October 2012 'Stang Express

1 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1 • OCTOBER 2012

The ‘Stang ExpressVolume 2 • Issue 1 • October 2012

The West Nile

Threat

With over 700 cases in Texas and 54 deaths, the disease has everyone’s attention. What you need to know to fight back. - Page 6

The Newspaper of North Shore Middle School

2 OCTOBER 2012 • THE ‘STANG EXPRESS

4 PETER PIPER PICKED THE PIZZA New pizza place packs a big crowd on the weekends.by HAILIE RUSSELL

The ‘Stang Express • Oct 2012‘STANG EXPRESS

STAFFBryant BadieCindy MaiEmily LimDaisy EstradaChristine CabangLeah MaxwellVictor DavilaEnrique GonzalezMadison MericleEmily LimDaisy EstradaMakenna PoulandAleny GuajardoSara Hinshaw

Mr. Ron BurkeMr. Paul DrexlerDr. Angi Williams

Co-Editors-in-Chief

Opinion EditorNews EditorFeatures EditorSports Editors

Entertainment Ed.Photo EditorSocial Media Mgr

Cover StoryPage Design

AdviserPrincipalSuperintendent

CONTACTING USMailing address: 120 Castlegory Houston,Texas 77015Phone: (832) 386-2600School website: http://www.texasschools.net/nsmsEmail: [email protected]

RESPONDINGLetters to the editor will be accepted. Letters may be submitted in Room C107 or placed in the mailbox of Mr. Burke. All letters must be signed. Names will be pub-lished. Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual and may be edited.

PURPOSEThe ‘Stang Express is a student publica-tion distributed to the students, teachers, and parents of North Shore Middle School and Galena Park ISD. Opinions expressed are the opinions of the student writers and are not necessarily the opinions of the Galena Park ISD. The ‘Stang Express is a member of the Interscholastic League Press Association and the Columbia Scholastic Press As-socation. The newspaper earned an Award of Distinguished Merit and won a presti-gious Silver Star Award from the ILPC in April 2012.

WritersMartin Batrez Crystal OrtezJoanne Cobos TaAliyah PorchiaCristal Garcia Makenna PoulandSara Hinshaw Maria RenteriaMabel Idicula Leonardo ReyesIvon Lopez Fermina RodriguezKenny Ma Hailie RussellUlises Salazar

PhotographersMelanie Gomez Madison MericleReagan Nunez

NEWS

FEATURES SPORTS

4 COMMUNITY WELCOMES NEW RESTAURANT If you like charbroiled burgers, this place will hit the spot.by IVON LOPEZ

8 HISTORY, MEDIA & ITS AFFECT ON HALLOWEEN Popular holiday has roots in ancient culture.by CHRISTINE CABANG

9 VICTORY IS JUST THE BEGINNING Eighth grader Victor Rios has big dreams for his future.by MARIA RENTERIA

10 THE 2012 VOTE The choices you make on election day will affect your like.by MABEL IDICULA

20 MUSTANGS RETURN WITH REDEMPTION IN MIND Is winning about competition or settling scores?by VICTOR DAVILA

19 MUSTANGS OUTLAST COUGARS IN DEFENSIVE FIGHT Last quarter touchdown ensures a big win.by ULISES SALAZAR

ENTERTAINMENT21 FRANKENWEENIE Josh Vlasich and James Holler on playing for the New England Junior Revs this winter.by ALENY GUAJARDO

27 BAND STUDENTS PRACTICE DURING MIDNIGHT MADNESSNight of hard work ensures solid performance at Region.by ENRIQUE GONZALEZ

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OPINION20 YOU TAKE TWO, I GET NOTHING Students who take more than they need leaves others in D lunch will few alternatives.by SARA HINSHAW-HATTEN

21 POLITICS: WHY SHOULD WE CARE? Josh Vlasich and James Holler on playing for the New England Junior Revs this winter.by EMILY LIM

21 LEFTIE OR RIGHTIE?A few musings on the age-old question: Which hand is better?by KENNY MA

5 STUDENTS DISCOVER CONVECTION CURRENTS IN SCIENCE CLASS Eighth graders in Ms. Thompson’s class experiment to learn what happens in the ocean.by MADISON MERICLE

21 PERSPECTIVE:Teachers in Chicago strike out in the eyes of students.by BRYANT BADIE

23 ORGANIC SHAPES HELP TEACH STUDENTS ABOUT ART ELEMENTSStudents in Ms. Bey’s class use geometic shapes to learn about one of the elements of art.by MELANIE GOMEZ

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6 COVER STORYLots of the little pests have become a big problem and they’re targeting Texas.by MAKENNA POULAND


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Behind the performance:There’s more to being a Fillie than you think

by FERMINA RODRIGUEZ

Lights, camera, everybody dance now! Do you know what it takes to be a Fillie? It isn’t all about making the tryouts and wearing the dance outfit. There’s more to it than you think.“Being a Fillie means you have to reach

Mrs. McComb’s [Fillies Director] expecta-tions,” said 7th grader, Bethany Luna. The Fillies have to be willing to give 100% of effort at all times as a dancer. They also have to have good grades, discipline, and responsibility.Another thing that Fillies had to do was

attend a mandatory summer camp and practice for six days, from August 6 – August 11 at North Shore Middle School. Monday–Wednesday practices were from 9 a.m.–4 p.m., and they practiced a field routine, a pom [a dance for a competi-tion]routine, and football cheers. Thurs-day–Friday practices were from 7 a.m. - 8 p.m., so they could learn and practice five custom routines and two to three pep rally routines.Finally, Saturday they practiced the last

custom routine and a hip-hop routine. The Fillies don’t only perform at football games, but also at basketball games, pep rallies, a dance contest, and at the Spring Show at the end of the year. After all that preparation, performance

day finally arrives, and the girls come to school in their Fillies uniform. Once all classes for the day are over, they report to the cafeteria. They practice again un-til 5:30 pm and head outside and sit on the bleachers. While on the bleachers, they perform football cheers. Sometimes the NSMS band will play a song to cheer to.As performance time approaches,

they go behind the bleachers on the grass to stretch and practice one last time. Once they’re done, it’s halftime and the girls file into one single line and walk over to the football field. The crowd stands and yells support while the girls wait with their hands behind their backs.After they get to their places, the Direc-

tor presses play on the stereo and the girls start dancing. This time, the girls danced a jazzy, sharp, and sassy routine to one of Adele’s hit songs “Rumour Has It”. Once they were done, the crowd went wild, clap-ping and cheering with satisfaction at their performance. The girls then headed inside and Mrs. McComb gave them a pep talk on their performance. She told them what they need to improve on and what they did perfectly.

“The girls did great and they’ve really improved since the summer,” she said. As you can see, there is more to being a Fillie than you think. It takes decent dance ability, 100% of effort, and re-sponsibility.“You may have to put way more effort

than usual, but it all pays off when you hear the crowd cheering with satisfaction after you perform,” said seventh grader, Kyla Clark.The Fillies next major performance will

be during the football game versus Cun-ningham at Galena Park ISD Stadium.

The Fillies perform their jazz routine to Adele’s “Rumor Has It” on October 2 at North Shore’s football game against C.E. King to entertain the crowd during halftime. A jazz routine compared to their pom dance is more relaxed and sassy.

Fillies eighth grade members, Madison Bellard, Ana Marquez, and seventh grader, Katie Breeland-Newcomb stretch before their performance to avoid injury on October 2 behind the bleachers at North Shore. They stretch before every performance and every practice.

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NEWSPeter Piper picked the pizzaNew family fun center opens up in the community

Are you getting tired of those old hang-out places like the movies and the skat-ing rink? Well, did you know there is a new restaurant that recently opened, on 6223 E Sam Houston Parkway which is just down the street and around the corner from school?Peter Piper Pizza opened its doors to the

public on September 22. The coolest thing about Peter Piper Pizzas location is that it’s close to North Shore Middle. Maybel-line Ibarra said, “It’s closer to where most people live, and it is convenient for kids to ride their bikes and walk.” Peter Piper Pizza is known for its enter-

tainment, food, games, rides, and pizza. The restaurant has over fifty games that you can play, including the traditional skeeball, driving, and shooting games. It even has a virtual roller coaster ride. Not to leave the little ones out of the fun, they even have three kiddie rides and a carousel, so the whole family can enjoy quality time. The best part is that you can even win tick-ets for the games you love and turn them in for prizes. The more tickets you earn the

bigger the prize.They serve five types of pizzas, including

a New York 3-cheese with pepperoni. You can order them in four different sizes or you can help yourself to the buffet.“They sell pizza! And who doesn’t like

pizza! And it’s also close to North Shore Middle School, there you can catch up with your friends,” said eighth grader Eugenia Villanueva. Peter Piper Pizza can also throw all types of parties for only $7.99 per child that even comes with 350 prize tickets for the birthday child. While Peter Piper Pizza restaurant is fill-

ing up with eager customers, eighth grader Maegan Levy said, “Peter Piper Pizza is a good place to hang out with friends on the weekends and let loose.” Mrs. Beauvais, our Encounters teacher, said, “It’s always good to have new places opening up be-cause it means more jobs for people.”If pizza, games, and fun sounds good

to you, then go down to Peter Piper Pizza. Also if you want to book a party at Peter Piper Pizza, contact them ahead of time because the restaurant is usually packed during the weekend. Coupons and more information are available on their website.

by HAILIE RUSSELL Parents and current students filled the building after school Thursday, September 13 for Open House.Parking spots soon filled up as both

parents and teachers were anxious to meet each other. By the time Open House began at 6pm, the parking lot was full and parents had to park across the street from the school. As parents walked in, counselors

and staff greeted them and informa-tion was waiting on tables. While exchanging friendly greetings, papers were given to parents to inform them what would be going on within the first few months of school. Parents also had to sign a check-in form.“To prepare for Open House, I

made sure teachers were here and we posted information about Open House on the school marquee and website,” said Mr. Drexler, principal here.Although the halls were crowded,

students still managed to guide their parents to all their classes. The turn out was so large that there were lines of people waiting outside teachers’ doors. “The turnout was about the same as

last year’s.” said Mrs. Stanowick, one of the 8th grade math teachers. Parents and students also had the

opportunity to look or buy books or other merchandise at the Book Fair that was going on in the library.“The school Book Fair was an added

bonus to the excitement,” said as-sistant principal, Mr. Eagelton. This was the first year that the Book Fair has been open during Open House. Parents definitely took the opportunity to buy books because the library was crowded with parents and the line to purchase was unbelievably long. “Open House is a really good event

because it gives parents a chance to see how their student is do-ing,” said 8th grade science teacher, Ms.Comeros. Some teachers were in their classrooms from the end of school until the start of Open House getting things ready.“I think Open House is a good idea

so that my teachers can meet my parents and my parents can see who’s teaching me,” said 7th grader Alyssa Rodriguez. This year’s Open House proved to be the annual success thanks to involved parents and the dedication of North Shore’s teachers.

Parents welcomed during Open House

Community welcomes new restaurantNew construction signals improvement on Wallisville

Carl’s Jr. who? Is that the new kid? Isn’t that the old man that lives around the corner? Those questions are over!Coming soon, a new fast food option

is opening up on Wallisville called Carl’s Jr. Carl’s Jr. currently has 10 locations around Houston, TX. This new location is just around the corner across from the Bubbles Express Car Wash just inside the big shopping center where Starbuck is.Carl’s Jr. has been around for 72 years,

but not too many people have heard about it. They’re famous for their charbroiled hamburgers.“I’ve never actually heard of it until they

started building the new one,” said seventh grader, Kathy De Leon. Many others have heard of Carl’s Jr.“Yes, I’ve been to one and it was in San

Diego, California,” said Encounters teacher, Ms. Beauvais. Some citizens love the idea that it is

opening, while others worry about it af-fecting the community.

“It depends what kind of people it at-tracts, like if it attracts bad people, than it would be bad,” said 8th grader, Nathalie Lopez. “I think it could be another good family

restaurant,” said Ms. Beauvais. It can be a family place or some teens can also count it as a hangout place.“There are more food options in our

neighborhood,” said Kathy De Leon. There will be a bigger variety of fast food places. It will be closer for the teachers who are eating lunch.Opening up a new fast food place can

even persuade parents to take their kids out to eat more.Of course, with a new place opening

up, everyone thinks differently about the restaurant. “I just feel excited to know that they

are opening another restaurant from L.A.,” said Nathalie Lopez. The restaurant is now under construction, but there is no exact date for the opening. Hopefully, it would be open soon so all can enjoy a new place to eat on Wallisville.

by IVON LOPEZ

by DAISY ESTRADA & MADISON MERICLE


Eighth graders discover convection currents in science class by MADISON MERICLE

Eighth grade students Melvyn Guzman and Amy Briceno prepare for their science experiment in Ms. Thompson’s 10th period class over convection currents in the ocean. Students use experiments to prove or negate scientific questions.

Eighth grader Tony Rodriguez places water on a hot plate to heat it up for the experiment. They’ll pour the water into the bucket along with cold water and see if the warm water sinks or rises to mimic what happens in the ocean.

Ms. Thompson pours the water into a beaker with a protective glove on to make sure that she and the students don’t burn themselves. This is something they learned in the beginning of the year as a part of their “Lab Safety” unit.

(Above, right) Ms. Thomp-son and students Vanessa Estrada, Samuel Zamora, and Ricardo Herrera watch the water from the cups pour into the bucket as part of an experiment showing density. The cold water sank to the bottom, show-ing students what would happen in the ocean.

Eighth grader Vanessa Estrada writes her conclu-sion after the experiment was over. She’s writing, “The warm water stayed on top because it’s less dense than the cold water.”

“Get the materials you need, then wait until I give you further instruction,” Ms. Thompson explains to her students. She went on to list the steps to conduct the experiment so her students don’t get confused and can accurately measure the results.


WEST NILETHREAT

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Lots of the little pests have become a big problem and they’re targeting Texas

Have you been outside and bitten by a mosquito recently? Little, red, itchy bumps might be the start of a virus from your least favorite blood suckers. This year, the West Nile virus has managed to bring itself right into our backyard thanks to the increase in the mosquito population. Be-ware Houston, they’re here, and they want blood. Your blood.The West Nile virus epidemic has

already affected many states across the country except in Alaska and Hawaii. The first case, back in 1999, started the first epidemic that ended three years later in 2002, but now, those pesky mosquitoes are back. Three thousand, one hundred forty two cases and 134 deaths later, they still won’t go away. As the seconds tick by slowly, they are getting closer to you and the ones you love.Thirteen years ago, the West Nile virus

made its first appearance in the United

by MAKENNA POULAND

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States on June 10th, 1999, the first of many cases was discovered in New York City. It caused a domino effect, infecting many people across the U.S. with 4,310 cases and 295 deaths total. It ended three years later on December 31st, 2002, as a late Christmas gift for the United States.According to the Centers for Disease

Control (CDC), West Nile virus (WNV) is a potentially serious illness. Experts believe WNV is established as a seasonal epi-demic in North America that flares up in the summer and continues into the fall. WNV is transmitted to humans through mosquito bites. Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds that have high levels of WNV in their blood. Infected mosquitoes can then transmit WNV when they feed on humans or other animals.What should we expect? Will the results

be as devastating as last time? Will the number of cases and deaths be higher?

“It’s already higher. That’s why they have all these public health announcements,” said Mrs. Nguyen, our school nurse.The virus was brought over to the United

States by either mosquitoes who fed off dead birds that were infected, or by mos-quitoes that were originally infected. Either way, it is a deadly disease that has already claimed many lives. The big question is: will students here be infected?Nurse Nguyen said, “I hope and pray

not, especially if they [students] take the precautions.” Looking at the poster hanging on her bulletin board, “The fours D’s,” she continued. “Stands for dusk and dawn, defend, drain and dress.”That means stay inside during dusk

and dawn hours, defend yourself by using mosquito spray that contains DEET, pi-caridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus, drain any standing water like in bird baths and pet bowls at least twice a week because standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes and the last thing Houston needs is more mosquitoes, and dress in

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long sleeves and pants to defend your arms and legs from bites.According to the United States Geolog-

ical Survey (USGS), in Texas alone there have been 1,358 infections and 65 deaths already, and if it is anything like the last time the virus was here, you can bet there will be more. Of the 1,358 positive mos-quito infections in Texas, 486 have been in Harris County, the most in the state.As of October 9,

there have been 700 neuro-invasive cases in Texas. Neuro-inva-sive disease refers to severe cases of WNV that affects a person’s nervous system. These include encephalitis which is an inflam-mation of the brain, meningitis which is an inflammation of the membrane around the brain and the spinal cord and acute flaccid paralysis which is an inflamma-tion of the spinal cord that can cause a sudden onset of weakness in the limbs and/or breathing muscles. There have been 54 deaths in Texas due to infection in humans.The CDC also reports that almost 70

percent of the cases have been reported from eight states (Texas, California, Louisi- W

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West Nile virus is a risk you CAN do something about.

The most important way people become infected is through the bite of an infected mosquito. You can reduce your chance of getting infected by avoiding mosquito bites.

West Nile virus is now in most of the United States.

People over age 50 and people who have ever received a solid organ transplant are more likely to develop serious symptoms of West Nile virus if they do get sick and should take special care to avoid mosquito bites.

Adults are at highest risk.

A small number of people (about 1 in 150) who get infected with West Nile virus develop severe disease, called West Nile encephalitis or West Nile meningitis (infl amma-tion of the brain or the area around the brain). Symptoms of severe illness include headache, high fever, stiff neck, mental confu-sion, muscle weakness, tremors (shaking), convulsions, coma, and paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks, and neurologi-cal effects may be permanent. See your health care provider if you develop these symptoms.Some people who become infect-ed have symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting, swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back.Symptoms can last for a few days to several weeks. Call your health care provider if you have questions about your symptoms.Most people who get infected with West Nile virus do not have any symptoms. There is no specifi c treatment for West Nile virus infec-tion. There is no vaccine available for people.

What happens if I get infected?

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ana, Mississippi, South Dakota, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Illinois) and over a third of all cases have been reported from Texas.How can you tell if you are possibly

infected with the WNV? Symptoms of WNV resemble headaches, tiredness, and seizures or in some cases a rash on the trunk of the body. Infected people also should have been outside in the last two weeks or so and have had a mosquito bite somewhere on their body.The CDC reports that milder WNV

illness improves on its own, and people do not necessarily need to seek medi-cal attention for this infection though they may choose to do so. If you develop symptoms of severe WNV illness, such as unusually severe headaches or con-

fusion, seek medical attention im-mediately. Severe WNV illness usually requires hospitalization.As Texas’ weather gets colder, the risk

for West Nile virus infection is decreas-ing due to the fact that mosquitoes hate the cold. Although the risk is lower, you should still protect yourself to make the risk even more unlikely, so remember to protect yourself and keep the four D’s in mind.

The amount of cases in Texas has risen again. According to USGS, the most cases, as of October 9, have been in Dallas County with 344 cases, but luckily Harris County only has 53. The risk for West Nile virus is decreasing due to the colder weather, but that doesn’t eliminate the risk completely, so you should still continue to take precautions just in case.

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“Students need to take precautions. The four Ds stands for dusk, dawn, defend, and drain and dress.”

- Mrs. Nguyen,School Nurse


FEATURES History, media and its affect on

On the night where the thin veil between our world and theirs is lifted, mischief, magic, and fright hangs thick in the air. It begins every year at the witching hour on October 31st. Hide under the covers and turn your Jack-o-lanterns on kiddos because it’s All Hallows Eve!All Hallows Eve or Halloween is the time

of the year when we get to dress up and go from door to door screaming, “Trick or Treat!” This holiday used to be sacred, but now in the present our mind focuses too much on getting candy to think about why the holiday even exists. Back in the old times before the Romans took over Eng-land, there were people called the Celtics. The Celtics were a group of people that live in the great isles of England and in Ireland. They were musical, artistic people, with a love for words.The Celts divided up their calendar into

four parts according to the farming cycle. The year started off with the festival of Samhain (pronounced SAH ween), it was the most significant festival, on that day the veil between ours and the spirit world is very thin. As the darkness would close in, people lit “The Halloween bleeze”, or bonfire. You could see the blazing flames across the hillsides of every Celtic country. Picture the shadows of the Celtics as they threw precious objects into the danc-ing flames as sacrifice to the gods, along with the cursed crops found in the fields after sundown, making the fire lap up even higher against the night sky.When Christianity started to rise, Sam-

hain was changed to Hallowmas, or All Saints Day to remember the people that passed away that year. The night before All Saints Day became a Hallowed Evening or what we call it now a days Halloween. On Samhain, there was a tradition in

Ireland to carve out a tumpshie (turnip) lan-tern. To make a tumpshie you first had to find a big turnip. Then you cut the top of it off and hollow it out. After you hollow it out you had to carve out a skeleton like face. Then on Samhain night you would stick a candle in it and put it outside to protect your house from dark entities. Aside from turnip carving some people left candles on their windowsills and food on the front step to guide and feed the spirits. Nowadays we carve grins on our pumpkins that laugh

under bushes on Halloween night.The tradition of putting on a costume

is kind of bizarre when you think about it. Along with many other traditions on Halloween it started with the Celtics. They used to think on Halloween or Samhain the spirits would cross over from the spirit world to ours and the Celtic were afraid of what the spirits might do to them, so they disguised themselves. They mimicked the spirits to fool the spirits into thinking that they weren’t living. Their costumes would usually be composed rags and dark clothes and their faces would be smeared with ashes. Nowadays people dress up differently, “When I was little I dressed up as a pumpkin,” said Mrs. Dotson.Around the world Halloween is a tradi-

tion that is passed down from generation to generation by the telling of stories of wicked witches and ghosts. In Mexico, All Saint’s Day is devoted to Los Angeli-tos, which means the day for the dead children. Los Angelitos is the day before Dia de los Muertos, which is the Day of the Dead. Dia de los Muertos is a day of happiness. People picnic beside the graves of their relatives. In their houses they make little alters called ofrendas, and they scatter the alter with the favorite food, drinks, and memories of their dead relative’s life.

by CHRISTINE CABANG

HALLOWEEN “My mom makes a shrine for my grandfather; we put lol-lipops and cigarettes around the altar because he loved those things,” eighth grader Gricelda Jasso said smiling. At night family members often shoot fireworks to help dead rela-tives find their way back home. In some parts of Mexico they even create a path from their relative’s grave to the family house.Our take on Halloween is not only

influenced by the history but also by film-makers and story writers. Directors like Tim Burton and M. Night Shamalyan create movies set during Halloween that keep us awake at night jumping at the slightest sounds and turns shadows into sinister creatures ready to pounce. Speaking of keeping us up at night, Edgar Allan Poe is the man for you if you never want to sleep again. His frightening stories will make your eyes snap open for each and every little sound you hear. Another author, R.L. Stine, is famous for his Halloween settings. He writes about ghouls lurking under your bed and witches waiting to gobble you up.So this Halloween night after you’ve put

your finishing touches on your costume, and as you wait to go out and trick or treat, remember the Celts and their blazing bonfires, remember the dead on Dia de Los Muertos, remember the authors that fill your mind with images of monsters that morph the shadows in your room into flesh-eating monsters, and most of all remember to dress up because, you never know…maybe you’ll meet a spirit.

Popular holiday has its roots in ancient culture

• There are 36 million kids in the U.S. between the ages of 5 and 13 --the prime trick-or-treating group.

• 90% of parents admit to sneaking goodies from their kids Halloween bags.

• 11.5% dress up for

Halloween by the numbers

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.Halloween festivities

• 72% of Americans report handing out candy during Halloween.

• An American consumes

24 pounds of candy each year. That’s equal to

the weight of 2,366Hershey’s Kisses!


Ever watched a boxing match, like the one between Canelo and Lopez? As you sit in the audience or as you are glued to your TV screen, you feel the tension in the atmosphere. You watch as one fighter sends the final blow, the replay with his arm in slow-motion as it sends a shock through the opponent’s body. Boxing looks like it’s all about fame and glory on TV, but how many of you actually under-stand the hard work and dedication behind it? For Victor Rios, a thirteen-year-old eighth grader here, boxing isn’t just part of his everyday life, but it is a big chapter in his life.Although he started boxing when he

was eleven years old as a way to learn self-defense, Victor has gone so far in his training, that he’s just recently won at Nationals (during Labor Day weekend), a very important competition for amateurs all around the country.“I worked out everyday…I hit the speed

bags, punching bags, and I ran a lot,” Vic-tor said.To prepare for Nation-

als, everyday after a long day of school, Victor took a break from his homework and prac-ticed at his boxing gym (Monday-Friday) for two hours.“I trained five times

a week, two hours each day. I like to do it [train] for fun. I have friends there, so it’s never bor-ing,” he added.With

all the long hours of hard work he had put in for Nationals, you would have thought Victor would

be confident that he would have a victory, but he wasn’t. Sometimes our nerves can get the best of us when we’re under pres-sure. Just imagine the feeling of being the center of the spotlight for a minute.“Before the fight, I was kind of scared.

I didn’t know what was going to happen, and I was nervous,” Rios said.Hard work and dedication never fail to

reward, and Victor was a prime example of that. Even though there was no first place, second place, or third place, all winners were awarded a medal.“It’s not a first place second place

thing. If you win your fight then that’s that-you won,” Rios said. “After the fight, when I was announced as winner, I got very excited. I was very happy when I saw that my dad was proud of me. I have three fights now. I had two for Nationals,” he explained.Rios wants to expand his boxing skills,

and might even make a living out of it.“I want to go pro. I really like box-

ing a lot,” he said. Training will definitely be more intense, but Victor is one step

ahead of the game.“I’m going to try to fight at every show, which is an event where multiple fights go on at the same time. When you go pro, the fights are harder, so I want to be ready for that,” he said.

Rios is getting better and better at boxing by the day. Who knows? Maybe someday we’ll

see him on TV as the next Julio

Cesar Chavez.

by MARIA RENTERIA

Eighth grade boxer has big dreams for the future

is just the beginningVICTORY FREE

ADVICE“The advice I’d give to a seventh graders is to keep working hard because in the future, it only gets harder,”

MARY ALVAREZ

“My advice would be to set expectations and goals for yourselves, so you could accom-plish them throughout the year,”

JACCARD NELSON

“Life is life. The road will get tough in and out of school, but even though it may seem like you have the worst life ever, others have it worse.”

CLAIRE MARKS

“All seventh graders better make sure they do homework every night and get ready for a very challenging class. Also be prepared to get graded hard.”

MAURIO STEVENS

“Don’t fall asleep in class because you’ll miss out on a lot and don’t shout out an-swers. Be open minded and listen.”

JESSICA RODRIGUEZ

“If you’re feeling over-whelmed with work, just take your time and try your best. Get some help if you need it, try a study group and don’t forget to ask questions.”

GRICELDA JASSO

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2012 VOTEThe choices you make on election day will impact your lifeby MABEL IDICULA

On Tuesday, November 6th, 2012, people all over the country will vote for a leader to guide us through the next four years, and we can make a difference.Even though students in middle school

are not old enough to vote, we should still know about the importance of voting. When George Washington became our first president, it was the start of a democracy, but the cry for a voice to be heard in gov-ernment came long before that.Remember the American Revolution

you learned about in your social studies class? One of the reasons this war began because our forefathers wanted their voices to be heard. After the Civil War, the 15th amendment was passed which gave all American citizens the right to vote, no matter your race or color. Women also wanted their voices to be heard. With the 19th amendment, women were granted the right to vote. Many people fought and died for the right to vote, so don’t take this privilege for granted.When people vote on November 6, they

are taking part of an important process. According Socialstudiesforkids.com, when we as Americans are casting votes for the presidential candidate, we are casting our votes for electors, who will cast their votes

for the candidates. An Electoral College is a compromise between the vote of Con-gress and the popular vote.According to the National Archives

and Records Administration (NARA), an Electoral College is not a place but a pro-cess. An Electoral College is made up of 538 electors. An elector represents your vote for who you want as president and vice-president. For each state a candidate wins, he will receive a certain amount of votes. For example, if a candidate wins in Texas, he will receive 38 electoral votes. Overall, he needs to receive 270 electoral votes to become the next president. Have you ever

seen a donkey that is red, white, and blue? That is the Democratic Party’s symbol. The donkey represents hard-work, diligence, and meekness. The story began when Andrew Jackson was running in the presidential campaign of 1828. His opponents mocked him by calling him a donkey but President Jackson turned the joke on them. He used this strong-willed animal as an icon in his

campaign posters. The donkey became famous with the Democratic Party after Thomas Nast used it in newspaper car-toons. The red, white,

and blue elephant is the Republican Party’s symbol. The party uses the elephant to symbol-ize dignity, intelli-gence, and strength. Thomas Nast also drew another cartoon in Harper’s Weekly in 1874. In this cartoon, a donkey was dressed in a lion’s skin. This “lion” chased away many animals in a zoo including an elephant. This elephant was labeled “The Republican Vote” and since then the elephant has be-come the symbol of the Republican Party. Barack Obama, the first African Ameri-

can president of the United States, is running for re-election in the Democratic Party. The vice presidential candidate of the Democratic Party is Joe Biden. Obama, who is currently the 44th presi-dent of the United States, was born in

The

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According to History.com, the number of electors per state ranges from three to 54. Altogether, there are 538 electors. During the election in November, people vote for the electors rather than the presidential and vice presidential candidates. The electors are expected but not required to vote for the candidates they represent. Two hundred seventy votes are needed to elect the next president and vice president. If none of the candidates receive a majority of the votes, then the president is elected by the House of Representatives and the vice president is elected by the Senate. This process is known as contingent election.

Honolulu, Hawaii. He is married to Michelle Obama and has two daughters named Malia and Sasha. Mitt Romney, the former governor of

Massachusetts, is the presidential candi-date for the Republican Party and his Paul Ryan is his vice presi-dential candidate. Mitt Romney was born in Detroit, Michigan. He is married to Ann Romney and has five kids. Ac-cording to Biography.com, Mitt Romney ran for presidential nomina-tion in the Republican Party in 2008, but lost to Senator John Mc-Cain.People all across

America are keeping up with the elections.“It’s good to know who’s running for

president and who’s not. Young people should know what the president is doing to our country because the standpoint of the president reflects on the way things will be

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Continued from next page in the future,” said eighth grader Claire Marks. The candidate who is elected can affect the way the country runs.“Whomever is elected president en-

forces the law. If you don’t keep up with the elections, you don’t know who will set up what type of policies,” Mr. Strzelecki,

an eighth grade Social Studies teacher said.So how does this af-

fect us as students? It can change the future of our country forever. It could affect your relatives in the military, the way you are taught things in school, and the way your family thinks. It could affect every aspect of your life. So tell your par-

ents about the importance of voting.When you turn 18, you can change the

future because your power is in voting! We will soon find out who will win the election and lead us through the next four years.

DEMOCRATICPLATFORM

REPUBLICANPLATFORM

• Create more jobs• Cut taxes for the middle class• Health care, Social Security, and Medicare policies• Stabilize housing market and communities • Offer greater access to educa-tion• Use energy from America’s natural resources• Help create small businesses• Open markets around the world to sell American products• Make illegal immigrants citizens• Support troops, military families, and veterans• Help Americans with disabilities• Protect civil, women, voting, religious rights• Help rural communities grow• Ensure more safety• Help the poor people• End the war in Afghanistan• Reduce the spread of nuclear weapons• Strengthen alliances

• Create jobs and small busi-nesses• Change the system of taxes• Define marriage rights• Gives the right to bear arms• Protect an unborn child’s life• Produce American energy• Support agriculture• Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security• Repeal Obamacare • Deny amnesty for illegal immi-grants• Help Americans with disabilities• Support education• Support troops

A platform is a political party’s or candidate’s written statement of principles and plans. It’s usually de-veloped by a committee at the party convention during a presidential campaign.

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“Whomever is elected president enforces the law. If you don’t keep up with the elections, you don’t know who will set up what type of policies.”

- Mr. Strzelecki,Social Studies teacher

8TH GRADEIRENE MACIAS

“I would vote for Obama because he is not done finishing his promises so we should give him another chance [four more years].”

The Electoral College

8TH GRADEBREANNA NUNEZ

“I would vote for Obama because he is trying to help the poor people by giving them more opportunities. I wouldn’t vote for Romney because he is trying to keep the rich people rich.”

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Galena Park ISD educates students about dangers of the internetThe internet is great but peel back that layer of coolness and bad stuff lurks aboutby CINDY MAI & CHRISTINE CABANG

Do your parents look over your shoul-der while you’re on Facebook, Twitter, or when you’re just on the computer? Do they go through your phone to see who and what you were texting? Do they make a Facebook account just to stalk you online? Do your parents ever give you the “privacy” you need? We’ve all been there at one point or another where your parents just can’t leave you alone, but that doesn’t mean that your parents don’t know that technology can help you in so many ways. As the years have gone by, technology has helped teens in many ways, from homework, to games, and to communicate. “The teens of this generation are re-

sponsible enough to handle the internet, only if they have been educated about the dangers,” said Ms. Michelle Young, the Instructional Technology Program Director for Galena Park ISD. With the amount of time teens use the internet, it’s not a wonder why parents are concerned about what their kids are up to. “I think that the internet is a great

source for information and acquiring knowledge, but there should always be parental control monitoring or filtering inappropriate sites. I would recommend tracking programs to monitor use and increase awareness for everyone,” said Technology Information System Special-ist, Mrs. Mullinax. Teens around the world are practically

living their lives online with social me-dia, where they blog, make new friends, message others, and video games that transport them to battlefields of bloody carnage. Facebook and Twitter are just two of many social websites that they, as teens, visit. Online, teens post pic-tures of their “cute” duck faces, tweet play by plays of our everyday lives, and keep updated with their friends’ lives. They could even communicate with each

other without having a Facebook or Twit-ter account because most of the games teens play enables them to talk to other players from all around the world. They find themselves engulfed in this cyber world and their eyes stay glued to the screen. At times, you might go overboard and find yourself on computer or laptop from dusk to dawn, but like food, you have to know your limits to stay healthy. Think about it this way, do you want the internet to be your kryptonite or your power up?Time flies by when you’re having fun.

Right? Every now and then teens go on-line and don’t realize how many hours of their lives they’ve wasted just sitting there staring into cyberspace. “I spend about two hours on the

computer everyday uploading pictures, updating my statuses, and chatting,” said eighth grader Chazlynn Goodson. There are going to be times when you just don’t pay attention to the clock and end up wasting a whole day of your life doing who knows what on the computer. May-be you’re unaware of how addicted you are to the online world, if you’re uncer-tain whether your obsession could be an addiction, here are a few ways you can test yourself to see if you’ve been infected with internet fever: Are you constantly obsessed about your latest excursion on the net? Do you feel moody when you’re trying to cut down on your inter-net time?And if food is less important than the game you were just playing or the witty new post you came up with, then you need to calm down and get the heck away from any electronic device.You’re probably thinking, “I

can’t get addicted”, but you are wrong. Anyone can be an internet addict. Instead of saying, “It won’t happen to me,” try to prevent the addic-tion and spend time away from the internet. Have some fun with your family and friends, go outside get some fresh air. If you’re the type of person that doesn’t like hanging out with your family, or if you’re allergic to the outside just re-

member to set clear limits with yourself on how much time you want to spend on the internet. Over the past few years, more and

more teens have been exposed to the online world. They have been warned about how dangerous it can be, yet we learn every year still hasn’t sunk into their brains. “I think the internet is a great tool and

educational, but it is a potential risk and teens need to be educated about the dangers online,” said Ms. Young. Teens don’t seem to realize that there are real sexual predators, pedophiles, and stalk-ers out in the real world who are just dying to get their hands on naïve kids. For instance, in the movie Taken, the two girls in their late teens assumed that the hot guy they met at the airport was just another guy. They didn’t expect him to kidnap them and auction them off at the black market as prostitutes. “Never assume that who you’re chat-

ting with is the same person as they say they are. Anyone can hide behind a picture,” said Mrs. Mullinax. “If I got a message from someone I

It sits in our house, waiting for us to make the wrong move. We use it every day without even knowing its dan-gerous intentions.The social media monster is alive and out in the open, ready to manipu-late teens’ minds.


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didn’t know, I would ignore and delete it just to be safe,” said eighth grader Peyton Luu. “If a stranger messaged me online, I

would try to find out who they are, but if I don’t find out who they are, I’ll end up blocking them,” said Chazlynn. It’s not that regular teens don’t know about these kinds of people, they think the chances are highly unlikely that they could ever end up in this sort of situation, but think again, it’s already happened.In September, a

tragedy was just avoided when Eliza-beth Robinson, a 13-year old from Cypress, Texas, stole her brother’s car and got on her way to Hodgenville, Kentucky, to meet the “love of her life” that she met while playing a game online called Call of Duty, a popular game on the Xbox. Rob-inson must have thought about meeting this boy for days and days, but was still iffy about what she should do until the day her parents told her she was never allowed to talk to him anymore. Her parents telling her to never talk to her “soul mate” may have been what erased any doubts about going to go see him in person. With a mind set on finding Dylan, Beth woke up around 4 in the morning, stole her mom’s ATM card, brother’s car, and took off.On Thursday morning when her parents

came into her room to wake her up for school, they found a note saying the Beth was going to her girlfriend’s house because of bullies at school and threaten

to kill herself. From the voicemails on her phone, Robinson’s parents finally put the pieces together and realized that their daughter was on her way to Kentucky. She drove 1000 miles before she was stopped in Nashville, Tennessee, by the police. The police had been tracking her down for hours by the debit card she was using. An alert policeman calculated that she was heading his way, which was on

the outside of Tennes-see, around 10 to 11 at night, and waited for her to come. Just as he had expected, the officer pulled Elizabeth over and notified her parents.Later that day, her

and her parents went to go meet Dylan, but he wasn’t there. Imagine what would have happened to Beth if the authori-

ties hadn’t tracked her down in time. Would she have been raped and killed? Or worse? Who knows what would have happened.We all know middle school, that’s when

you start feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders, whether it’s about grades, boy/girlfriends, or things at home, but it’s not going to be the end of the world. If you ever need help or some-one to talk to, go to someone you trust, someone you actually know, not someone you met in a chat room minutes ago. “Friends and parents should be talk-

ing about what they do online,” said Ms. Young. Being frustrated all the time, would sometimes make it tempting to spill your feelings out to someone you’ve only met in the cyber world because you think you’ll never see them, but slowly,

Continued from next pageyou start trusting this person more and more, sometimes even more than your own family and friends. You don’t real-ize that sex offenders usually stay put until the broken kid asks for help. At first, they may seem nice and sweet, but that’s how they lead you into their web, where you might get tangled up in; then you’ll be another victim.Seventy-one percent of teens 13 to 17

years old have received an anonymous message from strangers online, but 40% of them reply to it. Are you going to be part of that 40%, or are you going to be the other 18% that tells an adult about it? Almost half of the teens that are online have been asked for personal information from people they don’t even know, and 30% admit that they have considered meeting someone they met online in person.There are many different types of

people on the internet, and if you want to keep yourself on the safe side, just remember the golden rule online and offline is to never give out too much information about you or your family, no matter how “cute/hot” the guy or girl is. In a perfect world, nobody would have to be kidnapped and forced into the pros-titute life, but in reality, after they have their hands on you, it would be a million to one chance of them finding you alive.“The most important thing to remem-

ber while using the internet is to be safe because it’s like a virtual play-ground,” said Ms. Young. You can make new friends and have fun there, but you could also fall hard and get hurt, and with that fall, your whole life could change forever. It’s like that for the cyber world as well, so tonight or tomor-row night, as you get on your computer, watch your back because you could be the internet’s next victim.

Facebook users un-der the age of 10:

of teens say they hear news through Facebook.

of Facebook users are under the age of 13.

of Tumblr users are ages 12-17.

25%

“The teens of this generation are responsible enough to handle the internet, only if they have been educated about the dangers.”

- Ms. Michelle Young,Instructional Technology

Director for GPISD

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Twitter.

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of teens text.

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Teens who send 50 or more texts:

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use their phone to get on a social media site or app.

Teens who use Skype, iChat, or some other chat program:

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WHO’S IN MY SEAT?

MAURIO STEVENS

9th Period - Pre-AP English

“It’s not boring like most classes. This class

also has a great teacher who doesn’t make

us write things out of the book.”

ERLINDA GONZALEZ

10th Period - Pre-AP English “I like the way Mr. Burke teaches the class. He puts fun in everything he does and actu-ally makes me want to go to English.

LEONARDO REYES

8th Period - Journalism

“It’s fun, but it’s also a challenge. This helps

with my writing skills and can help me and

my future.”

JESSICA RODRIGUEZ

4th Period - Pre-AP English “Mr. Burke is fun because he acts out every-thing he teaches us. He also breaks down how to write properly in an easier way.”

MELISSA PALOMARES

6th Period - Pre-AP English

“I love this class because we learn a lot. It’s

preparing me for high school & I’m learning

new skills for my exams and for AP classes.”

RUBY RODRIGUEZ

5th Period - Pre-AP English “I like that Mr. Burke is emotional when he is teaching. Also that he encourages students to do their best.”

VALERIE MOYA

3rd Period - Pre-AP English “I really like this class. I have a lot of fun dis-cussing things in class with Mr. Burke. He’s very fun and hardworking teacher.”

TYANNY PEREZ

1st Period - Pre-AP English

“What I like about this class is that we get

to read classic novels. It’s expanding my

vocabulary and helping with English skills.”

2nd Period - No class

7th Period - No class

Have you ever wondered who sits in your desk after your class or even the next day? Have you ever claimed that the desk you sit in was ‘yours’?

Mr. Burke’s classroom in C Hall is like any other Pre-AP English classroom in this school, it has 30 desks, 7 computers, and a projector. In every period,

Burke basically teaches the same material to each class, but the people there are different each time. The only exception is, during 8th period, the

classroom transforms into a work place for the ‘Stang Express News Staff, and for that one period, seventh and eighth graders come together to create

the school newspaper. Track who sits in the 1st seat in the 3rd row… by CINDY MAI

photos by REAGAN NUNEZ

Sound off! Which class should we do next?


SEAT?You see her in the hallways, but how well

do you really know new assistant choir director? Her bright smile can light up any-one’s day. She lives a musical life in and out of school. Beginning her first real journey in teaching music, Ms. Bongat chose North Shore Middle School to start her career in education. “It’s an incredible feeling to be making

music with people, to know that with just a wave of my hands, I can change the way the music sounds,” she said.Ms. Bongat is very fond of music and

teaching. She has been in choir since she was a little girl. During her senior year at Judson High School, in Converse, Texas, she helped her friends practice to get into Region Choir, and when she saw how many of her friends made the choir, she realized how much she enjoyed helping them. That’s when she decided to expand her help to students in choir, so she went to Texas State University, to gain more knowledge in the art of music. “It was the most incredible experience, and

I learned a lot from my professors,” she said. Luckily, she brought her love and knowledge of music here.Just like our seventh graders, Bongat is

barely starting to adapt to North Shore. Though she is new, she is an amazing teach-er that Mrs. Huston, the Choir Director, relies on for help. Even though Mrs. Huston has been here for some time now, and she has

a lot of experience, she probably couldn’t handle all the students in choir. Choir is hard to teach, and without Ms. Bongat, choir would probably not be as successful. “With over 300 students, I couldn’t do this

job alone, it takes a strong partner to make a winning team,” said Huston.Apart from being dedicated, Ms. Bon-

gat is also nice. She does her best to help everyone, and makes sure they understand everything. It takes a lot of time to teach young students, but Ms. Bongat makes it possible for them to learn in the nicest way by being patient and kind.

by JOANNE COBOS

Bongat’s journey sets up choir for success

New teacher starts journey with music education

Assistant choir director Ms.Bongat uses her hand signs to help her students in the Nova choir class read their IFA. This teaches them how to read music for their upcoming concerts and the big UIL performence at the end of the school year.

“When we sing a wrong note or do some-thing wrong, she guides us toward the right way,” said eighth grader Kimberly Rosacia. Ms. Bongat barely got here, but already she is winning people over. “I think she’s very nice because she has

a positive attitude and always has a smile,” said eighth grader Erlinda Gomez.Ms. Bongat may be new, but she is

catching on fast, and will be a great addi-tion to our choir. Maybe adapting to a new place is difficult, but Ms. Bongat will fit in perfectly here, as her first journey in musi-cal education continues.

To cut down on run times, script writers often cut great scenes and information from your favorite stories. Just imagine what else you could discover just by

reading the book! Read...your mind will thank you.IM

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YOU TAKE TWO, I GET NOTHINGStudents who get more than required leaves nothing for others

by SARA HINSHAW-HATTEN

D-lunch is known as the worst lunch. I have been going to D-lunch every school day since seventh grade. The problem is that they seem to always run out of food. Using the lunch menu they give in the beginning of the month is pointless because by the time you get to the front of the line the cafeteria workers are running out of food.I’ve seen the them resort to giving kids food that’s for break-

fast because they didn’t have any lunch food left. It is incredibly frustrating to have to wait until 12:35 to eat and then only get a muffin and a yogurt. I think that D-lunch is a bad lunch because the food is never what it’s supposed to be. All of the good food was taken by the people in the other lunches.We have worked just as hard, yet we aren’t even able to get a

decent lunch. I’m not saying that it has to be five-star, just good enough to where you would rather enjoy your meal than not eat what you just bought. I have to pay the same amount of money as everyone else who goes through the regular lunch line, yet I don’t get the same quality of food. You probably are thinking we should just switch lunches and I asked that same question. Ap-parently, changing the lunches won’t do any good because they can’t move D-lunch. Most of those kids come from class where D-lunch is the most convenient time. It isn’t the cafeteria workers’ fault because they try to keep the

right amount of food by how many numbers are punched in that

day. From what I discovered, from the ladies who work there is that they have about 850 people go through the lunch line every day which makes calculating exact numbers difficult. So, every time you grab an extra pizza, just remember that some kids in D-lunch aren’t going to be able to get a full meal. I get that some-times some students are hungrier than normal, but I don’t care enough to not eat.So, lets make our school lunches a whole lot better. If you see

someone trying to buy an extra burger, remind them they give you a certain amount for a reason. We were all taught to share so put that knowledge to good use and don’t take more than you are given. I’m tired of having to run to the lunch room, so I’m not the one who gets the leftovers. This may not seem like a big deal, but to kids in D-lunch it’s what we gripe about all day.Even if you don’t go to regular lunch, the same thing happens

at the snack bar. If you buy five bags of chips, none of the peo-ple in D-lunch can get any chips. All we can get is the expensive stuff that not a lot of people can get more than one of. We don’t get lemonade or we don’t get spicy chicken sandwiches because kids in other lunches decided to buy more than one sandwich or lemonade.It isn’t fun to always be groaning about how our friends in other

lunches are getting all this good hot food, and we have to have a battle strategy to make sure we get a good lunch at the snack bar. I think that kids in D-lunch don’t want to have to go through another year of eating leftovers.

SOUNDOFF!

8TH GRADE STUDENTON WHATEVER TOPIC

“Loremposto et a volupta tiissimus.Event et autatur alis endest, ute ea cus quamHarum aut autation exero coremquo con peditioreni aut quodi

delitent enditio rrov”







Did you know that our ‘justice system’ used to be quite unfair? Many things we commonly do today could have eas-ily been illegal in the past. Nowadays people criticize our government constantly without a second thought. When the Untied States were still thirteen colonies, however, John Peter Zenger was arrested and imprisoned just because he published the truth about a greedy and ill-tempered governor in the New York Weekly Journal. Luckily, in the First Amendment now, we have the freedom of press and speech in-cluded in the Bill of Rights. Whenever you hear people talk about the government these days, take the time to understand why they bother with it and to not take what you have now for granted.As you might know, the next round of

presidential elections will take place on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. You might

consider it as nothing you should be concerned about, but it actually should be important to you. Why? The reason is simple. Even if you are under the age of eighteen, everyone living in the United States determines who will be the next president. Sure, you can’t vote for who you want yourself yet, but what about your parents? Maybe they will take your beliefs into their own consideration and vote for who you want.The campaign leading up to Election

Day is a political war. Every little action on each side of the battlefield either helps a candidate or hurts them. Take the current candidates of 2012, for example; Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are doing things to have people believe that they are the right person to be president. Though they both have done their fair share of good deeds, they have done their share of bad ones as well. Such as Obama with his “clinging to their guns and religion”

comments at a private fundraiser back in April, and Romney with his ‘secret speech’ that was revealed online this September. With Obama’s case, his comments won’t necessarily affect him now since this was in April, farther away from Election Day. However, Romney is in a bit of a hassle since his speech was revealed more re-cently, so people might remember it while they decide who to vote for next month.Originally, I did not have any particu-

lar interest in who won what or politics in general, but I have come to learn that it benefits me to know what goes on in the world. The President of the Untied States leads our entire nation. I am one of the many people who make up this great na-tion, and you are one of them as well. The candidate who is victorious in the elec-tion will have our future in their hands, so I personally would want to know how my future turns out. Wouldn’t you like to know, too?

POLITICS: WHY SHOULD WE CARE?Boys? Girls? Both? Another take on the age-old questionby EMILY LIM

8TH GRADESKYLAR FUENTES

“It made me mad because I didn’t like what they had left. It’s unfair for the people who wanted the food they ran out of.”

7TH GRADEJACQUICE McPHAIL

“I was mad because the other stuff I didn’t even like! I want to have a lunch that I can enjoy and we need stuff that everyone likes.”

7TH GRADENOELI HURTADO

“Politics matter because my cousins are immigrants and Romney wants to send all immigrants back to where they came from.”

ON LUNCH

SOUND OFF!! ON

POLITICS


On September 10, 2012, Chicago teachers went on strike due to many difficulties. No teachers? That also means no school! Chicago happens to have the third largest school district in the country. That means 350,000 kids were not at school for two weeks! One reason that may have trig-

gered this huge conflict may have been low teacher salary, but Chicago teachers make average $69,000 a year, which is $22,000 more than the average Houston teacher’s income. If you ran a race, and won, you would be happy, right? Well these teachers are some of the highest paid teachers in the country, and they’re complain-ing! This isn’t the first time this has happened though. Chicago teachers also went on strike in 1983, 1984, and 1987. Teachers were demanding a 10 percent raise, but received a 5 percent bonus, with a 2.5 percent bonus. That’s still a great outcome, for the teachers at least. This mess has affect the students

too. Students still have to cover academics they missed over that period of time by going to school on holidays, or any days they would have had off during the 2012-2013 school year. Not only are they missing out on school work, senior athletes are miss-ing games that can interfere with their scholarship offers from colleges.We should be lucky to not have

selfish teachers here. That’s why all students should come to school and do what they need like behav-ing appropriately, turning in work, and just doing what they have to do to succeed and move on to high school. Imagine if this happened here! We would have to make up two weeks of school after June 6! I need my two months out of school to prepare for the upcoming season. I like to at-tend camps and have fun with friends during the summer. So the next time you see your awesome teacher, thank them for doing what they do!

STRIKINGOUT

Have you ever thought about the little differences that make you unique? Ev-eryday you see people write, but the little details, like how they write, can make them different. Have you ever thought that you write with a different hand than the person next to you, and why they are differ-ent? Scientists haven’t found out the real reason to why we are a leftie or a rightie, but they said the reason you write usually depends on the hand your parents write with. The majority of people prefer to write

with their right hand because most items are made for righties, and the rest write with their left or a few people may be am-bidextrous. Ambidextrous means that you can write with both hands equally. There are items specifically for left handed peo-ple like scissors, mugs, and more. There are many disadvantages and advantages for right and left handed people.If you’re a right hander, when you eat

you don’t notice where you sit but for lefties it’s different. They have to sit where they don’t bump their elbows with the neighboring person. When we write we don’t think about where our hands are going, so left handed people sometimes smudge when they write because they move on the letters while they write. Left-ies usually have a hard time with pens on a chain at the bank, the numeric key pad, and more. When a left handed person writes in a binder with rings, they bump their hands—making writing hard. According to Discovery Health, lefties

are said to be easily scared and angered

and that they are more emotional, but most people say that this is a myth. Both left and right handed people are equally creative. Most lefties think that they are smarter, more creative, and athletic than a right hander but that isn’t entirely true. Lefties are better at multi-tasking than a right hander, but they are not smarter. It is said that lefties are more political be-cause most of the former presidents were left handed. People say that most lefties can think faster than righties, they are more aware of their space, and are more athletic. I think that they are not smarter or more athletic than right handed people but equal.For example, when playing sports like

tennis, lefties have an advantage, most of them have more experience with right-ies, but righties don’t play with lefties often. Some sports don’t allow lefties to play, like field hockey and polo. For polo, lefties are not allowed because of safety hazard. They may run into each other with the sticks and get injured.I think that even though left and right

handed people have differences they are equal. We shouldn’t treat each other differently based on what hand we write with. Both left and right handed people have advantages and disadvantages and we should be treated the same. Even though left handed people have less things made for them, research shows they are better at multi-tasking. Although we all function the same, we may do it differently and it doesn’t matter if you can do more things or can do it better, it depends on if you can do it. What do you think? Are you a leftie or a rightie?

LEFTIE OR RIGHTIE?A few musings on the question: Which hand is better?by KENNY MA

Perspective

by BRYANT BADIE

8TH GRADESUMMER BENEFIELD

“All the people I know who write with their left hand write prettier than me. I’m ambidextrous but I don’t write with my left hand.”

7TH GRADENICHOLAS WOODS

“It depends on how they [students] learned. Usually the parents teach them to write with a specific hand, so they learn to write better with that hand.”

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Nova choir uses African music to learn sight-reading

The large trophies were won at the Deer Park Festivals and the smaller plaques were won at UIL competition. They range from 2000 to 2012 and were earned by practicing non stop throughout the school year. Practice helps make perfect.

by REAGAN NUNEZ

Seventh and eighth grade Nova choir stu-dents sing “Yesn Kwetu Ni Rapiki,” a very challenging African song. Students have to sound out the unfamiliar words. “A song like this needs to be taken step by step in order to be sung right,” said Ms. Bongat.

Seventh grader Ayana Tabor reads her solfege, which are music notes on her IFA. Learning to read music improves your brain power and guides you in how the song is supposed to be sung.

Seventh grader Dayana Torres hands in her choir folder to Mrs. Huston at the end of 8th period. At the end of each class, students have learned something new in choir and they use all they’ve learned to help them achieve good scores in competition.

Mrs. Bongat, the assistant choir director, helps 8th grader Jennifer Villegas on her IFA during 8th period. Students are working on reading music and using their hand signs so, when competition comes up, they can do it easily.


Mustangs outlast CougarsIN DEFENSIVE FIGHTLast quarter touchdown ensures a win for footbal teamby ULISES SALAZAR

Quarterback Bryant Badie stumbles as he runs between his blockers during their first home game here on Sept. 18. Badie managed to get the first down thanks to the Mustang offense blocking well during the play.

Coach Davis takes a timeout to motivate the players on the 8th grade A team during their game versus Crosby here. Coaches use time-outs to plan new plays and the players take advantage of the timeout to rehydrate.

“It’s a fight, y’all are doing a good job!” - Coach Atkins, Athletic Director

On September 18, the first 8th grade red team football game took place here against the Crosby Cougars. The Mus-tangs were hyped and ready to start their year off with a win. Last year the Mus-tangs tied with the Cougars, 14-14. The game started off with the Cou-

gars kicking off to the Mustangs. The first play the Mustangs had on offense, Bryant Badie dropped back and threw an interception. “It’s ok, make up for it next time,” Coach Williams told him after the play.As soon as the Cougars were on of-

fense, De’Andre Simon hit the quarter-back in the backfield two plays straight. “De’Andre, De’Andre, come here, fast,” called out Coach Atkins. Atkins explained what he wanted him to do for the next play. When Simon went back out on to the field, the Cougars were punting the ball to the Mustangs. After a few more three and outs, the first quarter ended, 0-0. The 2nd quarter started with the

Mustangs on defense. The Cougars were running back trying to get to the sideline, but Jaylen Thomas got there first and hit the runner, knocking the ball out of his hands. When the Mustangs were back on offense, Jaylen Thomas ran the ball for a few yards and got tackled. Badie then tried to throw to Patrick Davis, but the defender was playing good defense and it ended up as an incomplete pass. Badie ran the ball and got the first down, setting the Mustangs up 40 yards from the goal line.There were 44 seconds left in the 2nd

quarter when Badie ran for a first down and got tackled at the 26-yard line. Badie threw the ball to Eltroy Potts, but he juggled the ball and dropped it as time expired at the end of the 2nd quarter. “It’s a fight, y’all are doing a good job,”

said Coach Atkins to the team. “Now ev-eryone take a knee,” Coach Davis said. At the start of the third quarter, the

Cougars fumbled again, “Fumble, Fumble, our ball!” Coach Atkins yelled while the Mustangs scrambled to get the ball. The

teams were wrestling for the ball in a big pile. Unfortunately, the Cougars regained possession of the ball. When the fourth quarter started, Badie

threw the ball to Darin Jones for a first down, but he fumbled the ball when he was tackled.Jaylen Thomas then ran the ball for a

first down then ran out of bounds, set-ting the Mustangs up for within scoring range. Next play, Badie went right behind Khayman Johnson and Darin Jones into the end zone giving the Mustangs their first score. The fans went wild when the team scored a touchdown. The Mustangs missed the field goal but was still in the lead, 6-0. In order to win, the Mustangs had to hold the Cougars back.Before everyone knew it, the Cougars

were ten yards away from scoring. Then Eltroy Potts intercepted Crosby’s pass, stopping the Cougars from scoring. Before the Mustangs shook hands with Crosby, De’Andre Simon got the Mus-tangs to chant, “Whose house, our house, whose house, our house!”The game ended with the Mustangs

defeating the Cougars, 6-0. The Mus-tangs were on the path to an undefeated season by beating the Stallions, Bulldogs, Panthers, and the Hornets the following four weeks.

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SPORTS Mustangs return with

REDEMPTIONIs winning about competition or settling scores?by VICTOR DAVILA

Have you ever had that feeling of resent-ment after an argument or competition be-cause you want to get even with the other team or an individual? Sports are designed to be competitive and fun, but when you lose or think the other team wasn’t play-ing fairly, you get angry and the situation escalates to a personal level.On October 31, 2011, the seventh grade

A football team lost to Cunningham (18-19), the game was over, but the memory re-mained, a memory of losing to a rival. That memory stained the Mustangs’ minds. Just a couple of weeks back on October 4, they had lost another game to C.E. King (24-27).“I remember them laughing at us when

they beat us,” said eighth grader Jaylen Thomas. When a team adds insult to injury, it can result in the losing team being infuri-ated and can give them more motivation to win, which is sometimes enough to give players that extra “push” when their down in the game and need inspiration. Since

then, the team has gotten better. They’ve had more practice, and even added new players including Darin Jones (former CE King Football player).“We’re trying to win every game, and

play our hardest,” said Coach Atkins. We’re just looking to execute our plays, if we execute we win,” he said. However, the players have a different perspective.“We want to beat them so bad that it

hurts, as an athlete, the coaches teach us to do our best, and I expect us to be the best,” said eighth grader Khayman John-son. However, is this grudge pointless? Honestly, if you think about it, some of the North Shore and Cunningham 8th graders are bound to be friends next year…they’ll play on the same team too.By this time next year, they’re going to

forget all about wanting to dominate each other in sports, or how they hated the mentioning of the other schools name. One thing is certain, this year the Mus-tangs will play with last year’s game on their mind.

Do you know a coach that is fun and hard-working all in one? Well, Coach Alicia Sanford is just that type of coach. Coach Sanford has been a coach here for regular classes and sports, for four years now. She is energetic, encouraging, caring, and dedicated to her kids and her job. She was born in Fort Worth, Texas, but raised in Dallas, Texas.Some of her kids feel that she is very

dedicated, 8th grader Beatrice Cruz said, “Coach Sanford takes the time out of her busy schedule just to help us.” Although Sanford’s personality is very

subtle to grasp at times, her special coaching techniques are also unique. “She makes us do special drills to

help us with things we’re not good at,” said eighth grader Claudia Martinez.As for Sanford’s opinion on the new

group of 8th grade volleyball players, “It’s a good group, lots of talent, and good potential,” she explained con-fidently. Even though Coach Sanford isn’t head coach but has been here for a long time.“I love the school, the community,

and I think we have a great program here.” Although we’ve lost to our ulti-mate rivals the past few years Sanford believes in hard work.“We always have room for improve-

ment as far as coaches; we can provide new creative activities and new skills. Students as well always have room for improvement and should take ad-vantage of the things we have here to help, as far clubs, open gym, and other activities to help us prepare,” she said.Some of the 8th grade volleyball

players do take advantage of the extra advice given. “She’s a good coach because she

knows how to teach you the correct way to fix your faults,” said 8th grader Madison Francis.Despite all the jobs and roles Coach

Sanford is busy doing through out the day, she still finds a way to talk and be involved with most of the students and athletes here. In the meantime, Coach Sanford works hard and continues to help push her students and athletes towards success.

Dedicated coach shows passion for job

NORTH SHORE FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD

8th grade A team vs. Crosby MS 6 - 0vs. Null MS 32 - 6vs. Anthony Aguirre 30 - 0vs. C.E. King MS 34 - 6vs. Alice Johnson 37 - 2vs. Galena Park Tuesday 10/30: OpenTuesday 11/6: at home @ Galena Park ISD Stadium against CMS

8th grade B team vs. Crosby MS 0 - 6vs. Null MS 34 - 6vs. C.E. King MS 30 - 0vs. Alice Johnson 16 - 6vs. Galena Park 30 - 0Tuesday 10/29: at home against Woodland AcresTuesday 11/6: at home @ Galena Park ISD Stadium against CMS

by TAALIYAH PORCHIA

IN MIND

7th grade A team vs. Crosby MS 13 - 18vs. Null MS 45 - 0vs. Anthony Aguirre 39 - 0vs. C.E. King MS 52 - 0vs. Alice Johnson 63 - 0vs. Galena Park Tuesday 10/30: OpenTuesday 11/5: at home against Cunningham

7th grade B team vs. Crosby MS 40 - 40vs. Null MS 13 - 0vs. Anthony Aguirre 25 - 0vs. C.E. King MS 30 - 2vs. Alice Johnson canceledvs. Galena Park 34 - 0Tuesday 10/29: at home against Woodland AcresTuesday 11/5: at home against Cunningham

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Lady Mustangs lose to new school on the blockAnthony Aguirre dominates on offense, frustrates coach and players in third game of the season

On September 27, the Lady Mustang B volleyball team played at home against the new school in the area, the Anthony Aguirre Bulldogs of Channelview ISD.While getting ready to serve, the crowd

encouraged them with cheers of, “Let’s go Lady Mustangs!” The ball was served by Cheynee Williams and landed out of bounds and Anthony Aguirre earned a point with the sideout. Then the server for Anthony Aguirre served four devastating points leaving the Mustangs at 4-0 deficit and caused Coach Du Plaga to call a timeout.“Go for every ball. Let’s talk and move our

feet towards the ball, the girls who show me these things are the ones who are showing me who wants to play,” said Coach Du Plaga harshly. Next, Katlin Torres served and again came

up short. Right after the ball was given to the Bulldogs the Mustangs got called for being out of rotation, which led to the ladies lagging behind with a score of 6-2. As #9 from Aguirre continued to serve consistently in the same spot, the Mustang defense failed to dig the ball up and Coach Du Plaga called a timeout with the score at 14-3. “What’s going on out there! None of you

have any room to pointing fingers at each other because none of you are stepping up or work together as a team. We have to go out and change something,” she said.As the Mustangs hustled back on to the

court, the red team cheered them on from the stands. Socorro Rodriguez came back

with everything she had, and it seemed like the turning point of the game because she served four consecutive aces. This caused the girls on the red team to

shout, “Awwww ACE!” and “What’s up, what’s up, back that ace up!” But as the nerve-racking first set came to an end, the Lady Mustangs fell apart and Aguirre won with a score of 14-25. To start off the 2nd set the Mustangs had

the 1st serve and served out of bounds giving Aguirre a point. Aguirre‘s #9 again served five consecutive aces leaving the Mustangs in an 0-6 hole. At this point in the game the ladies were not calling for the ball, moving their feet and not so much as even making an effort. When the next ball was served, they finally decided to give the Bulldogs a little surprise by starting up a rally. Both teams were trying to set up the front row players so they could attack [hit] the ball. After several consistent rallies, the Lady Mustangs worked to pull through to try to win the nail-biting set.Now Aguirre got the ball and #9 served

twice and the Mustangs seemed to be mesmerized by the serve and didn’t move, communicate, or anything they just stood there. Aguirre’s star server served one last time for the 2nd set and aced the serve, leaving our Lady Mustangs to fall short once again with a score of 11-25. While in the team circle deciding what to

do for the third set, Coach Du Plaga sug-gested calmly,“Our faults did not help us at all out there and they never will in any game, but you still have three options: give up and go home, go out there and let them sweep us in all three sets, or go out there and win this last one. What do you want to do?” “Play!” all the girls screamed. “Well, let’s

do the thing we should’ve done the first two sets,” said Du Plaga. As the Lady Mus-tangs got back on the court they seemed to lose their momentum again and lost the 3rd set with a score of 10-15, allowing the new school to sweep them in all three sets. Poor play and bad communication

caused their record to go from 1 win and 2 losses to 1 and 3. Despite the loss, the ladies still kept a little spark of hope in themselves for next week.

by TAALIYAH PORCHIA

NORTH SHOREVOLLEYBALL SCOREBOARD

7th grade A team vs. Crosby 12-25, 25-19, 11-15 Lvs. Null 25-18, 28-8,10-15 Wvs. Aguirre 12-25, 26-24,15-5 Wvs. C.E. King 14-25, 21-25,15-4 Lvs. AJMS 14-25, 21-25,15-4 W@ Galena Park tourny -vs. GPMS 14-25, 21-25,15-4 LThursday 10/25: at home against Woodland AcresThursday 11/1: at NSSHS against Cunningham

7th grade B team vs. Crosby 25-21,19-25, 10-15 Wvs. Null 25-14, 26-24,15-5 Wvs. Aguirre 23-25, 12-25,15-5 Wvs. C.E. King 25-25, 21-25,15-4 Lvs. AJMS 25-23, 25-22,15-11 W@ WAMS tourny - vs. GPMS 14-25, 21-25,15-4 LThursday 10/25: at home against Woodland AcresThursday 11/1: at NSSHS against Cunningham

8th grade A team vs. Crosby 13-25, 15-25, 13-15 Lvs. Null 20-25, 25-23,10-15 Lvs. Aguirre 25-22, 25-21,15-2 Wvs. C.E. King 25-6, 19-25,15-9 Wvs. AJMS 9-25, 21-25,15-4 W@ Cunningham tourny Cons.vs. GPMS 14-25, 20-25,15-2 LThursday 10/25: at WAMS against Woodland AcresThursday 11/1: at NSSHS against Cunningham

8th grade B team vs. Crosby 8-25, 25-10,15-12 Lvs. Null 25-19, 26-24,15-5 Wvs. Aguirre 14-25, 11-25,10-5 Lvs. C.E. King 18-25, 17-25,15-10 Lvs. AJMS 22-25, 16-25,13-15 L@ North Shore tourny Cons.vs. GPMS 14-25, 21-25,15-4 LThursday 10/25: at WAMS against Woodland AcresThursday 11/1: at NSSHS against Cunningham

Eighth grade B teamer, Cheynee Williams serves the ball to the Anthony Agurrie Bull-dogs on September 27, in the girls’ gym. The ladies fought hard but came up short to the Bulldogs.

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He’ll be leaving

Eighth grade student athlete works hard to pursue a dream

ON A JET PLANEby LEAH MAXWELL

Everyone always notices the tall people, right? Well, this 13-year-old 8th grader is not the one who gets the most atten-tion, but there’s only one reason why…he’s shorter than the average person.For those of you who don’t know Nic

Esparza, let me start by stating that his full name is Christopher Nicolas Esparza, and you can find him on the football field playing as a wide receiver or a cornerback wearing jersey #2.“I like football the best because it is fun

to watch and play, and it’s great exercise,” said Nic. Nic also has a good relationship with the coaches.“I think Nic is an outstanding athlete

and a great student and it is a pleasure to have him on the team,” said Coach Davis. Features like dedication, commitment, and devotion could help the team win against Cunningham this year, but what makes this year different from last year?“To win against Cunningham this year,

we’re going to work hard all season long and execute offensively and defensively. We are also working on plays to per-fect them and running everyday to build stamina. I think we have a good chance of winning this year because we’re not only physically prepared, but we’re also mentally prepared,” said Nic. He not only uses this winning attitude on the field, but he also applies that energy to the classroom, making him known as a great student.“Nic is lots of fun, and I enjoy being

around him because he is a bright kid,

and he’s very smart and respectful,” said Coach Banks. Nic is in all Pre-AP classes and also in a college prep class, also known as AVID. He’s also a very outgoing person.“He leaves a positive impact on

people and makes a great role model to other kids,” said 8th grader Jaccard Nelson.“He doesn’t get into any drama with

anybody and he doesn’t gossip, he’s just very funny,” said 8th grader Adrianna Ware. Those qualities should take him far in a career such as a jet pilot, which is exactly what he wants to be when he grows up.“I want to go to the Air Force Academy

and become a pilot because I want to serve the U.S. and do what brave things many soldiers do,” said Nic. His great-uncle was a pilot and he’s Nic’s inspira-tion for becoming a pilot.“My great-uncle is my inspiration for

becoming a jet pilot because he has always been there for me when I needed him and I want to follow in his footsteps,” said Nic. He is already on the right track to pursuing this dream. As hard-working student and an active athlete, Nic is making himself known as a responsible person which is very important when it comes to having a dream you want to pursue, especially when teachers com-plement you.On the path that Nic is on, he’ll be

leaving this school with something every teacher and peer will remember…the knowledge and athleticism of a North Shore Mustang.

DIFFERENT is just a word

by CRYSTAL ORTEZYou know those

people who are afraid to show their true self? Socorro Rodriguez, a 13-year-old here, is not one of those people; she is her own person, a lead-er making herself stand out from the usual crowds. Those who don’t know Socorro

Rodriguez, her name is pronounced SUH-COR-ROW, and you can find her on the back row of the volleyball court during a game doing her best to win.“I like volleyball because it’s a good

source of exercise and I get distracted from other things,” said Socorro. How is her passion for volleyball going to help her and the team defeat Cunning-ham this year?“I think calling for the ball, moving

more, and doing our serves right will help us be successful this year,” she explained. Socorro is a student athlete which means, she doesn’t just focus on volleyball, but also on her school work. Socorro maintains A’s and B’s in all her classes by studying and working hard.“I think Pre-AP classes are stress-

ful and hard work” said Socorro. Even though she thinks that Pre-AP classes are stressful, she keeps up with her work by doing her homework first and staying for tutorials if necessary. Socorro might look like everybody else but she’s not. What makes Socorro a different type of person beside a volleyball player, is that she likes to dance.“I like to dance because I like to

move to the beat of the music,” she said. Socorro works hard, keeps her grades up and does the best she can do to be a good athlete.“She is a good listener, she is a mo-

tivator, she makes sure that she does things right, and she’s not here just to be with her friends, she’s here to become a better athlete,” said Coach Du Plaga, her eighth grade volleyball coach.This determined eighth grader

shows commitment and a good work ethic, which is exactly what a North Shore Mustang student athlete should have to succeed.

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Please recycle this newspa-per by either passing it off to another student so they may enjoy reading it or put it in a classroom recycling box.Thank you!

Help protect your environment!


Mustang defense shuts down StallionsLast quarter touchdown ensures a tough winby LEONARDO REYES

Seventh grader Nicholas Petry leaps forward to gain yards after get-ting tackled by a Null defender during a home game versus the Stal-lions. Players are taught to break tackles in order to gain yardage for first down so they can keep possession of the football.

On September 24, the 7th grade white football team battled it out against the Null Stallions in their second game of the sea-son. Their first game was against Crosby’s B-team which resulted in a tie, 40-40. Last year, the game against Null resulted in a loss, 20-0.The game began when the Mustangs

kicked-off and the Stallion’s kick returner ran up ten yards. The Stallions played three downs but failed to convert so they had to punt. Nicholas Petrey returned the punt for 40 yards to the 21 yard-line to start off the offense. At the 21-yard line, Brett LeBlanc made a 20-yard run to the 1-yard line for another first down. On the first down, Mustangs ran and lost two yards. The crowd went wild when Brett LeBlanc made a 3-yard run to the end zone for a touch-down. The Mustangs then kicked off to the Stallions. The Stallions began their series where Nicholas Petrey stripped the ball from the quarterback for the fumble which he recov-ered at the 46-yard line. After the next play, the first quarter ended with a score of 6-0. The second

quarter began for the Mustangs at the 53-yard line with a first down where a 13-yard run was made by Cameron Zahopalis for a first down. After the run, #32 made a 23-yard dash to the 6-yard line. Petrey made a 5-yard run to the one-yard line. After the

loss, Robbie Mullins hiked the ball and tossed it to the running back who was tackled and fumbled the ball, the Stallions recov-ered. After the fumble Null couldn’t convert and the score was still 6-0.The third quarter began

when Null kicked off to Cecil Henry, who returned the ball 20 yards. After the run, the Mustangs failed to convert and the ball was turned over. The Stallions ran the ball and Simione Mckinzey made the first big hit of the day. On second down, Cecil Henry and De-rian Buckner blazed through the opposing offensive line to sack the quarterback and after the sack, Coach Killough yelled, “Keep up

the pressure!” to the Mustang defense . The third quarter ended with neither team scoring since the first quarter.The fourth quarter began

when Brett LeBlanc made a 60-yard run for a touchdown

and after the touchdown, Petrey scored the two point conversion for a lead of 13-0. The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth in possession but after a penalty in the remaining minutes, the game ended with a score of 13-0 and a victory for the

Mustangs.During this game, there were some

close plays where the Stallions could have scored but were stopped, and the offense showed team effort by making big plays throughout the game. Coach Johnson said, “I want the team to play physi-cal, fundamental, and sound football.” The Mustangs’ defense continued their dominance in the next two weeks as they shut out Aguirre and only allowed 2 points against C.E. King.

Seventh grader Joshua Stullivan bursts through for a large gain after a good block by his teammate Bret Leblanc during their game versus the Null Stallions. The Mustangs went on to shut out Null and win the game.

Coach Johnson holds up a clipboard showing defensive formations so the entire defense can see what he’s talking about. Coaches con-stantly go over formations so players can improve their moves and make the blocks needed to win the game.

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- Coach Johnson,8th grade football coach

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FRANKENWEENIE PGSpellbinder brings out laughs and emotions...and it’s basically about a resurrected dog

The black and white stop-motion anima-tion film “Frankenweenie,” an 80-minute long movie, was released September 20, and is about a boy named Victor, a lonely boy whose only friend is his dog Sparky. Stop-motion animation means the direc-tors set and move their clay people frame by frame through the entire movie to cre-ate movement.The movie is basically about the heart

break of a boy named Victor and his deceased dog, Sparky. Victor loved his dog so much that he rejuvenated Sparky. Victor’s adventure begins at a baseball game, when he hits a homerun. Sparky chases the ball into the middle of the road, where he met his fate to a moving car. The next day in school Victor learned that electricity can make dead animals move. Victor wanted to do the same with Sparky. His plan succeeded and Sparky was

brought back to life. The next day while Victor was in school, Sparky ran out and was spotted by a boy named Edgar. When Victor came home he saw Edgar waiting. Victor was forced to show him how Sparky had returned.I liked the movie a lot because I can

easily relate to Victor and his dog because I have a dog and lots of other people have dogs who are treated like family. They don’t want to lose their pet.But this wasn’t Tim Burton’s first movie

about a dog that comes back to life. His first Frankenweenie movie dates back to December 14, 1984. Back in 1984, Fran-kenweenie was a new movie, the differ-ence being that in this movie, it only ran for 30 minutes and it was not stop-motion animation, just a regular black and white movie with real people and dogs.The two movies have the plot in com-

mon but some of the details and charac-ters are very different, like when the less important characters get more involved in the second movie than in the first, and how some characters do different things for example, in the 2012 version, Edgar spotted Sparky on the streets alive after he was already dead, when in the 1984 version, Victor’s parents are the ones who found out Sparky was alive again.

by ALENY GUAJARDO I personally rate the movie 3 out of 4 stars because it was in black and white which I very much dislike, but anyone with a dog or animal at home that is a part of your family makes me like the movie a lot,

would you do the same to your beloved pet? The reason Burton made this version of the movie black and white was to stick with his past movies that help show the history of the film and plot.

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ReviewedMusic, movies, books and more...

The TRUTH About LOVEP!NKPop/Rock

by CRISTAL GARCIA

Pink’s new album, The Truth About Love, has 13 songs and came out on September 18. Since 2000, she has released 6 albums with the label RCA. You can download the album on iTunes for $10.99. This is Pink’s first album since her daughter, Willow Sage, was born in 2011. Pink’s songs are mostly

about love like “True Love”. She sings about a person she hates so much, but at the same time she doesn’t want that person out of her life. I like when Pink repeats “It might be true love”.In my opinion, the saddest

song in the album is “The Great Escape”. Pink doesn’t want to lose this person. She probably lost a very special person and says she is not going to forget that person. I like how she changed her style of singing in this song. Her songs are usually danceable, but this one is different. It’s slow instead of loud and fast.She sang “Blow Me (One Last

Kiss)” at the VMA’s, and I think it was awesome because the per-formance had dancers with big kisses as costumes. I like the way she sounds in this song.The song I loved the most

is called “Here Comes the Weekend”. I like it because it explains how I feel on Fridays.I give the album 3 and a half

out of 4 stars because it’s not perfect, but I do really like it. It has more songs that I like than songs that I don’t like. Overall, I think the album is good be-cause of the songs it has in it. You can download or preview the album on iTunes.

AWESOME VERY GOOD GOOD TRASHCruelSummerKanye WestHip Hop

by ENRIQUE GONZALEZ

Hip Hop star Kanye West has recently released a compilation titled “Cruel Summer”. It was released on Sept. 18 and costs $8.99. This new CD is a compi-lation of Kanye’s previous songs, has 12 tracks, and is produced by the members GOOD mu-sic (Getting Out Our Dreams) through the label Def-Jam.His song “Clique” really does

not appeal to me. I didn’t like the song because West repeats the word ‘clique’ about a mil-lion times, also the beginning of the song gives me goose-bumps because West auto-tones his voice which makes it sound like a broken robot.Another song I listened to,

titled “Mercy” was a very good song. At the end of the song, the beat changes from slow to a techno-type beat which is really catchy. The third track that I listened

to is called “Cold”. This song was excruciatingly repetitive. During the climax of the song, DJ Khalid raps about locations and stays on the same mo-notonous tone. The tone also completely kills the climax and leaves the song in a bad place.His final song, “To the

World” is actually a decent song it has an excellent beat and features the singer R Kelly who, in an alto-voice, sings a perfect verse that leaves the song with a mellow and peaceful ending. Overall, I think that this compilation was a very good one I give it three and a half stars. Kanye’s album can be downloaded on iTunes, and can also be purchased at Wal-Mart.

KISS

Carly RaePop/Rock

by ALENY GUAJARDO

On September 18, Carly Rae Jepsen released her second al-bum, “Kiss”, which costs $13.99 and includes sixteen songs.Although most of Jepsen’s

songs are about happiness and her crushes, she does have another side, the example be-ing her song “Curiosity”. In this song, Carly Rae wants to break up with her boyfriend but won’t because she is curious as to what her boyfriend will do to with their relationship. Some girls can relate to this with a boyfriend that you love but won’t let him go for whatever reason.Another example is, “Almost

Said It”, which is about Carly Rae having a crush but won’t admit it and she constantly ‘al-most said it’ or accidently told him. A lot of girls can relate to this song with an ex-boyfriend that they want to get back to but won’t say it.Jepsen has two feature

songs including “Owl City” and “Good Time” and Justin Bieber is featured in, “Beautiful”. The song “Good Time” is about a how friends can have such a great time with each other…typical for teenagers. “Beauti-ful” is about Carly Rae and Justin Bieber singing about how they are so beautiful in their own special ways.Jepsen’s album is a great al-

bum because of it has a variety of catchy tunes and songs you can dance to. I rate it 3½ out of 4 stars mainly because her songs are extremely easy to connect to and they have such an awesome beat. To check out more of her songs go to iTunes.com.

WildOnesFlo-RidaRap/Hip hop

by MARTIN BATREZ

Back in July, Flo Rida released “Wild Ones” with the label Atlantic. Out of 11 tracks, most of the songs in the album are 4 to 5 minutes long and is now on Amazon for only $6.99.“Good Feeling” is a good

song that I listened to the most because it’s one of the songs I can relate to when I am feeling sad or down. Most people say that this is their fa-vorite song out of all the oth-ers that Flo Rida had come up with or he wrote because it has a good beat and it’s catchy.Another song in the album

is “Wild Ones”, which I really can’t understand because both Flo Rida and T. Pain make the song so confusing by singing/rapping really fast. This is a certainly song that I like be-cause the speed of the lyrics. Also this song could possibly be talking about a situation that may be getting out of control or how something be-ing destroyed. One of the other songs that

was on the CD was “Thinking of You”. This song is clearly talking about someone think-ing of somebody else. Some of the other tracks feature artists like Sia, Jennifer Lopez, and Redfoo. Another track I listened to is

“Let It Roll”, which I really like because it has a special beat to it like all the other songs that I enjoyed. I’d give this al-bum four stars because I really liked it and think that others will too.

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Organic shapes help teach students about elements of art

Seventh graders Tamera Wash-ington and Amyre Ellias, finish an art project about organic shapes in Ms.Bey’s eighth period class. Organic shapes are the opposite of geometric shapes because an organic shape has curves and geometric shapes don’t.

(Right) Two of Ms. Bey’s art stu-dents put detail on their paint-ings to make it stand out from the rest. once the art students are done they will hang their finished products on the wall.

(Right) Eighth grader Alexis DeLuna admires her hard work while hanging her piece of art work on the wall in D hallway for display. Students take pride in their work after learning about new art con-cepts.

Eighth graders Jennifer Perez and Alexis DeLuna are putting their finishing touches on their piece of artwork.

(Left) Ms. Bey takes time to explain organic shapes to eighth grader Bianca Molina during the eighth period rap time. Ms. Bey distinguishes the difference between or-ganic and geometric shapes in a fun way.

by MELANIE GOMEZ

Eighth grader Marcus Rogers uses a steady hand to finish his paint-ing of organic shapes. An organic shape is one of the seven ele-ments of art.


Night of hard work ensures solid performance for Regionby ENRIQUE GONZALEZ

Every year, the two top bands, Sym-phonic Band and Wind Ensemble, gather at the school in the month of October to work on their music for region band audi-tions. For all band students, it’s a great experience and also great practice, and it’s known as Midnight Madness. On October 5, students arrived in large

numbers at 6:00 pm here to continue their practice. Everybody was called down to different rooms because they play different music. As students were slowly called to their room numbers to warm-up, the flute players walked to one room to start the process of learning new music. Mrs. Tao, the director for the flutes, pulled out her instrument and got to work on teaching her students the material for region band auditions. Whenever they played a note incorrectly, she pointed it out and made them fix it on their own.Afterwards, I went to the clarinet room

where Mrs. Wilson, the instructor for the

clarinets, cheerfully welcomed me to her room. The teacher slowly and patiently helped her students with the notes pre-sented in their music and showed them what note to play and how to play it. Mrs. Wilson was very patient with the students that kept on incorrectly playing the given notes. Then, I went to the stage were the French horns were practicing their music. Several of the students were beautifully playing music and demonstrating to their teacher that they already knew how to play parts of the music. After about an hour, teachers were told to release their students for the first break. Students were then provided pizza and

drinks. After everybody was done eat-ing and relaxing, several students started playing “ninja”, which is a fast- paced game where you are supposed to try to slap your opponent’s hands, and whoever gets their hands slapped first is the loser of the game. After about thirty minutes, students were called back to their rooms to continue working on their music.

Band students practice music during

MIDNIGHT MADNESSThis process went on for about two

hours, and then students were called to the gym for another break. The students played basketball and volleyball for about an hour and thirty minutes then were called back to continue with practice.At 11:00 pm, everybody picked up their

music stands and proceeded to the caf-eteria to show off what they learned.“This year, Midnight Madness was bet-

ter [than last year] because there was a lot more stuff to do and I got to meet a lot [of] new people,” said eighth grader Alejandra Salinas. After everyone was setup, several

students performed their music flawlessly, while Mrs. Killough, the band director of Wind Ensemble and Philharmonic, listened to the students with pride. “I learned a lot of things this year...I think I play[ed] bet-ter this year then last year,” said seventh grader Ryan Price.“Midnight Madness was a great

experience for all of our students. We hired 10 teachers to come in and teach region music, the students all learned a lot, but they also had fun in the pro-cess” said Mrs. Killough. Several of the eighth grade students were sad because Midnight Madness was over, while the seventh graders were overjoyed because they would go to Midnight Madness next year.

Coming Up...

December 12, 2012, is fast approach-ing...will the prophecies of the Mayans come true? Will there be some sort of global apocalypse or will life go on as normal?

Dec. 12, 2012-Fact or Fiction?

December2012

After four years, the Twilight series comes to a close with Breaking Dawn Part 2. We’ll revisit the series and review the latest installment featuring Edward, Jacob, the Volturi, the new Bella and Renesmee.

The annual Blackout Pep Rally is al-ways a main event prior to playing our rival, the Cunningham Wildcats. We’ll also cover the volleyball and football games.

Homework is a part of school. Some students do it and do it well...while oth-ers don’t bother and grades drop. Why do we have homework and why are some students choosing to not do it?

Love zombies? Look for the review of the 3rd season of AMC’s The Walking Dead. Who’s new and who’s dead...walking dead that is!

Blackout the Wildcats! Homework - Do it or Don’t

The Walking DeadBreaking Dawn, Part 2

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Ranking our most famousMOVIE MONSTERS

Reagan from The Exorcist (1973) is a young girl who was possessed by a demon. This movie is sure to scare as her head spins around and she walks upside-

down down a staircase! Her mother has to ask two priests to help her.

1. REAGAN

Pennywise from IT (1990) is an evil demon-possessed clown that drags kids down into the sewers and eats them. The book, by Stephen King, is much better than the movie

that features the clown who feeds on your fears. As he says, “We all float down here!”

2. PENNYWISE THE CLOWN

Chucky from Child’s Play (1988) is a doll who is pos-sessed by the soul of a serial killer. This movie is full of one-liners and refer-ences to other famous horror

movies. It’ll make you think twice about buying that next toy doll.

4. CHUCKY

Freddy from A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) is a psy-chopath who has a razor-bladed glove and stalks his victims in their dreams. He was a killer of children in the

real world before the parents of the children he killed burned him alive. “One, two, Freddy’s coming for you”.

3. FREDDY KRUEGER

Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Mas-sacre (1974) is a member of a cannibalistic family that ter-rorizes a group of friends who stumble upon their home. The

last ten minutes of the film will defi-nitely surprise you.

5. LEATHERFACEJason from Friday the 13th (1980) is a little boy who drowned in Crystal Lake. He resurfaces many years later to stalk the current camp-goers and counselors. This

one is considered one of the best in horror classics.

8. JASON VOORHEES

Michael from Halloween (1978) is a psy-chotic murderer who is sent to an asylum after he stabbed his sister. After 15 years, he breaks out and terror-izes his town

during Halloween. No one will forget the creepy music either. A true classic slasher film that launched a series that has spanned more than 20 years.

7. MICHAEL MYERS

Vampires star in several movies. If you want to see the one that started it all, you have to watch Nosferatu. If you want something a little more modern, watch Dracula (1992).

Of course, they wouldn’t be around if Bram Stoker hadn’t written the book back in 1897.

10. VAMPIRES

Werewolves star in many movies aslo. If you want to see the one that started it all, you have to watch The Wolf Man (1941). If you want some-thing a little more modern, watch

the 2010 version, The Wolf Man. If you want a more vicious take on them, watch Underworld (2003), where they battle vampires.

9. WEREWOLVES

Just in time for Halloween, the ‘Stang Express staff has compiled their list of the most famous movie monsters. Of course, the list varies by person and ac-cording to what a ‘monster’ is but at least they can all provide a scream or two. So whether you’re petrified of evil clowns, transfixed by demonic possession, love watching zombies gorge on your friends, or just love the classics, enjoy and scream away!

Pinhead from Hellraiser (1987) is a frightful de-mon unleashed on Earth after a puzzle-box is solved. He and his gruesome followers want to drag you back to hell and put you

to torture. “No tears please, it’s just a waste of good suffering,” he says.

6. PINHEAD

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October 2012 'Stang Express