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ES e v e n L a k e S H i g H S c H o o L 9251 S. FRY RoaD kaTY, TX, 77494. 281.237.2865. voLUMe 7. iSSUe 6. MaRcH 2012.

3 // Senior calendar 4 // Hunger games

10-11 // Spartan Signings 12 // Twinning

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SpringIssue

Telling a bunch of high school students to give up their phones for a week seems like one of those things you hear and automatically think is a joke, but this is no joke. With some extra credit thrown in, 80+ ap-Lang students just couldn’t resist giving up their precious cell phones for a week with hopes of a better grade.

The inspiration for this little “experiment” came from a piece of literature they studied in class, along with a complement essay. Walden by Henry David Thoreau capitalizes on the simplicity that life should have. He ventures into the woods to be one with nature, and to avoid all distractions.

The compliment piece was an essay written about a college professor that finally gave his students the extra credit they have had been longing for—But it wouldn’t be easy. The student’s had

to hand over their phones for a week. ap- Lang teacher, Pamela cannon

then decided to something similar. She offered the students a 100 Quiz grade if they agreed to give her their phones. in no way did she expect so many students to partake in this experiment, they were teenagers after all.

“My life is on that phone,” akash Punnoose11said. “i use it to text mostly, but it’s nice just to have it on me.”

Most students only use their phones to text and use the internet, but it’s a safety for most of these students.

“i thought it would be so much harder than it actually was,” Punnoose said.” “But it was actually a fun and learning experience.” “i learned that society leans towards technology, and they really shouldn’t.”

“SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY”juneLIU// Junior Staff Writer

“I did learned that society is so inclined to relying on technology” Adam Girgis11

“I learned that I can go a week without my phone.”Meghna Bhatt11

“I learned to improvise, and that technology isn’t vital, but it does help out with everyday things.” Julian Ranz11

“ I learned that my phone isn’t everything”Katherine Boothe11

What they learned...Ap-Lang students give up their phones for extra credit

“ I learned that I’m a scholar.” Ryan McClurg11

cla

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2012! mark your

CALENDAR3/1

4/23

3/64/104/18

5/195/205/235/245/255/306/2

MARCH APRIL& MAY JUNE&Mr. SLHS in PAC @ 7:00 pm

Macho Man vs MRHS buyout @ 2:00 pm

Class Meeting during 3rd period

Powderpuff Football @ 5:00 pm & &:00 pm

TAKS WEEK (look at schedules for times)

PROM! Westin Mem.City @ 8:00pm -12:00 am

Project Prom

Academic Awards during 6th & 7th

Senior Cill Out during 2nd & 3rd

Senior Trip @ Schlitterbahn

Mandatory grad rehersal @ LMC @12:30 pm

Graduation 9:00 am GRADUATION! @ LMC

ADSMARCH 2012 3

LET THE GAMES BEGIN...“Gamers” prepare for Suzanne Collins’ series to transition from paperback to theaterstarynSANDERSON // senior staff writer

Potterheads and Twihards, make way for the Hungerjays. The highly acclaimed book series, “The Hunger Games”, will be making its film debut in theaters all around the world March 23rd—and charming fan nicknames is only the beginning of the hype that has arose among the thrilling novels. The craze has begun and “games” advocates grow hungry as the date burns nearby.

For the non-katnissheads or the uninformed, here’s the down low. “The Hunger games”, writ-ten by Suzanne collins, is a dystopian novel that takes place in a lifetime not so far from ours. north america has disintegrated and been replaced by the name of Panem, a country separated by 12 dis-tricts and the capitol. a mixture of entertainment and brutal condemnation is what feeds the exis-tence of the Hunger games. Two young ambas-sadors, one boy and one girl aged 12 to 18 from each district, are picked at luck of the draw to par-ticipate in the televised games that will broadcast throughout Panem. These 24 tributes are forced to destroy their opponents while the country watches them. katniss everdeen, the protagonist, becomes awestruck when her little sister, Prim, is selected as their district’s representative for the 74th an-nual Hunger games. katniss takes matter into her own hands and volunteers in her sister’s place as a tribute. katniss and Peeta, her male associate, will endeavor intense physical and emotional strategies to perform to the best of their abilities against other tributes who have prepared for this their whole en-tire lives.

Collins’ creation is unique in which fuels the fire to the sensation readers can’t get enough of.

“i like it because it’s not the normal, typical book everybody reads or enjoys. it’s way out there,” Tessa allsop 10 said.

The suspenseful repertoire of the story also cul-tivates the reason why readers can’t put the book down, rapidly turning page after page.

“it takes you into a different world. The series makes you think about what society could become in a post-apocalyptic life. i couldn’t stop reading it!”ashley Hummel11 said.

it’s not surprising that the intriguing synopsis hasn’t only raised Spartans’ eyebrows. in Sep-tember of 2008, “The Hunger games”, became a new York Times and USa Today Bestseller. More than 11 million copies of have been sold through-out the world. it was named a new York Times notable Book of 2008, a Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of 2008, and a Booklist editors’ choice. and if you’re still not sold, the one and only Stephen king expressed to entertainment Weekly that the series is “addictive” and Stephanie Meyer stated it as “amazing” on her own website. it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that Hollywood would snatch up the opportunity as soon as they could.

“The movie looks good. i feel like the cast for the characters they have chosen are all really good,”ashley Hummel11 said.

Lionsgate Productions and Director gary Ross are the ones that have taken responsibility for mak-ing the film as compelling as the novel. So far, the lineup of actors/actresses that have been selected show that they mean business.

“Yeah, she looks pretty. i think the movie looks pretty good,” chance Rathke11 said.

The “she” that Rathke11 is referring to is Jennifer Lawrence. The Winter’s Bone and X-Men: First class actress accepted the role of katniss everdeen. other stars such as Josh Hutcherson (The kids are alright), Liam Hemsworth (The Last Song), eliz-abeth Banks (The next Three Days), and Woody

Harrelson (The Messenger) have also agreed to be a part of the “games.”

So they have the story and they’ve got the stars, which makes for a highly anticipated standard for the film. Licensed apparel and accessories are al-ready seen in select stores and popular websites. There is even an unofficial hunger games cookbook featuring katniss everdeen’s favorite meals. “games” fanatics know the time is near and are making plans to the midnight showing. Déjà vu anyone? The beloved Harry Potter and Twilight series has influenced a massive slice of the culture and generation of young teens and adults. The “games” have proven their worth through readers all over the world but will they be able show up Rowling and Meyer’s box office numbers?

“I have HUGE expectations for the film because i love the series so much. People are already com-paring it to how good Harry Potter was and so i think the bar is set higher,” Tessa allsop10 said.

All the Potter films combined, about 7.7 billion was made while the Twilight Saga has made a little over 1 billion. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hal-lows Part 2 currently hold the record for top open-ing day gross at $91,071,119 while The Twilight Saga: new Moon takes second at $72,703,754. The proof is in the pudding, “The Hunger games” have a lot of work to do. Fortunately, the extensively detailed plot and hooking content provide a prom-ising positive reaction for the “games”. May the expectations for the movie, be ever in your favor.

Did you know..?

it took me three days to decide whether i wanted to play the role of katniss ever-deen. i was worried about the transition from being indie-star to blockbuster actress.

My brother, chris Hemsworth (Thor), told me when i recieved the role of gale that i needed to lose weight. He said,“it’s called “The Hunger games, not “The eating games!”

I have five movies in all coming out in the year of 2012; The Hunger games, Journey 2: The Myserious island, Red Dawn, carmel, and 7 dias en La Habana.Jennifer Lawrence

Josh Hutcherson

LiamHemsworth

LET THE GAMES BEGIN...

FEATURENOVEMBER2011 5FEATUREMARCH 2012 5

Foot on pedal, directions in hand. Stop at traffic light. Red, then red again; this time it means go. 2.5 miles, turn right at brown trees. What kind of direction is that? Where did the gPS go? Too many trees, all brown. now would be the time when the cell phone runs out of battery.

ok, keep going straight. i’ll know the stupid tree when i see it. Woah! Slam on the brakes, almost missed a stop sign. it’s red but green, like the grass and trees—sometimes it all blurs together.

My parents shouldn’t have let me drive to school on the very first day. The parking lot is too full, and there are only three different colors of cars. The trees out front are the same color as the bricks on the building.

The first day of school, when everyone is called on by the number on their desk or the color of their shirt. i’d carefully picked out a black T-shirt for this very occasion, so as not to be confused with the other, early-christmas-colored-sweater wearers of September.

First period: Social Studies. There is some “get-to-know-you” activity, and then we get down to business: coloring maps. Finally, time to channel the preschool art involving colored pencils and

thick black lines. But why does europe have so many countries with such long names? Really Switzerland, really? The classwork goes smoothly, thanks to crayola’s labeling and my post-preschool mastery of the english language. nothing much is different, and no one asks me about the textbook’s

map coloration because—surprise!—no one knows each other. We color our countries in silence.

after lunch is math, my favorite. There are no colors to mix up, only numbers and graphs, black and white. Today is no exception, and after the obligatory icebreaker we begin to review algebra. The only downside to the fifty minutes of “y =

mx + b” is the teacher’s apparent obsession with pretty-colored markers. no. variables do not need to be pink, they need to be black, just like the numbers and symbols and lines and points. Some kid asks about what the lime green letters stand for. if i wasn’t amazing at algebra, this class would stink. I write down all my notes and finish my homework in record time. Hopefully this expo marker Jamboree won’t last all year.

on the way home i don’t miss the “brown trees” or the ninja-like stop sign. i arrive home in one piece.

The confusion of red and green colors iscommonly associated with Protanomaly, a specific strain of colorblindness, which is more prevalent in males than females. Because people who suffer from colorblindness live with this condition for their entire lives, they are accustomed to the problem and have few problems coping. However, there are occasional setbacks like the fictional ones depicted above. Although all events in this story were fictitious, they are based on actual experiences from colorblind students and teachers here at SLHS.

COLOR CONFUSIONA day in the life of a colorblind studentshreyaBAGALI // Junior News Editor

DRESS CODE: YES? NO?A reasonable regulation or a nuisance?

“People don’t know. I can act like I don’t have it,” —Cassie Pyle10

[ ]

olyaGRYNYSHYN // Junior Staff Writer Here at Seven Lakes High School people say that the students have “the best of the best.” The excellent teachers, the high-tech classrooms, and the spacious cafeterias pave the way for an excellent school reputation. Most of these points are never brought up for questioning, as they are agreed with for the most part. However one major characteristic of SLHS disturbs more and more students every year: dress code. Most of you are already familiar with the school’s policy on what is “inappropriate”, bottoms higher than mid-thigh, revealing shirts, hats or head accessories, and unnatural hairstyles. How many of you actually agree 100% with this dress code though? “i wish we could show up with facial hair, i mean the teachers do it so why can’t we?” says carter Hollo12. Supposedly, the teachers of SLHS also follow a dress code which isn’t too different from the students’. But when have you ever seen a teacher in grey sweats and/or a baggy Tee? Reliable sources have stated that wind suits are technically frowned

upon for teachers to wear, however, many teachers (especially in the T-Buildings… coincidence?) have been spotted wearing these outfits several times a week.

“it’s really unfair…” says Laken Ray12. additionally, many girls claim that the action of dress coding itself is done unfairly. “i have seen a ridiculous amount of girls who are obviously out of dress code go through the entire day with a cami on, or a super short skirt. i’ve also seen girls who

are right on the line of dress code change before 1st period even starts,” says an anonymous source. “We try to dress code fairly around here, but unfortunately we can’t catch everyone,” comments

11th grade aP Mr. Pope. often times students argue that they’ve “worn this outfit already!” or they “didn’t have to change last time,” and if they think it’s really unjust, students, take this into consideration. if you see a car speed past you on the road, and then a cop simply passes him, odds are the cop is on his way to fix something more important. it’s the same with dress code. The best thing to do is to avoid unfitting clothes in the first place. It will only save time, propriety and spare the humiliation. Stay classy Seven Lakes.

SPORTSMARCH 2012

our hallways hold football players, tennis play-ers, basketball players, Sapphires, and cinco play-ers? cinco Lacrosse players that is.

The cinco Lacrosse team consists of SLHS, cRHS, and Pope John XXiii students. But even with the variety of high school students, receives no support or recognition from the school district, since it is currently not a UiL sport.

“We have to find our own practice fields and participation is player funded,” Board President Mark golenzar said. “We have no class period in school to practice or any of the other services a school would provide to a varsity sport. Therefore we practice in the evenings and on Saturdays, we maintain our own fields, we carry our own water, care for our injured, supply our needs from our own budget, schedule our own games, design our spirit wear and uniforms.”

With the hard work of this collaborative team, they have reaped the success.

Within the last three years they have moved from Division ii competition level, to Division i level. also continuing to add to their team, now amounting a head count of 60 players, their success continues to mount.

“varsity was ranked in the top 25 in the state in pre-season and Jv placed 3rd at a tournament this year,” Jv player Mathew Hannah said. “ The competition has gotten a lot tougher than previous years, but we’ve stepped up our game also and are

right behind them.”To keep their game up the cinco Lacrosse team

requires an intense amount of practice. Starting with pre-season in august, they start with practice one day per week, to their climax in october when they begin to practice four days a week, during registration season.

“Lacrosse is a physically demanding game, both mentally and physically,” head coach Peter Marin said. “it incorporates the physicality of football, the athleticism of basketball, the finesse of baseball, the speed of hockey and the field awareness of soc-cer. Because so many attributes are necessary to excel in our sport, it requires a lot of motivation to excel.”

This motivation to excel has brought the team together. as a bond is formed between rivalry schools, and a family is created.

“Being on the cinco team is like joining a family because of the rarity of the sport, everyone knows each other well and we are all great friends,” varsity player evan Dressel. “Playing with kids from other schools is great because there is a great rivalry between SLHS and cRHS but here we get to come together and forget the rivalries and play for something we all love.”

Bonded together by their coaches and senior SLHS players, Dallas chuter, alex golenzer, alex goodrum, Jimmy Lynch, and Mitch Ruddock, the team creates a lacrosse culture. They know

each other’s strengths and weakness as they work together competing in various tournaments around Texas. Unfortunately, as the team continues to grow in success they still are an unknown success.

“Well the biggest difference from our team and other is that we are more a community club,” Jv player Brain evasiuk said. “i’m usually asked while wearing my cinco Lacrosse hoodie is: isn’t there a Seven Lakes team you can be on.”

The cinco Lacrosse team is the Seven Lakes team, and has proudly displayed another ability that SLHS harbors. To see this ability please come view the cinco Lacrosse team at their March 9, 2012 game against Houston christian. Become Spartan crazy for another sport.

“every athlete, regardless of the sport seeks vali-dation,” coach Marin said. “That is the make-up of an athlete. athletes play for the love of the game but also for respect and recognition. Players put in moths of practice, with little or no recognition. any opportunity to showcase their talents, to share their joy and hardship, to honor those that oppose them and those that came before them is why we play the game. We don’t play so much for other as we play for each other but it is always fun to hear the roar of the crowd. at the end of the day, an athlete goes to rest, the memories never fade.”

SEVEN LAKES LACROSSE? Obscure sport gets overlooked at three schoolsbrittanySCOFIELD // Sophomore Sports Writer

MARDI GRAS DO’S AND DON’T’SA guide for next year’s festivitiesjuneLIU // Junior Staff Writer Having lived in Louisiana for 8 years, i consider myself a true Louisianian. if there is one thing i miss the most about Louisiana it would hands down without a doubt be Mardi gras. The atmosphere of Mardi gras can surely get the blood flowing. I mean, who wouldn’t like standing in the cold, yelling, while people higher than your throw things of absolutely no monetary value at you. But, it’s better than it sounds. if any of you brave souls decide to venture down to the dirty south next year for Mardi gras, then here is what to expect, do, and not do.

WHaT YoU’LL See and HeaR:Mardi gras isn’t for the young and innocent eyes. -Flashy lights, so be prepared-The king and/or queen all decked out in costumes-old people trying to dance-old people drinking copious amounts of alcohol-“Throw me something mister!”-Teenagers with their friends -Loud music-children and adults screaming for beads-People with bags and bags of beads, stuffed animals, and foam footballs.

7 THingS YoU MUST NOT DO WHiLe aT MaRDi gRaS.-Do not touch the horses, i know they’re pretty but, control yourself-Don’t get naked-Don’t harass anyone-Don’t get intoxicated-Don’t jump on floats-Don’t urinate in the streets-Don’t get in a fight

7 THingS YoU MUST DO WHiLe aT MaRDi gRaS:- Dance with the Sucre’ - Chase after a float - eat king cake, and Find the baby.- eat a moon pie

- Eat lots of crawfish and Zapps- eat Mardi gras colored in the French quarter - Make friends with the natives

7

KICKING IT FOwARDHow girls soccer became ranked in the top 10 in TexasandreaSTENDER // Sophomore Staff Writer

at Seven Lakes we might be known for our academics, our basketball, our cross country, etc. But one thing that is high on the scale is our girls’ soccer team. over the years they have strived to be the best. coach Davis, the head varsity coach makes sure of that.

a lot of people believe the girls’ soccer is so successful because of the relationship every player has with one another.

The varsity goalie kylie Hambleton12 says, “How close the team is with coach Davis, and how hard we work probably made us the most successful.” The team believes they came together as a whole; to become the best.

as the years go on and new players come and go, coach Davis instructs her team to have that positive attitude they need to win. not only is coach Davis doing the right job, but many other coaches have helped with the record of both the junior varsity teams. Many believe the teams will have more successful seasons for the future.

a new junior varsity coach has joined them this season, coach addison. The long time football coach is coaching soccer for the first time.

as the varsity team becomes better this season, there are high expectations for the girls, win or not. coach Davis thinks it’s better to loose to a team

who deserved it, than to a team that’s below the scale.

“I think we definitely have the potential to be

better in the future, as long as we still have the same coaches we have,” says Hambleton12.

What makes the teams so good is that they feel that they could be the best; and not having a good relationship with one another would not help. When you’re out there on the field, you’re like family, according to Hambleton.

“our teams at Seven Lakes have really bought into the idea that we are going to be the kind of team that leads the way.” says coach Davis, “everyone in the girls’ soccer program has a vision of where they want to go if it is to be one of the top programs.”

over the years they have gotten players who have higher knowledge of the game, and many think that is one of the reasons they are successful.

“When you’re in a coaching position to get the girls on the right track, you sort of have to do the hammering for them to get where they are now,” says coach Davis, “if you have boundaries on what you’re going to allow and not allow it gives all the kids safe expectations and tends to help everyone be on the same page.”

coach Davis believes that as long as everyone buy into the idea that to become the best girls’ soccer team in the district, or in the state, or in whatever they make it to be, not only do they have to have the skill but they have to have heart.

The girls are currently tied for first place in the district with cinco Ranch. They take on Morton Ranch Friday at home at 7pm.

“What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?” says coach Davis.

SAPPHIRES SAILING TO NEw DESTINATIONSThe Sapphires end competition season with a bangdagnyHAMILTON // Junior Staff Writer

competition season: the dreaded, yet long-awaited, contests that the Jewels of Seven Lakes attend. They hope for first place, wait for their name to be called as grand champions- the highest honor given at each competition. They have been practicing every day since before the holiday break, and they prepared as well as possible for the successes they hoped to gain. Led by their fearless directors- Mrs. kristine copeland and Mrs. Melissa Decuir- the team has found the success they had hoped for in their competitions.

on February 10, the girls headed to their first team competition of the year at Mayde creek High School. after a long day competing in the Jazz, Lyrical, Pom, and novelty categories, not to mention many solos and even one duet, the girls sat on the gym floor awaiting the results of the competition. name after name was called, and, after winning first place in every category, the Sapphires’ name was called as the grand champions of the entire competition.

“all the practices were worth hearing our name on that microphone. We all just jumped up

and started jumping around. it was great,” Jordan Jackson12 said.

However, this victory did not come easily to the girls. every morning before school, the girls are required to arrive at promptly 6:15 and practice through first period. In addition to this, the ladies

pulled a few all day practices in which they came up to the school on a Saturday and devoted their entire day to making the dances up to par.

“I definitely enjoy Sapphires a lot, but it’s a lot of work and can get stressful. i do love it though,” caitlyn Rollins11, a lieutenant of the team, said.

The girls’ last contest occurred on February 25 at cy-Woods High School. a long day of sweat and dancing led to the ladies procuring their second title of grand champion for the year. Langham High School was a difficult one to beat, but the Sapphires pulled it off. Additionally, the dance officers tied the Langham officers for first place in the dance officer category.

“i’m so excited to have won this year! The accomplishment really does make all we do worth it, and having the title is really meaningful to the team,” said

Rollins. “We’ve really all come together this year. They are my family.”

Picture courtesy of the Seven Lakes Sapphires

SPORTSMARCH 2012 11

BASKETBALL IN REGIONAL TOURNAMENT AGAINSecond consecutive 30 win season takes team back to Regional Semi-finalsjeremyDYE // Torch Adviser

Head Boys Basketball coach Dan Miller had been there before; the Region iii-5a Tournament. But this time he wanted to leave with a ticket to Austin. In the final game of the year, the Spartans never trailed from the opening tip until 1:42 left in the game. The Hightower Hurricanes put on a run to end the game that gave them the lead inside of 2 minutes and they never relinquished it.

“i’m proud of the guys for a great season,” coach Miller said.

The Spartans’ season was cut short but was highlighted by 33 wins, 2 tournament wins and 120 program wins from freshmen to varsity.

“We won four of five district championships. The varsity took second place but we went the furthest of all the district teams in the playoffs,” Miller added.

Last year the team set the katy iSD record for most wins and this year they were able to duplicate that number.

“We started with a lot of adversity because we started 0-2, the leader of our team was out with an

acL tear injury with Trey Pinkney,” Miller said.To overcome an 0-2 start and multiple players

out with injuries, Miller’s team was able to pull off 13 wins in a row and really got the season going into district play.

“it’s a credit to our character of the team; the guys showed a lot of toughness, a lot of senior leadership this year,” Miller said.

The chemistry of the team this year was a key contributor to their success.

“The thing about our team is that we had a lot of really good players, but i think that our point guard Trey Pinkney was a leader of our team but really a lot of seniors stepped up and they were really all leaders,” Miller said.

even though the season was cut short by a tough loss in the playoffs coach Miller still has great expectations for next year.

“We want to win district,” Miller said, “we expect nothing but a district championship. We lose a great senior class but we’re real excited about our young guys coming back.”

With the future in mind the younger teams’ success provides hope for

another deep playoff run.“The Jv team only lost one game, the freshmen

a team only lost one game, we have a lot of good shooters and some of our experienced varsity players are coming back, so i think we are going to be right back competing for the top of the district again,” Miller said.

Photo by Dee Blevins

SPARTAN Signings

”“Kelsey GomezMorehead State University for Soccer

All the friendships I’m going to make with the team.

what are you most looking forward to?

will you make an immediate impact?I hope so. The coach told us that we were going to.

“Jade JohnsonUT at arlington for Basketball

My coaches have told me that as long as I keep working on my game that I should be coming in as a freshman starting.

will you make an immediate impact?

How do you feel about being a Maverick?Well it’s still orange and blue so I have another four years of that.

“Adam Jonesnorthwestern State University for Basketball

Playing against Texas Tech.what are you most looking forward to?

what will it be like away from home?It’s not too far but it’s far enough so it’s nice.”

“Kylie HambletonSam Houston State University for Soccer

The bond with my team and get-ting to travel and play with other schools.

what will it be like staying close to home?I’m kind of a family kid so it will be good for me.

what are you most looking forward to?

”“Kristi GomezMorehead State University for Soccer

I didn’t know much about it but I visited it and it’s the only schools that wanted both me and my sister to play there.

why this school?

what will it be like away from home?I will definitely get home sick but I have my sister there so it won’t be too hard.

FEATURENOVEMBER2011 5FEATUREMARCH 2012 11

Signings

”“Jade JohnsonUT at arlington for Basketball

My coaches have told me that as long as I keep working on my game that I should be coming in as a freshman starting.

will you make an immediate impact?

How do you feel about being a Maverick?Well it’s still orange and blue so I have another four years of that. ”

“Denton NormanLipscomb University for Baseballwhat will it be like away from home?

why this school?

It’s going be different but it’s going to make me more independent.

I got some state offers from them and I like the school and I think it’s really cool being out in Nashville.

”“Daniel RankinTulane University for Baseballwhat are you most looking for-ward to?

what will it be like away from home?

Main reason because of athletics and academics, and I like the city and the coaches.

It will be hard because my mom won’t be there, she does everything for me.”

“Adam Jonesnorthwestern State University for Basketball

Playing against Texas Tech.what are you most looking forward to?

what will it be like away from home?It’s not too far but it’s far enough so it’s nice.

”“leslie PattonSyracuse University for Soccer

It’s cool because they have the exact same color.

I really wanted to get of Texas and go North.

How do you feel about being an Orange?

why this school?

The tense atmosphere fills the room with anxiety. Parents are cheering, team chants are flooding the room with spirit, and coaches are giving their pep talks. The varied school colors of katy iSD are on display across the bleachers as water splashes in the natatorium.

But now the water is still. Silence fills the room as the swimmers step up to the block. all that these athletes have worked for comes down to mere seconds. competing against each other are twin brothers: charles and William Steele . gearing up for another race, the second set of twin brothers on the Seven Lakes varsity Swim Team—cole and carson kuzawa—watch the Steele twins enter the water.

The race is on. Side by side, the freshman twins are swimming against the clock in the 100 fly. assumptions that the sibling rivalry would be full throttle here are false. The boys feed off of the

challenge. “At first, I was really against the idea of

racing against my brother, but it helps to be next to someone who you know will challenge you,” Charles said. “During the 100 fly, it felt like one

of us would get an extra surge of energy when the other got ahead.”

William and charles have been swimming together since they were six. Unbelievably, the Steele twins tied at districts with the exact same time in this event.

“it’s been fun as a coach to watch these twins

grow this year,” coach Beck said. “it was amazing to watch them at districts. it just shows they really work hard together and they’ve learned a lot about competing as brothers from the kuzawas.”

Just like the Steeles, cole and carson fell in love with the sport at the young age of eight, and they have been racing from then on.

“We’ve always tried to help each other the best that we can,” said carson. “Mentality is a huge part of swimming, and when i disappoint myself in a race, cole is always there to be proud and positive so we can do better on the next race.”

as freshman, the Steeles tried to gain experience from the nature of the kuzawas.

From freshman to juniors, this swim brotherhood has only been getting stronger.

“Sometimes you want to be classified as the better athlete, and the better twin,” William said. “But the kuzawas have taught us to love to watch our brother’s races, and it really makes a difference in our relationship.”

“...it helps to be next to someone who you know will challenge you...” [ ]

// Region V- 5AResults //-Boys Region Runner-Up Team -girls 9th place team -Troy Burger - champion -Delia Weber - champion -Troy Burger, andrew Steele, Travis Presley, and Pierce Bartine - champion (200 Free Relay)

// All-State Swimmers //- Lindsey Shabet 15th (100 Breast)-Troy Burger 11th (200 iM)-Troy Burger 18th (50 Free)-andrew Steele 24th (100 Free)-Pierce Bartine 17th (100 Breast)-Delia Weber 16th (100 Free)-Delia Weber 22nd (200 Free)-William Steele 22nd (100 Back)

// UIL 5AState Results //-Delia Weber - 12th (100 Free) -Troy Burger, charles Steele, Travis Presley, and andrew Steele - 8th (400 Free Relay)-Troy Burger, andrew Steele, Travis Presley, and Pierce Bartine - 7th (200 Free Relay)

TwINNINGThe brotherhood of Varsity swim sets the double standard

daniwARDINSKY // Sophomore Staff Writer

Photo by: Dani Wardinsky

FEATURENOVEMBER2011 5 ADVERTISEMENTMARCH 2012 13

‘FIVE MORE MINUTES!’sanjanaMADAKSHIRE // Sophomore Staff WriterLarge Work loads overwhelm teens into sleep deprivation

END OF YEAR CHANGES TO BE INITIATED THIS SEMESTER

Beginning this spring, katy iSD will implement changes to the semester exam schedule and weight. The changes cover a wide array: exams will start on a Thursday, and the weight of finals will be shifted from 25 percent to 15 percent of the total semester grade, aligning junior high and high school exam weights.

“aligning secondary semester exam grading standards will make communication to students and parents more consistent,” area 2 assistant Superintendent Patricia Paetow said, in a statement released on the katy iSD website. “[it will] emphasize student success and efforts on coursework during the term.”

Currently, high school final exams count as 25 percent of a total semester grade, a number that goes towards a student’s grade point average, and consequently, class rank.

“People are upset because no one saw it coming,” tenth grade assistant Principal James Morris said. “They’re worried it might instantly hit their gPa, graduation, whether they’re in the top ten percent or top twelve.”

Regardless, Morris assures that changes will not be so drastic. Rather, more focus will have to be delineated to the regular six weeks of the term.

“When you look at it surface level, it looks huge, but when you do the math, it’s not that big of an impact,” he said.

The exemption policy from last semester will be maintained, and in an important revision to a previous proposal, so will campus release.

Previously, katyiSD had made the announcment that exempting did not automatically grant release from school. If exempting third, fourth or fifth period, students would have had to remain on campus to do an alternate activity.

The move would have allowed the district to save money lost every year to lower student attendance. an estimate of half a million dollars is lost every semester during exam weeks due to exemptions. However, after about a month of announcing the change, it was amended.

now, students will be free to leave the campus, regardles of what class they exempted. Study hall and athletic classes still have to be attended, unless exempting.

Finals schedule and exam weight revisedkamiaRATHORE // Sophomore Staff Writer

The time has finally arrived where students are pleading for additional study time at night. Sleeping at 2 a.M. on school nights is now the new standard due to heavy homework assignments and simultaneous exams that are barricading most students from a full night’s rest. Finishing that last piece to a chemistry project may seem like the main priority in the middle of the night, but the consequences the morning after have been proven to be hazardous to heath.

a survey created by the national Sleep Foundation in 2006 found that only 20 percent of teens from age 11 to 17 receive the recommended nine hours of sleep per night. in addition 45 percent sleep less than eight hours on a school night.

Believe it or not, sleep deprivation has been known to cause acne flare-ups and periodic weight gain. ever heard of “beauty sleep”? Sleep acts as a spa for skin as it lowers the levels of stress in your body –which is a main source of acne- and improves over all face complexion. it helps the body look more awake and ready to take in more information throughout the day. Researchers have discovered that sleep deprivation raises the levels of a hormone in your body that induces hunger and it lowers the levels of a hormone that lets you know you are full. overeating and eventual weight gain ultimately occur.

although as full time students and part time workers, teens getting the required 8

hours of sleep is continuing to develop into a rarity in the average teen’s life. no matter what the penalties are for lack of sleep, busy schedules are not budging and baggy eyes are

EFFECTS OFSLEEP DEPRIVATION

Short-term memory loss

Depression and Fatigue

Blurred Vision

Shorter Lifespan

Making Poor Judgements

Insulin Resistance Which may lead to

Diabetes

Thursday, May 24thPeriod 1 – class 7:30 – 8:20Period 2 – class 8:27 – 9:17Period 3 – class 9:24 – 10:14Period 6 – class 12:25 – 12:45 (Review)PeRioD 6 – eXaM 12:45 – 2:35

Friday, May 25th Period 1 – class 7:30 – 8:20Period 2 – classes 8:27 – 9:17Period 3 – classes 9:24 – 10:14Period 7 – class 12:25 – 12:45 (Review)PeRioD 7 – eXaM 12:45 – 2:35

Tuesday, May 29thPeriod 1 – class 7:30 – 8:20Period 2 – classes 8:27 – 9:17Period 3 – classes 9:24 – 10:14Period 2 – class 12:25 – 12:45 (Review)PeRioD 2 – eXaM 12:45 – 2:35

wednesday, May 30thPeriod 3 – class 7:30 – 8:17 (Review)PeRioD 3 – eXaM 8:24 – 10:14Period 1 – class 12:25 – 12:45 (Review)PeRioD 1 – eXaM 12:45 – 2:35

Thursday, May 31st – Half dayPeriod 4 – class 7:30 – 7:37PeRioD 4 – eXaM 7:37 – 9:27Period 5 – class 9:37 – 945PeRioD 5 – eXaM 9:45 – 11:35 (Buses will run after the 11:35 bell.)

All students must attend classes through 5th period on full days.

Full-Day Lunch ScheduleA Lunch 10:14 – 10:444th Period 10:51 – 11:415th Period 11:48 – 12:184th Period 10:21 – 10:44B Lunch 10:44 – 11:114th Period 11:18 – 11:41

5th Period 11:48 – 12:184th Period 10:21 – 11:11C Lunch 11:11 – 11:415th Period 11:48 – 12:184th Period 10:21 – 11:115th Period 11:18 – 11:48D Lunch 11:48 – 12:18

Photo by http://news.discovery.com/human/zooms/teens-school-start-times.html

‘FIVE MORE MINUTES!’

wednesday, May 30thPeriod 3 – class 7:30 – 8:17 (Review)PeRioD 3 – eXaM 8:24 – 10:14Period 1 – class 12:25 – 12:45 (Review)PeRioD 1 – eXaM 12:45 – 2:35

ENTERTAINMENTMARCH 2012 15

FAKEBOOKhannahCURCIO // Sophomore Staff Writer

Have you ever accepted a friend request from someone on Facebook without actually knowing who they are? Have you ever added somebody just because you have a mutual friend, or because their page says they go to your school? Well, if you are friends with “natalie Jones” on Facebook, then the answer you’re looking for is YeS.

For one week, the Torch newspaper staff conducted a social experiment via Facebook. We created a fake account by the name of “natalie Jones,” listed her school as none other than Seven Lakes, and began sending friend requests. Last time we checked, natalie had 92 friends. clearly something is wrong if so many people befriended someone on Facebook that doesn’t even exist.

The reasoning behind accepting the requests

varies from person to person. For Jessy godby11 and cindy Qi10, it was the fact that there were mutual friends.

“Honestly, i just kind of added her and then

forgot about it,” Qi10 said. albert ok11 added some interesting insight

to our experiment by claiming that nothing he

does on his Facebook is “personal,” so he’s not concerned about who sees it. However, it is still unsafe to be cyber-friends with someone you don’t know.

“i could share [my Facebook] with the world,” ok11 said.

it is important to many teenagers to have a lot of friends on Facebook. not only did Weston Quintana10 confess to caring about the number of “friends” he has, he even admitted to adding people he

didn’t know just to increase that number. “i didn’t even know who [natalie Jones] was

but i was just like, ‘add!’” Quintana10 said. a few people did attempt to verify that

they knew her. While their names will be kept anonymous, these conversations can be found below.

This social experiment proves that many Spartans will add people on Facebook without truly knowing who they are. of course, most people in the Facebook world actually exist; however, you never know their true intentions. in a world where so much of our time is spent on the internet, it is necessary to stay cautious.

The Torch experiments with social networking

“I didn’t even know who [Natalie Jones] was but I

was just like, ‘add!’”

Photo provided by: kP george campaign.

The confetti falls on another successful presidential election. While the nation’s most popular candidate celebrates his or her victory, a dedicated team of advisors and campaign managers begin putting their party’s policies into action behind the scenes. it’s thirty years in the future and your high school graduating class is running the nation. Who do you want in charge?

a group of Seven Lakes seniors are currently interning for a Democratic congressional campaign. They each got involved individually in order to begin experiencing the political system for themselves and now carry responsibilities in spreading the news about their candidate, kP george, and helping him get elected to congress.

“i found out from a friend, who was actually the campaign manager,” Daniel chapman12 said, “We essentially just became interns for them.”

However, as high school students campaigning in the community to spread information about their candidate, the interns bear many responsibilities.

“our job varies a lot, but basically what we’re trying to do is just organize businesses and other organizations, and inform other people about our candidate,” chapman12 said, “it all revolves around just organizing and informing voters.”

Many of the interns hold specialized positions along with their general work spreading information and fundraising for this campaign.

“i’m in charge of intern recruitment as well, so i’ll call people and arrange interviews,” Rohan Moharir12 said.

all of this work takes place outside of school, meaning that the interns manage their responsibilities on their own time.

“Mainly, we just go to certain events or meetings once a week, and just get together and discuss what needs to be done,” chapman12 said.

Sanjana Palla12 is in charge of making sure the interns meet these requirements.

“I’m the regional field director for the Katy area, so basically i make sure that everyone in the campaign from katy does our weekly assignments,” said Palla12.

others may wonder, however, what exactly motivated these students to become politically involved in the first place.

“i became interested really just after seeing what happened with overall education funding last year with the Texas congress,” said chapman12, “i think a lot of politicians right now, they really underestimate the importance of education, towards our futures and the futures of teachers and basically everyone else in the community of katy and elsewhere.”

observing issues in their personal communities, these students are choosing to become politically active and take the opportunities offered to them.

“i just kind of want to take a stand and reform our community, because we’re deciding our congressman,” said Moharir12, “I’m definitely going to stay involved.”

Some students were motivated by their personal desire for political experience.

“i just want to learn about the political world and network with them,” said Palla12, “We meet politicians and congressmen, and it’s a great opportunity.”

These students have reaped the rewards for their dedication to this campaign.

“it’s a lot of hard work, especially when you’re trying to contact people you don’t know to talk about a candidate they don’t know, but i think it’s really rewarding in the end,” said chapman12, “i think we are making a huge difference in Sugarland and in katy as well.”

others agree with this perspective concerning the campaign’s impact.

“in a way, you’re doing something for the betterment of your community,” said Palla12.

While some interns are satisfied with their impact on the community, others also admit the personal benefits.

“i’ve gained a lot of experience in public speaking and that sort of thing, and learned some new skills,” said Moharir12, “it’s helpful with college applications, too.”

Many of these interns share Rohan’s sentiment.“i understand how politics work a lot better than

what i did in the past, so i think that was really informing for me as well,” said chapman12.

However, this campaign is not centered solely around Seven Lakes.

“There’s many schools involved; just in the area, there’s kids from Taylor, cinco, and Seven Lakes,” said Palla12, “once it’s closer to the primaries and the actual election, we’re going to start going to the streets and talking to a lot of people.”

anyone interested in gaining political experience may consider talking to some of these students here at Seven Lakes to become involved in the campaign.

“We need all the support we can get,” said Moharir12.

KICKSTART TO A CAMPAIGNSeven Lakes seniors intern for a local congressional campaignkatieBLAND // Junior Staff Writer

Photo provided by: KP George Campaign

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//MEET THE STAFF//

Spring Break

vacaTionSsanazNAMAKI // sophomore staff writer

grade: JuniorWhere: Rome, italy

With: FamilyWhy: Spend time with family.

Francisco escobar

Todd albertgrade: Junior

Where: Honduras and RoatanWith: Family

Why: For the beach!

Lisandra Finzettograde: Freshman

Where: Salt Lake city, UtahWith: Family

Why: Snowboarding at Deer valley

wAITINGlindaFLORES // Junoir Entertinament Editor

as the year comes to a close, seniors slowly begin to give up. We really need to get over it. i truly do not care how tired you are of something and guess what? nei-ther do your teachers. This is YoUR last

year not your teachers. Yes i know, the days get longer and we gradually begin to not give a care but that is no excuse to quit. Sure, don’t turn in your homework and fail all of your tests but if you cHooSe to do something stick with it dang it! Don’t just give up because you are tired of giv-

ing your time. Last time i checked no one was holding your hand forcing you to sign up for extra extracurricular activities.

i totally understand being completely done and fed up with something, trust me. Have i felt like quitting? of course! But did i? no, because i actually care how people view me and i want to leave a good impression. it is one thing to drop an activity that only affects you, but if you have certain responsibilities and decide to just bounce, then you must have no self-respect or any respect for the others that you are working with. i under-stand senioritis is a part of senior year, but stick it out!

The age old excuse “my mom said i can’t…” doesn’t work in this situation either. We are 17 and 18 years old, if our mommies and daddies are still making our decisions for us it is time to wake up and smell the roses. are you going to pack them into your suitcase too? They are not going to be there a year from now to cover up our mis-takes…it is about time we take care of ourselves!

if you start something stick with it. Simple as that. There is no quitting, giving up, or changing your mind. That does not prepare us for the real world at all.I specifically remember complaining how all the upperclassmen used to just give up on what they have committed to and i refuse to be one of “those” people and you should too. it is also not cool to quit just because something better came along or you “changed your mind”. college is next for us and if you think you are going to pull an “i don’t wanna anymore” then you have another thing coming.

in just a few months we will be out of here, so don’t quit just yet. You are practically selling yourself short. in the future you will look back and regret dropping out of all the things that made up your senior year. always keep in mind who it may affect and how it may affect them. You do not want to leave a nasty impression on the peo-ple that you have grown up with. Besides quitters never win….and winners never quit!

seniorlakenRAY // Senior Writer

i’ve been thinking about something that has crossed everyone’s mind at some point or another. it’s seven letters and was taught to me personally in the seventh grade. i couldn’t ever really understand the connection between “it” and teenagers. The

more i think about it the more apparent it becomes that as teenagers we have to think about it..

Here it goes, the topic of choice, thought of the week, Holy grail of teen thoughts, abstinence. it’s said to be the number one protection against everything that resembles torture- STD’s, teen pregnancy, emotional toil. i wonder then, why is it i hear so much talk about not refraining from sexual activity? Why, if we know all the horrible horrendous things that can happen to us, we act on our sexual tendencies?

We have all seen the awful pictures in our health books; depicting what herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea etc. can do to us. i can remember from my freshmen year, a speaker (whose name has escaped me) making jokes about how as teenagers our hormones tell use quite literally “Sex! Sex! Sex!” but our brains should tell us “Wait! Wait! Wait!” He showed us pictures of infected persons, and gave us gruesome facts. The one that i remember till this day is that one out of four of our graduating class will contract Hiv. Personally, i remember that someone extremely important to my family, contracting Hiv. it seriously affected their family and left them in despair and loss. another huge issue with not abstaining from intercourse is that many girls are on accutane, which treats their acne problems- here’s the scare. if you are sexually active while on accutane, you will get pregnant and your child will be seriously morphed and deformed.

although, as teenagers it’s programed to think about our sexual urges, but school educates us to know better and to control ourselves. Hopefully our parents have as well. We aren’t animals, we are human beings, we have the capacity to control the feelings we have or to simply respect our bodies. i think that it’s such an unproductive way to spend

our time as well. Wouldn’t it be better and certainly more fun to go skate boarding with friends, watch a dumb movie, go to see new places, and just have a good time doing gooD things.

abstaining from sex is easier than having to worry about all the ghastly details of sexual activity. it’s something we can do without, something we should do without until we are grown up enough to understand the importance of being physically and mentally prepared for sexual activity. Teenagers think they are adults but they’re not! The difference between teenagers and adults is their frontal lobe is underdeveloped, hence all the bad decisions that teens make on a day to day basis. You are not an adult yet! You don’t know your right sock from your left so just wait! in all honesty, what’s the hurt in waiting? Why risk all the things that could go wrong, you’re a teenager! You have no idea what you’re doing anyway, stay away from the danger of unmarried sex. Just wait.

TAKE OUT THE TRASHryannANDRES // Co -editor

L a d i e s a n d gentlemen, it is now time to clean it up. Time to get out with the old and in with the new. no i am not t a l k i n g a b o u t a new

wardrobe, or simply cleaning the house, i’m talking about Facebook. We all have one. We all have the power to post anything and everything that we want. What some people seem to forget is that whatever they are posting is for the world see. Don’t be so naïve. You may be friends with thousands of people and think that those thousands of people are the only ones who can see what you choose to post, but that is just a bunch

of bologna.When i scroll down my newsfeed, i see

way too many things that i don’t want to. it may be pictures of whatever “crazy” party you went to the weekend before, profanity, arguing because the two of you don’t have the guts to say it to each other’s face, and whatever else stupid people post. a lot of y’all seem to not know that what you post on your Facebook, Twitter, instigram, or any other social networking site will affect your future.

again, you think only your friends see your pictures? Well you’re wrong. Sorry, hate to break it to you, but you need to clean it up. Whatever you choose to say or post on the internet, other people besides your friends can see. For example… when interviewing for a job. i’m not talking about a high school job, but a real job. They can look at your Facebook and see what you have posted in the past. even some colleges do it. Ladies, sororities also will sneak up on you and look at your wall. i know that some of you all are probably

thinking I’m fine, I deleted that picture, I untagged myself in that picture, i deleted that comment, etc. You thought you were in the clear. oh, but you are wrong again. it doesn’t matter what you have deleted from your page, they can still see it. So you’re not as sneaky as you think.

i see people post a status with a curse word every other word, pictures of people passed out over the weekends, and the list could go on. You’re cool? all i have to say is that you shouldn’t be so naïve about what you post because one day it may come back and bite you in the butt. Regardless of all of this, your Facebook, Twitter, or whatever should be presentable. not just because it will be seen by future jobs, colleges, etc. act as if you were friends with your mom or dad, whoever. i think people think that they are invincible over the internet and can feel free to post whatever they want. You’re right, you can post whatever you want and i am no one to tell you how to act. Just know that it won’t be without consequence.

THE END OF THE wORLD*juliaNAJM // Co-editor

* In case you guys have not figured it out.....THiS iS noT ReaL!

MARCH 2012 EDITORIAL 19

it’s the end of the world as we know it. Dun Dun Dun! i of course panic; jumping up and down, pulling my hair out trying to rationally

think of my first course of action for survival. First things first…I rush to the grocery store. if the world is going to self destruct then i better have food to save me! i manically race down every aisle, using my cart as a weapon, threatening to tumble over people. My eye twitches crazily and my hands shake as i anxiously search for the nonperishable foods. Finally! i sense them ahead but stupid unaware shoppers are blocking my destination. MUST eLiMinaTe TaRgeTS! i consider ramming my cart into them, letting them clear out like blowing pins but

i refrain. instead i race down to the end, psychotically laughing at nothing with my head thrown back so they can think i am insane. as expected they quietly and quickly disperse the area but not without giving me crazy eyes and judgmental looks. Jokes on them. They don’t realize the pending doom that is upon us all! Rows and Rows of cans fill my line of vision after the people block it left. i salivate in desire. i sweep off all the cans, one shelf at a time. Before i know it my cart is overflowing. Splat! Oops, clean up on aisle 3. i quickly check out and make my way home. once i get there i lug up my hundreds and hundreds of cans and hide them under my bed. Then i wait patiently in my bedroom corner, rocking back and forth, for the world to…end.

5004454345451 minutes Lateri watch my neighbor’s lawn

spontaneously combust. Their roses burst into flames leaving noting but ash. A random tsunami that comes out of nowhere splashes over, swallowing my whole entire neighborhood, except my house of course. I see a zombie flying through the water on

the surfboard, coming in my direction! i hurriedly rush to my food stash and grab a can of beans. i try to rip it open with my bare hands but it’s not budging! i search for my can opener but I can’t find it anywhere! Then i remember i never bought one at the store. i look up and see the zombie crash through my window. i guess i’m going to die after all. i am ready to meet my maker.

S P a R T a n S P e a k

“it is really good for off roading!”

adrian Richter12

“You wouldn’t understand...it’s a

jeep thing!” katie gesoff12

“i got out of a ticket once! i guess he

just really liked my jeep!”

Tessa albert11

what is the coolest thing about having a Jeep?