D ancing and performing at high school football games is nothing new to the High Hats, but when the girls along with the Swingers show choir were asked to perform at the Super Bowl 45 half- time show with The

Black Eyed Peas, it was something they had never expected to do.“It was just jaw-dropping for me,” senior High Hat, Jasmine Arceo said. “It didn’t really kick in until I sat and thought about who was really being a part of it and how it’s just a great experience.”When the time finally came for the performance Feb. 6, ten buses and a police escort led the performers to Cowboy’s Stadium. People on the streets waved as they arrived closer to the stadium and the dancers were were ready for the “Super Bowl atmosphere.” The High Hats agree they feelings of nervousness and excitement began to arouse as they waited in the Cowboys stadium tunnel waiting on the start of the show.

>> See full story PAGE 8

Looking Inside

Scarborough leads organiza-tions by example. - Page 6

‘Fools’ play set to show to-night through weekend. - Page 5

Cosmetology teaches real life skills.

- Page 7

Powderpuff game reverses roles, ends in tie.

- Page 16

High Hats perform in Superbowl

Keria Jinks photo

PANTHER PRINTS {DUNCANVILLE HIGH SCHOOLwww.duncanvillepantherprints.org

February 18, 2011 DUNCANVILLE HIGH SCHOOL 900 W. CAMP WISDOM DUNCANVILLE, TX 75116 VOLUME 43, ISSUE 4

I Want You to Send Your Opinion

Complete the form @ www.duncanvillepantherprints.org

Or @ jarich@duncanvilleisd.org

Panther Prints

• Having to make up days• Icy Roads• Too much time off from

school• Students going wrong way

• Snow on the Ground• Basketball Playoffs• Band and Choir All-State• Four days to catch up on

sleep

>> Opinion February 18, 2011 || PANTHER PRINTS

}Meet theStaff{Panther Prints, the official student newspaper for Dun-

canville High School, is published monthly during the school term: Oct. 22, Nov. 20, Dec. 18, Feb. 18,

March12, April 23, May 26.All signed editorial content is the opinion of the writer

and does not necessarily reflect the views of other staff members, the adviser, or the administration. Unsigned edi-torials are the opinion of the staff. Letters to the editor will be accepted on a timely basis. All letters must be submitted in person in room I117. Letters may be edited for length or libelous content.

Panther Prints accepts paid advertisements at the rate of $5 per column inch. Ad deadline is 10 days prior to publication.

Associations: Interscholastic League Press Conference, National Scholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, Quill and Scroll.

Phone: (972) 708-3878 FAX: (972) 708-3875www.duncanvillepantherprints.org

Editor-in-Chief: Tatiana Marceleno Managing Editor: Lindsay Graf-Juarez News Editor: Taylor Harris & Tijhan AndersonFeatures Editor: Allie PeregorySports Editors: Julio Munoz & John Davila Entertainment Editor: Juan MercadoMultimedia Editor:Mimi KangPhoto Editors:Keria Jinks & Ana MonzonStaff Writers:Star Poindextor, Jamia Brooks, Arielle Hackney, Cassidy DoylePhotographers:Esther Padgett, Victoria Sanchez, Javante’ Shanks, Aubrey Blake, Erika Torres, Chloe Knowling, Jazmyn DixsonGraphic Designers:Heather Butler, Thoa Mlo

AdviserJames Rich

PrincipalMike Chrietzberg

PAGE 2Budget cuts dig deep into school districts’ pocketbooksA s the adage goes, “everything’s bigger in Texas.” Budget cuts are surely no ex-

ception for that rule with legislation preparing to cut $5 billion from schools in-cluding cuts to college funding, science labs and more. Texas is already ranked

at the bottom of the country in education and cutting funding will mean an even worse drop in the quality of education in the state. The state needs to find a way to avoid cuts such as this.

We are living in a time of change. Our society’s expectations and values are evolv-ing on a major issue that affects everyone. Schools are struggling to provide adequate resources, buildings, and programs to students nationally. Young people require nurturing. School funding cuts will only hinder students from being prepared for real world experiences.

Duncanville Chief Operating officer Jennifer Wilson says that the school district falls in the lower third of funding per students already. She admits that any cut in funding will affect what they can offer to the students. These cuts could include the reduction in staff, increase in class sizes and reduction of programs. This is not the answer for our school district or any other district. This only means problems for the health of the educational system in Texas.

Although our administration says they have some reserve to operate with for the immediate cuts, Superintendent Dr. Alfred ray admits that the reserve will not last long when the budget is cut and they have to use it. This monetary nightmare has a deadly price, and every single student in the public education system will have to pay the price.

Colleges are no exception to the funding crisis. Brazosport College, Ranger Col-lege, Frank Phillips College and Odessa, which are all two year schools, will be closed if the budget cuts pass. The cost of attending such colleges is more economical for graduating seniors and this could mean that they are forced to defer their college plans or not attend at all because of the increase in larger colleges such Texas A&M and The University of Texas.

Right now students and teachers are already expected to achieve more with less. The budget reductions force administrations to cut programs that are seen as least important. If funding is reduced, the quality of education is reduced. Our government

should be looking to improve programs for students of lower socioeconomic status and offering more support for classroom teachers to make the process better not worse.

PAGE3 PANTHER PRINTS || February 18, 2011 Opinion <<

Sharidyn Kelton - Freshman“The Pepsi commercial because it was funny to see how guys and girls think on the first date.”

“The Darth Vader Volkswagen, be-cause I like the movie Star Wars.”

“The Volkswagen commercial with the little kid wa smy favorte because it was simple and funny.”

“The little pug running up to the window n the Doritos commercial because I am a dog person.”

Alexander Dunn -Sopohmore Kristin Hill - Junior Alex Juarez - Senior

What was your favorite Superbowl XLV commercial and why?

Your favorite teacher, gone. Classes held with a maxi-mum of 25 students, gone. Brand new iMac desk-tops, gone. This isn’t a threat right now, but from

the way things are going in Austin all of these things could become a reality in our schools if the legislation goes for-ward with their $5 billion in budget cuts from education this session.

“Any change in the level of funding will affect our ability to adequately meet the needs of our students.” Duncanville ISD Chief Financial Operator Jennifer Wilson said. “Dun-canville ISD is in the bottom third regarding funding per students.”

Every year the state approves a new budget for the next school year. Districts have been anticipating a decrease in state funding of about $5 billion, but the preliminary bud-get shows a shortfall of almost $10 billion.

“I think it’s going to make teaching less attractive. I real-ize everyone has to make sacrifices, but teaching has never been a ‘glamorous’ profession. That’s fine,” teacher David Womack said. “I didn’t get into teaching because I wanted to be treated like a rock star. I became a teacher because I felt that’s what I was supposed to do. I don’t think many young people will want to go into teaching when they hear about funding cuts, layoffs etc., especially when the econo-my hasn’t fully recovered.”

Although this threat is imminent, the district has taken steps to prepare for financial crisis.

“We prepared for this day by building our general fund balance by $18 million in the last four years.” Superinten-dent Dr. Alfred Ray said. “We also sought, and continue to seek, cost savings, rebates, and grants to reduce costs.”

Although this is an immediate solution for Duncanville ISD, it is just a quick fix and will not last long.

“These will helps us deal with the upcom-ing cuts in the short term,” Dr. Ray said, ” but long term, only a successful election can help us maintain current levels of service beyond the year 2014.”

Although the cut in state funding will af-fect everyone in the school, the largest im-pact will be for the staff. Wilson said that 83% of the district’s budget is spent on staff salaries and 9% is spent on contracted ser-vices.

“Any cut in funding will affect our abil-ity to maintain current staffing allocations,” Wilson said. “The current funding crisis affects our community with regards to our ability to recruit and retain quality staff members who provide students with engaging learning experiences.”

If the district loses funding and can’t replace teachers or hire new educators students may be placed in classes with numbers up to 30 or more. This is something that students such as senior Brooke Ballengee are not looking forward to.

“It really worries me, I’ve never noticed there being too many kids in a class generally, but certain classes where there’s not enough teachers for the subject, like a lot of the core classes, it’s harder to pay attention with more stu-dents,” Ballengee said, “And thinking that some of those classes are only going to get bigger is not a comforting thought. A lot of classes fill up at the beginning of the year

because there’s not enough room for everyone who wants to take it. If the class fills up and you can’t take the class, it’s just too bad. It’s going to make getting into classes a lot more difficult if there aren’t enough teachers .”

Though the funding cuts are a present issue, there are still actions citizens can take to try and solve this problem. Duncanville ATPE Representative Gail Loski encourages citizens to get involved if they want to see a change.

“Parents, teachers and concerned citizens need to per-sonally let their congress members know where they stand on the issue,” Loski said. “There was a poll saying that 70% of people don’t want to see Education cut and 60% do not want to see the class size limit disappear, but we need more than a poll to let our legislature know we are against cut-ting Education funding and class size limits.”

PAGE4 >> News February 18, 2011|| PANTHER PRINTS

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FEBRUARY

Who: Theater DepartmentWhat: Present ‘Fools’ Russian comedyWhen: Friday 7:30, Sat. & Sun. @2:30Where: Perfomrance HallPrice: $5 @ door

Texas budget cuts could leave students at loss in classroom

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

BY Allie Peregory | Features Editor

‘Fools’ Play Feb. 18-19

Panthers vs. Irving Bi-District playoff gameFeb. 22, Time & Location coming soon....

Pantherettes vs. Plano EastArea Playoff Game

Feb. 18, 6:30 @ North Mesquite

27

8

Boys & Girls Soccer@D’ville

Boys & Girls Soccer@D’ville

Performance Hall naming @2p.m.

27

22

3 4

School closed for snow days

Connect to us via { }The AcDec team will be heading to the State contest Feb. 26 after win-ning the Regionals. { }{ }Skills USA will

be competing in Corpus next month after winning their local contests.

HOSA will be mov-ing on to the next level of contest after bringing home gold medals in thier contest.

Playgoers will get a look at a traditional 1800’s comedy “Fools” Feb. 18-19 in the performance hall.“Fools is a story of romance, set in 1895 Ukraine,” director

Genevieve Croft said. “The town has been cursed with chronic stupidity for the last 200 years, and cannot be broken unless an unwanted marriage occurs between two prominent families of the town of Kulyenchikov.”

The play featuring actors from the theater department will showcase an interesting twists the audience will never see coming. The element of surprise plays a prominent role in the story.

“We have a wide mix of comedy, romance, and unexpected moments in the story,” sophomore Darryl Shaver said. “I suggest that everyone come and see the play.”

This is the third time in Croft’s professional theater career that she has worked on the show. Earlier in her career she designed lights for the show and portrayed a character, and remembered how fun it would be to direct for this semester.

“This is a play Ms. Croft did when she was in her acting days,” Shaver said. “So we’re all putting our hearts into it to make it even better.”

The cast will consist of characters with many different roles and very different personalities throughout the play. Those involved in the play said they are excited about being a part of another play directed by Ms. Croft.

“It’s fun working with a whole lot of people because everyone in the cast is pretty close,” Shaver said. “And I am excited about playing the post man, Mishkin. I can say that he is a pretty funny character.”

Tickets will cost $5 and can be purchased at the door. If anyone has any questions they can see Croft in H129.

It is a comedy of love, confusion, misunderstanding and mayhem. The perfect show for the week of Valentines Day,” Croft said. “Fools is rated G. It is appropriate for all ages, and will not disappoint!”

Things to see on our website

Russian Comedy set for Feb. 18-19BY Tijhan Anderson | News Editor

PAGE5News << PANTHER PRINTS ||February 18, 2010

PAGE6 >> Features February 18, 2011 || PANTHER PRINTS

Leading by ExampleScarborough adds personality to top spot for organizations

He knows when to turn it on and turn it off and he has the charm to attract his peers. ----Dedric Williams, STUCO co-sponser

Hurrying from classes, to student council meetings, to working with his engineering peers, senior Aus-

tin Scarborough is learning how to balance his responsibilities during his senior year. Aside from being in honors and AP classes, Scarborough fills the position of Skills USA president, Student Council President and the president of the Skills USA organization in Texas.

“Being placed in my situation, you really understand what’s occurring and you develop

a good sense of time management and organi-zational skills,” Scarborough said. “You try to make sure that every organization re-ceives your full effort.”

Being the president of three different school and state level organizations has taught Scarborough valuable skills, but he never thought of himself as a leader before his early years in high school. He joined Student Council at the beginning of his sophomore year with his friend, senior Jasmine Johnson and didn’t expect to be in the position he is today.

“He’s a really good president and he does what a president should do,” Johnson said. “He’s a really good influence and he’s very persuasive and those are things you really need as a president.”

Student Council sponsor David Womack has seen Scarborough de-velop from when he first joined student council to where he is today. He sees the passion and devotion Scarborough has for the club and fulfilling his duties.

“His personality has always shined and he is really responsible,” Student Council sponsor David Womack said. “He tries to include as many people as possible in all activities and the one thing I’ve noticed about him that’s different from the past presidents, is that he really wants all the officers, committee chairs and even the members to be accountable.”

Aside from Student Council, Scarborough is also the chapter president for the Skills USA organization. He was first introduced to the club as a freshman in a pre-engineer-ing course. From there, he competed in a district competition and advanced to state, where he placed second out of engineering students across Texas.

“When I enrolled in the class, I started seeing how so many things applied to the real world and being able to interact with different subjects ranging from machine tools to electronics and computers,” Scarborough said. “Being at state and seeing how the orga-nization worked, I thought it was a great organization for me to participate in.”

As Scarborough leads the students of our school, he is also responsible for thousands of students across Texas. Along with serving as the chapter president, Scarborough serves on the state level as president also. His sophomore year, he ran for a Skills USA position on the state level. When he wasn’t elected, he ignored the rejection and knew he had to run again the next year.

“I told myself that next year, I was going to be a state officer,” Scarborough said. “I had more of a passion and determination and a fire inside of me.”

The process of running for a position and being elected was as nerve racking as wait-ing for any other results. Scarborough began with a ten page packet requiring princi-

pal’s signatures, four recommendation letters and his academic information. He then took a test over Skills USA knowledge and leadership along with sixty other students across Texas. Half of the competitors were eliminated and Scarborough advanced to an interview process. Fifteen students were eliminated again, leaving Scarborough at the campaigning level.

“I was really confident and I was like, ‘I know I’m going to get to the final round. And when I got to the final round, I knew it was on, because I had to campaign against all these different people,” Scarborough said. “It was also pretty cool to interact with the different students.”

Now serving as President over the Texas organization, Scarborough hopes to lead and influence others. He works with a team of officers from different areas of the state and together, they work to improve the Skills USA club for the variety of chapters at dif-ferent schools. Currently, Scarborough is working on a write up to bring awareness to different schools about fund raising. He is also working with his team on a “going green” based project.

“At the state conference, we plan to implement more of a recycling awareness and seeing how we can give back to the environment,” Scarborough said. “I would really like to see more environmentally friendly ideas and also more notification and recognition of Skills USA.”

Responsibility, time management and organization are all important factors in Scar-borough’s positions, but he also believes that being socially active plays a big role. Learn-ing how to effectively communicate has helped him to connect with his Texas officers and share his projects, plans and ideas.

“Learning the different ways to communicate really helps you find that perfect bal-ance and with today’s world becoming so communicative, it’s really important to have

those skills,” Scarborough said. “There’s times when you’re serious or learning or free time with people you room with and stay up all night with: things like that really help you become a socially accepted person and it helps you gain dif-ferent perspectives.”

From the time he joined student council, co-sponsor De-dric Williams knew Scarborough had that unique trait to draw in people and lead them.

“He knows when to turn it on and when to turn it off and he has the charm to attract his peers,” Williams said. “But he

also has the presentation to get the admiration of adults that he comes in contact with. He knows how to play both sides in the way he knows how to make the kids happy and how to make adults happy.”

Since he was almost three years-old, Scarborough’s grandmother knew that he would grow up to be a preacher, politician and maybe even a president because of his ability to “sway” people’s opinions. With parents who were both involved in over eight school activities, they encourage Austin to participate and take advantage of as many opportu-nities as possible.

“We have always encouraged Austin to do his best and to be his best, to make good choices,” Scarborough’s mother, Elizabeth Scarborough said. “Whenever he accepts a leadership role he doesn’t just take the title, he does the work necessary to see that the task is accomplished.”

After graduation, Scarborough will attend the University of Texas at Austin. There, he hopes to register with the Skills USA alumni and continue on his path of success. Using the skills he’s learned so far, Scarborough will know how to keep a good balance of skills and how to be a future leader.

“At times, people will see me act crazy, but at different times they will see me get serious and having that balance between the two is such a necessity in today’s world,”

BY Tatiana Marceleno | Editor-in-Chief

Features << PANTHER PRINTS || February 18, 2011 7

As you walk down the hallway toward Panther Stadium, the smell of acetone and hair products wave over you. If you follow your nose you will find a room tucked away from the rest of the school. There you

will hear hair dryers blowing, scissors snipping away, chairs being cranked to the appropriate height and the standard greeting anytime you walk into this room, “Hello! Welcome to Cosmetology!”

“I’ve always wanted to do hair. When I was five I had this friend. And she had this game on the computer where you cut Barbie’s hair and grow it back with a comb,” senior Aly Shaw said. “We ran into the bathroom and she was like ‘Cut my hair!’ and I said ‘Okay!”, so ever since then I’ve known I wanted to do hair.”

The cosmetology program runs their own salon on campus. Customers can get anything done on campus that they would at a salon in town.

“Most of our customers come here through referrals, word of mouth. They aren’t really scared, they may be a little nervous,” cosmetology instructor Joanette Manning said, “but once they get in the chair and realize the students are profes-sional they kind of forget they’re in a school and feel like they are in an actual salon environment.”

Coach Colby Richards gets his hair done by Cosmetology because getting a haircut on campus because it is so convenient to have it done at school.

“I don’t have time to go get a hair cut until after practices and by then I am tired and want to get home to see my kids,” Richards said. “So going to cosme-tology is so much easier for me.”

Those who take advantage of the services offered by the department say they have nothing but good things to say about how the students and teachers takes care of their business.

“When I first walked in, I was amazed by the facilities and the professional-ism exhibited by the students,” teacher Karen Rittenberry said. “It was as if I had stepped into a working salon.”

Although the students conduct themselves in a professional manner, they are still learning. Manning says there are still times when they make mistakes, but says it’s part of the learning process.

“We just reassure the client that their hair will grow back,” Manning said. “Then hopefully the student learns from that mistake and won’t make it again.”

Students in the cosmetology program have the opportunity to earn their cos-metology licenses in high school rather than going to a beauty school after high school. Manning says there are benefits to the students being able to get their licenses before leaving high school.

“I think they benefit more on a level where they’re getting more personal skills. We as educators at the secondary level take more of an interest in our students. Once they graduate from high school and take it from the private sec-tor it’s all about money,” Manning said. “Those in the private sector don’t really

consider the students coming in because they’re dealing with all ages, but we’re dealing with students from ages 16-18 and we take just a little more interest in our kids.”

Aside from the personal benefits of the students earning their licenses in high school, students also leave high school with a financial advantage over their peers who may be leaving without a trade.

“These days people don’t have a lot of money to spend, so being able to have a license to operate in the cosmetology field right out of high school is a really good opportunity,” junior Stephanie Ortiz said.

The students don’t have to pay to go to beauty school after high school, and they say that it is much better to take advantage of the high school program.

“Going to beauty school would be much more expensive than what we have to pay in high school,” senior Kierra Greer said. “We only have to buy our supply kit for $300 and this doesn’t even come close to the cost of beauty school.”

When customers walk into the cosmetology room they see all types of people, and along with that, of course, different hairstyles.

“When I walked into cosmetology I was thinking, ‘I hope these girls don’t make my hair the same color as theirs! Red, Blue, Gold.’,” Richards said. “Now Aly cuts my hair every time I go in there and she does a great job.”

Stereotypically cosmetology is a “girl’s” program, but the program here wel-comes all genders.

“It’s a stereotype. We were taught that boys don’t play with Barbies and girls don’t play with action figures, but I believe there’s no limit to what you do. If you like doing it, do it,” junior Te’Rodre’ Johnson said. “That’s what motivates me. The first thing people think when they think of cosmetology is a whole bunch of girls playing with hair and make up, when it’s so much more than that.”

Manning stresses that the stereotype about male cosmetologists is incorrect.“I think a guy that’s willing to come in these doors in high school is a strong

individual. He’s focused and knows what he wants to do,” Manning said. “Quite a few of the guys that come into this program are heterosexual males, and they’re just into making women look good. They know how they like to see a woman and they have a gift for it. And if you’ve ever paid attention, it’s a male dominated industry money wise. If you’re a male in this industry you make a lot of money. A woman likes coming to a man to get her hair done.”

The students in cosmetology learn more skills than just how to cut hair and do nails.

“In here it’s not just about hair, skin and nails,” Manning said. “We teach them bookkeeping, accounting and the financial part about this industry that people tend to forget about.”

Students in the cosmetology program are in it for the long run. Students such as Shaw say they are optimistic about their future since this business will not go away anytime soon.

“Yeah, I’m not going to be a lawyer or a doctor or anything like that,” Shaw said, “but I am going to do hair because everyone needs to get their hair done!”

PAGE

Cosmetology offers more than just hair cutsBY Allie Peregory | Features Editor

Stylish nails The cosmetology students such as senior Jorha-

na Cazarez learn to create designer nails as part of their on

the job training. (Shannon Moore photo)Detailed work Senior Kierra Greer takes her time with a hair style for a customer in Cosmetology . (Olivia Davila photo) Practice makes perfect Junior Jordan Curtis learns the process

of hair styling on a manequin prior to working on customers . (Daniela Barrios photo)

PAGE8 February 18, 2011 || PANTHER PRINTS I N - D E P T H

D ancing and performing at high school football games is nothing new to the High Hats, but when the girls along with the Swingers show choir were asked to per-form at the Super Bowl 45 half-time show with The Black Eyed Peas, it was some-

thing they had never expected to do.“It was just jaw-dropping for me,” senior High Hat, Jasmine Arceo said. “It didn’t re-

ally kick in until I sat and thought about who was really being a part of it and how it’s just a great experience.”

When the time finally came for the performance Feb. 6, ten buses and a police escort led the performers to Cowboy’s Stadium. People on the streets waved as they arrived closer to the stadium and the dancers were were ready for the “Super Bowl atmosphere.” The High Hats agree the feelings of nervousness and excitement began to arouse as they waited in the Cowboys stadium tunnel waiting on the start of the show.

“As soon as we ran on the field, I felt happy and relaxed,” junior foreign exchange student Mona Orschmann said. “That was what we were practicing for and I just wanted to dance and to give all the people a good show. It didn’t feel real at the time, but more like a dream.”

The High Hats and Swingers were thrilled from the moment they found out the big news, until the actual half-time show. While standing on the field, so many thoughts buzzed through their heads.

“The first thing was that I had to make sure I didn’t forget my dance steps!” senior Swinger, Samantha Carter said. “I was just thinking of how this experience could change my life forever and how I could tell my future kids about this.”

Being chosen for the show was a great pleasure for the dancers, especially to dance along side the Black Eyed Peas. From the time they found out, to the exhausting prac-tices, the High Hats and Swingers had been looking forward to their big performance.

“I had never thought of being so close to The Black Eyed Peas, so I was so excited that I was almost crying,” junior High Hat Karen Ponce said. “The practices were so long, but they prepared us well.”

For some, the most exciting part was the overall experience of dancing only a few feet away from a famous group such as the Black Eyed Peas.

“It was like I was only two feet from them,” senior swinger Christon Draper said. “If I wanted to grab them I could!”

When high hat director, Kristi Beaty spilled the news of the dancers performing at the Super Bowl, everyone went crazy. Reactions of jumping with excitement, to screaming in disbelief filled the dance room.

“There was a lot of screaming and excitement,” Beaty said. “It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for them and I’m excited for them to get that recognition.”

Draper, being in Swingers, remembers when Beaty came to him and announced that they would be part of the performance. As one of the leaders in the choir, he was one of the first to find out.

“I was ecstatic thinking, ‘woah, I’m going to be on stage with The Black Eyed Peas,’”

[Hometown Half-time performance]High Hats make appearance dancing behind Black Eyed Peas, Usher during Super Bowl XLV

BY Tatiana Marceleno | Editor-in-Chief

Waving proud Senior High Hat Lee Ann Tinner takes her place in the routine with her peers as they prepare for the Superbowl halftime show. The participated in a full prac-tice at the stadium this month. (Keria Jinks photo)

PAGE 9 PANTHER PRINTS || February 18, 2011I N - D E P T H

D ancing and performing at high school football games is nothing new to the High Hats, but when the girls along with the Swingers show choir were asked to per-form at the Super Bowl 45 half-time show with The Black Eyed Peas, it was some-

thing they had never expected to do.“It was just jaw-dropping for me,” senior High Hat, Jasmine Arceo said. “It didn’t re-

ally kick in until I sat and thought about who was really being a part of it and how it’s just a great experience.”

When the time finally came for the performance Feb. 6, ten buses and a police escort led the performers to Cowboy’s Stadium. People on the streets waved as they arrived closer to the stadium and the dancers were were ready for the “Super Bowl atmosphere.” The High Hats agree the feelings of nervousness and excitement began to arouse as they waited in the Cowboys stadium tunnel waiting on the start of the show.

“As soon as we ran on the field, I felt happy and relaxed,” junior foreign exchange student Mona Orschmann said. “That was what we were practicing for and I just wanted to dance and to give all the people a good show. It didn’t feel real at the time, but more like a dream.”

The High Hats and Swingers were thrilled from the moment they found out the big news, until the actual half-time show. While standing on the field, so many thoughts buzzed through their heads.

“The first thing was that I had to make sure I didn’t forget my dance steps!” senior Swinger, Samantha Carter said. “I was just thinking of how this experience could change my life forever and how I could tell my future kids about this.”

Being chosen for the show was a great pleasure for the dancers, especially to dance along side the Black Eyed Peas. From the time they found out, to the exhausting prac-tices, the High Hats and Swingers had been looking forward to their big performance.

“I had never thought of being so close to The Black Eyed Peas, so I was so excited that I was almost crying,” junior High Hat Karen Ponce said. “The practices were so long, but they prepared us well.”

For some, the most exciting part was the overall experience of dancing only a few feet away from a famous group such as the Black Eyed Peas.

“It was like I was only two feet from them,” senior swinger Christon Draper said. “If I wanted to grab them I could!”

When high hat director, Kristi Beaty spilled the news of the dancers performing at the Super Bowl, everyone went crazy. Reactions of jumping with excitement, to screaming in disbelief filled the dance room.

“There was a lot of screaming and excitement,” Beaty said. “It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for them and I’m excited for them to get that recognition.”

Draper, being in Swingers, remembers when Beaty came to him and announced that they would be part of the performance. As one of the leaders in the choir, he was one of the first to find out.

“I was ecstatic thinking, ‘woah, I’m going to be on stage with The Black Eyed Peas,’”

Draper said. “I was hollering, I was screaming, I was jumping. I was like, this is my time to shine!”

When Orschmann found out she would be dancing in the half- time show, she had no idea what to expect. The junior had never seen or heard of a Super Bowl and after being a part of the show, she said it was a chance of a lifetime.

“I loved being a part of it and the dancing was so much fun,” Orschmann said, “I liked the routine a lot and every time I hear the music we danced to, I want to dance to it again.”

For Swingers and High Hats, the honor of dancing and performing in Cowboy’s Sta-dium was nothing new. The Swingers had the opportunity to dance at a Muscular Dys-trophy walk early last year, while the High Hats had the chance to dance during one of the high school playoff games.

“I felt like it would be very different from the Muscular Dystrophy Walk because we weren’t actually on the field, but in a different area,” senior Swinger, Ciera Stebbins said.

Performing and practicing with 800 other dancers had been a lot of hard work for the High Hats and Swingers. They first had to learn the choreography, then put it together with the music and finally practice on an actual field.

“It’s very serious, it’s like the most serious thing I’ve ever done,” sophomore Swinger, Tyler Guse said. “I would have never thought that I would be right next to the Black Eyed Peas them on the field and to be dancing with them.”

The dancers hard work paid off with a lot of fun meeting other performers from dif-ferent schools. As the practice’s became routine, the performer’s bonds became closer.

“The experience of meeting others was cool and I met my friend Ashley who goes to a Dallas school,” Ponce said. “She would always tell me the steps when I was doing something wrong so the show would be perfect.”

As the Super Bowl began to creep up, so did the cold, icy weather. This worried some of the performers in that it would ruin their practices with the celebrities for the show.

“I could not wait to start practices, but I was so sad when the roads started to ice over,” sophomore High Hat Cherokee Polk said. “I thought that the NFL people would cancel our practices.”

But despite the cold weather, the show went on. At the dress rehearsal with The Black Eyed Peas, Slash and Usher, the High Hats and Swingers were ready to take the stage and get serious. Although the show could’ve posed some distractions to dance as the team took the stage with the super stars, the dancers stayed focused for their performance.

“When we had the practice with The Black Eyed Peas and Usher actually there, it really hit me;” Polk said. “I was actually going to perform with them at the Super Bowl on a national broadcast.”

Mrs. Beaty had the opportunity to help the performers along their Super Bowl jour-ney and with their experience, she is proud of them and their accomplishment.

“They’ll be able to tell their children and their grandchildren that they performed at the Super Bowl, with The Black Eyed Peas,” Beaty said. “I’m just excited for them to have been a part of this experience.”

[Hometown Half-time performance]High Hats make appearance dancing behind Black Eyed Peas, Usher during Super Bowl XLV

BY Tatiana Marceleno | Editor-in-ChiefPreparing for the final show Panther Stadium was tight and secure this month as the casting crew form the Superbowl half-time came to direct practices for the show with the Black Eyed Peas (Keria JInks and MCT photos.)

PAGE10 >> Entertainment February 18, 2011 || PANTHER PRINTS

Celebrating the end of their “Suddenly Yours” tour, All-Star Weekend visited Dallas’ music bar, “The Prophet Bar” and were welcomed by a small group

of dedicated fans eagerly awaiting their show. After being featured on Walt Disney’s “Next Big Thing” competition, All-Star was signed to Hollywood Records and began touring with bands such as Action Item, Steven Jerzak, and The Scene Aesthetic.

“It’s not just about the song now, it’s about the whole package. We have a lot of meet and greets after the show and we think that’s important because we really get to con-nect and interact with the fans,” bassist Cameron Quiseng said.

Before the show All-Star Weekend made a point of do-ing just that, meeting with fans from Radio Disney and posing for pictures along with them. Lead guitarist, Nathan Darmody even showed a few guitar tabs to a young fan.

“We definitely didn’t know what it entailed, being on a label. There was a lot of expectations and I didn’t know we’d hit the studio right when we got signed,” lead singer Zach-ary Porter said. “We wrote two albums the moment we got signed. We really had to switch gears.”

The band’s debut album, “Suddenly Yours” has gained attention from major enterprises, songs have even been fea-tured on shows such as “Sonny with a Chance” and their album as a whole has made a cut in the Billboard’s top 200. And with major inspirations such as MGMT, Neon Trees and Passion Pit, All-Star keeps growing.

“Ever catch a show and feel that presence of the artist on

the stage and the songs overwhelming you, your like wow, you feel like a new person? You just got totally mind blown by the artists. Artists in generally definitely give me inspira-tion.” Porter said.

As new artists, All-Star is still getting use to what it’s like performing on stage.

“Our first show was great, we were all really nervous but it went great. However our second show was a complete disaster.” Quiseng said, “I accidently knocked the mic out of Zach’s hand!”

Even with their influences, the band still tries to create a new and original sound.

“It’s great that we get to write our own songs and write what we want to play and no one tells us otherwise. It gives us a lot of creative control.” Porter said.

But one thing that the band will always remember from their experiences on tour, is a prank they played on the band Steven Jerzak.

“I just felt it needed to be done,” Quiseng said, “I bought 4,000 post-it notes because that’s all they had at Wal-Mart and then I tweeted about it, and ended up get-ting 2,000 post it notes from fans so while he was on stage I just went and turned his van into a piñata.”

However, despite all the fun, All-Star misses their fam-ily the most.

“We get so much candy everyday. I miss going home and having a home cooked meal, my own bed, alone time and seeing my family. I get a little homesick.” Quiseng said.

All-Star Weekend brings ‘Suddenly Yours’ tour to the Door in Dallas

Great service, reasonable prices, consistently good home style cooked meals, generous proportions and a friendly atmosphere are all a reason to dine at Judy’s Cafe #2 in

Duncanville. In all the meals I’ve eaten there I think only one has ever disappointed me. The smothered sirloin is fantastic. But my all time favorite would have to be the chicken fried chicken, served with a nice cold Coke and side of mashed potatoes.

I have asked several of my friends to go to Judy’s and get me several orders of their mashed potatoes. Lo and behold, this diner has NEVER messed my mashed potatoes up. How satisfying it is to know that there is an establishment that does not mess up on a simple order such as mashed potatoes.

This is a neighborhood restaurant, well used by the locals. Judy, the owner and primary cook, is very open and friendly. She often recognizes returning customers with a wave and a smile. By doing this simple deed, she single-handedly sets the initial feel of the restaurant. Most restaurants just ask for your name and sit you down,

then mind their own business. But not at Judy’s Cafe. This is by true definition a feel good cafe.

The cafe has a spacious dining area plus a banquet room for private parties. There is no cramped seating and there is a designated area for smokers. The breakfast at the cafe is worth waking up early for. Instead of heading on over to an ever popular establishment such as McDonalds for a quick biscuit for the price of $5, you can sit down and enjoy a plethora of food for about the same price.

You don’t even have to rush your meal like you would in a drive-thru. You can just enjoy the laid back feel of the cafe and savor every worthy bite of your pancakes, sausages and hash browns, all served on one plate. Her over easy eggs are always over easy.

The lunch menu is just as good as any other meal at the diner. It consists of entree and two sides with rolls or cornbread. Judy also has daily specials for dinner every day. This is not your typical diner. It is a place to go when you are hungry and just want to relax and have a nice meal at a great price.

Offers great food, atmosphere to patrons

Suddenly Yours Tour All-Star Weekend made an appearance in Dallas at the Door. The band has risen to the top after being a Disney Band for some time. (Cassidy Doyle photos)

BY Juan Mercado | Entertaiment Editor

Burgers and Fries Judy’s Cafe #2 offers many different platters for lunch and dinner. Among those are their sand-wich combos. (Juan Mercado photo)

BY Lindsay Graf-Juarez | Managing Editor

PAGE11Entertainment << PANTHER PRINTS || February 18, 2011

Released at 1:12am Friday, Feb. 11, Lady Gaga’s long awaited new single, “Born This Way” hit her Vevo account as an audio only video.... [more]

LADY GAGA>> By Lindsay Graf-Juarez

www. DuncanvillePanther Prints.com

From the great action scenes,hilarious script and dynamic characters Green Hornet does not disap-point. The 3D effects weren’t really all that impress-ing, but the comedy made up for that.. [more]

GREEN HORNET>> By Ariel Hackney

Fourteen movie trailers aired during the Super Bowl on Sunday, meaning even if you don’t like football, you’ll probably got enough of an enter-tainment fix to keep your brain occupied for a few hours. [more]

Want more?CONNECT TO

US VIA >>

NEW MOVIE RELEASES >> By Juan Mercado

Y ou have probably seen her walking down the halls in crazy socks everyday, but there is a side of Lindsay Graf-Juarez most people

might not know about. She is the high school’s newest novelist having published “Addict.” Her novel was published when she participated in a contest called National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo last year. NaNoWriMo is a contest in which participants begin writing on November 1st and try to write a 50,000 word novel by Nov. 30th.

Q: How long did you work on your novel?

“Over Thanksgiving break I stayed up every night until like four or five o’clock in the morning to get the story out.”

“I remember trying to come up with this character and I remember this girl and her name was Alexa Roxanne. She liked being called Lexi, and over the month leading up to November I would learn little pieces about her,” Graf- Juarez said. “I could just feel her forming in my head and when it came down to the week of me actually writing it was just like she was talking. I could hear her voice. It was a pretty intense experience. My character Danny, who is the second main character in Addict is directly, completely, 100 percent based off this kid that goes to this school. His name is Tim Scebold,” Graf-Juarez said. “One day for creative writing we had to go into the lunch room and be like a ghost and so I sat down next to Tim and I described what he looked like. So I described him as Bob Saget in blond. So now he is famous forever in my book as Bob Saget in blond and he knows it.”

Q: How did you come up with the characters for your book?

“Addict isn’t necessarily my mom’s story, but I know that a piece of my mom’s life is definitely in there. The struggle and just that pure sense of helplessness and loss of innocence is in my novel because I could see it happening to my mom and then I could finally feel it with my novel and characters.”

Q: Where did your inspiration come from for your book?

Q: What are your future plans as a novelist?

Q: What are your plans for your socks when you attend college?

“Wearing random socks was just a high school thing for me. I will be attend-ing the University of Iowa as an English- Creative writing major in the Fall, and I plan to get rid of my crazy socks because I want my name to be Lindsay that cool writer chick not Lindsay the chick who wears those weird socks.”

“I am currently working on a novel “Dead Strings. Dead Strings is from another girl’s point of view. This one is a story about a girl who lost her father and she has a friend who is a pop star. It is about him getting her to see that you don’t have to hide your feelings and that life can be okay, but at the same time he’s kind of gaining her traits, so they’re trying to find a balance throughout the novel. After finishing “Dead Strings” I plan to write a novel called “Like a Virus” which will be my first novel from a guy’s point of view. This one will be based on a World War III apocalypse.”

BY Erika Torres | Photographer

February 18, 2011 || PANTHER PRINTSPAGE12 >> Entertainment

S tudents are drooling while others are trying to finish up homework and others are actively listening as Mr. David Womack goes through the list of daily

announcements. Shortly after, a voice much different from Womack’s, echoes over the intercom rapping off lyrics to the school to bring awareness to poetry club. But senior Devin Hardin’s rhymes didn’t begin with the club’s newly found attention.

“As a child, Devin hated to perform in front of a crowd,” Devin’s mom Deidre Hardin said. “In pre-K he would always cover his ears and start crying about the kids being too loud and his dad or I would have to get him out of the program!”

It wasn’t until seventh grade when Devin began to develop his love for public speaking when he entered an oratorical contest and won second place his first time trying.

“It’s really not hard anymore. I think the only challenge that I really put on myself is to get better with everything that I do because I don’t really want to write a poem or write a rap and do the same thing over again, and still have the same feel,” Devin said, “It’s just like a pet peeve of mine to do something and not go to the full extent.”

Originally from Denver, Colorado, Devin has transitioned into a new life here in Texas after leaving his former accomplishments behind. However the move has not stopped him from doing what he cares about. Even though his mother continues to struggle with SLE Lupus and congestive heart failure, Devin is determined to push ahead.

“I dreaded taking him from his childhood friends, but Devin has seen my health struggle and knows our family’s faith in positive outcomes and has never been hindrance,”

Mrs. Hardin said. “The move to Texas has been a total blessing to all of us and Devin is flourishing more here in Texas. I attribute that characteristic to never fearing change.”

Despite this move, Devin focuses on being an up and coming rapper while trying to get gigs. In fact he and his partners Avery Bledsoe and Candice Jones work together in the group “War of Wordz” performing at venues such as Kwanzaa Fest in Dallas and the House of Blues. Their manager, Teddy Lewis, or “T-Spoon” believes that the group has the potential to be as successful as Jay-Z.

“Devin Hardin has the ability to be the next great poet in the rap game. The last great poet was Tupac,” Lewis said, “I’ve had to teach Devin about the shadiness of the music industry. Success in the music industry is 90% business and 10% talent.”

Even with these statistics in mind, “War of Wordz” has managed to work under Team 1200 Entertainment which consists of Dallas, Texas’ most requested DJ, Steve Nice, and business partners DJ T-Spoon and Ken Columbus. But the business aspect of it is not all that is on Devin’s mind.

“My real focus is mainly to get my message out because rapping is not something I do just for attention,” Devin said. “I just rap because it’s something I love to do. When you do something to just get a pat on the back, then it’s fake. I have to have a purpose behind my rap.”

Devin, who met one of his partners, Bledsoe at The Parks in the Woods Recreation Center while showcasing his talent, has worked since then to create “something of substance” for his first album with the group. Lewis said, however, that the biggest challenge so far with the album is getting the sound out of the group that is needed for the songs to be successful.

“I needed them to understand that their voices, energy level, and styles needed to match the track,” Lewis said “They needed to see the recording process as a marriage of their skills with the track in order to have a smooth flowing sound.”

Mrs. Hardin said that she and her husband have taught Devin that temptation bangs on your door everyday, but a real opportunity only knocks once, and yet she is still surprised at how far he has come.

“I’m still amazed at Devin’s insight, so I can’t honestly say where he gets most of his insight. I tell all my children to be aware of their surroundings and read the signs in all situations,” Mrs. Hardin said. “The music that’s out isn’t uplifting and Devin enlightens me everyday with his lyrics!”

Influenced by artists like Big Sean, Kid Cudi, Mickey Factz and Kanye West, Devin says he wants to revolutionize the way music is made. In fact, the group as a whole is working to redefine the stereotypical sound of Hip-Hop and R&B.

“I think what is really missing is the true essence of an artist,” Devin said. “I know music has a major impact on the youth, in my society, and just seeing that a lot of people spend so much time listening to nonsense makes me want to change that whole perspective.”

Mrs. Hardin said she is proud that Devin’s dream is not a dream deferred. She admitted that he is a life long learner and only he will decide when his dream has been fulfilled.

“I am most proud of the quality of work he does at such a young age,” Mrs. Hardin said. “Finding one’s gifts and sharing it with the world is everyone’s wish. So he’s a great example for his siblings and is already a star in his family’s eyes.”

Hardin follows his dream in Rap industryIn the studio Senior Devin Hardin is working with his group to produce rich sounds for their albums featuring his voice a the microphone. He says he is excited about his future releases. (Thoa Mlo illustration)

BY Lindsay Graf-Juarez | Managing Editor

PAGE13Sports << PANTHER PRINTS || February 18, 2011

W ho’s ya Daddy? Who’s ya Daddy?” This is what a typical father says as he teases

his son in a one on one pickup game of basketball. Dad then fakes left past his

son and drives toward the basket for an easy lay up. However, it’s up to the discretion of those watching this particular game to decide whether sophomore Jeremi Grace is going easy on his father, or his father still has what it takes to be a true ball handler. Jeremi’s father Ricky

Grace, who goes by the nickname “Amazing Grace,” was inducted in the

Nation’s Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in August 2010 and says he wanted the best for

his son when he moved him back to Dallas from Australia at a young age.

“When he was about to get on the plane to fly back to America Jerami got very quite,” Mr. Grace said. “Then he asked me if I thought he could play for the (Perth)Wildcats one day and I told him if he was good enough he could.”

Mr. Grace says there were many things that

brought about his decision to move Jerami back to America when he was young.

“We are Americans, African Americans and we just wanted Jeremi to have some of that culture that is here,” Mr. Grace said. “And the competition here is also better and things are a lot more advanced.”

Jerami admits he enjoys being in America and says adjusting was tough in the beginning but got better with time.

“The first semester when I came here, I didn’t really talk to that many people,” Jerami said. “Then I started fitting in more and things got better.”

Australia is where Jeremi first picked up a basketball around the age four.

“I was probably about 10 or 11 when I realized I had a love for the game,” Jerami said. “I really started to

focus on making my game better.”Even Mr. Grace saw his skills rubbing off on his son at

a young age.“He reminds me a lot of me when I was that age,”

Mr. Grace said. “We’ve always had a lot of basketball around the house, and with his Dad playing professional I know that’s

probably influenced him.”Moving back to where his father grew up,

Jeremi didn’t leave his basketball skills behind in Austrailia. Currently he is on the Junior Varsity basketball team, playing an important role as a captain on the team at point guard.

“Jerami is one of our go-to guys, “ JV Coach Corey Chism said. “One good thing about Jeremi is that he responds to the challenges given to him and he doesn’t back down.”

Jerami’s team chemistry is also something that helps him on the court.

“Everybody on the team likes him and we all play well together as a team,” freshman teammate Omar Sherman said. “We all have a good connection with each other.”

During and after a game parents in the stands are yelling and giving instructions from the stand. Mr. Grace admits he is no different.

“I tell him things he needs to work on sometimes,” Mr. Grace said. “ I try not to get too excited but I am a proud

dad.”Although Mr. Grace recently

retired, he admits he still loves the game as he hits six shots in the row from the top of the key flawlessly. He does however say that it is Jerami’s time to enjoy the spotlight now.

“It’s really a pleasure to watch Jerami play now,” Mr. Grace said.

“It’s a good thing to see a young man following in your footsteps.”

Although Mr. Grace still shares memories from his days as a professional basketball player, he says when he retired four years ago he passed everything to his son including his nickname he has held since high school.

“The day that I retired is the day that I retired from being “Amazing Grace,” Mr. Grace said. “Jerami has that nickname now. Now it’s up to him to take that name and do whatever he wants with it.”

After ruffing each other up a bit in Sandra Meadows arena, both Jerami and his dad team up together. As Jeremi runs to the top of the key his dad takes the low post position with the ball and bounces it up for an alley oop. Jerami takes off into the air and just like his daddy, “Amazing Grace” dunks the ball.

It’s really a pleasure to Jerami play now. It’s a good thing to see a young man follow in your footsteps.

----Ricky Grace, Father

Amazing GraceSon looking to follow Hall of Fame fatherRicky Grace-Hall-of-Fame NBL Jerami Grace-Panther s player

# Games Played Avg. PPG Position # Games Played Avg. PPG Position

474 14 Guard 27 16.7 Guard

BY Taylor Harris | Editor-in-Chief

PAGE14 February 18,2011 || PANTHER PRINTS>> Sports

Panther looking to post big win tonight

Stopping the goal Early in the season the Panthers played in the Frisco tournament and left with a winning record after some close goal stops. (Julio Munoz photo)

A fter a couple of big district wins, the boys varsity soccer team has an opportunity early in the season to

make a big differ-ence in their post-season goals when they face unbeaten Mansfield Legacy. With a win the Pan-thers will be on par with Legacy and will be in a healthy posi-tion.

“If we win today, and not lose any oth-er games, we can tie points with them,” defender Hector Sifuentes said, “and at the last game of the season we can play for the district title.”

The Panthers have had a fair start in district after doing well in the pre-season.

They’ve tied against a strong Mansfield team and boast two wins against South Grand Prairie and Mansfield Timberview.

“We’ve started off with a great record getting two big wins these last couple of

games.” goal keeper Jose Perez said, “We haven’t won a district in six years and we’re trying to win it this year.”

With a win today, district will be within reach. The play-ers know what improvements need to be made and with the encouragement and guidance from Coach Pasos the team should be on the right track after tonight.

“We are strong on defense, but our weakest point is our scoring ability,” Perez said, “ so coach is trying to get us to play simple, on the ground.”

Next Home GameRecords: Panthers 2-2 Legacy 5-0Location: Old Panther FieldGame Time: 7:45 p.m.

BY Julio Munoz | Sports Editor

Sports ColumnBy Julio Munoz, Sports Editor

T his time of the year is when high school athletes dreams of playing sports at the collegiate level take the national stage. Most of them are getting a full scholar-

ship and will play for a good college if they have the talent. At least, that seems to be a common idea.

The reality is, college recruitment is a whole new world of business that athletes have very little understanding of. That’s why Jack Renkens, author of “Recruitment Realities” made one of his many stops around the country to clear things up for the under class athletes in Duncanville ISD.

Contrary to what some might believe, the recruiting process begins freshmen year. It’s never too late, even if your a senior, but the ideal time to start is freshmen year. You can sign up with recruiting companies that send out

your information to every recruiter in the country. You can’t get recruited even if colleges don’t know who you are your freshman year.

Movies and news stories about talented athletes getting a full ride to prestigious universities, paint a false picture for the common student athlete. Those athletes are in a small percentage of success stories. Student athletes have to realize that being picky and close minded will not get you very far at all, and might even lead to you not even playing at all for college.

An example Renkens used was when athletes start getting letters from several col-leges, they start to form piles of the colleges they want and those they don’t. The prob-lem is athletes usually put in one pile all the big name schools in which they are less likely to play for and discard the small or lesser known colleges almost right away. Athletes have to be willing to play anywhere, and I mean anywhere.

“You don’t pick the school, the school picks you,” Renkens said.Paying their way through college is tough, especially in today’s economy, and even

athletes will find it frustrating. Athletes can quickly forget about that full funding from an athletic scholarship, it’s unlikely. But that doesn’t mean an athlete still can’t get their education funded. This brings about the factor of grades.

Renkins says these universities have hundreds of kids to pick from, and if your grades and tests scores are low they can definitely pull someone else from the list. But as an athlete you can still get funded, with academic scholarships. In fact some athletes are 70, 80, 90, or even 100 percent funded based on their academics.

College recruitment is a difficult process, and can require sacrifice from both par-ents and students. But it is not impossible by any means, and if done right, athletes have a good chance of gaining a full ride to a college. It all depends on how open you are, support, responsibility and knowing the rules of the “game” when it comes to recruit-ing.

College recruiting made simple

Signing letters Six players from the Panthers football team were joined by family friends and coaches at a Mock National Signing Day event after school was cancelled for a week. (Taijae’ Douglas, Nancy Torres photos)

Currently 11-3, the Boys basket-ball team is finishing up into their pre-season heading with a strong start. Scrimmages, tournaments in and out of state, and pre-season games have helped them focus on their main goal. District.

“I think we’ve been doing pretty good so far, but there’s always room for improvement.” Senior Cedric Carter said

When going into the new season, the team doesn’t let the mistakes

Currently 11-3, the Boys basket-ball team is finishing up into their pre-season heading with a strong start. Scrimmages, tournaments in and out of state, and pre-season games have helped them focus on their main goal. District.

“I think we’ve been doing pretty good so far, but there’s always room for improvement.” Senior Cedric Carter said

When going into the new season, the team doesn’t let the mistakes

Currently 11-3, the Boys basket-ball team is finishing up into their pre-season heading with a strong start. Scrimmages, tournaments in and out of state, and pre-season games have helped them focus on their main goal. District.

“I think we’ve been doing pretty good so far, but there’s always room for improvement.” Senior Cedric Carter said

When going into the new season, the team doesn’t let the mistakes

PAGE15 PANTHER PRINTS || February 18, 2011 Sports <<

Take 5 with the coaches

Boys Head Basketball Coach Eric McDade Girls Head Basketball Cathy Self-Morgan

Q: How has the team improved since the beginning of the season?

A: We’ve gotten better defensively and we’re playing as a team. Although we had a lot of seniors, we had a real inexperienced team, but now we have a lot more experience, and we play harder.

Q: What do you think has been a key factor contributing to the team’s success?

A: I think our key factors has really been our defense, and that we have some people that can explode offensively.

Q: What do you think the weakest part of the team is?

A: Around this time of season we would hope that our weaknesses would have turned into strengths, and that’s what we’re still working on right now. We were at a point and I told them we’ve got to start playing better defensively, and that’s what we started doing. The guys are playing as a team, and together, so we’re at a good place now.

Q: In the district games, how do you think the team has improved?

A: As the season went on and we moved into the second half of district, I think we cleaned up a lot of mistakes we made in the first half of district. As for now we’re trying to find our groove for the playoffs.

Q: As for playoffs, what are your expectations?

A: Everybody always says ‘we want to win state’ and that’s what we want to do but we have to take it one game at a time. We want to concentrate on the bi-district championship, making it through the regional tournament, and then to the state tournament.

Q: What are your thoughts about finishing undefeated in district play?

A: I was pleased. I was real pleased with the girls. We had three goals and we didn’t meet our first two, which was to go undefeated and win all our tournaments. But the biggest one was to go undefeated in district. And win the next seven straight games that would give us a state championship. We arose to the occasion and got better and kept our chemistry. I’m real excited about going 14-0 and now we are looking to go 7-0.

Q: What are you expectations for playoffs?

A: To win.

Q: What will be the key for making a long run in playoffs?

A: Keeping our attitudes, our work ethic, our positive mindset and everybody playing together. And continuing to work real hard on the defensive end, on the boards and not turning the ball over. I think we can do it.

Q: What are some obstacles standing in your way?

A: We have one of the toughest regions in the state and we aren’t even rated in the top 10 which is fine with me, so we are kind of the underdogs because we shouldn’t have lost the six games that we did.

Q: What are you doing to prepare for having a long run in playoffs?

A: We continue to work hard. I want to say I believe that we do outwork our opponents. Again to keep our chemistry and keep a positive mindset.

BY John Davila/Taylor Harris | Sports/News Editors

PAGE16 February 18, 2011 || PANTHER PRINTS>> Photo Story

Game time was set for 7:30. Piling into the Panther Stadium Jan. 26, fans came out to see a good old-fashioned football game. Boys made sure their eye shadow was on just right so they would look “cute” cheering on the sideline. Football players had their whistles on calling the plays. Girls, who closest spot to a football game is usually on the sideline, were right in the middle of the field, run-ning and (unofficially) tackling each other for the ball like this was their last chance to play the game. All of this was done in an effort to win the annual game of Powder Puff Football.“It was really fun to be a cheerleader,” senior Darrius Smith said. “Honestly the reason I chose to be a cheerleader was because my brother did it his senior year, and he got a picture in the yearbook for it, so I wanted to be in there too.”While Smith was practicing his tumbling sills, junior Paisley Brown was working on her football dominance on the field for the junior team. She was just one of the girls on her team that helped the juniors pull off a last second run to the endzone for an 18-18 tie with the seniors for the first time in the history of the game.“I’m glad I was able to score the first touchdown, and that us juniors did really good,” Brown said. “Playing in the game made me feel like I was really a junior and made me realize I’m really going to be a senior next year.”The game started off with the seniors in the lead, however, the juniors soon made a name for themselves by tieing the game up at 12 shortly after the second half started.“As coaches we talked to players and ran some good plays to come back,” junior coach Malcolm McKenney said. “It was a good experience to see the girls get to play the game that some of them really love. “Although the juniors were excited about their big comeback, the se-niors were not so delighted since they won the game as juniors last year.“It was a wonderful game, but I felt like I let my team down as a coach when the juniors tied the game” senior coach Derrick Johnson said. “The best part was when Karolyn Palmer mixed up everybody on the field.”Acting as the amusing announcer during the game was history teach-er David Wallner. Even though Wallner’s announcement of the tie didn’t exactly leave everyone “laughing,” the game still gave juniors and seniors a reason to smile.

“As seniors, we really expected to win,” senior Tiara Iwegbu said. “But, since our class is so big, we had to get to know each other, and the game really brought our senior class closer together.”

Seniors 18 - Juniors 18

BY Taylor Harris | News Editor

Powder puff game ends in tie

Pulling Away Senior Brittnei Finn pushes away from a junior defender to gain yard-age during the Powderpuff game. (Heather Butler Photo)

Reverse role Senior Darius Smith trades his

pants in for a skirt to participate as a cheer-

leader in the Powderpuff football game.

(Heather Butler photo)

Lining up Halftime entertainment for the game was provided by the junior and senior boys who dressed as cheerleaders and danced to a song cheoregraphed by the High Hats and Mrs. Kristi Beaty. (Keria Jinks photo)

Consoling his teammate Senior coach Blake King consoles his player Chelsi Martin after the juniors scored in the last minute of the Pow-derpuff game. (Heather Butler photo)

Endzone bound Senior Tiara Iwegbu turns the corner looking to score the touchdown for the seniors (Heather Butler photo)