Stangthe

October 2011

Houston Christian High School 2700 W Sam Houston Pkwy N Houston, Texas 77043

Volume11 Edition 1

Inthe

NewsWant to know more about The Freshman Retreat? Check out what exactly happened with our friendly fish on page 4!

Struggle with either asking a date to a dance or going solo? Hear two Stang staffers Michael Fertitta

12 and Rachel

Driver11

debate about Homecoming on page 11!

Miss the VMA’s? Read about the craziness on page 14!

4

No Regrets for the Class of 2012According to the seniors, it gets better every yearby Paige Adams, Co Editor-in-Chief

11 14

Dutton: Inspiring Lives and Rocking Outby Gianna Tiedemann, Stang Staff

GOT CHOCOLATE? Senior teams at Retreat get messy during the donut eating contest. But this donut contest had a chocolately twist: the girls had to dangle a donut covered in chocolate syrup for their once clean boy partners. photo providced by Rachel Moore

WE ADORE YOU while at Spiritual Emphasis

week, Dutton hosted a concert playing all

the songs on their new album.

photo provided by: Lisa Porter

-Continued on page 2

Band returns for Spiritual Emphasis Week

Senior Retreat happens every year, but each year the senior class puts their own spin on the retreat. So what changed this year? Besides being the best class overall and the best behaved (go ask Chap Z, he said it), the senior class had a rocking time at senior retreat. There was laughing, crying, bonding, and competition as Kandis Harding12 tells about her view of this year’s senior retreat. By the time everyone gets to their senior retreat, many features are the same such as the place and most of the students. So is there really anything to look forward to? Is it just like hitting pause and rewind on the life remote? Fact: Senior Retreat is completely different from Freshman Retreat. Kandis says, “freshman year retreat was more awkward because everyone had formed their own little cliques but it was better senior year because we were all together as friends and knew each other pretty well.” But no one can forget about what makes Senior Retreat, the infamous games. It was stated simply by Mr. Hebert that the games are fun because the girls and boys get to touch each other, and that makes everyone laugh. BED BUGS, BUNK BED, BACKPACK

(inside joke, sorry everyone). Besides that display of embarrassment called a game above, everyone did the obstacle and high ropes courses, played horseshoes, tetherball, and basketball on the court and in the pool. “Nobody thought they would have as much as they actually did,” adds

Kandis. “The games were my favorite because everyone was in random groups having to work together and getting to know the people and teachers in your group was fun.” Over a span of three days, people got closer than they had in the past three

Do the lyrics “Joyful, Joyful, we adore you” sound familiar? Yes? Well, if they do, you have probably listened to the popular Christian band, Dutton. Last year Dutton rocked Spiritual Emphasis Week with their fun songs and their visible love for the Lord. This year, we had the opportunity to have them play for “Spiritual Emphasis Week” again. As Lisa Porter and Chap Z carefully planned out Spiritual Emphasis Week which occurred from August 28- September 1, they realized that having Dutton back to play would make the week more special because of the close relationship that the band had created with our student body and faculty. Lisa also noticed how much our student body as a whole loved and enjoyed Dutton and their meaningful songs. Sophomore,

Amanda Brock10, agreed with Lisa when she said, “Having Dutton back for Spiritual Emphasis Week was beyond incredible.” It is apparent that the lead singer, Logan Walter, and the rest of the band truly do care about the student body through the way that they interacted with us.

On Wednesday night of Spiritual Emphasis Week, the band held a free concert for the students so that they could have a time to forget about homework and have fun praising and worshipping the Lord for an hour. Some of the teachers chaperoning the concert also got to hang out with the band before they played that night. The teachers and the band went to get “Mexican din-din” according to Lisa Porter. During that week, Dutton served as an inspiration for many of the students

to either renew or create their relationship with Christ. While he was in Houston last year for Spiritual Emphasis Week, Logan was challenged by his pastor to share his faith with total strangers every day. Logan had taken up the challenge, and when he was in Barnes & Noble one night, a person of a different faith came up to him. Logan shared his faith with the man, which inspired him to write a song while he was in Houston.

After hearing Logan’s story and playing some songs, students were asked to close their eyes and raise their hands

years (insert cry fest here). The fi rst night at the retreat, the girls and boys split up in their own mentor sessions so they could refl ect on their time and their life. Since Kandis did not go to the boy mentor session, we may never know what happened with the boys that night. But at the girls’ mentor session there was a lot of crying. (Surprise) Some people had been holding in their secrets and feelings about their past and their friends for three years. Senior Retreat is an opportunity to fi x what went wrong before everyone leaves and gets on with their lives. Along with learning what happened to people, the Senior Class was taught how to prepare for the future. Kandis learned that it was important to actually sit down and fi nd time to do things that we should be doing like reading the Bible. This year’s senior retreat will, like always, be engraved in each of the senior’s hearts as a highlight of senior year. It foreshadows the greatness that is yet to come, and is the fi rst realization that senior year has offi cially started. Not getting excited for senior retreat will be one of the biggest regrets of high school, so be looking forward to it underclassmen.

COMMUNITYOctober 112Largest, fastest wildfire in TX history burns over 200,000 acres

As many of you know by now, the Texas wildfi res that happened in the beginning of September, greatly impacted our state. The wildfi res can be blamed on the lack of rain that we received this whole summer. Because of the dry land and the hot weather, with no rain the two just didn’t mix well. The fi res started in Bastrop during the week of September 5-9. After just a few days, 1500 homes were destroyed in Bastrop. 1500 homes is a huge amount, which makes this the worst fi re in Texas history.

Angela Pidala11 explained the story about her friend who was affected by the fi res. She said, “My friend from cheer, Leslie, lost everything because of the fi re in Waller County. Her whole house burned down and everything was destroyed. When she learned that there was a fi re happening in her neighborhood, she was at a family’s house and was unable to go home and save anything. Leslie and her family saw a picture on a website of their property which was completely gone. She only had the clothes on her back and what she had taken to school that day and had to stay with

Texas drought leads to unfortunate wildfi res

HOUSTON TEXANS Arian Foster avoids two defensemen during a pre-season game against the San Fransisco 49ers. Provided by battleredblog.com

by Alexa Reinhart, Stang Staff

High Hopes for Texans Fans This Seasonby Stephen Consoli, Stang Staff

friends until a more stable arrangement was made.” Angela ends by saying, “Everyone at cheer is supporting her and taking care of whatever she needs. I can’t even image what they are going though and they are in my prayers.”

Although we are so far away from where the fi res took place, they affected our community too. The morning of the 8th was a very smoky morning. The smoke from the fi res in Bastrop traveled to our area, which caused after school activities to be cancelled and caused our air to be polluted even more. As if that’s not enough, a fi re broke out in Houston. This fi re in George Bush Park luckily burned about 15 acres and did not destroy any homes or buildings, but the smoke in the air was large and visible from miles away. J.P. Hennessey11 explained his feelings towards the fi re by saying, “It’s not like I live only a mile from where the fi re is. Not going to lie, I’m kind of freaking out.” Because the fi re was so close to many students’ houses, many students experienced repercussions. Molly Welch11 “saw ashes falling down from the sky.” She described it as “Weird and just

plain gross.” These fi res in Texas hurt many

communities, and caused many families to evacuate. Hopefully rain will come soon, and the extreme fi re warning will diminish.

The future looks bright for the Texans entering the 2011 season

Texans fans have big plans for their team as they enter the 2011-2012 season. Coming in with the NFL’s reign-ing leading rusher, Arian Foster, the future is looking bright for the team who has yet to make the playoffs in franchise history. I had the chance to talk to Texans fanatic and season ticket holder, Ramsey Al-Azem, about how he thought the Texans were going to look this season. He said, “The Texans have fi nally put all of the pieces together and I’m looking forward to being at Reliant Stadium this year when they reach the playoffs for the fi rst time in history! It’s a great time to be a Texans fan.” With Peyton Manning out for week one, the Texans look to start the season out strong by taking out last year’s AFC South champs, the Indianapolis Colts.

They Texans also have a new defensive coordinator this season. Former Cowboys head coach, Wade Phillips, will be calling the defense this year. Matt Yo-chum had a few things to say about our new defense. “Our new 3-4 defense and defensive coordinator, Wade Phillips, are going to prove to everyone that the Tex-ans can make the playoffs.”

Demeco Ryans, Texans Middle Linebacker, is also coming back from a season ending Achilles injury in 2010. Ryans was the NFL’s leading tackler in 2009 and named to the NFL All-Pro team in 2007, and moving Mario Williams to Outside linebacker with Brian Cushing is really making the Texans look like they have the best line backing core in the NFL. The team also signed the number two-ranked cornerback on the free agent market, Jonathan Joseph, and a veteran

safety looking for a championship, Daniel Manning this offseason. Manning said, “I want to learn to play Houston Texans foot-ball…I’m going to do my absolute best to try and help this team win some games and make the playoffs.” Veteran leadership on defense has been lacking for a long time on the Texans, but the addition of Manning and Joseph in the secondary could change the whole nature of the defense.

The team ranked 30th overall in total yards allowed last season, but they showed they could change this pre-season,

BASTROP, TEXAS as seen during the fires that burned over 200,000 acres of Texas during the height of the fires. Provided by gnarly-

weather.com

if they wanted to have a relationship with Christ or if they wanted to come back to Christ. Amanda Brock said that by do-ing this and worshipping with us, “they set the bar for worship at a whole new level.” Brock would also love it if Dutton came back to experience Spiritual Emphasis Week again next year, which is possible they will, but that still remains a surprise. As for now, you can still experience the relationship with Dutton by downloading and listening to their music on iTunes and following them on Facebook and Twitter at @duttonband.

going 3-1. In their third preseason game they gave up a total of 105 yards to the San Francisco 49ers. They could be a real threat in the NFL this year if the defense indeed steps up. On the other side of the ball, we are returning the third overall ranked offense in the NFL from 2010 with 386.6 yards per game. Look for the Texans to explode out of the gates this season, the defense to really shock the league in a big way and for them to make the playoffs for the fi rst time in franchise history.

Dutton Continuedfrom p.1

WWW.DUTTONBAND.COM Go to their website to get more information on where they will be playing next.

The StangNEWS 3College Corner--Texas A&M

• In College Station, about 80 miles away

• Total Cost of Attendance Per Year: $20,531

• Approximately 50,000 students

• The University has awarded 365,000 degrees since the opening in 1876.

• More than 2,800 courses offered in more than 150 fi elds of study

• Approximately 75 percent of the student body receives some form of fi nancial aid, sharing in more than $420 million annually.

• The highest percentage of medical and dental school students in Texas come from Texas A&M University.

• Known for their engineering and business schools

• 7 students went to TAMU in class of 2011

• Big size and town make it an attraction

• No longer in Big12 Conference, now in SEC

• Baseball team went to College World Series

• The 12th Man – Students stand during football games to show support for the team – and for fellow Aggies – a personifi cation of the Aggie Spirit.

• All sports are D1 competitive

Megan Keller12: “I have always wanted to go to A&M because I love the atmosphere in College Station. Also, most of my family has gone there, so it is kind of like a tradition. I love all the traditions that A&M has like the Corps and the 12th man. Most other colleges do not have traditions like A&M, and those traditions are what set A&M apart from all the other colleges.”

Rick Perry joins presidential raceby Kendall Maddox, Stang Staff

Bears are growling as A&M leaves Big12by Michael Vaughn, Stang Staff

33By Brian Trieglaff, Stang Editor in Chief

On August 13th, 2011, James Richard “Rick” Perry, Governor of Texas, offi cially announced his entrance to the race for the Republican nominee for President of the United States. It did not come as a shock to many Texans, as Perry has been travelling across the nation hoping to set the foundation for his presidential campaign. If he continues to rile support from fellow Republicans, he has a chance of giving President Obama a run for his money in the upcoming 2012 Presidential election.

Perry graduated from Texas A&M University and was a yell leader, which is a prestigious and sought after position at the university. Throughout his political career, Perry has held many positions. He served three two-year terms in the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat from 1984 to 1989. After 1989, Perry changed

Are the glory days of the Big 12 Athletic Conference coming to an end? It’s beginning to appear this way as another fl agship institution of the Big 12 is doing all they can to get out of there. On the evening of Tuesday, September 6, the presidents and chancellors of Southeastern Conference (SEC) voted unanimously to accept Texas A&M into the conference. Aggies across the nation are both excited and upset about the choice to move.

One Texas A&M fan pleased with the decision to move is senior and avid Aggie, Chase Burns. He says, “I think it’s a very smart decision, and I’m glad that we are out of the University of Texas’ shadow. It will be nice to be away from that and get a fresh start in the SEC.” Like many Aggies, Chase marvels at the prospect of A&M playing in the same dominant conference that has produced the last fi ve BCS National Championships in college football. When it all seemed to be working out for TAMU to accept their SEC invitation, an obstacle presented itself: Baylor University. The only thing that could have stopped A&M from accepting their invitation was if one of the other 9 Big 12 schools decided to take legal action in suing the move. Big 12 commissioner, Dan Beebe, told the SEC on September 2nd that “It is in the best interests of each of our conferences… to waive any and all legal actions by either conference.” However, recently Baylor University threatened to take legal action upon the acceptance of the invitation the Ags have received. Baylor, which is a small, private institution, had reason to be worried about the possible realignments taking place. As the smallest, and only private university

in the conference, if the Big 12 were to break up, Baylor would be stuck in an unfavorable situation.

Other major state schools such as Texas and Oklahoma, may receive invites to larger, more competitive athletic conferences. However, many speculate Baylor’s best option would be the Conference-USA, joining the likes of the University of Houston Cougars and the Rice Owls. Baylor has even launched a campaign on their website called “Rise Up For Texas Football”. This campaign calls on Texans to “stand up and call the leadership of the University of Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech to clear-headed thinking about the state’s future.” When TAMU goes, there is one thing we can be certain of: Baylor won’t let it happen without putting up a fi ght. The issue is causing controversy in every situation it is brought up in, from ESPN, to the classroom, to Facebook. T h e fi nal outcome of this realignment occurred as Texas A&M was offi cially welcomed as the 13th member of the Southeastern Conference on Monday, September 26th. The Bears will just have to growl since they don’t have any choice.

his political party from Democrat to Republican. From 1991 to 1999, he worked as the 9th Commissioner of Agriculture of Texas and moved on to serve as the 39th

Lieutenant Governor of Texas. For the past eleven years, Perry has governed the state of Texas as a Republican. He holds the record for the longest continuously serving current U.S. governor. He is a big believer of states’ rights and once mentioned the idea that Texas could secede if the federal government kept overstepping its bounds

If Perry is nominated to represent the Republicans in 2012, he will be running against the current President, Barack Obama.

History teacher, Kevin Sivils believes, “The best chance of Obama being reelected has to do with the Republican’s ineptness of offering a viable candidate than any actual achievement of the Obama administration. With that said, Perry is a good politician. Although I do not think he would make for a good presidential candidate.”

Similarly, Mr. Carson explained, “The challenge is that Perry seems lazy and indecisive within the Republican Party. I don’t believe he will survive the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire Primary. He is still struggling to fi nd his base and doesn’t have a chance to be elected President.” All political biases aside, Perry is a qualifi ed man for the job. Will he receive the Republican nomination for President of the United States? Only time will tell.

SCHOOL NEWSOctober 114Class of 2015 make Camp Mustang history

by Ashley Richards, Stang Staff

C a m p Mustang has been an HCHS tradition for many years. This famous trip is well known for the class bonding a c t i v i t i e s , long days on

college visits, and interesting water activities. This year the freshman

class embarked on their Camp Mustang adventures to Rice University for the day and then Forest Glen camp for the rest of their retreat. With counselors such as Zach Evans12, Max Brown12, Katy Craft12, this class was bound to have an adventurous time.

Although Camp Mustang has been a tradition for many years, huge changes were made from the past few years of Camp Mustang to this year. One change is that the freshman visited Rice University instead of Texas A&M University on their college visit day. Visiting Texas A&M has been a standing tradition for quite a few years, but the students seemed to really enjoy this change. Freshman, Adrianna Barton15, says, “The visit to Rice was so fun. The buildings were so pretty and the tour was very interesting.”

As well as a new college to visit, the class of 2015 enjoyed a different location for this camp. They were off to camp Forest Glen. Freshman, Cassidy Kelley15, said, “I

loved Forest Glen; it was so much fun.” The freshmen had many activities to choose from during Camp Mustang, but the one that was most popular was the blob. Basically it’s a fl oating, infl atable trampoline in the water of Forest Glen. It was a huge hit among this group of students. According to some students, like freshmen cheerleaders Samantha Moore15 and Amy Mack15, the blob wasn’t their favorite. Samantha said, “It looked like a lot of fun, but it was kind of scary and dirty.” Amy agreed with her friend, and stayed far away from this attraction.

In addition to all the activities and changes, one of the most memorable moments was made by an embarrassing moment. Grant Dixon, a freshman, made a huge impression on his class by performing a dance and poem for his fellow classmate, Renee Alphonso. As a punishment for not wearing his name-tag, his counselors, Zach Evans12 and Max Brown12, wrote a love poem from Grant to Renee. Grant says about this experience that, “I was a little shell shocked

On Monday, August 22, while the freshmen were at tech camp and the seniors were away for their retreat, the juniors and sophomores got to enjoy a little fun in the sun at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Galveston. After a stressful fi rst week, a break from school was just what was needed.

With the park to ourselves, the day was nothing less than relaxing. After the short commute to Galveston, the day started off without a hitch. Immediately after entering the park, everyone rushed to the covered section, which was set up just for us, set his or her stuff down and rushed to the cool, refreshing water. With the heat index around 110 degrees, swimming sounded like the only way to spend the heat-exhausting day.

Once everyone was in the water, there was no turning back. Splashing, sliding, fl ipping, and surfi ng consumed most

of the time of the juniors and sophomores. Ashley Harrison14 described her Schlitterbahn experience as, “Hanging out with friends and spending time in the lazy river. It was defi nitely my favorite part. The waves were crazy!” She also described the day as a “mini vacation.”

Indeed, the day was like a vacation. From hanging with friends, slushes, and tans, Schlitterbahn was a success. There were many perks to being the only ones in the whole park. Madison Sheehy14 “enjoyed the fact that there were no lines!” She excitedly exclaims, “I was so pumped that I could just walk straight up to the slide and immediately ride the ride.” With all this fun, the only negative thing mentioned was that it was too short. Of course logistically, even getting the allotted time was hard enough, but many wished it had lasted longer.

A fun time with friends always corresponds

with funny moments. Karl Stuewer recalls that he ran into Bassem and asked if he wanted to ride the open pink body slide with him and a few of his other junior bros. Because of the height and the speed of some of the rides, some people may be a little intimidated.

Well, one junior, Bassem Chammas13 to be exact, was hesitant before riding one of the rides with friends. Karl Stuewer13 described the ride as the “pink scary one that is really steep.” The

conversation progressed, and then all of a sudden Bassem began to run away in fear. Eventually, after much convincing, Bassem conquered his fear and slid down the dreaded ‘steep pink slide.’ After the ride, friends congratulated Bassem for a

job well done. As you can tell, the sophomores and juniors had a great time at Schlitterbahn and that is all thanks to Dean and Mrs. Doxtater for putting this together.

Students bond having fun in the sunby Alexa Reinhart, Stang Staff

The sophomores and juniors enjoy a stress free day at Schlitterbahn Galveston

With changes, activities, and great counselors, the class of 2015 has a very different Camp Mustang experience

FIVE FRIENDS take a break from lounging in the lazy river. These friends, Maddie Miller

14, Jordan Vivian

13, Danielle McVaugh

14,

Amanda Brown14

, and Mary Grace Russell14

, enjoyed the break from an already stressful school year.

FELLOWSHIP WITH NEW FRIENDS Freshmen girls Cassie Porter, Brooke Jenkins, Cath-erine Coolidge, Ashlyn Boone, Caroline Mitchell, and Bailey Fritcher kick back during free time.

JUNIOR BESTIES pose for a picture before jumping into the cool water. Emma Loo

13, and Paige Hobbs

13, are excitedly looking

forward to the lazy river.

SCHLITTERBAHN BEST BODY SLIDES tower at 70 feet each. Ju-nior Ivan Morris

13, “loves the high thrill body slides.”

because I had no idea what I was going to have to read to her. Even after all this we’re chill; Renee and I are still good friends.” Grant claims that his second favorite Camp Mustang memory was tipping canoes with a few of his friends including Thomas Berry15.

While this class did have a different experience than other classes, the trip was described as, “fun,” and, “it was a really cool trip,” by many that went.

The StangSCHOOL NEWS 55

Not new standards--just making them a prioritybyPreston Lyle, Stang Staff

h

School aims for academic integrity in all classrooms

A Day in Grandparent’s Day connects generation gapby Michael Dunn, Stang Staff

As some familiar faces leave our school, new ones arrive. These faces bring new and interesting ideas to the community that the students have grown accustomed to. As we are graced with many new faculty members, one in particular shared her views on academic integrity: Dr. Eileen Councill.

Dr. Eileen Councill has joined the ranks as the new principal of our school and has clearly stated what she expects from each of her students. Dr. Councill’s main priority coming into our school was to let us know how important academic integrity was to her and her fellow colleagues. Dr. Councill expressed her strong feelings for the subject by holding a meeting in the “Center for Scholars and Leaders”

just two weeks into the school year. Dr. Councill’s reasoning behind her bold move to crack down on cheating included the belief that academic integrity is

“essential in building a community.” Building a community around academic integrity is no easy goal to achieve. According to Dr. Councill,

in order to accomplish this goal, there are four key concepts that must be lived out, including “trust, honesty, respect, and responsibility.”

These four concepts are important because they help to create a community that is free from any form of hindrance. Dr. Councill’s associates also agree that

these concepts will keep students from cheating and help to progress the learning atmosphere that this establishment tries to emit.

Not only do Dr. Councill’s associates agree with her ideals, but also senior Jonathan Bravo12 thinks it is an important change. Bravo believes that students “need to follow these guidelines because it will help the kids in the long run by making them work harder.” Bravo’s optimism stops there though because he also believes that “more people will get in trouble because they can not

rise to the occasion.” As the school year progresses, it will be a testament to what this community and the students and the faculty have both tried to create.

Many of you already know Nic Rand12, one of Houston Christian’s only true “rednecks.” He can often be seen driving his souped up F-250 truck or holding hands with Veronica Cecil. Every morning Nic Rand wakes up and shoots six to seven squirrels for his morning meal. “Everyday, I do a morning muddin’ to get my blood going,” says Nic. After he is feeling awake, Nic goes down to his local Bass Pro Shop to see if they have anything new that peaks his interest. Nic usually looks for anything that will make killing ducks and deer more enjoyable. After he fi nishes his purchase, he goes out to the local pond to catch his lunch and will usually shoot a deer later that day if given the opportunity. Nic says, “It’s way more enjoyable to catch your own meal then to buy them like a typical city boy.” After lunch, Nic goes and meets up with fellow F-250 truck driver, James Watts12. James Watts claims, “Nic and I drive around and intimidate small car drivers.” However Nic sometimes has to ditch James to make time for his high school sweetheart, Veronica. “He wears boots 24/7 and he likes to chase after ducks,” says Veronica; she also says that they soon plan on going on a hunting date. Nic fi nishes his day by cleaning the deer he shot that afternoon and watching the outdoor channel as he falls asleep.

the Life of Nic RandAs Grandparents’ Day was coming to a close,

a melancholy ambiance permeated the parking lot. Goodbyes were said, hugs were given, and life continued. Senior Evan Kirkland12 noted that, “ It was hard to see them leave, especially knowing that I don’t see them nearly as much as I should.” An overall sense of regret seemed to be a common theme among the students, regret of a lack of a relationship. Conversely many are happy for the opportunity for their grandparents to observe their daily lives, and to perhaps ignite a more profound relationship. “It was great to see them, I love my grandparents, and the message(in chapel) was one we can both relate to, I am very thankful” says Alyssa McKinzie13. “The songs were relatable and enjoyable for all, and it felt like my grandparents truly loved worship.” Grandparents’ Day provided an uncommon experience, and in doing so allowed students to learn more about their grandparents, and in the process, learned more about themselves. Beth Powell noted that she

“saw numerous and uncanny similarities between my grammy(grandmother) and I. Intricacies I never noticed before, but I’m extremely thankful I realize it now.” These similarities have the potential to create a foundation for a new connection.

However, the most important thing students took away was the need to empathize, respect, and appreciate the wisdom and care that are prevalent in so many of our student’s grandparents. As stated by Mark Driscoll13, “They have our best interests at heart, but the generation gap makes it awkward sometimes, and we sometimes neglect the lessons they teach us. But the truth is that their experiences are extremely relatable to ours.”

Although grandparents are from an entirely different generation, the inherent and unalienable virtues of humans stay the same; therefore, one must adhere to the lessons they provide, for it will benefi t not only oneself, but the school. WEEKEND ACTIVITIES include holding 12 squirrels in his

hand. Nick enjoys hunting wild game for fun at his ranch as often as he can.

by Michael Fertitta, Business Manager

OVERFLOW STUDENTS from Grandparent’s Day are in the new CSL meeting hall and watch the chapel service on the large screen. If the student’s grandparents showed up, they were al-lowed to sit with them in the chapel.

LOVIN ON GRANDMA Katie Flores sits by her grandmother, Eula Hebert, age 74, who came to school for the day. She actually lives with her and accord-ing to Katie, “She takes me to school, takes care of my dog, and basically does everything for my house. I love having her there.”

Congratulations

to the

Freshmen Stuco OfficersPresident:

Laura Byerly

Vice President: Amanda Thompson

Representatives: Kai MosvoldJordan Hope

Diamond Braxton

FINE ARTSOctober 116Mustang Players’ present one of Shakespeare’s best loved comedies

At the fall play--all the world’s a stage by Natalie Galerne, Stang Staff

by Rachel Driver, Stang Staff

Spiritual Emphasis Week stands out

This Fall, the Mustang Players are presenting one of Shakespeare’s best loved comedies, As You Like It, a play in which the show’s heroine, Rosalind, is banished from her family’s kingdom to the myste-rious Forest of Arden. The play’s plot re-volves around true love, hidden identities, and a journey of two best friends. Natasha Gualy12 and myself, Natalie Galerne11 share the role of Rosalind in the produc-tion.

Juggling the every day life of a high school actress gets diffi cult, what with rehearsals almost every day after school (which go late), rehearsals every Saturday, tackling schoolwork, translat-ing and memorizing lines, and still fi nding time for socializing, like supporting the Mustangs at football games. A typical day for me and Natasha consists of getting up early enough every morning to get to choir as in my case, a full day of school and as-signments due, then staying at school until at least 8 pm for blocking and re-running scenes over and over and over and over and over again. Then, of course, you get to start all over the next day.

Although this life is full of hard work and still plenty of mistakes, both Na-

tasha and I try our very best to make every moment count. What does Natasha love most? “I get to mess around as my charac-ter and just have fun with it. Natalie and I are having a great time as Rosalind.” Well, some may be wondering what makes As You Like It unique. What makes this show stand out? Well, for one, Natasha and I get to play a girl playing a man playing a girl. “There’s a lot of funky love triangles, Nata-lie and I cross dressing and tricking people. Not to mention TONS of irony,” says Nata-sha.

This show wouldn’t be anything without the other leads, however. Rosalind is a great, witty character, but she needs a certain amount of confl ict to make life in-teresting. Ariana Morgan11, and Hannah Gustufson10 play the role of Celia, Rosa-lind’s cousin, who is in many ways, the perfect best friend. They are both incred-ible actresses, and are very supportive of Natasha and I throughout it all. We all car-ry the same amount of weight as far as im-portance goes for this show. Each character is equally as vital as the next. Although this is true for almost every production, this rule applies 100% to As You Like It. Come see As You Like It, and you’ll see how all the world’s a stage.

DANCING FOR JOY The Doxa Dance Company performs for an audience for the first time this school year. The dance team impressed the extensive audience on Grandparents day and will next perform with the Orchestra in the Chapel at 7pm, October 4th at the Fall Orchestra and Dance Concert.

REMEMBERING 911 The Concert Choir performed at the First Colony Church of Christ in Sugarland on Sunday, September 11, 2011. They performed at the 8:30 (Acappella) and 11:00 (Instrumental) Worship services and remembered 9/11 in two very special services. They sang songs to celebrate and remember those who gave their lives for our freedom.

Spiritual Emphasis Week has always been a great and refreshing week for students and faculty, and this year was no exception. To start off SEW (Spiritual Emphasis Week) the school had the pleasure of listening, singing, and worshiping to the inspiring music performed by Dutton. Dutton is a band that has appeared at Houston Christian before and was a huge hit. Everyone was ecstatic to have them back. Ashley Richards10 was one of the big fans. She said, “Once I heard they were coming back, I was so excited. I went home and liked them on facebook… again.” After everyone was fi nished jamming out with Dutton, we sat down and listened to the great twang of Darryl Smith. Darryl Smith was the speaker for SEW. He currently lives in Tennessee with his wife and children. Darryl Smith preached on the topic “Follow Christ.” He was funny, eye-opening, and even in-tense as he spoke to the crowd. Darryl let us know he loves crowd interaction, in other words, lots of “amen’s” and “hallelujah’s!” Everyone loved Darryl and kept their arms wide open to welcome him at any time. Drew was also extremely pumped for Spiritual Emphasis Week. Drew says he “felt like Dutton and Darryl knocked it out of the park,” and that it “felt like SEW was a huge success.” Drew told us his favorite part about Spiritual Em-phasis Week was “Darryl’s message the third day when he talked about “counting the costs for following Christ.” The next big week for chapel takes place in the spring during February as Missions Emphasis Week. We’ll just have to wait until then for another chance to worship for the entire week, and to fi nd out what Drew has in store for us.

MORNING CREATIVITY Freshman Aleesha Carroll works on an art project in Pre-Block Art. Their current project involves candy and papier mache, which involves the use of lots of newspaper and glue.

The StangSPIRITUAL LIFE 7At the fall play--all the world’s a stage

Jeremy Biar Captures Hearts

by Michael Vaughn, Stang Staff

We as students often don’t realize how lucky we are to have some of the speakers and bands that come to lead us in chapel. At this year’s Spiritual Emphasis Week we were blessed by the words of our passionate speaker, Darryl Smith. Darryl is the National Director of Student Venture, the high school ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. After playing phone tag for a few days, I was able to correspond with Darryl through email and ask him a few questions.

MV: How long have you been involved in ministry?

DS: 21 years

MV: Apart from what you shared with us during the week, what events or people have shaped your life spiritually?

DS: Being a prisoner, ministering to college and high school students, and attending marriage and men’s retreats. Also, ministering to NFL teams and at Gang Awareness Summits.

MV: What are your ties to the beloved Zeiler family?

DS:Mark (Drew’s brother), his parents, and I have served together in Student Venture for over 12 years.

MV: As National Director of Student Venture, what sort of things does your job involve?

DS: It involves giving leadership to over 400 staff, volunteers, and interns. Also, I give directions to the ministry going on here and overseas, and I lead the executive team that leads this ministry. Fairly often I will also travel to a Student Venture city to meet with Student Venture staff.

MV: What particularly about your time in prison made you realize you needed to drastically change your lifestyle?

DS: God spoke to me about His love and forgiveness through Christians who saw prison as a mission fi eld.

MV: Since all students are dying to know, do you have any future plans regarding your music career after your hit “Ain’t No Party Like a Holy Ghost Party”?

DS: LOL no. God has called me to preach.

by Michael Vaughn, Stang Staff

On the weekend of August 5-6, 2011, 40 junior and senior girls all came together at Lake Conroe for a time of bonding. They were not just simply having a hang out, these girls have a mission: they are devoted to leading the underclassmen girls of this school in walking with Christ and pursuing a relationship with the Lord. They collaborated at this D-Group Leader Retreat to plan for the year ahead and become uni-fi ed with each other as sisters in Christ. Led by Women’s Chaplain Lisa Porter, the girls all partici-pated in an array of activities from playing games in the lake, to having spiritual conversations about the year ahead in D-Groups. All in all, the girls came away refreshed, relaxed, and ready. Junior D-Group leader, Natalie Galerne, speaking about some of her experiences at the retreat said, “Of all the fun things we did, one of my favor-ites would have to be Marco Polo and Duck Duck Goose in the lake. But my best memory by far is swimming out to a buoy in the lake with Lisa, Kath-ryn, Elizabeth, and Gianna. I didn’t think I would make it there, but once I did we had an awesome conversation about D-Groups this year and what our

D-Group retreat focuses on

Forty Junior and Senior girls bond and prepare for the year

vision was for the school year ahead.” Another activity that Natalie expressed that she enjoyed was one where they all sat in a large circle and asked questions to the girl across from them, passing a string to them when they did. In the end, there was string crossing all over the circle to make a sort of web. This was to show that they are all together and unifi ed through Christ. Natalie also shared the theme verse of the girl D-Group leaders that they were given at the retreat. The passage is Psalm 1:1-3, and it says, “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.” All in all, Natalie and the girls are excit-ed about what God has planned for the year ahead. They look forward to D-Groups this year as a chance to make a difference for Christ in the lives of young girls at Houston Christian.

Jeremy Biar is a man of many talents; however, he is most notably known for his inherent ability to perform any song he wishes by fl icking his teeth. A talent he “adopted from his father since [he] was a young child; he has been

doing it for as long as I can remember.” However, it never clicked to Jeremy that he could in fact employ the aforementioned talent as well, until one fateful day “in the middle of history class in fourth grade,

while looking for something to pass the time.” What followed was a truly magical event: he found “what he was put on this earth for—the ability to make sweet melodious music from his teeth,” he recollects.

From that point on, Jeremy has been harnessing and developing his talent, and has become able to play the most complex of songs. He claims that “Dota by Basshunter is by far my best and most complex song, I occasionally mess up; however, I have invested a good amount of time into perfecting my favorite song.” And although it “creates a numbing sensation in my fi ngers; I love the expression on other people’s faces when I perform the song.

Senior Mark Driscoll believes that Jeremy Biar’s performance is simply “magical, outstanding, and life altering.” And through the observation of the clamor, and applause Jeremy’s performances arouse, the crowd was defi nitely pleased.

Getting to know Darryl Smith

D-GROUP GIRL LEADERS Kathryn Quandt, Natalie Galerne, Elisabeth Mosvold, Gianna Tiede-mann, and leader Lisa Porter enjoy a swim in Lake Conroe.

producing better leaders

by Michael Dunn, Stang StaffStudent has unusually talented fingers and teeth

8Freshmen aren’t always the new kids

October 11

New faculty members join the campus

New faces have appeared around the campus and not just the new freshmen class or the new kids, but the people that do it all for us: the faculty.

A handful of teachers, a nurse, and even a principal, have all made an appearance on campus this school year. Dr. Eileen Councill, a great addition to our school, has already made an impact in so many ways. Dr. Councill has many hopes for the school and she plans to

bring her “16 years of educational background in private and public schools in the U.S. and overseas.” Her main “hope is to move our school from good to great.”

Not only is Dr. Councill someone we could all look up to and follow, but she is also someone who enjoys to travel. She says that it’s very diffi cult to say what her favorite place is because she has “traveled to so many great places in the

world.” But her most favorite would have to be Mozambique. Dr. Council says, “I was there just after the civil war ended so all of the houses and buildings were fi lled with bullet holes. I had the opportunity to meet with the local artists that were given crushed weapons off the street and created art from them. I bought a sculpture composed of crushed machine guns, handguns, etc. It’s pretty cool.” With so many great teachers, the seniors happen

by Kandis Hardingto be blessed with their new English teacher, Ms. Jessie Liu. Although she is new, she knows a lot of familiar faces around the school. Ms. Liu found her way to Houston Christian through many of her fellow co-workers. Not only did she know some of the teachers before coming to the school, but she also attends church with some recognizable people as well, such as Dean Ashby, Mrs. Cooper, Mr. Pillsbury, and Ms. Sparks. Ms. Liu says, “I’m excited to be at Houston Christian because I get to talk about something that I love all day and show how it points to the Gospel. I’m enjoying it so far- I’m part of a strong department and I can already see how supportive and prayerful the whole community is.” Although Ms. Liu is known for teaching all English classes, her favorite classes in high school happened to be history and math, fi nishing calculus her junior year. However, when attending Rice University, she studied English and Economics. Ms. Liu seems to be one that knows a lot in all areas of a student’s academic life, including the many languages she knows. She mentions, “I’m Chinese-American and can speak Mandarin and understand

some Taiwanese and Cantonese. I took French all through high school and some in college.” Another comforting addition to the school is the nurse, Mrs. Teecie Aldridge. Mrs. Aldridge graduated nursing school in 1957 giving her a total of 37 years of experience in the nursing world. She previously worked in the Spring Branch area and eventually found her way here through Houston Christian parents. She has always been interested in nursing mainly because of her older sister, who was also a nurse. Mrs. Aldridge explains that one of the most inconvenient accidents she has ever had to care for actually involved herself. She says, “My 23-year old son left his skateboard on the sidewalk and I tripped over it. I broke my arm, and I didn’t think it was funny. I also missed my fl ight and the airlines canceled both going and returning fl ights the next day. Eventually I ended up paying three times more than I had originally wanted just because of a skateboard and a broken arm.” Mrs. Aldridge also helps by being here from 8:30 am to 3pm, which is a major plus for those who unfortunately got sick before 10am or after 2pm last school year.

As the school begins, students are fi lled with anxiety about what this year has to offer. These students are concerned about what classes they will be taking, how they will perform both in the classroom and on the athletic fi eld, and most importantly how discipline will be carried out.

Discipline has always been carried out by the Dean of Students and will not change. Dean Linc Ashby is the man who will continue this position. Since this is Dean Ashby’s second year, he is able to shake things up a little bit by changing some of the former policies and making some new ones. Dean’s major goals are to make the student’s environment as open and enjoyable as possible, while still upholding his position as enforcer of discipline. Juggling these two goals is not easily done, but by his hard work, Dean Ashby is doing what he set out to do. To accomplish his goals, Dean Ashby had to change some policies in the handbook. One of

the biggest and most demanding changes is that detentions are now mandatory and to be served at 7:00 in the morning, while the student performs physical activities. The number of reps done during these physical activities increases and their arrival time is made earlier every time they get another detention. Dean Ashby’s reasoning was that “students wouldn’t show up to detention and give me some excuse that I could not prove the legitimacy of.”

The new detention system now eliminates any form of excuse a student might have. Senior Anthony Farfan states that, “It’s aggravating that you have to run early in the morning,” but also admits that because the task is so hard, it “serves its purpose.” Dean Ashby might have made detentions a little bit harder, but the results prove that he knows what he is talking about. For example, there have only been seven detentions in the fi rst three weeks of school. Dean Ashby is also sticking with his goal to make

the environment as open as possible by allowing a new privilege system for the seniors. If the senior class d i s p l a y s u p r i g h t b e h a v i o r t h r o u g h o u t the course of the year, they are allowed to ask Dean for a privilege that is within reason. If Dean also thinks it is reasonable, he will grant the whole senior class, maybe even the lower classes, this p r i v i l e g e . A privilege already given this year is Senior Chapel was moved up a week. This helps to convey that Dean “wants

Dean Ashby has Open Door policy for all students Seniors can now receive more privilegesby Preston Lyle

Technology proves to be essential part of HCHSby Jason Comis, Stang Staff

Technology has always been an integral part in the learning at Houston Christian High School. Since the introduction of the MacBook to the class of 2011, numerous programs and applications have been added to make the learning experience revolutionary. One of the most notable programs introduced this year to the student body is the program LanSchool. When asked about what features LanSchool brings to the students, technology associate, Ashley Smith, said, “LanSchool allows the teacher to send fi les, control a student’s computer, display a student’s screen on the projector, and increases overall teacher management of a class’s computers.”

Not all teachers have LanSchool yet, but every student’s laptop comes installed with it. Depending on how the trials go with the select teachers that do have LanSchool, it will determine whether or not the technology department will invest in this application for all teachers. Taking a quick peek into a classroom, it’s easy to see that many classrooms have returned with the document readers, projectors, and even some classrooms have come equipped with the Smart Board. However, it is tremendously easy to overlook these items.

Looking back to the senior’s freshman year, most classes had to use transparent fi lm paper on those outdated light projectors in order to display on image on the screen. Today the ELMO digital visual presenter can display the exact document that a class is working on, rather than a generic black piece of transparent paper. Even the projectors cannot be taken for granted, because without them a class would be left in the dark as far as the morning announcements go.

Looking back at the past technologies HCHS has invested in ,one can see the benefi ts, but the hopes for future applications will add even more excitement to the technology environment. For instance, Ashley Smith confi rmed that,” New software has been added that allows us to push out applications without reimaging.” In other words, no more sacrifi cing the precious fi nal hours of summer vacation only to erase all of your year’s worth of games, photos, and data. Overcoming the devastation of an empty computer, it’s easy to appreciate the new applications added in order to create a learning environment that is technologically centered and supplemented by text. In a world where technology is becoming the main course of action to accomplish pretty much everything, HCHS prepares it’s students by making technology the cornerstone of the curriculum.

DR. EILEEN COUNCILL

his door to be open to anyone” while still keeping his position as Dean of Students clear.

The StangWHAT’S NEW? 9Fresh faces seen around campus As the summer fades way and the school year begins, several new faces have appeared around the school. This year there are four seniors and three juniors that are new to the Mustang community. These students come from all over the globe. From local neighborhoods to homes thousands of miles away, we should strive to welcome them and ensure they have a great experience as Stangs. Among the new students is Kelsey Crawford12. Kelsey recently decided to transfer from Concordia Lutheran because of her infl uence from the Cecil family and after competing against the Mustangs in many sports events. When asked of her goals for this year, Crawford said, “I hope to grow in my faith and get to know everyone in my grade better.”

Matt Cavazos12 came from La Porte High School for his senior year. Cavazos mentioned that his friend, Brian Trieglaff12, infl uenced his decision to become part of the Mustang community. He was drawn here because of the competitive academics and sports that the school has to offer. Matt will be an important addition to the varsity baseball program this year. Several new students come from other nations around the world. Last year, Mark McCulloch12 attended the Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mark claims, “I hope to graduate as a successful and knowledgeable student and athlete as well as get accepted to a good college.” Another student from overseas is Kelsey DeBerry11. Kelsey studied at the Singapore American School for her sophomore year. Kelsey said, ”I chose Houston Christian over other high schools because it’s a great size and the people seemed really welcoming when I came to shadow.” Matt Cavazos, Kelsey Crawford, Kelsey DeBerry, Tayler Hedgepeth11, Morgan Hurst11, Mark McCulloch, Chase Rau12 are all new juniors and seniors this year. Let’s give them a Mustang welcome and help them feel at home. Look for their highlights and more in the next edition of the Stang.

New students welcomed with open arms

Latin 4 and Praise Team have been added to the schedule this year in 2011-2012. The addition of Latin 4 really opens up new op-portunities for students who want to further develop their vocabulary in Latin. Alyssa Mckinzie gave me some of her thoughts about Latin 4 and how it helps the students. “Latin 4 helps the school because it helps the students’ vocabulary, and when it comes time for the SAT/ACT the students are able to do better because their vocabulary is enhanced!” Praise team is another great addition to the school. Now the Praise team has a set time to practice before chapel each week. Brad McClintic said, “Praise Team as a new class has really helped us this year because we have a lot of new equipment and we have more practice time now. It also helps us get our timing and togetherness down as a group.” According to Bucky Desadier “with more time devoted to prac-ticing, praise team will be much more enjoyable for everyone this year.” Get excited for a great year from our Praise Team!.

New year means new classesHCHS has added some new classes to its schedule

by Stephen Consoli, Stang Staff

by Michael Vaughan, Stang Staff

by Kendall Maddox, Stang Staff

CHASERAU

KELSEYCRAWFORD

MARKMcCULLOCH

MATTCAVAZOS

Students returning to the halls this year may or may not have noticed something different about the fi ne academic facilities of our institution. If they did not, they have certainly seen its grandeur by now. The same building that once contained the information-fi lled shelves of Amelang Library now holds a learning facility second to none at the high school level. The appropriately named “Center for Scholars and Leaders,” or CSL, has many uses, but a primary purpose that is two-fold.

The fi rst major use of the CSL is for Colonel Tom Wilson’s Leadership class. Colonel hopes to one day make this class required, and this is a step toward that goal. Colonel Wilson responded to how the CSL has benefi tted the Leadership program by saying, “The CSL is a state of the art, one-of-a-kind facility that allows so many more ways to teach leadership. The classrooms are set up for face-to-face discussions with and among students and having break out areas makes it so easy for the students to practice and discuss leadership topics. The lecture hall can seat an entire class and has the latest technology for presentations. This is a great improvement to our school that will benefi t all our students.”

It is an incredible opportunity for the students of Houston Christian to use and access facilities that even colleges would be grateful to have. Students are enjoying using this building just as much as the teachers are. Junior leadership student Keith Crawford said, “My favorite thing about the CSL is a close tie between the portal to the unknown and the complex exquisiteness and splendor of the lecture hall.” For all who are lost at this moment, the “portal to the unknown” that Keith speaks of, is what the yellow wall in the hall outside the CSL has been deemed by a group of junior boys. The color yellow does not match up with any other color scheme throughout our school, so the boys assumed that a portal to another world was the only logical explanation. The other primary purpose of the CSL is a classroom and working environment for the Distinguished Scholars Program. DSP students, or Distinguished Scholars, spend the year researching and writing a lengthy paper about their specifi c area of research. Distinguished Scholar John Rasplicka says, “It’s been useful because we can discuss things more easily with the Harkness table and learn how to give presentations to audiences in the lecture hall.”

Even if you are not a Distinguished Scholar or a Leadership student, you can benefi t from these new additions. Many students use the CSL before, during, and after school just to do homework or get some studying in. The beauty of this new building is that whatever the involvement, every student can benefi t from the CSL.

Students and teachers enjoy the CSL

Center for Scholars and Leaders is state-of-the-art facility

SHOWING OFF the new Center for Scholars and Leaders, Ms. Carol Ostlind tells a group of grandparents how the center will be used for classes and lectures and even teacher’s meetings.

GUEST SPEAKERS are the rule in Col. Tom Wilson’s Leadership class. Here, former student Austin Boubel tells the class about his experiences in the army. Col. Wilson’s new class-room is now located in the CSL.

by Jason Comis, Stang Staff

What Grinds my GearsA pessimistic account of creating accountsby Alexa Reinhart, Stang Staff

Is your hair accessory worth a tortured animal?

by Kandis Harding, Stang Staff

Do you ‘Like’ Facebook’s changes?Facebook users enjoy new features it has to offer

OPINIONOctober 1110

Since the Internet went mainstream around 1996, businesses have been dreaming about the partnership of the In-ternet and its users in order to turn the everyday Internet user into a consumer. Pretty much anything you can buy in the physical world can now be bought on the Internet. Even that doesn’t describe the chokehold the In-ternet has on the consumer. Some things are not even ob-tainable unless bought through the Internet. Need some ura-nium? No really, your search is over because Uranium can be bought over Amazon for a smooth price of $200. The sad fact of the matter is that the main component in a nuclear bomb is a lot easier to buy than something as simple as clothes. How many times have you fi lled up your cart with mounds of clothes, video games, or uranium only to be stopped by a “create an ac-count page?” I don’t know

about anyone else, but creating an account is entirely point-

less, especially for a busi-ness that wants to make

money. I don’t see the logic in giving away my e-mail only to un-check the boxes that say “would you like

us to send you a newslet-ter on our latest deals?”

If I am making it so that you are not allowed to send me e-mails, then what is the point in account creating? One instance where money is not a factor, but al-most twice as annoying, is the Google takeover of every sin-gle email domain name. Since Google now owns YouTube, the e-mail address linked to the YouTuber’s account must be of a G-mail nature. Un-fortunately for me, I used a Hotmail account to create my account, back in the day when corporations such as Google did not rip the fabric of De-mocracy to shreds. Essentially, Google found it fi t to force me to switch my Hotmail account to a G-mail account through some e-mail transferring pro-gram. There was one catch. I had to have another account, which had to be under Google. I could not believe what I saw. It can be said that I lost faith in the Internet world and human-ity for that matter, the day I had to create an account to create an account.

Facebook, a place for all ages, began in 2004 and has excelled to more than 750 million active users. The website has become more and more popular the past few years, but some changes have made Facebook users either mad or excited. A few of the most recent changes involve the ability of users to video chat with friends that are online, users now see their most talked to friends on the chat sidebar, and now the “enter” button has become a way to easily chat with friends on pictures, statuses, and messages. Some enjoy the new video chat feature, but others fi nd it annoying. Shique Singleton says, “One time I was on Facebook and this guy kept bothering me because he wanted to video chat. I clearly did not want to talk to him so it was annoying how I couldn’t stop

Another great feature many have enjoyed is the fact that the “enter” button can now be used like any other chat. Users can now hit “enter” for an easier and faster way to communicate with friends. The feature has become very popular. Although some F a c e b o o k changes annoy certain people, others can fi nd a use for the changes to help with a much faster and easier way to use Facebook. Look for more facebook changes coming soon.

Summer ‘s Latest Trend is FlightySome trends come and

go, but this trend has taken teen girls by the hair since last May: feather extensions. The clothing store called Free People started this trend when they announced a special deal; if you purchased an item from the store, a feather extension was optionally put in your hair for free. In result, girls were rushing to get their feather extension for the summer. Especially with our uniforms, feathers add something extra to the everyday polo and skirt.

I have personally never had a feather, but I do understand why many girls are sporting them in their hair. Danielle McVaugh expresses her appreciation of feathers by stating “I got them from a salon called K Renee. They have every kind of color you could even imagine, and even have long or short ones. Some also have beads.” While there are many positive things to having feathers, there are of course

negatives. The feather extensions that are from a salon are real bird feathers. Many people think that using real bird feathers is wrong, including junior Amanda Blanchard. Amanda expressed her opinion by instantly stating, “Since when did cruelty become a fashion statement?” Amanda, a strong supporter of PETA, posted anti-feather posters around the school to raise awareness of the negative side of the feathers.

She described the process like this: the feathers that girls wear in their hair come from the back of a rooster, which are called saddle feathers. These roosters are bred primarily for their unique saddle feathers. Growing these feathers is rare for roosters and takes a long time for them to become the desired length. When the length is right, the rooster is fl at out killed and the feathers are used for fashion. Harsh right?

Amanda declares, “The unique saddle feathers are collected for a simple, cliché fashion that will go out of style faster than silly bands.” That sounds like a pretty good argument for not getting feathers.

One junior, Miranda Rogers, who is pro and con feather extensions, told me about her feather. “Sometimes it has it’s own bad hair day and simply a mind of it’s own because it sticks out. But, other than that, I love my feather.”

Because the feathers have the ability to be straightened, they sometimes are frizzy and do not look as good as you once thought. If you don’t want to get the temporary feathers that last for up to a month or longer, I suggest you either get feather earrings or the kind that you can simply clip in. That way if you are tired of your feathers, you can take them out instead of waiting for them to fall out.

I lean more on the side of no real feathers, but not only because of the torture from the rooster. I think that they are cute at fi rst, but when you have it in your hair for over a month, it just gets old. They are still in style so you are not too late to join the feather extension bandwagon. But if you’re like me and just want to add fl air to one outfi t, the earrings or feather clips are the best way to go.

Whether you are anti feathers, or you have feathers, there is no denying that they are this season’s latest fashion statement.

him.” Also, video chat is pretty useless to Houston Christian students because of iChat, known usually as the freshman favorite. At one point, Facebook decided to only list a few people on online chat, usually the people that you talked to the most. After many angry users, Facebook fi nally switched the chat to become your most talked to friends on top and then on everyone else below. Normally when a change is made to Facebook, a large number of statuses are posted mainly complaining, “I hate the new Facebook,” “I want the old Facebook back,” “Really Facebook?” and many more complaints. Users don’t always hate some of the new changes for instance; the “Like” button became very popular and even more popular when a user could “Like” someone’s comment.

STEVEN TYLER is one well know celebrity who carries around plenty of feathers in his hair. Tyler was one of the judges last year on American Idol. www.celebrityviplounge.com

He said/She saidHomecoming: Should you have a date or not?By: Rachel Driver and Michael Fertitta, Stang Staff

The StangOPINION 11

STANG 2011-2012

Editors-in-Chief--Brian Trieglaff and Paige AdamsBusiness Managers-- Michael Fertitta and Ashley Richards

Stang StaffJason Comis, Stephen Consoli, Rachel Driver,

Michael Dunn, Natalie Galerne, Kandis Harding, Preston Lyle, Kendall Maddox, Alexa Reinhart, Gianna Tiedemann, Michael Vaughan

AdvisorHeidi McCurdy

The Stang is published 8 ti mes per year online at www.houstonchristi an.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 HCHS Students. For

advertising information please contact Heidi McCurdy at 713-580-6044 or email at hmccurdy@houstonchristianhs.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:To respond to The Stang, please email your comments to

hmccurdy@houstonchristianhs.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 provising 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

MCF: Rachel, I don’t understand what the big deal is with bringing a date to homecoming, prom is one thing, but really? Homecoming is pretty much a dance that you go to with all your friends anyway, if you don’t bring a date then you can dance with as many girls as you want and not have to be tied to just one girl

RED: Well, Michael, we obviously have two very different opinions. Bringing a date to homecoming is a “big deal”; it’s a huge deal actually. During homecoming, it is crucial to have a date. Every girl, whether she admits it or not, wants a date to the big homecoming dance. Plus, even if you do have a date, you are more than welcome to dance with as many other girls, or boys as you would like. It’s a tradition to have a date during homecoming... everyone knows that.

MCF: You have a point Rachel, girls want a date to the dance, but boys don’t feel it is as important. If anything, usually a girl’s friends will pressure a boy into asking a girl to homecoming; I know this because I experienced this freshman year when I was pressured into taking a girl to homecoming that I didn’t like and didn’t even talk to. You’re wrong about how we are free to dance with other girls. If you are a girl’s date, then she will want you all to herself and if they see you with another girl they will bite your head off.

RED: Michael, Michael, Michael. I do believe that it is important to the guys to have a girl to take to homecoming. I think that the guys like coming up with creative ideas to ask a girl that they like. I also think it is a great reason for the guy to step out of his comfort zone and talk to girls, especially if you’re just a fi sh. Also, girls would not have to pressure guys to ask other girls, or their friends if the guy just did it, and did it well! You obviously

have been taking the aggressive/crazy type of girl as your date to homecoming, because I know a lot of girls that would not dare to bite your head off if you wanted to dance with a few others. BUT... you should know that dancing with girls that are not your date is fi ne, but ditching them for the night and never seeing them again is not okay. Being ditched at the homecoming dance is a girl’s biggest fear, so before you leave to dance with others, you should always assure them that you’ll be right back.

MCF: Okay Rachel I will give you that one, coming up with ways to ask a girl to homecoming can sometimes be fun, but you still have got to remember that I have seen friends ask girls in creative ways and the girl was unsatisfi ed with the result. However you are wrong about the other issue. Let’s say Jill wants Jack to ask her to homecoming just because she thinks he’s cute, but she doesn’t know how to get him to ask her. So she gets her friend Monica to badger Jack until he asks Jill, even if he doesn’t know her that well. Rachel, don’t beat around the bush, we all know that girls usually get jealous when their “date” is acting like another girl’s “date.”

RED: Michael, I must ask, what is so wrong with getting the friend to put in a good word? I think it is smart. As a girl, I know that if there is a certain guy that I want to ask me, of course I will ask a mutual friend to put in a good word, and give him the idea. It’s smart, and tactful. Now, when it comes to dancing with people other than your date, there is nothing wrong about it, if you say the right thing, and take the right precautions. First, it has to be mutual! If the guy wants to go dance with other girls that is fi ne, but that means that the girl can also dance with anyone they want to. You have to

know the rules Michael!

MCF: Well R to the D, sometimes a girl’s friends “good word” might become more of a threat and the guy will feel he might end a friendship if he doesn’t ask the girl he is supposed to. I don’t know about you, but if I say, “Hey, I’m going to go dance with another girl over there, so sit tight and I’ll be right back,” it is going to be relatively awkward and could lead down the path of arguments. There are no rules during homecoming Rachel, you know that. HOMECOMING 2011-- NO REGRETS!

RED: First of all, there are no threats in homecoming Mike. Homecoming is meant to help bond and spark friendships, maybe even spark a relationship. Homecoming is a good thing. Michael, let me just say, if you ever tell a girl to “sit tight” we have bigger issues. You have to approach the conversation nicely, have a kind, soft tone and she should not have any problem letting you go. What you can do to make sure she does not go crazy when you ask to dance with other girls is to talk about it with her ahead of time. Ask her how she feels about you dancing with others, and be mature about it. Another crucial part of homecoming that we are leaving out is the mums and garters. Mums and garters are a HUGE part of homecoming, and it is a tradition almost every high school has in Texas. It is also so much fun picking your date’s accessories and ornaments for their mums and garters. The day of the homecoming football game, every girl gets so excited about putting their mum on. And don’t deny it Michael, when you have the biggest, and greatest garter, you are going to feel great about wearing it and showing it off. There are no garters or mums for you if you don’t bring a date… think about that.

MCF: That is true, but what if your friend of a date wants to be more than just your friend? That’s a topic for another day, but Rachel I have concluded that it might just be easier to just keep it with one girl that night to avoid any drama and to avoid your date’s feelings from getting hurt.

Anyway, a mum; that is what girls are all about. They all want something big and fl ashy to show off to their friends because that’s how girls are. I guess it would be worth it to get your date the biggest mum possible to make them happy.

Also, what way for them to best remember you as the guy who gave them that huge mum? Garters are another story though, they are usually really loose and hang around your arms. During school when you’re constantly writing, it easily gets in the way and causes some noise, and if it’s too big then it will constantly slowly move down your arm till it falls off.

RED: That is correct Michael, girls do love mums. Mums are a symbol of homecoming, and after homecoming is over, they are hung on the walls of nearly every girl’s room and every time they look at it, they remember the great night they had. The same should be for boys. I have been to numerous boy’s houses, and I can see their garters in their

rooms also. It is a fun reminder of a great night. Now, when it comes to the size of your garter being too big, there are really only two solutions. You can either let your date know that you have small biceps and need a small band, or you can bulk up, but that is up to you. I’m glad to see that we fi nally agreed on something,--mums and garters are fun.

MCF: That’s true, but a girl or guy doesn’t want to hang up something that might bring them bad memories, so you have to make sure your homecoming experience was good.

RED: Well, you have a good point about bringing up bad memories when it comes to mums and garters, but it is the boy’s job to make sure that the girl has an AMAZING NIGHT.

MCF: Goodbye, Rachel Elizabeth Driver. Good convo.

RED: Goodbye, Michael Christopher Fertitta.

SPORTS

Best time of the year is hereTeam returns to TAPPS and ready to take overby Jason Comis, Stang Staff

It’s their time to shineVolleyball team gets injection of new playersby Michael Dunn, Stang Staff

October 1112

DOMINATING THE GAMES: Seniors Paige Polasek and Morgann Davis stay near the net dur-ing the Duschene game. The girl’s varsity team went on to defeat Duschene in three games extending their winning streak.

The football season has offi cially started and with some new additions to the team they do not look like they are going to disappoint. Offensive lineman Hayden Sterling12 talked about the new additions to the team by saying,” Cameron Moore and Chase Rau bring a new dynamic

to the team by bringing experience and athleticism.” After opening the season 0-4, the Mustangs hope to bounce back with a strong game at St. Thomas. Building on what Hayden Sterling said of Cameron Moore, he has proved to be a dominant force in the running game by fl attening any opposing defender that gets in his way. Hayden Sterling also said, “The team chemistry has been as good as I have ever seen it in the two years that I have been here.” Team chemistry can prove to be a valuable asset when games are on the line. Facing an important third down situation in a close game, nothing is more dangerous than a defense that is on the same page as far as assignments go. While on the same page during the game can be an important game plan, building a chemistry with a team for reasons not associated to football is also something the whole school can follow. For anyone on campus, it is easy to point out a football player on campus

Lady Mustangs Field Hockey changes sports’ history

It’s that time of year again, where fall sports kick off their seasons. There are many fall sports such as football, volleyball, and cross-country, but there is one sport that is often overlooked, until now. The Lady Mustang’s fi eld hockey team has been better than ever this year according to senior captain Taffy Burleson, who has been on the team for all four years. Why is this team better than ever you might ask? Well, the team of 18 girls, scored their fi rst win and goal ever against St. Agnes on Thursday, September 2011. The girls always play to the best of their ability, but this time their best was even better. They put up a fi ght and never backed down from the challenge St. Agnes brought to the fi eld.

The two girls who led the team to their 2-1 win were Senior Taffy Burleson and Sophomore Anna Witte, who have both been playing for four years. When the girls won, they were thrilled. Kirsten Binkley09 said, “The feeling you get after having to work so hard to get that goal and then fi nally getting the goal is exhilarating.” It’s Kirsten’s fi rst year on the team and she said that she got involved because her best friend was on the team and she loves to play sports.

Another freshman Elizabeth Dalbello had different reasons for joining the fi eld hockey team. She said that it was unlike any other sport she had ever played before because of the awesome girls on the team as well as the two “amazing” coaches. The team is led by Coaches Sam and Shannon Meyyar Not only has the team improved, but they also have to have grown a stronger bond with each other. Through the two laps of running around the fi eld and “mile Mondays,” the girls have learned to rely and encourage one another so that they can keep doing their best. As teammates, they have realized that being a team requires a lot of teamwork to achieve their goals. Karunia Sillatonga said that she loves knowing that she can count on her teammates and vice versa. Overall, it seems that these girls really have a passion for this different, fun sport, and really enjoy when students and parents come to watch them play their hardest. The fi eld hockey team will be strutting their stuff on the fi eld on Tuesday and Thursday, so go and support them, since according to Jordan Hope, “The fact of the matter is that fi eld hockey rocks!”

The 2011 Volleyball team already has much to cheer for, and it has little to do with their on-court performance. These Mustangs have already become, according to Captain Paige Polasek12, “a band of sisters,” which in of itself is enough to deem a successful season. It started August 1, the day in which this collection of young and talented players began to solidify into one cohesive unit moving forward as one toward a collective goal: a TAPPS State Title. Under the leadership of returning Varsity starters Paige Polasek and Morgann Davis, while receiving the injection of youth of talented Maddy Laster10 and phenom Kelly Taff09 the Mustangs know they have the talent to make a deep run in play-offs. According to Jordan Zeal11, “I know we can do it, it’s all about hard work now. “We have the talent; we have the leadership. Now all we need is the title to prove it.” Although this season has already provided a great deal of adversity, most famously because of the straight set sweep by the hands state champion Concordia.

But as stated by Maddy Laster, “It will make us stronger in the long run.” This Mustang team is a resilient team, that rather than get down from adversity, accepts and becomes stronger from it. A mindset they have inherited from their coach, Chris Lartigue. His ability to inspire and motivate is a direct result from the fact that he expects perfection from his players. “He is defi nitely hard on us; he expects a lot. But we all know it will benefi t us in the long run.” These Mustangs believe that without the guidance of a motivated, seasoned, and demanding head coach, their potential would go unreached, which is something Maddy Laster claims is “absolutely unacceptable.” Under the leadership of the seniors, the injection of youthful exuberance, and the backing of a motivated and hardworking regime, the Mustangs are poised to make a run in play-offs and improve on their early fi rst round exit from last year. The Mustangs know it will be a long journey, and a diffi cult one at that; however, one they have the utmost confi dence they can complete.

due to the pride and dedication they put forth toward representing the school. Setting a good example for the rest of the student body is a goal Hayden Sterling said of the football team. Beyond winning, those Fridays

where our school proudly takes the fi eld is an event that brings the school together to root for a common ally. Win or lose, the football team binds the student body together, which shows the true honor and pride each

2011-2012 VARSITY FOOTBALL TEAM

by Gianna Tiedemann, Stang Staff

Quarterback, Alex Roys11

Justin Anderson12

Travis Hartman11

Josh Davis10

Favorite Thing you did this

summer?

Ferrari or Lamborghini

Favorite Pre-Game meal

Favorite Athlete not in football

Vegas for mom’s b-day

Lamborghini Fettucine Alfredo

Hannah Shearer

Go to lakehouse

Ferrari

Cane’s Glen Davis (Big Baby)

Working out with Lee

Lamborghini Pappasito’s Albert Pujols

Andrew Faulk9

Kirby’s graduation

party

Lamborghini Subway Lebron James

The StangSPORTS

By the numbers...

36football players

1011

2216

games

coaches

6

varsitycheerleaders

Volleyball Update

Silver Spurs

District games

Cross Country Update

Football Update

"We are doing pretty well this year. Everyone has made a lot of improve-ment and I think we will do very well at state."-Alex Barrett

12

13Honoring August Athletes of the Month

Paige Polasek12

Stephen Consoli11

The volleyball program enjoyed one of its fi nest months ever in August. The team won eight of ten contests and was con-sistently led by senior Paige Polasek. Polasek, who recently made an oral commitment to play volleyball at Midwestern State (Wichita Falls, TX) next year, led the Mustangs in kills in each game and has been the team’s most consistent server. She is vying for her second straight fi rst team all-district selec-

tion (TAPPS 3-5A) this year as well moving the Mustangs into a top two spot in the district standings after two consecutive third place fi nishes.

Despite a 39-14 season-opening defeat to Northland Christian on August 26, Stephen Consoli shined for the Mustangs. The wide receiver/defensive back accumulated a team-high 139 yards in total offense with fi ve receptions for 92 yards and three kick returns totaling another 47 yards. One of the highlights of the night was his 42 yard catch and run that led the team to its fi rst touchdown. Consoli also had three solo tackles and one assist on the defensive side. This could be a break-out year for the talented junior.

• Record of 10-4

• Record of 3-1 in District

• Finished 7th in Fort Bend Tournament

• Senior recognition night is Friday, October 7.

• Paige Polasek leads team in kills per game

“I know we can make playoffs, it’s all about hard work now. “We have the talent; we have the leadership. Now all we need is the title to prove it.” -Jordan Zeal

11

• Last meet was at Rice University

• Max Brown and Cameron Duffy ran times under 12 min-utes for fi rst time as they placed 4th and 6th

• In the Bellaire meet, there were 3 medal winners, Max Brown-18th and Cameron Duffy-19th in the varsity boys’ and Karina Arnold 4th in the JV girls’. Er-ica Swain was most improved for girls, while Kyle Garman was most improved for boys.

•

• The next game is Friday, Oct. 7th against St. Thomas

• Justin Anderson is leading rusher on team

• Stephen Consoli is leading in receiving yards

“The team chemistry has been as good as I have ever seen it in the two years that I have been here.”-Hayden Sterling

12

StangShorts

QA&

ENTERTAINMENTOctober 1114

Can you keep a secret if you are dead?by Rachel Driver, Stang Staff

Baby bumps, scandals, and music videos galore by Gianna Tiedemann, Stang StaffMTV steps up their game for the 2011 Video Music awards

Once a year, teens all around the world turn their eyes and their channels to MTV’s Video Music Awards on August 28 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. The VMA’s are often fi lled with crazy hosts, outstanding performances, and many surprises such as ridiculous outfi ts, alter egos, and even interrupted acceptance (insert interruption from Kanye West here) speeches. Although in the past, the VMA’s have always been perceived to be entertaining, but this year MTV really seemed to step up their game. The 2011 VMA’s were not only fi lled with many of the surprises last year’s withheld, but

included different scandals and tributes as well. The performance opened with none other than Lady Gaga dressed to impress. No, her dress wasn’t mooing and she wasn’t hatching out of an egg. The pop star herself actually dressed as a man with a fi ve o’clock shadow and an unkempt suit. Throughout the show, she remained in character and even presented awards. Junior, Angela Pidala, commented that she “knew Lady Gaga was a crazy one, but who knew she could pull off being a man so well.”

Following Lady Gaga’s crazy performance, there were many tributes dedicated to some of the pop culture’s biggest stars,

such as Britney Spears. One of the longest reigning stars of pop culture was honored for her many number one hits and other top songs. Her tribute consisted of different dancers becoming the main characters in each of Britney’s music videos and collaborating in a dance made up of those music videos. Some of the songs were from way back in the day such as, “Oops I Did It Again” and “Crazy,” as well as some more recent tunes such as, “Circus” and “Till The World Ends.” For her accomplishments, Britney Spears received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. While accepting her award, Britney and Lady Gaga almost traveled back

to 2003 and sealed the acceptance with a kiss, but that event never happened. Sorry fellas.

Beyonce also pulled a fast one on the crowd by showing off her baby bump after performing her new hit “Love on Top.” Some viewers may have thought Beyonce’s belly rubbing action was weird, but not Rachel Henry. Henry thought that “Beyonce pulled off the baby bump perfectly, while completely rocking it on the stage.” The singer seemed to be proud to show off her stylish baby bump.

The last tribute included was to the late Amy Winehouse, who died in her home on July 23, 2011. Close friends to

Winehouse, Russell Brand and Tony Bennett, said memorable words about the singer and they played a video to commemorate her achievements. There were many nominees for many awards, but there were few winners. Some of the biggest awards were Video of the Year, Best Female and Male Video, and Best New Artist. The Video of the Year nominees were Katy Perry for “Firework,” Adele for “Rolling in the Deep,” Beastie Boys for “Make Some Noise,” Bruno Mars for “Grenade,” and Tyler the Creator for “Yonkers.” Although all of these nominees seemed to be perfect for the award,

Katy Perry took the cake with her music video for her song. Karl Stuewer, a huge Bruno Mars fan, isn’t too happy that Katy Perry won this award. “I think Bruno Mars should have won because he’s so talented and he has a very good voice,” said Stuewer. Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber (all girls go crazy) won the Best Female and Male Video Awards. Tyler the Creator won the award for Best New Artist. All in all, the VMA’s were fi lled with many exciting events that will go down in MTV history for a long time. Teens will have to wait to see what MTV has to bring for next year.

The TV Series Pretty Little Liars that appears on ABC Family, is taking over. Ask any girl that attends HCHS, and she will most defi nitely know what you are talking about. Pretty Little Liars starts off with a group of close-knit friends: Alison, Hanna, Emily, Spencer, and Aria. In the beginning of the series, they are a group of normal teenage girls surviving high school in Rosewood, Pennsylvania. Allison is known as being the leader of the pack. Hanna is the party girl with a sense of fashion. Emily, is the sporty, cute, “against the status quo” type. Spencer is known as the intelligent and wise one out of the pack. And last, but not least is, Aria, the rebel with a great sense of fashion and love for the arts.

As the show picks up, the girls face some very hard challenges. Some of these challenges include, running through a forest, being stalked by a stranger, and a few near death occasions. The big tragedy, and mystery of this series is the murder of Alison DiLaurentis. The “pretty little liars”, Hanna, Emily, Spencer, and Aria, are left to pick up the pieces left behind by their close friend. Soon after the death of Ali, the girls get threatening text messages by a mystery man or woman, known as A.

I decided to survey a few students about Pretty Little Liars, and see what they

had to say about this thriving mystery television series. First I asked J.P. Hennessy11 what he thought about Pretty Little Liars. J.P. says that he “kinda loves it… nbd”. J.P wishes he could be Spencer’s boyfriend, Toby, just because he loves Spencer so much. Courtney Smith11, also and avid P.P.L. (Pretty Little Liars) lover, says her favorite character is “ARIA for sure!” Keith Crawford11,

never watching a full episode since freshman year, says that he has two favorite characters in the series; they are Alison

and Emily. Since it is a mystery series, Pretty

Little Liars leaves the watchers with a lot of questions like, “Who is A?” and “Who killed Ian?” I asked the HCHS students to answer the biggest, and most important question “Who is A?” J.P Hennessy11 thinks, “A is two people, obviously Garret and Jenna. And Jason is totally innocent, just a poor guy getting caught up in the middle of things.” Courtney Smith11, on the other hand says that “despite the fact that everyone thinks its Jenna (have they failed to realize that she is blind?!?!?!?!) I think its Mona…” Keith Crawford11, recently google-ing the character list of the Pretty Little Liars cast, says, “I’m guessing it is Aria, her name starts with an A.”

The television series has many more seasons to come and eventually everyone’s minds can be calmed once we all fi gure out who A is. If there is one thing that I would say about this series is that everyone should watch it, it’s thrilling and keeps you wanting more. J.P. Hennessy11 agrees with me saying “Guys should not be afraid to watch it because it is a murder mystery, but with hot models.” On that point, everyone tune into the ABC Family channel on Monday nights, and get your Pretty Little Liars Fix.

What should you be for Halloween? by Ashley Richards, Stang Staff

You are a fan of cute Halloween

costumes! An angel is the best costume

for your sweet personality!

You are a fan of classic Hal-

loween! A witch/ wizard is the best costume for you!

You are the perfect

zombie! � is costume is perfect to

scare others this Halloween!

What is your favorite

halloween candy?

Which character is better?

Frankenstien or

Casper

What is your favorite

halloween movie?

What is your costume

style?

Which decoration is

better?Cobwebs

or

Jackolanterns

Which tradition is better?

Haunted Houses or

Trick or Treating

Chocolate! -->

<--

- Lol

lipop

s!

Frankenstien-->

Casper -->

Friday the 13th --->

<--- Ghostb

usters

Scary! --->

Cute!! -->

Jackolanterns! -->

Cobwebs

Haunted H

ouse -->

Witch or Wizard Angel! Zombie!<-- Tric

k or Trea

ting

THE CAST OF PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, Emily, Aria, Hannah and Spencer are diving deep into mystery in Season Two. Photo provided by Google Images

Fashionable students are in disguise by Kandis Harding

Not many students get the opportunity to show their true style in fashion, but when they do, many take great advantages and make sure they wear the best of the best brands such as Tory Burch, Michael Kors, RRL, Urban Outfi tters, and many more.

Some students like Taylor Ratkiewicz and Basem Chammas, prefer to wear their white shorts with colored shirts. Taylor Ratkiewicz, who sees her fashion as very unique, claims, “Wearing white is like a perfect canvas for whatever you want to wear. You can add so many things to spice up your outfi t.” While Taylor enjoys spicing up her outfi t, Basem, a “frat boy at heart” says that, “I can rock light colored polo’s with my white shorts because I’m dark.” On the other hand, Jack Kellner and Hannah Rae wear something different on the weekends. Hannah Rae says that she would most likely wear a maxi dress and Jack would wear jeans and a polo when going out. Clothes are the main focus of someone’s style, but aren’t the only way to show off your style. Accessories are a

huge part of the fashion world for both men and women. Sometimes they can outshine what someone is wearing and make the outfi t look more casual, classy, or dressy. “I love wearing my big pearl earrings,” says Hannah Rae. “They’re defi nitely my favorite accessories.” Some prefer to wear a simple bracelet, like Jack Kellner who always wears his leather bracelet around school. The new fall and winter trends have seemed to become very unique and different with deep reds and purple. Another important item that has seemed to become a new trend is the faux fur. “Whether it’s on a vest or jacket faux fur is going to be very popular,” says Taylor. Fashion experts also claim that during fall and winter, colors shouldn’t be as bright or fl ashy like summer clothes. However, it is not necessary to have to wear dull colors. Students can still wear their favorite colors but in more paler shades. Whether its bright or pale, its your style and your personality showing. These are just some of the newest tips on how to get there, good luck.

The StangENTERTAINMENT 15With a city full of restaurants, sometimes it may be overwhelming. That’s where I come in.by Michael Fertitta, Business Manager

Fertitta’s Foods

Harry Potter 8 ends the decade of movies by Natalie Galerne, Stang Staff

On the eve of July 14, 2011, Harry Potter fans everywhere knew that life as we knew it was about to change. For you see, only a few hours later, the last installment of the Harry Potter series (legacy, if you will) was to hit theaters all around the Houston area. Preparation for this momentous event took place way in advance, when fans went so far as to purchase tickets to secure a spot at their favorite theater.

Senior Anthony Farfan bought his tickets from Fandango.com. “I signed up for it to notify me

when I could buy HARRY POTTER TICKETS. And I bought them June 6th, even though the premiere was July 15th.” However, the passion for Potter did not stop here for fans like Anthony. Many came decked out in Gryffi ndor attire, proud to display their obsession (it’s not weird…). “For the premiere, I scarred my forehead up and wrapped my Gryffi ndor scarf around me and went to stand in line 5 hours early,” continues Anthony. But the madness doesn’t stop here. “I then saw the movie 2 more

times, and within the same day.”

Regardless of where each individual fan stands on this subject, I think we can all agree on the fact that Mrs. Rowling has left quite an impact on all of us. Who knew that a book that began its story under the cupboard of number 4 Privet Drive would become the global sensation it is today. After seven years of always having a Harry Potter movie to anticipate, what will the fans do now? An anonymous student explains, “If I could, I

would start it all over- the Harry Potter series was amazing and now that it’s gone, there’s no new movie to look forward to anymore.” At this point, many of the Harry Potter nerds wish they had a time turner (like the same one Hermione used in The Prisoner of Azkaban which aided in the rescue of both Sirius Black and Buckbeak…), to turn back the clocks and relive the magic all over again.

Our generation will be known as many different things, one of them being The Harry Potter

Generation, especially during our childhood years. Jordan Cole, who graduated last May in the class of 2011, states it frankly, “The end of the series pretty much marked the end of my childhood.” Although the cameras have stopped fi lming, and Mrs. Rowling is, (for now anyway), no longer writing about Harry’s adventures, the magic still lives among us. It’s now up to us to keep that Potter love going. The world as we know it is not over. Or, as Mrs. Rowling would put it, “All is well.”

There are a lot of places in Houston where you might want to go to sit down and watch a sports game with something to munch on. One of the most common places to visit is Buffalo Wild Wings, abbreviated as B Dubb’s. This place is well known for their wings as their name says, since there are many different fl avors of sauces. B Dubb’s offers 14 different fl avors ranging from Sweet BBQ to Blazin’. As someone who has tried all the different sauces, just the curiosity of wanting to try them all will have you coming back till you have tried every sauce at least once. I must warn you however, that the blazin’ sauce has sent someone to the hospital because he took it too lightly (true story that I read on the internet). Besides the wings, B Dubb’s offers many other food options such as burgers and

a wide selection of appetizers. The burgers however seem only to be used to take up space on the menu, because it is very unlikely for someone to order a burger at a wings place, and those who do usually only order it once. B Dubb’s is also a great place to watch sports because the whole place is fi lled with televisions and projectors on the wall, usually playing around four or more sporting events. During any big sports event however, the place can fi ll up fast and usually stays full because no one wants to leave when a game is still going on. The service can vary also. For the most part, you can sit where you want and a waiter will usually come up to you. There seems to only be a host/hostess during big games when the place gets packed and a list has to be made for when you can get seated.

When you get your waiter, they are often in their 20s and pretty easy going, however once in a while, you will get a waiter who you can tell doesn’t want to be there and receive bad and slow service. On one occasion when a friend asked what boneless Thursday was, the waiter simply sighed and replied “really?” Overall, the environment that B Dubb’s creates is one of the reasons why it is so visited. It is a good place just to grab a bite to eat with your friends when you have time to kill, because it is very easy to lose track of time while eating and watching your favorite sports team play a big game. Buffalo Wild Wings has become well known in recent years for everything they offer from the large range of fl avors to their television fi lled rooms. Overall I give B Dubb’s a 7 out of 10.

Harry Potter comes to an end, but won’t be forgotten

October 2011

27 28 29

30

6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26

31

1

2 3 4 5

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAYSUNDAY

HomecomingDance

CC Meet

Mustangs vsMemorial

Field Hockey

College Counseling Trip

JV FootballStangs at St � omas

Footballvs St � omas

VBall vs MSGR Kelly

NOSchool

Columbus Day

VBall at Pius

Field Hockey at Kinkaid

PSATand

Grace Day

Field Hockey vs

Woodlands JV Football Stangs vs St. Pius C

C M

eet

Varsity Football Stangs vs St. Pius

VBall at St. Agnes

Fall Play Tech Week

Fall Play Tech Week

JV Football Stangs vs St. � omas

Varsity FootballStangs vs St. � omas

pep rallyCC Meet

VBall at IWA

VBall VarsityPlayo� s JV Football

Stangs at St. PiusVarsity Football

Stangs vs St. Pius

VBall Varsity

Tapps Regionals

Halloween!!!

Dance Concert

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS premiered on July 15th, 2011 as the last Harry Potter fi lm ever. It was the end of an era for the Potter saga. Photo provided by Google Images

SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR MENU ITEMS INCLUDE, honey barbeque chicken salad, spicy hot wings, potato wedge fries, and large wing buckets.

www.googleimages.com

The StangTHE BACK PAGE 16by Kendall Maddox and Preston Lyle, Stang Staff

Top 10 Best ways you were asked to 1616October 11

10. Forrest Lyle had the whole mission planned; walk into her room, give her the fl owers, give her the basket of candy, and clinch his date to homecoming. Right before he was about to, his friends Dylan and Ian could not contain themselves and went barging into his date’s room, Christian Willbern, and ruining the surprise. While Forrest was disappointed in his friends, he was “still happy, because Christian still said yes.

9. As the morning announcements came to an end a slide saying, “Will you go to Homecoming with me?” popped on the screen. Turning around, Rachel Richards saw Chase Rau with a cookie cake saying, “Will you be my homecoming queen?” Chase’s bold move not only won himself Rachel’s heart, but a date to homecoming.

8. Early Tuesday morning Kandis Harding showed up to what she thought was a normal school day. Little did she know, Andrew Barton was waiting with a bunch of fl owers with a cake asking to go to homecoming with

him. Jokingly Kandis said no, but eventually confessed that she actually did want to go with him. Andrew was “happy that she went with me” and looked forward to homecoming.

7. Alex Barrett asked Leigh Cummings to homecoming by writing her a romantic poem. Alex also presented Leigh with yellow fl owers because it was her favorite. Alex admitted that he “had not tried to write poetry before,

but thought [he] did a good job.” Leigh thought that the note was “very sweet” and agreed to go to homecoming with him.

6. This year Sam Kaestner capitalized on the fact that he and Elisabeth Mosvold are in the same dance class. Sam asked Elisabeth during class by writing in the mirror “Look in the mirror and who do you see? The perfect

homecoming date possibly me?” Sam also drew the two of them holding hands in the mirror. As she looked at the mirror, Sam came up from behind grabbed her hand and asked her to homecoming. Elisabeth was overwhelmed by Sam’s efforts and said yes.

5. Jonathan Bravo surprised Laura Valby when he asked the cheer team to spell out “Homecoming?” on their signs during a cheer. As Laura Valby fi nished her tumbling routine, Bravo walked up behind her with a bouquet of fl owers and asked her. She was very excited to say yes.

4. Josh Davis asked Renee Alphonso by decorating her room with streamers, fl owers, and signs. Renee was “very surprised” when she came home from shopping to see him standing there to ask her. She said yes and was very excited to

go to homecoming with Josh.

3. Michael Dunn decorated signs to ask senior Haylee Hoelscher in Dutch. He said, “Zal je naar de thuiskant met mij,” which of course in Dutch means, “Would you like to go to homecoming with me?” Impressed by his foreign

diction, Haylee said yes.

2. Although many people haven’t heard of him, senior Mitchell Buchanan is an aspiring rapper. His stage name is Big Mitch. To ask his girlfriend, Taylor Poulos, he wrote a rap about her and then at the end of the song, he asked her to homecoming. On their way to off-campus lunch, Mitchell put the CD in his radio. After it was over, she told him how sweet he was and she said yes.

1. Junior Matt Yochum had a very creative way of asking his date, Alexa Reinhart, to homecoming. He placed a sign on the other side of a bridge in Alexa’s neighborhood that said, “Keep going, but make sure you go 20!” She followed the signs to a basketball court down the path and Preston Drake was there holding three more signs with the words, “Alexa, there is no one else I’d rather go to HC with!” There was a path of stars for her to follow which led her into her house and up to her bedroom, which was covered in stars and ribbons, where Matt was standing with a fi nal sign saying, “HC 2011 Matt and Alexa” and he asked her. She made the easy decision and said yes. Alexa exclaimed, “It was so cute and so sweet of him to do all this just to ask me.”