Photos by Amanda Compton and HiLife Staff

2305 East Main, LEaguE City, tX 77573

Pop Showp. 10

May 2009- issuE 6

Senior Class Favorites

p. 5

On May 8, Creek students got a chance to watch the seniors in action as they challenged a number of their teachers in the annual Senior-Faculty Basketball game. Creek’s finest rose to the challenge to snatch a narrow victory for the seniors, and the match provided both students and teachers a chance to widen their experience by including a round of wheelchair basketball.

The match opened with Mr. Merritt singing the national anthem before taking to the court with Coach MacPhearson to referee. Ms. Latulippe acted as the announcer for the game. Teams would be awarded one point when the opposing players fouled, which kept the score from remaining the same for any long period. Players were also allowed to send in substitutes at each two-minute mark to allow everyone a chance to participate.

The first eight-minute quarter saw the men’s teams step up to play, the teachers quickly putting themselves on the scoreboard by making the

first basket of the game. Af t e r

three minutes of all players battling their way up and down the court, the teachers took the first three-point shot of the game, bringing the score to 10-3, with the facutly winning. The seniors, however, soon came back to score another two points, and the teachers took a foul to bring the score up to 10-6. The students worked hard bring their score up, and the first quarter ended with the teachers winning by a narrower margin of 14-12.

The ladies’ teams got their chance to play during the first half of the second quarter. The senior girls came in ready to play, bringing the score to a tie within their first minute of play. Fighting to take the lead over the faculty team, the seniors brought their score up to a winning 17-20 by the time the men got another chance to play. Seemingly determined to give the students victory, the boys’ team gave their teachers few opportunities to score while managing to make a number of baskets themselves, rounding out the second quarter with a winning score of 21-28.

In the break between t h e first and second halves, b o t h students and teachers got t o

witness a new

twist on their game as the Tirr Hotwheels W h e e l c h a i r Basketball team took to the court to show their skills. Each team consisted of both adults

a n d

adolescents, all of them in wheelchairs, with those in yellow jerseys playing for the students, and those with no jerseys playing for the teachers. Many of the participants, who came as part of an organization outside of Creek, had specially designed chairs that allowed them to work their way adeptly across the court. Creek student and senior Emily Reed, herself in wheelchair, organized and participated in this part of the event, as well as the third quarter.

“I just wanted to get people aware of wheelchair sports,” Reed said, “That’s the first time I’ve gotten [to participate in] a school event, because I’ve always wanted to do that.”

The halftime players rounded off the period by bringing the score to 25-32 with the students still in the lead. During the third quarter, both students and teachers were given the chance to experience wheelchair basketball for themselves, with all of the players using extra chairs brought by Tirr Hotwheels. After a minute of playtime, Mr. Courtney took the first basket for the teachers, bringing the score to 28-32. Both students and

teachers struggled to adjust to their

n e w

method of play, but

the teachers still managed to bring the score to 33-32.

“It was really hard,” senior Taylor Smith said, “I couldn’t pass the

ball and I was steering the wrong way. It’s really hard to control the wheelchair.”

During the fourth quarter, the men and ladies got a chance to play together, including three seniors who volunteered to play for the teachers so both teams could have enough players.

“It was a fun experience. I didn’t expect to play for the teachers, but playing in the game was really fun,” senior Wesley Brake said. “As long as I’m in the game, I don’t care.”

The teachers quickly brought up their score to take the lead with 36-34. The students responded by bringing the game to a tie and going on to take the lead with a score of 36-40. The seniors took two three-point shots to bring the score to 41-46, but the teachers came back to tie the game at 46-46 with 16 seconds left in the game, which was cut short to allow students to leave to catch their buses. A foul in the last few seconds, however, gave the seniors the points they needed to win by a narrow margin of 46-47.

The game gave seniors’ a n opportunity to

p a r t i c i p a t e i n an activity

they can carry on into

their college years, and

their victory left a legacy for next year’s seniors to carry on the tradition.

Senior GoodbyesPg. 8-9

Seniors jam to Bohemian Rhapsody at prom

Allie Hinga

Megan McKisson

Seniors enjoyed a night of “Bohemian Rhapsody” at the 2009 Creek prom. Decorated with a red, black, and gold theme, the night was truly one to remember as students spent their final

moments together before departing for college.

“Being on the dance floor for hours with my

friends, just having a good

time, truly ended my senior year on a good note,”

said Steven Collins, 12th, who was crowned Best All-Around student at Creek.

The dance began at nine p.m.

and lasted until one in the morning. A deejay provided music for students to dance to and waiters served chocolate-covered strawberries and other goodies.

“I thought the chocolate fountain was amazing,” said Megan Tamayo, 12th. “I definitely went back for seconds.”

“The music was really good. It was a lot of fun to shake my groove

thing,” said senior Melissa Devitt.

C l a s s favorites, the highlight of the night, were a n n o u n c e d at midnight. Thirty students were voted as “favorites” in f i f t e e n ca tegor ies , i n c l u d i n g C u t e s t Couple, B e s t

Smile, and Best Dressed.“Winning Friendliest,

along with Chloe Vogel, was really awesome, because

we’re actually very good friends,” said Tony

Hernandez, 12th.After much

a n t i c i p a t i o n , Cassie Lee and Tanner Brusnighan

w e r e c r o w n e d King and Queen of the evening.

“It was a very pleasant surprise,” said B r u s n i g h a n . “Dancing with Cassie was the highlight of my night. Nothing better could have happened.”

The prom was organized and put together by the senior class officers. “A lot of time and effort was put into the decorations,” said senior class president Jaquelyn Davis. “We had a lot of last-minute difficulties but still pulled together a memorable evening.”

“Prom is a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said senior John Allen. “I’ll remember it forever.”

Seniors set example of winning in basketball

2 OpiniOn

memorable moment at Creek? What is your most

Principal: Scott Bockart Reporters: Amber Arnold Advisor: Wynette Jameson Kaitlyn Blake Emily Dismukes Executive Editor: Jan O’Neil Alina Gregory Tracey Griffith Editor-in-Chief: Cassie Lee Emily Hunyh Matt Johnson Editors: Amanda Compton Albert Nkansah Shannon O’Neil Haley Rush Christine Sulkis Emily Trusky Allie Hinga Christen Valcoviak Adam Vencil Megan McKisson Sue Ellen van Eps Chelsea Huebner Jordan Little Contact Us! Ryan Munthe Email: creekhilife@yahoo.com Advertising Manager: Melissa Devitt Online: www.clearcreekhigh Photo Editor: Hailey Stephens school.ihigh.com Video Editors: Ryan Gripon For advertising rates call: Matt Lara 281-284-1889

2008-2009Clear Creek HiLife Staff

“My favorite memory was my freshman year when the streaker ran across the field at homecoming.” -Tanner Mendel “I remember when the golf team went to state, and the school had a pep rally for the team.” -Lauren Deckatur“The best memory I have of Creek is when we represented the school when we attended the State Water Polo Tournament in 2007, 2008, and 2009.” -Michael Braun

“My favorite memory of Creek is when I won the homecoming queen.” -Bola Kareem

seniors

“The most memorable moment was when the Symphonic Chorale Choir

made the #1 choir in the nation.” -Sophie Mulvaney

“The best memories I have of Creek is when we went to Disney World for

Cavaliers and got #1 in the nation!” -Aron White

“The best moment I had was when we would run through the hallway on

our traditional “Breakfast Club” run before the Improv Show and when I

jumped and tried to give the clock a high-five, I broke it.”

-Frank Stephenson

“I will always remember getting chased from the Ninth Grade Center to

the Main Campus by Mr. Branch.”

-Michael Mann

“I remember going to all of the football games all of the four years I was

here at Creek.” -Alyse Durdin

“My most memorable moment at Creek was the Wims Fun Run.” -Michael Pittman

Classof

2009

3EditOrial 3

Cassie Lee

T a l k W i t h M e : C a s s i e L e e“Negative criticism helps to divide the weak from the strong”

G u e s t E d i t o r i a l : A l l i e H i n g a

“Do you have what it takes to step up and take charge?”

Allie Hinga

“You’re worthless, a disgrace! You’re the reason we lost.” Similar words are all too familiar to students who have been involved in a sport or competition. Whether the put-downs are meant to make a person work harder or to feel guilty that they did not do their best, these hateful words follow some kids through their whole lives. The first time I was told, “You suck,” I took the criticism, changed it to anger, and pushed myself to prove I was better than they thought. Those two words helped me work to be dedicated and to always give 110%. However, some people are not as lucky to view the negative critique in a positive way.

Cute face, nice body, and a short skirt are physical traits of the ideal image of

a cheerleader. Yet, any girl who has these characteristics cannot just walk up and be a cheerleader. The qualities that set cheerleaders apart from others are their confidence and poise. Like in any sport, the weak are eliminated during tryouts. I’ve been through four kinds of tryouts, some just completely bizarre. In their sneaky way, each audition was testing my strength.

One tryout was held at a fire station. While I was performing, the alarm sounded and I had to be rushed out of the way. After the firefighters left, I had to refocus and mentally keep a hold of myself to continue. Another tryout aimed to test my reaction. After every skill was thrown, the coach would make a disgusted face and begin to write in complete silence. My thoughts at the time were that I had done something wrong but I kept a straight face and faked my confidence and made the team.

Creek tryouts are stressful for those who need time and practice to learn routines. A short three-day clinic is scheduled to teach the candidates jumps, a cheer, and a dance. This forces the girls to learn the material quickly and to practice a lot if they want to make the squad.

Recently, my college cheer tryouts tested my strength in response. I was asked, “why are manholes circular,” and to describe the color red to a blind man. I was also asked who the President of the

University was, as well as the Dean of Admissions. Not knowing some of these answers, the coach asked me why I was unfamiliar with the University. Can you say pressure? Thankfully I made an impression and was selected to be on the squad.

Surprisingly I was asked, “Is cheerleading a sport?” I declared my answer by stating track is a sport, acrobatics is a sport, dance is a sport, and gymnastics is a sport. Put all of those sports together and you get cheerleading. We run to and from our formations and when we tumble, we lift girls and throw them up only to wait for gravity to force them to come down, not only to we do cheer motions but we also dance, and we have the knowledge to flip our entire bodies in the air. Ironically, I found out after the interview that when the coach was asked if cheerleading was a sport, he replied that it was an entertainment not a sport.

I was finally asked to describe my best physical feature and then my worst. The thought of them knowing what I believed to be my worst physical feature frightened me. I knew that whatever the words that came out of my mouth were, the coach’s eyes would directly follow and he would judge upon my appearance.

Thankfully my path in life gave me confidence, a competitive nature, and the skills to make a good excuse. Yet, looking

from the outside in, I am amazed how some girls survive cheerleading at all.

I have witnessed numerous incidents where girls are evaluated and almost verbally abused. One girl was forced to do pushups for an hour along with coaches talking under their breath about her. When the tears came, the girl was simply told to learn to be better. Another girl who was only in her pre-teens was sick during a competition. She did not throw her best tumbling pass because she was afraid of not executing it perfectly. She was awarded a fourth place trophy for her efforts and it was actually broken. After telling her mom that her trophy was broken, her mother replied that she gets what she deserves, a bad trophy for a bad routine.

Cheerleaders are built to be tough. No other athlete is responsible to not only be good at his or her sport, but to look the part too. Cheerleaders not only need the skills to perform amazing talent, but they are also expected to keep a certain physical appearance to represent the squad. All of cheerleading is judged and critiqued. Whether it is on looks, skills, or personality, it truly is a harsh life to live. I have chosen this life since I was little and will continue to be apart of it next year. I decided to be a cheerleader because I was taught to strive for perfection, even though it does not exist.

What makes someone a leader? We interact with them every day. They run our country, decide local and school policies, organize our fundraisers, facilitate our clubs. We look up to them, or, if nothing else, to them to take charge when a situation calls for action and resolve the problem at hand. We expect them to have the wisdom to make the most beneficial decisions in any given situation, and trust that they have our best interests at heart when they determine the best action to take. They serve as a rallying point, an area of unity, where we all come together under a common purpose in hopes of producing something great.

About a week ago, I was told that I would be serving as the editor-in-chief of the Clear Creek HiLife next year. My initial reaction is probably best described along the lines of pure excitement. I’ve been on the newspaper staff for the past two and a half years, and have spent at least since the middle of my sophomore year dreaming of the opportunity to take this job. Immediately my mind went to work concocting a number of half-formed, and probably idealistic, plans for next year.

That euphoria, however, probably

lasted all of about five hours, quickly being replaced by a realization of the ridiculous amount of responsibility I would now be facing. I’m told, by multiple sources, not to mention my own instincts, that this is no easy job. Considering that I’m the one who still struggles to possess any measure of assertiveness in any situation whatsoever, I found myself overwhelmed by a sense of inadequacy. Who was I to run a high school newspaper?

It would be an understatement to say that that realization got me thinking. I wrestled with the voices that told me I was in no way qualified for this job, that it would be better to just take the easy way out and decline. What if I went through with this and it turned out to be more than I could take? They say that power corrupts. Who was I to assume that I was exempt from its pull?

And so in the midst of all of these questions, I was forced to ask myself what it is that a leader does. So I came up with this idea of a few of the things I will have to do if I want to have any hope of being one to take charge.

First off, a leader has to be one to take responsibility. More than simply getting the job done, it means being willing to own up to any of the mistakes that happen on the way. Since human error is pretty much inescapable, there will probably be times when I realize that I didn’t exactly make the best decision. At that point, my job is not to try to justify my actions or pass the blame off on to others, but to be willing to realize what went wrong and fix it. It also means taking responsibility for others in that I have their best interests at heart as well as those of the paper when I make decisions, and that I have the obligation to be the best I can be for those around me so that things get done, and get done right.

Another thing a leader must do is learn to lead by example. We humans are social creatures; we naturally look to those in authority, to those we consider role models, and watch their actions, often for the purpose of shaping our own. Whether we see them as someone to emulate or someone whose example we shun is totally up to the one being watched. I can’t expect those around me to do something if I’m not willing to do it myself. Not that I have to do everyone else’s job, but I guess it’s a golden rule sort of thing. If I want respect, I have to be respectful first; if I expect someone to come in after school, I have to be just as willing to do so when I have to; if there’s something that needs to be done, I have to be just as much a part of making it happen as everyone else.

I guess that along those lines, perhaps one of the most overlooked characteristics of a leader is that, almost paradoxically, their primary job is one of service. This means realizing that I am not the most important person in the newsroom and that I have this job, not to propagate my own ends, but to be a part of the bigger picture. I’m not here to make myself

look good, but to bring out the best in everyone I work with, so that maybe we can all be a part of something good. If I try to run everything myself, chances are I’ll eventually hit a point where I can’t do any more. But if, as a service to my fellow students, I help everyone learn to do their best work, then I have achieved more than if I were trying to run my own show.

That being said, I wholly accept the position of editor-in-chief for next year. I came to realize that the best responsibility I could take, the highest example I can set, the best way to serve in whatever capacity I can, is to step up and take the opportunity I have been offered. Honestly, as I’m writing this, I feel like this must all seem very idealistic, like all of the ideas I’m emulating here are much easier said than done. That’s probably truer than I realize. But next year will bring what it will, and I plan to rise to the challenge, whatever it is, so that I can learn to become the best leader I can be. It might not be an easy task, but, by the grace of God, I will fulfill my duty to the best of my ability, and maybe, by the time I’m done, leave a legacy worth following.

FEaturEs4

How to use your privledgesat the age of eighteen

At the age of eighteen new doors open as adulthood begins to take place. It is an exciting age that can be a steppingstone to various opportunities. Many times eighteen year olds do not realize how many possibilities and experiences that are offered at their age. Below are the top exhilarating and unexpected things to do at the age of eighteen.

For the thrill seeking eighteen year olds skydiving is the perfect option. The first jump is with a trained professional. It is intended for the instructor to do all of the work, while the student enjoys the ride of their life. The Houston area is full of skydiving facilities, which offer affordable prices. “I went skydiving for my first time after I turned eighteen and it’s seriously the most fun I have ever had. I can’t explain the feeling, but just go do it,” said Chloe Vogel.

Most people have had interruptions from their favorite television show with a broadcast of an infomercial. They used to be annoying, but at the age of eighteen the Owl Optical Light that might have caught someone’s eye can be easily bought. Infomercials have everything from Ballroom Dance Like A Star to a Garden Groom. Whatever one desires, an infomercial can usually provide in some way.

Now saving money is ten times easier at the age of eighteen. Opening a bank account with a local bank is the perfect way to not only save money, but also learn financial responsibility. It is easy to set up an account and is the first step to feeling independent. It will also give a young adult a sense of security and even help with college loans. “Having my own bank account has saved me. Not only have I been able to discipline myself better and save, but also my parents can’t touch or

Lottery tickets and scratch offs are fun, cheap, and sometimes make money. Usually lottery tickets are one of the first experiences a new adult takes part in. There are numerous people who do take the lottery too seriously and spend more money then they earn, but as long as it is taken lightly it is an exciting game. Who knows, maybe lady luck will even show up.

see anything. Now I can surprise them with how much I have,” said Sydney O’drobinak.

Everyone still has the kid inside of him or her. Lucky for the eighteen year olds, because a moon jump can be rented. They are reasonably priced and usually fewer than one hundred dollars. Get a group of friends together and pitch in one weekend for extreme childish fun. If a moon jump is not someone’s style slip n slides can do the fix. Add some water and let the action begin.

Most radio stations do not make it clear that you must be eighteen years of age to actually accept the prize being offered. It is no secret that radio stations give away great prizes daily, but for the seventeen year olds and under they better have their parents present if they want the tickets, back stage passes, or other fantastic offers. However, for all of the eighteen year olds, blast the radio, and have the station on speed dial.

When turning the age of eighteen it makes it the perfect time to take chances. As long as the chance being taken is reasonable.

This is only a few of the exciting possibilities that are offered to a young adult. Eighteen is a fantastic age that is full of fun and responsibility. Use them both wisely and the year will be unforgettable.

Photo by GraphicsFactory

Music determines stress levelsAlina Gregory

For many years Dr. Mike Miller, who is a research cardiologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, have been researching what makes people happy and the effect it has on our hearts. He has already discovered that watching funny movies and laughing at them can open blood vessels and allow the blood to circulate more freely.

Dr. Miller then speculated if music could also be helpful for a person. With his research he discovered that music is one of the best de-stressors out there, whether you are playing it or just listening to it. Miller measured blood vessel size using high-tech imaging while people listened to music.

Miller said that when people were listening to music that they enjoyed, the inner lining of the blood vessel relaxed and made chemicals that can protect the heart. On the other hand, when people listen to music that they do not like, their vessels can actually close up.

“I am always so happy when my favorite song comes on the radio. It can sometimes make my day. On the other hand when a horrible song comes on I can get upset. It is funny how music can change a mood so quickly,” said Hailey Stephens.

Stress itself is what closes up blood vessels, and if a person is under stress for a long period of time it can be detrimental

to the cardiovascular system. Blood vessels can become hard and rigid and constrict blood flow when a person is under stress for a long time. Arteriosclerosis can become a problem, as people grow older because these smaller vessels can cause high blood pressure, which leads to strokes and heart attacks. Stress can cause impotence and infertility, can speed the aging process, rewire the brain, and suppress the immune system. This can lead to people being anxious and depressed.

“Music is something you can always fall back on. It can change my mood in an instant,” Tyler Eby said.

M u s i c makes people happier in general and can put them into a euphoric state, therefore countering the negative effects of stress. A study put on by Stanford University recently discovered that senior citizens who are depressed gained self-esteem and were in a better mood when visited by a music

t h e r a p i s t . Many hospitals

across the United States use music therapy for patients who are healing.

“When I am in a bad mood I use music as a way to feel better, I guess

in a weird way it could

be like therapy,” said Jena Devito.

The Mayo Clinic in Minnesota uses music to encourage relaxation and reduce stress and anxiety with their cardiovascular surgery program. Music can also help them sleep better during their recovery period.

Dr. Miller believes that music can actually slow down the aging process,

but says that listening to the same thing over and over can lessen the positive effects of the music. He says to vary music choices to get

the most out of each new song. If a person is feeling stressed and know that

it is time to relax, just sit back and listen to the sweet,

sweet music.

Photo by GraphicsFactory

StudentsBroadcastShannon O’neil

Merilyn Othon, Clear Creek High School’s Media Technology teacher has created a beneficial way to help inform students. Now students have their own student run broadcast. During class various students practice their news anchor skills and inform the viewers of the upcoming events at Clear Creek High School. WKTZ News is the name of the broadcast. The WKTZ is there way of saying Wildcats. WKTZ News hopes to take over morning announcements next year and provide most, if not all of the announcements for the school.

The broadcast is completely student run. There are about thirty students divided into two different classes of Media Technology. Media Technology, taught by Othon, is a class that gives students a taste of all the different elements of media. There are three courses of Media Technology. The first class is Intro to Media Technology; the next two are Media Technology II and Media Technology III. In Media Technology II and III, students learn more about the media technology world and have the opportunity to advance their knowledge in this study. If a student takes all three years of Media Technology then they will receive their P.E. credit.

There are many activities happening around Clear Creek daily and the WKTZ

News helps students sort out the facts from fiction

and give organizations a spotlight. From

job fairs to the latest on the swine flu, WKTZ News has all the inside scoop.

W K T Z News has been in progress since spring break of this year. All

students within the Media Te c h n o l o g y class are urged to participate in the broadcast.

5awards

6 ads

7nEws

When seniors graduate, they usually want to go to a party and celebrate. However, everything at that party might not be appropriate. Well, at Clear Creek high school there is an alternative for seniors. Instead of going to an unsupervised party, they can attend something called Project Graduation.

Project Graduation is a party for seniors that is drug/alcohol free. This way, parents don’t have to worry if their teen is in a safe environment. Seniors get in free, and are allowed to bring one guest. Their

guest c a n b e o f any age and can even attend a school besides Creek. Creek seniors get in free and when they get in, they are surrounded with food, various activities, and prizes.

“Project Graduation is all about providing a safe environment for the seniors for all their great accomplishments throughout their high school years and to

celebrate a new beginning,” said chairmen of Project Graduation, Melba Garcia.

Some of the activities that were at last year’s Project Graduation included billiards, poker, slot machines, open basketball gyms, air hockey tables, an inflatable obstacle course, and a hypnotist was even there. Last year, someone could receive fake money for winning at one of these activities. That might not sound like a very rewarding prize, but it is. With that “fake” money an individual can purchase tickets for a raffle that is held. Some of the past items that have been auctioned off include: plasma TV’s, ipods, stereos, and an abundance more of great prizes.

Also at Project Graduation, they serve free food and drinks all night

long, until they run out.Not only are the

graduated seniors in a safe and appropriate

environment, they are exposed to food, fun, and prizes.

“I was invited to Project Grad last year and wasn’t really sure

what it was and what we were doing there, but after I went in there I found out it was tons of fun

because I was with all my friends playing pool, poker and lots of other

games. The hypnotist was amazing and it was one of the coolest things I’ve

ever seen. The free food all night long was my favorite part and I will definitely be there this year,” said senior Carlos Garcia.

This year’s Project Graduation is going to be held at the Ninth grade center on Friday, June 5th. The party starts at 10:00 p.m. and lasts until 5:00 a.m.

Hope to see all the Creek seniors there!

Christen Valcoviak

President Obama has ordered a review of NASA’s programs and future plans. With the retiring of the space shuttles in 2010, NASA will begin working on other projects for space travel and exploration. Obama has asked Norman Augustine, who was formerly an aerospace industry executive, to be the leader of the review team.

After 2010, NASA has plans to begin working on a new crew transportation system program called Constellation. The goal of the program is for astronauts to return to the moon by the year 2020 with two new rockets, the smaller one called Ares and a new crew capsule, Orion. After the review, Obama may make changes to the budget and timetable of the program.

For now, NASA will continue

working on the Constellation Program. They are currently planning a test launch of a scaled down version of the Ares rocket, which will take place in August.

Obama has called for the review of NASA to determine if sufficient progress is being made in the right direction, possibly due to the large quantity of money that is currently being used for NASA programs. Currently,

Tracey Griffith

President Obama reviews NASA’s plans

Many states in the United States are deciding whether or not they should lower the drinking age down to 18 again by the 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. Though the states have been warned that if the lower the age, they could lose 10% in their funding for highways under the Federal Highway Aid Act, they are tentative to lower the age from 21 to 18.

The United States has the highest drinking age in the world. In 1984 the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) influenced the nation into raising the drinking age from 18 to 21 because of the many deaths due to alcohol. Now the debate has come up again.

The idea is that we lower the age because at 18, a person is considered an adult. One can choose to marry against their parents will, smoke, be imprisoned, and live on their own. The biggest topic is the fact that one can fight in a war and be killed at 18. Because an American citizen at 18 can do everything an adult can do, some view that they should be able to decide for themselves whether or not they should drink.

The second reason why this topic has come up again lies in college professors and presidents from some of the 100 most well known universities in the US. The majority of people between 18 and 20 are in college. College officials get a perfect view of he way that these people act and have pointed out that enforcing alcohol is almost impossible because the difficulty to acquire alcohol in college is low. Most of the freshman, sophomores, and juniors just get their alcohol from the seniors. Although, the majority of this drinking

occurs at college parties, where college students have discovered ways to not only drink their alcohol, but compete on how fast they can consume it and play games with it. “This is a law that is routinely evaded,” said John McCardell former president of Millbury College in Vermont.

The view that college professors have taken is that whether or not the legal drinking age is 18 or 21, students at 18 will drink and they won’t do it in public if it is illegal. Then, when the drink way too much and need medical help, they don’t want to get in trouble and many die from alcohol poisoning. They don’t know when the next time they will drink is so they drink and drink and see how much they can get. If the age was lowered to 18, people could just drink whenever they want and they could do it in public. They also might drink at a lowered rate since it isn’t the only time.

Though there are many ideas that could persuade states to lower the age, the statistics still could keep this from happening. Statistics show that raising the age to 21 saved lives and saved money. Raising the drinking age to 21 saves almost 1000 lives a day according to studies on alcohol. These studies also calculated that $61.9 billion is taxed to Americans because of underage drinking, but lowering the age would actually make it bigger due to the rapid increase in alcohol sales and medical insurance.

The debate goes on, but one thing remains the same. Statistics show that no matter the legal drinking age, many people between 18 and 20 will drink and the decision we make will either make or break the lives of young adults by the thousands.

NASA is spending about $250 million a month just on their program Constellation. It was after NASA asked for a budget of $18.7 billion for the year 2010(a five percent increase in the proposed budget of 2009) that Obama announced the necessity of the review. According to BBC

News, the white house chief scientist, John Haldren,

stated that reviewing the space program was

prudent because of the significant

investment of both funds and the scientific c a p i t a l .

Augustine’s review of NASA’s plans is supposed to be finished in

August. NASA’s acting administrator says that the review is to assess the progress we’ve made so far. The review will also look into the possibility of United States contribution to the space station after the year 2016.

The plans for the program Constellation were started in 2004 under President George W. Bush who wanted to focus on bringing humans back to the moon and flight to Mars. The most recent human flight to the moon was in 1972.

This is not the first time that a President has called for a review of NASA’s programs. President Clinton ordered a review of NASA in 1993.

Augustine’s review will have a major influence on the future of NASA. The review will be finished around the month of August and Obama will make decisions concerning NASA from there.

Photo by Matt Johnson

Project Grad is funMatt Johnson

18 or older to drink

Photo by Kaitlyn Foote

To: Cpt Sarah Craig, Lt. Alicia Jones, Stanzie Sesh

er, Taylor

Morgan, and Paolina Poyolotskaya, We

will miss you so much! You have been

such an inspiration to us girls. We will

ALWAYS remember the fun times we’ve

had. Good Luck! Code Graduation! Come

visit us! We love you!

-The Rest of the Guard

To: Michelle, Clark, Jason Smith, Brittany, Ben, Hannah,

Matt Couch, Justin, and Leroy, Thanks for suffering through

and making everything the best it could be! You are the begin-

ning and will forever be a part of WKTZ history. Thank you!

-Othon

To: Alez Z. 3 years of Zambetti’s in my life! You

have really grown as a person and an artist. Thank

you for letting me see the work and

the person grow! Good luck is wished

to you, but you need it not! Enjoy!

-Othon

To: Chayse, you

will succeed. You

will be the great

person you can be.

Go out! Do well

and enjoy!

-Othon

To: Manda, One baseball score and 4 years ago, in a far far

away place called the 9th grade center, our paths crossed upon

journalism (:. I coulnd’t have survived all four

years without my partner in crime! I’m going

to miss you so much, and “if you agree, have a

drink with me, and raise your glasses for a

toast”! LOVE cassie!

To: Cassie Lee, Theres so many inside jokes that we

have together from the past 4 years, and I dont even

know where to start! Its going to suck not having classes

together nest year, but I promise to come visit when-

ever I can! Everytime i hear chicken fried, or Baby

got Back, I’ll for sure think of you haha. Or even the

name Justin! I also have to say “thank you dedication

and selfLessness.” AHAH Have fun at UT!

love amanda

To: Haley, Hailey, Matt,

Melissa, and Albert,

Class was defInetley

fun with you guys,

and I’m going to miss

all the funny things

ya’ll did!

-Amanda

Olivia you are such a tal-

ent and I feel blessed

to have witnessed your

growth. Let me hear

from you even when you are super famous.

Love Ms. J

Senior GOODbyes

To: Haley R, So glad you get to

skip freshman journalism @ UNT.

Glad you made the Kathy Eldon

trip and got lost with us in Dallas.

You have done a super job. Stay in

touch- Writers Girl.

Love Ms. JTo: Ryan Gripon, Sue Ellen Van Epps, Adam

Vencil, Albert Nkansah, Thanks for being

staff members who made a difference. I will

miss you guys.

Love Ms. J

To: Melissa Devitt, Billy

Winterfesh... Since freshman

year you have been my best

friend. Your an amazing

friend and person. Next

year will be hard

being away from

you, but i know

we will stay just

as close!

Always remem-

ber SQUIRT!!!

-Haley

Rush

To: Michelle, Clark, Jason Smith, Brittany, Ben, Hannah,

Matt Couch, Justin, and Leroy, Thanks for suffering through

and making everything the best it could be! You are the begin-

ning and will forever be a part of WKTZ history. Thank you!

-Othon

To: Chayse, you

will succeed. You

will be the great

person you can be.

Go out! Do well

and enjoy!

-Othon

To: Shelby,

I cannot thank

you enough for sticking

with it and making it

great. Do welland enjoy!

-Othon

To: Cassie Lee, Theres so many inside jokes that we

have together from the past 4 years, and I dont even

know where to start! Its going to suck not having classes

together nest year, but I promise to come visit when-

ever I can! Everytime i hear chicken fried, or Baby

got Back, I’ll for sure think of you haha. Or even the

name Justin! I also have to say “thank you dedication

and selfLessness.” AHAH Have fun at UT!

love amanda

Alina, you are so ready and able

to always do any job with a smile on

your face. I hope you know how much

we have ap-

preciated

you!

Love Ms.

J

To:

Hailey-

You have had

some rough

times but you

re still always

such a joy to be

around. Thanks

for all of your hard work.

Love Ms. J

Senior GOODbyes

To: Maaatt, You are a genius. I

wish I had you dor four years &

we could have created more video

masterpieces. You

will change the

world so keep in

touch.

Love Ms. J

To: Cassie

Lee, Wow

Cassie Lee ~

You are the absolute best. See you back

in August for the Homecoming issue.

Love, J p.s- TA

To: Amanda Compton (The Enforcer), ‘Manda I

will miss you sooo much. I know that you will come

back “shortly” -HA! Keep in touch. P.S Thanks

for the sneaky centerspread that I never saw!

Love

Ms J

To: Melissa, always remember

that I knew you when you tan

was just a sophomore. Thanks

for picking up the ball on ads

and doing a great job.

Love Ms. J

To: Ryan Gripon, Sue Ellen Van Epps, Adam

Vencil, Albert Nkansah, Thanks for being

staff members who made a difference. I will

miss you guys.

Love Ms. J

10 CrEEk spEaks

Student summer jobs Swine flu follow-up

2009 choir students have got a show for youThe Creek Choir performed their

annual Pop Show on May 7, 8, and 9. The event allowed a number of students to showcase their musical talents and also highlighted the hard work of the choir’s senior members, who were singing for the last time as part of the Clear Creek Choir. The show began with the entire choir participating in their traditional opening number: “We’ve Got a Show for You.” The group was directed by choir teachers Sean and Kyle Pullen, who had been working with their students for weeks to prepare both solos and group numbers to ensure that the show would be a success from the start. A live band provided the accompaniment for every piece, with Sheila Keyes and James White playing the keyboards and piano, Samuel Dinkins III on the drums, and Terry Jenkins on the bass. After finishing their opener, the choir continued their show by singing the piece “Only Time.” Next, the choir began to highlight some of its individual singers as it moved into a number of solos and small group pieces. The senior girls continued their annual tradition of performing a choreographed group number by singing “The Best of My Love,” and on Friday and Saturday, the Symphonic senior boys got a chance to take the stage, performing “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling.”They were followed by senior Teresa Valente, who performed the country song “Suds in a Bucket,” with her father

playing the accompaniment on the guitar. “It’s nice to have someone that I’m related to, someone who I know how they work. It’s easier,” Valente said. “It’s nice having someone up there that I’m comfortable with.” After another individual solo, which varied from night to night, the entire choir stepped into the spotlight again to perform the energetic piece “Iko Iko.”They were followed by more solos, including the upbeat“I Feel the Earth Move,” performed by Brianna Dominick on Thursday and Kelsey Carlisle on Friday and Saturday, and the calmer “I’m Yours,” performed by Trevor Whitworth. Next, Creek’s Chamber Choir sang the “Mission: Impossible Theme,” using their voices to imitate the orchestration used in the original piece. They followed with the

Beatles song “Yesterday.”Senior Arun Joshi performed the last solo of the first half, singing the energetic “Sir Duke,” complete with lighting affects provided by lighting technician Travis Johnson. The choir ended the half by performing “Aquarius/ Let the Sunshine In.”

The second half opened with the whole group performing “What’d I Say—A Tribute to Ray Charles,” a medley of pieces by the famous musician, followed by the chamber singers performing “Here Comes the Sun.” On Saturday night, the senior parents got on stage to perform a small humorous piece honoring their soon-to-graduate children. Following another solo, on Thursday and Friday, seniors Trey Miller and Travis Brown sang “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” with Brown providing accompaniment on his electric guitar. On Saturday, Brown sang and played for his own solo, “Pink Houses.” “It [the pop show] was the most fun I’ve ever had,” Brown said. “It was the best experience I’ve ever had.” Following a number of solos and

small group numbers, Miller and sophomore Aaron Wilson took to the stage as “Coun-Trey Miller” and “A+ Aaron Wilson,” to perform “Whip It,” which humorously parodied a “country boy” and an “uptight” choir director. “It was fun seeing everybody’s reaction,

especially the choir’s because they didn’t see it until Thursday night,” Wilson said. Next, seniors Kelsey Carlisle and Alex Gadsby performed the upbeat country piece “Let ‘er Rip” as a duet, followed by another choral number “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”The chamber singers then performed a choreographed piece, “September.”A number of solos followed, including sophomore Sean Jackson singing “You’re still You” on Thursday and Friday. Towards the end of the show, the seniors came forward for their annual number, performing “Where Your Road Leads.” “It was kind of bittersweet,” senior Alex Gadsby said. “It’s sad because you’re leaving all of your friends and stuff, but I have a lot to look forward to.” On Thursday and Friday, the Pullens

got a chance to perform, the two choir teachers singing the spiritual “Swing Down Chariot” with their father, mother, and one of their wives. On Saturday, Jackson performed his piece as the last solo of the night. The choir closed the show on Thursday and Friday with the spiritual “Music Down in My Soul.” On Saturday, the choir continued its tradition of ending the pop show with “Where No One Stands Alone,” during which former Creek Choir members got to come up on stage to perform with the choir. The pop show rounded off the choir’s performances for the

2008-2009 school year, giving one last chance for its seniors to

showcase the hard work many of them have been doing for four years in the program. “It was sad, leaving, but it was a lot of fun,” Valente said. “It was the best pop show out of all four years.”

Allie Hinga

The Creek choir students sing their closing number during the Creek Pop Show.

Christine Sulkis

As of May 13, there are 67 confirmed cases of swine flu in the Houston area, and 439 in the state of Texas. However, health officials say that both the severity and contagiousness of the virus are not nearly as bad as they had originally anticipated. Officials believe that the outbreak it is now on its decline, it’s peak occurring between April 23 and 28. No one in the state of Texas is currently being hospitalized or treated for a confirmed case of the virus, and very few specimens that are being tested have come back positive. Most schools in the Houston area have also returned to normal, and are no longer advised to close if a student has a confirmed case of the swine flu. Schools are being asked to treat it just as they would the normal flu. Summer weather is also expected to aid in the decreasing numbers;

the flu thrives in cold weather. The World Health Organization (WHO) is considering make a vaccine for the swine flu. Officials fear that is a vaccine is not created, the virus could return in a mild, moderate, or catastrophic form, and there would be no way to stop it. If companies choose to make the swine flu vaccine, the virus could mutate, and the vaccine may or may not be effective. Also, once companies begin to make the vaccine, they cannot stop midway through the process in the event that they make a mistake. It is estimated that 1 to 2 billion doses of the swine flu vaccine could be made yearly, but the first batch would not be available for 4 to 6 months. The seasonal flu kills around 500,000 people yearly, and officials are still uncertain of how deadly the swine flu is. WHO officials are debating which vaccine they will ultimately need more of.

Emily Trusky

In two weeks, school will be coming to a close until August. For many students, this leaves a large margin of free time. However, while some teens are looking forward to spending the summer just relaxing, many teens are looking for a summer job to earn some extra cash to spend at leisure, put away in a savings fund for college, or help out with c o s t s at home. It is

impor t an t tha t t e e n s

know t h a t

although they are considered y o u n g adolescents in the professional business world, they are expected to handle their job in a mature and serious manner.

The struggle that many teens face with summer jobs is finding a place where they would like to work. Listed in the local newspaper are pages dedicated to job seekers which feature many job titles guaranteed to aid a student in a job search. Quite recently, the Business SLC hosted a Job Fair for Creek students to sit down with various companies and be interviewed as possible prospective employees. Besides presenting potential job opportunities, job

fairs help teens gain the interviewing and social skills required to maintain their job title. Acquiring these skills will benefit teens throughout the rest of their lives.

Living in the League City area, there are many job opportunities for teens in search. The Kemah Boardwalk, the South Shore Harbor Resort/Marina, The

Fitness Center, Baybrook Mall, Cinemark, local restaurants, fast food chains, grocery stores, and

many more have been hiring teens around

the area for jobs this summer. Minimum wage, currently at $6.55, will raise to

$7.25 this July. Many of these businesses

have applications available upon request to those interested.

Photo by Allie Hinga

Photo by Hailey Stephens

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13tEEn intErEst

American Idol

On Tuesday, May 13, the crowd of American Idol gasped along with the rest of the country as Danny Gokey was eliminated from the competition. This leaves the final two contestants being Adam Lambert and Kris Allen. Judge Simon Cowell said that the finale was going to be a “ding dong.”

The eighth season has been my least favorite season of American Idol. The addition of Kara Dioguardi has prolonged the judges’ comments after a performance. The competition hasn’t been very competitive up until these past few weeks. Adam and Danny have been some of my favorites since the beginning. I was very shocked when Kris got into the finals over Danny.

However, every week there seems to be at least one, if not many, wonderful performances. Each of the contestants has had something unique about their sound. Each theme week has hit a different contestant’s strong point.

Kris has recently been one of my favorites with very strong performances all through the top 12. I didn’t expect Kris to come as far as he did, but he has gotten a

larger fan base and I am glad that he has. All of the top three finalists have had

their good performances. Kris Allen’s rendition of “Heartless” by Kanye West was a hit with the judges. Randy Jackson said that Allen’s version was better than the original. Danny G o k e y ’ s performance “You are so Beau t i fu l” by Joe Cocker was described as a “vocal master class.” This p e r f o r m a n c e was my personal favorite of the night. Adam sang “Crying” and “One.” As usual, all of the judges were in awe at Adam’s range and talent.

Since the beginning, I have predicted Adam and Danny to be in the finals. Although I am surprised that America has put Kris in the finals, I think that the finale will be an amazing one.

The latest rise-to-fame indie rock act, Silversun Pickups, comes from a suburb in Southern California. Their 2006 debut album, Carnavas, smashed a lot of indie rock clichés and stereotypes with their hit single, “Lazy Eye”. Led by the catchiest riff this side of 1993’s smash single “Today” by Smashing Pumpkins and the highly unusual vocals of Brian Aubert, “Lazy Eye” was plastered on everything from MLB commercials to Guitar Hero III. Carnavas was hailed as an indie rock classic, a throwback to the 90s grunge, alternative, and “noise” rock in the vein of My Bloody Valentine and Smashing Pumpkins. Their new album “Swoon”, shows the band at a creative peak, demonstrating their 90s influences, while adding quite a bit of modern touch to their music.

Lead single “Panic Switch” showed that the band wasn’t veering too far off the path laid out by their debut. Showcasing everything that made “Lazy Eye” so great outside of an outstanding chorus line, the song’s complete chaos previewed the relentless side of the standout indie rock band. Yet, “Panic Switch” left a little to be desired, because while it’s something fans will rock out and something the radio will work over, it’s nothing new. However, much of “Swoon” is far more deliberate and creative. Less chaos, more orchestration, and vibrant atmospheres are abundant throughout the album’s 50 minutes. The decrease in the vivacity with increased focus on song structure and atmosphere is demonstrated in standout track, “Growing Old is Getting Old”. Put aside the U2-esque title, the song is a 6-minute centerpiece to “Swoon.” “Pull out the fear of silence, put out the need for guidance, put out your own devices,and don’t be afraid of the cold, afraid of the cold, afraid of the time, you’ve got nowhere to go but here”, Aubert croons at the end of the song, eschewing any fears about age in a mystical, encompassing passion normal to his traditionally hazy interpretive lyrics.

Even the traditional Silversun Pickups

“rocker” track (think “Well Thought Out Twinkles” from their last album) has a bit of studio gleam and glitter, that track being “The Royal We”. Led by its piercing guitar crescendos and vibrant usage of strings, the song plays like an orchestral piece with quick changing rhythms, crescendos, sharp-stuttering choruses, and echoing guitar atmospheres. There’s still some songs on “Swoon” that Silversun Pickups placed to please people that may be unhappy with song, “Surrounded (Or Spiraling)” It demonstrates the band sticking to the old, tried-and-true formula, but is injected with the much more lush production and mixing found on Swoon. Even on tracks that could have fit just as nicely on their debut, Silversun Pickups freshens them up with this much-improved production, less overused distortion and lulling bridges, such as the ending to the mostly blistering “There’s No Secrets This Year”. The song, beginning much in the norm to the band, ends ambigiously in which Aubert murmurs “You better be, you better be looking closely, before you fall into your swoon,” above fluttering guitars and rampaging electronics. That ending is a complete unexpected twist on Swoon, and these little surprising bridges and extra pieces make the album flow together beautifully as an album.

Swoon is a very ambitious album, something that wouldn’t have been too far out of place in the era they attempt to take their influences from, the 90s. It’s one of those albums that demands a full listen to on nice headphones in a quiet room so that the listener can take in the lyrics and the depth of the music. There’s no standout single, no fan favorite, but Swoon’s strength is in its ability to engage the listener in the whole album, and make the listener want to listen to Swoon again after the album ends. Silversun Pickups have easily trumped any expectations, and prove that they are a band to watch, someone with true, large ambitions to make rock music an art form again. Unless something fantastic comes this way in 2009, Swoon is easily the best rock album of the year.

Fans fall for “Swoon”Ryan Munthe

Greek: its a rushChelsea Huebner

The ABC family original series, Greek has been a huge success due to

its realistic approach to college life and the Greek system of sororities and fraternities. The show allows for viewers to connect with the characters by giving them opportunities to identify themselves with a specific person. The events that take place in this show represent the true college experience

where the students are out on their own for the

first time and have to deal with the pressures of school,

friends, drugs, sex, and overall developing their own self-identity. In season one all of the characters and their relationship to one another was established. The main characters are all related through either family connections, such as Rusty and Casey, dating relationships, and friendships. There is someone for everyone

to love on this show. There’s Rusty, the nerd that’s trying to fit into sorority life, Calvin, the super athletic and smart homosexual, Casey and Cappie, the popular couple who broke up but still have feelings for one another, and many more roles that viewers can find humor, sympathy, and dislike in their qualities, actions, and roles. The show is well into its second season but not to worry, anyone who enjoys a good dramedy can tune in and pick up on the show easily. ABC Family has done a great job f maintaining and creating a show that teens as well as adults would like to watch that does not try to oversimplify the issues facing college students. It has been called the Desperate Housewives for the teenage generation. In the shows two seasons viewers have witnessed breakups, fights, family feuds, the pressures of cheating, drugs, and alcohol and the never ending fight to be the best. The show airs brand new episodes on Monday nights at seven on ABC Family. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a show that can provide them with laughs, tears, and ultimately an enjoyable night in.

Photo By Graphics Factory

Summer prices rise The days are getting warmer, the temperature is rising, and people all over the nation are getting ready for summer. In the past summer has been a time for families to go on vacations and enjoy time off from work and school. However, with the economy in its current state many are having to cut back on the number of trips taken or how far they are able to travel from home. Gas prices are a major factor affecting the 2009 summer. It happens every year when the temperature begins to rise, so do the gas prices. The difference this summer is that Americans don’t have the assets to compensate for this discrepancy in prices. Due to this fact this summer will be different because families t h a t

usually take t r i p s to places around the country that they drive to won’t be able to afford to go. “My family has gone to New Braunfels to float the river every summer since I can remember and this year we aren’t going because it will cost to much to drive out there,” said former Creek student Heather Gardner. Another thing that gas prices are affecting is senior trips. It’s tradition for seniors to go on a trip with their friends after graduation and before they all go their separate ways. A long standing favorite of seniors is to go on a road trip. A group of people pile into a car and drive hundreds or thousands ofmiles to a destination where they stay about a week or so and then they drive home. With gas prices expected to be between three and five dollars per gallon by mid-summer a road trip would be very

expensive. “Originally we had planned to go all the way to Orlando, California after our senior year but now, we’ll probably just go to Corpus or somewhere close,” said Senior, Lyndee Dudley. Another summer favorite that is being affected by the economy is summer sport leagues and camps. Due to the economy many families are unable to pay the high prices of these leagues so changes are taking place. Leagues are beginning to try and schedule tournaments and games closer to home and they are cutting some of the costs, such as that of uniforms and announcer as reported by Regina Raccuglia of WSMV. While the economy is putting a damper on Summer 2009, it could actually prove to be beneficial to the area. Places such

as Galveston and Bolivar have the opportunity to benefit

from this. With people not being able to travel as they’ve become accustomed to these places will have a larger crowd his year because

they are able to provide people with fun and relaxation that is close

to home and affordable. Galveston has already made almost a total recovery from Hurricane Ike but Bolivar is still trying to make its return. The beaches are clean, the damaged roads have been repaved, the businesses are beginning to reopen, and the houses are going back up. With the economy being the way it is, the business owners and people of Bolivar are hoping that it will bring people back to the area. Summer 2009 will be different than many of the summers preceding it because the tend will be to find fun close to home rather than traveling. The gas prices and economy will play a huge part in what people do. This could prove beneficial to local area businesses, which will help them to more fully recover from last years hurricane damage.

Chelsea Huebner

Photo by Chelsea Huebner

Kaitlyn Blake

14 this and thatCreek website recognized as eighth in nationAllie Hinga

Creek’s students continued to gain recognition for their hard work this year when the school’s iHigh.com webpage was ranked number eight in the nation. The site received this award for its hard work in providing up-to-date coverage on different activities at Creek, as well as highlighting the work of its students.

iHigh.com provides high schools across the country with a free website that allows campuses to post information about upcoming campus activities, sports news, videos, and photos to keep both students and teachers informed about anything happening on campus, as well as to connect individual schools with others across the nation.

The Clear Creek website, http://clearcreekhighschool.ihigh.com, features daily announcements, information about sports teams and other programs at the school, schedules for school events, videos of Creek’s newscasts, and other information about the campus. Student videos profiling Dan Eldon and other independent study video student’s work are also available on the ihigh. The site is facilitated by the Clear Creek High School Journalism Department headed by Wynette Jameson and has had over 143,000 views during 2009.

On May 13, 2009, Creek was informed that its iHigh site had been ranked the eighth best site in America for 2009 out

of the 20,186 schools registered on the network. President and CEO of iHigh Tim Campbell commended the site for its coverage of events at the school, as well as its use of video, photos, and other student-

generated content, especially citing its coverage of Hurricane Ike and the UIL rescheduling during the swine flu outbreak.

“[Clear Creek has] done a great job of integrating traditional journalism and web journalism,” Campbell said.

He also complimented the site for its large amount of information

about the school that allows those outside of the school to stay updated.

“It paints a really great picture of the students at Clear Creek,” Campbell said.

The criteria used by iHigh.com

to rank high schools across the nation were based on the amount and quality of information featured on each school’s site. The scoring system took into account the amount of traffic each school receives, as well as the videos, pictures, information, and stories posted on the site.

“They [Clear Creek High School] were

up against a lot of schools that put a lot of energy into their website as well, so they’ve done a really great job,” Campbell said.

Aside from the prestige of receiving this ranking, Clear Creek will also be awarded a plaque for its recognition.

The staff at the school, as well as at the district, was excited to hear about the site’s ranking.

“We average 1,000 views per day,” Creek journalism teacher and webmaster Wynette Jameson said. “For a high school site, I would say that is pretty remarkable. I have great kids who help me do wondrous things in this great district.” Jameson spends hours making sure all aspects of the site are the most current and up to date happenings at the Creek.

CCISD administrators were equally impressed with the school’s recognition.

“Congratulations and keep up the excellent work,” Kathy Davis, Coordinator of Secondary ELA, LOTE, and AP, said.

Campbell said that the iHigh site plans to implement Twitter abilities next year so that schools can quickly provide updates from campus. The new program may also feature iPhone capabilities. He said that he expects Clear Creek High School to help lead the way in making this happen.

“You guys do a really nice job and we’re really impressed,” he said.

Clear Creek High School’s nationally recognized iHigh site.

Photo by Allie Hinga.

Students get a chance to show their talents

Clear Creek’s 2009 talent show was filled with a wide variety of surprisingly strong live performances, comedy, and excellent performances. Students from Improv classes, local garage bands, and people with all around excellent musical skills took part in this year’s talent show.

With a mixture of country performances, rock bands, pop dances, and a few that were fairly unusual, this year’s talent show is one of the most interesting and varied shows in the past few years. Solo country performances from students like Taylor Webb, dance performances from Molly Waldner and Ashley Johnson, beatboxing from Shae Perkins, and a loud punk performance from local band Low Frequency all made the night spectacular.

The most surprising performance was by Creek secretary Amy Wood and Stephen Flores, which showcased some of the

Ryan Munthemore emotional side to the night, as they sang Green Day’s emotional ballad “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)”, which was dedicated to all the seniors moving on to college and graduating from high school. It was by far the night’s most emotional song, and the performance was definitely one of the night’s best. Newer garage band “Under Tow” impressed the audience with their down-tuned hard rock reminiscent of Tool, which their name is derived from, while Alex Gadsby and Sean Jackson’s performance of “The Prayer” was moving and sentimental. Will West’s crowd-pleasing classic keyboard performance of “Cannon in D” changed up the night, bringing the more modern, eclectic, and electronic sound to Creek’s annual Talent Show. Ended by class favorites

Low Frequency’s new song “Proud Parent”, the Talent Show ended strong.

Performers in this year’s show had a variety of things to say about their inspiration for performing. Adam Vencil,

who partnered with Michael Romero on a performance of “Gravedigger”

commented on their song choice. “We had

listened to the song a

lot, we liked it, and we decided

to perform it,” Vencil said.

Molly Waldner and Ashley

Johnson, did a dance routine to “Gravity”

wanted to reach out to the student body as well as express their creative side,

“Me and Ashley wanted to do a duet to show our passion for dance, and we haven’t had the chance to do a dance for us. We made this dance for fun and share it with our student body, but we also wanted to show our artistic side,” senior Molly Waldner said.

This year’s Mix-it-Up Day showcased one of the school’s best beatboxers, Shae Perkins. Perkins won the Mix-it-Up Day contest, and went on to show his skill at this year’s Talent Show.

“One day I was messing around and I discovered I was pretty good at

beatboxing. It sounded legitimate, so I went with it,” Perkins commented.

In the end, professional hip-hop dancer Lindsey Pugh and Mix-it-Up Day dance contest winner Juan Hinijosa won the talent show with their unique Hip-Hop mix that had the crowd in a frenzy as they cheered loudly for the duo’s fantastic dancing skills. Yet, this year’s talent show was a very strong outing for all of the night’s performers, and a showcase of the diversity of talent here at Clear Creek.

Taylor Webb performs “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue”

Photo courtesy of The Den

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