December Issue 300dpi

8/13/2019 December Issue 300dpi

1/16

December 2013 Volume II Issue 3

Ti eas

Re-gifting?

Holiday blues

Seasonal itemsWorst gifts ever


2/16


3/16

Index Volume 2 Issue Editors desksIndividuals dance to beat of own drum...

p. 4

Materialistic mindset devours holidayspirit... p. 4

PerspectivesRe-gifting seen as unthoughtful... p. 5

Good re-gifters remove stigma... p. 5

LifestylesTips to soothe holiday blues... p. 12

Seasonal items back in stock, sales ga-

lore.... p. 13

Celebrate New Year without breaking

bank... p. 13

Holiday gift ideas for clueless givers... p

14

NewsCHS achieves academic victories again

p. 11

Fine arts programs to perform concertmedleys... p. 11

SportsTennis, track, golf teams dominate... p. 6

World Series closes, crucial last weeks

determine fate of NFL teams... p. 6

Brooks Clingman runs towards goals... p.

7

Guadalupe Rodriguez kicks through

obstacles... p. 7

FeaturesDecember Horoscopes... p. 8

Unlock key to getting Scholarships... p. 8

2013: Biggest Hits... p. 9Brophy: Triple threat in excellence... p. 10

Senior copes with transition from Syria to

Texas... p. 10

VoicesWhat is the best/worst gift you have ev

received?... p. 15

PUBLICATION POLICY

The Round Up, a feature magazine pub-

lished by the students in Clements High

Schools Magazine Journalism class, is a

designated forum for student expression.

The Round Up is distributed to its readers

and the student body at no cost.

PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION SER-

VICES

The Round Up is printed eight times a year

in October, November, December, January,

February, March, April and May. All Round

Up is archived-and available at http://ranger-

wire.wordpress.com.


4/16

From the Editors desks

4

By YASMEEN YAHYA

Co-Editor-in-Chief

A lot of people seem to lose sense of what the

holiday spirit truly is. What used to be about

celebrating life, family, and friendship is now

solely about the widespread consumerism

within this nation.

Too many people are unhealthily obsessed

with material things, and this is most

prominent around the holiday season.

Gifts have become the focus of the

holiday season. Giving the perfect gift is a

heavy weight upon the shoulders of many.

Receiving gifts is the most anticipated part of

the season. The true holiday spirit has been

degraded to virtually nothing, and replaced

with toys, technology, and total disregard for

any of the virtues that are the foundation for

these holidays.

Yes, gifts are a nice way to show love,

but they should not be the emphasis of the

season. Businesses are partly to blame for

the consumerism that overtakes the holiday

season. They start holiday sales fromearly November, sometimes even before

Halloween. From then until the start of the

next year, holiday sales will be everywhere,

and commercials will be on full blast. These

advertisements brainwash consumers into

thinking gifts matter the most, and evidently,

this has worked on the general public.

When I think of the holiday season I look

forward to seeing my cousins that come in

from out of town and how much the babies

of the family have grown. I look forward

to the all the food my family cooks and the

Materialistic mindset devours holiday spiri

Individuals dance to beat of own drumsBy SAMANTHA JREIJ

Co-Editor-in-Chief

Lately, the words of Friedrich Nietzsche havebeen haunting me, pressing against the edges

of my conscience and making me wonder.

He once said, And those who were

seen dancing were thought to be insane

by those who could not hear the music.

Every artist, and every human being, in

fact, dances, and shakes, and thrums, and

lives, to the sound of their own music- music

that, by all means, to which the rest of the

world is deaf. How much, how often and to

what extent is the creativity bursting within

the minds of teenagers repressed into a tight,

confined place? How much more beautifuland brilliant would our work be if we were

enabled to do whatever we wanted, when-

ever we wanted? Complete creative free-

dom what if we were given it? Would

the repercutions be all good or all bad?

We are restricted, it seems, by many aspects

of society and logic. However, can we defeat

the boundaries and knock them down, can we

burst the constraining and limiting seams set

Every artist, and

every human being,

in fact, dances, and

shakes, and thrums,

and lives to the soundof their own music...

forth by our confining peers and adults and

reach the full extent of our creativity? This

month, think about everything you have ever

been told you cannot do creatively, and ask

yourself if it is truly worthwhile to restrain

your bubbling ideas and bursting muses.

For example, graffiti art perhaps it is

not always vandalism. Perhaps it is mor

an art form that moves fluidly and elega

and even correlate to music that some se

simply do not understand. It can be bea

ful. It can still inspire as art is meant to

Should society, and more so, adults, l

and constrict art forms that they do not

derstand? Or should they blindly try

dance to music that they cannot even h

annual family picture we take at the en

my aunts staircase. I look forward to

crisp winter air and all the hot choco

I drink. I look forward to seeing h

magical the decorations look and the wa

cozy sweaters. Most importantly, thoug

look forward to spending time with fam

laughing, telling stories, and showing lov

If you find yourself literally buying

the materialistic mindset, I have a

suggestions to help you break the addict

Instead of buying your family presents, se

agreement between your relatives to savemoney they would spend on gifts and do

it to a charity. I promise you will feel g

about yourself and the deed you did to h

your community. Also, you could agre

set a one-present-only limit, which o

allows for one present for each membe

the family.

It is easy to get caught up in the consu

frenzy that engulfs the holiday season,

if you focus on what the holidays are re

about, love and selflessness, then I fore

happier, smoother holidays in your future


5/16

By ANNE MARIE PLUNKETT

Copy Editor

Re-gifting? Yes, I know what most of you

are thinking. Re-gifters are usually people

that take a present that they did not want

and pass it on to somebody else while taking

credit for the gift. However, there are badre-gifters and then there are good re-gifters.

Bad re-gifters are the reason why re-

gifting is seen as a bad thing in the first

place. Those are the people that forget to

get their friend a present, so they just give

them one of theirs. Posted everywhere on

the internet there are articles ranting about

how much re-gifting is the worst thing you

can do. Most people are actually ok with

re-gifting as long as the re-gifter actually

thinks that the receiver would enjoy the

item a whole lot more than they would have.

The good re-gifters, which are not

recognized as much, are the people who take

that identical shirt or scarf gift and give it to

somebody they know would really need it,

usually, to charity. Giving to charity is a good

thing, so therefore re-gifting is a good thing.

The real purpose of giving a giftis to make someones day brighter,

not give them a shiny new toy.

The purpose of giving gifts is to promote

goodwill, and make for a closer relationship,

according to advancedetiquette.com.

Maybe over the years people have transformed

giving a gift to a selfish way to gain new things

for free. It should not bother anyone that

they are being given a recycled gift, because

the other person thought well enough about

them that they gave up one of their presents.

That should be enough of a gift in itself.

Good re-gifters remove stigma

PERSPECTIVES

Just imagine those shoes from Steve Mad

that you have been dreaming of. Wo

you be mad if your friend gave you h

Re-gifting is a form of recycling that help

environment, and it saves somebody from

receiving a present on a special day. It is be

to have people surrounding you who wyou to have something nice rather than tel

you that they did not get you anything at

Whether more convenient or not, it is be

to just find a new gift to give.

It may seem like this simple, money sav

practice is being taken too seriously by so

In truth, sometimes people honestly

never notice that someone took that old ju

present and stamped their name on it. Giva gift should be out of being thankful for

persons presence in your life. Giving

right gift is the least a person can do to sh

their love through a tradition that is centu

old. However through the years pres

have become a chore. It is now a to-do

that can be accomplished through re-giv

things. This however eliminates all form

connection and emotion through the prac

So, even if it is going a bit out of the w

during the holidays, it is worth giving a b

extra time and effort to those in life that

appreciated for all the things they do fodoes not have to be anything big, just eno

to show that someone is thankful for them

Re-gifting seenas unthoughtfuBy MEGHAN BEYTEBIERE

Copy Editor

While I am thankful that throughout my

life I have never had the knowledge of my

family re-gifting a present to me, I still cringe

at the thought of it happening. Think of the

nicely wrapped packages received over theholidays, only to realize they are pass offs.

One friend or another gave it away merely

to get the undesired present away from their

space, rather than giving the gift because they

thought it clicked perfectly with someones

personality. Going against the warm

sentimental vibe of the holidays, re-gifting

makes present giving a detached form of

trading.

While re-gifting undesired presents can be

easy ways to save money on the long list of

to over the holidays, it is much more than a

quick shortcut. Gifts, in essence, are supposed

to be entirely unique, and personal to the

individual to whom they are given. It would

not do to give a pack of old stationary gifted

to a person from a work party to that persons

mother who wanted a candle, simply out of

wanting to get the junky notepad removed

from their desk. By doing this it ignores

the receivers desire for a gift that has time

and thought put behind it. It also dashes theoriginal gift givers hope that they presented

someone with a gift they would value.

A sub-category of this practice is giving

away gifts made especially for an individual.

A person could give away a homemade picture

frame or a scarf with the intent to get rid of the

unused item. The gift will most likely have

no connection to the new receiver, because

it was not made specifically for them. Re-

gifting in this situation will also cause more

damage to the relationship with the original

gift giver, because the time they spent in

making the gift has been wasted. This takesre-gifting to the point of insensitivity, which

overall goes against the spirit of the holidays.


6/16

6

World Series closes, crucial last weeks determine fate of NFL team

Tennis, track, golf teams dominateBy CHANDNI THAKKAR

Ads Editor

The Clements student body has been on

By RABAB ZEHRA

Sports Editor

In the sports world, people have seen

loads of victories and defeats in the past

month. The 2013 World Series was a faceoff

between National League champions, St.

Louis Cardinals and the American League

Champions, Boston Red Sox. Games one and two were held at Fenway

Park, with home field advantage to the

Boston Red Sox. Game one was an 8-1

victory for the Red Sox, as the Cardinals fell

0-1 due to lousy mistakes. Cardinals pitcher,

Adam Wainwright, found trouble throughout

the entire game. Embarrassing mistakes on

behalf of the Cardinals are what led to the

tremendous victory of the Red Sox in game

one. Games two and three were dominated

by the Cardinals who then led the series 2-1.

The Red Sox then dominated the last

three games and got their first championship

victory at Fenway Park after approximately

80 years.

Now that baseball post-season is over, NFL

is soon coming to a close too. Week 17 is

approaching quite rapidly, so let us see the

where teams stood from week 7.

New York Giants finally ended their 0-6losing streak when they won 23-7 against

the Minnesota Vikings. This week 7 game

was crucial to quarterback Eli Manning as he

has some self-esteem restored. His brother

Peyton Manning, on the other hand faced

his first loss of the season in week 7 as the

Denver Broncos fell to the Indianapolis

Colts, 39-33.

Every team had at least one victory except for

the poor Jacksonville Jaguars who were still

0-7 by week 7. The Jaguars are considered

to be the biggest embarrassment in the NFL.

Best case scenario, the jags are the underd

that everyone has underestimated.

49ers are looking in great shape, as C

Kaepernick got his first rushing touchdo

of the 2013 season. Kaepernick ran it in f

20 yards out to take a lead over the Tenne

Titans in week 7. The 31-17 win, resu

in the 5-2 standing in the NFC west. Seattle Seahawks lead the division with a

standing.

The Kansas City Chiefs were the only N

team to be undefeated until they lost to

Denver Broncos. They had a super close

with the Houston Texans though in wee

by a victory of only one point. Major cr

goes to the new starting quarterback of

Texans, Case Keenum, who lost by a s

margin of 17-16 in his debut game.

With just a few short weeks left, the fat

these NFL teams remains to be decided.

a roll with numerous wins

from three different sports.

The cross country, tennis, and

golf teams have had some

extraordinary wins in the past

month.

The cross country team had

the Varsity and Junior Varsity

girls and boys win at districts,

said Silvia Leblanc, jr. Michael Erickson won

first for varsity boys, Brooks

Clingman took second, and

Danny Maas took fourth. For

the junior varsity boys, Estaban

Blake won first, Javail Wallace

took second, and Galen Lytle

took fourth.

For varsity girls Silvia Leblanc

won first, Audrey Sharrock

took eighth, Alexandra Yarrow

came in ninth, and Ashley Chen took tenth.

Junior varsity girls Michelle Banuet tookninth, Amna Mulla came in fourteenth,

Sophia Villegas took fifteenth, and Elizabeth

Wronski came in sixteenth.

Overall, the girls golf team is ranked 5thin

state and the boys team is 30th.

The tennis team has also had a great victory.

They won districts this year. They played atClear Brook, and after winning against them

moved onto the semifinals, which was the

next day at Clear Creek.

It was not easy to beat them. It was v

nerve wrecking, because it was so close,

everyone was chee

loudly, said Amanda

jr.

The team finally advan

to play Clear Lake in

finals and also won tha

CHS golf participate

recent tournament at R

Ridge in which they ha

magnificent win. They bthe school record shoo

two ninety three to

ninety nine. The team

beat Cinco Ranch, who

strong opponent.

Clements has a v

strong team this year,

Amber Wang, jr.

The girls basketball t

has had several scrimma

so far into their season.

girls played their first game on Novemb

against Clear Creek. Last year, they hadClear Creek game by two points, but this y

they won by eight points.

SPORTS


7/16

Guadalupe Rodriguez kicks through obstacle

Brooks Clingman runs towards goals

By SAMEEN SIDDIQUI

Reporter

Brook Clingman is a well-rounded student.

He is part of track, as well as, the SAC

Chairman of National Honor Society and

the Co-President of National History Honor

Society. Not only is he a member of ModelUnited Nation and Science Honor Society

in school, but also he volunteers outside

of school at a tutoring organization called

Reach.

I originally joined cross-country because

many of my friends were involved. Matt,

Ben Steele, Michael Erickson, and Kendall

Yates all were involved, said Clingman.

Running 5k may seem like a lot of effort,

By SAMEEN SIDDIQUI

Reporter

Guadalupe Rodriguez is the Lady Rangers

varsity soccer defensive center mid or right

defender. Not only does she play soccer as

school, but also she competes in club soccer

where she plays right outside midfield.

Rodriguez has strong hopes for this season.

Rodriguez has been playing soccer for

12 years and wants to continue playing in

college. Rodriguez also has a special bond

that most people do not have with her twin

borhter, Augustin. She believes that havinga twin is very special. He is also the person

who got her into soccer.

My twin brother started playing before me

and he made me want to play soccer, said

Rodriguez.

She believes the best way to balance her

sport and school life is though efficient time

management and making room for things that

she truly loves to do.

Her advice for future players is to always

have a positive attitude about everything and

to work hard.

To prepare for her games, she believes

eating a healthy, energetic breakfast, drinking

Gatorade and having a good playlist for the

ride is the way to go.

Rodriguezs most memorable experience

was winning regionals in club soccer this

past summer and getting to meet Mia Hamm.

Although, Rodriguez had to face many

challenges her freshman year.

I tore my ACL my freshman year and had

but through hard work and determination,

anything is possible.

Training during the summer helps a lot.

Cross country meets start the first week

of school, so if you do not start getting

in shape early youre off to a less than

optimal start. You gain physical fitness and

satisfaction with your body. When you runevery morning, putting in countless hours to

train for fast- paced, high-intensity meets,

constantly pushing yourself to drop seconds

off of your time, you gain an appreciattion

for your body that you could not otherwise,

said Clingman.

In order to prepare for a race, the team

meets at a members house for dinner. All

the members eat different pasta dishes with

bread. He makes sure that he has everything

he needs in his cross- country bag the night

before, so he does not rush and forget

something that is needed for the race. A fewof the things that are needed for his meet are

his spikes, a few pairs of socks, and a couple

of water bottles, his uniform and a change of

clothing for afterwards.

The Clements cross-country team is small,

but enormously successful. This year all four

of our teams (Boys Varsity, Girls Varsity,

Boys JV, and Girls JV) won districts. We

know the other athletes names and we cheer

each other on during our races. It is re

motivating to hear half the team cheering

home as you push through the final part

grueling 5-K, said Clingman.

He finds a few things challenging, suc

having to arrive at school at 6:45 to prac

in the dew-coated grass, which leaves his

soggy and gross. A few times a year his thas to wake up as early as four to five oc

on Saturday mornings to go to meets

away. He could not be happier with how

season started. Along with these challen

experiences, he has had many memora

ones as well.

My best memory in cross-country wa

the district meet. In the boys Varsity r

I finished second, behind my teamm

Michael Erickson. That feeling, of get

second, was very intense for me. In cr

country, it is often very difficult to e

places in the top ten because races canvery competitive. Getting that second p

medal felt incredible, said Clingman.

In college, Clingman does not plan

cross- country on a varsity level. He enj

it very much, but would like to put his fo

on schoolwork at university. He has app

to Rice, Washington and Lee, Georgeto

Columbia, A&M and UT and hopes to m

it into anyone of these colleges.

to go through painful rehab afterward,

Rodriguez.

After going through that painful challe

she is excited for this season.

I think we are going to accomplish m

great things. We pass the ball well toge

and we work hard together as a team. Thro

patience, hard work positive attitude and

skill with the ball we will be able to conq

anything, said Rodriguez.

Through these experiences and many oth

Rodriguez knows that she has improved

a person. She has gone through the gand the bad, but she knows that she has

friends that will be there for her no ma

what happens.

This year made me realize who my tru

friends and who Im going to have the be

time with said Rodriguez.

Although Rodriguez may not wan

continue playing soccer as a profession,

would love to major in nursing and be a

to set an example for the soccer girls in

future generations. She also hopes to en

the future adventures yet to come.


8/16

By HAANIYA DAWOODALLY

Reporter

Many students dream of attending an ex-

emplary college in their future but do not

know how to pay for it. Some might work

to pay for tuition, or parents have to work

harder just to cover expenses. Either way,

college fees put stress and worry on fami-

lies. So instead, colleges offer scholar-

ships for those who work hard and excel in

either academics or sports. Scholarships

benefit those who want to work hard fortheir education, but need help with tuition.

Scholarships are usually given to students

who are talented in a subject of study or in

athletics. However, there are scholarships for

just about any student. Shelby Nilsen, CHS

college and career counselor offers advice.

Apply to as many scholarships as you

can. There are many out there for fresh-

men, sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

Apply every day to a variety of scholar-

ships to different colleges, said Nilsen.

Scholarships are either rewarded di-

Unlock key to getting Scholarshiprectly from colleges or from businessesand individuals. They can even be prizes

for essay contests. Another way to earn a

scholarship would be through the PSAT

or the SAT. Colleges check students SAT

scores to see which students have the high-

est scores. The PSAT offers the National

Merit Scholarship and a total of 35 million

dollars is given to a small group of students.

All colleges grant scholarships. There

are three different kinds that colleges grant,

Federal, Private, and University. Federal

scholarships are granted through FAF

and are free. Private scholarships are

fered by national, private, or nonprofit

ganizations. University scholarships

given through the universities, said Nil

Clements offers a place to start the

lege process and applying to scho

ships. Any student can go to the col

counselors room, which is located

the social studies hallway. Students

get help filling out their college appl

tions or can apply for online scholarsh

Any student is welcome to come du

lunch and work on their college appl

tion process. They can also log onto ww

collegeguidanceconsultants.com with lo

and password clements, and view dif

ent scholarship opportunities, said Nil

Other helpful sites include: scholarsh

schoolconnection.com and usfirst.

Counselors encourage students to

ply for scholarshipsearly. The process

applying for scholarships may be inti

dating, the end result can be benefic

December HoroscopesAries: Have you ever longed to be amovie star or participate in some way

in the film industry? But of course you have!

News flash: The only way you will is by buying

a ticket and some popcorn for Catching Fire.

Taurus: Your mind is active, andyou may seek stimulation through

books, TV, or lectures. Forget the last

one. The only lecture you ever get is from

your mom, and they are never stimulating.

Gemini: You could have somevery strange yet beautiful dreams

Write them down. Theyre trying to

tell you something. You are insane!

Cancer: Your friends may startto see you in a new light. Perhaps your ac-

complishments have aroused their ad-

miration. Who knew you could recite

the alphabet backwards at warp speed?!

Leo: You certainly have a way wwords, and you certainly shouldthis to the fullest. Just dont go over the

Interjecting supercalafrajelisticexpehal

cious into your conversations is pushin

Virgo: Try to avoid shoppI know, this is next to imp

sible. Why, the last time you attem

ed this, Visa sent you a get well c

Libra: You have a desire to

into your genealogy and the Internet

made it possible for everyone to le

about their family. First, check the F

Most Wanted list and proceed from th

Scorpio: Much of what learn may be confusing, but stay w

it. It will make more sense to you

er. Unless it is Physics or Calcu

Features

Sagittarius: Today you will allowyour friends to aid you on yourcomputer skills. Learning to use the key-

board is helpful, especially the delete but-

ton. Not that you make a lot of mistakes.

Capricorn: A new romance couldcome your way. An old friend

could become something more, send-

ing this relationship in an new direc-

tion. Yeah right! This is the same person

that used to eat glue in the second grade!

mind in waves. You may want to stay home to

develop them and get an unexcused absence.

Aquarius: Ideas for essays, poems,paintings, or music flow into your

Pisces: Before deciding to tack-le any new ambition today, consider it

from all angles. You might change your

mind. Rethink that idea about jalapeno-

eating and the Guinness World Records.

8


9/16

2013:Biggest HitsBy JOSEPH VASQUEZ

Reporter

As 2013 comes to a close, it is always nice

to look back at the best of the past year, such

as highest grossing movies, the bestselling

books, or even the most visited websites.

Movies

Video

Games

Music

Books

Television The movie business was booming thispast year with hits like Monsters Uni-

versity and The Great Gatsby. But it

was Iron Man 3, Despicable Me 2, andMan of Steel that were this years

highest grossing movies. Iron

Man takes the cake with 400

million dollars making it the#1 movie of the year.

Over the

past few years,

video games

have become

a multi-billion

dollar indus-

try. Games

have gotten

incredibly re-

alistic with theadvancements

in technology.

This past year,

the biggest titles

Internet

in gaming were

Grand Theft Auto

V, Last of Us, andMonster Hunter 4. These

games were huge stories

in the gaming world, especiallyGTA V which made a record of$1 billion in just three days.

This year the music industry had

so many top hits, from artists like

Justin Timberlake, Macklemore and

Ryan Lewis, and Daft Punk. Robin

Thickes song, Blurred Lines and Daft

Punks new song, Get Lucky were the

two most downloaded songs of 2013.

Although reading has dropped in popular-

ity over the past decade, many book series

debuted this year to huge fan bases. Rick

Riordan is a big author among teens and his

latest series called Heroes of Olympus has

been a huge hit all around the world. The lat-

est installment to the series is called House of

Hades and it is generating a lot of buzz among

the young readers. Another big title in a long

running book series turned HBO hit is the A

Song of Ice and Fire (also known as Th

Game of Thrones series) books by Georg

R.R. Martin. The fifth newest installment

the series is called A Dance with Dragon

Television is a big part of our culture to

day. AMC has hit it big with shows lik

Mad Men and Breaking Bad. Two of som

of the biggest events in television this ye

happened on AMC with their first majo

show Breaking Bad ending with 10

million viewers. AMCs oth

big day was the season four pr

mier of The Walking Deawhich had a recor

breaking 16.1 mi

lion viewers. Fthose who pref

comedy over

more dramat

driven stor

CBSs Ho

I Met Yo

Sports

Mother

finale se

son final

ended th

long ru

ning ta

of hoTed m

the lov

of his lif

It is now

time to get tthe champions

sports this pa

year. In the NFL ater a hard fought gam

between the Baltimore Rvens and the San Francisc

49s the Ravens ended up winninfor the second time. In the NBA, the Miam

Heat won a tough series against the Spu

ending the series 4-3, giving them a secon

straight title. The NHL had a great Stanl

Cup this year with the Chicago Blackhaw

beating the Boston Bruins by scoring twi

with just a little over one minute left to pla

Since 2006, websites like YouTube and

Twitter have millions of people on per day.

Google with little more than 900 million visi-

tors per month or Facebook with 700 million

visitors per day. Facebook has a little over 1

billion active users now, but when it started

there were only one million active users.

With all of these records clo

ing out the year, the world can onl

wait to see what will happen in 201


10/16

Brophy: triple threat in excellenceBy KASEY VOLLMERING

Ads Editor

Ryan Brophy has all the makings of a true

star, and he has the credentials to prove it.

By PATRICIA ANNE MANZINARES

and MEGHAN BEYTEBIERE

News Editor and Copy Editor

For most people living in America, it is

hard to imagine the trauma that is occur-

ing in the middle east. Imagine moving to

another country because your high school

got bombed. Unreal scenario? Not if you

ask Adrenna Tacheji, senior, who moved

here one and a half years ago from Syria.

She is a very motivated person when

it comes to her studies and as a transfer

student from last year Tacheji described

it as a very big responsibility to have.

The hardest part in moving here

was leaving everything behind to fol-

low your future and leaving my

grandmother, she said. After graduating this year, Tache-

ji plans on moving to Lebanon to at-

tend a Lebanese American University.

Even though she had moved here and left

her country hoping that everything will be

okay, she is still up-to-date in the news about

Syria and is always worried about it. Tacheji

loves everything about her country and is

proud of her countrys culture. She describes

the Syrian people as friendly and kind.

In addition to Syrias current situation Tache-

ji said, It is hard to explain Syrias situation10

He has been in theatre for all four

years and is currently in the Theatre

IV class. Ryan is the president ofthe Thespian Troupe 3689 and

has worked hard over the years

to develop his theatre career.

We put in at least 20 hours

a week, every week, on what-

ever it is we are doing and Iam responsible for most of

it along with my fellow offi-

cers. It is a lot of fun, but it is a

lot of hard work, said Brophy.

Aside from theatre, Brophy is

also in NHS. Outside of school he

volunteers at Fort Bend Fit, and

Senior copes with transition from Syria to Texa

the Houston Food Bank. He is also

a member of the 412 youth group

at Christ United Methodist Church.

When he is not volunteering, he spends

because everyone views it from a diffe

perspective, but I hope everyone should

derstand what is truely going on in Syria

not only what the news says about Syr

Many people claim that moving from

place to another can be a very hard t

Tacheji had moved four times betw

Syria, Lebanon and Texas and was h

ing a hard time coping with the educa

system here. Part of her struggles are c

pleting her credits in order to graduate

year, and she attended summer school in

der to complete her credits for junior y When I first came here I got depres

Everything was bothering me, and th

were times that I could not handle a

tain situation. But, I was glad that I lear

English faster than I had thought. Now

am a whole different person. I have a str

personality, and I also got to learn dif

ent cultures along the way, said Tach

Despite the year and a half struggle

she had experienced since she moved h

She is glad that her experien

shaped her into who she is n

his time working at Barnes and Noble.

Barnes and Noble is nowhere near

as chill as people would think it would

be. Especially working the customer ser-

vice desk. There are so many overly par-

ticular people out there, said Brop

Brophy was raised as an only ch

but now has five stepsiblings, s

parents, and a dog named B

Growing up as an only child

then having all that change was

ferent, but not scary. I amally blessed to have the fily that I have, said Brop

This hardworking

niors top choice colleg

Northwestern Univer

but he is also applying

USU, UCLA, Pepperd

and Columbia Univer

I spent five week

Northwestern University

summer, and it absolu

changed who I am as a perand as an actor, said Brop

He is planning to m

in theatre and journalism.

ter college, Brophy has

bitions to be an actor, direc

producer, and writer. He is

thinking about being a film cr Many people would describe Brophy

having a lot of promise, and that for h

stardom and success may be on the hori


11/16

NEWS

CHS achieves academic victories again

Fine arts programs to perform concert medley

By HAANIYA DAWOODALLY

Reporter

Clements has once again completed a

successful first semester. Students have been

victorious in several areas of competition.

Bands first competition was in Friendswood,

winning first in the preliminary round and third

place overall. Their second competition was

at the Texas Marching Classic competition.

They were rewarded with second in

preliminary and first overall. Bands final

competition was the Sam Houston State

University Marching Competition. Theywon second in the preliminary round and first

overall.

This season for the band has been incredible.

Everyone really brought something special

to the show and put their heart and soul into

making it what it is now. Compared to last

year, weve improved so much, said Janella

Chu, sophomore.

Computer Science successfully won the

sweepstake award in their recent competition.

Twelve CHS teams participated in the Seven

Lakes Kick off Classic and nine of the teams

placed. Most of the students participating

received a team or individual medal for their

hard work. The computer science team also

participated in the Katy Taylor Computer

Science Competition. Students placed 1stand

2ndin the novice programming category and

2ndand 6thin the advanced category.

I think it is very impressive, what these

students have accomplished, said Lubna

Lorena, computer science teacher.

Decathlon was also victorious this semester,

competing in the Cinco Ranch Invitational

Competition. Approximately 10 teamsparticipated, and

By PATRICIA ANNE MANZINARES

Reporter

The CHS choir, band and orchestra willeach host a holiday concert this month.

The band holiday concert will be held

Tuesday, December 10 at the auditorium at

7 p.m.. This is the first concert event of the

year after the marching band competitions.

All three bands have been preparing for the

band holiday concert since the end of their

marching season.

The choir winter show is going to be held

from seven to eight-thirty in the evening

at the school auditorium on Thursday,

December 12. The annual choir show will

showcase different choir groups. They have

been preparing for this concert since the fall

show. Admission is five dollars per personwhether it is a student or an adult. The profits

go from the show will fund the program to

hire clinicians, and pay for backdrops and

new music.

It is just one of the many things the

Clements choir does as a group. We are

multitasking and have many things going on

simultaneously. For example, working on

the fall concert, followed by the winter show

and being the leaders for the district Messiah

performance that will be held at Clements,

said Mary Matysiak, choir director.

After the choir holiday show the c

will be performing with an orchestra at

Sugar Land Baptist Church for their holicelebration

The orchestra concert will be held

December 10 in the auditorium at 7 p

until approximately 8 p.m. Admissio

free to everyone. The orchestra has b

working tediously for this concert for

last four weeks. Some of the songs they

perform will be some rhythmic snapshot

Christmas.

Hard work and talent has been put in to

of these concerts and the groups urge stud

CHS placed

third overall. Individual

a w a r d s were also

given for each subject.

We are very proud-

we competed on par with some of the

teams in the state. There is tons of talen

this team and they have their sights set v

high, said Jennifer Craddock, Acade

Decathlon co- sponsor.

Model UN came back from the Central Te

Model UN Conference in Austin achiev

many goals by many new members. Win

included Nico Sentfen, Lani Nguyen, Cl

Pan, Julieta Barbiero, and George Yousse

As the CHS RangerBots competed in t

first competition, they came out in t

place out of 54 teams. Winners incluChristopher Denny, Eric Li, Thomas L

and Kevin Rao.

This is just the middle of the school y

and other Clements teams say they hop

bring more accomplishments back in sp

contests.

to come out and support them.


12/16

By EVELYN LAZARIS

Reporter

Ah, the holidays! Yes, that special time

of the year when people can feel stressed,

bloated, and broke all at the same time.

Holiday blues actually exists. Though not as

severe as depression, it can make the holidays

less than jolly. The good news is that there

are ways to combat the awful feeling.

Just about everyones favorite part of the

holidays is the food. The savory caramelizedbaked ham mom sets on the table will make

mouths water and before everyone knows it,

they will feel like a beached whale on the

living room couch with a severe stomach

ache. Do not even think about forgetting

the leftovers! No matter how much is eaten

the night before, there will be remainders of

that oh so delicious dinner in little plastic

containers over the course of the next two

weeks. People should pace themselves and

not try to eat as much as possible just because

it tastes so good.

Some people feel sorry for themselves

during the holidays. Maybe they didnt get

everything they wanted or the season did not

live up to their expectations in some way.

Try helping out someone to fight that feeling.

Volunteer at a homeless shelter or bring food

to the elderly or a shut-in. People will quickly

find that the best way to help themselves out

of the blues is to help someone else.

Surround yourself with the people who

make you feel good. Try to avoid the DebbieDowners who will truly bring you down.

Positivity breeds positivity.

Now, the hardest part of coping with the

common holiday blues the financial aspect

of it all. Gifts have to be purchased for

friends, families, and neighbors. is no way to

avoid that. There are, however, a few tricks

to stretching a dollar and getting a bigger

bang for a buck. It is unnecessary to actually

purchaseeveryone a present, so instead, try

to go for a homemade gift. One could, for

example, bake gingerbread cookies to give

Tips to soothe holiday blues

to friends or make a cherry pie for the sw

old lady that lives next door. Sometim

the most meaningful of gifts can be the l

expensive. Do not take on a few more job

order to afford making everyone happy. T

will only make a person more sad.

The movies always portray the holiday

perfect. There is the perfect tree or the per

Hanukah present, and it always snows. Th

the Hollywood version. As everyone kno

it rarely snows in Sugar Land. Just as raris a holiday perfect. So keep expectat

realistic to avoid disappoint that might l

to the blues.

Be sure to get plenty of rest, exercise,

as much sunlight as is available. All of th

items fight depression.

Follow these easy ideas and this hol

season will be one void of any depressio

stress. At times when it all just becomes

much, the best way to relax is to curl up

favorite blanket, watch old cartoons, and

steaming hot chocolate. Happy Holidays


13/16

Seasn im ba sto, se gl

By JENNIFER MATHEW

Perspectives Editor

The New Year is celebrated in many different

ways around the world. In China, people

carry lanterns and join in on a huge parade.

In Mexico, Mexicans celebrate New Years

Eve by eating a grape with each of the twelve

chimes of a clocks bell during the midnight

countdown, while making a wish with

each one. There are many different ways to

celebrate New Year and with New Years just

around the corner, it seems as if everybody is

planning what they want to do for New Years

eve, but that seems to be especially hard for

people on a high school budget. It is possible

though for a high school student to have an

unforgettable New Years without emptying

their wallet before the year even starts.

One fun thing to do would be to start a

tradition. It could be with families or friends

and then there would be something to do

every year. One tradition that wouldnt break

a low budget would be to have a potluck.

Going to Discovery Green is another

entertaining place to for New Years. There

are many things to experience here including

a glow parade of art cars. Also they have the

largest outdoor ice rink in the Southwest.

Many people enjoy watching fireworks on

New Years. At the George R. Brown, they

have fireworks at midnight as well as video

and lighting projections.

Another fun thing to do is go to Town Squ

on New Years Eve. There, they have a co

down and there are many people there w

make New Years more exciting and more f

They also project it so everyone can see.

If none of these sound appealing an

quiet night sounds better, snuggling up a

watching movies with family is another

thing to do. Starting the New Year spend

time with the family is the best way to spe

it. Even going to the movies is an opt

especially since many new movies come

during New Years time.

Celebrating New Years does not have to

expensive. There are many ways to have

By KELSEE AVERY

Reporter

When most people think

of winter, they think of

hot cocoa, presents, and

relaxing with family.

Here in Sugar

Land, it may not be

Celebrate New Year without breaking ban

without spending money.

snowy outside,

but we still have

that holiday

spirit . Stor es

a n d

c o m p a n i e s

are now

o f f e r i n g

seasonal

i t e m s

that are

o n l y

a v a i l a b l e

during this

time of year.

There is everything from eggnog and

gingerbread lattes at Starbucks, to Glades

7 Scents of Winter Collection. Another

company that makes popular holiday treats is

Ghirardelli. Their Peppermint Bark Chocolate

Squares have been causing cravings for as

long as anyone can remember

Gingerbread houses, eggnog, candy canes,

sweatshirts, hats, lights, and wreaths are just

a small portion of things people wait all year

for. But the top sale items are listed below:

*Toys- lots of competition to bring down the

prices.

*Winter Items to keep warm still on sale.

*Festive Occasion Items on sale-Tablecloths,

gift items, party ware.

*Day after Christmas Markdowns- Everyth

from toys and wrapping paper to clothes.

The closer it gets to December 25,

more drastic the markdowns. Then the af

Christmas sales are the time to clean up

Christmas decorations, wrap, and gift

to round off a full month of finding the

shopping bargains of the year.Finally, if you

have extra cash to sp

December

traditionally a g

time for

shopping

c u r r e n t - ymodels wh

again, tim

becomes

i m p o r t a

W h i

December is a good month overall, the

half of the month is even better, say

experts, when dealers need to make room

newer car models as the New Year dead

draws near. Used care prices also go do

Maybe Santa will buy you one.


14/16

14

By LAURYN MERRIETT

Lifestyles Editor

So, the holidays are coming, and everyone

faces that common dilemma: what to get for

the one they love. Sure, it is safe to go withjewelry, candy, or that trusty favorite a

gift certificate. But where is the fun in that?

It is time to take a risk, walk on the wild

side, go for the whole enchilada. In other

words, be different and be remembered.

Some suggestions from The Round Upstaff

include:

For all of the sci-fi fanatics out there,

theres Doctor Whos Disappearing

TARDIS Mug! The iconic time machine

/ spacecraft sits in disguise on an English

street. Add hot liquid, and it disappears, only

to reappear in a far far away galaxy on theother side of the mug. Holds 12 oz. $12.95

Unemployedphilosophersguild.com.

The Sonic Walletwill talk to you every

time you open it up. You can buy the

Moolah Wallet, the Shakespearean Insult

Wallet, the Drum Machine Wallet, plus

many more options for only $19.95 each.

Gadgetsandgear.com.

This unBasketcontains: *Mac & Cheese

Earbuds: One ear is the macaroni while

the other is the cheese! Compatible

with anydevice with a standard 3.5

mm headphone socket such as- MP3

players; PDA; portable gaming systems &

laptop computers. *Mac & Cheese Air

Freshener: This air freshener will permeate

any car or room with the aroma of a heaping,

gooey bowl of mac and cheese! *Mac &

Cheese Adhesive Bandages: 15 latex-free

adhesive bandages with sterile gauze and a

FREE PRIZE! *Mac & Cheese Two-Sided

Puzzle: Each 108 piece puzzle has an image

of dry, uncooked macaroni on one side and

an image of cheesy, cooked macaroni on the

other *Kraft Mac & Cheese Original:One

box Kraft mac & cheese. *Annies

Classic Mild Cheddar Mac &

Holiday gift ideas for clueless givers

Jewelry. Now this one is mainly for girls,

so guy,s pay attention. Do not just get any

random kind of jewelry; try to take notice

of the types that she wears. This way you

do not end up buying something that she

will only wear one time. It does not have

to be expensive- just something that fits her

personality.

Personal Gift Basket. Put together a ba

filled with that persons favorite everyth

Items can include candy, movies, bo

clothes, drinks, everything that can possbe put in a basket. It is thoughtful and

too expensive.

Video games. Why not buy that new g

for a friend? A lot of people play vi

games, guys and girls, and it is a fun gift can be shared w

others.

Shoes. T

is definitely

expensive

so maybe s

something on

level for a signifiother, fam

member, or a

friend. This is a great gift, because it can

be used up. Plus the person will prob

never take them off if they are stylish

comfortable, comfortable being a big fa

here. Also there are so many different ty

of shoes that a pair can easily be found.

Collectible Item. If the person tha

getting a gift collects something then

them something to add to their collection

is perfect because they are guaranteed to l

it. After all they do collect it. If it is a mpen, action figure, anything that will not s

all the money out of the bank then get it.

a great thing to give because it is like say

Hey! I know things about you!

Pillow Pet. With how much teena

sleep,why not get them something to

their heads on? A pillow pet is comfy

cute.

Tickets. Treat that one awesome fri

to a concert or a sports event. Bring t

along and have a great time screaming

night for a favorite band or yelling ab

why the Cowboys defense is not where t

are supposed to be. Either way, it is a

memorable time.

Cheese: One box of Annies classic organic

mac & cheese. *Annies White Cheddar

Mac & Cheese:One box of Annies white

cheddar mac & cheese. $42 at gifts.com

6 Month Bustedtees Shirt of the Month

Club US Subscription. When you sign

up for the club, youll instantly receive a

welcome letter including a coupon code

for a free shirt and shipping, plus a newcode on the 1st of each following month

for the duration of your subscription $90.00

BustedTees.com.

Custom Stuffed Animal - 100% custom

stuffed animals! Make an IAASA Buddy

of ANYONE you want (including pets). Its

simple: Upload photos to their online form

at Iamastuffedanimal.com. $99.

Bella Donut Maker - This do-it-all donut

maker from Bella Cucina lets you serve up

homemade mini doughnuts in no time flat

(or round)! Baked instead of deep fried.

$19.95 at Amazon.com.Like a cross between a skateboard and

inline skates, the Orbitwheelis a brand

new concept for wheeled sports. The

Orbitwheels concept is basic, but with the

wheels whirling around your feet, you are

capable of countless tricks and maneuvers

that can be as complex and creative as you

can come up with. Free shipping! $99.95 at

gadgetsandgears.com


15/16

VOICES

A pair of cow socks.

Luke Dixon, junior.

Purple cat toe socks.

Laura Cuervo, senior.

A giant candy cane.

Harmonii Odinga, junior.

A snowball.

Youssef Al-Yassir, senior.

A receipt.

Karla Torres, freshman.

Absurd comics from Comic

Con.

Will Grubb, sophomore.

Donuts.

Joy Capellan, sophomore.

Coach O Sullivan gave me a

bag of crickets.

Paige Lary, freshman.

Nothing.

Tommy Zhang, junior.

What is the weirdest or worst gift you

have ever received?


16/16

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