Stangthe

October 2012 Houston Christian High School 2700 W Sam Houston Pkwy N Houston, Texas 77043 Volume12 Edition 1

In the News

The week, the game, and the dance were some of the best moments HC has ever seen

HOMECOMING 2012: Better than everby Rachel Driver, Editor in Chief

HC 2012 HOMECOMING KING AND QUEEN, Michael Vaughan and Courtney Smith, pictured here with their respective parents, are great representatives of HC. Each of them are crucial leaders in the school’s spiritual lives, Michael being the Senior class male chaplain, and Courtney being female chaplain. These two students are not only outstanding leaders, but also talented athletes. Congratulations Courtney and Michael!

Community

School

Fine Arts

Feature

Entertainment Sports12-- If you haven’t watched The Office of Honey Boo Boo, turn quickly to page 12 to see just what you are missing.

2-- Election time is in full swing as Romney and Obama meet each other in three Presidential debates.

8-9-- This month’s feature page is all about royalty, whether it’s England’s royals or those that just got crowned at Houston Christian. 14-- As the football team enters the SPC

conference, the team gears up with new friends, new plays and a new coach.

13-- Check out this month’s tweets from all over campus. If you have a great tweet to share, let the Stang know.

7-- D-groups have begun once again and there are plenty of new groups to choose from, meeting 6 times per semester on Monday nights.

4-- Freshmen student council elections are over and 4 new members of the class join the existing council.

September 28, 2012 in Houston, Texas, the air was wet and the fans were sweaty. The Friday night-lights were shining brightly on the Houston Christian football stadium for the Homecoming game against Trinity Valley. The players took the field, the cheerleaders took the track, the Spurs claimed their places, the band set up, and the fans took the stands. Houston Christian was ready to win. And they did! Yes, that’s right. The Varsity Football team claimed a victory over the Trojans, and played an outstanding game that the school will be talking about for some time. The final scoreboard showed Mustangs 17, and Visitor’s 14. Ending the night with the school’s song, it was a mutual agreement that the game was a true success. The week leading up to the game and the dance was a huge hit as well. Student Council did a great job picking the dress up days for this year’s homecoming week. Everyone had lots of fun decking themselves out in sports & outdoors attire, full on nerd apparel, twin day dress ups, comfortable PJ wear, and most importantly, all out Mustang spirit dress. Walking down the halls, one could see girls rolling around on Heely’s, boys sporting fanny packs, friends dressing up as “Z-Bra’s,” and so much more. Laughter overflowed each classroom during Homecoming week. Along with the creative wardrobes student’s were wearing, there were some creative hallway decorations as well. Once again, Student Council deserves some major recognition for the hard work they put into each class stairway decorations. Although the junior class might have taken the win overall, the senior class worked just as hard, as did the other classes. Such a marvelous Homecoming week set Friday night and the weekend off to a great start. Homecoming 2007 was the last time HC took home a win for the homecoming game, and that made Friday night a nail biting game that was fun for everyone, but maybe not the players and the coaches. Yes, there was a point in the

game where everyone was sitting on the edge of his or her benches. With the score 17 to 14, with 30 seconds left, the Trojans had the ball. HC ended up winning the game when Trinity Valley threw a pass into their end zone and one of our players caught it. Stephen Consoli 12, a senior HC football player, caught the game-clinching interception in the end zone and said it was “just a good feeling.” Due to each of the players huge smiles, it was obvious the joy, and excitement they shared. All of the guys left the field feeling overjoyed. That night and that game were hard to top, but somehow, with the help of the student council, the Homecoming dance came very close. It was a fun night inspired by all things circus and carnival. Hanging lights, great music, and a photo booth made it nearly impossible to have a bad time. A huge shout out goes to Student Council who managed to transform the stinky old Metro gym into a fun and lively space. Ashton Binkley12, Vice President of Student Council, said “we all put a lot of time and work into this year’s homecoming; we wanted to make it special for everyone.” That they did. Another unexpected bonus to this year’s dance was how great music turned out to be. Bria Bolden10 even admits that she “danced to every song; the DJ was very good.” Looking around, every girl and boy looked great that night. Girls looked beautiful with their hair fixed, makeup looking good, nails painted, and wearing beautiful dresses. As handsome as ever, the boys were decked out in their suits and ties, and quite a few even sported bowties. As Ramsey Al-Azem12 said, “The kids stayed golden.” The dance was the icing on top of the whole week. It could not have gotten much better. The week was fantastic, the game was killer, and the dance was a huge success. There was not just one highlight for this year’s homecoming; there were three. For Homecoming 2012, HC really came together as a school and a community, and made the whole experience something to remember.

EXCITEMENT REIGNED as the football players celebrated their victory, and especially as the cheerleaders pumped up the crowd at the pep rally the afternoon before the game.

Hurricane Season Is Backby Stephen Consoli, Stang Staff

2012 hurricane season is in session and not big deal so far

Houston Hometown “Rocket” Makes Comeback in Sugar Land Roger Clemens Plays with Sugar Land Skeeters

by Connor Kelley, Stang Staff

BE PREPARED. Hurricane season is back, so make sure you have a hurricane kit prepared since Texas is one of the main states that is affected by hurricanes and tropical storms.

ROGER CLEMENS looks the same except for his new colors, while pitching his “rocket” of a fastball in his Skeeters debut. He pitched three innings and gave up no runs.

CommunityOctober 20122

It’s that time of year again, and hurricane season is in full swing. Southern states never have too much fun during hurricane season, knowing that they could be hit by a huge storm at any time. Hur-ricanes in the past that have been very detrimental have been hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Andrew. As you can imagine, evacuating your home, grabbing all the important memorabilia and possessions that you can, and having nothing but hope that noth-ing happens to your home is not a fun feeling. The feeling that everything you once knew as home could all be gone in a matter of a few days, can cause you to rethink your priorities. Knowing this, we are hoping that this season is one worth remembering, but for the right reasons. Unfortunately, one of the monsters

already hit, and the timing caused much more scrutiny than it deserved. Hurricane Isaac hit land on the seventh anniversary of the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina. One of the few things that could have made this worse would have been to hit New Orleans again. Well, it did. On the fortunate side, Isaac hit New Orleans as a category one storm, and did much less damage than its predecessor, Katrina. Nonetheless, it did leave some damage of its own. There were reports of homes with five to seven feet of flooding and at least one family was trapped in their attic. One of the main concerns before the hurricane hit was the storm surge. Storm surges occur when the hurricane winds raise the sea level off the coast, causing flooding. There were reports of an 11-foot storm

surge at Shell Beach, Louisiana, and a 6.9-foot storm surge in Waveland, Mis-sissippi. Ed Rappaport, the city’s deputy director, said that there were winds of over 80 miles per hour that would pass through West New Orleans and head for Baton Rouge. He went on to say, “On this course, the hurricane will gradually weaken, but gusts could reach about 100 mph at times, especially at higher levels, which could damage high-rise buildings in New Orleans.” Margaret Thomas, a woman who was trapped in her house during Katrina and decided to stay put during Isaac as well, said, “Isaac is the son of Abraham. It’s a special name that means `God will protect us’.” Although Isaac was a scare to most people, many had faith that after Katrina they could handle almost anything, and

that nothing would come close to its dam-age. In this sense, mayor of New Orleans, Mitch Landrieu, said, “We don’t expect a Katrina-like event, but remember there are things about a category 1 hurricane that can kill you.” Evacuations were only ordered in some low-lying areas of Louisiana and Mississippi. While Isaac was not as bad as Katrina, it was still a hurricane and hurricanes are never fun for potentially damaged areas. The 2012 hurricane season has not been the worst, but it is not over. Hur-ricane season starts on June 1st and ends on November 30th, so let’s hope for a particularly calm and quiet end to the season. If Isaac is the worst we will see this year, we are in luck, but for now, keep your guard up and have a plan.

The one time great, Roger Clemens, is back on the baseball field having some fun playing for a small hometown team. Clemens is now a 50 year-old right-handed pitcher for the Sugar Land Skeeters. He gets the oppor-tunity to play with his son, Koby, who plays catcher for the Skeeters as well.

Roger has not played since September 2007 with the New York Yankees. He played in the MLB for 24

years for 4 different teams. He started by signing with the Boston Red Sox in 1984, then went to the Toronto Blue Jays in 1997. After that he signed with the New York Yankees in 1999, and later he went to the Houston Astros in 2004, and then went back to the Yankees in 2007. Clemens has made 11 All-Star games, one time MVP, one time All-Star game MVP, and is a 2 time World Series Champion both with the Yankees. He

has also received 7 Cy Young Awards, which is more than any other pitcher in MLB history. Roger Clemens has had 4,672 career strikeouts, is the third highest pitcher, and has won 354 games in his career.

Clemens is a fellow Housto-nian, living here through high school and for two years in college, but even the last two years of college he was still in Texas. Roger Clemens went to San Jacinto Junior College in 1981, after graduating from Spring Woods High School in Houston. Then Roger went on to play at the University of Texas, compiling a 25–7 record in two All-American seasons, after being at San Jacinto for one season finishing with a 9-2 record. Clemens is the first baseball player ever to have his jersey retired at the University of Texas.

Roger Clemens signed with the Sugar Land Skeeters on August 20th. At his Skeeters debut, he played against the Atlantic League Bridgeport Blue Fish. Clemens played for three and one-third innings, only giving up one hit, striking out two batters, and allowing no walks. He was able to pitch a 87-88 mph fastball consistently. The game had a sell out crowd to see Roger Clemens pitch. During an interview Roger Clem-ens said, “My body didn’t recover very

quickly after its first start for the Sugar Land Skeeters.”

In his second game with the Skeeters, Clemens pitched four and two-thirds innings. He allowed two hits, and struck out one batter in 54 pitches. Clemens got to pitch to his 25 year-old son, Koby, who plays catcher. He was awarded the win 4-0 in front of another sell out crowd. This is the sec-ond time Clemens has been able to play with his son, the first time was in 2006 when he was making a comeback with the Astros’ class A Lexington Legends, but then Kobe played third-base.

This time around, no one knows if Roger Clemens is trying to make a comeback or just having some fun. When asked if he wanted Clemens to come back and play with the Astros, owner Jim Crane said that he wants him to play if he is willing. Clemens denies this is a comeback, and has said to Houston KRIV, “that if I was going to go do it, I am going to pitch against a contender, that’s who I want to knock out. Why would I want to waste my time running around and getting in shape.” He finished by saying, “Pitching against somebody that’s not in conten-tion wouldn’t be any fun for me.” Who knows what he will do, but for now it is

Things get critical as Romney and Obama push towards Election day

Road to November brings debatesby Michael Vaughan, Stang Staff

Where are they now?

West Nile takes over Texas eveningsby Matt Yochum, Stang Staff

By Matt Scott, Stang Staff

The virus may be more prevalent than you think

TAKING OVER THE UNITED STATES. The West Nile Virus, transferred by mosquitoes or birds, is being transferred from mosquito to mosquito all across the United States, and especially in the state of Texas. While in 80 percent of the cases the infected won’t have any symptoms, 20 percent develop “West Nile fever.” Symp-toms include fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting and occasionally a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. This version is non-neuroinvasive, but may last for several weeks.

LET’S TALK POLITICS Barack Obama and Mitt Romney look neck-and-neck as we approach Election day, both liked by different voters around the Houston area. The next debate will see if Romney can keep up his win.

The StangNews 3

Now that the Republican and Democratic National Conventions are over, it is crunch time for Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. It is somewhat unclear as to who will be our next president at this point. Although voter polls are favoring Obama, other polls have shown that a large majority of the nation claims to be better off four years ago than today. The latter poll clearly favors Romney, which is why there is so much speculation at this point. However, citizens must make up their minds over

the next few months, and each candidate will be fighting for themselves. They will try to prove their points for the American people in a series of debates starting with the most recent debate that took place on October 3rd at the University of Denver. Next on October 11th, the Vice Presidential candidates Joe Biden and Paul Ryan will debate at Centre College in Kentucky. All debates will be televised and expect several million U.S. viewers. Supporters of Romney focus on several attacking points in Obama’s

first term as president. They identify that he has raised the national debt by about six trillion dollars, has raised the unemployment rate, downed our nation’s credit rating from AAA to AA, and more people rely on welfare than ever before. Romney supporter Preston Drake11, notorious for starting “Romney Ryan” chants at volleyball games, said, “Obama’s stimulus plan did nothing for our economy, and we are suffering because of it. I hope he is done in office come January.” There are several students who aren’t afraid to hide their support of Romney, such as Brandon Warner11 whose car boasts Texas flags, and “Romney + Ryan” on his windows in car paint. Obama supporters choose not to look at what Obama has done in terms of numbers, but focus on the social reform. Obama was the first president to come out and openly support gay marriage, and several states have legalized it since his inauguration. Obama has also reformed laws on illegal immigrants, allowing children who are born of them to be granted American citizenship. Ramsey Al-Azem12 gave his opinion of Obama’s presidency, saying, “I think Obama has made America a more welcoming, peaceful place to live.” With Romney taking the clear win after the first debate, President Obama will need to step up his game for the next two debates which will take place on October 16th and the 22nd.

Have you ever had a fever, headache, been fatigued, or had swollen lymph glands? I think we could all answer “yes” to that. Well, you could have a very common disease in Texas called West Nile. This mosquito-borne virus has come all the way over from tropical regions of the world, spread from various species of mosquitoes and infected birds, which are the most common animal hosts of the virus. As West Nile has spread throughout Houston, 51 people have been infected and 4 people have died in the last three months.

When asked how he felt about this statistic, Ramsey Al-Azem said, “It’s scary to think that something that small (a mosquito) could potentially harm your

life, or even kill you!” The victims of this virus vary in age, gender, and area in Houston. No one is safe from this illness and precautions should be taken so that you are not infected.

To prevent West Nile, you should avoid mosquito bites by using insect repel-lent whenever you are outside. You can also wear long sleeve shirts, long pants or long socks when you are outside. The less skin that shows the better. The hours of the day when the most mosquitoes are out are between dusk and dawn, so do what you can to get inside after around 5 or 6 o’clock. This obviously cuts the day shorter, like Blakely Smith who said, “This whole West Nile thing is really mak-ing my social life boring now that I have

After graduating from Houston Christian, Mustangs disperse through-out the world doing different things. Most Mustangs go off to college, but some go off to serve around the world, go into the military, and even some make it big playing on the professional stage. I was able to catch up with some fellow Stangs and see where they are after graduating and exactly what it is they are up to.

Matt Vaughan, from the class of 2009, is now a senior at Texas A&M Univer-sity. During his years at Hous-ton Christian, Matt displayed great leader-

ship as our Student Body Chaplain and carried that leadership to college. Matt is now the president of The Brother-hood of Christian Aggies fraternity (BCA). Matt said, “Houston Christian has sincerely prepared me for A&M in more ways than one. It’s easy to com-plain about the work load while you’re there, but when you get to college, it will be a smooth transition.”

Jake Scott, class of 2011, is on his sea year for the Merchant Ma-rine Academy. He is traveling the world for five months on a merchant vessel, learning

and experiencing the world and all it has to offer. Jake states that, “Sea year is awesome and I am enjoying seeing other cultures.”

Garrett Fales, from the class of 2012, is now a freshman at Wittenberg University. Garrett was recruited for his talents in lacrosse and is

now on the active roster at Wittenberg. Garrett says, “I am anxious and excited to be playing at the next level; I can’t wait for the season to start.” All of these students loved their experience here at Houston Christian and the school definitely prepared them for their next chapter in life. Here at Houston Christian, once a Mustang, always a Mustang.

to be inside so much.” You also want to make sure your

home is not attracting mosquitoes, which lay their eggs in standing water; so you might need to drain out whatever water there is around your house. Mosquitoes normally are at their busiest after a rain-fall. Finally, to prevent this anomaly from affecting you, try and help out the others in your community. Report dead birds to local authorities and clean up after yourself. We all know how much mosqui-toes love to be around trash, so the less trash there is, the less mosquitoes you will see. As long as you follow these simple steps, you should be safe from contracting West Nile.

A closer look at the lives of some Mustang alumni

A Senior Perspective: Seniors make memories and bond together through awkward games and free time

Seniors start off year at Forest Glen finding their mile markersby Stephen Consoli, Stang Staff

Guess who?by Rachel Driver, Editor

At the beginning of each school year, the seniors go on their annual three-day senior retreat that took place this year at Forest Glen. It’s a great time for all of the seniors to bond for one last time as a group before they start their final chapter of high school. It can be a significant time for spiritual growth, as well as emotional bonding. Chaplain Mike Maddry spoke about finding your mile markers as you go through your senior year and how important it was to enjoy the time. One of the most important times of senior retreat occurs when the guys and the girls split up and have a talk by themselves. The guys had a great talk that was very uplifting and brought them closer as a whole class. It feels like there is no separation between any of the guys anymore and it’s a great feeling. I was obviously not part of the girl’s talk, but from what I heard, it was a time that they really needed as a group. Alyssa McKinzie12 enjoyed the girl talk and described it from her point of view, “Senior retreat was a lot of fun and it made everyone get closer I think. Everyone got rid of grudges and started bonding.” There were many apologies made and things said that

were long overdue. Old “hatreds” or dislikes were soon forgotten and new friendships were made. Blakely Smith12 said, “I didn’t think senior retreat was going to be fun, but when we got there I had a ton of fun bonding with everyone that I didn’t know very well, and the girls got really intense.” Along with the emotional talks, the famous “Senior Mail Time” was probably the most emotional time for each senior. Mail time is when the seniors get letters from important people in their life, mainly parents and other family members. This tends to be a very touching time, because you finally realize that you are a senior and it’s gone by so fast. You really start to think about everything that has happened in high school and you learn to cherish every little moment. Cullen Cosco12 talked about senior retreat as a whole, “It was a great bonding experience in which our senior class was able to grow closer after the long separation during the summer.” If you haven’t realized this yet, there is a lot of bonding at senior retreat. It’s definitely the highlight of the weekend. Ramsey Al Azem12, talks about a couple of his

favorite times at Forest Glen, “I really liked watching all of the ex-couples walk around together.” I asked him who specifically and he said, “Matthew Yochum and Christi Harrison.” He also added, “One of my favorite parts of the weekend was playing Gaga Ball with almost 30 people in the octagon at the same time.” Gaga ball is a game that is played in an octagon with about three foot walls that uses a volleyball. The object of the game is to hit the ball at other players from the knee down. If you get hit you are out. You are not allowed to pick the ball up and throw it; this is where the challenge lies. Even Dean Ashby played with us. He liked it so much he is actually considering letting us raise money to build a pit here on campus. Senior retreat lived up to everything it was supposed to be, probably even more. Relationships were revived and restored between old friends, and new relationships were formed. It’s a time for lost time to be made up and old grudges to be broken. It has definitely made this year much more fun so far, and it can only get better.

NEW HANGOUT The student center offers a place for students to hang out, study, receive tutoring in the PAL Center, or enjoy a quick coffee or smoothie. The students have really taken advantage of the amenities offered in this state-of-the-art building.

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You may think you know all the details there is about our faculty and staff here at HC, but you may be surprised. Can you guess who this is?

1. Has visited or lived on 4 continents, including 38 countries

2. Has 4 children3. Has 2 grandchildren4. Is a Native Texan5. Has had 10 surgeries 6. Is a Gourmet cook7. Was a Cheerleader8. Was on Drill Team 9. Is a Voracious Reader 10. Loves the Beach but not the water11. Graduated from UT12. Studied at Oxford University13. Hosted a party for the Kennedy family in

Ireland14. My father and uncle both fought in World War

II - on different sides -Germany/America15. Has caught a 10 ½ ft Tiger Shark

A closer look at one of HC’s awesome teachers If you haven’t noticed by now, a few things are different. There is a different schedule, many new teachers, and hopefully you have noticed our new Student Center. Workers have been working six days a week since the spring to get this building ready for the school year, and they did just that.

The Student Center brings a brand new element to the school, and students are noticing. Cody Reeter11, said, “It feels like we are going to a whole new school with the new building. We have better food, more open room to study or hang out, and the coffee bar is the bomb.” He is not the only one who has expressed a strong liking for this “newness.” Just about every student that has tried the new menu has raved about the food provided by the full-time catering staff from Taher. They have a much more extensive menu than what we had last year, and the food is considerably cheaper. Along with a full cafeteria, the first floor is equipped with an ever-popular full-service coffee bar, manned by Cody the barista. Out front, there is the library, and plenty of tables, desks, and couches for students to get some work done or just relax. The second floor of the Student Center is home to the English department, as well as two new additions to the school. The PCR (Program for College Readiness) was formerly called Discovery, and now has its home in the Student Center. Unlike the PCR, the PAL (Peer Assisted Learning) Center is an entirely new program that is also found in the Student Center. Headed

by Mrs. Susan Perry, the PAL Center is a program that is overseen by faculty, but relies on student participation. It is exactly what it sounds like: a place to come get help and tutoring from your peers. Tutor Madison Sheehy11 said, “It’s really the best way to do it. You can come in during your ILT and there will almost always be someone there who can help you with whatever you need.” So, that is yet another new thing that the Student Center brings. Finally, there is the mysterious third floor, which is not yet complete. Many rumors surround the unknown floor, and many are entirely unsure of what abounds. Some students suggest it will be a room full of bunk beds if you want to stay to work late into the night. However, Chaplain Mike Maddry said, “It will be an upper-classmen only bowling alley, and the freshmen will one day gain this privilege.” Regardless of what it is, the Student Center is an unbelievable facility

New Student Center makes its debutby Michael Vaughn, Stang Staff

Puppy love, Mrs. Doxtater and Leslie Lamoreaux pose with Forrest Glen’s friendly pup. Everytime anyone was outside, so was the pup.

PHOTO BOMBED senior girls smile for a quick picture before battling it out in the chapel group games, while some of the boys embarrass themselves behind them.

BUNK MATES, Seniors Emma Loo, Morgan Hurst, Vika Wyman, Rachel Berry, and Heather Bergeron spend their late night free time bonding by laughing and sharing stories.

by Amanda Brown, Stang Staff

Liu finds love in whirlwind romance

by Amanda Brown, Stang Staff

Freshmen rock the vote and elect class representatives

Fish choose new Stuco leaders

Sophomore english teacher gets engaged over summer break

The StangNews 5New fish on campus

swim upstream to retreatFreshman class travels to Forest Glen camp for Camp Mustang

by Spencer Traver, Stang Staff

For the incoming freshman class, a continuing tradition has always been to attend Camp Mustang, otherwise known as “Fish Camp.” Fish Camp, hosted at Forest Glen Camp in Huntsville, Texas, has offered numerous op-portunities for the “new fish in the school” to meet people, create friend groups, and bond as a class. This year, Camp Mustang turned out to challenge the kids along with their counselors spiritually, physically, mentally, and socially. The general freshman experience consisted of countless hours of fun and enter-tainment, along with special times set aside to worship and to be alone with God. Activities such as high ropes (zip lining, rock-climbing, and telephone pole climbing), low ropes (team building exercises), a “Minute to Win It” chal-lenge, rounding up with free time to swim in the lake, kayak with friends, or bounce the smaller freshmen off the famous blob, were all made available to the students. Through the participa-tion of these activities, the freshmen found time to bond and create new friendships. Freshman camper, Zack Bowman shared that, “It (Camp Mustang) brought everyone closer together in lots of ways and made me feel part of something special, like a part of one big family.” Zack speaks for the freshman class in saying that community became an important aspect of this trip, and it has become an important characteris-tic of the freshman class. Along with Zack was freshman class president, Courtney King, who said, “I thought that the fish camp was amazing spiritually and brought the whole class together. I was amazed at how friendly everyone was and I realized that these people would be life-long friends.” Though Camp Mustang was focused on the freshman class, the counselors were not left out of the fun and games. Many of the ju-nior and senior counselors participated in some of the same activities the freshmen did. While the counselors had their fun, they were also overcome with emotion and high expectations for the class of 2016. Junior Ian Hopper shared that, “Surprises come from everywhere...even freshmen. This new group of students certainly has the potential to lead and love the Houston Christian community in a godly manner.” Ian’s statement proves that the leadership and com-munity of the freshmen class had impressed the counselors. While Camp Mustang remains a tradi-tion for the incoming freshmen, each incom-ing class continues to create new memories, friendships, and stories to be told. The class of 2016 started off the school year in an extremely

While you were on vacation, at the beach or hanging out with friends this summer, Ms. Liu had bigger plans. July 9, 2012 marks the first date of Ms. Liu and her fiancé, Mr. Kirk-patrick, and after that day, Ms. Liu knew he was the one.

“I realized he was the one I was going to marry after our first date, and I just thought about the list of criteria my

future husband would have to meet… He met all of them,” Ms. Liu said with a laugh. Loving God through Christ, enduring trials and hard times, having a sense of humor and being humble were just a few of the things Mr. Kirkpatrick did to win over Ms. Liu.

Before they started dat-ing, Ms. Liu and Mr. Kirkpatrick would hang out frequently at Starbucks and talk for hours on end, which was another thing Ms. Liu enjoyed about him. “I love that he is so easy to talk to; we can communicate really well with each other, and that is definitely important in a relationship.” Ms. Liu and Mr. Kirkpatrick met at Christ the King Presbyterian Church, where they both attend the Young Adults ministry. They plan to be wed on December 22nd by their Young Adults Pastor, who was thrilled

Freshman year is about change. You make new friends, you get new clothes, you go to a new school and you adjust to a new homework schedule. Among the stress of all these things, few students step up to the challenge of heading their class and taking charge to lead other students through problems they face as a class. These students are the Freshmen Student Council Representatives. President Courtney King_9, Vice-pres-ident Klayton Koenig_9, and represen-tatives Connor Lehane_9 and Sarah Zepeda_9 took initiative in setting posi-tive examples for their class and becoming leaders. President Courtney King decided to run for Student Council because she loves being involved with the school and felt that joining Student Council would be the best way to do so. Courtney is a great leader and wants to help her fellow classmates become leaders as well. She strives to put others before her, which makes her suitable for the Presidential position. “I hope to get the students very much involved in every event possible, and hopefully help the whole freshman class to become a family as we grow and move through our four years together at Houston Christian,” Courtney explained.

Vice President Klayton Koenig saw a good opportunity in joining Student Council his freshman year, and decided to run for vice president because he knew he would be fit for the job. Klayton wants to impact the school in a positive way by setting a good example for other students and by being a reliable guy.

“One of the reasons I felt I would be good for Student Council is because I

am easy to communicate with, and I think the students would not have a problem coming to me with a problem or concern that they have,” Connor explained. Representative Connor Lehane was involved with his middle school Stu-dent Council for three years, which is the reason that Connor decided to run for rep-resentative at Houston Christian. Connor hopes to make communications between the council and the students even better than before by being easy to contact to his fellow freshmen. “I possess qualities such as the ability to step up and earn followers, speak in front of large crowds, and I love The Lord my God with all of my heart,” Connor said regarding the reason he thought he was fit for Student Council. Representative Sarah Zepeda ran for Student Council because she wanted to help the ninth grade class become the best it could be and to be a leader and beacon for the ninth grade class. “I want to impact Houston Christian High School in a positive and faithful way, by incorporating God and faith into more Student Council events,” Sarah said. Sarah is also a great leader and is always organized, well prepared and focused on any task that she is assigned. When asked, all four students said that they have loved their freshman year so far and thoroughly enjoy Houston Christian High School. Overall, the decision the students made to elect these four freshman as their class representatives proves that the Class of 2016 is a class of driven, smart, and faithful leaders, ready to improve our school community one day at a time.

and surprised with the new-found couple.

They met a little over two years ago and built a close, meaningful friendship before they decided to start dating. “I felt called by God to see him in a new light,” Ms. Liu explained. She explained how much she felt God working in their relationship and how God blessed her with perfect timing. On August 11th, a little over a month after they had started dating, Mr. Kirkpatrick proposed with Ms. Liu’s dream ring: a vintage art deco ring from the 1910’s. “It hasn’t always been easy, but I guess I’m just really convinced that God is good and knows the exact timing for us and how to provide for us,” Ms. Liu said, regarding the timing of the situation. “I waited for a while to find the right man, but I know now that the wait was well worth it.”

Courtney King

Klayton Koenig

Connor Lehane

Sarah Zepeda

NEW FRIENDS Freshman Maria Rios, Madeline Fordham, Marissa Wells, Marissa Grabowski, Hannah Seay, and Abbey Cook pose with their Camp Mustang counselor, Gianna Tiedemann. The girls formed many new friendships through out the week through different ice breaker games.

Students are excited about new teachers in Fine Arts department

New year brings new facultyby Amanda Brown and Ashley Richards, Stang Staff and Junior Editor

Many talented artist’s work displayed in hallwayby Alexa Reinhart and Gianna Tiedemann, Copy Editor and Managing Editor

Miranda Rogers, Michelle Jong, and Amanda Blanchard achieve art success

This year at HC we have many new and exciting changes all over campus. From the student center to the new chapel dress, it is no mystery that things have changed for HC. One of the most exciting changes is the new faculty. Thefineartsdepartment is really excited for the arrival of it’s three new members: Phil Sweger, Bobby Linhart, and John Ousley. Mr. Sweger is taking the job of band director/digital music teacher/ guitar teacher/ and drum line instructer , and he recently taught at Christian School of York, for eight years. Mr. Linhart is the new drama director, and Mr. Ousley, a recent employee and graduate of University

of Oklahoma, is the new choir director. He loves the students here at HC and says that, “They are incredibly hard working and intelligent.”

So many HC students are really excited about the arrival of all these directors. Junior, Katherine Gualy11 says, “I am excited about building a new legacy. As an actor it is good to have a lot of different directors.” The rest of the mustang family is excited to see the fall play, the musical, and the concerts that are going on this year. Sophomore, Adrianna Barton10, says about the upcoming year, “I cannot waittoseeallthefinearts performances. I loved the musical last year, it is so fun to see all of your friends on stage.”

For those of you who are wondering what is going on with some of thefineartsdirectorsfromprevious years, we have news: Mrs. Redmon, the former band director has moved out of the country. She and her husband are now living in Saudi Arabia right on the Black Sea. Brian Hall12, senior, says about this upcoming year

Fine ArtsOctober 20126

INSPIRED DOGS Street dogs in the Dominican Republic became the inspiration for Michelle Jong’s photo. She recently won 2nd place in the Dog Art show.

Fine Arts Congrats

without Mrs. Redmon, “Although we will miss her so much, because she was a part of the band family, we are excited to start a new chapter for the music department at HC.” So fellow Mustangs, keep your eyes peeled for new plays, and keep your ears open to hear the music thatthefreshlytunedfinearts department is playing.

New traditions everywhereby Matt Scott, Stang Staff

ARTISTS AT WORK, students Rachel Henry (above) and Mad-eline Davis work hard in their art classes. Their pieces are con-sidered some of the best.

When you have the opportunity, please congratulate student Michelle Jong. She participated in the Reliant Park World Series of Dog Shows Student Art Exhibit and Contest this summer and received Top Tenth Grade Award and the Reserve Best in Show Award, the second highest ribbon awarded in the event. Out of the 803 student entries, she did a great job representing our school.

THE THREE MUSKETEERS The three new fine arts faculty are sporting new school uniforms. Fine arts teacher, Mrs. Sherie Pierce decided to have some Photoshop fun with her three new friends.

New teachers, new facilities, new choir director, change is a good thing Of course every new school year comes with new changes. This school year is different though with the new changes comes with new traditions. Houston Christian’s atmo-sphere is changing for the better and it can be noticed by many. Including our very own male Chaplin, Mike Maddry, “ YES, I think the atmosphere on our campus is very different, in a good way! I think the new student center has created a great community feel not just during lunch but throughout the day with the ILT options. There’s a place to hang if you want to, and it can involve whatever you need it to - one on one time, time to visit or study, buy expen-sive caffeinated drinks, or get some resource help. I also like guys D-Groups on Monday nights. A great way to start the week!” The Fine Arts Depart-ment is going through a great deal of change this year with the majority of teachers new. With new teachers come new tradi-tions and new programs. Erin Elizabeth Doll12 is a leader within the Fine Arts andsaid,“Thefinearts

department this year has the new motto of building a new legacy. With this traditions may have been lost, but new traditions are starting while programs are growing and becom-ing stronger with this new foundation. As choreogra-pher of the musical, I am looking forward to seeing all the new talent each new director and student will bring to the stage in The Wizard of Oz. It is excit-ing to see so many new dedicated students that are in the program this year, especially the musical.” It should be very exciting to see what the Fine Arts as in store for this upcoming year. As Mustangs we should not reject our tradi-tions, instead be willing to adapt to changing cir-cumstances. With change comes a better future and we have to be willing to embrace that change. Chaplin Mike Maddry said, “As with any tradi-tion, what makes it special are the people behind it. If a tradition is carried out with the seriousness or playfulness it is intended, it is usually taken to heart because of the people involved and their owner-ship. When we own the traditions, it makes our campus unique and a great place to be!”

It has been almost two months into the new school year, and students in the Fine Arts depart-ment are already achieving great success. Art students, including Miranda Rog-ers, Amanda Blanchard, and Michelle Jong, have all been praised by their teachers, Ms. Pierce and Mrs. Loveland for their achievements. Last year, Junior Michelle Jong, entered a piece of her artwork into the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo art contest where it was sold for $37,000. This year, Michelle’s art continues to succeed. Her latest piece, “Kith and Kim,” a painting

of two dogs, won the sec-ond highest award in the Dog Art Show. Not only did she receive this award, but Michelle’s painting also won Best in Show for her grade level. Michelle, who has been painting since she was very young, says that her inspiration for this picture comes from, “a picture of street dogs in the Dominican Republic who were living under poor conditions but were still happy to be with each other.” Upon seeing their happiness, she decided to paint the picture herself. Another excelling art student is senior Miran-da Rogers, who is involved in the photography class,

an AP studio art class, and is the art editor of the HC magazine Magnum Opus. As Ms. Pierce describes her, “Miranda is extremely involved in many activi-ties within the art program, which is very hard to do.” According to Miranda, she “loves everything about art and photography,” so it does not seem like a lot of work to her. Her favorite activity,though,isdefi-nitely photography because she loves to capture memo-ries and fun experiences through her pictures. Although the competi-tion season does not start until October, student’s in Mrs. Loveland’s Art 1 class are doing well inside the classroom and learning the basics of art; for example, they are learning shades of gray. Amanda Blanchard, who took Art 1 previously, is also succeeding in Mrs. Loveland’s Pottery class. She had great scores on her dinosaur teapot and vases in competition last year. While there are many more talented art stu-dents in the art department, these girls have raised the bar of success through their involvement, awards, and hard work. The Art 1 students are currently

workingontheirfirststilllife, so make sure to stop by the art hallway to check our their work, and to see the work of many other talented artists.

by Michael Vaughan, Stang Staff

The Digital Age rocks chapelMeet the new student body

Chaplains

Igniting the flame and spreading the fireD-group leaders share a weekend filled with God and become lights for Christby Samantha Moore, Stang Staff

The StangSpiritual Life 7

Our school has been fortunate to have some unbelievable bands come to lead worship for us in the past. In 2009, Tenth Avenue North came to chapel before they exploded onto the Christian music scene, with their most recent album, The Struggle, debuting at number one on the US Billboard Christian and Rock

charts. Since then, we have had appearances by renowned Christian rapper Lecrae, the Waco-based band Dutton, and Houston’s Robbie Seay Band. To start this year off, we had yet another up-and-coming group of musicians join us: The Digital Age. Interestingly, The Digital Age is extremely well known, just not by that name.

New Christian rock band performs at first chapel of the year

“We came up with the idea of the candle symbolizing alone time withGod,acampfiresymbolizing the small D-group meeting, and a bonfire(BOND-FIRE)symbolizing when all of us gather as a whole group to bond and worship togeth-er!” Lisa Porter, female chaplain, explained this years Discipleship Group’s (D-Groups)theme.Atthe D-Group retreat, a weekend getaway for the leaders to prepare for the

year, each girl was given a “quiet time candle” to burn during their time with the Lord, and the idea was set into their minds that, “The focus this year is keeping the Fire that Christ ignites in our lives and spreading it to all those around us.” The imagery provided by the “Fire of Christ” theme makes it exciting and easy to study. D-Groups will be called Oasis, because it is a time to step out of our busy schedules and take time to worship and enjoy

growing in our relation-ship with Christ in small groups. D-Groups will meet on Monday nights at 7:00 P.M. in the chapel.

The retreat was on August 18, and on the firstday,twenty-eightgirls were there and on the second day, twenty-nine. After many prayers and much thought, the focus Bible verse was selected, Psalm 18:28-29, which ironically relates perfectly to the date and size of the group as well as the chosen theme. “You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my dark-ness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.” Lisa described the realization as “a fun God moment in the midst of our weekend of swimming, eating, meet-ing, worshiping, dreaming, time alone to be still with God, and much more!”

The retreat was full of memories and experiences that impacted the student and adult lead-ers. Each girl wrote down their “big dreams” and put them in the “dream box.”

As the year has begun, Lisa has already seen some of the dreams become a reality, and she has great expectations for God’s plans with our school, our families, and our friends. “Our expectancy greatly creates our future,” Lisa points out.

This year’s devo-tional book will be Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. The book was carefully chosen by Lisa and the leaders based on its relat-able messages. The book has quickly become one of the most popular devo-tional books.Discipleship Groups are a great way to grow in your relationship with Christ with other girls, whether it’s your small group or the entire program. The leaders are incredible role models for the underclassmen, and having a small group to meet with each week is a great way to hold you and your friends accountable. The kick-off D-Group meeting is September 24 at 7:00 P.M. Please join us this year; it is a decision you will not regret!

THE GANG Students gather for D-groups, waiting to eat and then gather together in their smaller groups. D-groups meet sixtimes per semester.

Its four members were recently part of the David Crowder Band, whose impact on Contemporary Christian worship music is extensive. With David, the band’s namesake, pursuing a solo career, the other four members stick together to form what is now The Digital Age. There is certainly no shortage of talent or experience in these musicians, as they have played together for fourteen years on stages as big as Louie Giglio’s Passion Conference for college students in Atlanta. However, we were lucky enough to catch them at the very beginning of this new chapter. “This is only The Digital Age’s second show, so forgive us if something goes wrong,” joked Mark Waldrop, the band’s lead guitarist. But nothing went wrong, and they gave us a concert to remember. Students and faculty alike were impressed and

enlightened by the music of The Digital Age. Many students also said it was “the loudest the chapel has ever been.” Coach Bill Moore quickly became a fan, saying, “They’re the best band we’ve had in chapel since I’ve been here.” He was also quick to ask for their music from students that already had it. Not only did the band show off their talent, but they showed that they are genuinely good guys. They hung around to chat with students and sign some of their merchandise. Chambers Swiggart12, a fan beforehand, was excited to get the chance to meet and chat with them. “They were super nice guys and even signed my guitar that I had at school.” What is even more exciting for us is that they told us they were looking forward to coming back, so we very well may see The Digital Age again in the spring.

Courtney Smith

Michael Vaughan

“I like being the female student body chaplain because I can interact with students and communicate the love of God to them”

“Being male student body chaplain is a fun way to serve the school and get to know more people in a way I haven’t known them before”

by, Stehpen Consoli, Stang Staff

Olympic Royalty

Rebecca Soni

United States takes first in total medals and in gold medals

Mustang Royalty light up Friday night

‘Merica doin’ work in LondonFeatureOctober 20128

The Olympics has been all anyone can talk about lately. Many of our very own Olym-pians have been bringing home the gold medals, and the bronze, and the silver. This year, the 2012 Olympics were hosted by London, England, and was the third time that the Olympics have been held there. The previous two were in 1908 and 1948. There was much scrutiny about the opening ceremonies this time how-ever. Many people thought that London did not do a very good job at hooking the viewers and that the ceremonies were not excit-ing enough. This may have had a little bit to do with the fact that in Beijing the opening ceremonies were an outstanding and thrill-ing representation of their culture. There were a total of 205 nations that par-ticipated in 300 events.

There were around 10,500 athletes competing in this Olympics. In a total of 962 medals awarded, the US dominated the field with an outstanding 104 total. They finished with the most golds (46), tied for the most silvers (29), and sec-ond in bronzes (29). The host nation, Great Britain, finished fourth in total medals (65) and third in golds (29). China finished second in total (88) and second in golds (38). There were thirty-two new world records in eight different sports in the 2012 Olympics. Some of the highlight world records featured Rebecca Soni (women’s swim-ming) breaking the world record in the 200-meter breast stroke. She broke the original record in the semifinals and then broke her own record again in the finals. Another swim-ming highlight was when 17-year-old, high school

student, Missy Frank-lin, broke the 200-meter backstroke world record. Missy Franklin became a household name and one of America’s favorite athletes this summer. Michael Phelps left the 2012 Olympic Games as the “Greatest Olympic Athlete Ever,” by breaking the record for most total medals for one Olympic athlete. He now holds the record with 22. He also holds the record for most golds with 18, doubling the next highest athlete. Mi-chael left the games with six total medals, four golds and two silvers. The two time defending champions in women’s beach vol-leyball were back again in London for their last and final try as a team. Kerri Walsh-Jennings and Misty May-Treanor went for the three peat, a feat that has never been accomplished in women’s beach volley-ball. Their attempt was a

success and they are now the greatest women’s vol-leyball players ever in the history of the Olympics. The 2012 London Summer Olympic Games were definitely a success for the United States. Coming away in first is a guaranteed great feeling for the next four years and for the athletes who just barely came up short, they have four years to work harder than they ever have before the grab that gold in 2016 in Rio de Janero, Brazil. It’s the end of an era in United States Olym-pics as Michael Phelps has competed in his last Olym-pics, but America’s new swimming phenom, Missy Franklin is coming up to take his place. America has a lot to look forward to in the next Olympics. There’s a lot to reminisce on for the next four years, and a lot to be excited about for the future. God Bless America.

Missy Franklin

Michael Phelps

Misty May-TreanorKerri Walsh- Jennings

photos by Chelsea Damon

RIDING AWAY Senior Homecoming Queen Courtney Smith looks every bit the Royal as she takes her victory lap around the field. KINGLY SMILE Senior Homecoming King

Michael Vaughan finds a royal smile as he is announced King of the game.

THE COURT Freshman Duchess Caitlyn Clarke, Freshman Duke Christian Clarke, Junior Duchess Lauren Lewellen, Junior Duke John Clarke, Senior Homecoming Queen Courtney Smith, Senior Homecoming King Michael Vaughan, Sophomore Duchess Bria Bolden, Sophomore Duke Chris Stuewer

Senior Princess Hannah Rae

Senior Princess Shelby Corder

Senior Princess Meg Goode

Senior Prince Alex Roys

Senior Prince Chambers Swiggart

Senior Prince Jacob Farris

by Rachel Driver, Editor and Chief

by Gianna Tiedemann, Managing Editor

Rules of royalty are not as simple as they seem

Beyond the Wedding: an Update of Royal Proportions

The StangEverything Royal 9

Two years ago in April, the world witnessed the extravagant wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William, now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Unless you’re someone who is super obsessed with the Royal family, you probably haven’t been keeping track of the Royal Couple’s whereabouts and happenings; you may even be wondering, “What are they up to now?” Recently, William and Kate have been attending public events such as the Olympic and Paralympic games, in

addition to saving lives and putting fashion to good use. The Royal Couple have also been on tour in Asia. It seems as though the Duke and Duchess have been heavily involved socially since their big wedding day. Kate Middleton, who is already a fashion icon, has been using her style to benefit England’s depressed economy and has been noted by writers at the British newspaper, “The Telegraph” as, “brilliant for British fashion.” If you’ve ever caught even a glimpse of Kate Middleton, you’ve probably noticed that she dresses somewhat conservatively. You’d also probably think that her style is extremely expensive, considering she is British royalty, and that any normal person could not even come close to her wardrobe. With that, what is Middleton’s key to achieving fashion success? It is through mixing the prices of her clothing. Yes, that is all. Wearing high-fashion pieces while

getting general items from what “The Telegraph” calls, “high-street fashion,” is what makes her wardrobe an ultimate success. Not only does her style inspire the Brits to mix different lines of fashion, but it also inspires teens in America such as senior Paige Hobbs. Paige says that she, “absolutely loves Kate Middleton’s fashion sense” and that Middleton is, “a fashion icon and role model for women of all ages.” Prince William, on the other hand, is becoming Britain’s new-found hero. On August 18th, the Duke of Cambridge was nonchalantly practicing his piloting skills in his rescue helicopter off the coast of Wales when suddenly the Prince received an alert that there was an emergency in the water. Within 38 speedy seconds, he and his co-pilot flew the chopper down to the water and saved a sixteen year old girl who was drowning, after being towed out to sea by the riptide

while body boarding. When senior and Prince William fanatic, Karmen Valenzuela, heard of this story she thought about what it would be like to be saved by the Royal Prince. Karmen said that, “having someone like Prince William risk his life to save me would be incredible.” Needless to say, the Duke got promoted to search and rescue captain.

Royal Rules

Together, Kate Middleton and Prince William attended some of the first events of the Olympic and Paralympic games. They cheered on athletes at goalball, track, swimming, and the Paralympics’ biggest event, athletics. The Royal Couple has also been busy on their Diamond Jubilee Tour, which is meant to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s 60th year on the

throne, and are traveling to various countries in Southeast Asia including Singapore, Malaysia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu. Middleton plans to make terminally ill patients the center of the tour and will also be making her first international public speech that focuses on the importance of the hospice movement around the world. Senior, Rachel Henry, said that she really enjoys that Kate is taking herself somewhat out of the spotlight by putting the sick and needy at the center of the tour. Although saving lives, being a fashion icon, and being on tour seems exhausting, life does not look like it could get much better for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Who knows what will come next in their lives. Want to know more about the Royal cuties? Check out some magazines or search the web to see more of their whereabouts.

The Royal Family’s wild child, Prince Harry, has kept the world on its toes since his birth. Maybe it’s his red hair or his dazzling smile that makes him so interesting; whatever it is, the paparazzi can’t get enough of this Royal Rebel.

Harry was born on September 15, 1984, in London. His father is the Prince of Wales and his mother was the famous Princess Diana, the Princess of Wales. When Harry and his brother were very young, their mother was killed in a car crash. Despite the traumatic event he experienced at age 12, Harry did have some amazing life experiences, as any prince would.

Prince Harry is royal, rebellious and entertainingHarry’s life has taken a turn for the wild

by Ashley Richards, Junior Editor Harry went to the most prestigious schools in Britain, and followed in his older brother William’s footsteps all throughout his schooling.

What would a prince be if not well traveled? When Harry was 19 years old, he traveled to Australia to participate in a “gap year.” Great Britain’s Harry had great fun going on the Rugby World Tour and watching many polo matches, but he did a majority of his gap year helping those less fortunate than him. Most of his charity work was done in Africa and South Africa, and he dedicated his time to working with children suffering from Aids.

Smart and brave: Harry is training to be in the Army Air Corps. It took him 44 weeks prior to his Army Air training to become an Officer Cadet. One of the most interesting things he experienced though was serving in Afghanistan. He spoke to a reporter from the OfficialBritishMonarchy.com about Afghanistan. This interview is posted on their website in a video. Harry said this about his experience,

“This is what I somewhat imagine World War II would be like. It is just no man’s land.” Now that Harry returned from Afghanistan safe and sound, he has had a chance to have some fun.

Harry had a strict and proper upbringing, and yet he still has provided the paparazzi with wild stories. From his silly behavior as a child to his recent crazy parties, Harry has never had a dull moment. His most recent escapade was here in the United States.

While staying in Las Vegas at the Encore hotel, Harry held a wild party and it has been quite the buzz in many American tabloids. Stories and information about his whole trip to Vegas are described in detail in People Magazine. From dancing, gambling, swimming, and throwing parties, Prince Harry certainly made his mark on the Vegas scene.

Prince Harry has certainly provided everyone with some great entertainment. Although his rebellious personality may not reflect so well on the Royal Family, it certainly does keep the world entertained.

HAPPILY MARRIED couple, WIll and Kate, pose for their engagement photos back in December, in happier times before Kate’s papparazzi troubles.

KISSES Will and Kate share a kiss on their wedding day. They are waving at admirers and fans while standing on the balcony of Buckingham palace.

Everyone knows the typical regulations that go along with being a Royal, but what about the more se-cret rules that not everyone knows? Some of the unusual rules can even consist of playing board games. Any member of the Royal family is not allowed to play Monopoly because it is “vicious.” Any member of the family is not supposed to eat sea-food, for fear of getting sick. When the Queen finishes her meal, so does everyone else, even if they are not done with own meal. No one in the family is allowed to work for money, but they are allowed to make official activities and charitable causes. Surprised yet? Whenever a man of the royal family salutes, it is routine for the wife of that man to bow their head out of respect. Certain princesses, such as Kate Middleton, can-not express issues that cause any controversy. Speaking of Kate Middleton, this princess does not even have the right to vote. Along with not having the right to avoid the public eye, those of the Royal family cannot sign, or autograph any papers that are not officially signed by the Queen. Shorts and shoulderless dresses are also a “no, no.” As weird and ridiculous as these rules may seem, they have been a part of the routine for quite some time. Yes, they are outrageous, but being a Royal and following the rules are a package deal. All of those girls and boys who dream about becoming a prince or a princess should read this article one more time, because being a member of the Royal family may not live up to all of the hype.

Obama vs. Romney: why Romney is betterPresident Barack Obama battles Mitt Romney in the 2012 Presidential Election.By: Spencer Traver, Stang Staff

OpinionsOctober 201210

In high schools all around America, cheating is destroying educa-tional performance and moral conduct. As Dr. Councill states, “At least 95% of all students have cheated at some point.” This statistic is way too high. Cheating is just a means of doing what’s easiest. When you’re too lazy to do your own work or feel like you don’t have enough time to do everything, you feel like cheating is the way out. If you think about it though, cheating is just a quick fix. Ultimately, cheating will hurt you more than help you, if you get caught. All the consequences that go along with cheating should be enough to keep you away from going this route. After our meeting with Dr. Coun-cill in the BCSL, I think we are all aware of what happens when you are caught for cheating. It happens so much around us that we downplay the actual violation that we are committing. No one wants to get caught or have colleges look away from you when you apply to them because you have an infraction, but in reality that’s what you’re saying when you allow some-one to help you or help someone in the wrong way. Cheating is just a wrong deci-sion you make. You can stop the cheating by just saying “no” to someone when they ask for help in the wrong way.

Cheating: the wrong way to goDr. Councill gives insight into honesty and integrityBy: Matt Yochum, Stang Staff

STANG 2012-2013

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

The Stang reserves the right to refuse advertisement based on appropriateness for HC Students. For advertising information please contact Heidi McCurdy at 713-580-6044 or email at hmccurdy@houstonchristian.org.

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

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

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

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

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

Editor-in-Chief-- Rachel DriverJunior Editor-- Ashley Richards

Managing Editor-- Gianna TiedemannCopy Editor-- Alexa Reinhart

Stang StaffAmanda Brown, Stephen Consoli, Connor Kelley, Samantha Moore, Matt Scott, Spencer Traver,

Michael Vaughan, Matt YochumAdvisor--Heidi McCurdy

I felt like a good follow up interview would be informational for this article, so I spent some more time with Dr. Councill. We talked extensively about what steps that need to be taken so that we can start the revolution against this anomaly. She said that to make sure you aren’t tempted to cheat you must, “man-age your time well, and make a stand to not cheat anymore.” It’s really all about a mindset that you give yourself. If you tell yourself you won’t cheat anymore you won’t, but if you just think cheating is ok as long as you don’t get caught, you will keep doing it. An anonymous source who previously had some problems with this said, “Getting caught for cheating was probably the best thing that could have happened, because it opened my eyes to what I was doing, and forced me to go about things the right way, which in the long run academically I have benefited from.” People like this see the importance of having academic integrity. Which will help them in college, where if you get caught for fraudulence or academic dis-honesty, you will be dismissed. So remember, no grade is worth getting caught cheating! Do things the right way and just give yourself enough time to do them.

As one door closes, another must open. Current United States President, Barack Obama, nears the completion of his first term leading up to the 57th elec-tion in the country’s 236-year history. President Obama is eligible for re-elec-tion, however, he faces a new opponent: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, with his running mate, vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan. While the American economy continues to plum-met, and the state of our society dwindles, the need for a President who will instill economic stability and social justice is substantial; nonetheless, Republican Mitt Romney has the greatest potential to repair these two broken conditions. Entering his first term as Presi-dent of the United States, Obama inherited a 10-trillion dollar debt, two wars, and a 7.8% unemployment rate, yet he has taken these issues to a considerably larger scale. According to www.theobamadebt.com, af-ter a matter of just 3.6 years, the national debt has soared from ten trillion dollars to sixteen trillion dollars, a margin of about +5.5 trillion dollars during Obama’s first term. According to The Examiner via Fox News, the national unemployment rate rose from 7.8% in 2009 (when Obama took office) to 8.3% today. President Obama has no successful plan for job se-curity, proven by the 23,136,000 citizens that are left without jobs today. In addition to this, under Obama’s watch America has lost its AAA credit rating for the first time since 1917. On another issue, President Obama has altered the military’s focus by leav-ing Israel to fend for itself, creating new conflict with Libya over terrorism, and in-

vading Osama Bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, killing him without any consent or permission from Pakistan. He has failed to keep his promises and has worsened these issues, giving justifiable conclusions to elect a new qualified presi-dent. Even though numerous facts reveal that President Obama has failed to fulfill his responsibilities, several Americans still believe that he has the ability to re-deem himself through a second term. For instance, senior Ramsey Al-Azem sup-ports Obama in saying that, “I believe he (Obama) is the best candidate to help all of the American people out of this rut that we have been put into due to the biblical principles that play into this election such as ‘may the first be the last’.” While I do respect the integration and importance of biblical standards in this election, I firmly believe that Obama does not stand by these standards. For example, while origi-nally campaigning for presidency, Obama supported traditional marriage, yet shortly after inauguration, he transferred to sup-porting gay marriage, causing uproar and unrest in the Christian community. An election would not be fair or just if all focus was centered on the failures and mistakes of one candidate, therefore, we now turn our attention to Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. Team “Rom-ney-Ryan” have their eyes set on victory, but the question posed lies in President Obama’s 49% approval rating; nonethe-less, many voters and politicians are asking, “Can team ‘Romney-Ryan’ handle the job in the Oval Office better than ‘Obama-Biden’ have?” Governor Romney is pro-life, pro-Israel, in favor of tradi-tional marriage, and against ‘Obamacare,’

however, his greatest assets seemingly are his unwavering leadership and noteworthy business skills. Senior John Rasplic-ka shared his stance on Romney by saying that, “Although he is consid-ered a liberal conser-vative, he is far more fiscally conservative than President Obama, and he has the economic skills and experience to get the American economy back on track.” Likewise, fel-low senior Cullen Cosco stated, “I am voting for Mitt Romney because he is a man of integrity with an intrepidly bold, strategically sound, and traditionally focused plan for the resto-ration of America’s once great vitality – a plan that includes fiscal and social conservatism, limited government, foreign diplomacy, and militaristic preparedness.” Economically skilled, experienced, man of integrity, bold, and focused are all adjec-tives that these two fellow students have used to describe presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s character and resume. Romney is focused on restoring the American economy, values, and justice systems through careful planning and or-der. He has rescued, changed, and grown businesses and other organizations such as Bain & Company, the 2002 Winter Olym-pics, and the state government in the state of Massachusetts. Along with Romney is running mate Paul Ryan, who is known for his principled, conservative ideas. In

the process of teaming Romney and Ryan, the Republican party is prepared to attack Obama’s principles, plans, and standards in their pursuit of overtaking Washington D.C. As November 6, 2012, ap-proaches, the two presidential candidates along with their vice presidential candi-dates prepare for the election. President Obama has indubitably failed to live up to the responsibilities of the President of the United States in his first term, leaving the door open for presidential candidate Mitt Romney to overtake the job and pursue restoration through his plans. Though I am below the legal age requirement for voting, I commend and support Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan for their fiscal conservatism, integ-rity, boldness, focus on family/personal values, experience, and abilities to uphold the United States government and general welfare to a standard of excellence and prosperity.

by Gianna Tiedemann, Managing Editor

The StangOpinions 11Out with the old, in with the new--uniforms that isNew chapel dress gives students a way to express themselves.

Ahhhh chapel dress, it’s the most formal outfit out of the whole entire uniform selection for school. The navy skirt, (plaid skirt for seniors), ¾ sleeve blouse with the knee-high socks and optional sweater vest for ladies and the navy slacks, blue and white striped shirt, along with the tie for the guys, make every chapel day complete. It just wouldn’t be chapel day without it…a year ago. This year, Dean Ashby and Dr. Councill have made some new adjustments to the chapel day dress code. The new chapel dress is all about being comfortable, while also looking modest and decent. So my fellow students, bid farewell to your old chapel uniform, and say hello to the new and improved chapel dress. What is the new chapel dress you may wonder? Well, if you’ve been here for the past few weeks, you can probably figure it out. On Thursdays, jeans or slacks, along with a nice, modest top (ladies…), and closed toed shoes are approved on chapel dress days. So yes ladies and germs, you may wear what you want on these days as long as they follow those three simple guidelines.

With these changes you, may be thinking, “Yes! I can finally ditch my old chapel uniform!” Well no, you actually

can’t just throw them out; this is because (drum roll please) there are eight days out of the entire year where old chapel dress, or formal dress as it’s now called, is required. But never fear; changes to the formal chapel dress uniform have been made. Ladies, remember the days where you had to go throughout your day feeling uncomfortable due to the required ¾ sleeve blouse that so awkwardly fit each one of us? It fit so awkwardly and uncomfortably that you may or may not have risked getting a detention by wearing a sweatshirt, so you wouldn’t have to be stuck in that awful shirt all day. Well, the war between you and the blouse has officially ended. Administration has now decided on a new chapel shirt: a simple white, short sleeve or long sleeve button down oxford included with a frocket. You may now let out a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, for the fellas, your uniform has not changed.

Although there are days where the student body is required to wear the formal chapel dress, it’s definitely better than wearing it every day. Some people love the new chapel dress, while others like Ms. Andrau who believes in “dressing for Jesus,” aren’t fully on board with the idea. The new chapel dress promotes many positive things about our school

and students. Because we wear a uniform every day to school, our individual sense of style and personality can be overlooked because we all look the same. With the new chapel dress, a student can express himself/herself through the clothes that they choose to wear that day. Junior Katherine Gualy11, agrees with this statement because she “enjoys being able to express” herself. Of course, the clothing we choose has to abide by Dean’s instructions, but wearing what we want creates more opportunities for freedom of expression. Secondly, wearing a uniform is said to boost a student’s confidence because he/she won’t compare himself/herself to others. This isn’t always the case. Being able to dress out in what you want can also boost your confidence, because you may feel prettier or more dashing in your own clothes rather than in the uniform that everyone wears. Altogether, it’s just a great way to express yourself and boost your self-confidence.

Finally, the goal for this new chapel dress is for students to be comfortable. This allows for a lot of gray area because each person’s idea of comfort varies, but to most of us, comfortable doesn’t mean dressing up. For ladies, wearing jeans, a modest top, and closed toed shoes (either heels/wedges or flats),

can be super comfortable. While for guys, khaki’s and a nice button down or polo may be just their idea of a comfortable, dressy casual look. Either way, items of clothing such as dresses or black slacks, button down, and a tie are not considered “comfortable” to most people. Since it’s not comfortable, don’t come to school in it. Yes ladies and gents, you’re probably concerned with looking cute or handsome, but you can do that in jeans and a modest top or khakis and a nice shirt. You’re not dressing up to go on a date; you’re just coming to chapel at school. Remember that next time you’re getting ready.So whether you absolutely love the new chapel dress, or hate it (which hopefully many of you don’t) the new chapel dress and set formal days are staying for good. Even with this said, Dean could still take away this privilege if it is misused. Girls, read this statement three times over if you need to: wear appropriate tops to school because modest is hottest. Fellas, don’t come to school in basketball shorts and a t-shirt. Not only could this get you a detention, but could also put you on the bad side of many of your friends. So be aware of what you wear this year, and have fun enjoying the new chapel dress.

By Matt Scott, Stang Staff

Changes changes everywhereNew schedule leads to a good change

Barack Obama once said, “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” One of the biggest changes around HC is the new schedule, which includes four blocks each day, and the option of taking Independent Learn-ing Time or Conditioning. In Independent Learning Time, students are given the opportunity to do countless things such as: relax, study, homework, socialize, and eat. The most popular activity to do is either study or just relax and talk to friends. Si-mon Doucet12 said, “I like to relax during my free time and it’s very nice to spend time alone and reflect on my life.” The time to get away from the con-stant flow of classes has been desired for many years, and finally the planning was turned into action and we will all benefit from the change. This can also be a time for students to visit the coffee bar. Emma Loo12 customized the coffee bar menu by adding her own drink, “The Loo-Loo is a combination of white chocolate and Nutella; it is my two favorite things in one drink and I love it.” Another benefit of the change is that the dismissal time is now 2:40, rather than last year when A-days were dismissed at 3:15 and B-days at 2:15. Ivan Mor-ris12 doesn’t mind all this change saying, “Honestly, I don’t really care about the dismissal time being different, as long I don’t have to get to school any earlier.” The other choice is taking a Condi-tioning class with Coach Fiocchi, where

you go through workouts and focus on staying in shape. The Mustang Football team was not given the choice to pick, but all of them take advantage of the oppor-tunity to work out during the school day. Chambers Swiggart12, one of the four football captains, said, “I love working out during the day; it makes me feel more active and gets the blood pumping. I also think the more time we as a team can spend together, the more it can help with team chemistry.” The idea of working out in the day is another great benefit to students because it can be hard to find time before or after school with all of the activities going on. One of the biggest changes is the creation of flip days, where the schedule is changed from A1 to A4, to the opposite A4 to A1. The purpose of flip days is to help student athletes not miss the same class over and over again for athletic events. Ms. Andrau says, “ I think the flip days are fun and keeps everybody on their toes.” Students have mixed feelings on this change because it can cause some confusion on which schedule is being followed. Being a coach and teacher, Mr. Shepherd said,“ I love the flip schedule because I don’t want athletes missing the same class all the time, and it is not that confusing when you have a calendar.” The new schedule seems to be a better change for not only the students but also the teachers. Even though there is a lot of change at Houston Christian, change can be a good thing.

The Office Returns to NBC for final seasonby Ashley Richards, Stang Staff

AttentionallDunderMifflinEm-ployees,theOfficecomingbacksoon.TheOfficeisreturningonSeptember20thforitseighthseason.JuniorJanieBaillietisadedicatedOfficefan.Shesaysthisabouttheseasonopener,“Iamsoexcited,butnervousbecauseTheOfficehasn’tbeen

thesamewithoutMichaelScott.Iamnotsureiftheycanmakeitquiteasfunnywithouthim.”Lastseasonwasalittlerough.ThequirkyromancebetweenAndyandErinmadetheseasonatinybitsweeter,butitwasmissingtheusualofficesass.Theguestappearances

didaddtothehumor,butRobertCalifor-niajustcouldnotseemtocomparetoMi-chael.Theshockinghumoriswhatmadethisshowsuchahit,buttomeitseemedlikethewriterswerelosingthemselvesintheplot,andnotfocusingenoughonthehumor,whichwaswhatmadethisshow

successfulfromthestart.Someofthosecertainfeaturesthatmadethisshowitsownseemedtobemissing,andIhopethattheyareincor-poratedinthisupcomingseason.JimandPam’susualprecioussparkdidnotseemthesameasinthepastseasons.Maybeitwasthefocusontheirbabies,ormaybethewriterswereoverthesweetflirtationbetweenthesetwo,theshowdidnotfeelthesamewithoutJimandPam’sinnocentromance.Also,Dwightwasnotquiteasoddashewasinpreviousseasons.Bears,beets,andBattlestarGalacticawaswhatmadeDwightafavoritecharacter,andthosequalitiesdidnotappear,sohiskeyfeaturesseemedlost.Personally,Iamhopingthatthewrit-ersofTheOfficetrytobringbackthosehystericalfeaturesoftheshow,andtradetheminfortheplotchangesandcomedicdramathattheyhavebeentryingtoaddin.

EntertainmentOctober 201212

Thisseasonbeginswherethelastoneleftoff.NBC’swebsitehaspromotionalvideosaboutthestartoftheseason,buthardlyanyhintsaboutwhatthisseasonwillentail.Theonlyinformationtheygiveaboutthefirstepisodeisthetitle,“NewGuys,”andabriefdescriptionofwhattheepisodewillbeabout.“Anewlyempow-eredAndytakescharge,dealingwithadefiantNellieandtwonewstaffers.”Sincetheofficehasafewmorevaca-tiondaysbeforethepremiere,brushuponyourOfficefactsbyplayingtrivia,look-ingatAngelaandPam’sbabypinterestboard,orviewoldepisodesanddeletedscenes.TuneinonSeptember20at9/8central.YoudecideifthisseasondeservesaDundieornot.HopefullytheyrevivetheoldOfficespiritandbringthisshowbacktowhereitshouldbeonceagain.

Final Results from 2012 Summer Olympics in London

●NorthAmericacombinedfor446outof962totalmedals(46.4%)●TheUSWomen’sOlympicteamstotaledfor58medals,toppingtheMen’stotalof45medals.●USOlympicswimmerMichaelPhelpssettheworldrecordformostOlympicmedalsall-timewith22medals(18ofwhichweregold).●Michael Phelps alone scoredmoremedals (6) than countriessuchasTurkey(5),Argentina(4),andTrinidadandTobago(4).●TheUnited States had 530 athletes from 45 out of 50 statescompete.

Need something fun to do in Houston?by Amanda Brown, Stang Staff

The Haps in Houston

CurrentlyintheHoustonArea,therearemanynewandfuneventsthatarehappeningthatteensandadultscanattend,manyofwhichareatDiscoveryGreen,anurbanparkinDowntownHous-ton.DiscoveryGreenwelcomesdifferentagegroups,featuringtheirToddlerTuesdaysstartingonSep-tember25th,allthewaytoFUNomenalFamilyFestival,whichishappeningSeptember29th.AnotherfuneventhappeningatDiscoveryGreenistheCoreFocusedYoga,whichiseveryTuesdayforanhour.Maddy Laster11attendedthisyogaclassandravedaboutthe“funatmosphereandbeautifulscenery”thatsurroundedDiscoveryGreen. ConcertsareanotherwaytohavefuninHouston.ArtistssuchasBenFoldsFive,FlorenceandtheMachine,AllAmericanRejects,AustinMahone,OllyMurs,SammyAdamsandmanymorearecomingtovisitHoustonatvenuessuchasHouseofBlues,BayouMusicCenterandCynthiaWoods-MitchellPavilionduringthefallseason.Recently,Danie McVaugh11attendedtheDrakeconcert,andreportedthatit“wasthemostfunI’vehadinalongtime;I’msogladthatIgottoenjoylisteningtooneofmyfavoriteartistsperform.”Generallytheseticketscostintherangeof$30-70,andarewellworththeirprice. HoustonhousesmanygreatsportsteamsuchasTexansfootball,Dynamosoccer,andAstrosbaseballthatarealsogreateventsforfamilyorfriends.OurTexansfootballteamhasbeen3-0sofar,andmanypeopleenjoyattendingtheirhomegamesduringthefallandwinter.

USA

China

Great Britain

Silver Bronze Total

46 29

38 23

29 19

Russia

24 32

29

17

27

26

Gold

104

88

65

82

Among the thousands of thingsthatmakemehappy,twothingsthatmademe extremely content this month were:rollerbladingand“HereComesHoneyBooBoo.” It does not takemuch tomakemehappy, but rest assured, these two thingshavegivenmegreatjoythepastmonth. Gliding past the flowers, breath-ing in the cool fresh air of thenight, andskating past bike riders andwalkers.Lis-teningtomyfavoritemusicandlettinggoof stress, I speed through the neighbor-hood.WhatamIdoingyoumayask.Well,onlythebestsportever:rollerblading. Yes,rollerbladingis infactasport.Iabsolutely love toblade.Notonlydoes it

What makes Alexa happyRollerblading and “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo”By: Akexa Reinhart, Managing Editor

allowmetothinkandde-stress,Iamalsoexercising.Rollerblading,ifgoingatame-dium to fastpace, canbeoneof thebestcardio exercises. So, while I am havingfun,Iamalsogettingaworkout.Thebestpartofrollerbladingisgoingwithfriends.Ilovegoingrollerbladingwithmyfellowbladin’ buddies Sarah Helm and ChristiHarrison on the weekends. RollerbladingmakesmereallyhappyandIdonotevenhaveananswerastowhy.AllIcansayisgobuyyourselfsomebladesandyouwillknowexactlywhatIamtalkingabout. After exercising, the new televi-sionshow,“HereComesHoneyBooBoo,”makes me the happiest person ever on a

Wednesdaynight,whenthenewepisodesair.Thisshowisaspinofffromoneofthecontestantsfromthe“ToddlersandTiaras”families.This show followsAlana’s fam-ilyaroundtheirdailylives.Thismaysoundboring,but trustme, there isnot a singledullminutewiththisfamily.Firstofall,theyhavethickcountryac-centsbecause theyarefromGeorgia,andifyouhaveseentheshow,thenyouknowthatoverhalfofwhat they say iswrittenatthebottomofthescreenassubtitlesbe-causetheaccentsaresoheavy.Sorryinad-vanceifthisisoffensive,buttheyarema-jorrednecksandareextremelyproudofit.Althoughthegirlsdonotbelievetheyarerednecks because each of them has their“teeths,”thereisnodenyingthattheyare.Inoneoftheepisodes,thewholefamilyattendsaredneckfestivalwhereAlanaandJessica,nicknamedChubbs,bellyflopintoamudpit and then lateronChubbsbobs

forpigsfeet.Ifyouarelikemeanddidnotrealizethislifestylewasreal,Iamheretoassure you that it is. The family consistsof theAlana’s father (theothergirlshavedifferent dads), Mike, nicknamed “PapaBear,” mother, June, and sisters Lauryn,nicknamed Pumpkin, Jessica, nicknamedChubbs,Anna,nicknamedChickadee,andAlana.Thisrealityshowhasmecrying--yescrying.Actualtearswerefallingdownmyface as Iwatch the episodes onWednes-day nights. If you have not watched oneoftheepisodes,IhighlyencourageyoutowatchoneonWednesdaynightsateightonTLCbecauseitisdefinitelyworthit.“HereComes Honey Boo Boo” is definitely ashowthatyoudonotwanttomissouton. Rollerblading and “Here ComesHoneyBooBoo”arejusttwothingsoutofmillionsthatmakemehappy.But,theyaredefinitelyhighuponmylist.

Many under 200 calories snacks are featured, along with the recipe of the month: Low fat rice krispie treats!by Alexa Reinhart, Copy Editor

Eat. Drink. Be Healthy.The StangNews 13

KathleenBurt

DexterRobinson

ForrestFrank

How do you spend your

ILT?

Favorite Drink at the Coffee

Bar?

Obama or Romney?

Marry ChanningTatum

Iced chai tea latte

Make Megan

Foxx my queen

Strawberry Smoothie

Drive a Bugatti

across the autobahn

Strawberry banana

smoothie

GracieBalliet

Feed all the hungry

people

Strawberry Banana

Smoothie

QA&

Studying..

Conditioning

Sleeping and taking

surveys

Doing homework

Whatwouldyoudoifyouwerekingorqueen?

Bush

Romney

Not Obama

Don’t Know

Hellomy fellowMustangs,myname isAlexaReinhartandIwillbethenewspaper’snutritionistfortheyear.Ifyouknowmeatall,youwouldknowthatIamahealthylivingadvocateandasupporterofallthingsor-ganicandnatural.Whetheryouagreewithmeornot, Iamhereeachmonthtosharewithyoualittlebitofmyknowledge.Withallofthatsaid,thismonthisallabouthealthysnacking.Manyofusarevictimsofeatingoutofsheerboredom,butitisnotallthatbadifyousnackonsomething that isbeneficial toyourbody.Forexample,eatingfourbrowniesbeforedinnerisnotanexampleofhealthy snacking, because brownies are obviously notwholesomeforyourbody.Alternatively,therearemanysnacks thatare less than200calories,whichwilleitherfillyouupuntilyournextmealorsatisfyyourboredom

hunger.Eatingasnackthatisroughlyunder200caloriesnotonly savesyoucalories to splurgeduringdinnerordessert,butitisjustenoughtosatisfyyourhungerwith-outruiningyourappetitefordinner. If your salty taste buds are craving chips, trypopping a 100-calorie bag of lightly buttered popcorn.Thesearegreat forportioncontrolandsatisfy thesaltycrunchthatyoumaybecraving.Anothersaltysnack isonecupofshellededamame,lightlysalted. Ifyoursweettoothisbeggingforsomechoco-late, twograhamcrackerrectanglesandonetablespoonofnutellaistheperfectfix,andcomesoutjustunder200caloriesaswell.Anothersweettreatisacupandahalfoffrozengreenorredgrapes.Whenthegrapesfreeze,theygetevensweeterandacupandahalfisonlyashocking60calories. Iftimeisanissue,thangrabbingacupofpittedcherries,oralargebunchofgrapes(roughly50grapes),orevenabananaorcelerywithatablespoonoflowfatpeanutbutterareallquickandeasysnacksforonthego.Despitetheconfusiononwhetherornotthismythistrue,anappleadaytrulyishealthyanditisagreatlow-caloriesnackpairedwithastickofstringcheese.Ofcoursethereareprepackagedsnacksthatarelessthan200caloriesthatcanbeboughtatagrocerystore,butmakingasnackathomeisalwaysthebestwaytogo.SomethingthatIdoquiteoftenistocarryawaterbottleandasnackalmosteverywhereIgo.Ipackageabunchofgrapes,bringa80caloriegranolabar,oracupofSpecialKcerealsothatwhenIgethungry,IamnotputinapositionwhereIwillhavetoeatsomethingunhealthy.Somecallitalittleob-sessive,butforme,it’splanningahead. So,whetheryouarerunningout thedoorandneedtograbaquicksnack,oryouneedtomunchonsomethingwhilewatchingPrettyLittleLiarsoryourfavoritesportsteam,allofthesechoicesarehealthy,hearty,andpositivelyaffectyourbody.

MR. DAVIS, pictured above, enjoys an exclusive tasting of Alexa’s nutritious snack of the month in his Bible classroom.

by Spencer Traver, Stang Staff

Monthly Tweets

JuniorKyle Malia(@kylemalia3) – “Callme,tweetme,ifyouwanttoreachme;)”

FreshmanThomas Bennett(@TGBennett02)–“Leadershipforthelastclassoftheday!Andit’sabouttopour!#RainsComing”

Senior Jordan Zeal(@jordiee328)–“HunterHayes>>>#obsession”

SeniorCourtney Smith (@courtybear24)–“AsmuchasIloverain…I’drathernotdealwiththedriverswhothinkthattheworldiscollapsingsotheydrive10mphonthefreeway…”

Providing only the best tweets around campus, Houston, and the world!

FacultyDr. Steve Livingston(@HCHSDrL)–“GrandparentsDayatHoustonChristianisspecial,alwaysbringsasmiletomyface---nicenottobetheonlyguywithwhitehaironcampus!”

AlumniSamfordUniversityFreshman Laura Valby(@LauraVal-by)–“BeimagebearersofGod.ReflectHisgloryinhowyouact,speak,pray&live.#BeBold#Romans12:2”

PopularChristianHip-Hop/RapArtistLecrae(@lecrae)–“Char-acterisn’twhoyouarewhenlifegoesyourway.Characteriswhoyoureallyarewhenthebottomfallsout.”

NYJetsQB Tim Tebow(@TimTebow)–“There’snothinglikegameday!#YesImExcited#FootballIsBack#GoJets”

AmericanIdolHostRyan Seacrest (@RyanSeacrest)–“Everyonegaveaheartfelttoastaboutbeingontheshowafterweatelastnight.Can’twaittoseethefirstcontestantstoday.#IdolJudges”

HealthyRecipeforOctober:LowFatRiceKrispyTreats

2tbsp.lightbutterspread4cupsor10oz.minimarshmallows6cupsRiceKrispiesCookingsprayOptional:Youcanlightlysprinkleorangeandblacksprin-klesontopofthericecrispytreatsforfestivefun.

1.Spraya9x12-inchpanwithcookingsprayandsetaside.2.Heatalargesaucepanonlowheat.3.Meltbutterspreadbeingsuretocoatthebottomofthepottopreventsticking.4.Addmarshmallowsandmeltonlowflame.5. Stir until completely melted, and then remove fromheat.6.AddRiceKrispiestothemeltedmarshmallows,andstiruntilcompletelycombined(thisisthehardestpart,dothisquickbeforethemarshmallowscool).7.Pressintothebutteredpanwithwaxpaperandcuttheminto16pieces.8.Addsprinklesifyoudesire.

Servings:16,ServingSize:1piece,Calories:84.4,Fat:0.7g,Protein:0.8gCarb:18.9g,Fiber:0.0g

Recipeprovidedbyskinnytaste.com

Team on verge of success in new conference by Matt Yochum, Stang Staff

Team mindset is formula for success as new coach brings fresh changes

CHARGING OUT OF THE TUNNEL, the Mustangs took on Northland Christian in their first home game of the season. It was exciting to the end, but the Stangs came up short, 35-28.

SportsOctober 201214

Following a hard fought season in 2011, the football team ended their year with a 1-10 record. The graduating senior class left a big hole for the rising seniors and underclassmen to fill. After a constructive off-season, the Stangs came into the fall, as senior quarterback Alex Roys says, “new, refined, and

refreshed... it is full speed ahead for us now!” The change that oc-curred during the off-season moved the team forward with a new leader by bringing in head Coach, Max Bowman. With a successful background and love for the sport, Coach Bowman took the job with a positive

outlook toward the season this year. Coach Bowman’s route as a football coach has been a pros-perous one after being a coach for Rutgers, the Buffalo Bills, and Boston College. He then went onto start a football team at Greenville Community College where in less than four years went onto win the championship. Coach Bowman was then named Coach of the Year throughout the whole United States. Along with a new head coach, the football team also welcomed in some new football players; seniors Forrest Frank and Josh Keith were brought in to help make a difference for the team too. Then, the football team welcomed a new starting center, Pete Huggins, and star running back Phillip Haynes on offense, and the 6’4 giant Braden Kopp on defense, from the forty plus freshman that went out for the team. Another big change for the football team is their offense. Bowman, along with an up-graded coaching staff, revamped

the offensive scheme. Senior Ramsey Al-azem expresses his opinion of the new offense by stating, “The new offensive scheme is what we need to be successful with our personnel.” The athletic offense will be fun to see throughout the season this year. A key component to the football team’s success is their chemistry. From the beginning, Coach Bowman has preached about how the team must be as close as brothers. To get there the team took a team trip to the Reeter Ranch. Around sixty guys all stayed in tens and houses for a weekend before two a days and really got to know each other on a deeper level. The team con-tributed from this experience by talking about their goals for the season and letting people know more about them. Freshman Malik Bradely feels like a “little brother” by the way the upper class men have greeted him into the football team. This is what will make a difference for the Mustangs this season.

Texans just keep getting betterNew and improved Texans are here to stayby Connor Kelley, Stang Staff

It is finally football season and almost all Houstonians cannot wait to go to Reliant Stadium to watch the Texans. This is the 10th anniver-sary of Texans Football, and it is expected to be the best year yet. Last season, the Texans had the best record in their history at 10-6. It was also the first time the Texans had ever made the playoffs. They did all this without their key players due to injuries: wide receiver, Andre Johnson, defensive end, Mario Williams, and both first and second-string quarterbacks, Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart. The rookie T.J. Yates at quar-terback had to lead the team through the playoffs. He helped the Texans get their first ever playoff win, which was against the Cincinnati Bengals. The game was full of excitement ending with a 31-10 win at home. However, they had to face the Baltimore Ravens in the second round. The game was fought very hard, ending with the Texans barely losing 20-13 in Baltimore. This Hous-ton Texans team obviously has a lot of potential and hopefully it will all come out this 2012-2013 season. During the off-season there were some ups and downs for the Texans, but

the team is still considerably a great complete team. They were unable to resign two key defensive players, Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans, however the defense is still full of players who are able to shut down any offense in the league. When starting Texans Defensive End, JJ Watt, is asked if he misses Mario Williams, he answers with the simple statement, “No.” Then he goes on to say, “ Well maybe in the locker room, but no, we are still a good defense.” There were also a lot of greatly helpful things that have happened in off-season. All the injuries to key players, such as Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson, healed completely and they are all ready to play. The Texans were also able to receive some great young talent from this year’s draft, obtaining two strong defensive players and two young, fast targets at wide receivers. This team looks very hopeful for the predictions many have made, and some have even gone as far as calling them a Super Bowl capable team. This season, they have already played two great games against the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars. In their first match-up, they played the Dolphins at home in Reliant

Stadium. The atmosphere was full of chants and cheers as the game started. The score was close in the beginning, but then the Texans went on a crazy streak, scoring 24 points in the second quarter with the help from JJ Watt, and the gaining 4 turnovers in a row to help get the Texans going on the right track. From that point, the Texans were able to keep the lead for the rest of the game. They won 30-10 and were tied for first place in their Division. After the game, Houston Texans fan, Van Robertson, said, “These Texans are awesome to watch and nobody is going to be able to stop them.” Then in their second game, the Texans played the Jaguars in an AFC South Division game. From the beginning, the Texans were in charge of the game and were able to keep control throughout. They finished with a 27-7 win and are still in first place in their Division. So Houston Texans fans, get ready for an amazing, historic season that you won’t be able to forget. This team is going to be a lot of fun to watch, and should please everybody with their results. Make it out to a Texans game and cheer them on to the Super Bowl.

This year will be an exciting one with all the new components to the team, so do what you can to come support them. A rowdy crowd is a winning crowd.

Spurs make a special familyDrill team is excited for the new yearby Ashley Richards, Stang Staff

The Silver spurs are dancing their hearts out once again, and are starting with many changes and an exciting season ahead of them. From new leadership to tons of excited returning and new dancers, the Silver Spurs are looking forward to a new year. Being led again this year by director, Brittony Peters, there are many student leadership changes. Hannah Rae, a senior, is in her second year of being Colonel. And the Lieutenants are senior, Kiersten Koenig, junior, Caroline Taylor, and sophomore, Jenna Devine. These girls are prepared to lead the Spurs into a successful season. Before the student body and fans see their detailed routines, these girls have worked tirelessly to organize the intricate spacing and choreography of their dances. While most students were enjoying the weeks off during the summer, the Spurs were working hard for two weeks for “Spur Boot-camp.” During their summer training, they learned all of their routines for the fall season. There are six dances that they learned in two days. In those two days, they learned every single routine for the whole entire season. Those three days of practicing and learning the choreography was not

enough though. The girls have to audition every week before they perform their dances at games and at pep rallies. Not every girl gets to perform for everything. Those few girls that are selected for those games are then taken outside every Thursday for a practice in the heat of the afternoon. These practices are for spacing and rehearsing the routine to perfection. They can last for over two hours, but it has obviously been effective.

The greatest part of being a team though, are the bonds, memories and friendships made. Junior Amanda Brock said, “ I love being a Spur because it is like a great big family.” Freshman, Hannah Seay adds, “It really is a family; we even get big sisters.” The upperclassmen sisters are a huge influence on their younger sisters, and just by talking to these two girls it shows how great of an impact the Silver Spur team has had on them. Watch the Silver Spurs every week at the football games at half time. They have worked hard, and it shows. Keep your eyes open next semester as well, because that is when the Spurs start to compete. We are all looking forward to a new year for the Silver Spurs.

MVP The game was highlighted by an unbelievable game from senior Stephen Consoli, who had 148 yards and 2 TD’s.

New Cheer Coaches Improve Teamsby Samantha Moore, Stang Staff

StangShorts

New Coaches bring experience and expertise

New Look and talent for vBall teamby Connor Kelley, Stang StaffA new and improved team is off to a strong start.

The StangNews 15

The first goal in the history of the field hockey program at HC was scored just last year. Looking to improve on this incredible feat, the girls have been work-ing extra hard to prove to our new confer-ence that they are a team to be reckoned with. With no seniors on the team, they are made up of underclassmen, and they look very promising for years to come. One of the new perks of being in the SPC for the field hockey team is the schedule. There are a lot more games to be played, and in the team’s mind, that means more wins. HC field hockey is ready to take the next step in order to be a great team in the SPC, led by this year’s captains, Anna Witte11. One of the main areas of the team’s improvement lies in the defense. The team has become much stronger in that aspect of the game, but the most im-portant improvement is the team’s close-ness. Kendall Rigsby10 said, “We have grown a lot closer as a team and we are ready to win some games. We are much farther along this year skill wise, and we are on the road to success.” Sophomore, Hallie Walker10 said, “I like hanging out with my teammates. It’s a good group of girls. Scrimmaging against our own team is really fun and it’s probably my favorite part.” Victoria Baltazar10 is a new play-er this year and she is enjoying it a lot. “I just started playing this year and it’s a lot of fun. I really like all of my teammates. I decided to play because I wanted to play a sport with a team and I think I made a good choice.” Not only are the girls having fun, they are getting a lot better at the same time. The improvement in the team’s togetherness and skills are outstanding. Hannah Voncannon10 loves the sport of field hockey, and said, “Games are my favorite part because I get so show off my skills in front of my family and friends. Even though we have not won a game yet, we are on our way to becoming a very successful team and I can’t wait until then. All of the hard work we have put in is going to pay off sooner rather than later. Go Stangs!” Junior Spencer Winn11 comments, “Field hockey is an interesting sport and is much more fun to watch than I expected. I wish we had a boys team; I would definitely play.” The team’s biggest games on the schedule this year are against Episcopal and Kinkaid. They play both teams the last two games of the year on October 31st and November 1st at home, so come out and support your Mustangs and help them win two big district games. The team has played five games so far. They have had two really big ties with good teams, and they have lost three very close games. They are getting bet-ter each game and are excited to keep pressing on and getting that first win of the season. Come out and support your Mustangs on the field and cheer them on to victory.

This year, the Mustang Cheer-leading Program has two new coaches on staff, Coach Anne-Marie Lowe, varsity assistant coach to Ms. Mary Duke, and Coach Gabrielle Brown, Junior Varsity head coach. Coach Anne-Marie, a recent graduate from Baylor University class of 2010, has cheered for ten years. The groups she has jumped and tumbled for include numerous schools and competi-tive teams: Cinco Ranch High School, Baylor University, Katy Elite, and Cheer Nation. She held the position of social chair and recruitment director at Baylor University. Anne-Marie’s passion for the sport and love for all of the Houston Christian cheerleaders make her a stand-out role model for the cheerleaders. Her favorite part about the team is “how our cheerleaders are able to be role models for the school as well as in the commu-nity.” She also brags “we have the best

The Girls Volleyball team is get-ting ready to have an outstanding season with many new and returning players to the Varsity team. This group of girls should be a whole lot of fun to watch this year. They will have five returning seniors (Jordan Zeal, Veronica Cecil, Karmen Valenzuela, Nathalie Simoes, and Miranda Rogers). Also, there will be two returning juniors (Maddy Laster, Jackie Bruegging) and one new Junior, Katherine Radney, who joined HC from Memorial. High School. They will have a lot of young talent as well. The underclassmen consists of three sophomores (Cassidy Kelley, Kaylee Taff, and Shelby Barhorst) and three freshmen (Elizabeth Olinide, Caitlin Clarke, and Breanna Perry) on the team. The talent level has grown a lot this year and the skills and ability are spread throughout the different classes so the team should stay great for years to come as well. This year’s girl’s volleyball team has had its ups and downs already. In the first week of school they already had a tournament at St. Mary’s Hall, in San Antonio. In this opening tournament they went in with high hopes of paying well with their talented team. However, in all the pool play games they did not even win one game. They lost to Geneva

all-around group of girls in the state. No competition.” Anne-Marie’s encourage-ment and confidence in the Varsity team, along with her thorough knowledge of the techniques of cheerleading, allow her to be the best coach possible. Coach Gabrielle Brown came into this new and exciting job with a direct relationship to the program; she attended Houston Christian High School and graduated with the class of 2008. Coach Brown also cheered for the Pride of Texas, a competitive cheerleading team in Houston, Texas. Coach Brown held lead-ership positions, much like the positions of co-captains, Rachel Driver and Erin Elizabeth Doll, and Captain, Courtney Smith. Coach Brown was given the role of co-captain her junior year of high school and captain her senior year of high school, each very prestigious to a cheer-leader.

Coach Brown attended Texas A&M University, a school that does not have a cheerleading team, so she did not get to cheer in college. She was wel-comed back to Houston Christian High School in the spring of 2012, and she has really enjoyed her new job. Coach Brown has truly fallen in love with the sport and her incredible team of freshman, sopho-more, and junior girls. Coach Brown excitedly says that her “favorite part of coaching at Houston Christian is getting to know and grow to love my girls and watching/helping them progress through-out the year.” The range of talent coming into the year varied greatly, but the Junior Varsity cheerleading team has become something many people look forward to watching at the various sports games. The team was presented with the Game Day Top Team award at the National Cheer-leaders Association (N.C.A.) cheerlead-ing camp this summer and Coach Brown “could not have been prouder of her girls.” It is an honor to have such a great addition to the cheerleading program. Anne-Marie Lowe and Gabrielle Brown have dived into this new endeavor with creative additions and new ideas constantly improving the cheerleading program. Both women were a great ad-dition to the staff, and they serve as great role models and leaders for the cheerlead-ers.

Boerne and SPC rivals John Cooper and St. Johns. They went on to tournament play having redemption in their heart. The team went on to defeat Blanco High School, which got the team going and got all the girls spirits back up. Then in the Semi-Finals they had to play John Cooper again. It was a tough fought match but Houston Christian pull out an amazing win. The girls went on to the finals to play their SPC rivals, St. John, again. This time the girls were back to get revenge. The teams came in firing at each other; however, HC just kept returning the heat

and getting the advantage. The girl’s team went on to win the game and receive first place in the St. Mary’s hall Volleyball Tournament. Head Coach, Kris Lartigue, said that the tournament was “a great fun-packed trip for our team for both gaining experience on the court and bonding off the court”. The Lady Mustangs returned home to take on future SPC rival in a non-conference road match against Episcopal High School. The team maintained their newly earned confidence from San An-tonio jumping out to big wins in the first sets and finishing off the Lady Knights in three straight sets.

by Stephen ConsoliReady to take next step

by Samantha Moore, Stang StaffSome of the Newest People at HC

The StangOctober 12 16The Back Page

SENIORSChelsea DamonJihad ElhajjMicaela AikinsForrest FrankJoshua Keith

JUNIORSEvan BonetaMark SpangenbergRichard McCoyJulia ElbertKatherine Radney

SOPHOMORESShelby RobertsonByron GrandjeanForrest HarrellBradley BoaneDavid Guefen

Joshua LooKristin MiltonTimothy DesadierNoelle BurgeZachary RileyAshley DurrettLauren Henry

Gregory ChronisMorgan RuckerAndrew Hernandez

Withtwenty-fivenewstudentsspreadthrough-out the freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior class, we have welcomed each person with open arms and each of thethemhavehadgreatthingstosayabouttheirfirstfewweeks here. With a range of favorite classes and teach-ers, each student has brought many exciting interests and talents to the student body. Forrest Frank, _12, says his favorite class is Music in Worship because he “gets to praise God for an hour during school.” His musical abil-ity has greatly added to the quality of the student worship band. Both Forrest Frank and Forrest Harrell, _10, claimed one of their favorite things about the school is the incredible food, and Sk Stephenson, _9, added, “The coffee bar is by far my favorite part of the school.” Many of the returning students can vouch that both the coffee bar and the new food company are a great addition.Another common comment from the new students was how nice the people are. Coming from all different schools into a completely new environment, the transi-tion was a big adjustment for each transfer student. Pete Chronis, _10, who is not only new to Houston Christian but also to the city of Houston, explained that “coming into a new school in a new city is pretty scary, but all of the students and teachers were so welcoming, and it made the experience a lot easier.” HC should be proud to say that all six of the students interviewed for this article mentioned how nice the people are when they responded about their favorite things involving the school.

Thefifteennewfacultymemberswereasked:1. Where did you previously teach?2. What class do you teach?3. What do you like most about HC?4. What college did you attend?5. What do you think of the students?

Jeff Perek1. Belvidere High School in Belvi-dere, Illinois just outside of Chicago2. I have taught physical science, chemistry and am currently teaching physics here at HC.3. The students are my favorite part of HC.4. Jundson University

5. The students here have been very welcoming and fun. They have been some of the most motivated and aca-demically talented students that I have ever taught. In addition to that, they have been very polite and respect-ful. Students have called me sir and said thank you when leaving my classroom.

Joel Davis1. I taught at Midland Classical Academy in West Texas for the past 5 years.2. I am teaching Bible 11 and 12, Apologetics and Christian World-view.3. I love the D Groups and the opportunity for older students to invest in the lives of the younger students. What a bless-ing to be a part of carrying out Houston Christian’s vision of servant leadership!4. I attended Dallas Baptist University. Shoot ‘Em,

Patriots!5. I have been so encouraged and impressed by the willingness of the students to welcome me into the HC family. I’ve really felt a part of the culture of the school already and that is one more reason to be thankful to God for bringing me and my wife to Houston.

Laura Hosford-Yunker1. I taught at Auburn University before I came to HC.2. I teach Pre-AP Spanish 2 & 3 and AP Spanish 4.3. The students are the best thing about HC.4. I went to the Univ. of South Alabama for undergrad and Auburn University for grad school.5. I think the students at HCHS are mature young adults whom I have the pleasure to teach. Thank you for doing this.

Andrew Lazo1. St. Thomas, and then UH Clear Lake, HBU, and Rice2. I have every English 1 student (fivesections!)andCOULDN’Tbehappier! I also teach the C. S. Lewis course during which we see mov-ies(IprovidetheRedVines),have

visitsfromLewisscholars(localandaroundtheworld),and read through Lewis’ greatest hits. Plus I serve tea. Sophomores? Juniors? Spaces available next year!!!3.Ohmygosh!!Theawesomestudents...no,wait!Mycolleagues...noWAIT!TheCounselingoffice--nonono...Dean’s Johnny-Cash deep voice--no no--WAIT! Dr. C’s great leadership and Dr. L’s vision--no wait wait wait! My CSL students--no WAIT! Colonel and Leadership...no no no WAIT! Football games--no, WAIT! It’s gotta be...IMANI DAFFIN! Seriously, it’s whatever is in front of me at any given moment. This is a total dream job for me,thanksathousandtimestoallofYOU!4. Which time? Dropped out of American River Junior College(Sacramento,CA),droppedoutoftheMoodyBibleInstitute(Chicago),droppedoutofBelmontUni-versity(NashvilleTN),beforefinallyfiguringitout:Sac-ramento City College, University of California, Davis, thenRice(theschool,notthegrain).5. See above--I haven’t *stopped* bragging about you (orprayingforyou!). Egypt Armstrong1.ItaughtatOvertonHighSchoolin Memphis, TN. It is the Creative and Performing arts high school of Memphis2. Ancient Civilizations--Fresh-men!!!! Woot!3. EVERYTHING! It is so hard tobespecificbecauseIhavefallenlove with everything at HC. I like hanging out in the Student Center during my conference period and chatting with students.4. University of Memphis5. HC has bright and inquisitive students. Each day I marvel at how my students embrace every challenge, conversation and lesson with enthusiasm and passion.

Jane Johndrow1. 17 years at Cy Falls H.S.2. English III and IV3. I love that I can pray with both faculty and students every day and any time.4. BS at University of Mary Hardin Baylor and MA at Houston Baptist University

5. I love the attitude toward God and learning, along with the respectful, cheerful manner of each student. John Ousley1. I taught at Blackwell middle and high school where I was the Direc-tor of Choral Activities for both. I was also a Graduate teacher at the UniversityofOklahomawhereIwas assistant conductor for Uni-versity Singers, Chamber Singers, ChoralUnion,andOperaChorus.2. I was the head of the Choral program at Blackwell andapartoftheschoolofmusicatOU.3. The students! They are incredibly hard working and intelligent!4. I went to the University of Southern Mississippi where I earned a Bachelors of Choral Music Educa-tion. I am one class away from completing a Masters Degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Oklahoma.

Phil Sweger1. I taught at Christian School of York for 8 years.2. I am the new band director, guitar teacher, digital music teacher, and drum-line instructor.3. I am enjoying the new friend-ships among the teachers.

4. I attended Lancaster Bible College for my undergrad and Messiah college for my graduate degree.

These teachers will be featurednextmonth:

Karen StuartKen Craig

Michelle MikeskaPhil Masters

Bobby LinhartSherie Pierce

Travis Maddry