Stangthe

May 2016 Houston Christian High School 2700 W Sam Houston Pkwy N Houston, Texas 77043 Volume 15 Edition 7

In the News

Houston floods leave many devastated

COMMUNITY

SCHOOL NEWS SPORTS

FEATURE

ENTERTAINMENT

BACK PAGE

10-11-- If you’re looking for news on new movies, Coachella,the NFL draft and upcoming concerts then the entertainment page is just for you.

2-3-- With news on school events from the finals calender to Student Council updates check out the School News page for everything happening at HC. 8-9-- Senior graduation is almost here!

Look at pages 8 and 9 for funny pictures of Seniors when they were freshman!

14-- Check out the back page for a sweet goodbye to our seniors, as well as a recap for senior year.

12-13-- The Stang Staff discusses issues on movies and upcoming grad party events. Check out pages 12-13 for more.

6-7-- Our sports page features recaps on Baseball updates and Cheer tryoutd, as well as Silver Spurs tryouts and lastly the softball update.

4-5-- News about Prom, and summer jobs, as well as fun pizza polls. Also, a recap on teh Red shirt Ceremony! Read more about these on the community page.

EDITORIAL

While the floods were fun for some, they were awful for many others# by Spencer Osato, Stang Editor While many students were happy that school was cancelled for a day, many others were worried about their family’s safety. Many houses and streets were flooded, and many people and pets also lost their lives in the floods. However, plenty of people went out into the community either during the floods or the day after in order to help their communities. But, there was still fun to be had throughout all this flooding. Many were out with friends messing around in the rain, and having a good time. However, many believe that the bad outweighed the good from the Tax Day Flood. But even amid the devastation, many people had fun in the rain or the flooded waters. Some were riding kayaks down the flooded streets, doing community service, or many other things. For example, juniors Andrew Ligon and Cameron Gentry, along with their friend Chase, went out into the streets with a kayak tied to the back of Andrew’s truck. They each took turns riding in the kayak being pulled by the truck, and described it as “one of the best times they ever had.” However, not only did they have fun, but also they decided to help out those trapped in the floods. One

benefit was that they made $80 because they towed someone’s car out of the flood and back to the person’s house. Another reason why many kids liked the floods was because school was cancelled for a few days. For some, it was a silver lining to a bad day. Despite the positives about the floods, many were left devastated because of what transpired. Many lost their homes, belongings, and their lives. When the flood was all said and done, authorities said eight people died in the floods, and 1,200 others had to be rescued. One reason was because even though it was flooding, many were out in the rain with cars that were low to the ground, causing their car to flood. Also, during this type of weather, many people forget how to drive. During this flood, some people were even driving right into a flooded area. For example, one woman decided she needed to go into a tunnel that was barricaded off because it was flooded. However, she ignored it, drove around the barriers, and drove straight into the flooded area. She was unable to get out of her car or be rescued in time, so she drowned. Many others were left stranded in their cars, and many were lucky

enough to be rescued by other citizens or local authorities. Houston citizen Emily Sharma and her husband, Ahmed Sharma, had to be rescued from their flooded apartment and pulled to safety on a raft. According to Emily Sharma, “We all knew it was going to rain, but we didn’t know it was going to be this bad.” Part of the problem was that many were still recovering from the Memorial Day flood last year. In fact, some had just moved back into their homes that were flooded from the Memorial Day flood whenever this flood came along. For many, this is one of the worst floods that Houston has ever experienced, and were not expecting it to happen again so soon. Even though some were happy that the floods had cancelled school and work, many were also left devastated from the flood because it cost people money for their lost possessions, and some even risked their lives in the waters. This flood will go down as one of the worst floods in the history of the city of Houston, and now Houston officials are looking for ways to prevent flooding and to also prevent drivers from going into areas that have deep water.

Friday, May 20th, from 7:15am-8:15am, students please come and enjoy yummy

breakfast tacos from Rudy’s, fruit, pastries, Krispy Kreme donuts and drinks served by their

GLC’s at the Student Corral.

Fuel for finals for the freshman, sophmores and Juniorswww.chron.com

Senior DSP Students Finish Final ThesesSenior presentation over researched topics

School NewsMay 20162

2016 Finals Schedule# by Jeremy Mitchske, Stang Staff

After four long years of work, the senior Distinguished Scholars Program students finish off the class with their final presentations. The seniors in DSP are Jordan Rapp, Kylan Kinkade, Jake Byars, Jonathan Sun, Alec DelSota, Sofia Vazquez and Philip Schwartz. Each student was required to write a dissertation over the topic they chose freshman year, conduct their own research and present over the topic. Presentations were Tuesday, April 19th, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Students presented over topics covered in the fall, but also discussed their own research and different aspects of the topic.

First to present on Tuesday night was Jake Bryars, who talked about whether people find drone strikes dehumanizing. He researched whether or not people believed drone strikes were dehumanizing and conducted a case study over how media sources view drone strikes. His research proved that Houstonians do not believe that drone strikes are dehumanizing. His case study showed that Liberal media sources did not favor reports of drone strikes, whereas Conservative media outlets favored them more.

Next two to present were Jordan Rapp, who discussed how the public feels about being spied on by the government and Alec DelSota, who talked about an

individual’s susceptibility to belief in conspiracy theories based on certain factors. Jordan’s research led him to discover that Houstonians do believe they are being spied on by the government and that the government should practice data mining on international targets as well as the U.S public. Alec discovered from his research that believability of people in Houston is relative to whether or not the attack directly affects the United States or not and to whether or not the person is in the medical field. Also, he discovered that it is not relative to the gender of the individual. Alec DelSota said, “ After all the hard work we put into preparing for these presentations, seeing the finished product was well worth it all.”

Next was Kylan Kinkade, who discussed the acceptance of online relationships and how technology affects dating. Kylan research proved that people in Houston do not believe that technology has a negative effect on dating and that older people are more likely to approve of online dating, while younger individuals are more likely to disapprove of an online relationship. Kylan said, “

The last three people to present were Sofia Vasquez, who talked about the increased sexualization through media, Jonathan Sun, who discussed people’s belief in the basic

tenets of Christianity, and Philip Schwartz, who examined whether or not people believe they get enough sleep. Jonathan discovered that a majority of people do believe in the six tenets of Christianity. Through his research, Philip found out that working adults do experience fatigue in a workday and that many people do not sleep the recommended eight hours a night. Mrs. Stuart, the DSP teacher, said, “The scholar class of 2016 outdid themselves as all presentations were flawlessly executed.” All the hard work the senior Distinguished Scholars Program class paid off with a great night of presentations!

# by Gracie Bailliet, Co-Editor

Finals to be grand finale to an amazing 2015-2016 year

TuesdayMay 24

WednesdayMay 25

ThursdayMay 26

FridayMay 27

8:30 - 10:30English

8:30 - 10:30Science

8:30 - 10:30History

8:30 - 10:30Math

12:00 - 1:30Bible

The Stang 3School News

2016 Finals Schedule

Fine Arts Program Takes on NOLA# by Hope Cubbler, Stang Staff

Great success finds its way to our talented students

As our very own fine arts program made its way to New Orleans, they got to experience rich culture and many awards. Throughout their trip, they attended the French Quarter World War II museums. Our peers were also blessed by being able to go to the Hard Rock Cafe on Bourbon Street. Marissa, the current president shared, “My favorite part of the trip was getting chance to bond with everyone in fine arts program, and getting an opportunity to perform while receiving feedback.” Along with these amazing opportunities they got to go on a

swamp tour and see baby crocodiles! Sadly, our very own Tatum Lee was peed on by one of these miniature creatures of God. For a more romantic evening, our students had a dinner cruise on a steam boat! One of Hope Tang’s favorite moments of the trip was “definitely the late night talks and bonding experiences with my friends.” As far as performances go, they performed on Saturday and received numerous awards. Orchestra played beautifully and won two trophies! Also, our choir won six sweepstakes which consisted of: gold in their overall category and

chamber singers won gold in their category as well. As a whole, our fine arts program won sweepstakes for best composite score of all groups. Savannah, Daniel, and Connor Smith all won awards for their solos and amazing performances. An amazing opportunity presented itself as our program kept winning awards, our school’s choir received the privilege to perform in carnegie hall next year! All in all, our fine arts program had a blast performing in New Orleans and really showed exemplary examples of what our school represents and how hard we work.

Each year there is a new group of students who run for Student Council positions. The positions for each grade is different, and the seniors are offered more positions. Here are next year’s positions:

Sophomores:

President- Mallory JenkinsVice President- Elizabeth AllenRepresentatives- Hannah Bates and Kenna

Juniors:

President- Ashley ReadVice President- Sam WhitakerRepresentatives- Rachael Nichols, Camille Giuffre, Amy Dupree

Seniors:

President- Bryce OttVice President- Bryce ArvinSecretary- Esther GravesTreasurer- Shelby KrummelSocial Planner- Kelsey LehaneRepresentative- Hudson Hopper and Nicole Welsh

# by Jasmine Mata, Stang Staff

After a tough run, the StuCo results are now inStudent Coucil election results just in!

School NewsMay 2016 4

Each year when the school year comes to an end, the days become longer and the sun gets hotter. Every parent’s worst nightmare is that his or her child will spend the entire summer sitting on the couch and watching TV all day. Ideally, most kids plan on relaxing at the beach, hanging out with friends, or other recreational activities. Regardless of what parents or kids expect, there will indefinitely be plenty of downtime. Here are the top 15 summer jobs for teenagers to occupy themselves:

● Mother’s Helper- a job for kids who would like to become a babysitter in the future but do not have very much experience. Watch or play with a child with the parent present doing other work around the house.

● Babysitter- Watch babies/young children while parents are at work. For a better chance at getting this position take a certification course from Red Cross to become educated with CPR in case of an emergency. This will set you apart from other babysitter candidates.

● Pet Sitter- one of the easiest ways to make cash quickly! Feed and watch pets while their owners are away on a trip. You could be doing this for as long as a week to several weeks.

● Dog Walker- this is perfect if you’re a dog lover. Walk dogs while owners are at work or on vacation.

● Pool cleaner- offer services to your neighbors to be able to clean pools.● Car Washer- offer car washes to friends and neighbors or if you want

something more legit see if there is an opening at the local car wash.● Swimming Instructor- become CPR trained to get a job helping improve

kids with their backstroke or overcome their fears of swimming. Ask for job opportunities at a local swimming pool/club.

● Lawn Maintenance- keeping a yard maintained in the summer is crucial! Offer to mow grass, pull weeds, etc. to keep the lawns in tip-top shape. Put up flyers to advertise your services.

● Lifeguarding- the most popular job of the summer! Help kids understand the importance of water safety and get a nice tan as well. CPR is also required for this one but it is not difficult to find this kind of training.

● Camp Counselor- sign up to sing songs, teach crafts, take kids from one activity to another and maybe even become a kid’s hero.

● Amusement Park Worker- Visit a local amusement park’s website to apply to serve popcorn or usher people onto rides.

● Sports Team Referee/Umpire/Timer/Scorekeeper- summer sports league can never have too much help. Keep score, start/stop clocks or serve as a game official.

● Retail- stock shelves, fold/hang clothes, ring customers up at your favorite clothing shop. The plus side of this job is that most employees get a discount at the store.

● Food Service- serve food, bus tables, washes dishes and clean up afterwards. Nicer restaurants typically get the best tips.

● Internships- get a job on future and discover what you may be interested in for the future. Internships look great on college applications and you’ll get great experience.

Need something to do this summer??# by Alllison Brock, Stang Staff

The top 15 best summer jobs

Seniors pass the torch to the JuniorsSenior/Junior prespective on Red Shirt Ceremony

# by Allison Brock and Isabella Jaeggi, Stang StaffIsabella: As a senior, it feels as if I am handing down a very important torch to the junior class. It symbolizes the beginning of their journey as they make their way closer to becoming a senior, and our journey to starting our next chapter in life, college. Handing a red shirt to an underclassmen who you have grown to love and cherish, is honestly one of the most sentimental things I have experienced. This ceremony is so much fun and I had a blast passing down the red shirt to one of my favorite juniors.

Allison: As a junior at HC and having attended HC for three years now, when the all coveted red shirt reached my hands I could not have been more thrilled. I was also thankful that one of my good friends got to hand me my shirt. As I watched the rest of my class receive their shirts as well, I became sentimental because the time has come for the seniors to become freshmen in college and the juniors to become the official senior class. With encouraging speeches from Courtney King, Emily Kestner, MJ Hedgepeth and Remy Garfield I look foward to going into my senior year with the rest of my classmates.

The StangSchool News 5Need something to do this summer??

# by King Smith, Stang Staff

Pizza Poll

How to make Prom memorable (In a good way)Tips to making Prom as fun as possible

# by Daniel Baudin, Stang Staff

It is that time of year again! Prom will be held on May 13th and as always, it is a great way to end the year, especially for the senior class. Personally, this will be my third prom, and I have learned a lot about how to make prom an amazing experience. Whether you go alone or with a date, you can easily have an incredible night! There are some tips about prom that I believe can help make this year’s prom memorable for every student going.

● Askingsomeonetoprom: The first step in going to prom (especially for guys) is to ask someone to go with you. However, going alone can be very fun too, but I will talk more about that later. When asking someone to prom, it is important to choose the right person. If you are not in a relationship with someone, most guys tend to believe that you need to ask someone you see yourself dating. This can be good at times, but another way to make your prom fun is by choosing someone you are good friends with to go with you instead. I know many students over the last few years that have gone with a good friend to prom, and almost every single one of them has had a blast. The next step is figuring out how you are going to ask the person you want to take with you. The key to a good “promposal” is being original. There are about a million ideas for ways to ask someone to prom on the Internet, but doing something original for the person you want to go with will make that moment great for both you and your date. Lastly, it is extremely important to remember that rejection can happen when asking someone to prom, but even if it does you can still find other ways to go to prom and be happy. You can always ask other people, or just go with a group of friends. Going without a date to prom is not abnormal, and it is not a bad thing either.

● Pickingtherightgrouptogowith: When going to prom, almost everyone likes to go in groups. The most important thing to remember when going with someone to prom is that you should try to go with a group that both you and your date will enjoy. If you go with a group of people that you do not get along with, you will end up feeling awkward and miserable. If you can find a group that both you and your date enjoy being with, the entire group will get along better and have a better time in general.

● Havefunandavoiddrama: High school can be filled with a lot of drama, and it is almost impossible to avoid it. At some point, someone will ask a person that another person was planning on asking, a couple will argue, or someone will just do something stupid that leads to a lot of frustration from others. However, just because there will be a lot of drama at dances such as

these does not mean you have to necessarily be a part of it. Another key to making prom great is to just stay positive, have fun with the people you are with, and just enjoy the time you have while you can! For seniors exempting their finals, prom will be the last thing they do before graduation. Use the few hours you will have at prom making memories that you will remember for years in a good way, not a bad one. If you let other people and the problems they have bother you during prom, it can affect your entire experience. Personally, I have seen several people have bad nights just because of small things that happened during the dance. It is important to remember that the goal of prom is to just have a good time with the people you care about.

This year’s prom is set to be a great one, and I hope that every student going can make the most out of his or her night.

Seniors pass the torch to the Juniors

Vacation Poll# by Jasmine Mata, Stang Staff

SportsMay 20166Athletes break records at spring SPC

# by Spencer Osato, Stang Staff

Goals and dreams of many high school athletes are realized at SPC this year.

The SPC tournaments for this year’s spring sports have come and gone. Over the weekend of April 29-May 1, athletes from all over the Texas went to compete for the SPC Championship. The Houston Christian athletes competed in Track and Field, Baseball, Softball, Tennis, and Lacrosse, with each team reaching for the prize. Every athlete poured their guts out in order to win his or her SPC tournament. However, many Houston Christian athletes are honored to just be able to compete at this level. This year, the SPC tournament was held in Dallas, Texas. Many were worried about this, due to the recent storms in Dallas. However, the games were still on. All athletes competing in the SPC tournament left early Friday morning, while everyone else had the day off. After spending the night in Dallas, the athletes were ready for his or her respective games on Friday or Saturday. The first day (Friday) started out with the Houston Christian girls tennis team taking an unfortunate loss at the hands of Holland Hall in the first round, with a score of 4-1. However, things began to look up for the tennis team, as the Houston Christian boys tennis team defeated Oakridge 4-1 in order to advance to the semi-finals the next day against Kinkaid. However, the boys tennis team lost in the semifinals, but was able to get 4th place in the tournament. Also, the Houston Christian baseball and softball teams each successfully defeated Oakridge in the first round of SPC (the baseball team defeated them with a score of 8-3, while the softball team

beat Oakridge with a score of 15-0). Later on, each team also defeated Trinity Valley in the quarterfinals of SPC (baseball: 8-0, softball: 7-0), successfully clinching a spot in the SPC semifinals of baseball and softball. But, many think that their luck ran out, as both teams lost in the semifinals on Saturday. Each team had a hard fought, close game with the other school. The softball team lost to St. John’s School 2-0, and the baseball team lost to Kinkaid 1-0. However, it was not all bad. Through the crushing defeat, Jordan Gochenour pitched a 1 hitter in the baseball game. Also, the softball team was able to come in 3rd place at the SPCs, while the baseball team came in 4th place. Another thing is that throughout the 4 SPC games, the softball team was only allowed 2 runs. Also on Saturday, the Track and Field team had their SPC championship tournament. One of the many highlights of the day for Houston Christian was when the boys 4x100m relay team placed 2nd at SPC, with a time of 42.51 seconds (which is a new school record). Also, Philip Haynes ran a 11.03 second 100m dash, which was good enough to get him 3rd place at SPC. However, many think the most impressive feat of the day for Houston Christian was when junior Richard Hanson ran a 49.26 second 400m. Also, Richard was able to run a 22.33 second 200m. Not only did Richard set a new school record for the 400m, but also he won both the 200m and the 400m race at SPC, and was part of the record breaking 2nd place 4x100m and 3rd place 4x400m relay teams. In the end, the boys

track team finished 5th place overall, being led by Richard Hanson, and the girls finished 7th place overall, being led by senior Krista Green, who had finished 4th in the girls 800m, and was part of the 6th place 4x400m and 5th place 4x800m girls relay teams. Also, students Richard Hansen, Phillip Haynes, Harrison Swiggart, Will Bates, Miller McNew, and Will Vail each earned all-SPC honors. After it was all said and done, many believe that while the Houston Christian athletic teams did not win any SPC championships this season, each athlete performed to the best of his or her abilities. For many Houston Christian students, it is an honor to just be able to represent his or her team in the state championships. Needless to say, it is many high school athlete’s dream to compete at SPC. Even though Houston Christian did not win, many coaches and parents are still proud of how their kids performed at SPC. According to athletic director Dan Lee, “Our kids competed very well and represented their teams and Houston Christian at a very high level. I was very pleased with the weekend and how we competed.” Many think that the SPC championship this season was able to elevate the reputation of Houston Christian athletics, and hope that the athletes will be able to win first place at SPC next year.

The Houston Christian girl’s softball team just finished up their season after placing third in the SPC Championship. The girls were led by coaches Frank Ortega and Mara. The girls got third place against Kinkaid and lost to St. John’s in the semi finals. Overall this was a great win for the team and they have made HC very proud.

Riley Garrett says, “The season went well; there are some things we will have to work on for next year, but this year was a good time.” Riley is the team’s third baseman and has played softball for 12 years. Riley scored her eighth home run at this year’s championship, and will continue to improve her skills over the summer to become even better next year. Brooke Malia says, “ We had a good season, we should

have won, but there is a great chance that next year we will take home the trophy.” Seniors Caitlin, Alyssa, and Caroline will be going off to college next year, but the younger players say that they helped the team grow and become closer. The team gave up only two runs throughout the whole tournament, so they did a very

good job throughout the whole tournament. The players say that both the encouragement from their coaches and parents encouraged them throughout their journey this season, and for the upcoming season they will continue to work on their skills and become even greater players by next year.

HC Softball team fights for SPC titleSoftball girls finish up the 2016 season strong

# by Jasmine Mata, Stang Staff

The StangSports 7Cheers to the new cheerleaders

This year’s 2016 baseball team has officially concluded the season. Coached by Matt Pierce, the team placed 4th in the SPC tournament. After a tough loss to the Episcopal Knights and the Kinkaid Falcons, the team was happy they had worked hard and placed in the top 5 during playoffs. Junior, Pate Hamza, says “playing on both JV and Varsity was tough but I got to help the team out in many ways. When JV needed another player to help seal a victory I was happy to be apart of it and I was glad I was able to help Varsity out as well when they needed me in case someone got hurt. The coaches

also appreciated my leadership with the JV players and I liked that I gave them something to look up to.” Pate also said, “Our record wasn’t very good this year, but our games were always exciting, we knew how to keep it close.” Seven seniors will be leaving the team this year including center fielder, Michael Raitt, pitcher and shortstop, Jordan Gochenour, pitcher and third basemen, Jackson Green, second basemen, Erik Garza, catcher Stoetzer Gray, third basemen and pitcher, Jake Sandoval, and left fielder, Matt Metoyer. Junior pitcher, Landon Sanders says, “The underclassmen are

really going to have to step up next year; we’re losing a lot of the line up. The good news is that Zach will be back next year, and Vince was able to join us for SPC after being gone all season.” Junior Cole Taylor said “the fans were very motivational throughout the season and especially this weekend. Our coach let all the seniors pitch in our final game and that was a lot of fun and the crowd thought it was fun too.” Although this year’s season is over, for those interested in playing on the team next year talk to head coach, Matt Pierce, and come out for tryouts in the upcoming spring.

America’s sport finally ends the seasonBaseball goes 8-12 for the season

# by Allison Brock, Stang Staff

Varsity: Lindsay BellElisha IrishJade MataMackenzie MayesAbbey ShewmakeLauren WayKate WelshAnabel WinburneHannah BatesHannah BoothPriscilla CruzAnna CubblerLauren DeLarosa

Kate DotsonMaddy FlandersGrace LawsonCassey SchmidAnna Votaw

Captain: Sydney WellingCo-Captain: Brooke Phillips Social Director: Kelsey LehaneChaplain: Ashley Read

Junior Varsity:Lindsay BellElisha IrishJade MataMackenzie MayesAbbey ShewmakeLauren Way

# by Hope Cubbler, Stang Staff

Next year’s cheer squad is announced

Silver Spurs is a year round organization that performs at football games, pep rallies, the HC dance concert and at two state competitions.

Tryouts for Silver Spurs will take place on May 18th-19th and there are no requirements for trying out all you need to do is show up. At tryouts, they will teach the girls a short routine and then the girls, in groups of 3 or more, will be expected to perform it for a panel of judges.

Emma Parish, who is currently Lieutenant Colonel, said, “Come try out even if you haven’t had any experience, we will work on building technique over the summer and throughout the year!”

For more information about Silver Spur tryouts please contact Kara Thayer, Sarah Kate Elliot, or Emma Parish!

Do you have the skill to make the cut? All the information you need to know about upcoming tryouts.

# by Gracie Bailliet, Stang Staff

EntertainmentMay 20168New movies make their debut this SummerGet your popcorn ready

# by Jeremy Mitschke, Stang Staff

There are a number of great movies to go see this May in theaters. Some of these popular new films include the latest Marvel movies Captain America: Civil War and X-Men: Apocalypse. Also, there are more family-friendly movies that are coming out such, as The Angry Birds Movie, which is based off of a popular mobile game that was released several years ago, and is one of the most popular games in history.

On June 17, Pixar is releasing their next movie Finding Dory. This animated movie is a sequel to an older Pixar movie designed in the early 2000’s called Finding Nemo, which was one of the most popular movies created by Pixar. Dreamworks is releasing another Ice Age movie, the 5th film in the series so far, known as Ice

Age: Collision Course. There are a few movies that older audiences should enjoy because they are remakes of popular classics back in the day. One example is the remake of the movie Ghostbusters. The original movie, which was released in 1984, where ghosts take over all of New York City.

There are still some movies one can go see during May that came out in the later part of April, such as The Jungle Book, which is based off an animated kids version of the film. Also, Independence Day: Resurgence is a sequel to the original Independence Day movie. Going to see a movie is a popular thing to do during the summer vacation months, and there will certainly be plenty of blockbusters to go see over the summer.

Even though we live in Texas where football dominates all sports this great state is

known as being the home of most of the best overall athletes in the country. As of now for

professional sports leagues are the NBA & NHL. Both are well underway and getting close to the

climax. The NBA is currently in the second

round of its finals with the San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the hunt for the western conference championship. In the eastern conference the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, and the Atlanta Hawks are in the hunt for the eastern conference championship. Once favored to become repeat champions were the Golden State Warriors breaking the Chicago Bulls season streak of 72 wins and 10 to 73 wins and only 9 losses. Also with last years and this year’s m.v.p. Stephen Curry breaking his own record and making 400 tree pointers in one season but unfortunately

might sit out due to injuries. Much like the NBA all you need is a

little ice and some bone crushing strength to turn it into Hokey. In the NHL they are also in the second round of playoffs with 8 teams left reaching and striving for the Stanley Cup. Coming out of the western conference The Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars, and Nashville Predators. Then coming out of the eastern conference New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, and the Pittsburg Penguins.

Oddshrark says, “The St. Louis Blues are favored to win the playoffs because of their tenacious defense and hard hitters. But well known maybe by only our senior fans that the Blues are known to be big playoff chokers when it gets close”. But for both sports the competition is getting hotter and hotter and the favored winner are thrown into question and no one knows who will win.

The Finals, who wants it more?The NBA and NHL championships have arrived

# by Tre Carter, Stang Staff

The Brooklyn electro-rock band in the middle of their very successful reunion tour might have been the headliner for the first day of the second weekend of this year’s Coachella festival. There seemed to be a reoccurring Prince theme, the legendary musician and performer who tragically died suddenly the day right before the festival’s second weekend. LCD, led by James Murphy, led the band in a funky version of “Controversy,” but it was almost impossible to avoid subtle references to Minneapolis’s son all day. Every year, the festival has a special trademark, palm trees. Which usually are apart of a constantly-changing light-show that goes throughout the night. But, instead of the normal, it glowed Prince’s trademark purple hue for the rest of the evening. Right before LCD took the stage, the massive main screens played Prince’s version of Radiohead’s “Creep,” recorded in that very spot in 2008.

A very special performance that many people consider to be the festivals defining moment. As the song ended, a quote Prince said that night appeared on the screen, “From now on This is Prince’s House.” The quote posted on the screen at the end of the song, was clearly true. Tributes, like Prince’s music, were crossed everywhere. Hip hopper Joey, played some of “1999,” dance duo Jack U finished their set with a huge montage of Prince moments, Ellie Goulding sang “When Doves Cry,” and lastly soul singer Mavis Staples, recounted a long story about how she met the icon, the first time before he asked her to sign onto the Paisley label. She then asked for a moment of silence and finished out her performance with Prince’s signature song “Purple Rain.”

A bitter sweet Coachella this year 2016A night to tribute Prince

# by Isabella Jaeggi, Stang Staff

The StangEntertainment 9The Upcoming Summer Concerts in 2016 Anticipation rises for various artists

# by Hope Cubbler, Stang Staff

The concerts coming up in the summer are bringing excitement and anticipation to everyone attending. Free Press Summer Festival is on June 4th and ends June 5th. Many people are in extreme suspense for this year’s line up and cannot wait until the date comes. Free Press is one of the most famous concerts to attend in Houston due to its wide range of bands that come to perform. Sophomore Anna Votaw shared, “I’m excited for free press because it’s at the start of summer, and is a great place to start my summer with my friends and without the stress of school.” Another concert that is arriving shortly is Beyonce, who is performing at 7:30 pm at the NRG Stadium on May 7th. Beyonce is the queen of R&B music and has a natural elegance. She is married to Jay-Z and hold record breaking sales. Travis Scott is also playing in Houston soon, on May 15th located at the Toyota Center at 7:00 pm. Travis Scott’s new album is the current buzz and has everyone captivated with this iconic rapper. His most famous song is “Antidote” and

has blossomed into a famous role model for many. Nikki Goldin explained, “I am incredibly excited to go to concerts over the summer because they have a more exciting and free feel to them than concerts during a stressful school week.” Selena Gomez is also making her way to Houston during her summer tour on June 15th at the Toyota Center at 7:30 pm. Selena is all the talk recently with her amazing song “Same Old Love” and is creating major buzz for her concert. In addition, Halsey is performing this summer at the Revention Music Center on July 8th at 7:00 pm. While she is a new artist, she is sweeping the charts with her most famous song “New Americana”. Lastly, and old band is returning to town to remind our parents of the “good old days” and those who enjoy their music as well. Guns N Roses is travelling to Houston on August 5th at the NRG Stadium at 8:30 pm. Summer is rapidly approaching us and holds promising music along with amazing entertainment.

This year’s NFL draft is expected to have a big defensive class full of great players. ESPN says, “No team is safe this draft every team is in need of something.” This reigns to be very true, because most teams need more offensive weapons than defensive. The problem is that this class is loaded with defense, and not enough offense to go around for everybody. Two big unexpected twists occurred this year. The Los Angeles Rams traded their 15th overall pick, 2nd round picks and a 3rd round pick, and 1st and 3rd round pick in 2017 draft to the Tennessee Titans.Because of their need of a future franchise quarterback that can hopefully work well with their highly talented running back Todd Gurley. Also the Philadelphia Eagles traded their 1st Round pick, 3rd round pick, 4th round pick, 2017 1st round pick, and 2018 2nd round pick. To the Cleveland Browns and in return the Philadelphia Eagles receive the 2016 2nd overall pick and the 2017 fourth round pick. This was a move that no NFL analyst understood because they traded their quarterback so much money then traded away a boatload of draft picks to get another one. The talk around the football Universe is that this draft is very unpredictable because of the scarceness of necessities. According to Danny Ruiz, “Only one QB Goff has a downside compared to the other Wentz but the ones who call themselves experts say that since he came from a smaller school that he probably wouldn’t be the best pick.” He represents many people’s thoughts on how unfair the views some people

are taking even when they have never played college football themselves. Also, in this year’s draft, the picks will be all over the place because of the heavy defense and chances of finding good offensive players, so everything is in the air right now for all teams, and what the public really can’t wait to see is the diamonds in the rough that teams will find this year. The 2016 NFL draft takes place April 28 in Chicago, Illinois.

Big surprises are coming for the NFL DraftWho should be picked first?

# by Tre Carter, Stang Staff

EditorialMay 201610 As summer comes quickly, so do blockbuster summer movies. However, many will not be able to live up to the standard set by Marvel’s new Captain America: Civil War. The film kicked off Marvel Phase 3, and was the first Marvel movie to see superheroes from the Marvel universe fight against each other. It is every fanboy’s dream to see this played out on the big screen. As a personal fan of Marvel Comics and Films, I could not wait to see this movie. Before I get into my review of the movie, here is a quick, spoiler-free plot summary of Captain America: Civil War. The film starts out with the Avengers going against villain Crossbones (played by Frank Grillo) in Wakanda, when the Scarlet Witch (played by Elizabeth Olsen) accidentally causes major collateral damage while fighting. Due to the accident, the United Nations decides to try and pressure the heroes into signing the Anti-Hero Registration Act. By signing this act, the Avengers will be controlled by the government, who will not only own their organization, but also tell them where and where not to go and help others, thereby limiting their power in the world. Many of the Avengers believe that this is a good plan, as it will cause less collateral damage and save more people than they are killing. However, not every one of the Avengers is in on the plan. While Tony Stark/Iron Man (played by Robert Downey Jr.) supports the plan, Steve Rogers/Captain America (played by Chris Evans) thinks that the act will harm society, as the government does not always want to get involved with random conflicts in the world. Each man puts up a great argument, and it is up to the viewer to decide which side they support: Captain America or Iron Man. Eventually, as seen in the trailer, it all boils down to the fight between not only Captain America and Iron Man, but also most of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (some of which do not have

their own movie yet). In the airport fight scene (as seen in the trailer), Captain America and his team of Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier (played by Sebastian Stan), Scott Lang/Ant-Man (played by Paul Rudd), Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Clint Barton/Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner), and Sam Wilson/Falcon (played by Anthony Mackie) face off against Iron Man and his team of Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (played by Scarlett Johansson), Lieutenant James Rhodes/War Machine (played by Don Cheadle), Vision (played by Paul Bettany), and the Marvel Cinematic Universe debuting T’Challa/Black Panther (played by Chadwick Boseman) and Peter Parker/Spider-Man (played by Tom Holland). Needless to say, it was a clash for the ages. It is hard for me to talk about the movie without giving away any spoilers. However, the movie was great to me. What I liked about it was that the film did not just go the easy way out and just give us an all action movie. Instead, the studio gave us a movie that balanced the political side of being a superhero with humor and action. And, unlike the earlier Batman vs. Superman, the plot was great and made sense. However, the thing that surprised me the most was how good Tom Holland was as Spider-Man. I did not think that anyone could top Tobey Maguire’s version of the web-slinger in the Sam Raimi movie. However, I think that Holland was a great pick to be Peter Parker, since he acted like how a teenager would act in a situation like what it was in the movie. I think that Tom Holland could really embody this character, and be the best Spider-Man audiences have seen so far. And with his own solo movie coming in 2017, titled Spider-Man: Homecoming, it will be interesting to see where he and the studio will go with the character. Also, Captain America: Civil War acts as a sort of sequel to both The Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as it

involves the entire Marvel Universe, but a lot of the story takes place around Captain America, Iron Man, and the Winter Soldier. In conclusion, I think that anyone who likes superhero movies will love this movie. Even though many people are superhero fatigued, this movie takes away that fatigue and gives the audience a fun, interesting movie. This is definitely a movie worth seeing. I give Captain America: Civil War 9 out of 10 Houston Christian Mustangs.

Summer blockbusters get off to an amazing start“Captain America: Civil War” brings joy to comic book and movie fans alike# by Spencer Osato Stang Staff

Seniors share stories at chapelSeniors lead inspiring final chapel# by Jeremy Mitschke Stang Staff

The senior class finished their chapels in style, as some of them shared their testimonies in the senior chapel for the class of 2016. Three seniors, Trevor Steinbring, Melissa Rodriguez, and Lexy Kenvin shared powerful stories about how God has impacted their life in multiple ways. For example, Trevor talked about how he has played baseball throughout his high school career, and how he spent his past season trying to be an example for others. He talked about how he was playing baseball for Christ, and not himself.

In a similar story involving

athletics, Melissa talked about a difficult time in life when she suffered a terrible knee injury in basketball and missed the season because of that injury. Melissa said the injury “was truly a blessing”, and has helped her turn to Jesus in many areas of her life. Lexy shared a sad, but powerful story about how she lost her best friend a few months ago, as she died due to cancer. Even through this tragedy, it has helped her find strength in Christ and try to live her life as her best friend did. Student chaplains Neil Kerrigan and Emily Kaestner answered questions that the student body had about different aspects of the Christian life, and how

being the chaplains of Houston Christian has impacted their lives. The seniors gave an encouraging message to all of the school that gave many people confidence and hope for the future classes’ spiritual life on campus. Neil and Emily both said they were fully confident about the future chaplains for next year at HC. The seniors showed that they are a class that trusts in the Lord, and are young adults that can go into the world and will continue make an impact on the lives of others in very powerful ways, just as they have here at HC.

Last Chapel for Seniors The seniors reflect on their many chapel memories. The memories from the last four years of chapel will last them a lifetime.

It is that time of the year! Seniors are throwing graduation parties, and it could not be more lit than that. Grad parties are a very fun and eventful way to gather up your friends and friends from other schools in order to have one last big event as the senior class of 2016. How exciting and bittersweet is that? As a senior, I have decided to share how I feel about grad parties and what they mean to me. As my last year of high school is finally coming to a close, I have realized several things while planning my own graduation party. First, I have taken way too many things for granted in high school. Such as? The fact that my mom will never do my laundry again, or that I have friends that I am guaranteed to know in each class,

no more home cooked meals every night, no more school night sleepovers with my best friends, and well, I could go on forever, but the bottom line is, I took for granted a lot of things and for me, that was hard. Realizing that you have to grow up is hard, and all throughout high school I constantly told myself, “Man, I cannot wait to get out of here,” but really that just is not the case. Enjoy your time here, in highschool, enjoy the moment, your friends, your family, your dog (because God knows I will miss my dog more than any of my siblings) and lastly, enjoy being a new senior or an underclassmen, because time flies.

Next, planning a grad party is so hard and so intense as fun as it may sound. Seven of your closest friends coming together to pick a venue, a dj, a certain

amount of invites AND food!? Talk about a disaster. But, with that said I have also never had so much fun! Knowing that you are privileged enough to throw a party for you and all your friends to just enjoy, has been such a great experience. I can not explain the excitement and joy that are found in some of these grad parties, especially as a senior. As underclassmen it is hard to understand, but for seniors it is so easy to just live in the moment and enjoy your last few weeks in high school, because our next chapter in life will be so much different.

So, with that, enjoy your high school years, look forward to your senior year, live in the moment and lastly, enjoy grad party season!

Grad party season in full swingClass of 2016’s final celebration of the past four years

# by Isabella Jaeggi Stang Staff

The Stang Fine Arts/Spiritual Life 11

STANG 2015-2016

The STANG is published 8 times per year online at www.houstonchristian.org, and is free to the student body, faculty and staff. Advertising is available to businesses, parents and students, but

The STANG reserves the right to refuse advertisement based on appropriateness for HC Students. For advertising information please contact Heidi McCurdy at

713-580-6044 or email at hmccurdy@houstonchristian.org.

The STANG is a student run newspaper and the views and opinions of The STANG do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the faculty, staff and Board of

Houston Christian High School.

Letters to the Editor:Please email your comments to hmccurdy@houstonchristian.org.

The STANG reserves the right to refuse or edit inappropriate content of comments.

Mission Statement:The mission of The STANG is to inform, entertain and encourage the readers by providing

insight through school, community and global affairs, in order to raise questions and provide answers. To obtain the truth, which is the basis of our paper, we will incorporate research from a wide variety of sources. Although we write to entertain, we will balance our humor with real information about the world around us. In all we do, we promise to uphold our

Christian values by writing with quality and integrity.

Editor-in-Chief-- Daniel BaudinCo-Editor-in chief-- Gracie Bailliet

Asst-Co-Editor-- King-SmithStang Staff

Gracie Bailliet, Allison Brock, Tre Carter, Hope Cubbler, Isabella Jaeggi, Jasmine Mata, Jeremy Mitschke, Spencer Osato, King Smith,

Advisor--Heidi McCurdy

Summer blockbusters get off to an amazing start King’s Controversial CornerConserving energy for the future of the world# by King Smith Stang Staff Throughout the year, King’s Controversial Corner has discussed topics such as legalization of gay marriage, Hillary Clinton and Benghazi, Syrian Refugees and the Three Strike drug policy among others. One of the most controversial topics is Global Warming and climate change. Whether or not you believe in Global Warming or climate change, one thing is evident. Fossil fuels will not be around forever, and we must figure out another source of energy. Sustainable energy is the future of our world, and the advances our world is making in this technology is impressive. The three types of energy for the future are renewable energy like: wind, solar, and hydro, grid storage and nuclear power. In the 1990’s the U.S. primarily used coal as a source of energy, roughly 52.5% of U.S. energy was from coal. Nuclear took up 19% ,and natural gas was 12.3% of energy used in the U.S. In 2015, the United States’ use of coal has dropped to 33.7% and Natural Gas has gone up to nearly 32.5%. Amount of nuclear energy has not changed but wind and solar have both continued to rise. This is good news

because getting away from a country dominated by fossil fuels is the key to our future. One positive for the future is our large amount of natural gas. Natural gas is extremely abundant in the world, so the transition from coal to natural gas is a smart one. The thing we must remember though is natural gas is only a transition. We will eventually need to move away from sources of energy that can be depleted.

To me, the most exciting future form of energy is nuclear fission and fusion. Nuclear fission is what we have and are currently using for 19% of our country’s energy. Nuclear Fission is the splitting of Uranium atoms. This the same technology used in the production of the atomic bomb. The problem with this form of energy is it leaves behind very dangerous nuclear waste. Due to this issue, nuclear fusion is the way of the future. Nuclear fusion is what powers our sun, and is extremely clean with no waste of environmental effects. Instead of dividing cells like fission, energy is created by atoms slamming into each other at high speeds creating energy through fusion. The leading experts in this field are

currently exploring the options, or essentially creating a safe and waste free miniature star on earth. This star power on earth is the future of energy and our world as a whole.

HC Senior Chaplains give last words of advice As the 2015-2016 chaplains, Emily Kaestner and Neil Kerrigan have spent this year leading the student body in several ways. They have led devotions on the announcements for the school and have spent countless hours helping others on and off campus with every day issues. Both Emily and Neil were able to answer a few questions about their roles as student body chaplains as well as their senior years in general.“What has been your favorite part of being chaplain this year?”Emily: “My favorite part of being Chaplain this year was taking the time to sit down with girls and talk about their spiritual life, struggles, and Jesus. I really loved being able to mentor them and pour into them as they poured into me.”Neil: “My favorite part of being chaplain has been getting to know the student

body better, and getting to know them in all walks of life: spiritually and personally.“What have you learned most from your time as chaplain?”Emily: “I learned that it’s okay to have more questions than answers. I also learned that being a spiritual leader is first serving and then leading by setting an example to those around you.”Neil: ““What I learned most from my time as chaplain was that we all truly need God in one way or another”“What advice do you have for the new chaplains?”Emily: “I would encourage them to go out of their way to reach out to students who might need someone to talk to. A lot of times people won’t reach out to you, so you have to be willing to make the first move.” Neil: “Be willing to put yourself out

there!”“Do you have any last words of wisdom to give to the senior class as well as the rest of the school?”Emily: “I would tell the senior class and rest of the school to keep pursuing Jesus even when times get rough. I also want to say that God will always welcome you back home no matter how far you stray. Your faith should be something that is living within you at all times and physically visible to others by your words, actions, and character.”Neil: ““Let God take control of your life and your situations.” Both Emily and Neil have worked very hard to lead the student body by example, and the new chaplains, Mitchell Ritcher and Sarah-Kate Elliot, will be sure to do the same.

Emily Kaestner and Neil Kerrigan talk about their roles as chaplains this year

# by Daniel Baudin Stang Staff

Although the Tommy Tune Award Ceremony was not held at TUTS this year due to the horrific flooding in Houston, awards were still given out to the winners. Stratford was given the award for Best Musical for their performance of Bye Bye Birdie. Houston Christian was also able to win an award as well thanks to Savannah Rucoba, a senior that has been involved in fine arts for almost her entire life. She was able to win the Tommy Tune Scholarship, and I was able to ask her a few questions about it.“For those who don’t know much about the Tommy Tunes, what are they and where is it usually held?” “The Tommy Tunes are the equivalent of be Tony’s for high school drama programs. Certain schools enter their school musicals for adjudication and the chance to win a “Tommy Tune Award.” They are usually held at the Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS).”“How many people applied for this scholarship, and what does this scholarship entail?” I’m not sure how many people a actually applied for a Tommy Tune Scholarship. However, only graduating seniors that are considering a career in the arts can apply for a Tommy Tune Scholarship. Only seven scholarships are

given out per year. Six recipients receive $3,000 dollars that goes immediately towards to their selected college for tuition fees. The seventh scholarship is worth $5,000.”“Where were you when you found out you had won the scholarship?” “I was sitting at home watching “Sherlock” on Netflix when I got a test from my friend Katie saying “Congrats Savannah!” I didn’t know what she was congratulating me for, but then I remembered that I had applied for the scholarship a few weeks ago. That day had been sort of hectic with the flooding and the awards show being cancelled. Alex Dye and I were actually supposed to perform in the finale. Then I kept getting congratulatory messages and I knew it had to be the scholarship.”“Do you plan on doing theatre or music in the future, and if so, what do you plan on doing exactly?” “My plan is to go to SMU and major in Music Therapy. Then go on to receive a masters degree, and specialize in Pre- and Neonatal Music Therapy.” It is clear to see that Savannah has a very bright future ahead of her, and that she has loved her time on stage at Houston Christian.

Stellar Senior wins TUTS ScholarshipSavannah Rucoba wins Tommy Tune Scholarship# by Daniel Baudin Stang Staff

Factories killing the world Pollution coming from facories is causing the world to slowly die. The natural gas and energy being used up is making the future of a good world more and more doubtful.

FeatureMay 2016812

Armin Almassi Caroline Angell Gracie Bailliet

Gentry Barton Harrison Barton Daniel Baudin

Paula Bauer Kyler Beaton Thomas Bennett

Malik Bradley Ben Brown Tre Buggs

Jake Byars Emily Calkins Connor Campo

Anyi Chibuigwu David Choi Caitlin Clarke

Christian Clarke Athena Co Christopher Crawford

The StangSeniors--Then and Now 9The Stang 13

Avery Daniels Alec Delsota Alex Deluca

Rebecca Dyer Alex Faure Madeline Fordham

Jessica Fronkiewicz Katie Furman Remington Garfield

Erik Garza Jordan Gochenour Marissa Grabowski

Stoetzer Gray Jackson Greene Nicholas Grueson

Phillip Haynes MJ Hedgepeth Ryland Hennessey

Caroline Hughes Isabella Jaeggi Ryan Johnson

FeatureMay 2016814

Emily Kaestner Neil Kerrigan Austin Killion

Courtney King Kylan Kinkade Klayton Koenig

Braden Kopp Erin Lallinger Connor Lehane

Brett Lehle Maddie Markey Justin McCormack

Ted Napp Meredith O’Neal Elizabeth Olinde

Anisha Parmar Bree Perry Jayde Qualls

Robert Quinilty Jordan Rapp Hayden Reeves

The StangSeniors--Then and Now 9The Stang 15

Blake Remedios Maria Rios Justice Robertson

David Romero Savannah Rucoba Ana Ruiz

Jake Sandoval Jimmy Scarbrough Clay Schlosser

Philip Schwartz Jee Seo Douglas Simpson

Kingsley Smith Trevor Steinbring Jonathan Sun

Harrison Swiggart Alyssa Tabor Hope Tang

George Touma Ahonore Varner Sofia Vasquez

The StangBack Page 16

Goodbye Seniors King SmithGracie Bailliet

Tre Carter

Ross Black Isabelle Buie Katie Burgy Tre Carter Elizabeth Gaddis Jadon Gaudin Krista Green

Annie Hill Claire Karsten Alexys Kenvin Kolby Killion Griffin McKee Matthew Metoyer

Seniors who joined HC after freshman year

Daniel BaudinI had so much fun serving ya’ll as the Co-Editor of the

“The Stang.” I made so many good memories and friends with the Newspaper staff. I can’t believe it is already our last issue, but I couldn’t imagine working with a better group of people. I am extremely grateful to have been your Co-Editor this year and to have been able to share this experience with all of you.Thank you for making Newspaper one of my favorites classes. Hope ya’ll have a great time next year! I will miss you all so much!

It has been an amazing year helping contribute to this paper. Although I spent a great deal of the time distracted in class (sorry Mrs. McCurdy), I had a blast working with these amazing students. Whether we were brainstorming, writing, or working on pages, I had a lot of fun with everyone in the class. I want to thank everyone that reads the Stang, whether you’ve read it once or every month, and I want to thank Mrs. McCurdy for not getting too mad when I procrastinated. Thank you to my classmates for working their hardest, even when I yelled at them across the room to work on articles they already finished. I can’t wait to see what the Stang will look like next year!

As senior year comes to a close and we write the last issue of the Stang, I find myself thinking about memories made. I am so happy I’ve had the opportunity to be the Assistant to the Co-Editor and be a part of the Stang. Writing all these articles, doing all these food polls, and designing spreads has helped me strengthen my writing and computer design skills. The memories I have made with this class mean a lot to me. I am grateful to have signed up for the Stang.

Isabella Jaeggi

Caroline Johnson

Kamera Nabors Yanran Qian Michael Raitt Renee Rapier Melissa Rodriguez Santiago SilvaAnnabelle Newton

Carson Wallace Marissa Wells Sarah Zepeda

Lauren Skrobarcyzk Will Spaudling Theresa Wong

I’ve only spent the last two years of my senior career at Houston Christian but it’s been a great experience meeting the type of people I did. It was just an overall tough year the first time crossing over to HC but it was very much needed. I know we all didn’t start together but I thank God that he put me with this particular group/family to finish with. I wish for nothing but the best for my fellow seniors and the underclassmen. I have nothing but love for you guys and thanks for the memories, and laughs goodbye.

Thank you to all the underclassmen and Mrs. McCurdy for making Newspaper one of my favorite classes, and always providing food and laughs. I have had so much fun getting to know everyone and loving on y’all. Next year will be a new chapter for all of us, and I could not be more excited to see all the great things you guys do! This class has taught me so much more than writing and editing a paper, and I could not be more thankful for that. Thank you for making my senior year one to remember.