Stangthe

November 2011

Houston Christian High School 2700 W Sam Houston Pkwy N Houston, Texas 77043

Volume11 Edition 2

Inthe

NewsEver heard of Cut. Poison. Burn? Learn more about this documentary filmed by our very own Donna Navarro on page 4!

Do you think eighteen year olds should be able to vote? Look deeper into this on-going debate on page 14!

Have you been able to watch the new series Pan Am? If not, check out the recap on pg. 21!

4

Homecoming Royalty take center fi eldA look into the final moments before becoming Homecoming King, from Anthony Farfanby Paige Adams, Co Editor-in-Chief

14 21

NEWLY CROWNED, King Anthony Farfan and Queen Laura Valby

wave to their adoring subjects at the Homecoming game. photo provided

by: Freeman Photography

Sam Kaestner

Ashton MarshJustin Anderson

Susannah MohrmannJohnathan Bravo

Hannah Shearer

It’s halftime at the Homecoming game: there is the smell of freshly torn grass and left over au de football player with a constant jingle of mums and garters as the students mill around the stands. It is that time, the time that the Homecoming court for each class is announced at the game. The main question on everyone’s mind as they watch the seniors parade down the fi eld is, who will win King and Queen this year? But does one ever wonder what the candidates are thinking during this time? Anthony Farfan let us in on this short window of time to get an inside scoop on what goes through a prince’s mind before his “coronation.” First of all, the girls and boys on the homecoming court are dressed in formal dress with the seniors in long dresses. By the red carpet appearances that most of these young men and women are sporting, it is evident that this event is of great honor to the court chosen for this homecoming. Anthony Farfan says what it means to be chosen to him and possibly to the others on court. “It really shows that HC sees each of these four gentlemen and four ladies in the senior class as prime examples of disciples and students.” The King is right, the people chosen for Homecoming court are voted on by the entire student body, and by teachers and faculty to be a candidate for either a duke or duchess if they are underclassmen, or a princess, prince, queen, or king if they are upperclassmen. The position of Homecoming King and Queen is reserved only for seniors, so as the whole court is announced, the suspense builds as to who was chosen to be the king and queen. The student body had a tough decision this year, because there were so many amazing and wonderful seniors to choose from that covered the spectrum of students. There were football captains, a cheer captain, athletic phenoms, true leaders, and musical powerhouses (um, could they make this any harder?!) But reluctantly, a decision was narrowed down to two candidates and by now everyone knows that these are Anthony Farfan and Laura Valby as king and queen. When Anthony was announched, he also got to share this moment with his escort, who happened to be his mom. He says, “Well, I was kinda confused; I thought someone else

was going to win. And, I almost forgot to go up to take pictures. As Metty was fl ailing her arms for me to come down, I stepped forward alone with my mom. She was fl ipping out- bursting out in tears and clapping......she was so happy and excited. I’m glad she got to be down there with me, it’s something that will always mean a lot to her.” So since Anthony had been announced, it was then time to announce the queen. Anthony describes the moment that Laura was announced by adding, “When they announced Queen Laura as co-conspirator to rule over the kingdom of HC (lawlz), I did like a freak-out dip to the fl oor thing and found her walking right in my direction in excitement. I really don’t know what happened down there that night....so much noise, adrenaline, excitement, sweating (not that new for me), it was just such a great and honoring experience.” But this crown does not mean that they rule the school, or are the most popular students, nor have any power over anyone else (because they aren’t real kings or queens, sorry). It means something entirely different at this place. During rehearsal for the crowning, the court did a walk-through and Anthony described what a dearly loved teacher, that goes by the nickname Metty had said about the Homecoming Court selections. Anthony recalls that “Metty said something that really caught my attention: ‘You know it’s cool to see a student body and faculty single out the student who represents the school, themselves, and Christ the most; a life-long ambassador, so to speak.’ That is what changed my attitude from “well that’s interesting...everyone who is nominated are hoss and then there’s me,” to “I was selected by the student body to represent them, HCHS, and the name of God.” So to all the underclassmen with dreams of being the Homecoming King or Queen, take advice from one of the good ones, and know what it really means to wear the crown.

Senior Prince & PrincessesJustin AndersonJonathan Bravo

Sam KaestnerAshton Marsh

Susannah MohrmannHannah Shearer

Junior Duke & DuchessesBrooks Lehle & Sarah Helm

Soph. Duke & DuchessesJohn Clarke & Amanda Brock

Freshmen Duke & DuchessesStewart Morris & Haley Morris

HOMECOMING COURT 2011

COMMUNITYNovember 112 Man gets caught attempting to bomb the Pentagon

Bomb attempt fails

Mitt Romney, is running for President of the United States of America, and so far is in second place.

by Preston Lyle, Stang Staff

Romney makes some noiseby Michael Vaughan, Stang Staff Mitt Romney is back in the Presidential race

Did he kill the King of Pop? Dr. Conrad Murray faces extreme charges if convicted of involuntary manslaughter by Gianna Tiedemann, Stang Staff

Ten years after 9/11, we are still not fi nished fi ghting the war against terrorism. Terrorists will do anything to get their point across, from car bombing attempts to the most recent form of terrorism, remote control planes. As these people try and attack our country for their religion, we are reminded that we are still not fi nished battling with Al Qaeda.

Rezwan Ferdaus, a.k.a Bollywood, was the most recent man to fail at trying to explode the Pentagon, and fulfi ll his destiny of killing the “enemies of Allah.” Rezwan was a physics major from Northeastern University whose nickname was Bollywood. Rezwan’s hobbies did not only consist of terrorism though, Rezwan also enjoyed playing drums in a band in Massachusetts.

This rock star’s bombing attempt was a failure, since the FBI put him on the watch list because of his suspicious behavior, and soon planted undercover agents to pose as Al Qaeda. FBI agents dug deeper into the investigation and soon discovered that Rezwan had hatched his own plan to bomb the Pentagon. Rezwan’s plan was supposedly foolproof; he was going to fi ll two remote control airplanes with C-4, grenades, run into the Pentagon and shoot people with his AK-47. As the deadline for the attack got closer, FBI agents had enough evidence to convict and arrest him.

FBI agents caught Rezwan by pretending to be actual Al Qaeda members. The FBI also gathered evidence by selling Rezwan fake AK-47’s and grenades. The FBI assured the media that “nobody was in harm’s way” and that it was “necessary” so that they could convict Rezwan for his crimes. The FBI was very successful during this mission because they were in control from the very beginning, supplied the terrorist with fake guns, and made sure the planes never left the ground.

At this time next year, our nation will be on the brink of electing our next leader and President. However, we are far away from casting our fi nal ballots for a Democratic or Republican candidate. In order to get there, we must fi rst endure the ever-so-tedious process known as Preliminaries. For several months, our daily news stories will be fi lled with campaigning, debate news, and whatever political gossip the media feels must be shared. But who could be the next Commander-in-chief of our nation? At this point, there are many, many answers to that question. The consensus favorite for the Democratic candidate is the incumbent, Barack Obama. As for the Republican candidate, there are many who are drawing attention. Texas’ own governor, Rick Perry, is also making noise in the race. However, this article is not to highlight the political endeavors of our own governor, but the former governor of the state of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney. “Who is Mitt Romney?” some of you may ask. The northeastern conservative is a well-respected and admired voice in politics, with ample experience to take the reigns in Washington. Leadership and politics are in his bloodlines. His father, George, was once the head of American Motors, and went on to become the governor of Michigan. Romney took a similar route in his career as a businessman and politician. He served

as the co-founder and CEO of Bain & Company, a global management-consulting fi rm, from 1984-1998. In 1999, he took on responsibility as the CEO of the 2002 Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, and salvaged the games from potential disaster. His career in U.S. politics offi cially began when he took offi ce as the governor of Massachusetts in 2003. After serving one term, he announced his candidacy for the 2008 Presidential race, but fell in the Primaries to the Republican candidate, John McCain. But, he is back at it campaigning for 2012, and President Obama has called him the front-runner of Republican candidates. Romney is considered one of the Republican front-runners, primarily because of the wide spectrum of voters he will likely get. Apart from many Republican voters, he may also gather a collection of Democrat voters because of his somewhat liberal stance on gay rights and abortion. Another fairly substantial group of voters Romney can count on is Mormons. He and his family are practicing Mormons, and he served on a mission in France while in his twenties. Though it is unfair to assume all Mormons would vote for him, a large percentage of them will because of their aligning views. Keep a close eye on Mitt Romney, because by this time next year, he could be the Republican candidate for President of the United States.

On June 25, 2009, the world lost one of it’s biggest pop icons; not only was he one of the biggest, but in fact, he was the King. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, it’s Michael Jackson, the King of Pop. For the past few weeks, a trial has gone on to determine whether Michael

Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray, could have saved Michael Jackson. On the day of his death, Dr. Murray administered the anesthetic Propofol, which is only to be used in hospitals under strict supervision, along with other drugs to help him sleep, which actually caused him to go into cardiac arrest and eventually caused his death. It is debated whether Dr. Murray could have saved the King of Pop in the hour before he called the ambulance. Don’t know a lot about Dr. Murray? Well, here’s your chance to fi nd out. Dr. Murray is a Houston based cardiologist, who in 2006 started the Acres Homes Heart and Vascular Institute and practiced there until 2009 when he became MJ’s personal physician. He administered many drugs and anesthetics to the pop singer star up until he

died, all of his own admittance.Since the start of the trial, many witnesses

have come to share their part of the story. Some of these include the doctors from the emergency room where Michael was admitted, Kenny Ortega (the director of Michael Jackson’s “This is It” movie), his personal assistant, many of MJ’s staff members, and the paramedic that responded to the 911 call. These have all been crucial to the trail as they have given more information to the hour-long gap between the time Dr. Murray found him and the time he called 911.

Some say Dr. Murray is guilty, and some say that there is nothing that could be done. Mr. Eddie Carson, a Michael fan himself, believes that Dr. Murray is not guilty. He believes that MJ’s family “milked the money from that brother.” On the other hand, Mrs. Metoyer thinks that what Dr. Murray did was “unethical” and that he is guilty for the murder of the late King of Pop and should lose his license, but she does not think that he intended to kill him. Katrina Schmid, sophomore, gives an extremely different opinion on Michael Jackson’s death. “I think that Dr. Murray is guilty, but I don’t think Michael Jackson’s really dead. That’s because he’s eternal, I’m sure he’s off on a private island somewhere just chilling.” On that note, if Dr. Murray is convicted and if Michael Jackson really is still dead (which he most defi nitely is), he faces a maximum of four years in prison and will permanently lose his medical license.

Want to see where the trial will go next? Want to see if Dr. Murray will be found guilty? Tune into CNN, HLN, or other national news stations to see the progress on the trial.

• Located in Austin, TX

• In Big 12 conferance

• Football and Basketball games are high attractions

• Huge campus

• Application deadline is December 1st

• Top 10% in class, automatic admit

• Known for accounting and business school

• Baseball went to College World Series last year

• Bevo is their mascot

• 51,000 students

• Tuition is 9,418

• Founded in 1883

• Number one academic school in the U.S

The StangNEWS 3College CornerU. of Texas

MLB post-season ended up a ‘Ball of a time‘by Jason Comis, Stang Staff

Loren Thomas shares God’s word across the world by Natalie Galerne, Stang Staff

33

By Brian Trieglaff, Stang Editor in Chief

Yankees choke in ALDS and Rangers and Cards end up playing for the title

2010 graduate travels through Uganda and Kenya

The 2011 Post-season has been shrouded in surprising outcomes, with the biggest occurring in September. Entering September the Boston Red Sox were a lock to win the wild card leading the Tampa Bay Rays by nine games. No team entering September has given up a nine game lead. However, the Red Sox played atrocious baseball going 6-15 thanks in part to the starting pitching posting a 7.17 ERA in September. On the fi nal day of the regular season the Red Sox were in a tie with the Rays. The Red Sox lost to one of the American Leagues worst clubs, the Baltimore Orioles, while the Rays pulled off a win with a walk off homer by Evan Longoria against the New York Yankees. Unfortunately, the Rays could not keep their Cinderella story alive. After coming off a big opening win, the Rays were quieted by the loud Ranger’s bats and stunning bullpen performance. In the other division series, the New York Yankees battled the Detroit Tigers. The Yankees were strongly favored due to their home fi eld advantage and top-notch lineup. With the series going back and forth, a game 5 was needed to determine who would move on to the American League Championship series. Detroit started off with a bang by hitting back-to-back home runs off of Ivan Nova in the fi rst inning. The Yankees chipped away at the score for the rest of the game, but overall they failed to capitalize at the numerous opportunities to score some runs. The Tigers were able to hand the ball off to Jose Valverde with a 3-2 and

eventually silenced the Yankees. In the National League Division series, the Arizona D i a m o n d b a c k s squared off with the Milwaukee Brewers. The series was dominated by high-octane offenses until the season fi nale. With the series tied 2-2, as well as the game, the game was forced into extra innings. In the bottom of the tenth, Milwaukee Brewer Nyjer Morgan hit a walk-off single to send the Brewers to the Championship series. In Philadelphia the Phillies were ready to continue their regular season dominance against late Postseason entrants the St. Louis Cardinals. With one of the best pitching staffs in decades, the Phillies were strong favorites to win it all this year, but the Cardinals showed why they were a force to be reckoned with by batting around the Phillies’ pitching staff. In the fi nal game of the series, Cardinal ace Chris Carpenter shutout the Phillies to knockout the World Series favorites from the Postseason. The Cardinals move forward to face the Brewers in the Championship series, which would prove to be an offensive slugfest. The Cardinal’s offense overpowered the Brewer’s starting pitching and the Cardinals were World Series bound after a six game series.

This year, a graduate of the Class of 2011 took a bold step for Christ as she carried His word to those far from Houston. Though Loren Thomas may be far from home, she has been blessed with new rela-tionships that are very close to her heart.

Instead of starting her fi rst year at college, Loren will be spending the next fi ve months in Uganda with an organization called Empower the Child. After serving the people of Uganda, she will then head over to Kenya for three months with the same organization. “Living here and serving the people is so incredible! The Ugandans that I work with are so spirit fi lled and in love with the Lord, and the projects that we go to are so important and really impact the lives of the children,” expressed Loren. “The kids are cuter than you can even imagine and break your heart every time you are around them. I love it here so much!”

This love for Africa, it’s people, and for Christ is not a new passion in Lo-ren’s heart. “Ever since I was a little kid I knew I wanted to go to Africa, and then when I went with HC to Ghana last year I just knew God was calling me to go for lon-ger.” In fact, Loren is quick to bounce any praise of her mission work right back to the One who placed this aspiration in her heart. “It defi nitely wasn’t a decision that I made on my own. God was the one calling me here and putting the desire in my heart.” Loren’s plan for the next eight months is to live out God’s will for her life in Uganda and Kenya, being of service to any-one in need. How amazing it must be to see

God’s grace and love so abundant in places of such poverty. “He is doing some really incredible things here and I am so blessed to be a part of it!”

In the ALCS, the Rangers sought out to return to the World Series for the second straight year. With a huge performance and timely hitting by Nelson Cruz, the Rangers were able to advance to the World Series. Both teams had star studded lineups complete with a noteworthy pitching staff, which made this one of the most exciting World Series to date. After the momentum shifted back and forth during Game 6, the Rangers were one strike away from sealing the deal, but failed to close it out as the Cardinals mounted a late-ending comeback. This forced the fi rst game 7 since the 2002 World Series. However throughout the entire game 7, the Cardinals held a comfortable lead and eventually silenced the Rangers, ending their hopes of their fi rst World Series title.

SCHOOL NEWSNovember114Rebe Youm keeps moving forwardby Ashley Richards, Stang Staff

Cancer documentary Cut, Poison, Burn comes to chapel by Michael Dunn, Stang Staff

“Keep moving and never give up on any-thing,” was Rebe Youm’s idea when asked what her plans were for the upcom-ing school year. As if high school isn’t hard enough, Rebe has been brave enough to endure major spine surgery at the be-ginning of her sophomore year. Rebe’s fi rst surgery was at Shriner Hospital in Houston on September 26th. The day before, 110 friends ‘liked’ Rebe’s tear jerking facebook status regarding her surgery and many more wrote on her wall to wish her good luck. The sophomore class has been praying for Rebe constantly be-fore and after her surgery. Rebe’s best friend, Lau-ren Nugent10, said, “I was defi nitely nervous. I was scared and worried for my best friend. I once told her, in one of those ‘cheesy friendship moments,’ that she was a “little fi reball

many diffi cult times at the hospital due to pain inhibit-ing her ability to sleep, and not being able to go where she wanted to go, Rebe said, “I always asked God. ‘Why are You giving me such a hard time with all this pain?’ I couldn’t sleep very well and I couldn’t go places that I really wanted to go, but I noticed that I should be thankful that at least the surgery was suc-cessful. I didn’t notice what a miracle God had given me

with a big heart.” And it’s totally true. Despite the fact that she is about 3’10”, she honestly has the biggest heart of anyone I have ever or will ever meet. ” Lauren also visit-ed Rebe in the hospital with her date Randy Schultz10 before homecoming, af-ter Rebe’s surgery. “We brought little goodies to her, and we also brought her mum-- which she had no idea was even being made. In fact, the black ribbons that all the sopho-mores signed with a silver marker in Bible was for her mum. We all miss her at school, and that was a way to show it from all of us, since the entire sophomore class couldn’t possibly visit her,” Lauren says about the visit. After these two surgeries, Rebe is doing very well. A few of the challenges she faced were walking, balancing, and managing the pain in her back. She says that she had

Job Shadow Due Dates

JS Professional Info due November 3 (A)November 4 (B)

College ResumeNovember 10 (A)November 11 (B)

Complete JS Professional Interview

Donna Navarro is a problem solver. It is what she loves to do, what brought her to Houston Christian as the head of the custodial staff, and what has brought her to the fore-front of the controversial issue concerning the right’s of medical patients.

She has spear-headed an underground movement with a profound wish for change within the American Medical Sys-tem, a wish facilitated by the pain of her deceased

son, Thomas, which has motivated her to make a difference. It all began in September of 1999, when Thomas Navarro (4 at the time) was diagnosed with medullo blastoma, a rare form of brain cancer. The Navarro’s simply couldn’t fathom how something so horrible could happen to such a bright, engaging, and sweet boy, and despite undergoing surgery the following day, there was little hope for the future of Thomas.

It was a blow to the Navarro family, how-ever the battle was only be-ginning.

As Thomas began to under go painful chemo-therapy treatments, they left him vomiting and pain riddled, but with no sign of improvement. The Na-varro family was desperate; they searched and sought desperately for a solution, “There had to be another way,” she shared. The Na-varros did not want their young son to be exposed to such “invasive, and painful treatments,” but more im-portantly, they wanted to be given the choice.

Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski, a clinical doc-tor in Houston, offered a new and alternative treat-ment that had the potential to save young Thomas’ life; however, there was one roadblock: the FDA, the Unites States Food and Drug Agency.

The FDA had not yet approved the alterna-tive treatment using Anti-neoplastons to help fi ght Thomas’ cancer, although

it had the potential to save Thomas’ young life, while posing no known side ef-fects. This brought Mrs. Navarro to beg the ques-tion, “Which would you chose!?” Here marked the beginning of a struggle for Mrs. Navarro, and her hus-band Jim, who have been fi ghting for change for 12 years.

Despite several pleas to Congress and sur-rounding hospitals, the ability to decide the appro-priate treatment for their son was simply out of their jurisdiction. Despite being his lawful guardian, there was nothing they could do. They were constantly denied access to the anti-neoplastons.

Eventually, af-ter months of pleading for approval, Thomas was al-lowed to undergo alterna-tive treatments. But it was too late; the tumors had spread to his spine and brain. Thomas Navarro died of respiratory failure a mere seven months later.

There lies the is-sue, and the source of pain

that has fueled the Navar-ros to try to transform the United States’ medical landscape, and to go where not many other parents have gone, to the medical establishment and say that they aren’t always right.

She has utilized the passion within her to fi nd ways to overcome for-midable obstacles in the current medical arena, and to make a difference for the memory of their son, Thomas.

After repeated pleas to Congress for medi-cal freedom, The Navarros found someone who would listen: Indiana Republican Congressman Dan Burton, who fi nally introduced a Bill called the, “Thomas Navarro Patient Rights Act,” and although the bill never passed, several oth-ers are beginning to support the movement, and have consequentially construct-ed the “Access to Medical Treatment Act.”

The Navarros also contacted all media sourc-es—“The 700 Club with CBN, Hannity and Colmes-

-Fox News, CNN, Time, The New York Post, People Magazine, the Houston Chronicle, and even CH 11 News in Houston-just to name a few,” she claims.

Fortunately, she found a director that was eager to convey the Na-varro’s message. Director Wayne Chesler snatched at the opportunity to portray the horrifi c yet overlooked facet of the medicinal in-dustry, which seems to re-ject medical advancements in return for profi ts and industrial gains in the drug industry, despite the lives being lost.

However, with the passionate and uncondi-tional determination by the likes of the Navarros, there is reason to hope, reason to believe, and a reason to be optimistic. Mrs. Navarro claims that “As Americans, we have the inherent right to do what we believe is best, No one should have to give up their whole lively hood, to do what they think is right.” Hopefully, one day this dream will become reality.

AT THE SCREENING IN CALIFORNIA, Mrs. Cathy Doxtater joins Donna Navarro to watch. Dox traveled along to give moral support during the opening screening.

Checklist, JS Interview, Refl ection

November 16

November 17 (B)November 18 (A)

Thank You & Address Envelope IN CLASS

The Navarro’s war for medical rights wages on

and I was just complain-ing about the hard times when really He gave me a miracle. This made me re-alize that God is truly an amazing God on earth and I should be very thankful. Everyday God and I, our relationship gets stronger and stronger.” Rebe wants her fellow Mustangs to know that she is doing well and she would greatly appreci-ate their prayers.

Rebe goes through two major spine surgeries within a week

November 17 (B)November 18 (A)

The StangSCHOOL NEWS 55Time to shadowby Preston Lyle, Stang Staff

Students use job shadow day to see what they really want to do

A Day in the Life of “Typical Robby”

More and more faces in the hallwaysby Kandis Harding, Stang Staff

Job Shadowing is a great opportunity for students to observe the workplace, and learn more about their goals and wishes as prospective employees. Every year, students are excited to get the opportunity to get an up-close observation of jobs. It also provides an opportunity for students to expand their perspective, and realize what qualities in a job they favor, and reject.

However, it is also an opportunity to have fun; for example, Taylor Ratkiewicz12 had the tremendous opportunity to serve as a guest host on the radio station KRBE and claims it was “an amazing experience, I loved it so much. I can’t even explain.” Another intriguing job shadow

opportunity was when senior Mark Driscoll12 had the chance to work on the set of a high end news set that confi rmed Mark’s “dream of being a reporter. It was so cool and I am extremely thankful for it.”

Job Shadowing is a tremendous opportunity the faculty and students are very excited about annually, and this year is no exception.

Get to know the new staff around the school campus

WEEKEND ACTIVITIES: Robby shows off one of the many schools that apparently want him for his baseball skills. We will all have to wait and see what he chooses.

by Michael Fertitta, Business Manager

Robby Kelleher12 is widely known around the senior class as “Typical Robby.” It is almost a mystery as to how he got this name, since Jason Comis12 apparently coined it, but unfortunately could not be reached for an interview about the origin. Robby apparently does the same routine everyday and often does re-occurring actions such as “waking up late and eating pop tarts while feeding the crumbs to his dog just before he makes fun of his mom and sister,” according to Robby’s sister, Macy Kelleher9. According to Robby, however, he wakes up and grabs his offi cial sunfl ower seed spitter so that he can eat his Jim Bean sunfl ower seeds for breakfast.

After a questionable breakfast, Robby heads to the gym to help pump his guns (his

words). After an attempt at working out, Robby then apparently heads to a sunfl ower farm to harvest his own seeds for lunch.

After another questionable meal, Robby then goes to work out during baseball practice. At practice he “drops bombs and talks to pro scouts,” just before he goes to contract negotiation meetings. After this typical day, on his way home he says he often races “wannabes” in his grey convertible Mustang. After a common day to Robby, he falls asleep to highlights of the game when the Red Sox beat the Yankees.

Even though we are into the second nine weeks, there are still many faces around school that students might not know. Several teachers from different departments have made a huge impact in this short period of time. The youngest edition to the staff is our very own Houston Christian Alumni, Ms. Megan Weaver. Ms. Weaver graduated in the class of 2007, and after high school, moved to Greenville, South Carolina, to attend Furman University. There she was very busy with many activities including being a Young Life leader, a sorority girl, a tutor, and even a double major in English and Communication studies. Chi Omega was the sorority she was in and was their recruitment chair. She worked as a tutor in the writing and technology center and she tutored a set

of elementary school twins on the side. “They were really cute,” she said. Some may wonder, what actually made Ms. Weaver come back to Houston Christian? “Defi nitely God’s will for my life and I knew I wanted to do school counseling,” Ms. Weaver said, “but just loving Houston Christian was a very encouraging part of the opportunity.” Ms. Weaver said that her most favorite memory at school would have to be when she and her friend were in 10th grade WHAP. They

made a “living museum” for a project. They went to great extents to design the museum and more importantly, to impress Mrs. Metoyer, “because we loved her so much. It was kind of dorky,” Ms. Weaver said, but it was a memory that will last forever. A new library and a new librarian all at the same time seem kind of crazy at school. But Ms. Mia Steinkamp, the school’s new librarian welcomes everyone with open arms. Ms. Steinkamp, says that, “God opened the door for me to return to the USA after living abroad for many years.” Before coming to the school, she worked at Dalat International School, which is an American, Christian boarding school. She was the school’s librarian for the Middle and High School students, but also was involved in the elementary

library programming. The school’s location wasn’t like any other; it was on a small island in Malaysia, called Penang. Although Ms. Steinkamp enjoyed her life overseas, she always prayed that she would be able to move back to Texas where the rest of her family lived. Like any other librarian and schoolteacher, reading is a huge part of her life. She enjoys all kinds of books, however, “There’s sometimes required life reading. In my personal time I read the Bible,” and in her leisure time she usually chooses a fi ction and non-fi ction so she doesn’t get stuck in a particular genre.” Nevertheless, the one character Ms. Steinkamp would be is Pippi Longstocking, “Remember, I was a elementary education major,” she says. “What’s not to love about Pippi? She’s strong and independent. She doesn’t care what other people think of her but she cares a lot about other people and she likes to make new friends.” These two new editions to the school have made huge impacts on the campus and student’s lives. Make sure to meet them whenever you get the chance.

FACULTY HOMECOMING: The faculty homecoming king and queen take center stage during chapel, while Ms. Andrau is devastated by her loss of the crown.

As a school, each year we focus the time around Homecoming to raise money for Living Water International. One of the main ways to donate to Living Water International is through a program called ‘Mums for Water,’ started two years ago by former graduates. Game day consists of constant jingling, a blinding amount of sparkles, and the constant ogling of everyone’s giant mums.

These former graduates created the ‘Mums for Africa’ program to use the money that they would have spent on a mum and put it toward building much needed wells. Instead of getting a mum, people who donate to this program—which is not required—get a button that now says “Mums for Water,” and wear it on the day of the game. Some

people even had a mum and a button.

Mums look pretty for one day, and then hang on the bedroom wall till the end of time as a memory of high school days. This is where the idea of Mums for Water has sprouted.

Mums are a one-day only, extravagant and overly expensive tradition that is basically useless, but some students have discovered a way to use this money that goes toward something useless to save lives in different countries.

By donating fi fty dollars, students got a pin that says Mums for Water and their money is sent to Living Water International that puts it toward building a well.

This year our school raised $5,000, which is how much money it takes to build one well in Guatemala.

Mums for waterby Paige Adams, Co-Editor in Chief

FINE ARTSNovember 116Mustang Players’ present one of Shakespeare’s best loved comedies

As You Like It-- Just like you like it by Michael Dunn, Stang Staff

by Paige Adams, Stang Staff

Choir concert makes for a Happy Day

As the curtains closed on the stage of what had been a successful opening night for the play “As You Like It,” the cast and crew realized that they had waited long and hard for this night. Natasha Gualy notes that, “All of the extreme hard work we have all put in has fi nally been realized. The opening night had fi nally materialized, and it went exactly has the cast, crew, and director had been hoping for. According to Mitch Brown, “It went so smoothly; I am very excited about the potential this play has.” The preparation for this play began in May of last year, but as evidenced by the reaction of the crowd, it was time well spent. The pastoral comedy written by the great William Shakespeare, written in 1599, was a play the cast and crew were extremely anxious to present, as seen in Natasha Gualy’s state-ment, “It is by far my favorite Shakespearean play, and I feel like every cast member can relate with their character.” A play that aims to help students achieve an idea of self-identity, awareness, and con-fi dence, in the words of Susannah Mohrmann, “truly depicts a very good message on an issue we as teenagers tend to struggle with. That’s one of the

THROW YOUR HANDS UP AND SHOUT Brendan Ehrenstrom acts his heart out for the school play. He, along with the rest of the cast, blew away the audience with their first performance of the year.

LOVE IS IN THE AIR Susannah Mohrmann, in the role of Phebe, takes the hands of fellow castmate Drew Hendricks, who played the role of Silvius.

The award winning, TAPPS champion concert choir hosted their annual Fall Concert on October 25 in the Chapel, and featured some songs inspired by Veteran’s day and advertising a relationship with God. The Fall Concert for the concert choir is the fi rst exposure to everyone of how the choir sounds and what makes them different from the other choirs of past years. Each year the choir brings in new people to sing, so the sound always changes.

The chapel was full of students, parents and faculty. One of the audience members was our very own principal, Dr. Eileen Councill. After the concert, Dr. Council approached Mrs. Foster, the choir director, saying, “It was a lovely concert. I look forward to the Christmas concert, and the faculty and

staff get a special thank you for supporting fi ne arts.” Part of why the concert choir puts on these concerts is to showcase all the talents that God has bestowed on each person, the gift of a beautiful singing voice. In choir one does not have to be able to hit a high note like Christina Aguilera, be a musical prodigy, or have a record deal. All that is required is a hard-working spirit, a love for music, and the openness to believe in the message behind the song.

Throughout the concert, a couple of numbers involved not just the entire concert choir, but a few solos, small groups, and even a funky number at the end called “Oh Happy Day.” A song like “Oh Happy Day” is upbeat, and not something you would hear in a museum or on to the next level up in an elevator. Mrs. Foster does an excellent job changing up the

reasons I was so excited to accept my role as Phebe.” And the effect of the message was in no way lost on the audience, as seen by fi rst-time viewer Mitchell Buchanan who said, “The play was amazing. It re-ally illuminated a facet of my life I had never before observed or accessed. It was funny, interesting, and above all extremely well performed.” It is fair to say that a great deal of the effi -ciency and excellence of the production greatly falls on the mastery of award winning director Matthew Logan, and the cast is very thankful for his experi-ence and knowledge. Susannah Mohrmann states, “He[Mr. Logan] defi nitely had a positive impact on this production, and without him, this production would be nowhere near as successful.” In combination to the talented cast and director, as well as a hard working crew, the pro-duction featured something that in no way can be quantifi ed: a legitimate interest and dedication to the play in order to make it as successful as possible. An attribute not commonly found in high-school plays; however, one that this years’ production of “As You Like It” has internalized.

type of songs that concert choir does, and really shows off how complex the school’s choir can be. At one song during the concert, the audience is taken to an opera or a moment of the beautiful nature of God’s praise. At the next moment, the choir yanked the audience into a roaring dance party celebrating Jesus’ coming. Mrs. Foster comments about the concert, and addresses all of her members saying, “You sounded wonderful, looked fantastic, and enjoyed what you were doing! Beautiful smiles up there! Those in the audience also enjoyed your performance.”

The next concert scheduled will feature all the holiday favorites, so come to hear some expert sounding Christmas songs- these aren’t just your neighborhood carolers.

photo courtesy of Charles Foster Photography

GETTING READY The cast and crew finish getting ready for their performance in the Black Box, which has been trans-formed for the play.

The StangFINE ARTS 7by Natalie Galerne, Stang Staff

Orchestra and Dance join forces for annual concert

Doxa Dance and Orchestra entertain crowd in second annual fall concert Getting to know

Henry Britven On Tuesday, October 4th, Orchestra and Dance gave a com-bined performance in the chapel of everything they had been re-hearsing this quarter. Doxa Dance company had rehearsed extensively until every toe was beautifully pointed and every split in sync. Orches-tra, who rehearses every morning with Mrs. Kline, sounded amaz-ing, and the dancers were thrilled when they heard the Orchestra perform their pieces for the fi rst time. “They sounded better than the recording we practiced with,”

Henry Britven is known around campus as the Picasso of Houston Christian. Henry fi rst discovered his niche around the sixth grade when he began taking middle school art classes. Britven comes from a household full of artists, as his brother and sister are also involved in art.

Henry specializes in painting, ceramics and sculpture. Oil paint and clay are his favorite mediums to use when creating a masterpiece. When asked of his most important infl uence, Henry said, ”My main infl uence for my artwork is the 20th century Spanish artist, Salvador Dali.” Dali’s work is known for its unique and imaginative nature, specifi cally called Surrealism. The 20th century French surrealist, André Breton, explained, “Surrealism is a means of reuniting the conscious and unconscious realms of experience so that the world of dream and fantasy would be joined to the everyday rational world in an absolute reality, a surreality.”

Henry’s love for art transcends the school walls. He is involved in two out-of-school art programs. The fi rst is Foebler Pottery, where he hones his creative skills on the potter’s wheel. He is also involved in a model painting class at the Glassell School of Art. Britven is looking forward to pursuing an art career after graduating. Henry has begun selling his artwork on his personal website and Facebook page to his friends, family, and strangers all around the world. Henry stated, “Next fall, I hope to attend the Rhode Island School of Design where I can further my artistic ability.”

PRACTICE AND MORE PRACTICE The Orchestra practices for their upcoming fall concert with the Doxa dancers. They proved that hard work can pay off through an astounding performance.

exclaimed fi rst year Doxa dancer, Morgan Kanaly10. Her favorite piece was “Moon Dance,” a live-ly number that showed the bubbly side of every performer. But Mor-gan’s favorite part was her duet with Anthony Farfan12, also in his fi rst year as a Doxa member. Even an injury couldn’t slow down these fi red up stu-dents. Christina Famer11, also a member of Doxa dance company, got hurt during a dress rehearsal. “I honestly thought I wasn’t go-ing to be able to dance, but I was told by the Doctor that I could, so I was good there.” Despite a

fallback, the dancers performed with an excellence that will be re-membered. Orchestra’s talent and tone quality shone bright for the audience, but more importantly, each musician had a blast accord-ing to orchestra student Matthew Schwartz10. “I just thought it was fun to get to play along with the orchestra.” After a stunning fi rst performance, both of these talent-ed assets to Fine Arts will contin-ue to practice, practice, practice for upcoming performances this year.

SELF PORTRAIT Henry completes one of his recent self portraits. We think it looks great, Henry. Which one is the real you?

by Kendall Maddox, Stang Staff

8Eating disorders don’t have to rule your life

November 11

Ashley Richards, Stang Staff

Easy, Yummy Recipes by Alexa Reinhart Faculty whip up their favorite holiday treats

The Thanksgiving holiday allows for some delicious food. Whether you eat out or at home, there is no de-nying that the food is worth the anticipated wait. Our very own Dr. Councill has a delicious Thanksgiving recipe she makes when the holiday rolls around: Butternut squash casserole. Accord-ing to Dr. Councill, “Ev-eryone in the family asks me to make it, and we al-ways bring an extra dish to anyone we visit and they always want to know the recipe.”

The materials are: 1 butternut squash1 cup white sugar1 1/2 cups milk1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 pinch salt 2 tablespoons all-purpose fl our, 3 eggs1/4 cup margarine (melted).

Although the recipe has many ingredients, the pro-cedure is quite simple and is as follows:

First, preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Second, put butternut squash in the microwave and cook on high until soft: 2 to 3 minutes.

Cut in half, scoop out seeds and cube. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add squash and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash.

Third, in a 9x13 inch cas-serole dish combine 3 cups mashed butternut squash, white sugar, milk, vanilla extract, salt, fl our, eggs and 1/4 cup melted margarine.

Lastly, bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or un-til set.

To add a little crunch to the casserole, mix 1/2 (16 ounce) package vanilla wa-fers (crushed), 1/2 cup mar-garine (melted), and 1-cup brown sugar in a bowl. Crumble the mixture over the casserole. Return the casserole to the oven and bake until golden brown.

If you’re not looking for a turkey day tradition, but maybe just a fall sweet, one delicious recipe is Reese’s Peanut Buttercup Cupcakes made famous by Mrs. JoAnn Rosenbloom.She usually bakes these around the fall season and it “is honestly the best frost-ing I have ever made. It’s a bit sweet, but it tastes so good!” Without further adieu, this recipe contains the following ingredients:

8 Tbsp. unsalted butter2 oz. bittersweet chocolate roughly chopped1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa (or regular if that’s what you’ve got handy) 3/4 cup All-purpose fl our1/2 tsp. baking soda3/4 tsp. baking powder, 2 eggs3/4 cup granulated sugar1/2 tsp. salt1/2 cup sour cream12-15 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Sounds delish. Luckily, the procedure is not too diffi -cult to follow.

First, Preheat oven to 350°F. and line tin with cupcake liners.

Second, combine butter,

chopped chocolate and co-coa in a small bowl. Micro-wave 30 seconds then stir. Microwave at 15 second in-tervals until smooth. Don’t overheat!

Alternately, you can get fancy and use a double boiler, or a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water. Make sure you cool until barely warm.

Thirdly, in small bowl, combine fl our, baking soda, and baking powder.

Next, in a medium bowl, beat the eggs then whisk in the sugar and salt. Add the cooled chocolate mix, beat-ing until smooth and well combined.

Sift 1/3 of the fl our mixture into the chocolate mixture. Whisk until fully com-bined.

Add sour cream, mixing well, and then add remain-ing fl our mixture, whisking till fl our is fully incorporat-ed and batter is thick.

Scoop batter into lined tins using your preferred meth-od, spoon, ice cream scoop, or measuring cup.

Place a mini Reese’s cup

in the center of each cake. Press into the batter until nearly level with the top.

Finally, bake 15-20 min-utes. Check with a tooth-pick to determine if they are fully done. If the toothpick comes out clean, then they are done.

Cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then move to a wire rack to cool thoroughly be-fore frosting.

According to Mrs. Rosenbloom, the frosting is the best part and it is ex-tremely simple. The ingre-dients include: 1 cup butter4 cups powdered sugar1 tsp. vanilla extract3 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream1/2 cup peanut butter.

First, cream the butter until light and fl uffy. Slowly add in the sugar, vanilla, and cream. Beat in the peanut butter until creamy.

Lastly, fi ll pastry bag and pipe away! If you are in-spired to be a baker after making these delicious cup-cakes, you can add a few extra pieces of Reese’s to decorate the frosting with.

When you hear the words eating disorder, do you think of excessive diets? Or maybe models that want to keep their fi g-ures unnaturally skinny? Although these might be the stereotypes of eating disorders, there are many more factors that play into the development of an eat-ing disorder. Eating disorders such as anorexia cause their victims to see them-selves differently than they actually are, causing them to sometimes completely cut food out of their lives.

This specifi c disorder is very dangerous and ac-cording to Dr. Melissa Conrad Stoppler, 95% of the time the victims of an-orexia are teenage girls; and family discord is what puts most of these teenage girls at risk for anorexia above all other causes. According to Webmd.com, the side effects of anorexia are much more than the loss of weight, but also a seri-ous mental condition that impairs the victim from thinking about anything but food intake, calories,

and weight. Anorexia is a very dangerous disease that can affect a person for the rest of their life and a study performed by Discovery Health states that only 29% of anorexia victims are ac-tually overweight. As well as family discord putting teens at risk for eating disorders, bully-ing is a very serious cause of eating disorders. One of the most familiar faces of Disney, Demi Lovato, has suffered from an eating disorder caused by bullying.

In a recent inter-view done by ABC’s Bar-bara Walters, Demi opened up about the causes of her eating disorder and how she overcame it. Demi describes the bullying, “I’ve spoken openly about being bullied throughout the past few years, but one thing that I’ve never been able to feel comfortable talking about was the effects that it had on my life afterwards. I literally didn’t know why they were being so mean to me. And when I would ask

them why, they would just say, ‘Well, you’re fat.” This string of bul-lying caused her to become bulimic and she restrained from eating for a very long time. Demi let her emo-tions and problems, “spin out of control,” and in a hungry and emotional rampage she even hit one of her back-up dancers. Demi took 100 percent responsibility for her actions immediately after this incident, and she checked herself into a re-habilitation center with the

support of her friends and family. Eating disorders are terrifying , but they can be helped. A number of support groups and rehabil-itation centers are available in Houston for people suf-fering with an eating disor-der. One of the most popular in Houston that is focused on helping patients with eating disorders is the Walker Wellness Center, which although based in Dallas, is also located in Houston near the Galleria.

googleimages.com

FEATURE

The StangEVERYTHING FOOD 9Thanksgiving is more than just a traditionEveryone has their own Thanksgiving traditions, but most include friends, family, and fun

by Brian Trieglaff, Editor and Chief

By Stephen Consoli, Stang Staff Food and Pie Poll Thanksgiving is one of the most exciting, food-fi lled, and relaxing holidays of the year. Most families probably get to-gether and eat a big juicy turkey or ham with a bunch of other little treats, while all the guys sit around the TV and watch football. Preston Drake10 says, “I love Thanksgiving because I get to eat din-ner with my family. I have great loving parents and Thanksgiving is just a great reminder to me that they do so much for me and I have so much to be thankful for. It is my favorite holiday now because my two amaz-ing sisters come home from college and I get to spend some great quality time with them. I really cher-

ish the time I get to spend with them now that they are both gone from home. It’s a great family holiday.” Thanksgiving is one of the best family holi-days for everyone. It is that time of the year when ev-eryone can be happy with each other and get along pretty much no matter what the circumstances. Matt Scott11 also is looking forward to the year. He says, “This Thanksgiving will be spe-cial because my brother, Jake Scott (class of ‘11) will be coming home. He goes to the Merchant Ma-rine Academy where he has few privileges. There-fore, he is excited to fi nal-ly come home and spend time with his family and

friends. I can’t wait to seehim and spend time with him.” Some people even go to different states across the country to see family for Thanksgiving. Sarah Helm12 says, “My family and I go all the way to South Caro-lina to see family there. We stay at my aunt’s house and everyone eats a lot of food and watches football to-gether. It is a lot of fun and I look forward to it every year.”

Thanksgiving is also that one time of year that it doesn’t matter what is going on, but everyone eats. You will see people that normally don’t eat any-

thing, but when Thanksgiv-ing comes around, they are chowing down on every-thing they see. It’s almost like it doesn’t even matter what it tastes like; if it’s food they are going to eat it.

Many families have their own special food to eat as a family. Matt and Jake both love to eat their mom’s sweet potatoes.

Thanksgiving is one of the happiest and most relaxing days of the year. The day for most usu-ally consists of food, fam-ily, and football, but the original meaning for cel-ebrating Thanksgiving is to give thanks to God for all of the things He has blessed us with.

What’s your favorite place to go to lunch?Gianna Tiedemann, Stang Staff

Ahh the privileges of being a senior: senior chapel dress, red shirts, and much more, but the most exciting is getting to go off-campus for lunch. There are many places to go in Houston, but with only a forty-minute lunch period, seniors choose to get their lunches at the places nearby. Some of these places include Chipotle,

Aunt Pookie’s, Sonic, Subway, Whataburger, Which-Wich, and Freebirds. Chase Burns12 loves going off campus for lunch and when asked what his favorite place to go was, he said, “By far Aunt Pookie’s, because Alan Norman12 can get there faster than anyone in the world.” Aunt Pookie’s is right down the road from school and students can easily get there and back before the lunch period ends while also getting some great grub.

Another favorite place to go is Chipotle, and according to Taylor Ratkiewicz12, “The chicken

is amaze.” Her favorite thing to get at Chipotle is the burrito bowl because there are so many options to choose from and it’s more than just a burrito. It’s also a healthy alternative to most burrito places.

Although he loves Mexican food, Sam Siegel12 prefers a different choice of food. “Pho Huy, a Vietnamese restaurant, is my favorite place because it’s good and cheap.” Another good thing about Pho Huy is that it’s fast, and Siegel says, “You can call ahead while leaving the school parking lot and they will have the food waiting on the table by the

Seniors tell their favorite places to eat for off campus lunch

time you get there.” He also says that Taco Cabana is the fastest place to go. So, if you’re running low on time and want some tasty Mexican food, head over to Taco C. Finally, if you’re looking for a tasty place to get a slushie or a limeade, Meredith Richter12 says that Sonic is the best place to go because they have great “dranks.” With that, if you’re a senior and haven’t tried some of these places, give them a try. If you’re underclassmen, well…you’ll just have to wait until your senior year to get the great fast food Houston has to offer.

Gobble Gobble ! Happy Thanksg i v i ng !

Pumpkin Pie VS Pecan Pie:

Pumpkin: 72 %Pecan: 28%

Mashed potatoes VS

Sweet Potatoes:

Mashed: 79%Sweet: 21%

Turkey VS Ham:

Turkey: 68%Ham: 32%

googleimages.com

googleimages.coma

10 November 11

Just like some of our clients, we began with a handful of the best and brightest and grew into an institution — the city’s fifth largest CPA firm. Along the way, we’ve provided the right mix of international experience and small-town attention to some of the biggest and best — and to some that are still growing. So, no matter what size your Houston business is or what size you want it to be, chances are we’ll fit you perfectly. To join in our particularversion of successful growth, call us at 713-960-1706 or visit usversion of successful growth, call us at 713-960-1706 or visit usat www.UHY-US.com.

40 years ago, westarted somethingvery Houston.

Offices Across the U.S.

Global Resources in more than 75 countries

The Stang 11

Landry’s offers something for everyonewith a wide variety of Restaurants, Hotels

and Entertainment Destinations from Coast to Coast!

visit www.landrysinc.com for a complete listing of restaurants nearby.

KEMAH BOARDWALK DOWNTOWN AQUARIUM RAINFOREST CAFE SALTGRASS STEAK HOUSE LANDRY’S SEAFOOD

IPX Communications proudly supports the Houston Christian

High School Mustangs

The STANG STAFF

wishes to congratulate the

Mustang Players

for their awesome

production of‘As You Like It’

12 November 11

Sophomores Ashley Richards - CaptainJanie Bailliet - Co Captain

Morgan MaloufAmanda Brock

Jennifer JohnsonKatrina Schmid

FreshmanRenee Alphonso

Amy MackAdrianna BartonAshlyn Boone

Samantha Moore Bailey Fritcher

LOVE:Mrs. Drake

Congrats JV Cheer on a GREAT footballl season!

The Stang 13

by Kendall Maddox, Stang Staff

10 tips to be better prepared for exams

by Jason Comis, Stang StaffWhat Grinds My Gears

OPINIONNovember 1114

Senior Tips for Finals

In conclusion, I would appreciate it if in my manic attempt to get to school on time, there was not a person in front of me going 50 miles an hour on the highway. Hopefully, in a world where there is no limit to speed, those people would be scared off the highway. Just kidding, but not really.

There comes a time at the end of a semester that every student absolutely dreads: fi nal exams. Fortunately, after three years of taking them, I have come up with a foolproof system to doing well on them. Here are ten tips that should guarantee you a good grade on your fi nals.

1. Choosing a location. The fi rst step to successful studying is to fi nd a good quiet place to study.2. Distance yourself from any distractions. Turn off whatever may sidetrack you from your studies, whether it is TV, laptop, or even your phone.3. Taking thorough notes in class helps tremendously when studying. Get in the habit of taking organized notes and review them frequently. 4. Often times, group reviews and discussions help enormously. Try explaining things in your own words to a friend. Then discuss the material with others so you can fully grasp the information. 5. Flashcards are your best friend, especially if you’re a visual learner. Keep a pack of notecards in your backpack so you can study on the go.6. Ask your teacher for help if you do not understand something. They are a great resource and are more than happy to assist you in learning the material.

7. Don’t wait for the last minute to do your work. Procrastination is a high school student’s worst enemy. Get your work done early so there’s no need to worry about due dates. Plus, if you don’t understand something, you can

go in for help before turning it in.8 . Getting a good

night’s sleep is vital to a strong

study routine. Lack of sleep is one of the

biggest problems that high-school students face

on a day-t o - d a y basis. Go to bed a

few hours earlier, and you’ll have much more energy the

next morning.9. Relax, don’t panic. It’s the night before the test and you still haven’t started studying. Don’t fret, there’s always a solution. Take a few deep breaths and come up with a study plan. Although cramming isn’t recommended, sometimes it’s necessary.10. After a long study session, reward yourself. Study breaks are key to success. Take some time to unwind when you fi nish studying, you deserve it.

If you follow this guideline when studying for fi nals a good grade is inevitable. Exams will be coming up soon so do not waste any time and begin getting ready. You’re always better off being over-

It is a law of nature that no matter why or w h e r e you are going, as long as you are driving there, you are bound to fi nd something to complain about.

The weather outside could be straight out of a vacation catalog and the highways could be clear as day, but as soon as someone cuts you off, your entire trip changes. I seem to take my aggression out on my gas pedal; for some reason going at dangerously excessive speeds pacifi es me. Obviously since I am an ideal citizen, I would

NEVER go over the speed limit, but let’s pretend for this article’s sake that I happened to go a couple miles above the speed limit. The idea is that I

would be a hazard to those around me if I am going

faster than what a sign says. You see, back in the

70s, when Nixon was President, the National Maximum Speed Limit Law was passed to lower gas emission and set the national speed limit at a hair-graying 55 miles per hour. An obvious side achievement would be that streets might be a tad safer if everyone was going as slow as molasses. Twenty years have passed and people have grown tired of driving ridiculously slow, so anti-speed limit activists got the National Maximum Speed Limit Law repealed.

Concerned citizens all over the United States pushed their prospective states to set up

some sort of urban speed limit within their state, which is why we have speed limits today. Why did I go through all that trouble explaining the origin of the speed limit? Well, Montanans decided the National Speed Limit Law was unjustly slowing down their tractor, or whatever they drive in Montana, so they decided to do away with speed limits in non-urban areas. It must have looked like a post-apocalyptic warzone with charred remains of vehicles littering the sides of the roads, right? Wrong. The absence of a speed limit actually lowered the percentage of fatal accidents from 50% to 40.3% between 1994 and 1998.

What researchers took away from this was that a normal person knows the speed at which they are comfortable driving. Just because there is no sign dictating you must go X miles per hour does not mean a person will just rev their Toyota Corolla to the

maximum speed possible until their brakes fall off.

Surprisingly, most people have a will to live. For those with a death wish and see a speed limitless world as a gift from God, they were most likely already accelerating to bone crushing speeds anyway, even when there was a 5 by 10 inch sign politely asking them to go 60.

Eighteen is the age where one of the fi rst and biggest of the many transformations begins in one’s life. This age is one of the most confusing in my opinion: not a child legally or an adult internally, not dependent on your parents or independent enough to go it alone – it’s just one full year of confusion and adjustments. Of all the things an eighteen year old is now able to do, one of the most important is the ability to vote. But just being eighteen does not make anyone instantly more responsible or more entitled to anything if they didn’t deserve it before. Does the term 13 going on 30 ring a bell? Besides the Hollywood movie by that name, it is used to describe a child who acts very mature for their age. What about someone being young at heart? This is used to describe when an older adult acts like a younger person. Both these

point towards my fi rst theory: that age is just a number. Someone’s age can allow him or her to vote, own houses, pay their bills, and get the senior discount at IHOP, but it does not determine the way they ought to act. Because one’s age does not determine their personality, the right to vote should be used cautiously. Eighteen year olds are given the right to vote by law, we can’t argue with that. But the mistake that many young people make is voting without doing research on the candidates. The decision to vote for the democratic or republican candidate should not be because they are who your parents vote for, or that you like the color red over blue. Young people need to know who they are voting for--what the candidate has planned for the future, the promises he or she makes,

whether you believe these can be upheld, and especially how their candidacy will affect your life and those around you are important aspects of voting to consider. The power to vote is what shapes America; our democracy is what makes our country what it is. I am sure one of the dreams most parents have for their children is that they will become contributing members of society one day when they grow up and voting should be a part of this. Eighteen year olds are an important addition to the

dynamics of American voters, because it is a new generation of people that will become leaders one day but at this time, at the age of eighteen, they are shaping the future until it is their time to rise to power. You can also join a campaign called “VOTE OR DIE,” spear-headed by P-Diddy or Sean Combs, or whatever you would like to call him, to learn more about the importance of voting.(No real, usable facts are guaranteed. But they do make cool t-shirts.)

Should 18 year olds be allowed to vote?Issue being addressed by politiciansby Paige Adams, Co-Editor in Chief

folkslisten.blogspot.com

He said/She saidShould you bring that special someone to a big family event?By: Rachel Driver and Michael Fertitta, Stang Staff

The StangOPINION 15

STANG 2011-2012

Editors-in-Chief--Brian Trieglaff and Paige AdamsBusiness Managers-- Michael Fertitta and Ashley Richards

Stang StaffJason Comis, Stephen Consoli, Rachel Driver,

Michael Dunn, Natalie Galerne, Kandis Harding, Preston Lyle, Kendall Maddox, Alexa Reinhart, Gianna Tiedemann, Michael Vaughan

AdvisorHeidi McCurdy

The Stang is published 8 ti mes per year online at www.houstonchristi an.org, and is free to the student body, faculty and staff. Advertising is available

to businesses, parents and students, but The Stang reserves the right to refuse advertisement based on appropriateness for HCHS Students. For

advertising information please contact Heidi McCurdy at 713-580-6044 or email at hmccurdy@houstonchristianhs.org.

The Stang is a student run newspaper and the views and opinions of

The Stang do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the faculty, staff and Board of Houston Christian High School.

Letters to the Editor:To respond to The Stang, please email your comments to

hmccurdy@houstonchristianhs.org. The Stang reserves the right to refuse or edit inappropriate content of comments.

Mission Statement:The mission of The Stang is to inform, entertain and encourage the

readers by provising insight through school, community and global affairs, in order to raise questions and provide answers. To obtain the

truth, which is the basis of our paper, we will incorporate research from a wide variety of sources. Although we write to entertain, we will balance our humor with real information about the world around us.

In all we do, we promise to uphold our Christian values by writing with quality and integrity

MCF: You know what Rachel, I don’t get it, it seems like every year around this time whatever girl I’m seeing seems to want to meet my parents or at least my mom even if we aren’t even dating but just a “thing.” Since you are a girl, can you please break down this train of thought for me?

RED: Well, Michael, it means a lot to a girl to “meet the fam!” It shows that you really do like her and want your family to meet her. Most girls, take it as a huge compliment when you want to show them off to your family. Even if it is, just a “thing” to you, chances are to that girl it’s more than that. So if your girlfriend, or “thing,” wants to meet your family, that means they want to get serious, or offi cial. Do you see it now?

MCF: Meh sorta but that once again puts me in a bad position cause I dont know about you but my family or my mom and sister at least, get attached to whoever I bring home. So let’s say this “thing” ends in a month then my mom and sister will constantly be nagging me on what happened. I still don’t see how just meeting my family means anything serious.

RED: Come on Michael, couldn’t that always happen? You have to risk it for the biscuit right? In that situation you just have to talk to your family about it, before hand. If you and your girl breakup, or fade.... and your family is still attached, just tell them, “You cannot have a personal relationship with any of my EXs. no matter how much you like them.” Communication is key Mike!

MCF: Yes everything that could happen can happen, and what is this biscuit you speak of. HA easy for you to say, Let’s say you had a brother who was ever so close to your beloved Spencer and then y’all “faded” as you would say, but he still hung out with your brother as a friend. Every once in a while you come home just to see Spencer’s car at your house, not to see you, but to see your brother

RED: Okay, I see your point. First off, I would let my brother know how I felt about it, most likely I would tell him if he wants to hang out with Spencer that’s fi ne, but he cannot do it at our house, and he cannot talk about it at our house. See Michael there’s always a way to solve the problem, you just have

to think about it. From what I’ve heard, this has happened to you a few times hasn’t it? Did your EX show up at your house without you knowing about it?

MCF: Alright yes, but you gotta remember let’s say your sweetheart Spencer still had the hots for you, he could probably be talking to your brother about all the ways he could get you back. So even though they may not be at your house you are probably still in the conversation, but then again it is probably better then them just being down that hall from you. Don’t worry about my personal life Rachel, but on a side note how are you and Spencer?

RED: Michael, stay on topic! It is important for a girl to meet the family, it means a lot! Have you ever brought a girl to any big family events? Like Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, etc. If not, would you?

MCF: Sorry Rach, but now that I think of it I don’t think I have brought a girl to any big family events except maybe my family birthday dinner, but I think that may be it. What about you Rachel, do you plan on taking Spencer to any of your family events, What about introducing him to your sis Rebecca

RED: It seems that since you have never brought a girl to a big family event, you have something wrong with it. You have a girlfriend now, right? Do you plan on taking Anne to Thanksgiving this year?..... And Spencer has already met Becca! There’s nothing wrong with that.

MCF: Why yes I do Rachel, thanks for taking an interest in my personal life, but this isn’t about me and Anne, this is whether or not you are thinking about inviting Spencer to your Thanksgiving dinnerP.S. Rachel, if you actually want to, this would be a good way to ask over the newspaper.

RED: Thanks for the idea Michael... I’ll keep it in mind. But really, are you thinking about bringing Anne? She’s a sweet girl and I’m sure your family would love her! I just don’t see what the big deal is. Please explain why you’re so against it.

MCF: Well Rachel, I think your whole argument is fl awed because Anne is not an orphan and has her own family to celebrate Thanksgiving with. You and Spencer however are practically family so I’m almost sure y’all

will be cutting the turkey together with each of y’alls hands over each others and smiling at each other. RED: Michael, don’t get snappy with me! Everyone has their families for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holidays, including Anne and Spencer. Are you against stopping by after the traditions (cutting the turkey, opening the presents, etc)? Why?

MCF: Well Rachel you never said anything about stopping by, yes stopping by is easy, clean, and simple. I know cause I have done it almost every holiday. Silly Rachel, all you needed to do was clearly state your argument and none of this chit chat would have been necessary. Typical girl.

RED: So let me get this straight... It is Christmas day, the whole family, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and more are present, y’all just wrapped up the big feast and everyone is in the living room together. Would you allow Anne to show up and would you introduce her to the whole Fertitta fam?

MCF: Well that question is irrelevant, because my whole family already knows her so it wouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary. Would you have Spencer show up after your Christmas dinner?

RED: Yes, I probably would! So this is the conclusion we have fi nally come to: if a person in high school is dating and has a boyfriend or girlfriend they really really like, and know they are going to be around for a while, it is NOT okay to bring them to the main event of the day, like carving the turkey, or opening the presents, but it is OKAY for them to show up in a less pressured time of the day when everyone is just relaxing. Right?

MCF: Rachel, I swear you’re a dating guru. I bet you got all this experience from all the love you and Spencer share.

RED: Glad we fi nally agree on something.

MCF: Talk to you next month Rachel.

collectormentor.com

SPORTS

Celebration despite defeatby Michael Vaughan, Stang Staff

Ready for game

November 1116With hardwork and preparation Soccer aims for the playoffs

by Stephen Consoli, Stang Staff

Alumni return and students celebrate at Homecoming game

Shooting for TAPPS title

In high schools across the nation, and especially in Texas, homecoming has become a celebrated tradition. The meaning of homecoming is found in the simplicity of the name: a time for those who have left to come home. Today, homecoming typically occupies an entire weekend of festivities. With a football game on Friday night, and a dance and the customary after parties on Saturday night, there is one thing homecoming weekend guarantees: exhaustion. However, most would say that the exhaustion is worth it. Homecoming is celebrated as a time to see old friends, watch football, and fellowship with one another. Class of 2011 graduate, Dale Wallace, made it to the game on September 30. He said, ”It was weird to be there and not be playing in the game, but I really enjoyed seeing some of my classmates and younger guys and girls that I haven’t seen in a while.” Dale was one of many alumni that made it to the game. In the football game, the team faced off against a very talented and high-powered Beaumont Kelly team. The Mustangs came up short in a hard fought

43-20 loss. However, the team showed a lot of positive things, and provided excitement nonetheless. Highlights included a 39-yard screen pass for Justin Anderson’s12 second touchdown of the night, as well as a 4-down goal line stand defensively. After the game, Coach Mike Johnston said, “We’re disappointed about the loss, but not discouraged about the effort that was given on the fi eld.” A homecoming tradition that has become the centerpiece of the evening over the years is the homecoming court. Each grade votes on a boy and girl to represent their grade, and they are introduced on the fi eld at halftime. It is considered an honor by many to be voted Duke or Duchess of their grade. This year’s Sophomore Duchess, Amanda Brock10, was honored by the distinction, saying, “It was a blessing to be able to go out on the fi eld and represent the Sophomores. I enjoyed the experience and love my class.” While the outcome of the game was not what we were hoping for, this homecoming was still a memorable one for many.

With soccer season right around the corner, the Stangs get ready to im-prove on last year’s record. Tryouts for the Mustang soccer team were October 17.

Brooks Lehle11 spoke about the tryouts and he said, “The team is looking stupendous this year and we are looking forward to a marvelous season. I am also very excited to play with the one and only Malachy Lyons-Letts12. It is an honor to play on the same fi eld as him.” Malachy is a team leader who plays defense. He leads the Stangs with his great spirit and encour-agement to his teammates. If we need a clutch goal, well Malachy can’t help you with that, but he will give 99% effort to try and get the job done no matter what the cost.

Conner Pryor11, a junior soc-cer player, says, “Big players step up in big games. That’s all I got to say.”

Last season, the Mustang soccer team missed the playoffs by one game. It came down to the wire with St. Pius in a close playoff-deciding tie-breaker, but Pius ended up coming out on top. The Mustangs gave it their all, but they have looked past last season and already see themselves in the playoffs this year.

With most of the team coming back from last year, including last year’s leading goal scorer, Keith Crawford11, the team is looking awesome. The team has great leadership as well. Jeremy Biar12 and Michael McCulloch12 lead the team and have them headed in the right direction this year. They have been working hard all offseason to get ready for their senior year and it’s almost time.

Jeremy Biar said, ”Tryouts have been great. We have a lot of re-turning players, and we are willing to do what it takes to win. I’m defi -nitely excited to get the season going.”

Look for the Mustang soccer team to be very competitive in District this year. It should be a lot of fun to watch, as this could really be the year. The future is bright for Mustang Soccer.

As the fi nal seconds dwindled down in last year’s loss in the fi rst round to Bishop Dunne, the chapter of the 2010-2011 Houston Christian Mustangs began to close; however, within the closing of this chapter, began the beginning of a new journey that is fueling these Mustangs to reach their goal of a TAPPS State Title. Last year’s experience provides “motivation to avenge last year’s failures, and to take the next step to a perennial basketball powerhouse,” claims sophomore Preston Drake10. Most teams typically fear who is going to step up to replace the departed seniors; however, coach Ron Crandall is extremely confi dent his team has more than enough talent to replace his 2011 graduating class that consisted of Ryan Niebes and Kyle Crawford. He states, “Leadership left with those two, no question; however, we have an extremely hardworking senior class this year that I believe will fi ll that void.”

And Coach Crandall has reason to believe in his seniors, featuring Zach Evans12 and leading scorer Drew Peters12, who is a returning fi rst team all-district player. as he is commonly referred to, features an uncanny balance between outside shooting touch in conjunction with an aggressive attacking style to the rim. Ryan Leiss11 says, “He is just so balanced, whenever you take away one facet of his game, there is something else he can turn to.” In the words of Dexter Robinson10, “He is as close to unstoppable as you can get.” But if one were to evaluate the strength of this team, more often than not the verdict would be in the youthful talent within the program. Featuring returning starters Preston Drake, Connor Kelley10, as well as transfer Ashi Peters10 and John Clarke10, the sophomore class boasts an incredibly strong nucleus of talent that is predicted to “lead this team in the present and for years to come” according to Zach Evans.” These Mustangs know that their season will provide challenges; however, the goal will remain the same: bring a TAPPS title back to HC.

With most players returning, bas-ketball has big plans for season

by Michael Dunn, Stang Staff

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY 2011 At the district cross country meet on October 13, the varsity boys team was 2nd as they were led by medal winners Cameron Duffy-2nd and Max Brown-4th. Leading the varsity girls team was Kathryn Quandt who placed 2nd individually, as the team finished 4th in the district. Both JV teams did very well. The boys were 2nd and the girls 3rd. Medal winners at the JV level were Erica Swain-3rd, Meg Goode-5th, Kyle Garman-10th, Nick Moll-11th and Sarah Helm-14th. Congratulations to all who competed in the meet.

Around HC...

MINI MUSTANGS The cheerleaders and the Silver Spurs perform at halftime at the October 7 foot-ball game against St. Thomas. Mini Mustangs is an annual fundraiser for both groups led by Silver Spurs Colonel Hannah Rae and Stangs Captain Laura Valby.

STOP DROP AND RUMBLE The JV Cheer team leads the crowd in a cheer at the JV football game on October 13 at home against St. Pius. There are 12 JV cheerleaders on this new squad, with 6 sophomores and 6 freshmen, including Captain Ashley Richards and Co-Captain Janie Bailliet.

Macy Kelleher9

Cameron Duffy10

Sarah Helm11

What team member do you

try to beat?

Best pre-race meal?

Aston Martin or Bentley?

What music do you listen to

before a race?

Meg Goode

Granola Bar

Aston Martin

U2

Max Brown

Banana

Bentley Rap (with Max)

Kathryn Quandt

Pasta Bentley Taylor Swift

Max Brown12

Cameron Duffy

Pasta AstonMartin

Weezy

The StangSPORTS

Cross Country Update

Football Update

17Honoring September Athletes of the Month

Max Brown12

The Men’s and Women’s Soccer team began the season on October 25th with wins against Northland Christian, 3-2 and 8-3 respectively.

StangShorts

QA&

The outstanding work ethic and dedication to long distance running displayed over the last three years paid off with a record-breaking month of September for Max Brown. Steadily improving his cross-country three mile times since his freshman year, the senior broke his own school record with a 17:23 performance at the Sam Houston Meet. Max is an outstanding student that represents the school extremely well and he is to be congratulated for being such a well-rounded student-athlete.

Krissy Brown12

Krissy had an exceptional month for the young Mus-tang fi eld hockey team that enjoyed its best month ever. She played exceptionally well during a fi ve-game span during September in which the team won its fi rst two games ever and tied two others. Brown was a catalyst for the success of the team in each of the games with long-distance passing skills leading to each of the three goals scored in the month.

The Mustang football team made a statement on October 21st when they defeated St. Thomas 23-21 after suffering a tough 50-0 loss at home two weeks prior. Despite only one district win, playoff hopes are still alive. The team heads to Beaumont on Friday, November 4th for the fi nal game of the regular season.

It was one more great meet for the cross country team this season as the boys’ team placed 8th in state and the girls’ were 12th. Kathryn Quandt was the only medalist for the team as she placed 4th for the girls. The boys’ team was led again by Cameron Duffy and Max Brown who both placed higher than any previous HC boy at state. Cameron’s time was also another new school record.

SoccerUpdate

VolleyballUpdate

After a fi rst round victory against Victoria St. Joseph’s, the Lady Mustangs fell to the Trinity Christian Lions in Madisonville on October 29th. This was the farthest our volleyball team has reached in its history.

V-BALL SENIORS TAKE CENTER STAGE The Senior Recognition night for the Volleyball girls took place on October 7. Six seniors were recognized includ-ing Rebecca James, Rachel Havins, Waverly Walla, Erica Carey, Kaitlin Handel, Lauren Schulz and Paige Po-lasek. Not pictured: Morgann Davis

November 1118

Proudly supports the Houston Christian

Mustang Football Team.

The Stang 19Thanksgiving History Quiz

How much do you really know about the Pilgrims and the fi rst Thanksgiving? Take this quiz to fi nd out.

1. What year did the pilgrims set sail for America?a.1680b.1620c.1820

2. What did the Pilgrims who came over aboard the Mayfl ow-er call themselves?a. Pilgrimsb. Saintsc. Strangers

3. How many days did it take for the Mayfl ower to reach the New World?a. 44 daysb. 65 daysc. 1 year

4. What was the name of the treaty that guaranteed equality between the “Saints” and the “Strangers”?a. Mayfl ower Compactb. Mayfl ower Constitutionc. Mayfl ower Treaty

5. Where did the Pilgrims fi rst settle in the New World?a. Cape Codb. Plymouthc. Portland

6. Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to do what?a. Danceb. Grow cornc. Sleep on the ground

7. How many days did the First Thanksgiving last?a. 2b. 3c. 5

8. Who proclaimed Thanksgiving an offi cial national holiday?a. Abraham Lincolnb. Franklin D. Rooseveltc. Governor William Bradford

If you get more than 6 correct, you are a true Pilgrim and American.If you get more than 3, you are an average American.If you get less than 3 correct, you need to retake History!

Your ad could be here!

Contact a staff member to find out how!

A

nsw

ers:

b,b

,b,a

,b,b

,b,a

NHS will be collecting old cell phones the week of November 7-11, and you can drop them off at Ms. Andrau’s desk in the main offi ce

during the week, and NHS members will be collecting them at the

Veteran’s Day Assembly on Nov. 10.

,

ENTERTAINMENTNovember 1120 Which Senior

Are You Most Like?Pan Am TV Series--A Big Hit by Rachel Driver, Stang Staff

by Ashley Richards, Stang Staff

The Pan Am TV series showing on ABC Family is a blast from the past. The series is set in the 1960’s and is focused around the Pan American World Airways. Pan Am is a drama fi lled show that keeps you wanting more. With its gorgeous fl ight attendants, and handsome pilots, the TV Series is never boring. It appears on the ABC Family channel on Sunday at 9 o’clock. If you have watched the show, you can see the huge difference from fl ying then,

The 60s and modern TV collide in new Airline series

to fl ying now. In the 60’s, fl ying was a big deal. To fl y, one would get extremely dressed up in suits, dresses, heels and dress shoes. It was not a normal thing to fl y, instead it was a rare occasion only for the wealthy. Now, as all of you know, it is common to fl y. I know that if I am going to the airport, I put on the sweats.

Another huge difference from fl ying then to fl ying now is the

requirements to be a fl ight attendant.

In the Pan Am series, dress code, hair length, weight, race and even bone structure were all crucial factors to whether or not you would “make the cut.”

The rules have also dramatically changed when it comes to education. Did you know that in the 60’s to be a Pan Am fl ight attendant you had to know at least fi ve different languages? An attendant had to be on top of her game 100% of the time, or they might be cut off. The job

What seniors are you most like?

1) What do you like to do in your free time?A) Shopping at the Memorial City MallB) SPORTS!!!!C) Acting/dancing/ singing..

Anything creative! 2) What do you look for in a college?

A) Great places for fun and shopping off campus!

B) A great football program!C) An opportunity to be the

shining star you are with a great theater program

3) Who is your role model?A) Coco Chanel and/or Bradley

CooperB) Michael Phelps and/or Hope

SoloC) Kristin Chenoweth and/or

Matthew Broderick

Mostly A: If your answers were mostly A’s then you are like Bucky Desadier and Rachel Richards! You are a lot of fun and very fashionable! You will go places with your love of the fun and fashion!

Mostly B: If your answers were mostly B, then your senior act a-likes are Sam Kaestner and Paige Polasek! You are very athletic and it shows in your personality!

Mostly C: If your answers were mostly C, then you are like Haylee Hoelscher and Anthony Farfan! You are destined to be on Broadway just like these talented seniors!

More Vampires & Werewolves, oh my!Breaking Dawn Part 1 Hits the Big Screen

Teenage girls and even teachers can’t wait to see the new movie Breaking Dawn. Vampires, vampires, and more vampires. TV series, movies, and books have seemed to take an interest in vampires in the past few years, but nothing can compare to the books and movies that started this series, according to many. The new Twilight movie, Breaking Dawn Part 1, will be shown on November 18, 2011. Freshmen, Adrianna Barton loves the movies and will make sure she’s there for the midnight premiere of Breaking Dawn, whereas our very own Mrs. Amber Joachim says, “Uh…no. I’m not awake at midnight for any good reason.” So whether you see the midnight premiere or not, Breaking Dawn will be a movie many fanatics won’t miss. Mrs. Joachim, is a huge fan of the Twilight Saga. She has seen all of the movies and read the books, several times, “Breaking Dawn was

def my favorite,” she said. Team Jacob or Team Edward is the real question when it comes to the Twilight Saga. Mrs. Joachim said, “I felt a lot more sympathy for Jacob in the book, but I thought that the movie kind of makes him seem like a jerk, so I tend to be Team Edward.”

The majority of teenage girls would have to disagree with Mrs. Joachim, though, like Adrianna Barton who said, “Team Jacob, for sure.” Teenage girls that are Team Jacob seem to

by Kandis Harding, Stang Staff

fi nd interest in him the most “because he’s hot,” like many would say. No matter if you are Team Edward or Team Jacob, there’s no denying that Breaking Dawn is the must see of the year. Adrianna Barton says that she likes that Breaking Dawn is in two parts just because there’s “more movies to look forward to.” Mrs. Joachim says, “Well, I guess we won’t know until we see it. I assume it will be frustrating because then you’ll have to wait to see the rest.”

was an adventurous one, but was not easy to get, or keep. The TV series has only begun, therefore we are still getting to know the crew. Our captain and pilot in the series is a handsome young fellow by the name of Dean Lowrey. His Co-Pilot is Ted Vanderway, a humorous and funny guy that seems to always give Dean a hard time. A few other leading ladies are Laura Cameron, Colette Valois, Kate Cameron, Maggie Ryan, and Bridget Pierce. All of these beautiful women are fl ight attendants on the Pan Am Airline. Some lead a life of adventure, some lead a secret life as an under cover agent, and some are just running from love. Some of our very own HC students are in love with this series. Rachel Richards12 says, “I am addicted to the series and love watching it. Dean is my favorite character and such a cutie!” No matter who you are, you can relate to this TV series. Young or old, male or female, give it a try and I’m sure you will enjoy it.

Bucky & Rachel

Anthony & Haylee

Sam & Paige

Robert Pattinson, Kristin Stewart & Taylor Lautner

The StangENTERTAINMENT 21With a city full of restaurants, sometimes it may be overwhelming.

by Michael Fertitta, Business Manager

2121Fertitta’s Foods

This past Tuesday I was feeling the munchies after school so Pace Andrews, my friend, and I decided to stop by a new place for once, Saltgrass Steakhouse. Pace Andrews said, “THIS IS THE PLACE,” when we fi rst walked in.

We were seated as soon as we walked in, so the service was impeccable. The scenery was just what you would expect from a fantastic casual dining restaurant. The walls were fi lled with Texas items such as license plates, wagon wheels, stuffed animals, and much more.

To make things better, when we got the menu, they had a wide range of food to select from and almost none cost more then twenty dollars.

to macaroni and heaven, no really this was amazing. I felt like I was at the Last Supper, because this is probably what they ate.

Honestly, and I’m saying this with an unbiased opinion, you should honestly go in there and drop all your money, because that’s what they deserve. No sorry, they deserve more then that. Give them all your money and your kids to work as free labor, because this is what Saltgrass deserves. I don’t know who’s running this popsicle, stand but they got it right. Kudos fellas.

I ordered the c h i c k e n s k e w e r s with a b a k e d potato and m a c a r o n i and cheese, while Pace o r d e r e d a steak. It took

only about ten minutes, so it did not take long at all-- just phenomenal.

When we got the food, my chicken skewers looked and tasted great and you can tell they cooked it well to make sure all the bacteria were gone. I can tell that Saltgrass really cares about their customers.

T h e baked potato was amazing; they put just what I wanted on it, and it was decadent. Then I decided to save the macaroni and cheese for last, and all I have to say is that they should change it

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

27 28 29 30

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

1 2 3 4 5

NOVEMBER

Mens SoccerGirls BBALL

Job Shadow info due (A day)JV Football-HOMEFall Play 7:30

Job Shadow info due (B day)Mens SoccerV Football--7:30Fall Play 7:30

SAT Fall Play 7:30

ChapelGirls BBALLMens SoccerMens BBALL

College resume due (A day)Girls BBALLVeterans Day Chapel

College resume due (B day)Girls BBALL

Mens JV BLUE BBALL SoccerFest

Capital Campaign Dinner

Mens BBALLGirls BBALLSoccer

PLAN Test & Job Shadow Day

JS Interview & Re� ection due (B day)Mustang ClassicMens BBALL

JS Interview & Re� ection due (B day)Mustang C.Mens BBALLSoccer

Mustang C.Mens BBALLFlorida Trip

Florida Trip

 

Mens BBALLFlorida Trip

Girls BBALLMens BBALL

Soccer “Cut Poison Burn” Film Premiere

Florida Trip� anksgiving Day!

ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas startsDecember 1st!

DaylightSavings TimeEnds

� anksgiving break

•Beaver’s•Branch Water Tavern•Brennan’s of Houston•Da Marco•Felix 55 Restaurant & Bar•Gigi’s Asian Bistro & Dumpling Bar•Mark’s American Cuisine•REEF•Sorrel Urban Bistro•Tony Mandola’s

Houston Top 10 Restaurants

According to Gayot.com

igougo.com

•Artista-800 Bagby St.

•Baba Yega-2607 Grant St

•Backstreet Cafe-1103 S. Shepherd Dr

•Beaver’s-2310 Decatur St

•Daily Review Cafe-3412 W. Lamar St.

•Grappino di Nino-2817 W. Dallas St

•The Grove-1611 Lamar St

•Le Mistral-1400 Eldridge Pkwy

•Rainbow Lodge-2011 Ella Blvd

•RDG + Bar Annie- 1800 Post Oak Blvd

According to zagat.com

Houston Top 10 Restaurants with Outdoor Seating

Closest to HC--Saltgrass Steak House - Houston I-10 Katy Freeway - Campbell Rd.

Senior Superla-tives, questions and quotes due today!

Black FridayHappy Shopping!

The StangTHE BACK PAGE 22by Rachel Driver, Stang Staff

Top 10 Best Dressed at Homecoming 2222Top 10 Best Dressed at HomecomingNovember 11

Kendall surprised us all with his fun and quirky look. He wore seersucker pants, and topped it off with a bow tie. I give him credit for mixing it up and taking the risk!

1. Taylor Ratkiewicz12

Taylor wows us all with her great fashion sense! She put her best fashion foot forward for this year’s Homecoming and looks stunning in a beautiful sequined dress and sassy shoes.

This year’s Hollywood homecoming kicked off with a record number of red-carpet ready students. This year was over�lowing with handsome boys and beautiful girls. The top 10 best-dressed students from Houston Christian High School are (in no particular order):

2. Ashton Marsh12

My favorite part of Ashton’s out�it was by far her amazing shoes! The color nude is in, and her shoes were simply beautiful.

3. Alexa Reinhart11

Alexa wowed me with her simple look. She wore the classic little black dress and rocked it with some snazzy teal shoes. Alexa put a new meaning to simple with a pop of color.

4. Haylee Hoelscher12

Also pumping up the glam, Haylee wore a gorgeous sequined, beaded silver and pewter cocktail dress. Haylee was also rocking the beach waves with her long, and thick blond hair.

5. Cullen Cosco11

Cullen mixed it up by wearing a tuxedo suit. Cullen looked sharp and put together, �inishing it off with a silver tie.

6. Clara Russell11

Clara looked elegant and beautiful. She wore an ivory dress that created almost a glow about her. Her makeup and hair also stole the show. Once again, the nude colored shoes Clara rocked were icing on top of the cake!

7. Spencer Traver11

Spencer wore a black suit, a black shirt, and a black and purple tie. He looked tall,dark and handsome! No need to say more.

8. Kendall Maddox12

9. Beth Powell12

This senior changed her look for homecoming this year and went sassy! Beth wore an electric blue colored dress and rocked the six inch tall gold heels! Beth says “The heels were extremely painful, but beauty is pain!”

10. Meg Gross10Meg, being a sophomore, stood

out. She looked simply fashionable. Her dress �it her perfectly and her hair and makeup just added to the look!