it, it’s not just a blow off class,” Wade said. “You actually have to learn dis-eases and techniques, and you do have tests.” Students from other high schools in the district are also bussed to Summer Creek for Culinary Arts. Lomas Joseph Melonson, ‘11, attends AHS but comes each morning to learn how to prepare and cook food properly. Culinary students are creating more partnerships with local restaurants and stores such as, H-E-B, HAMM and the Lions Club. Melonson said he thought taking the class would be something differ-ent and fun for his senior year. “It gives students the chance to experience a differ-ent environment and meet new people from differ-ent areas,” he said. “It also prepares me for culinary arts school.” There is an application process for the culinary arts program. Incoming students must take Culi-nary 1 and Culinary 2 if they want to get into Res-taurant Management. “This year is a very exciting year,” Chef Daniella Jenkins said. “We’re busier than ever, we launched out catering service this year and we have a new logo - Bone Appetite Cafe.”

Some teens like haunted houses, but trick-or-treating still memorable

Apparently I looked like a guy from the KKK.” Trick-or-treating can be fun. Little kids have fun dressing up and getting candy for being cute. “I was a pink Power Ranger once,” Kellie Fondel, ‘12, said. “Everyone is usually some-thing so predictable and mine was more original.” These days, students in high school have more opportuni-ties to have fun during Hal-

loween. They can still trick-or-treat, or they can go to haunted houses. “I like haunted houses be-cause when I’m out trick-or-treating I always feel the need to prank someone because it’s so boring, plus I like to get scared,” Gabe Cox, ‘14, said. Whether in a haunted house or just a friend’s yard, being scared is always a highlight. “My favorite memory was

when I was sitting outside as a scarecrow, then somebody came on the porch and tried to scare me; and I accidentally punched them in the face,” Ja-maurie Woods, ‘14, said. Students either buy costumes already made or they make their own unique costume. “My best Halloween cos-tume was Spider-man. It was the only one I actually did not make,” Attard said.

ICIL continued from Page 1

FALLOWEEN STORE

Photo by Paris Dowd

Safi Jenkins, ‘12, and Kate Matula, ‘12, participate in a culinary arts activity at H-E-B in October. Some of their classmates are bussed in from area high schools to participate in the culinary arts program.

Page 4 Summer Creek High School The Odyssey Friday, October 29, 2010Diversity

Julia Bonagamia

THAT??

WH

Ois

Brazil

Grade: 11thLength of stay: 12 monthsWhere will you be going when you leave? To Brazil to return to my real life.Why did you want to be a foreign exchange student? To improve my English and get the taste of “the American dream.”What has been your most fun memory so far? Everyday here is fun, because everyday I have to do different things.What has been your biggest challenge so far? I guess it’s managing two lives at the same time. (America-Brazil)In what have you become involved at SCHS? I’m on the swimming team.What do you want to learn most about America and American people? About how they live knowing they are the world’s biggest potency.What’s the biggest difference between your country and America? The schools here are the main activity of the day. People are also more respected here.Have you felt welcome at SCHS? Yes, people at school are very nice and are open to embrace other cultures.What sort of trends ( fashion, socially, enter-tainment) go on in your country? In Brazil, teenagers can drive when they’re 18.

louise Blumenau

THAT??W

HOis

Germany

Grade: 11thLength of stay: JuneWhere will you be going when you leave?I’ll be going back to Germany to finish my high school over there.Why did you want to be a foreign exchange student? To learn about another country, culture, and another language.Did you choose to come to America? Yes, I chose it because I wanted to go to an English-speaking country, and America is really “ famous ” to go to in Germany.What do you miss about your friends and family? Having fun and laughing with them.What has been your most fun moment so far? Talking English all day and getting instructions from the teachers in school.What have you become involved in at SCHS? Soccer teamHow is SCHS different from school in your country? School spirit, size, and in Germany we can’t choose our classes.Have you felt welcome at SCHS?Yes, I feel really welcome because all people are nice and helping me out if I didn’t get it the first time (even if they have to explain/repeat it a 1000 times).

Diverse student body creates melting pot

The diversity that is seen walking the halls of Summer Creek is not typical of the average high school. The diversity is what brings the students together, it is what “makes Summer Creek such a special place,” Principal Trey Kraemer said. A unique racial and religious diver-sity along with a highly active student body can be found in the school. The demographics shown at Summer Creek resemble the real world people live in. This unique diversity has brought stu-dents together and helped students em-brace each other for who they are. “I see our diversity as a strength,” Cop-per I counselor Phyllis Cart said. “We come from many different places and become a Summer Creek family. I don’t see diversity as something that divides us; it blends us and makes us an entity.” Summer Creek High School’s demo-graphics embody this diversity that has proven to have a positive impact on both the students and community. The student population is estimated to be 38 percent African American, 36 per-cent Hispanic, 23 percent Anglo and three percent other. The different cul-tures and beliefs teach students differ-ent ways of life. “Since we are human, we tend to make judgements about people based on what we see the first few weeks of school; and they are often wrong,” art teacher Car-rie Page said. The exposure to the diversity here is preparing the students everyday for the world they will enter when leaving Summer Creek. “Summer Creek represents the world we live in,” Kraemer said. “The city of Hous-ton, the city of Humble -- the demograph-ics are changing yearly. Houston is becom-ing more and more a city of diversity. So what I see at Summer Creek is that the at-mosphere we have here, the environment we have here, it’s preparing our kids for the real world as they leave here. [They] under-stand and acknowledge that the world we live in is changing. I think it’s really good to

see our kids respond positively to change.” Capturing Kids’ Hearts, a program in which the administration participates to ensure full participation and com-fort within the school and classroom, has made a major impact on the out-look students first had coming into the school year. Shaking hands and sharing good things has helped students get to know each other and open up to one another. It has created relationships between the teachers and students, strengthening the bond within the school. “When you shake someone’s hand, there’s a genuine act that takes place there,” Kraemer said. “But beyond that, what ‘good things’ do is gives students and teachers insights into what’s hap-pening in the lives of our students. Through the ‘good things,’ you get to hear things -- statements -- you get to know things, find out what’s going on with kids, what’s important to them. It gives you the opportunity to start build-ing relationships. It makes it easier for kids to get to know one another when they already know some things about you before they really get to know you.” The population of SCHS is 1,400 stu-dents and about 200 faculty and staff. All these viewpoints have to be taken into account when making decisions regarding the school. Especially for having large diversity in opinions, be-liefs, and perspectives, decisions be-come quite challenging. “Everybody has such a different opin-ion,” FFA director David Laird said. “The biggest challenge is when you have a group so diverse it makes it harder to make sure everyone likes the decisions being made.” Having a diverse family at Summer Creek means learning from each other. People learn from what others believe in, their morals and their religious be-liefs. The students don’t all have the same backgrounds or belief systems. People have been raised in completely different lifestyles. This diversity is what makes establishments so unique. “When you’re able to take young peo-ple from all walks of life regardless of their ethnic background or ethnicity and you bring them all together, one thing we’ve all discovered here, first and foremost, regardless of the color of our skin, we’re bulldogs. That’s something we’ve embraced,” said Kraemer.

Rivers-Hardware makes smooth transition

Emanuel Rivers-Hardware, ‘12, moved to the United States last year after being born and raised in Chingford, London. The Rivers-Hardware family moved to support a business venture by Cheryl-Ann Rivers, Rivers-Hardware’s mother. “[The United States is] a beautiful country,” said Rivers-Hardware. Rivers-Hardware said he imagined the United States was full of obese cow-boys and people who didn’t like English people. Rivers-Hardware quickly real-ized he was wrong. He also anticipated people would make a big deal about of

his English accent. He was, however, correct on that note. Getting to play high school soccer “was a bonus” to Rivers-Hardware. “In England after a certain age they stop looking at you for soccer, but over here you still have college,” said Rivers-

By Rikki HurtSection Editor

After 15 years in London, Rivers-Hardware looks forward to new opportunities.

Hardware. Though the United States has lived up to its name as “The Land of Opportuni-ty” for Rivers-Hardware, he misses the way soccer is played in London. “It’s more competitive,” said Rivers-Hardware. The move from England to the U.S. has given Hardware a “very positive mood.” Since the move the Rivers-Hardware family has become closer after leaving their extended family in England. “Since we don’t have any family here it’s made my immediate family closer,” said Rivers-Hardware. From the crowded streets of London to the wide open spaces of Texas, Riv-ers-Hardware is grateful to be at SCHS. He advises future movers to “be yourself and everything else will come with it. “I miss my friends, but I have new ones to make up for it anyway.”

Emanuel Rivers-Hardware, ‘12, tries to dribble past defenders during a scrimmage during fifth hour last week. His love for soc-cer started when he was growing up in London.

Photo by Rikki Hurt

Foreign exchange student

Foreign exchange student

By Madison RiceStaff reporter

Administrators encourage routines like handshakes and ‘good things’ to help unify the 1,400 students

After “C” lunch, students pack Main Street trying to get to their sixth hour class. The student body increased by almost 600 students this year, and along with it came even more diversity. The student population is estimated to be 38 percent African American, 36 percent Hispanic, 23 percent Anglo and three percent other.

Page 5 Summer Creek High School The Odyssey Friday, October 29, 2010Diversity

Lucas Vianna

THAT??W

HOis

Brazil

Grade: 11Length of stay: 10 monthsWhy did you want to be a foreign exchange student?The need to know fluent English to work and the dream of living in another country.Did you choose to come to America? Why?Yes, it was between USA and Italy, but I chose US because of the need for English.What do you miss most about your friends and family?The time of the family to be together for lunch.What has been the most fun moment so far?The meeting of exchange students.What has been your biggest challenge so far?Leaving my parents, friends and family to spend 10 months without seeing them.What American issue has caught your eye? There are a lot of trucks in Houston. How is SCHS different from school in your country?SCHS students exchange rooms. In Brazil, you spend all day in the same room and the teacher exchanges . What do you think you’ll miss most about America when you leave?The experience of living away from my family and being on my own.What sort of trends go on in your country?We have the same clothes, but we go more to the houses of friends. The family also meets for lunch in the middle of the day. It’s the main meal.

Isabeau Wyeme

THAT??

WH

Ois

Belgium

Grade: 11Arrival: Aug. 10Length of stay: Six monthsWhere will you be going when you leave?I will go back to Belgium for one month and in Feb-ruary I’m going to do volunteer work in Guatemala for four months.Why did you want to be a foreign exchange student?To meet other people, learn different languages.Did you choose to come to America? Why?Yes, because for a long time I wanted to live like Americans.What do you miss most about your friends and family?I miss my family because we are very close.What has been your most fun moment so far?The skydiving in Houston and the homecoming game and dance.What has been your biggest challenge so far?The language because when I arrived here, I didn’t understand English, so it was difficult.What have you become involved in at SCHS?I’m on the tennis team. It’s a lot of fun.What’s the biggest difference between your country and America?People are more friendly. Everything’s bigger here than in Belgium. And the school is very fun.

Chaves appreciative of opportunities in America

To Camilla Chaves ’12, who was born and raised in Rio de Janero, Brazil, Amer-ica was her “dream world.” She pictured America to be this fairytale land where everyone got everything they wanted, but she soon realized she was wrong. “Work hard and believe in yourself,” Chaves said of her advice to other new-comers. “I would have wanted someone to have told me to work hard because things here aren’t free.” She moved to the U.S. on July 17, 2005, because her father got remarried. “When I got here, I was in Alabama,” Chaves said. “I thought it was the most

amazing thing in the world.” When she came to the United States with her father, she had to leave the rest of her family behind in Brazil. She goes to Brazil every summer and for her birthday to visit her mother and other family members. Even though Chaves is separated from

By Madison RiceSection Editor

most of her family, there is one person who has helped her acclimate to the culture change and new language. “My dad,” Chaves said. “He has always been patient with me; and every time I got home from school he would sit down with me and translate everything so I could understand it better.”

After moving from Brazil in 2005, Chaves misses family but working hard to achieve goals

Camila Chaves, ‘12, who grew up in Brazil, is enjoying her first season on the cross country team. She moved from Brazil in 2005.Photo by Meredith Mann

As the population at Summer Creek grows, so does the religious diversity in the halls of “Bulldog Country.” “In every classroom, there is at least one student who would fall into every group you can think of,” art teacher Carrie Page said. From Christianity to Muslim, Summer Creek continues to be a school leading in its percentages of diversity. “We have had a lot of classroom discus-sions while drawing about cultural events and religious beliefs,” Page said. “It’s neat to hear what and how others worship and celebrate.” All of the students at SCHS have walked down a different path that have led them to where they are now. Here are the stories of just four of those whose beliefs differ.

Seventh Day Adventist Krysten Barnes, ‘13, is a Seventh Day Ad-ventist, a denomination of Christianity. “It’s like the center of my life,” said Barnes of her religion. Barnes’ religion restricts her from attend-ing some events on weekends that would interfere with her Sabbath, which takes place from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. “Sabbath is the seventh day of the week. It’s reserved for God,” Barne said. As a Seventh Day Adventist, Barnes spends dedicated time praying and has de-votions at night. “I view life as a temporary place, and what matters most is spreading God’s message,” said Barnes.

“Agtheist” Keaton McManamy, ‘13, describes him-self as an “agtheist,” a cross between an atheist and agnostic. McManamy said he doesn’t believe that there is a higher power that actually influences our daily lives but maybe “something created this world and us, but was like ‘Okay! ‘Bye. Figure every-thing out yourself.’” After moving to Texas after sixth grade, McManamy was taunted about his absent faith in a higher power. “The reason I probably don’t like religion is because people were mean to me about it,” said McManamy. “I lived in Oregon where if you weren’t religious, then you weren’t religious and they don’t care.” Even though McManamy may talk nega-tively about organized religion, he said it’s

a good platform to base your lives on. Mc-Manamy said he feels as though religion has caused problems when “people come in and interpret their own way.”

Muslim Rawand Abdelghani, ‘12, is a proud Mus-lim. “I enjoy being different in a way,” said Abdelghani. Abdelghani will admit to being an “Amercanized” Muslim. “Even though I don’t wear the scarf on my head, I still follow the rules,” said Ab-delghani. Every year Abdelghani celebrates Rama-dan, a Muslim holiday where you fast until sunset everyday for a month. After Rama-dan, Abdelghani participates in Eid, a cel-ebration of the end of Ramadan. “It’s sort of like Christmas, we get presents and stuff,” Abdelghani said.

Grace Church of Humble Selena Kantas, ‘12, grew up going to church but didn’t begin devoting her time to her religion until an “incredible experi-ence” during her ninth grade year. “[Christianity] doesn’t fit my lifestyle, it is my lifestyle,” said Kantas. “Friends leave you and you have fights with family, but God’s always there.” Kantas attends Grace Church of Humble and is a member of the youth ministry, Six Degrees. She was also successful in creating SCHS’s first Christian Student Union, The New Definition of Love. “I work hard to read my Bible everyday,” Kantas said. “I pray and talk to God just about anything.”

Getting along at Summer Creek A diverse population at Summer Creek is bound to mix and mingle with each other. “I think it makes it more diverse. You’re understanding more religions than just your own,” said Kantas. However, she also added, “Often times when you talk about religion it instigates an argument.” Though the differences between religions may be a way to stir up a dispute, it’s also an opportunity to learn about others’ religions. “Don’t argue with someone. Don’t force them to believe what you believe,” said Jeff Le, ‘13. “Build positive relationships by just sharing what you believe.” Even though Summer Creek is full of di-verse teenagers, Abdelghani, Barnes and Kantas said they are committed and apply themselves completely to their religion. “It affects everything I do,” said Abdel-ghani. Barnes added, “It doesn’t fit my lifestyle, my lifestyle conforms to it.”

THE RAILNot only do the students

at SCHS have diverse backgrounds, they also have diverse interests. At the end of the day,

the 1,400 students scatter in all directions.

Here’s what some of those students do after

the bell rings...

“Go home and jam out on the guitar.” - Erik Zavala, ‘13

“Go to practice for Starlettes, go home and watch TV,

eat dinner, then go on the computer and watch more

TV.” - Sabrina Derryberry, ‘13

“I like to play paintball with my friends.”

- Westley Jank, ‘13

“I either work or do stuff for ROTC.” - Jose Moralez, ‘13

“I like to go to the mall and shop. I like to go on Facebook.”

- Iliana Carreon, ‘13

“I have confirmation classes. I also like to hang out

with friends and play video games.”

- Alex Renteria, ‘13

“I like to tan and get my nails done, ride four wheelers

and laugh.” - Jourdan Schriever, ‘13

“I like being busy because I don’t like being bored.” - Kenette Manalo, ‘13

“After school I just go home, do homework, play vol-

leyball, go outside and spend time with my friends because

they’re fun. I also watch TV for four hours - B.E.T, MTV,

A&E, VH1.” - Roneisha Babin, ‘12

“I like to hang out with my friends because they are there for you no matter

what.” - Michelle Gomez, ‘12

“I like playing baseball because all my brothers

and sisters play.” - Summer Weckesser, ‘14

“I’m on the computer for three hours and go on Facebook.”

- Aleesia Wilks, ‘14

“I go home and do home-work and then I eat, hang

out with some friends. I play video games and I like to

watch movies after school.” - Drew Lehmann, ‘13

“ I screw around on the Internet, nothing special.”

- Sean Sullivan, ‘12

“When I get home I like to text my girl and chill, eat Hot Pockets, shower and watch

video games.” - Andrew Le, ‘13

“I’m in track, theatre, cross country, soccer, and Bulldog

Leadership Club.” - Bryanna Taft, ‘13

“I love to run. I’m in cross country and choir.”

- Alex Hales, ‘13

“I’m equipment manager for football. I watch five hours

of TV. Anything, everything - whatever is on TV.”

- Susanna Summers, ‘13

“I usually go home, take a two hour nap, wake up and

do my homework.” - Esmeralda Saldana, ‘12

“I watch two hours of TV on regular TV, seven on

computer TV, and on the weekends 12 hours.” - Melissa Patel, ‘14

Foreign exchange student

Foreign exchange student

By Rikki HurtStaff reporter

Variety of strong beliefs add to richness of diversity at SCHSReligion a prominent part of many students’ lives

After “C” lunch, students pack Main Street trying to get to their sixth hour class. The student body increased by almost 600 students this year, and along with it came even more diversity. The student population is estimated to be 38 percent African American, 36 percent Hispanic, 23 percent Anglo and three percent other.

Photo by Rikki Hurt

Chelsey harris, ‘13Volleyball

Chelsey Harris has had a

phenomenal turn around from last

year. She has learned the game

and coupled that with athleti-

cism to become both an offensive

and defensive threat to any team

we play. She currently holds the

school record for number of kills.

Chelsey is a great kid and a hard

worker.

- said coach Lauren Rahmberg”

Boys, girls ready for challenge of varsity

athlete SPotlight

Page 6 Summer Creek High School The Odyssey Friday, October 29, 2010Sports

‘Sibling rivalry’ to cap off season

By Marshall CallowayStaff reporter

Bulldogs one week away from much anticipated match-up

Photo by Lisseth Lopez

DeQuann Ruffin, ’13, catches a reception against Caney Creek on Oct. 21. The team is looking forward to its game against Humble. “That’s a natural rivalry,” principal Trey Kraemer said. “Plus, it’s district, so it’s like family. It’s like siblings competing with one another.”

By Michael TurnerStaff reporter

Basketball players prepare for scrimmages as date nears for season openers

“

Photo by Wayne Barloco

With basketball season about to tip off, varsity boys’ coach Ricky Mourning said the team has got-ten stronger and is ready for var-sity competition. “We are more cohesive and we have more of a family atmosphere that holds us together,” Mourning said. Both teams did very well last year with the girls finishing with a 27-5 record. They have a more diffi-cult schedule this year, said Coach Angela McDon-ald. “Pre-season is mostly 5A tour-naments and against 5A schools,” said McDonald. Katelynn Johnson, ‘13, and Dya-mond Nauling, ‘13, said that the girls are more balanced than any-thing else and have strong leaders of the team. Nauling commended Johnson as a leader, while Johnson named Taylor Vaughn, ‘12. On the boys’ side Jason Mouton, ‘12, and Tre Deterville, ‘12, agreed Josh Chenier, ‘12, is the leader of the team. Mourning said it is all

the upperclassmen who are the leaders. Mouton and Deterville said they have an up-tempo style this year. “We run motion offense and man-to-man defense,” Mourning said. The girls play an up-tempo of-fense as well and stress defense. “We want to push the ball and fast-break as much as possible,” McDonald said. “Defense is what we believe in.”

The average person might think football is the leading sport in concussions; but, according to a recent study by Nationwide Hos-pital in Ohio, basketball leads all sports in concussions. SCHS students have dealt with concussions this year. Basketball player Dyamond Nauling, ‘13, got a slight concussion when she ran full speed into another player. “It kept me from playing the sport I loved,” said Nauling. The University Interscholastic

It’s been a season of highs and lows, a sea-son filled with big wins and close losses; but before the football sea-son draws to a close, the Bulldogs still have two challenges. The first is on the road tonight against Porter. “We’re the new kids on the block,” Josh Rodri-guez, ‘13, said. “We have to show we’re not push-overs.” For their season finale, the Bulldogs’ last var-sity game will be against their foes at Humble. Many players on the SCHS team were origi-nally zoned for Humble, and many have friends who currently are play-ing for the Wildcats. Humble has put to-gether a strong season, going 7-1 overall and 5-0 in district play head-ing in to tonight’s game against Willis. “It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Gerry Gandar, ‘13, said. “They trashed

us, but they’re not ready for us.” To the students it’s a ri-valry; but to the coaches, it’s just another game. With the trash talking and friendly banter aside, it seems there’s no extra emphasis at-tached to it. “We try to focus on one game at a time,” said Walt Beasley, head

football coach at Hum-ble High School. “I feel it will take several years of playing each other

before it’s a ri-valry game.” Unfortu-nately, though, they may not have years to develop that tension. “We’re going

up to a 5A school soon, so I don’t know how

Courtney siegrist, ‘14Swimming

She is a very talented freshman; and at

her first meet she broke four school records:

200 medley relay, 200 free relay, 100 fly and

500 free. - said coach John Dissinger”“

Photo by Alex Blair

League is changing its regulations next year to prohibit students-ath-letes from returning to a game on the same day of a suspected concussion. Athletic trainer Sara Hansen said that change will not impact SCHS’s policies since such re-strictions are already in place. She said it is good to have guidelines for everyone to follow. “I think that concussion man-agement is very important, be-cause returning athletes to play before they are symptom-free can be very dangerous,” Hansen said. “It is important that coaches, ath-letes and parents are all aware of what a concussion is and what the signs and symptoms are.”

Blake Middleton, ‘12Tennis

The season went pretty well. We actually

got to the playoffs, which is awesome.

The best part about being in tennis is just

playing with each other and getting better.

- said Blake Middleton”“

Eric Stanley, ‘12, lays up a basket during practice last week. The boys open up their season Nov. 16 against Aldine at home.

Photo by Rikki Hurt

Photo by Meredith Mann

long they’ll have to con-tinue that rivalry,” SCHS coach Brian Ford said. Rivalry or not, it doesn’t change the fact that Summer Creek, which is in its first var-sity year and has no seniors, is up against a school with a more vet-eran team. “I will tell them what I tell them every game, ‘Play hard and don’t quit,’” Ford said.

Concussions a concern in basketball

By Michael TurnerStaff reporter

Recent national survey shows concussions more prevelant

60 SECONDS OF SPORTSVOLLEYBALL

The Bulldogs capped off their season with some strong performances in October. One of the highlights was against Willis on Oct. 12. “It was awesome,” coach Lauren Rahmberg said. “The girls really came together and fulfilled the expecta-tions of a varsity volleyball team. You could not tell our freshmen and soph-omores from their juniors and seniors. That showed a lot of growth for us.” A year after winning just one match, Rahmberg saw the improvement she wanted this season as varsity entered its last game with a 4-23 record. “It was a huge success,” she said. “The win/loss record is not reflective of the growth and experience we gained. We improved every match we played, which was our ultimate goal for this season.”

Heading into the final game of the season Tuesday, the freshman team was 4-17 and junior varsity was 5-15.

CROSS COUNTRY With the regular season over and re-gionals scheduled for Nov. 6, the cross country teams are capping off a year in which players racked up medals and honors. “I’m proud of the individual growth of the athletes,” boys’ coach Shelton Ervin said. “There are athletes on the team who have shaved more than two to three minutes off their time from the beginning to end.” For many, the end of the season is a welcome relief. “We’re looking forward to a break,” girls’ coach Matt Frost said. “We’ve been going strong since August and some of the girls are really starting to show the wear and tear.”

SWIMMING The swimming and diving team is already off to a strong start with a home meet in which a number of new pool records were set and players put together strong outings against district-rival Atascocita. In December, the Bulldogs will be getting back one of their strongest weapons when Justus Pennington, ‘13, returns to the pool. “He tore his ACL this summer and is out of meets until December,” coach John Dissinger said. “He hasn’t let that bring him down as he’s been tearing it up in practice.”

TENNIS In its first varsity season, the tennis team reached the playoffs by winning three district matches. “We can draw experience and in-spiration from this inaugural season

to accomplish greater goals for next year,” coach Tom Le said. Despite having a young team, leaders emerged. Ade Caballero, ‘12, moved to SCHS from Midland and took on leadership responsibilities. “You can always count on Ade to cheer on her teammates, give 110 percent each match and be a leader on and off the court,” Le said.

WRESTLING The wrestling program is preparing to begin practices in November. The players are currently continuing their offseason lifting and conditioning. Coach Scott Howard said a couple of wrestlers have stood out recently. “Clayton Mouser (‘12) has made tre-mendous gains in the weight room, and Pierce Womack (‘13) has a lot of power in a light body,” Howard said.

HOME OPENERS

BoysNov. 16 vs. Aldine

GirlsNov. 16 vs. Katy

FOOTBALL RECORDSVarsity: 2-6

Junior Varsity: 1-7

Freshman A: 5-3

Freshman B: 8-0

The Odyssey

Page 7 Summer Creek High School The Odyssey Friday, October 29, 2010Opinions

If you had a band, what would you name it and what genre of music would you play?

Staff members - Front row: Madison Rice, Starr Jauregui, Bethany Proulx. Second row: Narda Martinez, Lisseth Lopez, Rikki Hurt, Marshall Calloway. Back row: Wayne Barloco, Michael Turner, Kodie Adolph.

Section editorS: Rikki Hurt, Lisseth Lopez, Madison Rice. Photo editor: Wayne BarlocoStaff rePorterS: Bethany Proulx, Michael Turner, Kodie Adolph, Narda Martinez, Marshall Calloway and Starr Jaugerui.SPecial contributorS:Isabeau Wyeme, Rachel Sides, Meredith Mann, Taylor Chimney, Allie Stanfield, Krysten BarnesadviSer: Megan OrtizPrinciPal: Trey Kraemer

The newspaper staff is made up of students who have passed Journalism I and/or Photojournal-ism I and completed an application process.

Summer Creek High School14000 Weckford Blvd.Houston, TX 77044Phone: 281.641.5400

October 29, 2010Volume 2, Issue 3

Grading policy in place to benefit students

Some are not even aware of it, even though this impacts students everyday. To break it down, major tests and projects count for 60 percent of a student’s grade and 40 percent comes from minor assignments. The reason for the policy is to make grading consistent and fair across all subjects. The fairness comes from having three major tests in a grading period as com-pared to having one big test. Teachers can break down the objectives more easily, and students can be better prepared for the expected test. The policy on some other campuses is 80/20. In that case,

the major grades will weigh much more heavily; and it will be much more costly if the students fail just one test. The key to the 60/40 policy is balance for stu-dents and teachers alike. An incentive is to do better on classwork and tests. It en-courages students to do well and time manage correctly instead of having “the big cram” before the test. If students begin to feel overwhelmed because of the potential of having 18-21 tests and major projects in a six-week period, teachers are always offering extra assis-tance before or after school.

Ghosts, goblins, teens, oh my!

When most people think of trick-or-treating they see 6 year-old kids dressed up in little costumes with their friends say-ing, “Trick-or-treat!” Very few people think of trick-or-treating and imagine a 6 foot teenager barely dressed up with a pillow case saying, “Trick-or-treat.” Little kids in costumes trick-or-treating is cute. Older high school teenagers with a deep voice asking for candy, not cute. Everybody has their own opin-ion on trick-or-treating. Many adults want to see elementary to maybe junior high kids at their door, and they don’t always care

to give candy to a teenager who can look them straight in the eye. Some probably don’t mind, but the ones I’ve personally spoken to all have the same opinion. Most students enter high school at 15-16 years old, old enough for jobs and driving which gives money and allows travel. If you really want candy that bad go buy candy. It’s not very expen-sive. Also, if you can drive or have someone who can drive you places, why not go to a haunted house or go to a party? Why not even throw a party? There’s so much more you can do with your age group.

Halloween is right around the corner, which means scary movies, haunted houses and trick-or-treating.

Bethany Proulx

The 60/40 grading policy currently in every class might confuse and scare some students.

“The Killers, and it would be rock.”- Diante Brice, ‘14

“Me and my best friend said we would be called the Red Leather Nuns because of that Lady Gaga video. It would be slightly more pop.”

- Nicole Burgin, 12

“Saturday Afternoon and it would be rock or punk.”

- Iris Velasquez, ‘13

“Negative Zero and we’d play alternative rock.

- Eli Cote, ‘14

“Hello, Disgrace and it would be acoustic.”

- Jeff Le, ‘13

“The New Movement, because it will be based on Christianity. The genre would be gospel.”

- Pamela Horace, campus police

Diversity adds richness to SCHS halls

I consider myself to be a Jamerican (someone who was born in Jamaica, but raised in America). I came up with the title when I was about 10 years old when I finally I realized that I’m not 100 percent full-blown Jamaican like my parents and some of my cousins. I was about 50-percent Jamaican and 50-per-cent “Americanized.” My mom, dad, and I moved to America in October of 1996 - a month before my third birthday, which explains me lacking a Jamaican accent. The reason be-hind us moving was my parents wanted me to be able to have more opportunities. When I was younger, I believed that one of the largest negatives of being a native of Jamaica was that I could never be the President of the United States, while my little brother, who was born a US citizen, could. Thankfully, I’ve realized that politics aren’t for me. Growing up, I’ve heard some of the most outrageous stereo-types and perceived ideas about Jamaica. To name a few: “Does Jamaica has electricity?” “What language do Jamaicans speak?” “If you were really Jamaican then you would have dreds.”

“Are you illegal?” “You eat yams, right?” “So you must run really fast like Usain Bolt, huh? You should join track!” And there are many more. This summer, I went from being a resident in the US to becoming a US citizen! I have dual citizen-ship which means that I have the benefits of being a citizen in both Jamaica and the US. It was a huge deal for my family and me to receive my US passport in the mail and be sworn in. The day after I was sworn in, I left for Jamaica with my fam-ily for 10 days. Though we went for a funeral, I was able to be reminded of and enjoy the scen-ery, the rich culture, my family, and especially the awesome West Indian food! Jamaica is known for many things including its beaches,

music, food and diverse popula-tion. The motto of Jamaica is “Out of many, one people.” Not one native of Jamaica is 100 percent of one ethnicity. I, for example, have the Taino Indians (native Jamai-can tribe), Assyrian, African and many other ethnic backgrounds in me. There are Asians, Caucasians, Hispanics, Africans; you name it and you can find it in Jamaica. However, it is strange for me as an outsider to talk with an Asian who can “bruck out” (meaning break out in patois) in deep, thick Jamaican patois, or dialect. Summer Creek, in a way, is a mini-Jamaica in terms of its diversity. A benefit of having such a mixed population is that you gain wis-dom and understanding of other cultures that allows you to relate to other countries more efficiently.

Thumbs Upl Having an extra minute to get to class this year.l Late arrival on Thursdays - two extra hours of sleep.l The “I Y Boobies” breast cancer aware-ness wrist bands.l New projectors and over-excited teachers.l Humble vs. Summer Creek football game.l Summer Creek version of fist pumping at homecoming.l Passing AP classes.l Eating outside.l SCHS students forming bands.

Lisseth Lopez

By Krysten Barnes

Krysten Barnes, ‘13, far right, stands with her cousin Richard Graham Jr., grandma Gloria Graham and cousin Jesse Graham on a hill overlooking the city of Kingston, Jamaica, where Barnes was born. She visited them in August.

Thumbs Downl Everyone having silly bands = not cool anymore.l Cartoon-character backpacks.l Bieber Fever.l “C” Lunch running out of cheese sticks on Fridays.l Mall rats. Don’t just walk around and do nothing.l Over-crowded hallways and people who walk really slow in front of you.l Girls obsessing over Edward and Jacob.l Guys comparing themselves to Edward and Jacob.

Page 8 Summer Creek High School The Odyssey Friday, October 29, 2010Back Page

Kabria Davis, ‘12, and Asia Kenebrew, ‘12

Kayla Taylor, ‘12, and Kim Taylor, ‘14

Bree Burciaga, ‘12, and Ian Dartez, ‘12

Neatra McMiller and Laura Frazier

Photo by Allie StanfieldBrandon Slater, ‘13, rests with his goat while on an FFA trip to River Pines Elementary on Oct. 14. Slater’s comfortable spot lasted only a few seconds as the goat started ‘bahhing’ and forced him to get up. The students visited elementary schools to teach kids about animals during their recesses. They talked about the responsibility it takes to care for the various animals some FFA students raise.

FALL FUNStudents had fun in and out of the halls in October as organizations became more active and Fun Fridays capped off each week.

Photo by Taylor ChimneySeyvon Avery, ‘13, caught a pass from teacher Mike Tarver during first period Foundations of Personal Fitness on Oct. 15. He then tried to rush past his classmate Grant Emerson, ‘13, en route to a touchdown.

Photo by Krysten BarnesTanner Wilburn, ‘13, works on a project during Spanish II. Students made life-size people and then labeled their body parts and clothing using Spanish words.

Photo by Meredith Mann

Bria Davis, ‘13, applies lipstick as she waits to perform with the Starlettes during the varsity football game against New Caney on Oct. 14.

Photo by Rachel Sides

Emily Freeman, ‘13, warms up before playing in a scrimmage against the freshman boys’ team during seventh hour Oct. 15. The first soccer games won’t officially start until after second semester gets underway.

Ashley Comeaux, ‘14, takes a break during photo-journalism class to check out the photo she took. The students were outside shooting pho-tographs using compositional elements. Ariel Young, ‘13, and Jacorey Brown, ‘14

Hallie Garcia, ‘12, and Karaliz Rozonino ‘12

John Marquez, ‘12, and Juan Haro, ‘12

Kendra White, ‘14, and Stephanie Minix, ‘14

Noe Brown, ‘13, and Austin Goode, ‘12

Ironesha Nickens, ‘12, and Jazmine McGrew, ‘12

Kellie Fondel, ‘12

Bria Hatchet, ‘12, and Krystal Criss, ‘12

Michael Herbert, ‘14

Natalie Peralta, ‘13, and Brianna Burke, ‘13

Photo by Isabeau Wyeme