Stangthe

October 2015 Houston Christian High School 2700 W Sam Houston Pkwy N Houston, Texas 77043 Volume 14 Edition 1

In the News

Homecoming’s arrival brings cheer-filled weekTiz’ the Season for Homecoming!

FINE ARTS/ SPIRITUAL LIFE

SCHOOL/ COMMUNITY FEATURE

EDITORIAL

SPORTS

10-11-- Read the sports page to learn about the different fall sports, the ultimate frisbee club, and the story of senior Phillip Haynes.

2-3-- Grandparents day, tragedies in the U.S., and an alumni article from Bailey Fritcher can be found here.

8-9-- For some personal opinions, check out the editorial page to read everything from Fashion tips to tweets from HC students!

12-- On the entertainment page, learn all about the best new music, TV shows, and Movies in the theaters.

6-7-- Check out this month’s feature page to see everything thats new about HC. You won’t want to miss it!

4-5-- D-groups are off to a great start, while the new Fall Show promises fun for all who see it. Read more about it on pages 4 and 5.

ENTERTAINMENT

# byAllison Brock, Stang Staff

King and Queen Emily Kaestner and Neil Kerrigan cel-ebrate being named 2015 Homecoming King and Queen. Emily and Neil are also Senior Student Body Chaplains.

The week of Homecoming was an exciting one for the students and faculty! The week began with Maui Monday when students arrived in their full Hawaiian attire. There were leis, sandals, tourist shirts, sunglasses, etc. and it was quite the scene. One of the most participated themes of the week was 281er Tuesday. Snapbacks, cargos, popped-collared shirts were seen up and down the halls. The middle of the week was marked with Woodstock Wednesday. Wednesday saw the most faculty participation that happened throughout the week. Lots of tie-dye shirts and headbands. Preppy Thursday was a fun day that included Chubbies, button down shirts, Vineyard Vines, and Southern Tide as all the rave! Lastly, Friday was Blackout for the freshman, sophomores, and juniors, however the senior class dressed in all white. The Pep-Rally was on a whole different level with the blackout theme. There was face paint, glow sticks, black lights, balloons, and glow in the dark outfits, all illuminating brightly in the dark gym. The seniors stole the show when they upstaged the underclassmen with their commendable amount of school spirit and the seniors unquestionably obtained the spirit award. Friday night the football boys played a vigorous fight against Episcopal School of Dallas. Episcopal’s 38-man lineup was a tough opponent against HC’s 32-man lineup. Even though the game was not a victory for the Stangs, it was still a close game with a final score of 17-35.

There was tons of support for the boys though, more students than usual and plenty of proud, supporting alumni, family members, and staff members. At half time of the football team, the Dukes and Duchesses, and Princes and Princesses of each grade level took their place on the field.The 9th grade Duke was Colby Cameron, and the Duchess was Hannah Bates. In the 10th grade, Austin Gallagher and Jenny Obeid were selected as the Duke and Duchess, and Cooper Budd and Rachel Barnes were selected for the 11th grade. The moment of beauty occured when Emily Kaestner and Neil Kerrigan were crowned the 2015 Homecoming Queen and King. The doors for the dance opened at 8 o’clock sharp on Saturday night in the McNair Gym. Students gathered in formal attire to dance, snack, and have a good time. Junior, Bryce Arvin’s brother, was the DJ of the night playing all the hits of today, including HC’s own, Tre Buggs’ single, Clap Dat. It was a fun-filled week, thanks to the great organization of the Student Council. Without the tremendous and outstanding work of Stuco, Mrs. Metoyer, and Dean Utakrit, the night would not have been possible or as enjoyable as it was for everyone. Homecoming was one to remember and even though it is over, next year’s will be here in no time and will hopefully be just as fun.

Homecoming Court Emily Kaestner, Courtney King, Caroline Angell, and Caitlin Clarke await to see who will be named Homecoming Queen. These students are all very involved at the school.

The Voice of the Mustangs Houston Christian honors Larry Orlando at halftime. Mr. Orlando was the football announcer and passed away in 2015. He was the Voice of the Mustangs for over 30 years.

Living Water Success HC’s Living Water team presents a check showing the amount raised over the past month through the Mums for Water pro-gram. They were able to raise over $4000 dollars for a well in Nicaragua.

Seniors choose favorite lunch spotsWhataburger and Chipotle top the list

Students connect with older generations

# by Gracie Bailliet, Stang Staff

Grandparents in Chapel: Grandparents and students attend a wonderful chapel service by Mr. Swiggart. The student-led band helped the audience wor-ship as they performed several old and new styles of music.

School NewsOctober 20152

Grandparents make connections

# by Hope Cobbler

This year’s annual Grandparent’s day created an enjoyable environment for our HC students to really connect with their grandparents. The event included Mr. Swiggart with a touching message, a jaw dropping interpretive dance by the Doxa dancers, our own hardworking student worship team and a delectable lunch. Many people greatly appreciated the opportunity to connect with their grandparents and learn from them. Mr. Swiggart’s son, Preston, showed his greatfulness for the event by stating, “Grandparents day was a great experience because I got to show my grandparents how much I love and respect them.” The Doxa dancers tirelessly worked to perfect their performance to entertain our grandparents and students, which paid off in full. One of the dancers, Camila Arana expressed, “I loved having the opportunity to perform with my fellow Doxa dancers for our grandparents and to glorify God.” During this occasion, students had the chance to show their grandparents around campus as well. Sophomore, Sam Shapiro, stated, “The look on the faces of my grandparents as they saw our beautiful campus was priceless and will stick with me for years.”Our student worship team did a n amazing job creating a comfortable worship environment for our grandparents. Overall, Grandparent’s day was a huge success, and many people look forward to attending it again next year.

OffCampusLunchPoll

Zoë'sKitchen

Salata

SenorBurritoChipotle

Canes

Whataburger

Zoë's Kitchen Salata Senor Burrito Chipotle Canes

Whataburgermeta-chart.com

The seniors seem to agree that Chipotle is the hot spot of the new year for off campus lunch. However ou choose to create that awesome burrito will be your choice, and Chipotle will be glad you did. Whataburger is close behind in the ranking, however. The healthier choice is Salata. Senor Burrito precedes Salata. Zoe’s Kitchen is the next class favorite, followed by Canes. Seniors have enjoyed off campus lunch privileges for many years and will continue to provide business to all these favorites. Just another reason to look forward to becoming a senior.

Former Stang Editor remembers how good it was8 Things College makes you miss# by Bailey Fritcher, Former Stang Editor

Moving on to college can be stressful, eciting, scary, and evem fun. There are many new responsibilities to take on, and many new experiences to be apart of. But, not-salgia is a real thing and college causes it for many. High school had its highs

and lows, and msot of us were ready to get out of the placesthat were persail jail for four years. But, for many others, high school rests as a memorable place with which we found our best friends, our favorite memories, our classic places to eat, and the place where we made a name for ourselves. Yes, college is what it has cracked up to be and a great way for a fresh start and to make new friends. But, high school will always be a written “apex” of our lives that we will carry on forever. 1) Three solid meals a day. College has become a 24-hour nonstop ride of school work, studying, social activities, and sleep. There is no room in between to eat, no matter how great the 500 restaurants of College Station are. 2) The friendships that you constantly had. College is a rollercoaster of friends with big-ger classes, bigger buses, and longer traffic lines. It can become hard to hang out with the same people because of the crazy schedules and differ-ent classes. It can make you miss your high school friends even more than you already do. 3)Shorter schedules. Yes, high school brought eight hours of school, and countless activities after. But in college you could have an 8 a.m., a nine-hour break, and then late-night classes with no time to do the 500 things you need to do in between. Thank you, college, for making high school seem like there was a lot of time. 4) The homework load. This one speaks for itself. I miss you high school “studying.”

5) Knowing your teachers. College has great instructors and professors who also have to manage X amount of students every day and week. You can no longer joke around with your fun teachers or text them when you have a ques-tion. 6) Knowing where you are. Yes, walking is great exercise, and I am thankful for the addi-tion to my Fitbit steps. But, the stress of trying to find your classes in a short amount of time from hopping off the bus can become very stressful. College makes you think that your “big campus” was not so big after all. I miss high school cam-puses. 7) Passing your classes. High school was not hard in comparison to college. I miss the completion grades and the extra credit and the many study hours that I once had. Now it is do or die, and if you do not—you will most definitely fail. 8) Having a car. This does not apply to everyone, but the ease of being able to jump in your car and drive wherever whenever is going to be missed. Here it is buses, bikes, and boring walks.High school has changed forever for us, and we will never return as a student there again. Al-though college has its upsides, these are a few cru-cial things that will be missed from high school. It is hard to move on to new things and especially when you once had luxuries such as always hav-ing a car, or knowing your teachers. Hopefully, in this crazy world we will look back on college and be thankful for it too when we are adults.

Reprinted with permission from The Odyssey Online and Bailey Fritcher.

Link to original article: http://theodysseyonline.com/texas-am/8-things-college-makes-you-miss-about-high-school/158333

Armed attacks are giving less protection to the ones who protect us

People attack our Boys in Blue

Tragedy at Houston Gas Station: Concerned citizens pay their respects at the site of the murder of police deputy, Darren H. Goforth. This is not the first attack against police in the Houston area.

The Stang Community News 3

# by Spencer Osato, Stang Staff As of September 2015, Donald Trump is dominating the polls for the 2016 Republican Presidential Nomination with a 23.4% lead. Ben Carson is following Trump, but only with a leading percentage of 17.0%. However, the media is most attracted to the Democratic vs. Republican general population vote. Hillary Clinton holds the lead against Trump with 46.3% against his 43.6%.

Many polls say “Clinton is likely to win the 2016 Presidential Election because she would be the first female president in office”. Clinton was clear in her campaign message when she said, “It’s time for a woman president.” Naturally, Clinton holds the votes for the majority of women. Also, the media is ready to give the male-holding position over to a woman. The Daily Beast says, “The media is ready to crown a queen.” According to The Daily Beast, another thing working for Clinton is the fact that the Republican party is completely unorganized and is ultimately pretty weak. Lastly, she’s likely to win, according to the media, because she is unstoppable. Everyone else is simply too weak to prevent her from taking the position.

The biggest concern for the Republican party is the fact that Donald Trump is leading the race. The Republican party worries that Trump’s open-minded and offensive comments toward immigrants will hurt the party when it comes to the Hispanic votes. Trump “is a master manipulator of the media” according to many people who are worried for the future of this country.

Ashley Zelaya says, “I think Trump running for president is more entertaining than it is authentic.” However, plenty of people do believe Trump would make a good president since he is very open-minded about his beliefs. Furthermore, he was unaware when asked about the United States foreign policy. He was not aware of who the leading terrorists in the world are. Voters believe Trump needs to work on toning down his verbosity when addressing issues in which he may have a different opinion. Trump also needs to touch on his entrepreneurial successes that have put him where he is today. Lastly, Trump needs to show how he plans to succeed over Hillary Clinton and why he believes he should hold the position over her. He does not seem willing to do this though. It is unclear whether or not Trump really will win the election for President, but if he does, Americans have said they would be very worried for the future of the country.

In other news, Kanye West announced at the MTV Video Music Awards his plans of running for the 2020 Presidential Election. There is confusion as to whether Mr. West is being serious or not with this announcement. However, a campaign video was released detailing his plans for the future. This is another idea which worries the American people for the future of the United States. Taylor Buchanan says, “I’m worried the position of President might turn into a joke.”

Presidential hopefuls weigh inThe controversial elections for our future president

According to modern day news and media, the world is full of crime and destruction. America primarily relies on local police forces in cities and towns to fight crime. Many people believe being a police officer is a great honor, and are thankful for what they do for their country. However, not everyone believes this to be true. Recently, many officers have been murdered all over America. There are many explanations for this, but the most common is that a lot of people believe cops are racially biased towards the black community. The news media has focused on the deaths of several African Americans during arrest attempts or while in police custody. The result has been increased hostility across the US towards law enforcement, leading to attacks on police officers and many police officers feel they are under siege. One of the most recent and noteworthy events was the death of Harris County Deputy Darren H. Goforth. Goforth, a 47-year-old father of two, was shot 15 times by African American assailant, Shannon J. Miles, near Houston, TX, on August 28, 2015. The shooting occurred while Deputy Goforth was pumping gas into his patrol car.

Another event occurred last month in Birmingham, Alabama, when a police officer was pistol whipped until he was unconscious because he hesitated to use force. He did not want to be accused of attacking an unarmed man. Nobody quite knows the reason for these events, but the string of police officer attacks suggests the reason is both men in Alabama and Texas were targeted because they were cops. Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson told CNN this is an “open warfare on law enforcement.” Police are working to not only protect the people, but also themselves. Due to these events, police officers feel troubled by attacks. The distrust some people feel towards the police has led many to cause racial rhetoric. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Senator Ted Cruz believe the White House is to blame for what they say is “a rise in anti-police rhetoric” (CNN). This statement could explain the rise in attacks on innocent policemen. President Barack Obama spoke to widow Kathleen Goforth (former wife of Deputy Darren H. Goforth) saying, “Targeting police officers is completely unacceptable -- an affront to civilized society” (CNN). These political figures believe something must be done in order to better protect the ones who protect us. As stated before, many people believe the police are racist. For example, many African American people think profiling a black person just because he or she looks suspicious is racist. However, police officers claim they would do it to anyone because they are just doing their jobs. If a cop sees someone who looks suspicious, they take action. Since some people consider this to be racist, some have started riots and protests against the police. For example, at a Minnesota state fair, people raised a banner which stated “Black Lives Matter” (CNN), and the rioters chanted, “Pigs in a blanket! Fry ‘em like bacon!” (CNN) According to Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman, “This rhetoric has gotten out of control,...Well, cops’ lives matter, too. So why don’t we just drop the qualifier, and just say ‘Lives matter,’...” (CNN)? The police believe in protecting civil rights for all people, and many of the policemen believe the accusations that they are racist is not right. The recent deaths of police officers could show that many people think they are racist villains, and may believe the police offer little to no equal rights protection. Although their jobs may spark controversy, many officers believe they are protecting the rights of the people as best as they can. One proposed solution to this problem is to have all officers wear video recording devices. All actions between the officers and those they interact with would be recorded and documented for the record. This evidence could go a long way in proving if the actions of police officers are warranted.

Tragedy in OregonHorrifc School Shooting Affects Many Families

# by Daniel Baudin Stang Staff

On October 1, the day seemed just like any other on the small campus of Umpqua Community College in Oregon. However, things would soon change. That day, a 26 year old student, who had shown no previous signs of anger towards the school or anyone there, shot 18 people on the campus, killing 9. For about 10 minutes, the killer questioned people in the classroom he had entered, asking them about their faith. Some responded that they believed in God, while others said that they didn’t. But the answer did not matter to the killer, who later committed suicide while fighting with a police officer later. Several students were able to survive, including 18-year old Lacey Scroggins and Tracey Heu, a mother of two children. They alongside several others played dead, which kept them alive long enough for the police to

save them. Although this event was horribly tragic, the people of Oregon are happy that some were able to make it out alive in such a dangerous situation. Through the midst of this terror, one man in particular showed tremendous courage. Chris Mintz, a veteran who attends the community college, came into the room to stop the shooter. He was shot 7 times, but still fought on long enough for the police to arrive. He survived the incident and helped save many others through his courageous acts. People all over America are sending their thoughts are prayers to the victims of the tragedy that occurred in Oregon, and through their support, the small college is hoping to get things running the way they used to as soon as possible.

# by Allison Brock, Stang Staff

http://rare.us/story/family-members-of-the-nine-oregon-shooting-victims-speak-out-about-the-tragedy/

Spiritual LifeOctober 20154Fall and D-Groups have arrived!

D-groups provide fun and fellowship

Fine Arts Concert set to be a big success in October

Picnics and Music The HC Fine Arts department cordially invites you to the 2015 Fall Concert, October 20, 7 PM in the HC court yard. This event will be picnic style, so bring your blankets! Refreshments will be available beginning at 6 PM. We hope to see you there!

D-Group Fun Most of the girls who participated in D-groups last year have continued to come on Monday nights again this year. The girls who were once the ones being mentored are now the mentors.

On October 20th, members of the choir, band, and orchestra will finally display the result that has come through months of hard work at the Fall Concert. Three times a year, these groups come together and perform many different songs, entertaining everyone that gathers to listen. Jadon Gaudin, a senior involved in several singing groups at HC, said “There will be a lot of great music from all of the groups here, and I think people will be surprised to see how much we have improved since last year.” Since the beginning of the year, students involved in the band, orchestra, and choir have been meeting every morning at 7:45 to work on many different pieces, from classical music to hits you hear on the radio today. Over the past few years, the Performing arts department has grown tremendously, increasing in numbers in all aspects, from theatre to choir to band

or orchestra. The department has also thought of new ideas, and this year’s fall concert will be a great example of that. In the past, the concerts have been held in the chapel at the school, but this year it will be held outside, while those watching can gather to eat food and enjoy the music. Ross Black, a senior in the chorale, said, “Being outside will provide a different feel for the people that come to listen. I think they are really going to enjoy it.” With the fall concert quickly approaching, members of the different groups are inviting everyone to see the performances. “It would be great to see a large number of students there to support us. We have worked so hard to make each piece perfect, and we can’t wait to perform them,” said Jadon. The performances from the groups should be entertaining for anyone that loves music.

# by Allison Brock, Stang Staff

# by Daniel Baudin, Editor

As of Monday, September 21, D-Groups officially kicked off! D-Groups stands for Discipleship Groups and is an excellent opportunity to be mentored by upperclassmen, faculty members, or non-faculty members from outside the walls of the school. Students can grow in their walk with God, meet new people, and join together in fellowship. Both boys and girls joined together in the chapel at 6:45 pm, where seniors, Ben Brown, Christa Green and Daniel Baudin, led worship to kick off the night. Once broken up into small groups, D-Group members were presented with the chance to meet and get to know their new leaders.

This year, the girls will be using a special app called, She Reads Truth, and the boys will be using, He Reads Truth. This app is designed to help students read the Bible and serve as their daily devotion. Non-faculty leader, Ashley Kidd, said, “This is an excellent way for y’all to keep daily conversation with the Lord.”

D-Groups is an excellent opportunity to grow in your walk with the Lord. For students not involved in a D-Group, who wish to be a part of the program, contact Chaplains, Leslie Arnold and Mike Maddry as well as, student Chaplains, Neil Kerrigan and Emily Kaestner.

On August 19th, the freshman class loaded up into buses alongside a group of junior and senior counselors and several members of the faculty. The destination? Forest Glen Camps, where for three days the freshmen were able to get to know each other better, while learning what Houston Christian High School was all about. This retreat, themed “The Amazing Race”, was packed with plenty of entertaining things for the freshmen to do , from basketball to swimming to archery. The newcomers also gathered together for times of worship and devotions from their counselors, such as student body chaplains Emily Kaestner and Neil Kerrigan. The students got to know each other really quickly by playing messy games on the very first day of camp, such as Protect

the President. In Protect the President, members of a team had to stand and protect the team’s assigned “President” as people from the other team threw different things at them. These items included barbecue sauce, beans, and chocolate syrup. “Although it took a very long time to clean up, the kids seemed to really enjoy it,” said Mr. Linhart, a faculty member that helped supervise the games.

Another great bonding experience for the freshmen class was the time they spent worshipping. This time, led by senior counselors Ross Black, Elizabeth Gaddis, and Ben Brown, helped demonstrate to the new students what worship would be like during chapel. “I felt like the worship was truly genuine,” said Ross Black, who got to see first hand just how much the students

enjoyed the time. Near the end of the trip, the freshmen teams went head to head in both athletic games and Minute to Win It games. These activities truly showed the students’ competitiveness. “The freshmen loved the Minute to Win It games; they got really intense” said Ross, who watched kids from both teams play games such as dodgeball and kickball, trying their best to get points for their team. As the students traveled back home, many left with big smiles on their faces. It seems that Camp Mustang 2015 was a great success, and it proved to be a memorable time for the freshmen, faculty, and counselors. Whether it was with friends on a basketball court or during worship, the freshmen got to know each other, Houston Christian, and Christ during the retreat.

Fall Concert promises wide variety of entertainment The Amazing Race gets started

Messy games Camp Mustang allows freshmen to make new friends while they get messy at the same time. Noah Garcia, Kirsten Cossey and Lauren Kearns play Protect the President, as they protect him from all kinds of messy food.

# by Daniel Baudin, Stang Staff

Camp Mustang introduces freshmen to everything HC

The StangFine Arts 5

e stories of The Pink Panther grew popular through cartoons and movies, but now the stories continue on stage this November through the performance of The Pink Panther Strikes Again. This comedic show, filled with slapstick, hysterical jokes, and unusual accents, will take place here at Houston Christian from November 12-14 at 7:00 PM. In the show, the audience gets to see firsthand the adventures of Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau as he tries to hunt down Paul Dreyfus, the criminal mastermind. Although he is very successful at his job, doing this is no easy task. The cast of the show,

filled with students from sophomores up to seniors, has been working on the production since before the school year even started. However, this hard work will soon pay off in the upcoming months. Making a show such as The Pink Panther Strikes Again is anything but easy. Katie Furman, a senior in the show, explained just how difficult things are, saying, “It’s definitely a lot of work. Memorizing the lines and the blocking can be difficult, but the final product turns out great.” The after school rehearsals held by Bobby Linhart, the director of the show, are very beneficial to making

the show performance ready. Another challenging aspect of the show is learning how to truly become a character. Remington Garfield, who plays Paul Dreyfus, said, “It was challenging to learn how to truly become my character. Acting crazy is harder than it looks.” However, according to Mr. Linhart, Remy has done a fantastic job in the rehearsals. Whether you know the Pink Panther stories or are new to them entirely, The Pink Panther Strikes Again will be a great show for anyone that comes to see it.HC Theaterworks Present The Pink Panther Strikes Again, beginning the weekend of No-

vember 14th. Visit the HC website to purchase tickets. Showtimes are Thursday at 7pm, Friday at 7pm and Saturday at 2:30 and 7pm.

New HC Theatreworks production coming in November

Returning to school after a long summer break can be difficult for some people. The first day back, students generally see many old friends, and meet new ones. However, there is not much time to catch up or get to know one another during the regular school day. That is why schools often have class retreats. On Monday, August 24, 2015, the sophomores and juniors went to Main Event, located in Katy, TX. According to the school, the main goal of the retreat was to allow students to create new friends and reconnect with old ones by hanging out, playing games, talking to each other, and generally having fun. Something people were able to do was to create new friendships with other students. Even though many of the students already knew each other, new transfer students might have found the first day a bit awkward, since they did not know anyone. Since one of the main points of the retreat was to meet other people, new students were able to hang out with other classmates and get to know everyone in their grade. When the new students arrived on the first day of school, they hardly knew one another, but after the retreat, they came back with new experiences, fun stories, and new friends to talk to. Although most students already knew each other, a lot of people had not seen each other in months. The retreats gave students a chance to reconnect

with old friends and catch up on each other’s lives in a fun and relaxed setting. According to junior Andrew Oldfield, “The most fun thing about the retreat was being able to reconnect with friends by playing games and hanging out with them.” The retreat gave students the ability to start school without feeling like their old friends were complete strangers. Lastly, many students thought the retreat was fun because it gave them an opportunity to go out, have fun, and ease back into school after a long summer. For some people, it can be hard to transition directly from summer to school. Most students need to be eased back in, instead of having work piled on while they still have a summer brain. The retreat gave the students a fun time outside of school to reconnect with no pressure. Junior, Brennan Neeley, stated, “I found the most fun thing about the retreat was being out of school and reconnecting with friends.” The retreat gave students a time to be with others and calm their nerves about going back to school. The retreat to Main Event was treated like the last day of summer. Everyone had fun being out of school with all their friends and making new ones. The Sophomore and Junior class retreat to Main Event was used as a fun way to re-establish old relationships and create new ones that hopefully will last a lifetime.

At the beginning of every year, the senior class goes on a retreat at Forest Glen for a couple of days. The senior retreat took place at Forest Glen from August 21 through August 23. At the senior retreat, through community groups, games and other activities, new friendships were made, and old ones repaired and strengthened. The community groups for the senior class were shaken up this year. There are new teachers and new members in groups that some have held since freshman year. Through games, such as bed bugs, bunk beds, and backpacks, lots of laughs were shared and community groups were brought together. The community groups were also competing with one another to win a free spirit dress day, a free coffee and one homecoming ticket. This gave community groups something to fight for. Also, having group alone time allowed groups to share more about themselves and to help people get to know each other. Another outcome of the retreat involved making amends with one another. When asked about making amends, Jayde Qualls said, “ It felt like a

weight had been lifted off of my shoulders and like a breath of fresh air. It felt like a spiritual awakening and I came out feeling resurrected.” With twenty people being in one cabin, Paula Bauer said, “ I was able to grow closer to the girls in my cabin and some fun memories were made that I will never forget.”

During the group sessions , Mr. Ryan Klasen and the teachers led worship. The senior class and teachers all worshipped and prayed together during the morning, afternoon and night time. Clay Schlosser said, “ I can relate the senior class to a sports team. Playing together is like worshipping together, it brings us all closer together.”

On the final day, the class got together for one of the last times to take a class group picture. The new community groups allowed students and teachers to meet and interact with one another enjoying the fun competition of the other groups during game times. Making amends and cabin bonding let students focus on how this is their last year together as one, and worshipping with each other also connected us spiritually.

# by Daniel Baudin, Editor

# by Gracie Bailliet, Stang Staff

The beginning of the end is hereYearly senior retreat unifies Class of 2016

# by Spencer Osato, Stang Staff

Sophomores/Juniors uniteYear begins with some friendly fun and competition

Shaving cream beauties Annie Hill and Mrs. Hannah Bailey got some extra shaving cream shared with them even though they were not playing the game. Both were good sports even though they needed a shower when they were through.

Bowling Boys Juniors Evan Dye, Will Bates, Cooper Budd, Derek Rodriguez, along with Mr. Joel Davis enjoy a game of bowling. They all had a fun, competitive game.

Each and every Apple releases an improved and more technologically advanced smart phone. The new product this year is the iPhone 6s. According to the company, “The only thing that’s changed is everything.” In addition, there are some key additions to the new iPhone compared to previous models, including 3D touch. The new technology allows people to use new hand gestures to move between different apps or options on the phone.

As with most iPhones, there are basic

improvements to features of the camera, photo app, notes, messages, etc. The new phone comes with a new built-in software update called iOS 9. The new software is available on other devices as well, and includes new features and additions to maps, siri, and notes. When viewing a map, you can now choose from categories of places you should go. For example, you can view places such as restaurants to eat at in the area. The new software also consists of a new feature known as “multi-tasking” where people can use

two different apps on their phone or device

at the same time. For example,

one could watch a video while reading recent text

messages, and both apps are able to function at the same time. The size of the iPhone 6S is the same size as the previous and most recent iPhone 6 that came out last year, and the Iphone 6 Plus.

People always have strong opinions and reviews of their thoughts of a new phone or Apple product. One critic, Gareth Beavis said, “The iPhone 6s Plus is the best on the market.” According to an article from Tech Radar, an online blog that reviews certain technology, one person said “...people will be desperate to know if the iPhone 6S is enough of an upgrade to justify

the price.” Overall, the reviews have been positive for the newest iPhone.The phone was available in stores beginning on Friday, September 25. Apple

has always sold its

products at an extremely high and quick rate, but with the new iPhone 6S, they expect to sell even more.

# by Jeremy Mitschke, Stang Staff

Being an up and coming freshman has similarities to those of a transfer student. A new school is always scary and exciting, and I have found that Houston Christian is very welcoming. As a transfer student myself, I know how annoying it is to switch schools when you’ve already become accustomed to the old one. Even though it may be tough to adjust, a great way for people to get more easily affiliated with friends is by joining clubs or participating in athletics.

The school also provides other ways to try to connect with students by hosting the Transfer Student Orientation before the new year. As junior Bryce Arvin stated, “Transfer orientation was one of the best ways for me to get adjusted to the school, and meet new friends.” Orientation

consists of meeting other people in your same situation, learning more about the school, and becoming familiar with the campus through enjoyable activities. This event has been proven to aid multiple newcomers to Houston Christian in various ways.

Switching schools can be overwhelming, but sophomore Blake Foley agreed that, “My move to Houston was the biggest change in my life. I had to go to a place where I knew no one. However, the students have made me feel welcome, and now I feel Houston Christian is my second home.”

Another harsh reality of coming to Houston Christian is the workload. I think we can all agree that coming from a public school to HC is a complete 180 with homework. You go from having practically nothing to do for your classes, to insane amounts of assignments daily. Junior Brooke Attaway expressed her struggle by saying, “Meeting people was not an issue for me; it is the school workload. I’m overcoming it by staying after school and talking with my teachers about the material to reassure that I understand it.” Houston Christian is proven to be a helpful, welcoming environment that strives for their students to perform to the best of their ability.

Being New: From my perspective

FeatureOctober 20156Apple’s newest and best arrives Apple makes improvements to their latest technology

New year: new workload# by Jeremy Mitsehke Stang Staff

The start of a new school year is always filled with new faces, places, and things to do. A new school year offers students a chance for a fresh start academically, as well as a transition into a new grade level. For freshman, everything is new, such as a their school, teachers, friends, classes, schedules and more. Sophomores have the opportunity to try new activities they might not have been involved in during their freshman year. Juniors and seniors begin the lengthy process of touring colleges, and some start finding things that peak their interest for a certain type of profession. While these are new steps every student eventually takes, there are also some new additions to the school itself. One of the biggest changes is the arrival of a new principal, Dr. Price, and several other new faculty and staff members.

Freshman have to transition the most because they are at a new school with new expectations. The academic workload changes significantly

for many. Some students quickly realize that much more is expected of them in a college prepatory school than the former schools that they previously attended. One junior, Daniel Hietzsushen, pointed out the increase in the amount of studies when he said, “There is significantly more homework for me than there was in the sophomore classes.” Other students have said they have noticed a focus on different parts of a subject. For example, “English has been more literature than grammar this year,” a group of students explained.

Clearly there is a pattern in the amount of increased school work as students enter into their next grade level. Although the beginning of a new school year is sometimes challenging and filled with high expectations, it is also a time for old friends to re-unite with each other or for new students to try new activities such as clubs or try out for an athletic team they may not have previously been involved.

Homework becomes bigger in high school# by Hope Cubbler Stang Staff

August 30, at the MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye West announced he is planning to run for President in 2020. In a candid and at certain moments, heartfelt acceptance speech, Kanye concluded his remarks by announcing a residential bid for the election five years from now. Kanye begins to say, “I don’t know what I finna lose after this. It don’t matter, though; it’s not about me. It’s about ideas. New ideas. People with ideas. People who believe in truth” … “And yes, as you can probably could’ve guessed by this moment, I have decided in 2020 to run for President.”It was unclear how serious West was about his plans for running, he continued to say, “Did I smoke something before he came out here,” then “the answer is ‘Yes I rolled up a little something. I knocked the edge off.” The official Twitter account of the Democratic Party tweeted, “Last night @kanyewest declared his candidacy for President in 2020. Welcome to the race, Mr. West. Glad to have you.” Not only that, but in July West and his wife Kim Kardashian attended a fundraiser for the Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Kardashian tweeted a selfie that she and West took with Clinton with an endorsement reading, “I got my selfie!!! I really loved hearing her speak & hearing her goals for our country! #HillaryForPresident.”

Kanye For President--

Could 2020 be his year?

# by Isabella Jaeggi Stang Staff

REALLY?

Fresh faces arrive for the new school year

New Staff Members Arrive on Campus

Dr. Price, the new principal, joins HC staff after working in Soth Korea for many years.

# by Gracie Bailliet,Stang Staff

As the new school year kicks into gear, some fresh faces have arrived on our campus. New to the HC campus is our principal, Dr. Darren Price. He previously worked in San Francisco and South Korea in many different roles in the school administrative system. On the topic of what he would he would like to do for the students, Dr. Price said, “ I am really big on student leadership and I hope to help empower that in students on campus. I want students to have a voice in terms of who we are and have a big say in who the Houston Christian community is.” When asked what his perspective on Houston Christian is, he stated, “ I think the whole Houston Christian community is very unique. I don’t know if folks realize how blessed they are in terms of the school here.” Also new to the campus is the dance teacher, Ms. Karess Grant. She teaches the dance classes, Doxa Dancers, and is the assistant coach for the Silver Spurs. “There is a lot of school unity, the center of the school is definitely Christ, and how the love of Christ show and integrated into the

school curriculum too,” said Ms. Grant on her perspective of Houston Christian. She has extensive background in dance that includes: staging pieces for the Hobby Center, teaching in dance studios, and training pre-professional and professional dancers. Mr. Greg Dmitrowicz, has joined the faculty as the new science teacher. He previously lived in California and taught at an independent private school for 13 years. He was also a soccer coach and taught advance placement and honors chemistry. The hardest change for him is, “ Definitely the climate, I love the people, the food for certain, love the students and teachers I’m meeting, but I’m not used to having three different types of weather in one day. For the first time ever in the last four or five months I saw rain.” Mr. Dmitrowicz said his perspective of Houston Christian is that “ There is huge potential for the school. Even though it has been around for a little, bit there’s opportunities for grow in a bunch of different areas.” Another new edition to the staff is the new assistant

athletic director, Sarah Gollis. She played D3 sports such as lacrosse and tennis, and also has her undergraduate and masters in sports medicine and management. She previously worked at a college in Pennsylvania, and when asked how it has been adapting to the move she said, “I probably moved here in the hottest week of the hottest month of the year in August, so it’s different for me because I am not used to not seeing a lot of people outside because it is too hot in the day until the sun goes down. Also, going into winter because in Pennsylvania right now, it’s fifty degrees and everyone is freezing. I has also usually snowed by the end of October.” For her plans for the rest of year she said, “I’m still learning the ropes but I am hoping everyone does well.” Ms. Gollis also serves as the head coach of girls lacrosse and is hoping to someday add a junior varsity team. With the start of the new school year, the new faculty and staff are learning their way around campus, so make sure to stop by, say hello and welcome them to the campus.

Sarah Gollis is the new assistant athletic director who previously worked in Pennslyvania at a college.

Mrs. Grant, the new dance teacher, joins HC staff and has previously staged pieces for the Hobby Center

The StangWhat’s New? 7

Homework becomes bigger in high school

Mr. Greg Dmitrowicz is the new science teacher on campus and previ-ously lived and taught in California

The Jordan Retro 9’s with anthracite black/white are one of the top male shoes being sold right now, but are very limited they were released September 5th and many stores sold out within hours. Also the Jordan Retro 6 lows with dark grey/Ultraviolet/wolf grey/ghost green is one of the most popular female Jordan’s of all time they were released September 5th and are the top female sneakers on the market right now. The Nike Huarache shoes are new and rising in popularity, but lack some the flexibleness to put them over the top. There are rumors of a combination of shoe styles such as the roshe runs and Huarache so they can have that strong look but be comfortable and flexible as well.

Always the classic white high top Converse if you have never seen any than you’ve must have never stepped foot outside. Every girl can sport these at any time in the day, but are most noticed when it’s the brightest outside. Because of the white cloth the sun strongly reflects off these shoes giving them a heavenly glow.

Fresh Kicks Around the BlockStrut in style this school year

# by Tre Carter Stang Staff

An exciting movie to go see according to Hope Cubbler is The Perfect Guy she said, “It seems like it is full of suspense, and if you watched it your emotions would be on a rollercoaster.” I’ve heard that many people can not wait to see the this movie, the trailer presents high suspense and conflicting ideals.

One of the most anticipated movies is Maze Runner 2- Scorch Trials. Maria Rios said, “I love Dylan O’brien; he’s so hot and the movie makes you really think about society and the higher ups.” This movie I believe is highly anticipated because it’s based off a high selling book and the first part of this series did extremely well so we should expect the same. These series of movies are based on a book and interestingly enough, follow pretty closely to it. But you must watch the first Maze Runner in order to understand the second one.

Alexis Burrell said, “I can not wait for the show Empire to come back on. I just love the all of the actor’s and

actresses’ chemistry.” This show was very successful and broke many records and no one knows why. But this show has anybody and everybody trying to get their foot in this gold mind of a show. But as far as ratings this might be the best show on right now because it contains every element that it could have into one series except for horror.

But one popular show that does contain that thrilling factor is American Horror Story. Paula Bauer says, she likes it “because it’s interesting to see how they twist certain stories and legends and tell them from another point of view so you can really think about it.” I have not seen this show but have heard a lot about it. I can’t tell you if it’s worth watching or not but if I mentioned things that interest you it might possibly be worth watching. But only if you are interested in horror and potentially having your heart jump out of your chest, American Horror story just became your new favorite show.

They Are Here.....Movies and shows to watch this month

# by Tre Carter Stang Staff

OpinionOctober 20158Trump runs as unlikely candidate

Trump’s rise to political power comes as a surprise to many

People have been talking a lot about the upcoming 2016 presidential election, especially when well-known and successful businessman Donald Trump announced he would be a Republican candidate for president. Many people were shocked when Trump decided to run for the position of U.S. President. This came as a major surprise to many because Trump has not met the “traditional criteria” or political background that

most U.S. presidents have had in order to get elected. However, despite his lack of experience many of his ideas and thoughts about how to help America have been very logical and sound effective.

Unlike the majority of politicians who have spent their entire life in government positions in order to try to become the president, Trump has had little experience in the political world. In fact Trump was involved in major real-estate business projects for hotel companies in Manhattan, New York. His unique strategies used in the business world are what made him wealthy and famous in the United States and even in other countries around the world. Although Trump has not been involved in politics throughout most of his life, he has clearly and boldly stated his opinions on a number of world issues for many years. For example, in an interview on September 21, 2015, Trump claimed, “I won’t panic over sliding poll numbers.” Although Trump’s poll numbers have dropped in the past few weeks, he is still a leading candidate.

One of the main objectives for Trump if he gets in office would be to stop or at least reduce illegal immigration. Trump has said one of his plans is to build a giant fence that borders Mexico to keep illegal immigrants out of the USA. However, some people think Trump’s idea is not right because he said the Mexicans would have to pay for it. In a July interview with Fox Business, Mexico’s former president Vicente Fox stated, “I think he is a false prophet--that he is very ignorant on the economy. I think it’s totally misleading.”

One of the things many people do not realize is that Trump has a valid point in his plans for immigration reform because regardless of the country or ethnicity, people have been illegally coming into America at an alarming rate over the past five years, and this has also affected the country’s declining economy and record-high unemployment rate. In fact, in a poll on the biggest issues facing America, one of the highest results was immigration. According to a New York

Times poll, “57% of Americans believe current illegal immigrants living in the U.S. should be able to stay in the country, but should also be required to apply to become a citizen.”

There are many other issues currently facing America such as debt, health care, and relationships with other world powers. Several notable candidates who share similar conservative views to Trump are Dr. Ben Carson and Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

Although Donald Trump is not my first choice for president or someone I expected to be running for president, I think the fact that he is running for president is inspiring and unique. Trump’s campaign motto is to “Make America great again.” It is clear he is trying to accomplish this by showing incredible determination to win the election and boldly stating and identifying what he will do to fix the current problems in the country and make it great again.

Fashion Week hits the Big Apple

by Jeremy Mitschke, Stang Staff

by Isabella Jaeggi, Stang Staff Jeremy Scott, Josie Natroi, Tommy Hilfiger are just some of the many designers that flock to New York for their annual Fashion Week, but there is one woman and designer in particular that stands out. Fern Mallis; sartorial heir and creator of New York Fashion Week. She is the heir of fashion legend, Eleanor Lambert, who founded the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and the largest figure of the New York fashion community for numerous years. Although Lambert created the first “fashion week” in the 1940’s, it was Mallis, who was head of CFDA, which organized the event under one roof, creating what today is called “New York Fashion Week.” Known as 7th on Sixth,

Mallis organized, centralized and modernized the American runways, which allowed American designers to compete head-on with Milan and Paris, forever developing the global fashion business. While accomplishing so much in the fashion industry starting from a very young age, she has worked her way to the absolute top. Mallis is President of her own international fashion and design consultancy, Fern Mallis LLC. She is also on the Board of Directors for Robert Graham, a New-York based luxury men’s brand. She is a hard working consultant to Charleston Fashion Week as well as Seoul Fashion Week, and has served as Executive Advisor to Concept Korea for New York Fashion week.

She served and continues to serve on a number of advisory boards, which include Industrial Revolution II, and is on the Steering Committee for the NYCxDesign Week.

New York Fashion Week lasts for eight or nine days every year in September, and numerous big name designers show off their Spring and Fall 2016 designs. Thanks to Fern Mallis, “Queen of Fashion”, the public can truly enjoy and indulge in New York Fashion Week.

The fact of the matter is Kim Davis was jailed for her religious beliefs. Mrs. Davis is the elected Clerk for Rowan County, Kentucky. Kim Davis was jailed for denying same sex marriage licenses to couples. I am not going to talk about the controversial topic of gay marriage, but rather the topic of Constitutional rights. The Tenth Amendment of the Constitution simply states, ”The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” In simpler terms, this grants no power to the Supreme Court for law making. In the case of gay marriage, whether or not I think it is right or wrong, the steps to make it “legal” were illegal. The Supreme Court made the law, instead of the states being granted the power to rule on it.

Dave Benner, a writer for the Tenth Amendment Center, says, ”The

high court (Supreme Court) was assuredly never meant to override law or overturn state law, and even the proponents of judicial review in the ratification conventions never explained this power in relation to overturning state law.” In the case of gay marriage, state law was overturned due to the fact that the Supreme Court ruled on the Obergefell v. Hodges case, the case concerning gay marriage.

This now brings us to the story of Kim Davis. Since the unconstitutional Supreme Court ruling, Kim Davis has been denying same sex couples marriage licenses. All opinions on gay marriage aside, the Constitution that our founding fathers enacted was violated the day the Supreme Court overturned state laws. Kim Davis was thrown in jail on September 3, 2015 by U.S. District Court Judge David Bunning and was held in contempt of court.

Contempt of court is defined as,”Willful failure to obey an order of the court,” by Law.com. According to Coach Craig, ”For the first time in the history of the United States, some one was put in handcuffs, put in jail, for practicing their religious beliefs. It becomes a dangerous path to take, because then we have to ask ourselves, what comes next.I am certain this is not the end of it.”

If the Supreme Court illegally makes a law one time, what stops them from doing it over and over again. This scares people due to the fact that Kim Davis was unlawfully put in jail. So what stops them from being put in jail for defending their religious beliefs. The Constitution is in effect to limit the powers of the government and make sure that Americans possess the same amount of freedom and liberty as they did on July 4, 1776.

Kim Davis disobeyed the court, but she has the right to disobey the court due to her First Amendment, which states, ”Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Jayde Qualls said, ”I think it is a violation of individual liberties, but at the same time she would be violating a bunch of other individual liberties.” Many opinions are present not just at Houston Christian, but throughout the country. No matter your stance on gay marriage or the reliability of the Constitution, law is law, and if we do not stand up for what our Constitution guarantees us, we could lose all the freedom we currently retain.

Kim Davis arrested for denying marriage licensesFirst person in U.S. History to be jailed for her religious beliefsby King Smith, Stang Staff

BIG FASHION Models walk in the highlight shows of NYFW. The mod-els have been preparing to walk the runway and show off the new spring and fall designs.

STANG 2015-2016

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

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

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

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

Houston Christian High School.

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

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

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

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

Christian values by writing with quality and integrity.

Editor-in-Chief-- Daniel Baudin

Stang StaffGracie Bailliet, Allison Brock, Tre Carter,

Hope Cubbler, Isabella Jaeggi, Jasmine Mata, Jeremy Mitschke, Spencer Osato, King Smith,

Advisor--Heidi McCurdy

The StangOpinion 9Insights on Hc student life comes through social media

Twitter gives timely updatesby Spencer Os ata, Stang Staff

Plenty of things go on at school that the student body may be interested to know. However, many students do not pay attention to the different ways this information is sent out. Noneth eless, many students know about what is going on around the world because of social media. Our school realized this, and created a Tw itter account (@MustangsHC) that posts things like school events (including sports, academics, and plenty of other things), student life, quotes from famous authors, updates on alumni, and numerous other things. The Twitter account is a relatively new thing, as its first tweet was made on August 10, 2015. However, the social media page has risen in popularity. As of September 18, 2015, the twitter page has already gained around 472 followers. Because of the social media outlet, students are now able to find out about school news and events in what many consider an easier, faster, and more efficient way of communicating. As stated before, the twitter page tells students about many upcoming events. For example, if a student wanted to know the date, start time, or the results of an HC football game, he or she could go to the twitter page and get all the information he or she needs. However, sports is not the only thing @MustangsHC has to offer. The page also tells students about different things that went on around school, like what classes and teachers are like, the first day of school, holidays, or many other things. Ultimately, the twitter page gives an insight on the lives of our students. Another thing the twitter page does is it gives inspirational quotes, which show how many people believe students should strive to be good,

Godly people. One quote posted by @MustangsHC was, “The fact that our heart yearns for something Earth can’t supply is proof that Heaven must be our home” (C.S. Lewis). This quote could mean different things to many people, but to most it means that what someone cannot achieve here on Earth, they can achieve in Heaven. The quote may give many people hope about what is to come. Another quote @MustangsHC posted was, “The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts” (C.S. Lewis). To most, this quote means that the modern grown-ups in this world are meant to shape the next generation into great leaders and help them to prosper and succeed. The twitter page is offering what many believe to be spiritual guidance in life. Not only does this twitter page give insight on what student life is like for modern-day students, but also it gives updates on where previous alumni are now. For example, many may like to know that 2012 HC classman,Mitchell Traver, was drafted to the St. Louis Cardinals (a MLB team). The twitter page gives an update on where old friends are now, and where they may be headed in the future. Ultimately, @MustangsHC was created to help give insight to student life and to get students inspired to lead by knowing more about God. If a new student wanted to know what the school was like, he or she could get a great reference from the HC twitter page. According to @MustangsHC, “Our outreach on Twitter is part of a mission to inspire students to lead: uniting faith, intellect, & gifts to reach their greatest promise.” By knowing more about God, students may be able to lead others into the future.

He Said-I think a couple should break up when they go to college. College is a time when you are independent and you should not be tied down. A high school relationship can be

fun, but most likely it will not be someone you end up marrying. College is a much more likely place to meet your spouse. College is also a time to have fun and if you and your boyfriend or girlfriend go to different universities, then you will be held back. College is also about meeting new people, and that is harder when you have a girlfriend. College kids come home a few times a year, so why date someone if you are only going to see them a few times a year? It is at least realistic to stay dating if you go to the same college, but if the couple goes to different universities, it is just not realistic. I also believe that in certain situations, staying together may be a better decision, but more times than not it would be better to break up for college. High school kids change a lot and mature a lot between high school and college. This sort of change often means you will be interested in new girls and different kinds of girls. That normally means you will naturally drift away from the person.

She Said-In my opinion, it all depends on the couple when deciding whether or not to break up when going off to college. While college is a time to meet new people and maybe a new boyfriend, what is the point in looking for a new one if the one you are with is the one you see yourself with for the rest of your life? But, on the other hand, if this high school boyfriend was just someone you were casually hanging out with for four years or less, then you should probably break up. Especially if you are going to different universities. The other thing that makes it difficult to keep a relationship after high school is the distance. Long distance relationships are hard to keep, and when both people are involved with schoolwork and college clubs, it is difficult to find the time to catch up. When in college, you are likely to meet a lot of new people, and if you are not totally in love with the person you are with now, you will probably find someone you like better once you are given new people to choose from. The best thing to do is talk with your boyfriend and see what he thinks is best also. The majority of high school relationships do not last. So enjoy your time in college, not having to worry about your boyfriend back home.

by King Smith and Jasmine Mata, Stang Staff

Should Planned Parenthood be funded by US government?

Planned Parenthood investigated for possible sale of body parts

by Isabella Jaeggi, Stang Staff Parenthood Federation of America, also known as Planned Parenthood, is a non profit organization that provides reproductive health as well as a maternal and child health services. With the economy changing rap-idly, Planned Parenthood is losing federal funding. Margaret Sanger, creator of Planned Parent-hood founded this organization to provide birth control advice to poor, immigrant women. Recently, investiga-tion has found that Planned Parenthood has been selling aborted baby fetus’ for hundreds even thousands of dollars. New undercover footage shows Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s Senior Director of Medical Services, Dr. Deborah Nucatola, describing how Planned Parenthood sells the body parts of aborted babies and admitting that she uses partial birth abortions to supply intact body parts. As Dr. Nucatola chomps on her salad during the interview, she continues to explain how the aborted babies head’s command top dollar. Federal law clearly states that selling body parts is illegal and can lead to a fine of 500,000 dol-lars and up to ten years in prison. Yet, attorneys argue that because Planned Parenthood is in the business for performing abortions, the law may not completely apply. Ultimately, if Planned Parenthood is not going against one of their “rules,” written by Congressmen Henry Waxman, then the sale of fetal tissue, is perfectly legal.All in all, yes it is wrong, but according to their “ban” or “rules,” it is legal. Unfortunately, it all comes down to if and when the government will make a definite decision on whether or not to continue funding Planned Parenthood. Although it does provide women with certain health factors and benefits, they are taking advantage of vulner-able women and children.

SportsOctober 201510Haynes fights through pain to return Senior Philip Haynes scores 90 yard touchdown on first game back

Cross Country team passes milestones and stays motivated

Cross Country Cross Country 2015-2016 team is coached by Coach Joel Davis, Travis Maddry, Dani Lybrand, Susan Garman, and Hayden Pottkotter.

# by Daniel Baudin, Stang Staff

# by Spencer Osato, Stang Staff Most people believe the cross country team is off to a great start this year. The team is led by Head Coach Joel Davis, and assistant coaches Dani Lybrand, Travis Maddry, Susan Garman, and Hayden Pottkotter. With new record breaking performances and national attention shining on our Male and Female Mustangs, most people believe the rest of the season is sure to be newsworthy.

Many coaches and spectators believe the female runners on the team have done exceptionally well this season. Two weeks ago, Coach Davis announced that the Cross Country Coaches Association of Texas released a poll that has ranked all the private school girls cross country teams in Texas, and the HC Cross Country Girls Team were ranked number 10 in the state. According to Coach Davis, this is, “Very encouraging praise for our our ladies...” At the St. Andrews Invitational in Austin, TX, on September 12, three women varsity runners added their names to our all-time school record board in the 5K (around three miles) race. Senior Emily Kaestner led the varsity ladies with a new school record 5K time of 20 minutes, 41 seconds, with senior Krista Green following closely behind with 2nd-best all time school record 5K of 20 minutes, 56 seconds, and freshman Tati Nadal finished her first 5K race with a time of 23 minutes, 5 seconds, enough to get her the number 10 spot on the girls school record board. Being led by senior Krista Green and Emily Kaestner, many think these girls continue to improve in every meet, and aim to finish out their year strong at SPC.

Many thought before the season started that this year would be a good year for the boy’s team. Throughout the year, the boys are continually setting records. For example, before the first meet, senior Alex Faure set a boys school time-trial record of 11 minutes, 10 seconds, which is the fastest time trial of any guy at HC. Another example took place at the St. Andrews Invitational in Austin, TX, when junior, Colton Parker set a school record with the 8th-best all-time boys cross country 5K, getting a time of 18 minutes, 20 seconds. As stated by Coach Davis, “Colton Parker has also gotten

his name on our record board at number 8 and is having a real breakout year for us!” From what Colton Parker has shown, he is quite possibly the most improved runner from last year, and is one of the biggest breakout stars on the cross country team.

Throughout most races, it seems that either senior Harrison Swiggart or senior Alex Faure are always leading our boys cross country team to the finish line. According to Coach Maddry, “As far as the upcoming playoff goes, I’ll just say this—it’s hard not to be confined by repeated success. We want to move beyond success. We want to be in excess of success.” With goals to improve, many believe the boys cross country team will be a major threat in the SPC Championships.

Although the cross country team this year has set many records, Coach Davis believes the main goal of the cross country season is team unity. In order to keep the runners motivated to practice this, Coach Davis wants his runners to run in packs. He believes doing this will motivate his runners to always work hard. For example, on a hot day when someone feels like walking or stopping, the rest of the runners in his or her group will motivate that person to keep running, because the others in the group are not quitting. According to Coach Davis, “When you’re out there in the heat, you just find that everyone working hard gives you the motivation to keep working hard as well. It’s a mistake to think that we

could do what we do on our own.” Also, many consider team chemistry to be one of the most important parts of cross country. The coaches always tell their runners to offer encouraging words, and never put each other down. Many coaches think that the team chemistry this year is great. As stated by Coach Davis, “I think it’s the strongest the team chemistry has ever been, and I’m pumped to see that inspire us to run to even greater accomplishments than we ever have before.” Plenty of people believe team unity is helping to build up the cross country team this year, and will make this team better than it has ever been before.

A great deal of people feel that this year, the HC cross country team will be astounding. As team members are constantly improving and setting new school records, the team is coming closer together and building team chemistry. The drive and unity of this team motivates people to become better physically and mentally by getting to know other teammates, offering encouragement, and never quitting.

Mustangs are running wild this year

Lining up to return the opening kick of this year’s football season, senior Phillip Haynes was focused. He had gone through over five surgeries for various injuries, primarily a torn ACL, in previous football seasons. But now, standing at the 10-yard

line, he had a chance to answer any questions or doubts that people watching had. It had taken all the effort he had to get to this point, and he wasn’t going to let it go to waste.

“It’s really nerve wracking when you work so hard to get back to your teammates and to be able to play again, then you have to start all over again with another injury,” said Phillip, when he was asked about how he overcame his leg injuries. He missed most of the games

his freshman year as well all sophomore and junior year, which grew

to be very frustrating for him. “Many times I had considered quitting sports altogether because I was so depressed. But in spite of all of that, I love the game and decided that I was going to have to work harder

than everybody else to get back on the field,” said Haynes. He continued, saying, “One quote my dad always says to me is ‘hard work and dedication will pay off in the end,’ so I’ve always stuck with that. And I’m a believer of that saying now because I’ve always ignored my dad because... well he’s my dad.” His patience and caution about his injury paid off over time. On June 6th, he was finally told he could play again.

With the crowd roaring with excitement, Phillip watched the ball as it flew into the air towards him. This opening kickoff return would soon become a memorable one. He caught the ball cleanly, burst through the Northland Christian players, and scored a 90 yard touchdown. When asked about the touchdown, Phillip described it as very emotional, saying, “[The touchdown] was for Danny our trainer because he’s been with me since freshman year doing my rehab and stuck with me through it all. So after I scored I came to the sideline and gave him a big hug. We both had tears in our eyes because it was just that special.”

Being able to come back to play football after 3 years of injuries is great, but to do so and help lead your team to a 4-0 start is extraordinary. Phillip has been able to stay healthy so far this season, and he hopes to finish the few games left with the same energy and intensity that he started the season with.

Phillip Haynes Phillip, #34, burns a Saint Michael’s defender as he sprints down the field. Phillip and the Mustangs won this game 34-14.

The StangSports 11StangShorts

Football

Cross Country

Volleyball

The football team is off to a 5-1 start. The team has been plagued with injuires, most

notable being, Ahonore Varner, Matt Strickland, Khalil Mack, Phillip Haynes, Douglas

Simpson, and Travis Dixon. Their one loss comes from a tough fought game against Episcopal School of Dallas.

The cross country team is off to a good start. Both teams

finished 2nd at Dave Dantzen Invitational. 5 names have been added to the school

record board this year alone. Each runner has dropped an average of 1 minute off their

personal time.

The volleyball team has an extremly impressive record at

6-0 (25-6 including tournament play). Notable wins include

Inagural Houston Open, Fort Bend Christian and Kinkaid.

Field Hockey Team makes a new name for themselves as they continue to bring home great scores

Girls Field Hockey makes a comeback

The girls field hockey has been a part of HC for many years now, but never has the team been so predominantly freshman. The team has only three juniors and two seniors, underclassmen make up the rest of the 21 member team. But do not let the age of the team deter you, these freshmen are extremely talented, and are not new to the field hockey world.

Freshman, Anna Lauren Hanhausen is a club player, and one of

the top members of the team. Not only did she score a captain position, but she is a great role model for those on the team who have not played as long as she has. Junior, Jillian Godfrey says, “Playing [field]

hockey for the first time is such a cool

learning experience, and the amount of support I get from the team is really encouraging.” Although it is Jillian’s first year playing, she has improved, and now she is starting in a lot of the games as a defensive player.

The coach for the team is Jermaine Hudson, who does not work as a teacher in the school, but he is very dedicated to the team. The majority of the players really like Jermaine as

a coach, and as a friend. Sophomore Elsa Abrahamson says, “My favorite part of playing field hockey is being with Coach J.” Jermaine has set a goal for the team to be able to make it to playoffs, and he says, “If everyone continues to give their full effort, I see us being able to compete in the playoff games.”

So far, the team has played some of the top schools such as St. Agnes, Lamar, Memorial, and The British School. Although they may not win every game, the games are almost always very close in score, since the team does not let many goals past them. The team hopes to continue to get better, and the girls of the team hope to become closer. The captains, Anisha Parmar, Carol Hughes, and Anna Lauren Hanhausen, and the team chaplain, Camille Giuffre, hope to be able to bond the players closer, ultimately creating a better team.

# by Jasmine Mata, Stang Staff

# by King Smith, Stang Staff

Ultimate Frisbee Club is a new club to Houston Christian, but it is growing in popularity. Ultimate Frisbee is a cross between frisbee, football, and soccer. The objective of Ultimate is to make it into the other team’s end zone without dropping the frisbee. When a player catches the frisbee, he must throw it from that place. A turnover occurs when a pass is dropped or when the frisbee goes out of bounds, caught or uncaught.

Ultimate Frisbee is well loved by many due to the fact that it is extremely fast paced. There is no stopping in between plays, and a player must be moving at all times. Ultimate Frisbee Club was started last year and is sponsored by Hayden Pottkotter, an HC Young Life leader, and Travis Maddry, an English teacher. Hayden says, ”My favorite part about ultimate is the

group of guys that show up and are able to be really competitive and at the same time make it a ton of fun. And, of course, the occasional Sonic grilled cheese run to end the game.”

Ultimate meets every Wednesday at 5 P.M. either on the football practice field or the girls soccer practice field. Ultimate almost always draws a crowd of fourteen to twenty people, and they often play until they cannot see the frisbee in the air because it is so dark. Armin Almassi says, ”Ultimate is tiring but a great time, we start at 5 and play until it is pitch black. The best times often come when it is raining and we can slide through the grass.” Ultimate is good exercise due to all the running, so stay in shape and play! The Ultimate team encourages everyone to play, come out rain or

shine every Wednesday at 5 p.m. on one of the fields.

Ultimate Frisbee Club rises in popularityNew club is off to a big start with a new coach# by , King Smith, Stang Staff

The volleyball program has yet to lose an SPC game this season. The closest the team has come to a loss so far was the enticing game against Fort Bend Christian. The game consisted of 5 matches, frustration, hard work, and the inevitable win. Senior Claire Karsten explained that, “Although the Fort Bend Christian game went to 5, we still ended it with a win, even with the bad refs. It was a very intense match and I’m so proud of the team for pulling through!”

At the Dallas tournament, they placed second overall after several tough games. Sophomore Savannah Robertson expressed, “I didn’t think that we could pull through and beat most of the competition there, but this

team continues to surprise me.” Also, at the Pearland

tournament earlier this year, the girls raised their rankings from last year about 60 seeds. Senior Caitlin Clarke conveyed, “We went into the tournament with a goal of simply getting better as a team. We definitely accomplished that and even went beyond by finishing 15th in one of the biggest high school volleyball tournaments in the nation. I’m incredibly proud of how the team did in Pearland and I can’t wait to compete for an SPC championship later this year.”

The team consists o f six seniors, two juniors, three sophomores, and one freshman. The head coach of the program is Kris Lartigue and has

held the role for an extensive 5 years. Our ladies in blue work incredibly hard to maintain our reputation and are excited to see how the rest of the season plays out!

Volleyball V-Squad stay taking the dubsUndefeated streak continues

# by Hope Cubbler, Stang Staff

Field HockeyThe field hockey team is 3-3-2. They have played some of

the best teams in houston and have a solid amount of wins. Notable games include tying

Memorial.

Girls Field Hockey 2015-2016 Field Hockey team is bigger than normal, and is coached by Coach Jermaine Hudson.

Splash Town John Gualy, Thomas Bennett, Richard Hansen, and Hayden Pottkotter use the soccer field as a slip-n-slide. Hayden Pottkotter is the Ultimate Frisbee adult sponsor.

Girls Volleyball Girls volleyball team dominates 2015-2016 SPC year.

Answers:1. Who Say Ni2. Let it Be3. Cry for me4. Tribe has spoken5. There Were None6. The Lost World7. All together ookey8. Bites the dust9. Eggs and Ham10. Chance of Meatballs

Movies Straight Outta’ TheatersGrab some popcorn and a ticket for these top films

What do you think? Dylan O’Brien stars in the Maze Run-ner: The Scorch Trials, second in the Maze Runner series. The movie gets a rating of 50% from critics and a 64% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.

The StangEntertainment 14

# by Gracie Bailliet, Stang Staff

The movie theaters offer a place to hang out with friends or an activity to do when you are bored. They provide a variety of movies at about ten dollars a ticket and about thirteen dollars for a 3D movie ticket. Tickets sales usually exceed one billion dollars per year, which is not too shocking considering how many people attend the movie theaters to see the most recent movie releases. Recent movies that have been released are Straight Outta Compton and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. Both of these movies are extremely popular and have a considerable fan base. If you have not seen these movies, warning there may be some spoilers! Straight Outta Compton is a biographical drama about the rise and fall of the Compton, California hip-hop group N.W.A. The group consisted of Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy-E, DJ Yella, and MC Ren. The group released their first album called “Straight Outta Compton” in 1988, which became successful

but their success was met with resistance because some of their songs were explicitly against the cops. After finding out about some bad business deals, Ice Cube made the decision to leave the band to become a successful solo artist. The next person to leave the group was Dr. Dre, because he realized he was being taken advantage of by Eazy-E. He left and started Death Row Records with Knight. The movie ends with how the characters in the movie are doing now and how successful they have been after leaving the group. Spencer Proctor said, “It was good and it was written pretty well. They made the guy at the end a little cartoony though.” Also Taylor Killion said, “There were some parts of the movie that could have been better but overall it was quality movie.” Another film that recently came out is Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. The movie is the second film in the Maze Runner series. The previous movie, which involved the

boys being trapped in a maze for an experiment, ended with Thomas and his friends escaping a place called The Maze. Scorch Trials opens with Thomas being abruptly woken up by zombie-like humans, who were infected with a plague known as “The Flare.” In the movie, Thomas and his friends discover that the facility they are staying in is not helping them but actually using them, so they break out of the facility. The rest of the movie is spent watching them suffer and survive the scorch trials. The end of the movie is left with a major cliffhanger that may keep viewers wanting more. Maria Rios said, “The movie was just a lot different than the first one, but Dylan O’Brien was still amazing.” MJ Hedgepeth also said, “The movie was really awesome and I can not wait to see the next one!” If you have not seen these recent movies yet, hopefully you would like to see them now!

The Stang asked seventy-five HC students what their favorite television shows are, and it has been narrowed down to the top three. The majority of students said that they are most looking forward to watching season 12 of Grey’s Anatomy. Grey’s Anatomy is a drama series about a group of surgeons in Seattle, the main characters include Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo, and Derek Shepherd played by Patrick Dempsey. Others include Christina Yang played by Sandra Oh, and Alex Karev played by Justin Chambers. The show includes a lot of tears, death, and romance, all while the cast is saving the lives of the people of Seattle. Grey’s Anatomy is aired on ABC, and first aired in March of 2005.

Junior Isabella Baar-Hill says, “I like to watch Grey’s Anatomy because it is very dramatic and no two episodes are the same.” The new season of Grey’s Anatomy started September 24. You may want to tune in if you are a fan of romance, drama, and medical practitioners.

The next most popular show according to the poll is Bachelor in Paradise. Bachelor in Paradise is a spinoff of ABC’s popular show, The Bachelor.

The main point of the show is to help those who can not find love, in hopes that they will fall in love with one of the contestants on the show. Although this year’s season of Bachelor in Paradise has already finished, we all can look forward to next season of The

Bachelor which airs January 5th of 2016. Finally, the third runner up for most popular show is Orange is the New Black. Orange is the New Black is a show produced by Netflix, and has recently become one of the most popular shows on the site. The show features a woman named Piper Chapman, who is played by Taylor Schilling, who is sent to a woman’s federal prison. Although this show may seem quite controversial, it seems to be very popular among most HC students. Overall, with the wide variety of T.V. shows airing right now, and those that are to come, there is sure to be one that peaks your interest.

Students list top three most popular shows to watch

What are the you watching?

# by Gracie Bailliet, Stang Staff

Who’s dying now? Grey’s Anatomy has continually left the viewers waiting at the end of several seasons, wanting to know if someone really died. Season 12 has begun and everyone is wondering who will get the axe this year...

From the inside Orange is the New Black is about the happenings on the inside of a woman’s federal prison. Star Taylor Schilling also co-starred with Zac Efron in the romantic drama film The Lucky One (2012).

1. King Arthur and Sir Bedevere continue on their travels before encountering the Knights __________-__________-__________ blocking their path in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”

2. In 1970, for their first original studio album, The Beatles sang the following lyrics: “Speaking words of wisdom, __________-__________-__________.”

3. In “Evita,” Madonna’s most famous musical moment may have been when she performed “Don’t __________-__________-__________, Argentina.”

4. Whenever someone is voted off of the reality TV show “Survi-vor,” the host snuffs out their torch and says the famous line: “The __________-__________-__________.”

5. In this 1993 Agatha Christie classic, ten strangers attended a gathering on a remote island only to discover that a killer was among them. It was titled, “And Then __________-__________-__________.”

6. A film sequel realeased in 1997, “__________-__________-__________: Jurassic Park” broke Memorial Day weekend box office records.

7. “They’re creepy and they’re kooky, Mysterious and spooky, They’re __________-__________-__________, the Addams Fam-ily.”

8. According to a 1980 Queen song, “another one’s gone, then another one’s gone, then another one __________-__________-__________.”

9. Dr. Seuss’ most popular children’s story was about particu-larly unappetizing food. It was known as “Green __________-__________-__________.”

10. In 2009, Bill Hader and Anna Faris provided their voices for an animated comedy by the name of “Cloudy with a __________-__________-__________.”

Find the answers in the paper....somewhere...

3 word quizFill in the blanks with the three missing words!

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