Volume 43 Number 1

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NORSEMANVolume 43, Number 1 • October 2013

T h e B r y a n H i g h S c h o o l

• IN-BRIEF •www.BryanHighNoresman.com

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Bubn pledes lonevity, stbility in comin yers

Summer bsebll Ntion-l Chmpions ro bondsof friendship

Zumb Fitness: dnceoff the pounds, hve fundoin it

Follo us:

BREakINg NEwS

FEaTURES

OPINIONS

SPORTS

The ‘News’ category of The Norseman is the best way to

stay up-to-date with the news& information at Bryan High.

Staff writer Erin Garcia writesabout the relationships createdthrough club baseball and thesuccess of one local team lastsummer.

To stay up-to-date withthe latest sports scores forBryan High School athlet-ic programs, be sure to visit

bryanhighnorseman.com/sports.

Assistant editor Alanis Kingdiscovers a fun and effective

way working out throughZumba.

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/BryanISDBryanHighNorseman

Twitterhttps://twitter.com/bhsnorse-man

Flickrhttp://www.ickr.com/photos/

bhsnorseman/

3450 Campus Drive • Bryan, TX 77802

[email protected]

getting to know Mr. Buban...Favorite Food:SteakFavorite Color:Blue

Favorite Movie:Band of Brothers

Favorite Song:

No Shirt; No Shoes; No Problem

Favorite Hobby:Bike Riding

Favorite Sport:Football

Favorite Pro Team:Texans

Favorite Vacation Spot:

Beach

Community ffected byme of century

Staff writer Mikey Wolff dis-cusses how Aggies are good-mannered and polite, no mat-ter the challenger.

Jesse Baxter Assistant editor “I want this campus to be successfulacross the board in all areas. That in-cludes academics, ne arts, and athlet-ics.” The goal of our new principal, LaneBuban, is crystal clear and he has plenty

of ideas on how to achieve it. “Having good teachers and getting in-put from students [will help us be suc-cessful],” Buban said. “I feel like studentsneed to have a voice and a say in how de-cisions are made on campus to some de-gree.” Having a new principal creates somechange and instability, but that’s nothingcompared to having four different princi-pals in ve years.

“I don’t think there has been a lot ofstability and consistency in the last four years,” Buban said. “It’s not a good feel-ing to have, but I’m not going anywhere; Ihope to be here for several years.” This lack of stability has affected stu-dents and teachers, mainly by raisingquestions like what Buban will expectfrom all on campus. “[Students] need to have consistency,they need to feel comfortable in the factthat they have someone that’s going to be

here to take care of them and help takecare of the school,” Buban said. “To somedegree, I think that happens to teacherstoo.” Adjusting to a new principal can behard, however associate principal JPLuna said that with Buban it will be easi-er since he was previously the principal atSam Rayburn and has worked with some

of the teachers and administrators at Bry-an High. “A lot of times when you work withsomebody new there’s that time where

you have to establish the trust,” Lunasaid. “The trust is there, I have no doubtin my mind that he supports me. What-ever he says, I’m behind him a hundred

and ten percent.” Buban has already started programsand policies to make school a better placefor everyone. “There’s one big thing that is kinda ofin the works for this year, and it’s called‘Living a Better Story’,” Buban said. “Weare going to look at doing that in thespring, it’s going to be afliated with agroup in the core cadets. It’s about get-ting students to put service above self,

meaning that getting students to under-stand giving back to this school and ourcommunity is important.” Although Buban is coming in with newideas on how to make our school better,he is continuing many of the positivechanges that were put into effect last yearsuch as the Pride program. “I’m a real big believer in positive in-centives,” Buban said. “Those types ofthings are important because I think thatthe kids who come to school and do the

things they need to be successful, andthey try and they work hard, they don’tget enough recognition [for it].” Buban hopes that these positive in-centives help students figure out whatthey want to do after high school, butunderstands that it’s okay to have achange of heart later about what they

want to pursue.

“I worked at Hermann Hospital withheart patients, “ Buban said. “And I didtheir rehab after angioplasty or bypasssurgery or a heart attack.” After working in Hermann Hospital,Buban went back to school to get a mas-ters degree in exercise physiology. How-ever, teaching an undergraduate class

exposed Buban to teaching and he foundthat it was perfect for him. “Part of the time I was working with aprofessor and I ran his lab, so I taught un-dergraduate physiology lab classes, and Ireally enjoyed teaching,” Buban said. “I

just kind of fell in love with it. Throughall that I didn’t want to teach at the col-lege level so I ended up looking at publicschools, and that’s how I got into teach-ing science at public school.”

While going through life, Buban hashad obstacles that he has overcome, buthe never gave up. “I had a little dealing with cancer abouta year ago, and I had some surgery.”Buban said. “The tumor was removed,and then I had chemotherapy and ra-diation. You just never know, just nevergive up; whatever circumstance you’re in,never give up.” Buban has lots of life experience and

wants to try to make students life better

by offering them advice. “One of my favorite quotes is from Wil-liam Churchill, during World War II,‘Success is not nal, failure is not fatal: itis the courage to continue that counts,’”Buban said. “To me that’s huge, because

we’re human, we all make mistakes, I un-derstand that.”


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News & events at Bryan High School

SAT Testing

The SAT will be offered at

Bryan High School on Nov.

2 at 7:00 a.m. on Blue Cam-pus.

Please park in the Barak

parking lot and make sure

you bring your photo ID,

registration ticket, graphing

calculator, and pencils.

Pre-Area Auditions

Eight choir students will

compete in pre-area audi-

tions on Nov. 2. They earned their spots

by plac ing at the all- region

choir competition in Belton.

Andrew Liner

2nd chair, Tenor 1

James Mosqueda

4th chair, Bass 2

Lindsey Morehead

5th chair, Soprano 1

Grayson McGee

6th chair, Tenor 2Douglas Edge

10th chair, Bass 2

Addie Henry

10th chair, Alto 1

Aaron Sowell

14th chair, Bass 2Patrick Simmons

15th chair, Tenor 1

Viking Theatre

The theatre department

will present “Noises Off”,

their third performance of

the year, Nov. 22-24.

On Fri. and Sat., the per-

formance is scheduled at 7

p.m. in the black box the-atre.

On Sun., the performance

is scheduled to begin at 2

p.m.

Senior Picture Retakes

Senior picture retakes are

scheduled for Nov. 25 and

26 (Monday and Tuesday

before Thanksgiving).

Pictures will be taken inroom 6158. Sign-up sheets

will circu late through Eng-

lish teachers at the begin-

ning of Nov.

There is no charge to take

a yearbook only picture. If you would l ike a s itting, the

charge is $15. Pictures will

be available on the websi te

(www.phototexasphotogra-

phy.com) a few weeks after

pictures are taken.

If you choose to do a sit-

ting, please bring additional

outfits for casuals, includ-

ing sports memorabilia

and letter jackets. Cap andgowns will be provided for

pictures.

Feast of Carols

The choir will host their

annual Feast of Carols event

on Thurs., Dec. 12-Sat., Dec.

14 at 7:00 p.m. each night

in the Blue Commons and

Large Auditorium.

Tickets can be purchasedfor $20 from any choir stu-

dent or by going by 4133.

Around Campus

D a nc e

H om e c om i n g 2 0 1 3

Page 2 - Around Campus/Features

Word Search

Halloween Games


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Regina Flores Assistant editor

Picture your wildest dream – a chance you mighttake, a place you might go, a thing you might do. If

you had the opportunity, would you go for it? Frenchteacher Michelle Currier had the dream of coming to

the United States from Canada, and she followed it.“One of my goals was to move down south,” Cur-

rier said. “It was a dream of mine since 1985. I like tolearn about different cultures, and the United Statesis a great place to learn about people.” Currier grew up in Ontario and said that Canada

was beautiful, however, Currier was not exposed tomany different cultures as a child. Her love of diversi-ty and her interest in foreign foods were driving forces

behind her desire to come to the United States. “Canada is more culturally diverse nowadays, but

when I was growing up, it was quite different,” said

Currier. “I lived in a French community and went toFrench schools, so I was not around many cultures.[Experimenting] with different ethnic foods has beeninteresting; I love learning about the Hispanic cul-ture, and I love their food too.” Currier began her teaching career at a young age

by working as a part time swim instructor as a highschool student. Currier loves literature, reading, andlanguage, so when it was time for her to transitioninto a life-long career in the United States, Currier de-cided to teach French at the collegiate level. Although

meeting different colleagues was a great experience,

she soon switched to teaching high school students. “When I moved to the U.S., I taught French at theUniversity of Houston,” Currier said. “From 1987through 1991 I was a lecturer. [I taught at] KingwoodCollege and Lone Star. Then I went to public schools– high school.”

German teacher Jan Krammer knows from her ownexperiences that being familiar with the culture thatone is teaching about is important handy when tryingto share the language culture with students. “[Knowing the culture] gives you a different kind ofinsight into the way people live and the way peopledo things in another country,” Krammer said. “When

you’re teaching about that country or about that cul-ture and you know it personally rather than just hav-ing read about it yourself, [it’s very useful].” Krammer sees the way Ms. Currier brings herknowledge about Canadian culture into the classroom

through her teaching, which, Krammer said, is some-thing about Currier that is extremely benecial to herstudents. “Ms. Currier brings a unique perspective becauseshe knows French-Canadian in terms of the culture,so she can really bring that to the oor,” Krammersaid. “Also, since French really is her native language,it is possible for her students to do more speaking. It’seasier for her than it would be for someone who’s nota native speaker to just speak French to them all thetime.”

Freshman Danica Mendes points out how Currier’s

background helps her learn more about French cul-ture than she would otherwise. “Ms. Currier speaks French in a way that expressesthe way that French people would speak,” Mendessaid. “She teaches the basics right away; she teach-es everything before she goes into long paragraphs.

Sometimes I don’t understand her, but she ends uptranslating it. She’s a good teacher.” Although Currier never taught high school in Cana-da, she noticed a difference in the way Americans andCanadians interacted with each other. “Canadians hug a lot,” Currier said. “We hug ourfriends, we hug our family, and I don’t see that asmuch with Americans. There’s probably less respect[here], but I think that’s universal in America. You

just have to deal with that. Nowadays, it’s different.” Currier says that she misses the weather in Canadamost.

“I don’t think I’ll ever adjust 100 percent to the hu-midity,” Currier said, “but then again, I don’t know ifI could live in my country in the winter because it’sfreezing. But I miss the nature most, the weather.” Besides teaching, Currier enjoys relaxing andspending time outdoors. “I love to go camping; I love to spend lots of timein nature away from big cities,” Currier said. “I loveto go to the mountains, and I love swimming. I trulylove water because it relaxes me. I also like to readand watch good movies.”

Theatre scores big, [Title of Show] starts season on a high note

Following dream leads to teaching successFeatures - Page 3

Robert Morgan Staff writer You’re sitting in your apartment,

bored with your stagnant life. You’reon the phone with your best friend and

you can’t gure out what to do. So, nat-urally, you decide to write a musical inthree weeks and submit it to the 2004

New York Musical Theatre Festival. Atleast, that’s what Jeff Bowen and Hunt-er Bell thought to do.

[Title of Show] takes place in a New York City apartment and features fourfriends putting together a musical thatdetails the challenges they faced beforemaking it onto Broadway. Jeff, played

by Patrick Simmons, is a co-writer andcomposer of the musical who is doing itsolely to have fun. Andrew Liner playedHunter, another co-writer of the musi-

cal who is controlling, but only out oflove for his friends and for the musi-cal. Heidi, the condent and talkativeBroadway showgirl who is describedin the musical as a “replacement un-derstudy/ensemble/off-stage singer/dance captain/assistant stage managertrack,” is played by Lindsey Morehead.Susan, played by Candra Lewis, is aninsecure ofce assistant who develops

bits and pieces of condence as the

show progresses. This cast meshed to-

gether wonderfully and their chemistry was impeccable. “It was such a small cast,” Liner said.“We all [got] to interact more.” Although they have all been involvedin theatre and choir for most of theirhigh school career, this show broughtthem together.

“I feel like we’re all really close now,”Simmons said. Part of what made this musical such asuccess were the bonds t h a t

were made. Whetherit was between thecast members orthe actor andtheir charac-ter, there wasalways some-thing special

in the atmo-sphere. Re-ferring to thepersonalityand mindsetof her charac-ter, Lewis de-nitely saw herself inSusan. “I feel like Susan and I are the sameperson,” Lewis said. Like her character,

this was Lewis’ rst major role in a mu-

sical at Bryan High. Having this similarcharacter trait allowed Lewis to be em-pathetic with her character and to excelat the portrayal of Susan. Every scene of the show had a relat-able aspect to it. Maybe not directly,especially the scene where Liner isdressed up as a singing “Original Mu-

sical” script, but there was certainly anelement in every scene that the actorsand the audience could nd themselvesin.

“I related to the wholeshow,” Morehead said.

The real life themesand trials pres-

ent throughoutthe musical

a l l o w e dMorehead

to ndherself inalmost ev-

ery situa-tion that oc-

curred. You could

tell that each of the cast members feltthe same way. The real life scenariosthat were at hand helped the cast get asense for how the show was supposed

to develop, a key element that made the

show such a success. Members of the crew had nothing butpositive things to say about the show as

well. “I felt very proud of these guys,” Eliz-abeth Garcia, backstage crew member,said. Being apart of many shows her-self, Garcia knows that putting a show

together is not an easy task and howmuch hard work the cast members putinto this musical. Seeing the show grow from the rstread through to the nal curtain call,

backstage crew member Rhonda Bur-nette couldn’t hold back a smile whilereecting on the show’s progression. “I love watching the show go fromnothing and then to something,” Bur-nette said. Soundboard operator Cain Miller

also loved seeing the show progress andthe evolution of the show. “What was cool was seeing all the

work pay off,” Miller said. Undeniably, [Title of Show] was aphenomenal show and there are amaz-ing talents that are within Bryan HighTheatre. If the rest of Theatre’s yearlooks anything like their rst show did,it is going to be an outstanding season.Be sure not to miss their next perfor-

mance, Noises Off, on Nov. 22-24.


4/11

Andrea Mendes Managing editor “Around BCS it’s not just VJ or Logan,” senior VJ

Banks said. “We’re two individuals, but one person.” Varsity football duo, seniors VJ Banks and LoganPottberg have been playing since a tender age, with

VJ playing since 6th grade for Pop Warner football,and Logan for Brazos Valley Patriots. Four years agothe duo made their transition from kiddie ball intohigh school football and both agree that with sucha young team, the pressure often transcends ontothem.

“Ever since I’ve been on varsity the team has been young, and we haven’t had a lot of depth either,” VJsaid. “It’s difcult because you want a break or mo-

ment off the eld, but you can’t do that.” Both agree that as seniors, the expectation to winis heavy, but the responsibility they have on the teamand how they interact with younger players outweighs

winning.“We’re expected to be leaders out there for the team

and for the school,” VJ said. “We’re out there on theeld to win of course, but we’re also there for the

younger players.” VJ said the eyes of an entire school and community

can be weighing, but

that it’s important tonot allow the opinionsof those outside of

your teammates andcoaches affect you,and Logan agrees. “It’s not our soleresponsibility to

win a game,” Logansaid. “We work as ateam and as long as

we’re happy with the

outcome, whetherit be that we playedour best and lost orplayed our best and

won, it’s our opinionof ourselves that mat-ters.” After struggling tocome together as a team last season, their last gameat College Park ignited the teams potential and rein-forced their love for the game. VJ said the team cametogether and played the game they had all grown tolove, and Logan agrees.

“It was the rst time the team went out there andplayed for us,” Logan said. “I think that’s what has

boosted us with the momentum carrying over intothis year.” After going 3-7 last football season, both agree thatthe team was prompted to look deep into this seasonand dene their goals as not only individuals, but as ateam in aspiration of achieving them.

“I really want to make playoffs,” Logan said. “I’ve been here four years and I haven’t seen it happen, so

I’d like that chance my senior year.”

Logan and VJ said that making it to the playoffs would be the best reward for the hard work they’veput into football over the past four years. Even if they

don’t win, the opportunity to play would mean the world to them.

“We’re the underdog in everyone’s eyes, and weknow that,” Logan said. “[Making] playoffs is morefor us, the team expects it out of ourselves. We’ve

been overlooked and aren’t expected to succeed, but we’re doing everything we can to achieve our goals.” Football has taught the two the dedication, leader-ship and strength that they’ll need to make itthrough college and the rest of their lives. Mostimportantly, the two have learned the disci-pline it takes to play a sport.

“At some point you get used to coaches andpeople chewing you out so often you learn tonot react,” VJ said. “Instead, take it and sayto yourself, ‘you’re that guy on the team who’sa leader, you have to get it together and lead’.

You take criticism positively, because if youtake it negatively that’s just a negative reec-tion on yourself.” These two owe their close knit friendship tothe trials they’ve gone through in football and

have often times been called inseparable off the eld. VJ said that his friendship with Logan is as close astwo guys can get and that he’s happy everyone recog-nizes them as a duo.

“It’s like when I’m not with him, it’s a crime,” Lo-gan said. “Everyone’s so used to us being aroundeach other that they assume we don’t know how to actin public or that we’re lost when we’re not together.”

On the eld, the two put their friendship aside andrecognize that it’s not only about them, but it’s aboutthe rest of the team as well.

“Off the eld I’m not as close to everyone as I am with VJ, but we do have other good relationships too,”Logan said. “In the real world, you have to work withpeople you dislike and we’re lucky to all get along, but

even if we didn’t we’d act professional and work to-

gether like we do now.” Senior Connor Ward has played alongside the twosince their freshman year and admires them for their

hard work, dedication and leadership on and off theeld.

“When we’re out there on the eld we’re a unitedforce working towards a common goal,” Ward said.“These guys are my best friends and have helped meand the team over the last four years”

The duo is sad to see their time at Bryan High cometo an end, but bright futures lay ahead for the both

of them, with VJattending andplaying football

with Rice Uni-

versity in theupcoming school

year.“Academi-

cally it’s a veryp r e s t i g i o u sschool and ath-letically they’reon the rise, soI’m excited forthat,” VJ said.

“Right now mymain focuses areBryan High andRice. I plan onstudying Kinesi-ology and hopeto be a trainer forsports at the col-lege level. Stay-ing within sportsis important tome.”

With VJlooking to Ricefor schooling,Logan is lookinginto University

of Houston and Sam Houston State University,and is excited for the possibilities of movingaway from home.

“I’m looking forward to maybe being noticed by aschool, but if not, I’m looking into pharmaceuticalsales or something with business,” Logan said. “I’velived here my whole life and I’d like to venture outsome and see what other places have to offer me.” With the end of the season, end of senior year andcollege just around the corner, the two look backon their experiences and remain positive that theirfriendship will last through college. VJ said that Uni-

versity of Houston and Sam Houston aren’t very farfrom Rice, and that having the familiar face of his

best friend around will be one of the best parts of col-lege. “We’re like Scooby Doo and Shaggy,” VJ said. “To-gether we’re as good as it gets,” Logan said.

Football eld forges friendshipPage 4 - Sports/Student Spotlight

Teammates inseparable on, off eld

Senior Logan Pottburger

Senior VJ Banks


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Sports/Student Spotlight - Page 5

Justin Sanders Photography editor

Volleyball is a very active sport and consumes most your day. Senior Jessica Pfeffer she has found a way toexcel both on the court and in the classroom.Ever since she was in the 7th grade, Pfeffer could be

found on the court practicing volleyball which hastaught her valuable skills. “It has taught me a good work ethic and time man-agement skills that help me not only in volleyball, butacademically,” Pfeffer said. Pfeffer has come a long way since she began playing

varsity volleyball her freshman year. “When she started off as a freshman on varsity, shealways wanted to please her teammates and coaches,”head volleyball coach Caroline Simpson said. “This

year she has fallen into being a real leader, and ascaptain of the team, all the other girls respect her very

much.” Pfeffer’s teammates look up to her for her skills onthe court and her dedication to the team. “She’s a great leader,” teammate senior CourtneySager said. “She always has a positive attitude, even if

we’re not having such a great night,” “Every game shegives 100%.” Sager said she has been on the varsity team for four

years and has enjoyed every moment spent with Pfef-fer. “It’s bittersweet that this will be the last year I’ll getto play with such a great athlete,” Sager said. Volleyball has not only taught her athletic skills, but

also has given Pfeffer memories that will always be with her, even when she leaves high school. “My most memorable moment would have to be

when we beat Rudder my junior year,” Pfeffer said.“We had a huge crowd atthe game which made it

very energetic.” On a more personal note,an unforgettable memory

was when her coach over-came cancer. “The fact that she hadcancer defnitely changedthe team, but for the bet-ter,” Pfeffer said. “We justhad this drive to do wellfor her and that didn’tmean we would necessarily

win, but that we wouldn’tgive up. If she could pushthrough cancer we couldpush through the hardestgames against the hardestopponents.” In addition to playingfor Bryan High, Pfeffer hasalso played for Brazos Val-ley Junior Volleyball and

would like to continue to play after high school. “I’m thinking about playing on the Texas A&M Uni-

versity club team,” Pfeffer said. “It is such a big part of

my life and would like to continue playing.” Aside from volleyball Pfeffer is in the top 2% of herclass, is involved in National Honor Society, and shealso participates in a band.

“I play guitar in a praise bandat my church,” Pfeffer said. “It

is something that I do for fun,and I’ll always enjoy playingguitar.” Pfeffer plans on attending

A&M in the fall of 2014 to pur-sue a career in health care. “I want to major in AlliedHealth at Texas A&M Univer-sity and then become a pedi-atric oncologist,” Pfeffer said.“I just love being around kidsand want to make them as

comfortable as possible whenthey have a life threatening ill-ness.” For now, Pfeffer is drawn tothe excitement in volleyballand the friendships that areestablished along the way. “Over the years I have re-ally just enjoyed the thrill ofplaying the game,” Pfeffer

said. “This year has been especially great thanks tomy wonderful teammates and the support from otherstudents.”

Pfeffer serves up success on court, in class

Emily Nash Editor

“He’ll give you the biggest smile ever. His smile isthe sweetest.”

Seeing Cody smile means the world to senior Madi-son Goolsby, along with the smiles of about 30 otherdisabled kids and adults she works with in the special-needs ministry at Central Baptist Church. Madison

began working with the special-needs ministry threesummers ago in Vacation Bible School. “We’d sing a couple songs and break up into ourown groups where we’d go do arts and crafts, and goto bible study,” Madison said. “They love music so

when we’d have snack they’d eat while listening tomusic and we’d go to the music section where theyplayed drums and stuff like that.”

At frst, working with the special needs ministry wasa little nerve wracking for Madison. “I guess I was nervous because you never know howthey’re going to act out,” Madison said, “but everyonetreats you like you’re family, they really are the sweet-est people ever.” After a lot of experience, Madison got the chance to

work as a Buddy, which meant she specifcally spenttime with one disabled teenager in the special-needsministry named Cody. “I’m with him most of the time so I help him color,

walk to different classes, and help him be quiet and

focus on what he’s trying to do,” Madison said. Madison explained that there’s more to being aBuddy than just helping them do different tasks. “Once I was helping Cody walk, but he’s so strong

he just leads you,” Madison said. “He wanted to drop,and he brought me down because he’s so strong, and I

was like, ‘Cody let’s go worship,’ and he was like ‘No!’and he just fought me to not pick him up.” Madison said that the loving nature of the kids- makes worth the struggles that she sometimes en-counters in the ministry. “This one girl will text me, ‘I love you sister,’ everysingle day, so they’re just like another friend, another

brother or sister in Christ to look forward to seeing,”Madison said. “It’s sweet.” Madison’s mother, Rita Coker, said that since Mad-

ison started working with the ministry she has gotten very involved with those with special needs. “Madison has made several good friends in the

bible study, and they look forward to seeing her inchurch,”Coker said. “She has participated in the Bud-dy Walk and has gone to watch some participate inSpecial Olympic activities.” Not only has Madison been a spiritual guide to thespecial ministry, but it’s also helped her grow spiritu-ally. “I love it when we have bible study and we’ll ask

them questions and they’ll just jump right in and an-

swer,” Madison said. “Just to see their drive for Godpushes you to be better in your walk with God too.” Coker has also seen Madison grow in other areasafter working with the special needs ministry.

“She has become very confdent in her abilities,”Coker said. “She has learned to be a more patient per-son. She has also become more conscience of others’actions toward those individuals with special needs.” After working with the ministry for a few summers,Madison said she would love to stay with it, and hasdecided to continue to help with the needs based ca-reer path and go into speech therapy. “I’d love to still be a part of the ministry and helpout at church and stuff, or just in the community if Ilook more into it wherever I live,” Madison said. Madison was taught by the leader of the special

needs ministry to never feel sorry for people becauseof their disabilities. She loves every aspect of volun-teering with the special ministries. “One of the dads came up to me and said, ‘Thank-

you for helping with the church,’ and he meant itfrom the bottom of his heart,” Madison said. “I lovedoing this, I fnd the ministry so awesome. They’re allfriends and they just care about each other so much.It’s a nice environment.” She may love every aspect, but Madison admittedone thing in particular that makes her day.

“I think I love Cody’s smile best,” Madison said.

Love for special needs ministrycreates bonds through smiles, spiritual growth

Senior Jessica Pfeffer sets up to bump theball during a district game in the Viking gym.


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Page 6 - Summer 2013 Summer 2013 - Page 7

“When I went to theOne Direction cencert

this summer.”Bridget Craig, 10

“Playing in the softballtournament in Louisiana.”

Chandon Morris, 10

“Doing discipleship week.”Gayle Konderla, 11

“Not attending school, was the best part of the summer.”

John Pineda, 9

Alanis King Assistant editor Summer: a time for heading to the beach,soaking up some sun, going on vacations,and getting away from school for a coupleof months. When we think of summer get-aways, however, an impoverished area on

the other side of the world isn’t exactly therst thing to come to mind. While it doesn’tsound like the typical thing to do whileon vacation from school, seniors CassidyLovett, Kinsey Craig, and Julia Kwasnica

joined their youth group from First Baptist

Church on a ten-day mission trip to spreadthe Gospel in the village of Coman in Roma-nia. “We worked with two churches [in Roma-nia] and the people who lead them,” Cas-sidy said. “They were brothers, Raul and

Alexe. Raul had the more establi shed Bap-tist church in the town, and Alexe had the

village church.” Despite having a mere ten days for theirevangelical efforts, FBC’s youth group triedto bring Christ permanently into the lives of

the rural Romanian citizens by introducingthem to Alexe’s church in the Comani vil-lage.

“Alexe’s church is in the process of devel-oping, so we went around and tried to getpeople to come to his church,” Craig said.

Kinsey said that the other church in theComani village, the

orthodox church, was led by a priest whofocused on fearing God rather than hav-ing a personal relationship with Him, and

who cursed Alexe and the members of hischurch. “I thought it was really amazing how

Alexe was so strong in his faith and that

he didn’t let other people’s opinions affecthim,” Kinsey said. “There were many peo-ple in the village who were orthodox who

would see Alexe and just curse at him andsay awful things about him, but he didn’t letit sway him.”

Alexe, however, wasn’t the only person inthe village who faced persecution from themembers of the orthodox church. “One of the translators actually lived inthe village and she grew up in the ortho-dox church,” Kinsey said. “Her family had

raised her orthodox, and then she cameto have a personal relationship with Jesus

with Alexe’s church. Her neighbors, thepeople she had grown up knowing, weresaying awful things to her [like] ‘how could

you do this to your parents?’, ‘what have

you done?’, and that was very shocking tome. I look up to her because there were somany people around her who were criticiz-ing the things that she was doing, but herfaith overcame that.” Another shock for FBC’s youth group

came from the scenery in Romania. Kwas-nica said that she knew what to expect ofthe Romanian lifestyle, but the reality of

the poverty was more drastic than herexpectations. The abundance of horse-

drawn carts in the urban areas - some

of which served as people’s homes- was culturally eye opening for Ju-lia. Kinsey agreed, adding that thestructures were old and worn andthe houses weren’t in good condi-tion.

“There’s a lot of poverty in Roma-nia and it’s very split,” Kinsey said.“You can be in a city one second and

drive two miles and you’re in a village

where there’s absolutely nothing.” The amount of poverty and barrennessthey experienced had a strong effect on thegroup, giving them the realization of howmuch material possessions are taken forgranted here in the U.S. in comparison toRomania.

“It taught me to be grateful for what Ihave, because people over there are reallyhappy even though they don’t have verymuch,” Julia said.

Cassidy felt the same way, and remem- bering the lifestyle that she encountered

while in Romania helps her attitude in herdaily life.

“Initially when I rst got back, I just re -alized how much I have,” Cassidy said.“That’s kind of stuck with me because whenI’m having a bad day, I’m like, ‘it could be so

much worse.’” Cassidy said that having become accus-tomed to the Romanian lifestyle, her rsttaste of normalcy was in the American hotelin Bucharest, Romania before their ighthome, and that something as simple as a

nice shower with adequate room to bathe was amazing.

“We take so much for granted over here,”Cassidy said. “We have air conditioning, wehave lights, we have paved roads, we haveall of it. We have clothes everyday, and over

there, they’re lucky if they have a plate offood at the end of the day.” Kinsey said that the mission trip made herrealize how blessed she is, and how muchshe looks over the things she has here.

“It just made my religion and my faith

stronger, and it also made me more gratefulfor my family,” Kinsey said. The trip affected Cassidy on a personallevel, and she said that she will return toRomania next summer if the opportunitypresents itself.

“I don’t know how much of an impact wemade, but it made an impact on me,” Cas-sidy said.

Mission trip opens eyes, teaches gratefulnessRealizations from Romania

“Going to New York was the best part of the summer.”

Sarah Cadarette, 11

“Sleeping is always the best partof the summer.”

Sukayna Al-Shehab, 10

“Spending time with friendsand family was the highlight of

the summer.”Kaitlyn Garcia, 12

Play ball

Gabby Martinez

Staff writer

Giving up a piece of

summer vacation isn’t

something that most teen-

agers see themselves do-

ing, but for junior Maria

Pope, giving up a piece of

her vacation didn’t seem

like a loss at all. In actual-

ity she found herself gain-

ing something much more

special.

Over the course of a

week, Maria participated

in a youth baseball camp

with her church First

Baptist Bryan 5,325 miles

away, in a foreign country.

“We chose to do a base-

ball ca mp because it’s not

as famous in Germany as

it is here,” Maria said. “Ev-

ery day we played baseball,

pitching and hitting. We

also did scrimmages with

other teams at the camp.”

However, the crew did

much more than help the

young kids with baseball.

“My favorite thing to

do was fellowship,” Maria

said. “When we did a com-

mitment service, people

came down the aisle with

lit candles to either re-

new their commitment to

Christ, or begin their com-

mitment. We had about

40 candles lit, and it was

amazing to see those chil-

dren’s live change.”

This was her second time

participating in the camp,

and Maria said she was

glad she had the chance to

go back.

“Having been there be-

fore really pushed me to

go back; the bonds you

make are incredible,” Ma-

ria said. “The atmosphere

was alive for the spirit to

know Jesus more, and I

would love to go back f or

an extended stay.”

The bonds she made

with the kids weren’t sev-

ered by any barriers.

“There were no cliques

or divisions between gen-

der or race” Maria said.

“Everything was very lov-

ing.”

A valuable lesson she

learned and will never

forget is that putting oth-

ers before yourself isn’t

always easy, but it’s always

rewarding.

“The rst year it taught

me how to be a ser-

vant and how

s o m e t i m e s

you might

not like the

a u t h o r -

ity above

you, but

you have to

humble your-

self and become

compatible with peo-

ple you might not be com-

patible with,” Maria said.

Of course being in a new

country comes with issues

of its own, but Maria and

the other young leaders

persevered through it. Al-

though there was a lan-

guage barrier, Maria said

the common bond was the

love for Jesus.

“Like any foreign coun-

try the language barrier

was an issue but the church

had translators and it was

neat to bond with them,”

Maria said. “There was no

separation, and everyone

was like a famil y.”

Maria says she denite-

ly wants to go back for a

third year.

“Germany showed me

that those people are

just as broken as I was,”

Maria said. “They deserve

to know Jesus just as much

as I do.”

Youth group uses

baseball to spread message

Maurissa Ramirez Assistant editor Summer vacation means no school, and no school

means doing whatever our hearts desi re. For some, doing what our hearts desired this summer was going to someof the biggest music festivals in Texas. Vans WarpedTour, Free Press Summer Fest, and Austin City Limits.

Free Press is an annual music and arts festival held atEleanor Tinsley Park in Houston, Texas on June 1st and

2nd. Seniors Francisco Vasquez, Addison Barnum, Cul-len Dowling, Cameron McCann and Christian Urquhart

were ve of the thousands who a ttended. The concertfeatured artists such as Macklemore and Ryan Lewis,Bassnectar, Cat Power, and 2 Chainz. “It was unbelieveable being surrounded by people who

love what you love,” Vasquez said. “Experiencing all thedifferent artists and genres of music was amazing, it wasa great experience for me.” Vans Warped Tour is also an annual music festival heldon three dates in Texas at Reliant Stadium in Houston,Gexa Energy Pavilion in Dallas, and the AT&T Center in

San Antonio. Seniors Andrew Carter, Sandy Schwalen,and Cameron McCann along with Norseman staff mem-

bers Andrea Mendes and myself were in attendance.This year’s lineup featured Bowling for Soup, Sleeping

with Sirens, Hands like Houses, a nd Bring me the Hori-zon.

Warped Tour, a more alternative scene than Free Pressand ACL, is brutal. In the heat of the summer, and thelast stop on the American tour, the artists performing

were ready to go out with a bang. While trying to stayon schedule and see as many bands as possible, stayinghydrated and staying cool became a necessity.

“Warped Tour was one of the best experiences of my

life,” Schwalen said. “The music was so raw and beautiful you could feel it.” It being my second year in a row attending, I knew

what to expect; the crowds were brutal, and the mu-sic was intense. I had a lot of fun going with a group offriends this year, we were constantly having to save eachother from the crowds. Crowds like Bring Me the Hori-zon and Chiodos were insane. We even got a chance tomeet a few bands, like Hawthorne Heights and Bowling

for Soup in between the madness of trying to see all ofour favorite bands.

“Seeing Craig Owens live was amazing, and Oli Sykes was intimidating, he ma de the entire crowd sit down,that was intense,” Schwalen said. Austin City Limits Music Festival, taking place in the

fall, is an annual three-day music festival in Austin atZilker Park. This year ACL celebrated its 12th anniver-sary, and drews over 100 artists and 225,000 fans fromacross the globe for three days of music and great food.Reecting the city it calls home, ACL prides itself on thediverse lineups that vary from pop, rock, folk, alt-coun-

try, blues, gospel, and everything in between. “Being that it was my second year of attending ACL, I

was excited to be going with my friends and seeing bandslike Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, and Kendrick Lamar,”Mendes said. “It was a great experience to have checkedout bands I’ve never heard of. The music was amazing.”

ACL was something Vasquez and Mendes looked forward to all year like m any other music l overs. Purchas-ing tickets months in advance, despite the fact that tickettypically go for around $25o, the artists being featuredare denitely worth the price according to those who at-tend.

Music heats up summer days


7/11

Gabby Martinez Staff writer

Arrow through the head? Axe to the face? Try a wire

through the throat, perhaps? Hope your stomach canhandle it, because in this movie you get it all. Sus-pense, suspense, suspense, the only word that comesto mind after watching the horror lm You’re Next. The blood and gore will have you cringing in yourseat, as you anticipate the next kill.

The movie starts off by showing a typical Americanfamily coming together for the holidays with lovingparents who want to see their children. What startsoff as a family dinner soon turns into a bloody catas-trophe, with family members being killed off one-by-one. No one understands what’s going on, or who is

behind these attacks, as three masked men terrorize

the family. Who knew a bunny, sheep, and wolf maskcould be so terrifying? The turmoil seems to pourfrom the movie screen into the theater. This movie is

like a car crash; you want to look away, but you justcan’t tear your eyes away from the machetes and axesgetting bludgeoned in the heads of one innocent fam-ily. However, actress Sharni Vinson, who plays Erin,refuses to be a damsel in distress. She doesn’t stop toask questions; she takes action. Hammer to the backof the head, and a 6 inch nail board shoved into a footare a few of the techniques she uses to defend herselfand the family. One-by-one she takes out 3 of the masked murder-ers. The plot twist is fantastic, because no one sees itcoming. Let’s just say this family isn’t what you’d call

functional. When Erin comes to the realization of who is be-hind the murders her heart breaks, driving her more

to nish what she started. The scenes were way too bloody, I felt sick halfwaythrough the movie. That was the rst movie, however,that I honestly believed the actors were “scared”. Inany other typical horror movie the screams look en-tirely too fake. Overall, this movie had a great plot andimpeccable acting, but the scenes were too much forme and most of the audience. They overdid the goreto an extreme. The movie had the audience literallylooking away from screen every 5 minutes. It had themanliest man cringing in his seat. I wouldn’t suggestthis movie to the faint hearted. I understand captur-ing an audiences attention, but I don’t think nausea is

Horror lm overly gruesome, distracting from plot

The Civil Wars creates incredible album in midst of own civil war

Page 8 - Entertainment

Robert Morgan Staff writer “I never meant to get us in this deep.”The opening line to The Civil Wars’ newCD, The Civil Wars, packs a powerfulpunch that can be viewed as the singersJoy Williams’ and John Paul White’s

personal reection over their past ve years. Williams and White met at a song-

writing camp in Nashville, Tennessee in2008. Musically, it was a match madein heaven. The creative geniuses thatare Williams and White create songsthat can evoke all types of emotionsas well as bring up memories of pastlove affairs.But, along withthe light that

seems to come with theirsongs, there isa dark cloudhovering over. In November2012, The Civil

Wars went onhiatus. Accord-ing to People

M a g a z i n e ,the break wasdue to creatived i f f e r e n ce s .

While record-ing, Williamssaid that sheand White couldn’t even look at eachother. Yet, despite creative differences,the duo found a way to make another

beautiful album. The opening two songs, “The OneThat Got Away” and “I Had Me a Girl”

are both rock inspired tunes, but con-trast in theme. While both reectingon past relationships, “The One ThatGot Away” shows the regret of lettinga relationship develop into what it has

become, an intense love affair and cat-and-mouse game, while “I Had Me a

Girl” is about the happier aspects of thefallen relationship. Both songs display Williams’s and White’s vocal abilitiesand the amazing writing quality thatthey both have. Going back to the folk roots of theduo, “Same Old Same Old” details how

you can be in love with someone but also want to shake things up in the relation-

ship. Thissong feels asif it belongs

on their rstalbum, Bar-ton Hollow,

b e c a u s e ,a l t h o u g h“Same OldSame Old”does showoff the versa-tility of Wil-liams and

White onthis album,it is just thesame old,same oldthat we’re

used to seeing. “Dust to Dust” and “Eavesdrop” areundeniably the two most heartbreakingsongs on the album. The power of thelyrics and the emotions present in the

vocals take you back to a distant mem-

ory, a place you used to be so fond of,a person who you were so in love with.

You can’t help but think that Williamsand White wrote this song specicallyfor you. The shortest song on the album,“Devil’s Backbone,” is simple and to

the point. Talking about a man on therun, Williams is begging for forgivenessof this man. This may not be one of the

best songs on the album, but it is a funsong to listen to on a midsummer day. One of the more camp-esque songs,“From This Valley” is just that; grab a

bunch of friends, sit around a campre,and sing it at the top of your lungs. Itshows that The Civil Wars isn’t all se-riousness and that they can have fun

while making great music.

Being a new mom, you can hear Wil-liams’ connection to “Tell Mama”. Al-though it was not written by a memberof the duo, the emotions are still verypresent. Her plea for her son to, in thefuture, tell her what’s going on in hislife brings out the motherly instinctsand her love for her son. Confronting a cheating man, “OhHenry” shows that this duo doesn’tmess around when it comes on mo-nogamy. “Either you’re my everythingor we’re nothing” is the main point thatthe duo wants to make with this song.

Williams and White could be using thissong to allude to their problems as agroup: either they stay as a duo or theydon’t make music anymore. White gets to show off his vocal abil-ity in “Disarm.” The sweet sound thissong produces creates a longing to hearmore of White on the remainder of thisalbum and hopefully on future albums.

Williams is a phenomenal vocalist, nodoubt about it, but White has a certainelement that he brings to the table thatis powerful and has not been previouslyshowcased. The duo is no stranger to theirFrench tongue which is made obvious

through “Sacred Heart.” The beauty ofthe French language is displayed hereand, although many people will notunderstand the words, they can still

be engulfed by the beauty that is found within the music. Perfectly ending the album,“D’Arline” shows how love sometimesruns its course. One person can still bein love with the other, but if the feelingsaren’t mutual the best thing the otherperson can do is wish them the best.

Ending the album on a positive note, Williams and White seem to be givingeach other a farewell into the future,

whatever it may be for the duo. The Civil Wars takes a slightly dif-ferent route with their music on thisalbum. Rock- inspired hits, going backto folk roots, and heartbreaking balladsmake The Civil Wars so breathtaking.To get a glimpse of the full essence thatis the duo, “The One That Got Away”captures the intensity of Williams and

White and “Tell Mama” shows the emo-tional and sensitive side of the duo. I

would strongly recommend this albumto everyone, but, be warned, you mightnd yourself caught up in the past. For musicians, creative differencesare almost inevitable. The internal dis-cord that occurred gave Williams and

White the passion to make these songsthe best that they can be and to create a

beautiful album.

Could you be next?


8/11

Maurissa Ramirez Assistant editor

Ella Yelich-O’Connor, a 16-year-

old from New Zealand, also known asLorde, is an alternative pop singer withan electric voice that makes audiences

want to roll the windows down anddrive fast. For much of her childhood,Lorde worked with Universal to helpher develop style and which directionshe was going to take her music career.

At the tender age of 12, she was scout-ed by an A&R agent after seeing a

video of her singing in a school talentshow. By the age of 16, Lorde landed

a record deal with T2THEJMANAGE-MENT, who she also recorded her de-

but album with.Her debut album, The Love Club

EP, was released digitally inMarch, and she has caught theear, of listeners nationwide

with her single “Royals”. Being an active blogger onTumblr, I rst heard her sin-gle “Royals” earlier this sum-

mer. Intrigued by her sound,

I decided to download the rest of heralbum and check out a few of her mu-sic videos. I was in love. She’s an idol:

beautiful, talented, and always voicesher strong social opinion.

Personally, I admire Lorde for herstyle and strong opin-i o n s . She talks

about not wanting to be like other art-ists of her time, and according to aninterview with Entertainment &

Stars, the singer says she stays awayfrom writing about “unattainable op-ulence” and “ex-boyfriends”. In hermost famous hit, “Royals”, she singsabout the rich and glamorous lifestyle,to which she and her friends cannotrelate. She told many newspapers inNew Zealand that she got the idea forher song from famous rappers andsingers like Lana Del Rey, who are al-

ways singing about living the glamor-ous life.

“What really got me is this ridicu-lous, unrelatable, unattainable opu-lence that runs throughout,” Lordetold Entertainment; Stars. “Lana Del

Rey is always singing about beingin the Hamptons or driving herBugatti Veyron or whatever, andat the time, me and my friends were at some house party wor-rying how to get home because

we couldn’t afford a cab. This is

our reality.” I admire her for this

statement; she’s a real teenager withthe same problems as any other. In myopinion, her music is much more re-

latable than any break-up, glamorouslife, rich and famous song on the radio.

Her sound, in my opinion, is unlikeany other. I enjoy listening to artistsshe bashed for their glamorous life-style, but she has the vocals and fansto back up her stance. Her sound isdifferent, her lifestyle is different, andshe is admired for it. She’s showingthat one doesn’t have to live a rich andglamorous lifestyle to be famous andmake it in the music world.

Just recently, her newest albumPure Heroin was released, and whileexpecting the best, I was not disap-pointed. Each song was different insound from the last, and having hearda few songs before the album was of-cially released, I was already in love

with the album.I’d recommend the new album to

anyone who enjoyed her last, buyingthe album is denitely worth it.

Entertainment - Page 9

Andrea Mendes Managing editor

A smile that stretched ear to ear and an attitude

that told girls they could be whoever they wantedto be was the image portrayed by Disney’s HannahMontana. Miley Cyrus, the girl behind the blonde

wig, was idolized as a teen-pop icon for her positivemessages, admired for her close-knit connection withher family, and commended for being ‘good’ in Hol-lywood when former Disneystars like Britney Spears weremaking tabloid headlines forall the wrong reasons.

Long gone is the image of

America’s sweetheart andin its wake is Miley 2.0, thescandalous edition. What started off with aseemingly harmless hair-cut has spiraled into a fulledged change in character.The once sweet and innocentMiley is now more focused onpartying and making a scene.Her new single “We Can’t Stop” dropped this summer,debuting along with her new look and featuring a new

musical direction. Miley’s gone from singing aboutlove and true friends to “doing whatever she wants”as she says in her song. That’s not the only thing shesings about, “We Can’t Stop” is more or less a messageto everyone that she doesn’t care for opinions, as her

song features lyrics about strip clubs and doing drugsin the bathroom. Most recently Miley has received attention for her

shocking performance at MTV’s video music awards.The performance kicked off with over-sized teddy

bears ocking the stage as the opening music to “WeCan’t Stop” began. If you weren’t already confused atthis point, Miley steps out of a teddy bear wearing askin tight, esh colored, ‘shorts’ (if you can even call

them that) and bra. Barely covered, she then proceed-ed to stick her tongue out at the camera and crowd

while the entire audience gawked at her. At this point I was stunned. This was the girl thatplayed Hanna Montana only two years ago, this wasthe teen-pop sensation? For most of the performanceMiley’s mouth remained open, singing a few lyrics

here and there, but for the most part she couldn’teven keep her tongue in her mouth, let alone give agood performance. As the show proceeded, so did Mi-

ley, straight to twerking into the audience and rub- bing her face in the butt of fellow dancers. For a moment I thought I was being too judgmen-tal, after all she wasn’t 16 anymore, but my initialopinion was quickly conrmed as the VMA camerascut to an image of Will Smith and his family look-

ing appalled at the sight before them. My Twitterfeed mirrored the shockof the Smith family andaudience alike and was

ooded with talk of Miley.Everyone was stunned atthe new Miley. For daysthis was the hot topic, but

while critics ripped aparther performance, Mileyseemed to be pleased withher fame. I can’t help butask myself, is it all a show?Is this what happens to

idols who are looking to break out of their wholesomeimage and go too far? We’ve seen stars like Britney

Spears, Lindsey Lohan and Amanda Bynes go way offthe deep end, and by the looks of it Miley’s on her waythere. Pushing the envelope and making a few fashionchanges is one thing, but Miley is pushing the edge ofdecency, and there is such a thing as going too far.

Teen idol can’t keep tongue in mouth

Young artist launches career, impresses audiences

Miley’s not smiley anymore


9/11

Male students don’t want to look like Si Robert-son from “Duck Dynasty”, they just don’t want torisk cutting themselves shaving their mustachesand beards for a random rule.

Students cannot help that they are growing old-er and that hair is beginning to grow out on their

faces like grass in a field, and some teachers comeoff a bit hypocritical when they have a beard to thefloor and get upset that we have a little peach fuzz

on our face. It’s like we are breaking some kind ofancient law punishable by incarceration in county

jail .Some guys tend to break out on their faces then

begi n to grow hair , and when they have to goshave the hair away, they cut open their pimplesand begin bleeding because it’s hard not to misshair and not to cut yourself in the process.

Also there are a few guys wh o do n’t have a male

figure in the house to show them how to do stufflike shave and other manly things, so they at-tempt it without help, and the risk of injury is wayhigher than for those who have a male figure toshow them right from wrong.

When we fi nally begin to grow hair on our face ,

it symbolizes that we are becoming men.Kind of like how we become real adults

when we start an actual payi ng job.

The real world will treat us the same way that we are bein g treated right now, but we are just adolesce nts, and alth oughI understand that the schools are just try-ing to prepare us for our future in work-ing places, it’s high school and we shouldcome solely for our education.

All thes e rules just make us all wantto go home and hide under our blankets,

never wanting to come back. Growing up is a part of life.

We all most ly understand that school is tryingto teach us lessons, but does it really mean havingto begin with shaving our faces?

The Santa look isn’t wanted, but neither is the

five-year-old look. We arehigh schoolers, so isn’t it time

we looke d li ke i t?

“It’s going to be the best week of your life!” I wastold numerous times before the day nally camefor me to pack my bags and head to Crooked CreekRanch, a YoungLife Camp in Fraser, Colorado thissummer. The best week of my life though? I couldhardly think of the best day of my life, let alone the

best week, but I remained open-minded to the ideathat this could quite possibly be the best week ever.

Saturday, June 15 we headed off for Colorado. Isaid my good-

byes, gave ahug here andthere, andloaded my be-longings on the

bottom of thehuge, luxuri-ous bus thatmet us in the

mall parkinglot. I couldn’thave been moreexcited about a bus ride in my life. After all, I washeading to a beautiful state I had never been to,and I was going with my best friends, getting toleave home for an entire week.

Hours later, I began to see my destination inthe distance. The gorgeous mountains and the skytouching trees, I had never seen anything like it be-fore. Each bystander we passed waved with smiles

ear-to-ear on their faces, marking a great start tomy week long journey. Little did I know I hadn’tseen anything yet. Once we nally reached camp, I too had a smileear-to-ear. There were camp volunteers surround-ing the area in bright blue shirts, banging on our

buses as we slowly drove in. They were doing ips, jumping into the air, waving and cheering for ourarrival. It was by far the best greeting I had ever

been given. The buses stopped and it was nally time to step

foot onto Colorado. We grabbed our belongings,

gathered up with our group, listened to a great wel-coming speech followed by a hilarious activity thatinvolved people trying to put on a frozen t-shirt,and headed to our cabins. We all ran in with ex-citement, throwing our things down and nding a

bunk to sleep in. As I would come to nd out I was denitely notprepared for the next few days. There were secret

activities planned each day and everything had apurpose and meaning.

The rst night we dressed in our‘clothes that can getdirty’ and headedout on an adven-ture. The key was toprotect your Young-Life leader fromthe muddy area

through any obsta-cle there was to con-

quer, such as peoplethrowing buckets of freezing cold water. Once westarted, I quickly learned that trying to do this inTOMS was not the best idea, so I kicked them offsomewhere during the activity and did it in mysocks.

The next few days included activities l ike a rodeo,ridge runners (go-cart type vehicles), a breath-taking horseback ride, zip-lining, an above ground

ropes course, a hike, outdoor pool games,the claim jumper (the ultimate swing ex-perience of my life), three fantastic fami-ly-type meals everyday and much, muchmore.

But these activities had me wondering,‘what does all of this have to do with Je-sus?’ Then I was nally told and realized

what it all meant: each activity had Jesustied into it. The ropes course, the claim

jumper, the ridge runners, the zip-lining-

you had to trust that He would get you

through it and keep you from falling or crashing. As for the horseback ride, and the hike, we got tosee how much bigger He is than everything we sawlike the mountains and trees. It all sounded a little

weird at rst, but it all made sense in the end. Aside from the adrenaline pumping games,

rides, and activities, my favorite part of camp wasquite simple, the talks. Each night we would go

into a large auditorium-like area where I experi-enced the best talks I had ever heard. They werecentered around life topics and Jesus, with somehumorous stories interjected here and there. Thechosen speaker’s words owed into my heart likea river. I understood him, connected to the wordshe spoke, and took away from the talks somethingI had never taken away from anything before.

Our cabin talks were my absolute favorite partsof camp as well. Our cabin group would sit in a cir-cle in our room, laughing, snacking and discussing

our struggles in life. It was such a comfortable feel-ing. I felt like I could have talked to the amazingpeople I was surrounded with all night. We eachcomforted and loved one another in a way that I’mnot sure words could ever explain. When the dreaded last day came, I was heartbro-ken. I didn’t want to leave this safe haven of mineand head back to reality, but I realized I wasn’theading home alone. I had a stronger connection

with not only myself and my friends, but with Je-sus.

If you get the chance to notonly go to YoungLife club butto YoungLife camp, take it. Ipromise you won’t regret theexperience. After all, can youthink of the best week of yourlife?

Pushing boundaries with the hair on your chiny chin chin

Pack your bags, get ready for change, it’s YoungLife Camp

Mikey Wolff, 10

Erin Garcia, 11

Page 10 - Opinions

“When the dreaded last day came, I washeartbroken. I didn’t want to leave thissafe haven of mine and head back to

reality, but I realized I wasn’theading home alone. I had a stronger

connection with not only myself and my

friends, but with Jesus.”


10/11

Summer has always been carefree for me. The sunkisses my skin, sweets become even sweeter, sweatgoes unnoticed, and of course spending every day with

my friends is the best part. But the summer after my junior year was different. Sure, it was still a break fromschool, but seeing my expectations in comparison tomy realizations was like a slap in the face. Growing up feels like a myth when you’re in the mid-dle of your high school career. College? Adulthood? It’s

years away, right? I close my eyes for one second andsuddenly I’m graduating in less than a year. And whilethis sounded like the best thing in the world my fresh-man through junior years, it became the most terrify-ing thing in the universe. Ever since I was a kid, I had my whole life gured

out. Make good enough grades to get into the Universi-ty of Texas, get into the communications program, andthen pursue my dream job – journalism. Writing hasalways been my sunlight, water and oxygen, so jour-nalism seemed perfect for me. Acceptance into the UT? Piece of cake. But sadly, itended up being more like a spoonful of vinegar lled

with the bitterness of junior year that stuck to the backmy throat. To say the least, junior year was a lot moreoverwhelming than I thought it would be. Physics?Pre-cal? Three AP classes? SAT and ACT exams?

I was suddenly drowning in the pressure of beingacademically successful, and I couldn’t seem to nd a breath of air during the year. Eventually I had to askmyself: did I really want to go through all this stress

just to be in the top 7% of my class in order to be au-tomatically admitted into UT? Did I really want to gothrough the work involved to get into a good school

and become a journalist, or was this just the dream Ifelt like I needed to achieve since day one? I became stressed and discouraged. I was always

that student who was on top of her schoolwork, but when I thought back on my entire high school career, Irealized that every year I slacked off more and more. So why was I putting myself through those classes?

All I wanted to do was become a writer, but did I even want to write for the rest of my life? Was I even goodenough to be a successful writer? They say writersdon’t make money, and for the most part, it’s true. DidI want to risk getting a degree in something I might noteven get a good job in? Luckily my parents, teachersand friends never doubted my ability for one second,

but it’s also true when they say that you are your own

hardest critic. This past summer as my friends began writing col-lege essays, applying to different schools, and gettingthe rest of their lives gured out, I decided it was abouttime to face reality. I realized that getting into a top-ranked university doesn’t really matter to me, as longas I get some sort of degree. And that brings up another point – whatdo I want to do for the rest of my life? Aftertaking journalism for three years (this be-ing my fourth) I thought I fell in love with

it. But the more I think about it, the lessappealing it sounds as an actual career.Sure, I could nd a job as a journalist, butdid I really want to write for a small townnewspaper, which is most likely where I’dend up? This summer, I did more creative writ-

ing than ever before. It’s what I love the most and Icould even see myself improving. I decided: who caresif I have a hard time nding a job with a degree in cre -

ative writing? I’d rather live for my passion rather thansettle with what I can nd a job in. So after talking to my dad, who has always encour-aged me to become any kind of writer, I decided theUniversity of Houston was the place for me. For onething, I’d much rather live in Houston than in Austin– I’m a lot more familiar with the city. For another, Uof H has a great English department, and their creative

writing program is one of the best in the country. Last-ly, going to U of H means I have automatic acceptance,

which is a huge relief after the stress of trying to getinto the top 7% of my class to get into UT.

I know one thing for sure – I love to write, and it’s theone thing I’m good at. If I’ve made any self realizationsthis past summer, it’s that it’s okay to not have the per-fect life planned out, and it’s okay to not know what I

want to do for the rest of eternity or to not reach thestandards I’ve set out for myself since I was a kid. I’ve

decided to do what makes me happy,not what makes the rest of the worldhappy – and to do what I love. I ammore than a GPA number or a gradeletter. There’s more to life than being

successful in a career path. And most importantly, no matter what happens, life goes on.

Adviser

Rebecca Dominy

Editor

Emily Nash

Managing Editor

Andrea Mendes

Photography Editor Justin Sanders

The opinions expressed are those of the writers and are not reective of the

administrators, faculty or staff of Bryan Independent School District.

Submissions to the editor are welcomed, but must be signed and should not exceed

300 words. The editor reserves the right to edit submissions in the interest of

clarity and length or to not print a letter at all. Letters containing obscene or

libelous material will not be considered.

Bryan Independent School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, reli-

gion, color, national origin, sex or handicap in providing education services.

NORSEMANhttp://www. bryanhighnorseman.com

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BryanISDBryanHigh- Norseman

Assistant Editors

Jesse Baxter

Regina Flores

Alanis King

Maurissa Ramirez

Staff writers

Erin Garcia

Gabby Martinez

Robert Morgan

Mikey Wolff

It seems that the average intelligence of

today’s youth is only measured by factors

that can be added up in a spreadsheet da-tabase, such as standardized test scores,

instead of the actual abilities and talents

of the people involved.

We have moved into an era of success

based on skewed, and frequently misin-

terpreted, data.

Recent percentages show that SAT and

ACT scores have declined, however this

information is misleading due to the fact

that just a few decades ago only the top

percentage of students took the SAT and ACT exams. Now, this number has drasti-

cally increased, with a wide range of stu-

dents attempting these tests.

Because of the larger range of students

taking standardized tests, it only makes

sense that the overall average would go

down.

This isn’t a bad thing. Collectively, the

American youth is being pushed to fur-

ther their education and do things that a

few short decades ago were unheard of.

For many of us, the highest math class

our parents took was algebra I. Now, that

is a freshman or even junior high class fol-lowed by at least three other math classes.

The “dumbing down” of American

youth is not occurring because of less

expectations or easier materials. On the

contrary, if it is occurring, it is because

we are using standardized testing as the

litmus test for success.

Many countries that tout their high

scores only educate the top tier of stu-

dents. And for that top tier the emphasis

on education can easily become a daunt-ing exercise in learning how to merely an-

swer test questions.

Whereas in our education system, we

educate everyone we can, regardless of

social status. While we encourage good

test taking skills, we also emphasize the

need for creativity and self expression.

This way, we provide a more holistic

learning experience and better prepare

students for the real world.

- The Norseman Staff

Data skews truth behind education

Emily Nash, 12

Future, questions, uncertaintyOpinions - Page 11

Seniors face scary reality of growing up


11/11

Page 12 - Opinions

Humans have always dreamed of ying and while we have invented airplanes, that is not the same as being able to y. The closest that we will ever get totrue ight is scuba diving. While diving, there are no

boundaries other than the ocean oor and the sur-face. It is possible to go anywhere that you want to,

just like ying. This summer I was lucky enough to go diving offthe east coast of Australia. While I have been certiedin scuba diving since I was 12, this was my rst open

water dive. The only other experience that I had wasa certication dive in a lake. Needless to say, I waspretty nervous. However, before I could dive, I had to take a re-fresher course in a pool since I hadn’t dived withina year. This was what really made me anxious aboutthe upcoming dive. After not diving for so long, therst breath underwater was really disconcerting; your

brain tells you that you can’t, but then you inhale andeverything is ne. Then the diving instructor wentover all the emergency procedures like what to do ifthere is no air left, if the mask is ooded, or what todo if the scuba gear needed to be removed quickly.Just going through these procedures at the bottom ofa pool made me envision about what could go wronglater that afternoon. A few hours after the refresher course was my rst

dive. One interesting thing about diving is that thegear weighs a lot, therefore the fteen minute boatride with everything equipped wasn’t that fun. Then it

was time to actually begin the dive, I had to just take agiant step and fall into the water, which I thought wasa little odd. After everyone was in we descended to

about 20 meters and the separated into groups. The next half hour was amazing. There were thou-sands of sh, with hundreds of species. About half -

way through the dive two manta rays appeared, withabout a four meter wingspan. They sliced throughthe water majestically, just gliding. Since it was myrst open water dive I stayed pretty close to the divemaster, only straying a little. After the half hour wasup, we all ascended with a ve minute safety stop,

which is a required stop ve meters belowthe surface, so that the pressure difference

begins to equalize. This is for safety, since

otherwise sudden pressure changes would be harmful, even deadly to not stop for veminutes. The boat ride back was pretty uncomfort-able, being soaked with what felt like 50pounds on my back wasn’t enjoyable, how -ever the dive was well worth it. After thatI just had a quick dinner and went to bedexhausted from the dive.

I decided not to dive the next day, but the day afterthat I signed up for another dive, this time in anotherspot close to the original one. I was looking forwardto this dive now that I knew more about what to ex-pect.

On this dive there was a sandy oor, opposed to

the rocky one a couple days ago. The scenery was dif -

ferent so I saw more sh and even a few turtles. Atone point there was a school of sh that came up andswam right besides us. After all that we ascended andgot back on the boat, where a couple of whales wereoff to the side. The next day was my last and unfortunately Icouldn’t dive that day due to the pressure difference

because I was ying out. Overall I was happy that Ihad an opportunity to dive insuch a wondrous place, but sadthat I only had a few days there.

I will always remember diving,and I recommend that if youever get a chance to dive, take it.It’s another world down there.

Diving into another world provides new experiences

When I rst learned that my fam-

ily would be moving to Costa Rica for

a year so my mom could do research

on some dirt she called soil, my world

as I knew it suddenly seemed to come

crashing down. As an ut-

terly furious fth grader, I

could not picture life any -

where other than Bryan/

College Station where I had

my school and my BFF. Itold myself that it wouldn’t

happen, that it couldn’t

happen, that there was no

way we could possibly be

moving to a foreign country.

Unfortunately, my mother was not

joking about moving, so I said my trag-

ic goodbyes and off we went to Costa

Rica, bawling my eyes out and com-

plaining to no end. Little did I know

that my year living in Costa Rica would

transform my outlook on new people

and new situations for the better. The

shift didn’t just occur in my character

- it occurred in my perspective on cul-

ture and life in general.

We were headed to a place called

CATIE, a private, gated community

where people from all over the world

came to do the same thing my mother

did: researching agriculture for tropical

America. When we arrived, I felt mis-

erable and trapped. To put it kindly,

the place did not appeal to me whatso-

ever. I looked out the window and saw

no one socializing or playing outside. I

felt like I was stuck in a barren desert. I

thought I was the only child there, and

it was a very dismal feeling. The truth

was that all of my future friends were

at school.

What happened when school let out

caught me by surprise. I remember

gazing blankly out the window of my

empty bedroom when I observed a bus

pull up, and when the doors opened, at

least twenty students poured out. They

looked to be around my age, and they

all seemed very friendly and comfort-

able with one another. I wanted to be

a part of their group, but at the same

time I felt extremely out of place. After

all, why would they want to include a

strange newcomer in their tightly knit

circle? I was intimidated and had no

idea as to how to approach them.

Thankfully, they approached me.

That same night, there was a knock at

our door. When I opened

it, I was shocked to rec-

ognize a group of chil-

dren who had gotten

off the bus. They had

come to welcome us tothe neighborhood and

introduce themselves. I

had never experienced

such friendliness in my

whole life. Their unexpected, warm

gesture startled me, but I was over-

joyed that I actually might have some

friends at CATIE. I later discovered

that these people were from countries

such as Bolivia, Honduras and Brazil,

and that in the

weeks to come,

I would realize

they were some

of the best peo-

ple I had ever

met.

The friends I

made in Costa

Rica turned out

to be such posi-

tive, energetic, encouraging people.

Yes, I initially judged their way of life

as foreign and strange, but I grew to

love it even more than my own culture

as I gave their friendships a chance.

Unlike many children in the United

States, my Costa Rican friends never

excluded anyone but instead reached

out to everyone. They gave newcom-

ers warm smiles instead of cold glares

and invited new people into their group with open arms. My new friends’ gra-

cious Latino culture demonstrated how

to be a loving friend by giving unself -

ishly and putting the needs of others

before one’s own. Their way of treating

people impressed me and encouraged

me to share their culture with people

back home.

After packing up and moving to Costa

Rica for a year, I learned that stepping

out of my comfort zone can lead

to unique, amazing experiences

that may never come around

again. I would take a chance like

that again any day, and I en-

courage you to do the same.

Stepping out of comfort zone proves to be benecial

Jesse Baxter, 11

Regina Flores, 12

I wanted to be a part of their group,but at the same time I felt extremely

out of place. After all, why wouldthey want to include a strangenewcomer in their tightly knit circle?

Documents

Volume 43 Number 1