Gre

ase

Msu

ical

pg.

6

Catc

hing

Fire

pg.

13

Majewski chosen as new principal at Clear Creek

By Lisa Nhan

Managing EditorReturning to Clear Creek after three

years as principal at Bayside Intermediate, Mr. Jamey Majewski will be replacing Mr. Scott Bockart as principal at Clear Creek. Mr. Bockart was promoted to Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education in late October. Only a day after the news was released, Mr. Majewski submitted his application.

“It was an easy decision. I’ve been here before…it didn’t take long for me to put my name in the hat,” said Majewski.

After submitting his application, Majewski was interviewed by a committee. One of the members of the committee was Mr. Bockart. Finalists were selected for a personal interview with Dr. Greg Smith. The news was released in a Board Meeting on November 18 after Dr. Smith gave his official recommendation based on the interview process.

Returning to Creek comes with a familiar comfort, as familiar faces in the staff welcome back Majewski. In addition, Majewski looks forward to participating in student events, such as graduation and sport games.

“I really love going to student activities whether it’s football or improv, whatever it may be,” said Majewski.

When he was here before, it was one of the traits that endeared him to the staff.

Instead of having a formal introduction to the staff and students, Majewski decided to take a visible approach. He is slowly introducing himself to the campus by visiting classrooms, waiting in the hallway, and interacting with students.

“I plan to do it gradually through the year,” said Majewski.

The transition from Bayside Intermediate to Clear Creek High School comes with some challenges such as the size of staff and students. Bayside has

around 700 students compared to the around 2,000-student population at Creek. In addition,

Majewski’s support staff is much larger than before, a completely new dynamic.

One of Bockart’s responsibilities as Assistant Superintendent is to help Majewski transition into the position as head principal. Together, they plan to continue the goals of Clear Creek.

“My expectation is that we keep the students the center of what we do. I want our kids to be college and career ready,” said Majewski.

Majewski originally joined Clear Creek ISD as World Geography teacher at

Creek in 2001. After working as a teacher for two years while working on his Master’s degree, Majewski was promoted to the role of Assistant Principal.

As Assistant Principal, Majewski was the head of the rebuild for Clear Creek’s new campus. It took a total of three years for the process to finish, and Majewski lead project from start to finish.

He was then promoted for a second time after five years to take on the role as Associate Principal at Creek. With roles such as creating the master schedule for the whole school, Majewski faced new responsibilities in leadership.

Mr. Majewski left the role after a year and a half of the job for a Human Resources job in the Clear Creek ISD ESC building. After only a year and a half at this position, he accepted the opportunity to be the first principal of Bayside Intermediate in 2010.

As the first principal of a new school, Majewski had the unique experience of being able to build his own team for the new campus. He acted as principal at Bayside for three years.

Bayside Intermediate has begun the search to look for a new principal and will hopefully have on by the time Winter Break ends. Clear Creek looks forward to having Mr. Majewski back on campus and seeing him take on this new role.

Photograph courtsey of Hi-Life Staff

2 OpinionWhat is your favorite family tradition

for the holidays?

2013-2014

Principal: Scott Bockart Advisor: Wynette Jameson Executive Editor: Jan O’Neil Editor-in-Chief: Arlen Addison Jasmine Garza Design Editor: Audree Hall Managing Editor: Lisa Nhan Features Editor: Jenan Taha News Editor: Arlen Addison Teen Interest Editor: Jessica Sieling Sports Editor: Lili Lara Around Creek Editors: Lisa Nhan Elena Rodriguez Advertising Managers: Jasmine Garza Elena Rodriguez Photo Editor: Mallori Flanagan Online Editors: Monica Jackson Sydney Mathews

Published at Mirror Publishers in Texas CityEmail us at: creekhilife@gmail.com

Visit us at: http://clearcreekhighschool.ihigh.comFor ad rates call: (281)284-1889 Fax: (281)332-9079

HiLife Staff

Emily BerthiaumeAllison CaseyDeja Harrell

Makenzie JacksonHeeldre ManciaEmily Ruthven

Viri De Los SantosCarolina SarriaNatalie Steele

FRESHMEN SENIORS

SOPHOMORES

JUNIORS

““Staying up late eat-

ing marshmellows and

opening one present at

midnight.” - Nia Thomas

“We go on skiing trips every year to Colorado.”

-Brandon Hunt

“My grandma makes Guatemalan tamales every Christmas and we

eat all together as a family.” -Jessika Deleon

“I love hiding the famous Christ-mas pickle in the tree.” -Kristen Martin

“Decorating the Christmas tress,

because our family comes to-

gether.” -Jarrett Hildreth

“Riding the snowmobile and sit-

ting around the bonfire.”

-Timmy Reynolds“ Cuddling by the fire, drink-

ing hot cocoa and watching

holiday movies like “The

Grinch.” -Madison Daughterty

“ Going to eat at Guido’s on Christ-mas Eve.” -Landon Etzel

“My grandparents and I bake a lot of cookies.”-Shane Lawson

“In my family, my favorite traditipon is baking with my mommy.” -Gina Sereni

“Seeing my presents under the Christ-

mas tree and seeing my dad come homr from Afghanistan.”

- Mustafa Ibn-Zakariya

“Watching my little sisters get ex-

cited for Santa, because it brings

me joy.” -Luke Rice

“Watching Christmas movies and going to parties as a family.”-Victoria Messmer

“Staying up late past midnight to

open presents and pop beautiful

fireworks.” -Johana Garcia

“Hearing Bing Crosby play when we wake up to open Christmas.” -Ashley Duran

“Going to cut down a Christmas

tree because we have family fun.”

-Naomi Neely

3Editorial

There’s something about the holiday season that seems to get people to have a more generous spirit. People give a little more, and people receive a little more. Why does it have to be the holidays that make us this way? Ten months go by and people keep their usual selfish mentality that what they have is theirs and no one else’s. Suddenly, as soon as November comes around with T h a n k s g i v i n g , people become “thankful” for what they have and begin to give to the less fortunate. That homeless person they have been avoiding for almost a full year, finally gets recognition with a few coins, or if they are lucky, a dollar; thereby making both the homeless person and the giver feel like a million dollars. It’s sad that our society has come to the point where in our heads we believe that those who seek help do nothing to deserve it.

For me, the holidays always bring back those memories of family and friends, and remind me of the important things in life. I am just as guilty as being one of those people who forgets the meaningful things in life sometimes. I go by on what seems to be a predetermined schedule every day. I wake up, go to school, come home, and I repeat the next day, while in the midst, forgetting the little things that mean the most. I seem to forget the

meaning of family, because as they say, your family members are the only people that will support you no matter what. With that mentality in my head, why should I bother in trying to appreciate them to my full capacity? During these last couple of months, I appreciate my family with a different perspective. I have had three family members taken away from me in a blink of an eye, around this time over a period of two years. I regret the lack of time I spent with my cousins and uncle. The memories I have of them replay over and over in my head. At times it is hard to fathom, that they are indeed gone. My appreciation for my family has since then been greater than ever before. It woke me up to realize that reality is harsh, and at some point your time on this earth does indeed, end.

Losing someone is tough, especially during the holidays. It’s supposed to be the time where you are supposed to spend time with your family, and gather to reminisce on the good times and memories. With the deaths of my family members and my Dad’s voice in the back of my head saying, “Be thankful for what you have, and never be greedy

with your money,” I have grown this passion for helping anyone in need. I appreciate the life I live, because I have seen people who truly have nothing, smile at anything. I get jealous at times of the people who appreciate life with a child-like mentality. The people who have absolutely nothing in their name, but still have a desire to help. They are truly my inspiration. I help not for recognition, or praise, but for the feeling that hits me every time I help, that feeling that I just made someone’s whole day with a smile and gift. Not a gift I give because of a guilty conscience, but a feeling of warmth and appreciation from someone I might never see again.

Jasmine’s

Journal

By: Jasmine Garza

Editor-in-Chief

“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you

never know how soon it will be

too late.” -Ralph Waldo

Emerson

Arlen’s

Anthropology

By Arlen Addison

Editor-in-Chief

As I was returning home from Houston a few days ago, I passed under a bridge with the words “REMüV “hate!”” painted in large, red letters above. I wondered what must have hap-pened to the painter that they felt inclined to go through the trou-ble to climb down onto the side of a bridge, above dense car traffic to paint these words. The painter must have experienced some oc-currence involving hate that was so strong that they were willing to risk criminal pros-ecution, and even their life, to paint these words for all to see.

After ponder-ing the reasoning for painting the words, I began to think instead of the meaning of the words. I thought about hate and how preva-lent it is in our his-tory. I thought of all the countless waves of pain and suffering caused by this simple emotion. Seeing the message on the bridge made me think about hate, just how trivial and preventable most examples of hate are. Several examples of pointless violence and hatred that came to mind. Protestants and Catholics, Israelis and Palestinians, Sunni and Shi’a, Muslims and Hindus, all religions and ethnic groups that preach peace and loving before hatred and violence, yet throughout history have had a hard time following their own teachings.

In the nearly 500 years since Martin Lu-ther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to church doors, Protestants and Catholics have engaged in countless wars, conflicts, massacres, and religious “cleansings”, the remnants of which still echo through out England and Northern Ireland. The ongoing conflict between Israe-lis and Palestinians over disputed territory, having resulted in over 3,000 rockets, mortar,

and missile launches into civilian territory, including schools, hospitals, and residential homes, in the past 2 years alone. The sectar-ian violence between Sunni and Shi’a Muslims of recent years have resulted in almost daily bombings between the communities, peak-ing during times of holy celebration. The re-ligious tension between Muslims and Hindus has resulted in India and Pakistan having one of the most strained relations in the world.These examples of religious and ethnic hatred and violence are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the pointlessness and fatality of hatred. From the ancient emperors and warlords to mod-ern terrorist and bloggers, mankind’s history is tainted foul with the stench of hatred.

While the pure pain and suffering that hatred has caused is enough means for us to “REMüV “hate!”” the cost to human progress

is staggering. Think of the wondrous things that mankind might have achieved of we had not wasted our his-tory pointlessly killing each other. Think of those would-be cre-ators of civilizations lost to violence and hatred, all the wonders of mankinds destroyed by war, everything that could have been if only mankind had learned to work as one. The cost of the entire Apollo pro-gram, from Kennedy’s “We choose to go to the Moon” speech to touchdown of the final Apollo mission crew, is $109 billion in to-day’s dollars. While that sounds like an enormous amount of money, the current cost of the wars in Afghani-stan and Iraq total is al-most $1.5 trillion, with an additional $11.3 million cost to taxpay-ers every hour. Try to imagine the marvels of sci-ence, engineering and medicine that could be achieved with $1.5 trillion. It is es-timated that to end

world hunger, for everyone, everywhere, it would cost a mere $30 billion. With $1.5 tril-lion mankind could end world hunger, set up human settlements on Mars and the Moon, and still have money left over. Yet instead we have spent $1.5 trillion on a war caused by, fueled by, and prolonged by hatred.

As I continued to broad over my hatred of hatred, it finally dawned on my why those words were painted on the bridge. Before seeing them, how much attention had I taken away from the drudgery of my normal routine to ponder the ramifications of hatred? The message made me think and all change begins with an idea.

“The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cos-mic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the

momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabit-ants of one corner of

this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabit-ants of some other cor-ner, how frequent their

misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill

one another, how fervent their hatreds.”

-Carl Sagan, The Pale Blue Dot

News4Residents of the Philippines are

struggling to find relief after the upsurge of the devastating Haiyan Typhoon, the strongest tropical cyclone to ever make landfall. An estimated 2,500 people perished in the coastal city of Tacloban alone, and the UN estimates another 11 million have been affected.

Hardly any tropical storms in history can compare to Haiyan. Hurricane Katrina, which killed over 1,800 people, made landfall at 140 mph. The deadly 1900 Galveston storm reached speeds of 145 mph. The Haiyan typhoon was whirling at 195 mph when it made landfall, making it the strongest tropical cyclone to ever hit land.

The storm began to form November 3rd, and gained strength as it moved past Micronesia and Palau. On November 6, the storm approached the Filipino coast, and between the evening of November 7 and the morning of November 8th, the storm made landfall in Guiuan, in the eastern part of the Samar province. Storm surges in many places rose 15 to 19 feet high.

Nearly every family on or near the coast lost one or more family members.

to a relief center. Five days after the storm, aid

slowly reached into the most destitute cities. The geography and limited amount of open roads and airports hindered help from coming any sooner. In Tacloban, the sick, homeless, and hungry are packed into the makeshift clinic at the DZR Airport. There is no medicine or supplies, and the clinic is quickly running out of water. Many children and elderly residents became dehydrated and died from further illness.

The Philippines was not the only country affected by the typhoon. The storm also tore through Vietnam, where over 14 people died. In China, 8 people drowned and several more died from other causes.

The total death toll in the Philippines is constantly growing. As of Wednesday, December 4, the official death toll was 5,719, and 1,779 people are missing. Impassable roads and a shortage of trucks impeded rescue efforts, and make it harder for officials to fully assess the damage.

“In a situation like this, nothing is fast enough,” said Interior Secretary Mar Roxas. “The need is massive, the need is immediate, and you can’t reach everyone.”

Several countries are rushing to

aid the devastated area. The U.S. has spent $20 million on aid, and has deployed 300 military personnel. The U.K. and China have sent care packages worth millions of dollars. The surrounding Asian countries, Australia, and Canada have also donated millions to the aid of the Philippines, in hopes that the country will be restored as fast as possible.

In the Houston area, many people linked to the Philippines put in their best efforts to support the areas in need. One group of Filipino friends and family created an event to raise money for the cause, called Re(Fresh) 2K13. The festival was held at Walter Hall Park and included concerts and fundraising events. All proceeds from the occasion were sent to aid the victims of Haiyan through League City churches.

Aid is slowly trickling through the Philippines, one helicopter at a time. Still, the people of the Philippines continue to have hope. One helicopter commander recalls the several “thank you” notes made of rocks or seaweed that he has seen from an aerial view after dropping off supplies.

The powerful surge ripped children from their parents’ arms, and swept whole families away. One woman lost 11 of her family members, including her two-year-old son.

The major cause of damage was not the typhoon, but the subsequent storm surges, which were so powerful that they washed massive ships ashore into the coastal cities. The most devastated areas include the provinces of Samar and Leyte, and the city of Tacloban.

“Tacloban is totally destroyed. Some people are losing their minds from hunger or from losing their families,” Andrew Pomeda, a Filipino high school teacher, said.

Citizens are struggling to find food, and many are turning to violence. Countless stores have been pillaged, and many are afraid of being killed by looters for food or supplies. Eight people were crushed when looters stormed a government building for rice. Inmates in the Tacloban jail threatened to break out if they were not given food, and it would be easy for them to do so, because the walls of the jail were badly damaged by water. The jail ran out of supplies, and the warden of the jail could not find transportation to get

By Jenan Taha

Features Editor

Deadly typhoon sweeps through the Philippines

News 5

“Thinnovation” was the slogan for Apple’s MacBook Air. Apple bragged that the laptop was so skinny it could fit in a manila envelope. Now, six years later, Apple has done it again, but now with the iPad. Apple is calling it the iPad Air. With new features such as a 24% overall volume decrease, a 9.7 inch display, and a new and improved retina display. Even with all of these advancements, this new iPad weighs in at only one pound and has a width of 7.5 millimeters, a dramatic improvement from its predecessor. The iPad air also has two times faster wifi, and 2 antennas.

The question on consumer’s minds is whether it’s worth buying or not. Technology critic, Patrick Goss, has some thoughts on this new product.

“The iPad air is much, much more than

the best full-sized consumer tablet on the market.” says CNET critic, Tim Stevens, of the new iPad. Stevens gave the new tablet an overall rating of four and a half stars, while the average user rating was only three stars, according to CNET’s database. The iPad has been scoring overall higher ratings than most of it’s competitor’s. For example, CNET critics gave the Google Nexus 7 a rating of four stars, the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX a rating of four stars, the Google Nexus 10 a rating of four stars and the Barnes & Noble Nook HD+ received a rating of only three and a half stars.

Many iPad users have consistently requested a larger screen from apple. While the new iPad Air does have a larger screen than the models that preceded it, the iPad Air isn’t the biggest screen out there. The Microsoft Surface 2 has 10.6 inches, compared to the 9.7 inch Apple Screen.

Brad Molen of Engadget applauded Apple for making dramatic changes to the new iPad. “The iPad’s design hasn’t changed much over the years.” said Molen. “At any rate, if you thought the iPad was due for a major revamp, the iPad Air should come as a breath of fresh air.” Molen was also impressed with the battery life of the new tablet. The iPad Air has an overall thirteen hours and forty five minute battery life, ranking it at the top of the charts compared to other tablets.

For example, the HP SlateBoolx2 only had a six hour and thirty five minute battery life. In conclusion, Molen said, “ The iPad Air is the best iPad we’ve reviewed. In addition, it’s also the most comfortable ten inch tablet we’ve ever tested. Not every manufacturer can produce a thin and light device without also making it feel cheap or flimsy, but Apple nailed it.”

just a name change- the reduction in size and weight of the device improve it on a fundamental level.” Goss said. “It’s hard to put into words how much Apple has improved the iPad, offering a stunning level of detail and power with a build quality that’s unrivalled.” Goss said of Apple’s improvement.

A critic from CNET praised the new iPad for it’s extended battery life, the sharper, front-facing camera, and also commented on the vibrant Retina Display. However, the critic was disappointed to the absence of the Touch ID Finger Print scanner that was installed into the iPhone 5S.

“Functionally, the iPad Air is nearly identical to last year’s model, offering only faster performance and better video chatting. But factor in design aesthetics, and the iPad Air is on another planet. It’s

By Emily Ruthven

Reporter

Apple unveils its latest tablet, the new iPad Air

Former South African President and Peace Activist Nelson Mandela passed away December 5, at his home in Johannesburg. Mandela had been in and out of the hospital for the past few months suffering from a lung infection. He was 95 years old.

Mandela was born July 18, 1918 in the small village of Qunu in Western South Africa. Born Rolihlahla Mandela, while attending a Christian missionary school, Mandela was given the name “Nelson”. Throughout his life, Mandela studied law at various colleges and universities across the world. Mandela got politically involved at a young age, helping found the youth branch of the African National Congress, opposing colonialism and the apartheid government.

As the ANC and anti-apartheid movement gained momentum, Mandela also rose to prominence in the ANC. Mandela was arrested numerous times between the years of 1952 to 1962 in which he was the prominent in the ANC. In 9962 he finally received a life sentence. He served 27 years hard labor before finally being released in 1990, with civil strife and unrest raging.

Mandela was eventually able negotiate an end to the apartheid government with then President F. W. de Klerk, allowing for the first multiracial election in 1994 where he was elected South Africa’s first black President.

During his time as President, Mandela

In 2004, at the age of 85, Mandela finally announced that due to failing heath,

he would be “retiring form retirement”. He would largely stay out of the public eye for the last 10 years of his life, instead mostly staying at his home in Johannesburg and only visiting with close friends and family.

O n December 5, South African P r e s i d e n t Jacob Zuma a n n o u n c e d that Nelson M a n d e l a passed away in his home, surrounded by family. A ten-day period of mourning was observed

throughout the country.

A memorial service was held five days later on

December 10, at Johannesburg’s FNB Soccer Stadium. In addition to the over 90,000 attendees, more than 91 heads of state paid their respects, as well ten retired presidents. Other notable attendees included the Irish singer, Bono, American Journalist, Anderson Cooper, and British-Iranian journalist, Christiane Amanpuor, among others. President Obama was among those who spoke.

“After this great liberator is laid to rest, and when we have returned to our cities and villages and rejoined our daily routines, let us search for his strength. Let us search for his largeness of spirit somewhere inside of ourselves. And when the night grows dark, when injustice weighs heavy on our hearts, when our best-laid plans seem beyond our reach, let us think of Madiba and the words that brought him comfort within the four walls of his cell: ‘It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.’”

Following the memorial service, Mandela’s body was laid in state at the Union Building, in South Africa’s administrative capitol, Pretoria, for a three-day viewing. Tens-of-thousands paid their respects to the passed leader. Mandela’s body was finally laid to rest in his home village of Qunu December 15.

While millions around the world mourn the passing of the esteemed leader, Mandela’s legacy of freedom, tolerance, and good will shall live on in the generations to come.

continued to dismantle apartheid-era policies. After his term ended in 1994,

M a n d e l a w o r k e d tirelessly in retirement at activism and philanthropy.

By Arlen Addison

Editor-in-Chief

Nelson Mandela passes away at age of 95

Portriat of the late leader.Courtesy of MCT Campus

Fall Exam Schedule

Tuesday, Dec17th

Period 1: Exam

7:20 - 9:15

Period 2: Review

9:21 - 1-:23

Period 3: Review

10:29 - 11:30

LUNCH

11:30 - 12:30

Study Hall

12:30- 2:30

Wednesday, Dec 18th

Period 2: Exam

7:20 - 9:15

Period 3: Attendance

9:21 - 9:29

Period 4: Exam

9:35 - 11:30

LUNCH

11:30 - 12:30

Study Hall

12:30 - 2:30

Thursday, Dec. 19th

Period 2: Exam

7:20 - 9:15

Period 3: Attendance

9:21 - 9:29

Period 4: Exam

9:35 - 11:30

LUNCH

11:30 - 12:30

Study Hall

12:30 - 2:30

Friday, Dec. 20th

Period 3: Exam

7:20 - 9:22

Period 7: Exam

9:28 - 11:30

Enjoy your Winter Break

Wildcats!

Around Creek6Hiatus is broken with Grease musical

Following a three-year hiatus in musical productions, Clear Creek’s Theatre and Choir Department joined together to bring the magic 1950’s of Grease to Creek.

After this performance I was in a case of Grease fever where I sang all of the songs for days on end much to the dismay of my friends and family. The whole cast and crew did a great job of putting life into the show that left a lasting impression.

Ryan Sieling’s, 12th, portrayal of Danny Zuko was led by his strong voice and partnered with the talented Jenny Barosh, 12th. Barosh truly is gifted with a beautiful voice that fit the role of Sandy very well.

Another accomplished singer on cast was Gina Sereni,12th, as Marty. Her performance of Freddy, My Love was one of my favorites in the show. Sereni has a beautiful voice that helped carry the performance.

Kenickie, played by Justin she

walked on stage. There was no doubt that Strickland was the one to play that role.

Drew McCord, 12th, who played the Greaser Roger, did a fantastic job of providing comic relief throughout the whole

performance. From his public display of his pantsing to his solo of Mooning, McCord’s play stick humor was definitely a highlight of the show as evidence from the laughs in the audience.

Another crowd favorite was Joel Mancini, 12th as Teen Angel. Mancini, dressed in a white suit, got one of the loudest applauses from the audience all night. His solo of Beauty School Dropout certainly gave

the girls in the crowd something to cheer about.The House Chorus gave the whole

performance a new depth. Their interaction in the aisle added an added element of excitement.

After seeing this performance, I am very eager to see what the Theatre and Choir departments will work together on next. They’ve certainly proved that Clear Creek can put on a successful musical performance.

By Lisa Nhan

Managing Editor

Creek debate team success at Bay Citywould go on to win the tournament. A mishap occurred in semifinals,

as Timmerman and Ellis began their debate against a team from Clear Brook, only to have it stopped mid-round, as they had apparently been assigned the wrong opponents. The correct opponents from Bellaire were upset by the error. The whole team left the tournament early, forfeiting the round. They could not be reached for further comment.

Creek sent Ellis and Morrison to finals in International Extemp, and Timmerman and Claire Berlinger, junior, to finals, the former of which won the event. In Prose, Berlinger reached finals in the senior division, and Morrison reached finals in the novice division.

In Poetry, Chelse Tillman, senior, reached finals in the senior division, and Christopher Herrera, freshman, reached finals in the novice division. Tillman also reached finals in Storytelling, one of Bay City’s unique events. Timmerman also reached finals in Senior Impromptu.

Going further into Bay City’s unique events, the school hosted a multitude

of team and duo interp events. Creek sent four teams to compete in these, named Team 1, Team 2, Team 3, and Group 4. Creek saw success in one of the team events, Readers Theatre. Readers Theatre is a team event, and Creek sent Team 1 and Team 2, the latter of which reaching finals, placing second only to the Concordia High School team of Controlling Interest.

Although the Creek team couldn’t replicate their success from South Houston, where they placed second overall out of twenty-eight schools, they retained their success in PF and Extemp, which carried the team. Bay City is a different tournament, in the fact that is heavily reliant on interp events. This meant that Creek’s debate success alone wasn’t enough to carry the team.

Creek’s next tournament will be the following week, on Friday the 13th, at a closer location: Clear Brook. Brook’s schedule will be a little different than most tournaments this year, straying from the typical model of having debate preliminaries on Friday, then doing elimination rounds and interp events on Saturday. Brook will instead hold all events’ preliminary rounds on Friday.

By Brendan Hudspeth

Reporter

Gibbons, 12th, truly helped bring the Greaser boys to life. Having seen Gibbons in previous school productions, I have never been more impressed with his skills as an actor and now musical performer. His

counterpart o f T i e r n e y Conley, 12th, as Betty Rizzo performed in perfectly sync with his character. Both actors gave their characters great depth powered with strong vocals.

London Strickland, 10th, as Patty Simcox was one of the best casting choices I’ve seen in a school production. Strickland became Simox the moment she

On Friday, December 6th, the Clear Creek debate team left early to compete at Bay City High School, which is almost two hours away. This marked the only tournament the team has stayed overnight, unless they get permission to compete at Churchill High School, in San Antonio, in late January. Bay City combines debate and theater, and the result was a bundle of extra, unique events like Auditioning, Storytelling, and Group Improvisation. And to top it off, the tournament was themed around the school’s upcoming production of the play Chicago.

Creek performed well, winning Public Forum debate and Domestic Extemp. In Public Forum, or PF, the four teams that broke out of prelims were Neerja Patel and Arbera Bedini, both freshmen, Sahar Jiwani and Meagan Puckett, both sophomores, Christina Morrison and Alexis Gabbard, also sophomores, and Lucca Timmerman and Logan Ellis, a senior and a junior, respectively, who

Photograph courtsey ofHilife Staff

Around Creek 7

Wrestling Cy-Fair Wrestling George Ranch Invitational

Teacher Night @ 4pmGirls BasketballHome vs Brook

Freshman @ 4pmJV @ 5:30pmVarsity @ 7pm

Dickinson Senior Night @ 6pm

Wrestling Dual Meet @ 5pm

Girls BasketballAway @ Dickinson

10am Freshman11:30am JV Away

1pm Varsity

Girl’s Basketball Home vs Falls

Freshman @ 10amJV @ 11:30amVarsity @ 1pm

New Year’s DayNew Year’s Eve

Wrestling George Ranch Invitational

Girls Basketball Home vs SpringsFreshman @ 4pm

JV @ 5:30pmVarsity @ 7pm

Wrestling Quad Meet4pm @ 7 Lakes High

School

Girls Basketball Away @ Brazoswood

Freshman @ 4pmJV @ 5:30pmVarsity @ 7pm

Girls BasketballAway @ Falls

Freshman @ 4pmJV @ 5:30 pmVarsity @ 7pm

Wrestling Dual Meet 4pm @ Klein Col-lins High School

Girls Basketball Home vs Lake

Freshamn @ 4pmJV @ 5:30pmVarsity @ 7pm

Martin Luther King, Jr’s Day

District Wrestling Championship

@ Houston Westside

Girls BasketballHome vs DickinsonFreshman @ 4pm

JV @ 5:30 pmVarsity @ 7pm

26 27 28 29 30 31 1

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

29 30 31 1 2 3 4

Wrestling Cy-Fair Invitational @ Berry

January 2014 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Ashlyn Pederson crowned Miss League City Teen

Clear Creek junior, Ashlyn Pederson, won the title, Miss League City Teen on September 19th. Pederson advanced to the Miss Texas Teen Pageant.

The Miss Texas Teen Pageant is a three-day event. On the first day, all 180 contestants greet each other and learn the rules and plans for the pageant. On the second day, the Preliminary Competition begins.

Contestants had three sessions; Evening Gown, swimwear, and interview. In interview, the judges ask about the contestant’s self, past, present, future, and morals.

After the judges select the top 15 contestants, the third and final day begins. There are only two competitions this day, swimwear and evening gown. Next are the awards.

There are four places and Mrs. Congeniality, and Most Photogenic. This pageant took place on November 29th, 30th, and December 1st.

“I’m excited, but a bit nervous for the Miss Texas Teen pageant, because all of the girls are so beautiful, and everyone has their own incredible qualities,” said Pederson.

Ashlyn Pederson is also a teen model and former dancer. She has been modeling since the age fifteen. Pederson has had a multitude of modeling opportunities, such

as, Page Parkes, Visible Changes, Oakley, Academy, DeWinter, Great Day Houston, Rony Richa, JCPenny, and the Gap.

Pederson has also been dancing since age three. The nationally ranked dancer’s experience includes attending the Rockett Intensive Program in New York, earning a scholarship to dance on Broadway for the summer of 2011, attending the Elite Dance Academy and participating as a Creek Cavalier in 2012. Pederson is most experienced in modern and jazz dance styles. Pederson feels that her extensive background in modeling and

dance have assisted her in pageants.“I’ve never done something quite like

a pageant, but I feel that my competitive

dance and modeling experience had helped shape me into pageant material,” said Pederson.

Pederson is also in the Clear Creek Band, National Honor Society, DECA, Fashion Design, and is currently a Superintendent Scholar. Pederson has also been nominated for the National Legion award. Out of school, Ashlyn Pederson runs an online fashion business, has a makeup tutorial account on Youtube, and is a published poet.

By Emily Ruthven

Reporter

Photograph courtsey ofAshlyn Pederson

Pederson believes that being a well-rounded individual will contribute to her success in the upcoming pageant.

“The pageant isn’t just about beauty, but about being a humble, intelligent, well-rounded person. With all of the clubs and academic associations, I’ve learned that personality trumps beauty. This concept will really help me in my interview portion of the pageant,” said Pederson.

When asked what she hopes to get out of the upcoming pageant, Pederson said, “ I hope this pageant builds my confidence, self-esteem, courage, speaking skills, and overall personality. I also hope that participating in this pageant will push me to be the best person I can be.”

Pederson believes that even though she takes part in modeling and pageantry that does not mean that beauty is everything to her.

“Just because I participate in pageants and modeling doesn’t mean that the superficial life style affects me. I believe that everyone has different qualities, which make him or her unique and beautiful. Beauty is something that cannot be defined because beauty is subjective.”

Unfortunately, Pederson did not win the Miss Texas Teen Pageant, but Clear Creek High is certainly proud of her achievements and efforts.

Teen InterestTeen Interest10British comedy About Time impresses audiences

It’s the time of year again when the weather is getting cold and all I want to do is curl up with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and watch romantic comedies for hours. So naturally, when I first saw the trailer for the movie About Time, I was pretty excited.

A romantic comedy starring Rachel McAdams (The Notebook, The Time Traveler’s Wife) and written and directed by Richard Curtis, the man who created Love Actually. It seemed way too good to be true. When the movie finally hit theaters in the United States on November 1st, I was definitely first in line to see the film.

The movie starts with a nice intro voice-over scene by the leading man, Tim, played by the adorable Irish actor, Domhnall Gleeson. Harry Potter fans most likely recognize him as Bill Weasley, seen in the last two Harry Potter films, but he has also been in films such as Never Let Me Go and Sensation. The movie’s main story line begins fairly quickly, when Tim’s dad, played by the famous British actor Bill Nighty (Wild Targets, Love Actually), explains to his son that the men in their family are capable of traveling back in time.

Unsurprisingly, Tim has trouble believing it until he finds himself in his upstairs cupboard, at the party that he attended the night before. After that, the

movie spirals into many awkward yet funny moments with Tim crushing on his sister’s friend, Charlotte, played by Margot Robbie. Despite the help of time travel, doesn’t

work out too well for him. Soon, Tim finds himself

in London meeting the girl of his dreams, Mary (Rachel McAdams) and uses his secret ability to get her to fall in love with him. The film after that is a series of crazy moments ranging from awkward family encounters to endearing Mary and Tim scenes to depressing and heartfelt scenes featuring Tim’s crazy sister, Kit-Kat (Lydia Wilson).

Other popular British actors seen in the film include Lindsay Duncan, playing Tim’s nice but slightly unconventional mom, Richard Cordery, who played Tim’s quiet and

not-so-bright uncle, and Tom Hollander, who played Tim’s hilarious, perpetually angry roommate, Harry.

Overall the movie was completely delightful. The actors perfectly portrayed their characters and made the movie truly believable interesting to watch. Although some critics have argued in reviews that the character development happened too fast, I disagree completly.

In fact, the short scene in which the audience sees the couple’s life and relationship develop though screenshot moment from a train station is one of my favorite parts and most memorable moments in the whole movie. The story is set up to where the audience sees Tim’s little world as a whole, with Mary and Tim growing their family and Tim’s relationship with his dad expanding.

Honestly, I could go see this movie over and over again. The screenplay was well developed, the music was perfectly incorporated, and the cinematography was enticing. The soundtrack included music from The Cure, Amy Winehouse, and Nick Cave and each song fit extremely well with the different moods of the movie.

Throughout the film was hilarious and had part of the crowd in tears from laughing so hard, but it also had sad parts that literally had me crying in my seat. It is slightly anti-climatic, but that’s what makes the film so amazing. It doesn’t rely on crazy action scenes, or dramatic horror parts, but rather focuses on pure emotion felt by the characters that resonated with the whole audience.

I would most definitely recommend this movie to anybody who enjoys British romantic comedies with incredible storylines, hints of time travel, and Rachel McAdams.

Mary (Rachel McAdams, left) and Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) star in “About

Time.” (Courtesy Murray Close/MCT)

By Jessica Sieling

Teen Interest Editor

Barbara Park, author of the popular children’s series Junie B. Jones, died on November 16th at the age of 66 after a long term battle with ovarian cancer. She lived in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband and two sons.

Park was born in Mount Holly, New Jersey, and remembered herself as a troublemaker who “knew well the path to the principal’s office”. She planned to be a teacher, and majored in education at the University of Alabama, but one experience as a student teacher in a seventh grade classroom changed her mind. She then decided to write funny books for children, as she had two young sons at home.

The first Junie B. Jones book, Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus, was published in 1992.

“Within the first four sentences, I discovered I had a character who hated

her middle name,” she told the trade magazine Publishers Weekly last year. “By the second page, I knew she was a wild child, who — big surprise — had not yet mastered the Queen’s English. And when I finally finished the book, I thought maybe I could write one or two more. I was a little low with my expectations, apparently.”

Junie B. stayed in kindergarten for 14 books and almost a decade before she moved up to first grade in Junie B., First Grader (at last!). Her English was never proper but rather more of that a child, with words like “bestest”, “funnest”, “runned”, and “thinked” popped up all-too frequently. Some parents and teachers were concerned with Junie B.’s unique diction, and a few of the books have appeared on the American Library Association’s list of “challenged” books.

However, the Junie B. Jones series was extremely successful, with 30 books published and more than 55 million copies sold.

The opening line of every book, “My name is Junie B. Jones. The B stands for Beatrice. Except I don’t like Beatrice. I just like B and that’s all,” is easily recognizable to a broad range of ages. Her hilarious misadventures, Park’s spot-on six-year-old voice, and the easy reading level lead to a series with a book in almost every single elementary classroom.

“I don’t have a problem being 6 years old in my head,” Park once said during an interview with barnesandnoble.com. “It’s almost embarrassing; if I’m talking to librarians or teachers who know my books and they say, `How do you do this?’ It’s not a stretch. I find that when I’m struggling to think of how a 6-year-old would feel about something, I just have to go right down to the common denominator, find the simplest way that you can look at an object or a problem, and not muck it up with all of the stuff that adults do and over-analyze,” she said.

Park cited J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye as a literary influence and said Judy Blume inspired her to write funny children’s stories.

Park has also written picture books, novels for middle school students and even a Hallmark greeting card with an “insulting” birthday message about getting old. She was a frequent winner of Children’s Choice Awards, and never did write a book for adults.

“I’m not actually sure I’m grown-up enough for grown-up books,” she once explained.

In the most recent Junie B. Jones book, Turkeys We Have Loved and Eaten (and Other Thankful Stuff), which came out in August 2012, Junie B. was still six years old and in first grade. She never grew up, and will be the same old Junie B. readers all know and love, forever. Park’s contributions to the world of children’s literature are as innumerable as they are valuable, and she will surely be missed.

“For 20 years I’ve gotten to laugh my way through my work,” Park once said. “For me, that’s a dream job.”

By Emilly Berthiame

Reporter

Barbara Park, author of Junie B. Jones, dies at 66

Teen Interest11Teen InterestThe Hunger Games sequel, Catching Fire, hits theatres

The second installment of the popular book series to movie adaptation series, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, is pulling in record-breaking numbers. The young adult fiction had the best gross ever on Thanksgiving Day, grossing nearly fifteen million dollars. Catching Fire also was ranked the fourth all time movie with the highest opening weekend, behind The Avengers, Iron Man Three and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two. Worldwide, the movie earned a global total of five hundred seventy three million dollars and counting.

Catching Fire is set in a totalitarian society, Panem, in which there are twelve districts and a capitol. The districts are divided by their resources.

All of the districts resources are sent to the Capitol. The citizens of the capitol live in extreme lavish and luxury, while the citizens of the districts starve and struggle to survive. Every year, the Capitol hosts an event called “The Hunger Games”. In this event, one young male and female, ages 12-18, from every district are reaped to fight the other district’s contestants to the death, all for the Capitol’s entertainment.

The plot picks up where the last film left. After winning the 74th Hunger Games, District Twelve tributes Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are required to go on a Victory Tour only after a short return home.

Upon returning back home from the tour, the 75th Hunger Games is announced

making the third Quarter Quell. Every 25 years the Capital makes a special rule to Games called a Quarter Quell. The rule

change for this Quarter Quell requires all the tributes will be reaped from the pool of victors, meaning that Katniss is guaranteed a spot back in the Games. The movie follows Katniss as she struggles to go back into the Game to protect those she loves.

The blockbuster is also scoring amazingly good reviews with critics. Catching Fire got an impressive eighty nine percent on Rotten Tomatoes and an eight out of ten stars on IMDb.

Movie critic, Susan Wloszczyna applauded actress Jennifer Lawrence for the complex role of Katniss Everdeen and how Lawrence expresses feminism very well.

“Of course, the one truly fresh invention—and the one that matters most—is Katniss herself. With each on-

screen chapter, the poor girl from District 12 continues to fulfill her destiny as an inspiration and a rebel fighter. She is but one

female, but she’s the perfect antidote to the surplus of male superheroes out there.”

Jennifer Lawrence is now an Academy Award

winner and famed actress. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is packed with many other Hollywood stars such as Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Willow Shields, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Sam Claflin, Jenna Malone and Woody Harrelson.

Many attribute the major improvement and success of Catching Fire to the new director, Francis Lawrence. The previous Hunger Games film, directed by Gary Ross, received only seven out of ten stars on IMDb.

When asked about the success of the film, Lawrence said, “The numbers are a bit crazy. Sort of hard to comprehend

really, but this franchise does have an amazing fan base. I am really happy the Johanna scenes get great laughs. I think she’s one of the standouts in terms of new characters, and I am really proud of her scenes.” However, some people were not impressed with Catching Fire’s cinematic quality.

Susan Wloszcyna said, “Yet ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire suffers from the same ‘something old, something borrowed’ disease that is the enemy of originality in too many Hollywood efforts of late. It is difficult to enjoy a film when you are checking off all the sources it references—‘Lost’ and ‘Survivor’ from television, Star Wars (what is with the Stormtrooper ripoffs?) and “The Running Man” from movies, and Roman and Greek myths.”

But amongst the few negative comments, there were many compliments to the movie. Mark Hughes of Forbes Magazine complemented Lawrence on her presentation of feminism.

“Of course, Jennifer Lawrence becoming one of the most popular stars in film today helps quite a bit, too. The series demonstrated the power of female characters and female audiences at the box office, and Lawrence’s down-to-earth personality and frankness in real life — including her Oscar acceptance speech and subsequent interviews — won the hearts of the public,” said Hughes.

Director Francis Lawrence plans to have The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, the third installment of the Hunger Games trilogy, be presented in two parts. Part one will be released on November 21th, 2014 and Mockingjay: Part Two will be released November 20th, 2015.

By Emily Ruthven

Reporter

First Youtube Music Awards surprises audienceBy Jenan Taha

Features Editor

Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson, left) and Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” (Courtesy Murray

Close/MCT)

The first ever YouTube Music Awards was held live from Pier 36 in Manhattan, New York on Sunday, November 3rd. Presented by Reggie Watts and Jason Schwartzman, the event was a spontaneous and frenzied plethora of real life and Internet stars mingling together in the first occasion of its kind.

The whole show was completely unscripted and run by the participation of the audience. Performances included Lady Gaga, MIA, and Eminem.

A new and possibly revolutionary idea—the live video—was created at the awards. Bands such as Arcade Fire performed live music videos on stage. The music “videos” included dramatic projections, various props, and costumed actors to make it seem as if the audience was watching a video clip.

One of the most realistic “videos” of the night was Arcade Fire’s Afterlife.

The stage was covered with several tall trees, imitating a forest. Actress Greta Gerwig starred as the main character, and energetically danced through the forest as Arcade Fire sang in the background.

She even went into the crowd along with younger choreographed dancers and made the audience roar. From the point of view of the camera, it was hard to tell that the “video” was actually live.

Other live “videos” included Lady Gaga’s Dope, which she very passionately

performed in a trucker hat and no makeup. Canadian group Walk Off The Earth performed their Brief History of Music.

The awards included some of the weirdest moments of live streaming. Actress Rashida Jones handed the two hosts a pair of real babies, which the hosts awkwardly held as they tried to present the winners.

Avicii and Lena Dunham collaborated in their music “video”, and the audience was given the power to determine where the story would go next. The audience chose a gory end, so the two lovers in the “video” bloodily committed fake suicide on stage.

The awards, resembling the trademark rectangular red play button, were revealed in creative ways. Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix’s cover of Radioactive won the Response Of The Year Award, which was revealed after the two hosts ripped through five cakes to find it.

Other awards were “lost” on stage and the hosts had to hunt for them.

Eminem won Artist Of The Year, and Video Of The Year went to Girls’ Generation’s song I Got A Boy.

“Being part of the nominees was an award in itself, but to win, speechless,” Tiffany, of Girls’ Generation, said.

Other awards included YouTube Phenomenon, representing significant trends of the year, which went to Taylor Swift’s I Knew You Were Trouble.

YouTube Breakthrough, representing the biggest growth in views and subscribers, went to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Innovation of the Year,

representing the most creative video, went to Destorm’s See Me Standing.

Although the awards were a little disorganized, and several awkward

silences quieted the stage, Forbes Magazine agreed that “despite its shortcomings, it was not boring.”

Features8

15-year-old Texas teen’s diary to become a book

By Emily Berthiaume

ReporterA 15-year-old girl from Brownsville,

Texas took her struggle to become popular in her new school from a personal diary to a $300K two-book and movie deal. The book, titled Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek, is Maya Van Wagenen’s story of moving to Brownsville in eighth grade and her quest to become one of the most popular girls in school. She used a unique tactic – following advice from a 1950s etiquette book called “Betty Cornell’s Teen-age Popularity Guide”, and recorded every step in her journal.

The advice from the etiquette book may seem outdated, but Van Wagenen followed every step – even the ones

that seemed ridiculous. She wore white gloves and girdles, learned how to properly squeeze pimples and shave her legs, and even ate grapefruit and wheat toast every day for breakfast.

“The most important lessons conveyed were timeless ones like being open and honest, and kind. She found that each social clique was distrustful of the others, and that all of the kids bore similar insecurities. She was able to find common ground and feel for the first time like she belonged,” according to Deadline.com.

Cornell is now a mother of three and former model, and she said was thrilled at the new interest in her book, according to the New York Post.

“I thought I would never hear about the book again,’’ she admitted, courtesy of the New York Post.

When asked if girls today can still relate to her book, she replied, “Some of it, but not all, because so many things have changed.’’

Dan Lazar, an agent for Writers House, set up Popular… for auction, and Dutton Children’s Books, a branch of Penguin Group, will publish the memoir of Van Wagenen’s road to popularity with a six-figure, two-book deal. The book is set to be released in April.

This sudden demand for her personal story was “heady stuff” for Van Wagenen, according to Deadline.com. As Van Wagenen said in a recent press release, “I have always loved to read and dreamed about seeing my books on the shelves of a library and in the hands of other people.”

After the book deal was signed, Lazar engaged Lucy Stille to take the manuscript to Hollywood, and Macosko Krieger became a possible producer. Krieger was the long-

time assistant to Steven Spielberg, and this is the first time she will be a full producer on a major project, according to Deadline. This movie deal with Dreamworks is a huge deal, and, at fifteen, Van Wagenen is now the youngest non-actor to make a feature deal at Dreamworks. Amy B. Harris, executive producer for “The Carrie Diaries”, will write the script.

Van Wagenen now lives in rural Georgia, and she still shares a room with her younger brother, according to People. Not much is known about the budding author besides the fact that she is a “lover of British television, books, birds and chocolate,” from her Twitter profile. Certainly she will have much success in the future, and will probably never have to worry about being popular again.

UK’s Bastille releases hit new album: Bad Blood

Photo courtesy of Go Moxie

By Brendan Hudspeth

Reporter

Having topped the UK singles chart with its hit single Pompeii, Bastille now seems to be growing, and fast. The British group led by lead singer/songwriter Dan Smith released its first major studio album, Bad Blood, on March 4th, 2013.

Now, the singles from it are giving the band its first real sense of international fame. It wasn’t always easy, though. Their first single, Overjoyed, failed to chart in the UK, and failed commercially due to a lack of promotion. The second, the album’s namesake Bad Blood, reached #90, but remained only for a week. Bastille’s success finally came with its fourth single, the now international hit Pompeii, topping charts in Ireland, Scotland, and Billboard’s Alt. Rock chart.

Bad Blood as an album makes great use of Smith’s vocal range, showcasing his abilities to sing softly in Overjoyed, his upbeat chanting in Things We Lost in the Fire, and his emotions in Flaws. Smith’s vocal range is amplified by the band’s use of non-traditional sounds and instruments, including keyboards, percussion, and acoustic guitars. In Pompeii, there are numerous harmonies among band members to amplify Smith’s chorus, and in Oblivion, a violin can be heard to add to the song’s depressed sense of emotion.

Focusing on the apocalypse, the album utilizes many allusions to Greek history and the Bible. Music videos follow Dan through the streets of Los Angeles as he flees the city in Pompeii, and his kidnapping by thugs in

Laura Palmer as he tries to shoot a video.Not all songs on the track stay true

to this motif, so it’s not a fully themed

album like the late My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade. Two singles, Bad Blood and Flaws focus on Dan’s past struggles and flaws, respectively.

Like Flaws, These Streets shares the central message of accepting one’s flaws,

which could say something about the young group’s future. Critics of the album will be quick to point out the often-simple lyrics,

claiming that the album lacks sophistication. With

some tracks, this is obviously intentional, like in the chant-esque Things We Lost in the Fire, but the point still stands. Smith’s lyrics get simple, and at times repetitive. Even in Flaws, as he acknowledges his

own shortcomings, there is repetition of the same lyrics multiple times, with the only change in sound on the track coming from his backup and heavier bass lines.

“There’s nothing inherently wrong with this too-many-feelings, heart-on-your-sleeve approach; it’s just that, played out over the course of an entire album (or on the airwaves, over the course of several years), the whole thing starts to feel a bit contrived,” said Consequence of Sound critic Katherine Flynn.

Bastille has already tasted success with Bad Blood, and has since announced the release of an extended cut version, titled All This Bad Blood. The extended version features 13 new songs, bringing the total from the album up to 25.

One of the most highly anticipated tracks from this version is the single, Of the Night. It’s a mash-up of two popular 90s dance tracks, Italian band Corona’s The Rhythm of the Night and German group Snap!’s Rhythm Is a Dancer. The extended version, and specifically Of the Night use a heavier blend of synthpop than the original album’s tracks.

All said, Bastille is a great band, with lots of potential for improvement. The fact that they’ve already acknowledged their imperfections with songs like Flaws and These Streets is reason for optimism in listeners and critics alike going forward. The wait until November 25th, the release date for All This Bad Blood couldn’t come fast enough for fans, and many more are out there, waiting to see this band develop into something truly great.

9FeaturesSNL criticized for lack of racial diversity in cast

By Emily Ruthven

Reporter

The late night sketch comedy show, Saturday Night Live, has received racial criticism for the lack of an African American actress on their cast. On November 2, Kerry Washington, a successful, African American actress, was used as many African American celebrities. In the opening sketch, Washington played First Lady, Michelle Obama, with her husband, President Obama, played by Jay Pharaoh. Washington had to exit the stage several times to change into costumes for celebrities such as Beyonce and Oprah Winfrey. While this constant costume changing added sense of comedy, it also proved a point: SNL needs an African American actress.

“The producers at “Saturday Night Live” would like to apologize to Kerry Washington for the number of black women she will be asked to play tonight. We made these requests

both because Ms. Washington is an actress of considerable range and talent and also because “SNL” does not currently have a black woman in the cast. As for the latter reason, we agree that this is not an ideal situation and look forward to rectifying it in the near future … unless of course, we fall in love with another white guy first,” said the SNL cast and crew in a press release.

Previously, Saturday Night Live had used Kenan Thompson, one of two African American actor on the cast, to play several famous African Americans, male and female.

Reporter for The Feminist, Syreeta, chose a rather accusing headline, “That one time SNL pretended to care about diversity.

When asked why there has been a lack of African American actresses, Thompson replied, “It’s just a tough part of business. Like in auditions, they just never find ones that are ready.”

Saturday Night Live has also been accused of encouraging racial stereotypes via sketches.

Soryaya Nadia McDonald of the Washington Post said, “SNL has no idea how to write about black women without referencing the same, tired tropes the follow us through media.”

One sketch performed during this episosde only started more fire for the producers of SNL because the skit only increased racial stereo types. The sketch included a mock of the viral Internet video, “What does the Fox Say”. The sketch starred Jay Pharoah, as the cheating boyfriend and Kerry Washington as the jealous girlfriend.

This year’s cast includes six new cast members, all of which who are white. Beck Bennet, John Milhiser, Kyle Mooney, Mike O’ Brien, Noel Wells, and Brooks Wheelan make up the new members for the 2013-2014 cast. The fact that this is “a

rebuilding year” as Tina Fey mentioned in her monologue, does not help the fact that the Saturday Night Live producers chose six, white new cast members.

However, some people are more frustrated with the fact that people are worrying more about the ethnicity of the cast members that the actual quality of the comedy.

A reporter from the Los Angeles Times said, “What so often gets lost in these conversations is that demands for diversity and broader representation are not demands for humor to be less subversive or more politically correct. Instead, it would be nice to see a richer range of humor than that produced by the predominantly white men who write for, act on and produce Saturday Night Live.”

Theatre Under The Stars presents Elf--The Musical

Elf- The Musical made its way to Theatre Under the Stars’s stage for the holiday season, bringing the story of Buddy the Elf and his adventure finding his father in The Big Apple. As a huge fan of the 2003 movie that the musical is based on, naturally I was pretty excited to see the show, which ran from December 6-22 at the Hobby Center’s Sarofim Hall. The show had many talented performers, and overall told an enjoyable Christmas story that warmed the hearts of many.

The preformance started with a hilarious introduction from Santa Claus himself, played by William Hartery, giving the standard no-phones-during-the-show speech. The speech led straight into the starting number, Christmastown, in which Santa explained his frustration with the elves do to their constant singing and smiling. Late in the song, Buddy the Elf was introduced as the happiest “elf” of them all and the main character for the show.

In all honestly, Buddy is a hard character to play, mostly because no one can compare to the comedic genius that is Will Ferrell, who played Buddy in the movie, but also because the role takes much energy and talent. But the musical Buddy, played by Tommy J. Dose, did a really great job as the

For example, Buddy’s love interest, Jovie, got more of a backstory and it was interesting to see things play out for Buddy

and her. Played by Jessica Rush, she made her role funny and fun to watch, especially why singing the amusing song, Never Fall In Love (With an Elf).

The show was fun to see. The mother-daughter bonding scenes between Michelle and Emily were a nice change in pace, and although personally I would have liked to see more Buddy and Walter moments, the musical was kept entertaining with small musical numbers such as Nobody Cares About Santa.

All of the actors were talented and believable in their roles and the music was fairly well written for it being a musical about an elf.

All in all, the musical didn’t really compare to the movie; the storyline wasn’t as well developed and the characters lacked some substance. But the musical did accomplish its main goal: to entertain audiences with a lovely Christmas story about the importance of family. And when it comes down to it, that’s what’s

important. Upcoming TUTS productions include

the record-breaking musical We Will Rock You, coming in January featuring music from the British rock group, Queen, as well as The Wizard of Oz which will be on stage in March.

Mckenna Marmolejo become Michelle, Buddy’s long lost half sister, and Cynthia Ferrer performs as Emily, Buddy’s step-mother.

Due to my complete attachment to the characters in the movie, it

was hard to except the new ones at first. In order to enjoy the show, I had to stop looking at the show as a musical version of the movie, because it isn’t. The plot is different, the characters’ attitudes are different, and most importantly, the spirit of the musical is different.

Elf. He made the role exciting, and kept the energy of the character and musical up the entire show. His performance of the song World’s Greatest Dad which

showed his longing to meet his father, had many of the audience members loving him from the very beginning.

After the intro in the North Pole, the characters one by one fall into place as Buddy makes his way to New York after discovering that he is human. Mark Jacoby is introduced as Buddy’s too-busy-for-family father, Walter Hobbs,

By Jessica Sieling

Teen-Interest Editor

Photo by Bruce Bennet

14 SportsBy Lilli Lara

Sports Editor

After five years, Clear Creek finally defeats Clear Springs in the Battle of 518. A close game of 63-62, gave the Wildcats (9-1, 6-0) an undefeated District 24-5A championship. This brought Clear Creek, Clear Springs, Clear Falls, Dickinson, and Clear Brook to playoffs, while Clear Lake sits in the stands.

Clear Lake needed to beat Dickinson by nine points Thursday to make their spot in playoffs, but because of missing on a would-be touchdown in the final seconds of the game, they gained only three points in the win. This put Clear Lake out and Dickinson on the road to glory.

“Creek made a play and we’re in. You could call me a Wildcat today,” said Dickinson running back Krysten Hammon, 12..

Clear Springs (6-4, 3-3) is top seed in Division I with Clear Falls runner-up, and Clear Creek is top seed for Division II. The Wildcats meets Bush on November 16th at 1 p.m. and the Chargers face Fort Bend Austin at 6 p.m.

Clear Springs gained the ball first in overtime, converting a fourth-and-short before Zach Cripps, 12, eventually caught Devin Milburn, 11, for the 7-yard score and 62-55 lead.

Following with another play, Hildreth made a connecting pass to Davon Smith right before he was hit in the backfield, and the sophomore receiver ran 25 yards down the sidelines making the touchdown. Offense then returned to the field, while most of the play was flowing to the right, Jarret Hildreth, 12, then looked back left. Landon Etzel, 12, starting on the right side of the formation,

broke free to the left and leaving everyone behind for the game-winner.

“We really didn’t have a whole lot to lost. We wanted this game really bad and we felt like – at the time – that was the best opportunity for us to win it,” Said Clear Creek head coach Darrell Warden.

Clear Springs down 20 points made it a game in a wild, back-and-forth second half.

Combining the teams for 85 points after halftime, including the 28 in the open 3:17 of the third quarter. C.J. Green, 12, then took a 75-yard touchdown run that put the Wildcats up 41-20 in the third, but the Chargers responded

with 21 straight points to tie the game. But

that tie only took up 23 seconds when a big kickoff return led to a short touchdown run for the Wildcats.

Creek then recovered an onside kick, leadi

ng to Hildreth finding Etzel for a 42-yard score putting them back in the lead 55-41. Clear Springs refused to give up and kept putting up a fight. Cripps threw a connecting pass to Jared Singleton making a touchdown with 8:46 left to pull the Chargers within a score. Springs senior quarterback then brought the score to a tie, lining up

as a tight end catching a Matt Guidry, 11, pass for the touchdown with 2:14 left in the game, sending it to overtime.

Clear Creek was staring a second overtime in the face, but instead of going for the tie, the Wildcats went for the win and they got it. Jarrett Hildreth found a wide-open Landon Etzel in the end zone; converting by two-point try and giving Clear Creek the one point lead (63-62) and win at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

“All the work that we put in and we’ve been thinking about this game. We went after it and we did it. We finished,” Jarrett Hildreth said.

Both teams still proceed to Playoffs starting Saturday, November 16th, and the Wildcats are ready to take the trophy home.

Walking into playoffs and walking right on out while all teams in CCISD, besides Clear Lake and Clear Brook, didn’t make it past the first game. Clear Creek played Fort Bend Bush losing 47-28, Clear Falls played Fort Bend Hightower lost 31-24, Clear Springs played Fort Bend Austin lost 65-14, and Dickinson played Fort Bend Elkins losing 40-27.

Being the last game for our CCISD seniors, as tears run down their face, they hope better for our upcoming seniors next year as they played a magnificent year.

“They have strong promise. I know they worked hard for us, so hopefully our underclassman will work hard for our upcoming seniors, ” said Kurtis Lester, outside linebacker ,12.

Photographs courtsey of Hi-Life Staff

Football season ends at Creek on bittersweet note

Sports 15

Smith, and Clowney is very appealing to fans. As for Reed, it would all but confirm the rumors of him switching inside to

ILB with Brian Cushing. This would relieve Reed of his pass-rushing duties and allow him to focus on stopping the run and covering the middle of the field.

As far as positions of need are concerned, Jake Matthews would fill the hole at RT. Although Matthews is an LT for Texas A&M, he played RT before Luke Joeckel graduated and was drafted last season by the Jacksonville Jaguars. In an anonymous interview with five NFL executives before the 2013 season, two preferred Matthews to his

former teammate. This is while the other three chose Joeckel by a close margin. Matthews has received much praise for his quick

footwork, pass blocking skills, and intelligence on the field.

However, even with all of this upside, the Texans might not go OT in May, as they drafted two last year; Brennan Williams and David Quessenberry.

Unfortunately, both were placed on injured reserve in preseason. One could imagine that the team would like to give them their shot first.

Finally, there’s Teddy Bridgewater. The Louisville QB has built his draft stock on his great decision-making, arm accuracy, and outstanding

pocket presence. He might not be as mobile as RG3 or Cam Newton, but he can move around in the pocket and scramble when needed to avoid pressure, which is crucial if the Texans take him and are unable to shore up their line. A QB’s accuracy is always helpful, but Bridgewater’s decision-making sets him apart from the rest of his class. If the Texans aren’t comfortable with Case Keenum going into next year, fans could easily see Teddy coming to Houston.

As of Week 13 of the 2013 NFL season, the Houston Texans are poised to pick first overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, starting on May 8th, 2014. While the current season has been more or less of a loss, Texans fans are currently turning their attention to top college prospects.

When drafting, teams typically take a player who will fill a hole on their team. At 2-10, the Texans have multiple holes to fill, although which one takes precedence is still up debate. Debate over if the the team should draft a QB to replace the maligned Matt Schaub, or if do they trust Case Keenum for one more year. Or, do they draft a solid OT to replace the underperforming Derek Newton, A popular third option is to draft a DE and assemble a monster pass rush with JJ Watt and Whitney Mercilus. With a hold on the first pick, all of these options are available without restriction.

The top players at each position needed to fill are QB Teddy Bridgewater from Louisville, OT Jake Matthews from Texas A&M, and DE Jadeveon Clowney from South Carolina. Any of the three would be a good choice for the Texans, but following the general consensus amongst fans, head coach Gary Kubiak will not be returning for the 2014 season. Whoever would then hypothetically step into that role will also have an impact on who the team drafts.

Picking Jadeveon Clowney goes against the typical draft strategy of picking players to fill the holes on the roster. While it’s not necessarily a position of need, as the team already has a serviceable DE tandem in JJ Watt and Antonio Smith, Clowney would most likely switch to being an OLB, replacing Brooks Reed.

Having a pass rush of Watt, Mercilus,

By Elena Rodriguez

Around Creek Editor

Athletes of the Month

By Brenden Hudspeth

Reporter

Tyquon Jordon11

“Should be a good sucessful season, I really believe that my team mates and I are go-ing to come together and take

over the court.”

Brittany Wingate12

“I feel honored and grateful I have the ability to play,”

Signed with Southeastern Louisiana University

Eighth wonder of the world demolished

Since the Astrodome opened in 1965, it has been Houston’s very own “Eighth Wonder of the World,” but when the future of the nearly 50-year-old stadium was in the hands of the citizens of Houston and surrounding Houston area the $217 million bond was rejected. The Dome, which has been used as a storage unit since 2009, would cost an estimate of nearly $30 million to tear down. However, if voting had fallen in favor of keeping the stadium, the $217 million bond would have been used to renovate the building into a newer venue that would have taken two and a half years to complete.

“I fully expect it to go over budget,” said Houston native Celene Chasen told the Houston Chronicle. Regardless of the cost issues, Chasen said that she voted to save the Dome. The cost of renovation would total $217 million, but as County Budget Chief Bill tells the Houston Chronicle, the cost may go down if the new building had managed to qualify for funds and historical tax credits. If the new Dome had received those cost savings the total of the renovation would have been cut down to a total of $190 million, saving the city $27 million.

Issues surrounding the renovation of the Dome included the cost and the tax increase for Houston residencies. An average $200,000 home’s annual tax would have increased by almost $8 per year.

“I think we spend too much that we don’t have on things that don’t have value to us,” said Stephanie Cochran resident of Houston for ten years, according to the Houston Chronicle. “We have to move on.”

Regardless of the fate of the stadium, Dome fans gathered at the “yard sale” and auction hosted by Reliant Park’s general manager Mark Miller. The plan for the event accounted for 2,000 people, but when the lines began to form Saturday morning, the turnout was nearly four times the expected amount. Proceeds from the yard sale and auction totaled $810,491. Merchandise sold included lockers, Astroturf, stadium seats, and miscellaneous items. A total of $569,807 was made on the purchase of stadium seats alone and proceeds on items from the auction topped at $146,191. The highest item sold was a single gate turnstile purchased by Dave Warwick for $4,100.

For 50 years the stadium has hosted an array of indoor and outdoor events. Baseball games, from the Oilers to the Astros, football games, from high school to the professionals,

Possible NFL draft picks for the Texans

the Livestock Show and Rodeo, and hosting Hurricane Katrina victims in August of 2005 are some of the memories from the Dome.

“My fondest memory of the Astrodome was going to watch the Houston Hurricanes when I was in elementary,” said secretary at Clear Creek, Lisa Watkins.

“I think people are worried about the taxes, but sometimes newer isn’t always better. They should just redo everything, not tear it down,” said Watkins. Regardless of the outcome, the Astrodome will always be a part of Houston’s history.

November 5 became D-day for the 50-year-old Houston relic, but at the end of voting season votes tallied in favor of destroying the Dome. The four towers of Reliant stadium were to be torn down regardless of the outcome, but when the towers were finally destroyed, the destruction of the “Eighth Wonder of the World” became a reality.

The referendum that would take place of the Dome is to be a 350,000 square foot exhibition that would be placed where the Dome seats are now. A 400,000 square foot addition and “green space” would also be added to the outside of what is the Dome today. This and many more additions would create “The New Dome Experience.”

Andre Carter (96) of the New England Patriots forces quarterback Case Keenum (7) of the Houston Texans into throwing an incom-

plete pass on fourth-and-long in the second half of the Patriots’ 34-

Photofinish16