VOLUME 25 ISSUE 6 MAY 2014 WWW.COPPELLSTUDENTMEDIA.COM

Photo by Regan Sullivan

THE COST OF COLLEGEWith tuition costs soaring, students fight against lofty debt

see page 3

SPECIAL SENIOR EDITION

pages 7-18

This month, the City of Coppell will be holding meetings to discuss new plans for two parks; the redevelopment of Andy Brown Parks and the Coppell Life Safety Park.

The Coppell Life Safety Park will be a project intended to provide educational opportuni-ties to help students, families and community members. The topics presented will discuss life safety programs such as severe weather response, fire-safety procedures and pedestrian caution. There will also be a museum, party room and public classrooms for educational purposes.

The new safety park will not only be used by families and stu-dents, but also by the fire and po-lice departments to hold academy courses. The fire department will host its community CPR course, while the police department will use it to hold its self-defense and awareness classes.

The Andy Brown Redevel-opment Project will bring fresh greens and active areas for small

group and family outings. “If the current conceptual

plan for Andrew Brown Parks is approved, there will be a com-plete reconstruction of Andrew Brown West, significant rede-velopment at Andrew Brown East and some modifications to Andrew Brown Central,” Direc-tor of Parks and Recreation Brad Reid said.

Andy Brown West will become the prime athletic venue on the north side of town, while Andy Brown East will become a more passive area with improved hike and bike trails, water access, pavilions, special event areas and open spaces to enjoy a restful day at the park. Andy Brown Park Central will have better visibility and add to the entrance way into the city. Completion will take around three years.

“There are several reasons for the need to redevelop the Andrew Brown Park system,” Reid said. “Primarily, the city is responding to the Coppell 2030 Strategic Plan, which calls for large community gathering areas at Andrew Brown Park, and the renovation of the athletic

facilities to bring them more in line with the quality of the other facilities in Coppell and our neighboring communities.”

Coppell High School soph-omore Morgan Salazar used to go to Andy Brown Park everyday as a child. She just recently started going back again because she wants to start running.

Even though the parks are in the process of reconstruction, Salazar is still looking ahead at other features they could add to the parks. She wants the parks to last a lifetime, so children from generations can come and play there.

“Bikes that people could rent and ride around would be a cool addition,” Salazar said. “Some people do not like running, so renting bikes could really be beneficial.”

In the end she wants what is best for her life, and the commu-nity. She thinks the park being re-done could help out, and really bring people together.

“It is really good for the park,” Salazar said. “It is a big im-provement and it will only better our community.”

Andy Brown to be renovated; meetings for park redesign underway

2 news

Hankins retires; Poullard eager to take place as assistant principal

Meetings for the redevelopment of the Andy Brown Parks will begin at the end of May. Photo by Sandy Iyer.

The Life Safety Park

Location: Old Town Coppell

Cost: $5,416,000

Sour

ce: T

he C

ity o

f Cop

pell

A I S H A E S P I N O S As t a f f w r i t e r

Anthony Poullard, with his jokes and funny personality, is

a familiar sight around the Coppell High School

campus. An Acad-

emy and pre-AP Spanish

te a ch e r, Poullard

teach-es a

wide range of students and loves interacting with students of all ages.

With current assistant prin-cipal Sherri Hankins retiring, he has taken the challenge of joining the administrative team and will serve as another assistant princi-pal for CHS come fall.

“I think he is a perfect fit for the job,” sophomore Peyton Borel said. “He is always happy and ex-cited, and loves working with us students.”

The sudden change in posi-tion did not surprise his students. Of those that have known him for a long time, the fact that he want-ed a position on an administration team was common knowledge.

“I have always wanted to be an assistant principal,” Poullard said, on his decision to apply for the position. “It is a little weird. I was one of these kids that always wanted to do it. “I am living the dream.”

He described his past five years teaching in the district fond-ly, mentioning that he had the in-credible experience to watch some of his students go from middle schoolers to high school seniors about to tackle the real world.

“I have seen the some of the

learners grow up to be amazing young men and women,” Poullard said. “And I’ll definitely miss it. I don’t think you’re ever really ready to leave the classroom. But I like to think of this as moving to another classroom, just bigger.”

Though nostalgic, he ex-pressed his excitement for the upcoming school year. He has already begun to integrate him-self into the duties of an assistant principal, missing a couple days of teaching in order to more famil-iarize himself with what is expect-ed of him.

“It has been a little crazy around here,” Poullard said. “It is already starting. I am excited, and ready to hit the ground running.”

Once the next school year starts, he will be interacting with students and faculty nonstop. Though he will not exactly know what is coming on a day to day basis, he is expecting to sched-ule meetings with parents after school, handle detentions and oversee academic and athletic events throughout the entire year.

“I just want to learn all I can from the administration here. I am ready,” he said. “I love this campus, and I cannot think of a better place to be.”

-Commonly goes by Señor Poullard -Taught Spanish at Coppell Middle School West-Moved to Coppell High School just last year- Before beginning his Spanish career, he trav-eled to South America to work for charity and apply the Spanish he learned in college- Was the University of Texas mascot, Hook ‘Em

Photo by Aisha Espinosa.

Anthony Poullard

G A B B Y S A H Ms t a f f w r i t e r

Estimated Completion: June 2015

Created to educate Coppell about fire safety, weather weather responses and pedestrian caution

E L I Z A B E T H S I M S e n t e r p r i s e e d i t o r

news 3

Despite all of the fun and festivities of senior year, one con-cern has been lingering in the minds of each graduating student and their parents: money.

With interest rates on un-dergraduate loans expected to rise from 3.86 to 4.66 percent within the next year, according to a recently released article from CNNMoney, and the average loan debt already resting around $20,000, the race to find money to pay for college has been all the more urgent to avoid a lifetime of paying back student loan debt.

“About 90 percent of the money students use to go to col-lege either comes from the federal government through filling out [the Free Application for Feder-al Student Aid], Pell grants and work/study. The other part of that comes from the schools they at-tend,” Coppell High School coun-selor John Crook said. “That is why it is important that students research the schools they attend, and that they are not only hitting the admissions tab to see what it takes to get in but looking at the scholarships offered and knowing the deadlines for those.”

While taking out at least some student loans is inevitable for most, students have found ways to cushion the impact be-yond applying for countless scholarships, hoping for a little boost from FAFSA or attending community college to get the ba-sic classes done before transfer-ring to a university.

For senior Haley Powell, this cushion came in the form of the GI Bill. Her father, Colice Powell, received these education benefits for his 27 years of duty in the Army, and he was allowed to

transfer it to his family members. “I am a recipient of the

Post-9/11 GI Bill, which made me eligible for up to 36 months of college or other educational ben-efits. The 36 months are divisible pretty much any way you want,” Mr. Powell said. “We had a lot of money saved for college and Auburn [Haley’s older sister] got some academic scholarships. We determined that we had this cov-ered for Auburn so we were going to push on and use the entire ben-efit for Haley as long as she keeps her grades up.”

Though the bill gives the Powells financial backing for Haley’s education, they discov-ered not all colleges accept the assistance equally. This ended up playing a big role as Haley de-cided between the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Baptist University.

“I had grown up loving OU and always thought I was going to go there, and my sister going to OBU really brought it into the de-cision making process. OU didn’t allow the GI Bill to cover all the expenses, whereas OBU did,” Ha-ley said. “The money was a large part of my decision but not ulti-mately what it was based on.”

Haley decided to attend OBU to study anthropology, and found that with it being a private university in the National Associ-ation of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) rather than the NCAA, she could stack other scholarships she received on top of her benefits from the GI Bill.

Senior John Herubin signed to play football and pursue an electrical engineering degree at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. on Feb. 5. With this com-mitment came a hefty price tag of over $60,000 per year. However, the football team had a manda-

tory work/study program to help Herubin pay for his education.

“It was mandatory, but I wanted to work during school. I’ve done it throughout most of high school, and it seems even more important during college to pay the bills,” Herubin said. “I’m not entirely sure what I’ll be doing, but the football coach-es are going to set up everything for me with different jobs in the community part time.”

Senior Sam Jett earned money for five years of college based on his National Merit standing alone.

“The National Merit cutoff score changes each year, along with the relative difficulty of the test. They try to keep it so that only one percent of test takers will receive the award. This year

Variety of financial aid options help seniors beat debt

Local scholarship recipients seniors Holly Swaldi, Corey Oesch, Ali Martinez and Mikki Hoffman accept their awards from the Coppell Community Development Foundation at the Senior Awards Ceremony on May 19. Photo by Nicole Messer.

Freshmen FinancialBy

the Numbers UT Austin

the cutoff was 218, and I had a score of 220,” Jett said. “I think I’m looking at about $121,000 from OU, which consists of full tuition for five years and about $25,000 in other areas, like hous-ing and study abroad. It isn’t quite a full ride, but with the $6,000 I’ve gotten from other sources it’s close. It should be about $4,000 total per year for everything.”

Though he received near-ly a full ride to OU, Jett still had other options to consider before making his final decision.

“I was accepted to [the University of Texas at Austin] honors engineering with a $2,500 one time scholarship, but I liked the atmosphere at OU better. UT just seemed too crowded,” Jett said.

Students have also found seeking aid beyond the borders of their home state can help. While the thought of out-of-state tuition initially seems like a deterrent, it can be worked around and stu-dents can earn scholarships to re-duce the cost based on test scores.

“Each year about 40 percent of our students go out of state. They apply for scholarships and look for ways to absorb the cost. They also apply to schools where they can receive in state tuition based on SAT or ACT test scores,” Crook said.

No matter if they are attend-ing a public or private universi-ty, in state or out, students have found ways to cover the ever-in-creasing cost of college to enjoy the experience and pursue a high-er education.

Texas A&M Baylor

Financial Aid Applicants

Found to Have Financial Need

Received Financial Aid

Average Award

Need Fully Met

2,485 (76.4 %) of freshmen

1,982 (79.8%) of applicants

1,976 (99.7%) of applicants with finanical need253 (12.3%) of aid recipients $23,498

6,126 (75.7%) of freshmen

3,868 (63.1%) of applicants

3,865 (99.9%) of applicants with finanical need1,235 (32%) of aid recipients $13,669

3,489 (98.4 %) of applicants with finanical need

3,554 (63.4 %) of applicants

5,591 (77.9 %) of freshmen

$16,477

1,864 (53.4 %) of aid recipients

aid profile

Graphic by Shivani BurraInformation from collegedata.com

4 opinions

E D I T O R I A L

From the iPad initiation movement, construction of Cy-press Waters, House Bill 5 imple-mentation to the overall CHS ex-pansion, it is evident that changes have been and will continue to be made.

Some are embracing the changes that Coppell is current-ly undergoing, while others have found it affecting the school at-mosphere and believe these dras-tic changes may result in a recipe for disaster; however, this is not

the case.Coppell has been around for

over 50 years, and in its beginning stages was probably nothing at all similar to how the town is now.

Changes were made, schools were added and neighborhood sizes increased, and despite all of those changes, Coppell still stood strong, and was able to maintain the “small town, big family” feel that most Coppellians appreciate.

After this school year, phys-ical changes will be made to CHS

Salako hits pause on music, sees beauty of column writing

2013-2014 SIDEKICK STAFFExecutive Leadership

Chase WoffordAdviserKristen ShepardEditor-in-Chief

Christina Burke

Elizabeth SimsManaging Editor

Enterprise EditorEditorial Leadership

Caroline CarterNews Editor

Tolu SalakoEditorial Page Editor

Jena SeidemannStudent Life Editor

Stephanie AlexanderEntertainment Editor

Sophie Nauyokas Jordan BickhamDesign Editor Design EditorRegan SullivanPhotography Editor

Shivani BurraEmerging Media Manager

Business/PR StaffMabry CulpBusiness Manager Braden Creel

Business Manager

Staff WritersStephanie GrossAlex IrizarryTuulia Koponen

Shannon Wilkinson

Allison ArnoldAnnie WenAlex NicollKara HallamSummer Crawford

Pranathi Chitta

Sloane Samberson

Henriikka NiemiShannon MorganAmy RohShruthika PonchampallyGabby Sahm

Alex DaltonAisha EspinosaGeorge Fairchild

Graphic DesignersJulia Bordonaro Rachel Buigas-LopezJosh Martin

Jay Carroll

PhotographersSandy IyerAlyssa Frost

Nicole Messer

Mark Slette

Business Staff

The Sidekick is the student newspaper for Coppell High School and is published six times per school year.

The newspaper is a member of National Scholastic Press Asso-ciation, Journalism Education Association and Interscholastic League Press Conference.

The editorials and columns presented in this paper reflect the views of its student writers and not Coppell High Schoool or Coppell Independent School District.

Adverstisements are sold as full, 1/2 page, 1/4 page and 1/8 page sizes in black and white or color.

The Sidekick welcomes all letters to the editor. Letters can be emailed to cwofford@coppellisd.com or delivered to the D115 newsroom at Coppell High School. A current email address and first and last name for the writer must be included for a letter to be considered forpublication.

Contact The Sidekick: 214-496-6239cwofford@coppellisd.com

John LoopSports Editor

I hate public speaking or anything that has to do with me talking in front of people. Small talk infuriates me and new situ-ations where I must “socialize” make me feel sick to my stomach.

I joke that I was and still am quite antisocial and awkward, but if I could have described my-self in two words from the ages of 11 through 15, I would not even hesitate to use those two words.

By middle school thankful-ly, I got over this fear of socializ-ing, but one of the biggest aids to getting to that point was music: more specifically band. Music was my thing. Piano, guitar, per-cussion even trying the violin, music was always my thing. Rain or shine, day or night when I was not spending my time at either school or the ice rink, I could be found listening, making or prac-ticing music with friends in the band hall.

It was through band that I found my middle school best friends and I was so excited to continue my band career into high school. However, with a busy schedule, trying to juggle competitive figure skating and trying to start building my col-lege resume with other extra cur-ricular activities, there was in no way I could squeeze band into my schedule.

So I dropped band and I reluctantly signed up for jour-nalism freshman year: a blow off class, I assumed, but I was surely mistaken.

Barely knowing anyone on the first day, I started to dread going to that class every sec-ond period. Here I was, stuck in D115 where all I did was write in a room full of freshmen who thought of themselves as a bit too cool for high school and a teach-er that claimed that I talked too much in class and thus emailed my parents about my behavior (which was a bit ironic honestly).

Writing was not my thing. I wrote for a number, and if that number was under a 90, I would fight for those points back, and was usually successful.

I never saw the joy of just writing with no number grade attached, but after three years of newspaper plus that nice year of journalism, I eventually learned that writing was actually my thing.

I put down the marimba mallets and the guitar pic and picked up my Macbook Pro in-stead and started to write. I al-ways thought that I could “ex-press myself through music” or listen to those artists that “caught me in the feels,” as my friends would say and soak up all the lyrics in the comfort of my own bedroom; however, as high

school went on, good ol’ Mr. Wofford taught me the beauty of column writing in that ninth grade journalism class.

Some may not see it, but my columns have almost felt like an open journal that so happened to be published online and in print where readers consistent-ly disagreed (and if I was lucky, agreed) with any viewpoints and thoughts I had, no matter what the topic was, no matter how controversial it was.

Writing made me more comfortable with myself and I was no longer that weird kid that just kept to herself in the back of the classroom. Column writing gave me a voice, a rather opinionated one, and I could not imagine my high school experi-ence without the joy I have when I somehow find words on a blank page, trying to convey my view, be it regarding affirmative action process, my view on Christian-ity being a bit too materialistic amongst students to finally try-ing to nicely sum up my amaz-ing, and sometimes stressful, four years in D115 in a nice 800 words or so.

But the only thing I can re-iterate, no matter how completely corny and cheesy it may sound, I would not be who I was in high school if it were not for being part of an amazing staff for the past three years. My personality

as construction begins this sum-mer, and the addition of new housing around Coppell will in-crease the population; however, this is no reason for current Cop-pell residents and students to fear.

Going along with changes, the most recent being the iPad distribution to each student this year, many were hesitant about this change in this approach from learning, but many positives have come from this. Because of iPads, students that did not have prior

access to 21st century technology now have immediate access. It is also easier for students in several classes to carry an iPad than lug around three to four textbooks.

Change can lead to new ex-periences, new forms of learning and new ways to prepare students for a world of technology and in-novation in their future careers.

As the Class of 2014 leaves CHS, change is upon them as these student enter either college or the work force. Students and

residents must learn how to em-brace the new experiences regard-less of how nerve-racking it may seem at first. Seniors in this in-stance cannot shy away from the opportunities outside CHS’ doors, just as how current residents, stu-dents and teachers should not feel hesitant about new additions to our beloved small town.

As Coppellians, we must embrace the future changes upon us as good can, and most likely will, come from it.

T O L U S A L A K O e d i t o r i a l p a g e e d i t o r

5 Things about TOLU SALAKODream Job: CNN Medical CorrespondentFavorite Band: The DrumsFavorite Ice Cream Flavor: Cookies n’ CreamCelebrity Crush: Ian Harding Favorite Movie: A Beautiful Mind

Current residents, students must embrace changes to come

Senior Tolu Salako will attend Southern Methodist University as a Biology and Psychology major

Photo by Regan Sullivan

So thank you to all of those who read my columns, to past editors who helped me shape my writing style, to my fellow staff members for being such great friends and finally to Mr. Wof-ford for putting up with me for four years and helping me shape who I am today and for being such a major part of a great high school experience.

evolved in such a short amount of time from being downright socially awkward to being the editorial page editor where I am known to make my viewpoint heard regardless of who may or may not agree. I made my clos-est friends in D115 and the op-portunities that The Sidekick has given me have been farther than satisfactory.

C H R I S T I N A B U R K Em a n a g i n g e d i t o r

senior columns 5

Life lessons from high school to carry Burke into future

As I reflect upon my high school experience, I realize that I have learned a lot of things in my four years at Coppell High School - not just the names of all the United States Presidents in order to the tune of Yankee Doodle, (special thanks to Mrs.

F u r - nish), but I have also

learned m a n y

things

about the person

I am and the

person I want to be when I mi-grate out of the Coppell bubble.

First of all, I have learned a lot about friendship. People always say that you meet your lifelong best friends in college, and in response to that all I can say is I hope that this is not en-tirely true. Though my very best friends and I will be at different schools next year, I will never forget the late night giggles and crazy adventures we shared in our years together.

The most important thing I have taken out of the friendships I developed in Coppell is that great friends make each other

better people. I can say con-fidently that my best

friends have had such a positive

i m - pact on my life and they played such a big role in making me the person I turned out to be, and for that I thank them.

The next thing I took out of high school was never to give up on my dreams. I know that sounds completely cliche, but the thing you will find as you con-tinue through life is that you can actually accomplish pretty much anything you set your mind to.

It has been a long, frankly never-ending, four years at CHS, and I have worked long and hard in school for the last 12 years for the purpose of attaining one goal: college. It has not always been easy and I frequently fell short of my short-term goals, but when I got my acceptance letter to the University of Texas at Austin this year, everything I had ever done had seemed so worth it, and any-one who ever told me I could not do it had been proved wrong.

Another lesson I learned from getting older and being able to make my own decisions was not let anybody tell you what to do or who to be. Be yourself.

I know I am different than most people, and that is totally OK. I love the person I turned out to be. Honestly, the best quality that a person can have is a great personality, and if you have that, I would say you are doing life pretty well.

I am forever thankful for the 18 wonderful years I was given in Coppell and the four I spent at CHS. I am grateful for the opportunity to have written for The Sidekick all these years and I hope I made an impact on you.

Shepard finds lifelong blessings from hometown

5 Things about Christina BurkeFavorite song: “Chasing Cars” - Snow PatrolFavorite place in Coppell: BiggbyFavorite teacher: Kim PearceFavorite movie: How to Lose a Guy in 10 DaysFavorite year in high school: Senior year

It seems like a plague of Coppell hatred has slowly been spreading throughout the se-nior class. Maybe because we live in a town where driving five miles per hour over the speed limit nearly guarantees a tick-et or the way everyone seems to know all the latest rumors. But, in a way, maybe this kept us grounded.

In reality, I would not have wanted to grow up any-where else.

We live in a town where you cannot walk into a grocery store or gym without seeing someone you know, where you would not miss the Lariette Spaghetti dinner or Holiday House for anything and where you buy your neighbor’s foot-ball coupon cards without fail every single year.

And for the times that we get tired of the close knit and nosey aura of Coppell, we for-got how good we have it.

Next year, when I am off

at school, I will look forward to coming back to visit my home-town. I will look forward to vis-iting J Macklin’s, Whataburger and (inevitably) Donut Palace, and it will be special, because I will be able to reminisce on the memories I have made in each place.

And sure, I will make similar memories in college, but the connectedness found in Coppell runs deeper than these lighthearted memories. This community wraps its arms around those experiencing loss, and binds together to support those in pain.

I will never forget how it felt to have Coppell come to-gether after Taylor Storch died. And again for Jacob Logan and Jonah Blackwell. And for the Heidtke and the Reid families. And though it could never take away the incredible pain of los-ing a loved one, we hope we can at least express our support.

We live in a communi-ty wanting to build up others. A community that is united in prayer and support. Where

the church youth leaders from different denominations meet to talk about bettering their programs, and where church-es tailgate before Friday night football games.

And for CHS, we are quick to complain about how crowded the halls are or how the iPads distract us, but we overlook how incredible Cop-pell High School really is. We go to a school where the coaches care just as much about making you a better person as they do-ing about making you a better athlete. Where teachers push you to succeed in and out of the classroom. Where community service is integrated into virtu-ally every extra-curricular pro-gram. We go to a high school that consistently ranks high scholastically and athletically.

Maybe it just takes a while to realize we live in a commu-nity that has given more to us than we can ever repay. They say that it takes a village to raise a child, and I could not be more thankful to call Coppell my vil-lage.

5 Things about kristen shepardFavorite TV show: “Law & Order SVU”Favorite Coppell Tradition: Holiday HouseFavorite Clothing Store: NordstromFavorite Music Genre: CountryFavorite Animal: Ducks

K R I S T E N S H E P A R De d i t o r - i n - c h i e f

Senior Kristen Shepard will attend the University of Texas this coming fall as a Business Major

FUTURE LONGHORNSBurke, Shepard reminisce on time in Coppell

Senior Christina Burke will attend the University of Texas as a Journalism major.

Graphics by Sophie Nauyokas

Photo by Regan Sullivan

Photo by Nicole Messer

6 senior columns

Past four years serve as learning experience for business staff

5 Things about MABRY CULP

Favorite band: Tom Petty and the HeartbreakersFavorite sport: FootballFavorite president: Ronald Reagan

Favorite food: Sausage SpaghettiFavorite place to eat in Coppell: Guero’s

Favorite Hashtag: #casual Favorite Album: “Overnight” by ParachuteFavorite Drink: Peach TeaHogwarts House: Gryffindor

5 Things about JAY CARROLLFavorite Book: Keep the Aspidistra Flying by George Orwell

“War Eagle!” That is the cry I so often cheered and

screamed growing up. Both of my parents graduated from Auburn University, and I have been visiting Auburn, Ala. for 17 years now, whether it is for football games or just a trip down there when I am visiting family in Birmingham.

Auburn is where I have wanted to go to school since I was born and I

loved everything about Auburn: the fans, the

traditions (Tiger Walk, the rolling of Toom-er’s Corner after every football win, the pre-game eagle flight), the

atmosphere, and I also wanted to go back to the state of Alabama seeing as

I was born in Mont-gomery and have

a lot of family in the Birmingham

area.I know

anything and ev-erything a b o u t A u -b u r n .

I could say the fight song in less than 30 seconds, I know the creed like the back of my hand and have actually lived by words from the creed for a large por-tion of my life, lines from the creed such as “Because Au-burn men and women believe

in these things, I believe in Auburn and love it!” have

had a huge effect on

my life. And when I was accepted to Au-burn University in Sept. I was as happy as can be.

However, I will not be attending Au-burn University next year, instead I will be going to the University of Arkansas. At first

I was hesitant about my decision, but now I am fully embracing becoming a Razorback.

The University of Arkansas has every-thing I want. It is in the Southeastern Con-ference, it has a great business school and I have a number of good friends that go there.

However, I will never forget my ever-lasting memories that I have from my time as a diehard Auburn fan, whether it is mem-orable football games (2004 LSU-Auburn, 2013 Georgia-Auburn, 2010 and 2013 Iron Bowls against rival Alabama, 2010 National Championship game, just to name a few). I will never forget those moments wearing orange and blue standing and cheering next to my family and friends.

I still get into arguments about Au-burn sports even though I will not be going there next year. The orange and blue runs deep in my blood, and it will not just run out of me in a couple of months. Arkansas travels to Auburn for the first football game of the year this August, and while I will be cheering for Arkansas, I will certainly be happy for Auburn if they win.

While I will certainly miss going to games at Auburn, I will definitely be go-ing back to visit, except I will be cheering for the Hogs instead of the Tigers. Auburn will always have a place in my heart, and the memories I have created as an Auburn fan are unbelievable and I will never forget them. But I am looking forward to making new memories as a Hog.

“Woo Pig Sooie!”

Auburn roots resonate as Carroll heads to University of Arkansas

Culp seeks better experience beyond high school walls

Business manager Mabry Culp will be attending Belmont University and plans to major in Journalism and Mass Communications. Business Staff Member Jay Carroll will be attending University of Arkansas and plans to major in Financial Management and Investment. Photo by Regan Sullivan

Mabry Culp at age 5 enjoys an ice cream sandwich for Redeemer Monetssori School’s in Irving Thanksgiving celebration. Photo courtesy of Phoebe Culp.

Jay Carroll and his sister, CHS 2011 graduate Beth Anne, attend an Auburn football game against the University of Tennessee in 2003. Photo courtesy of Anne Carroll.

As I have progressed through my senior year, I have received an abundance of advice. Ranging from simple things like

“make sure you keep your dorm room clean” to more abstract musings like “the more perfume you wear, the less people like you.”

Most commonly though I heard, “rel-ish senior year because it’s the best time of your life.” Although people have good intentions, when they imply these are the best years, I have never found myself in greater disagreement.

When I thought of high school, I dreamt of Troy Bolton in High School Mu-sical and linking arms in chorus with the rest of the Coppell High School cafeteria. As I got to CHS and quickly realized that a Disney musical was not going to be my experience, I finally found myself.

I went through some traumatizing scenes in four years. Combining traumat-ic situations like the loss of my father with raging hormones and peer pressure, it was a balancing act that was bound to fail. I was thrust into situations posing questions to my ethics. My self-confidence was shat-tered. I cried more tears than I could pro-duce, and I felt a gaping hole in my heart from an unrecoverable loss.

But, I also had some of the most joy-ous moments. I saw first hand what sacrifi-cial love from friends and family looks like. I felt the soothing touch of time as it healed wounds. I laughed myself into tears and my heart swells with confidence and love where holes had been left.

My confidence no longer comes

from clothes or Instagram likes, but from the deep understanding that I am worthy and deserving. Knowing what true heart-break is, I will never take for granted the opportunities to love others well. Lessons like this have a value that could never be priced.

Now that I have a strong base rooted in good principles and wisdom, I am hop-ing life only grows from that. I am eternally grateful for the deepest moments of dark-ness and the sunny high points of joy that I found in these walls, but those were merely memories of self-discovery and character building. When I encounter situations that shake my foundation, I will be strong and never lose sight of who I am. When I en-counter moments of happiness and love, I will relish them.

Now that I am moving on to a new state with new faces, I have a n unparalleled sense of se-renity. I am confident in who I am and I can-not wait to grow and discover all the other countless moments of hardship and bliss. My little brother, Jackson, is a current freshman, and as I pass down useless musings of advice to him like “make sure you wear deodor-ant” and “girls don’t like slobs,” I make sure to throw in there the most valuable advice that I dis-covered.

Make mis-takes, discover joy and love oth-ers well, because high school is about laying a firm foundation for the future, that way you can only go up from there.

J A Y C A R R O L Lb u s i n e s s s t a f f

M A B R Y C U L Pb u s i n e s s m a n a g e r

18 senior issue senior issue 7

Though my four years of high school have been a whirlwind of experiences, assignments and activ-ities, one thing has remained con-stant: D115, more specifically The Sidekick newspaper’s classroom.

Ironically, I almost did not join The Sidekick staff at all. I came into high school wanting to join KCBY, but applied to be on the yearbook staff for my sophomore year. For one reason or another, I did not want to tap into my writing skills, and I avoided even picking up an applica-tion for the newspaper at all costs. I simply was not interested.

Fortunately, my adviser Chase Wofford saw my potential and lit-erally slapped an application on my desk while I was taking my sopho-more year advanced reporting class. Though I was reluctant at the time, I will be forever grateful for this push.

E L I Z A B E T H S I M Se n t e r p r i s e e d i t o r

8 media

Passion for journalism found through experiences in D115I would have missed out on a

myriad of memorable experiences if I did not join The Sidekick staff. I would not have found where my passion lies or have met a fraction of the incredible people I now know.

Through my involvement, I traveled to San Antonio and Boston to attend national high school jour-nalism conventions, where I attend-ed sessions hosted by leaders in the media field and explored the cities to dig up stories that could go untold. I made lasting friendships on these trips and discovered I wanted to pursue journalism as a career.

While the trips are fun and great learning opportunities, my fa-vorite part of working on this pub-lication has been the opportunity to tell stories. I have connected with so many people in the community just by sitting down for a 15 minute in-terview with them. I have been able to draw attention to certain issues such as sharing the roads with cy-

clists through coverage of the local Ride of Silence.

I have only been on The Side-kick staff for the last two years, but I have had more challenges thrown at me during that short time than I ever expected in school. All have been for my benefit in the long run, and all were instigated by Wof-ford. He was never afraid to tell me where I needed to improve a story. He pushed me to apply for an editor position despite the fact I considered myself to be too inexperienced.

Most of all, he was my advo-cate and stood behind my decisions and story pursuits no matter how odd they seemed. I consider him to be a role model for these reasons, and I hold him up with the utmost respect.

My time on The Sidekick was not always easy, but it was certainly life changing. I will always consider D115 the place my journalism ca-reer began.

Q U O T A B L E S“I’ll miss being close by my family and the friends that I’ve grown up going to school and playing football with.” -Chris Adkins“I’m going to miss the family we had, whether it was the volley-ball team, the softball team or the community in general.”-Lindsay Stivers

“I’m going to miss IB class because IB truly resembles a family.”-Derek John

“What I’ll miss most about high school are my teachers, especially the ones who had a huge impact on my development. I feel com-fortable here and will always come back to visit.”-Carina Zhao

“I’ll miss the band community and spending so much time with people working hard towards the same goal.”-Natalie Kersey

Senior

Senior Elizabeth Sims will attend the University of Oklahoma as a journalism major.

“I’m going to miss playing baseball with my teammates of four years because I think of them as my family and my brothers. The traditions that we had on that team are always going to have a special place in my heart.”-Drew Hanson

Photo by Sandy Iyer

“I’m going to miss going to school everyday with my siblings. We’ve had to share cars for almost two years now and it’s going to be weird not riding with them.” -Allie Zill

“I’m going to miss Texas.”-Jennifer Chong

Photo by Sandy Iyer

At fall football games most students cheer in the stands but the Round-Up yearbook staff rushes along the sidelines captur-ing each moment.

This is how much of the Round-Up senior staff has expe-rienced most of their high school years: behind the lens of a camera.

“It has been a stressful but great experience. There is always a lot of work to do over a condensed amount of time but it always pays off,” senior photo manager Sarah Gibbons said.

Not only have the staff members had a great experience on staff but also Round-Up advis-

er Sallyanne Harris has been able to take so many things away from her senior staff members.

“I have seen the girls take their creativity to new levels and seen them develop their talents into what could be future careers as well,” Harris said. “I will miss the seniors’ presence, wisdom and talents. They have been won-derful additions to the staff.”

Staff members work daily during their class periods to get the yearbook put together. Since CHS is such a large school, there are 468 pages in the book that have to be completed by a cer-tain deadline. With a distribution date of May 29, the staff comes together to meet these deadlines.

For senior Round-Up pho-

to manager Francesca Graham, photography is something that will always be part of her life.

“I have always loved taking pictures but I really started doing it a lot more when I signed up for digital photojournalism,” Gra-ham said. “I learned a ton of tips and tricks and really fell in love with the photography process and then signed up for yearbook and have been in it and loving it ever since.”

Other than using their skills in photography in college, some staff members plan to carry on photography as a hobby.

“I know that I will still use my camera for different things such as vacations and college,” se-nior staff member Caroline Over-

media 9

man said. “It is nice to know that I will always know how to use my camera.”

Senior sports editor Carlie Russell also plans to continue photography as a hobby.

“It is a lot of fun. I joined yearbook originally to be a pho-tographer and then I became very passionate about writing and it is really cool to combine it all,” Rus-sell said.

Being on the Round-Up staff has given the senior staff members a variety of opportuni-ties to experience different school events by getting to capture mo-ments that will last a long time.

“I loved going to all of the school events to take photos. Now that I think about it, I have

seen most of my high school ca-reer through a lens. I was never just in the stands, I was down in the action. That is something that is really cool and a great experi-ence,” Graham said.

Not only does the yearbook give staff members the opportuni-ty to capture different high school moments, but it is also something for the students of CHS to be able to go back and reflect on in years to come.

“When we are making the book, it is our job to keep in mind that people will looks at the books forever and everything has to be almost timeless,” Russell said. “People will [use the yearbook to] remember exactly how their high school years were.”

S TEPHANI E ALE X A NDERe n t e r t a i n m e n t e d i t o r

KCBY seniors have been documenting their high school career and are now headed across the country to pursue the careers of their dreams. They are check-ing out of Coppell High School’s hallways and moving on to bigger campuses.

Senior KCBY member Kris-tin Schulz will be attending the University of Alabama this fall, pursuing both arts and film.

“The dream is to produce and choreograph mu-sic videos, but I would love to do anything with tele-vision,” Schulz said. “[KCBY adviser Irma Kennedy] has helped me focus and hone in on my skills.”

Schulz’s mom, Dina, was an executive producer at WFAA in Dallas and CNBC in New York, so journalism runs in the family.

“I basically grew up in the newsroom,” Schulz said. “I would always go on the set with her and when she did radio I would record

and set her commercials so you could say I got my basic training from that.”

Having a media background, Mrs. Schulz knows the KCBY pro-gram is beneficial to anyone inter-ested in the industry.

“In any business, experience is key and knowledge is powerful. KCBY offers students both,” Mrs. Schulz said. “KCBY is real-world, hands on media training. The pro-

gram has laid the foundation and provides necessary

skills to grow from in pursuit of a career in

media.”Senior pro-

gram director Hamin Kim will be attending Colom-

bia College Chicago in the fall.

“Visual arts is all I have ever wanted to do,”

Kim said. “My ultimate goal is to earn respect from other cinema-tographers, [and] work on a film that would matter to others.”

Kim is thankful for the ex-perience he has gained during his tenure with KCBY.

“KCBY has helped me with responsibility, communicating

and dealing with people, especial-ly being a program director,” Kim said.

The seniors are prepared for the transition from studio A105 to the world of media. Senior sports director Delanie Majors plans to attend Baylor University in the fall.

Majors has gained more than a competitive edge from KCBY.

“KCBY has defined my life,” Majors said. “All my closest friends are KCBY people. It has helped me envision where I want to be and what I want to do. I cannot imag-

ine it not being in my high school career.”

If KCBY adviser Irma Ken-nedy had to describe the 2014 se-niors in her class with one word, it would be “journalistic.”

“I knew the minute that this group came in to lead that it would change,” Kennedy said. “In years past we have had more of an emphasis on the entertainment aspect. We have slowly moved to-ward making it back into a news show. The entertainment aspect is important, but it is not the reason

why we are here.”The Interscholastic League

Press Conference, the Texas UIL Journalism agency, has recognized their hard work and dedication as KCBY was awarded second place in Broadcast Individual Achieve-ment award for news broadcast.

“This is that first step to-wards the [National Scholastic Press Association] Pacemaker award, which is the top journal-ism award you can receive in high school,” Kennedy said. “I think we actually have a shot at it now.”

S T E P H A N I E G R O S Ss t a f f w r i t e r

Final credits roll for dedicated staff

Photo by Alyssa Frost

Graphics by Rachel Buigas-Lopez

Round-Up staff turns final page of high school experiences

“KCBY has defined my life”

- Delanie Majors, senior

10 media

academics 11

Valedictorian tells of growth in high school, shares college plansS H R U T H I K A P O C H A M PA L LY

s t a f f w r i t e r

S H R U T H I K A P O C H A M PA L LYs t a f f w r i t e r

Unlike most high school students, Coppell High School Class of 2014 valedictorian Harry Ahn has never had an issue with managing his time and priorities.

“My mom always says, ‘to get a good job, you have to go to a good school, because then you get more opportunities. So

if you work hard for the next ten years, you have a

peaceful, comfortable life for the next 50 years of your

life,’” Ahn said. “That kind of mindset is all I need.”

Ahn, who moved from Ko-

rea in seventh

“I believe he has figured out that if one simply engages and lis-tens and questions, the rest will follow,” Bowden said.

Ahn recommends to “not worry too much about all the numbers - GPA, and SAT scores”.

“Colleges are looking for your potential, and that can be ac-ademic, or music or sports,” Ahn said. “Just do what you are good at and you will get into wherever you want.”

Also like all high school stu-dents, Ahn has regrets over the past four years. His biggest regret, he said, was not being as socially involved.

“Freshman year, I was a shy student,” Ahn said “Throughout the school year, I met all these friends [who] are outgoing. That kind of changed me. I became more open to people.”

One difference between most high school students and Ahn however, is that Ahn always made sure to put his health first.

“I would work about two to three hours a day throughout junior year. I was always get-

Those who know Ahn have high expectations for his future, regardless of where he goes to school.

“I expect the shy and awk-ward individual I met four years ago to do great things,” Chaturve-di said. “Led by his chill and re-laxed attitude towards life, he’ll cure cancer one day.”

Similar to all high school students, Ahn has experienced life lessons his high school years.

“I would tell incoming freshman to not procrastinate,” Ahn said. “It’s not good for your health. Just spend one hour a day on it, then you can still re-lax but finish your work at the same time. Balance it

wisely.”

Cha follows motto of “No regrets”, graduates as salutatorian

“No regrets” has been Cop-pell High School’s Class of 2014 salutatorian Daniel Cha’s motto for the past four years. Cha, who will be attending the University of Texas at Austin’s Engineering Honors for Aerospace program, also hopes to double major in business.

“I didn’t tell myself anything to motivate me: I just did it,” Cha said. “One thing is, I want to do my best, so I won’t say I regret it after when I look back.”

Though he has tried his hard-est to have no re-grets, Cha says that regrets are inevitable, espe-cially as a high

Photos by Regan Sullivan

Graphics by Josh Martin

grade, had to learn English as a second language.

“GT/AP English IV is the hardest class I’ve had to take in all of high school,” Ahn said. “Learn-ing a foreign language and being in a different environment was hard. But it’s why I am who I am now - a better person.”

Ahn’s English IV teacher, Matthew Bowden, says Ahn un-derstands the importance of high school education, not grade point averages.

“Harry is great when he isn’t playing Wrestle Jump or 2048 on his iPad,” Bowden said. “He has

obviously made education a priority. Yet he has never seemed too focused on his grades or GPA but rather

has a genuine desire to learn and grow.”

Ahn’s ability to value his knowledge rather his rank

are what make him an ex-ceptional student, ac-cording to Bowden.

ting enough sleep,” Ahn said. “I learned how to manage my time wisely in high school. Time man-agement and efficiency skills are very important.”

Like most high achievers, Ahn also thinks he could have gone to a better school.

“[Duke University] was not my first choice, but it was one of my top choices,” Ahn said. “I’m planning to do pre-med, and Duke is good for pre-med. It’s fine, though; I can go to a [better] grad school.”

Ahn says though he is ex-cited for college, he will miss his friends.

“Harry is a really nice guy and has always been willing to help out,” CHS senior Shashwat Chaturvedi said. “He maintained his integrity when most around him lost it, and his intellectual accomplishments are nonethe-less for it. He is p r o b a b l y the best at math in t h i s school.”

school student.“I have plenty of regrets

from high school,” Cha said. “I re-gret not doing sports. I wanted to, but I also focused on getting the GPA and I missed out on a lot of things.”

Cha says that he was stressed throughout high school because he attempted to handle too many things at once.

“I was trying to study, but I was also trying to hang out with friends, while also trying to work on college essays,” Cha said. “I didn’t have my priorities straight and I was juggling too many things at once.”

Cha is the president of Cop-pell High School’s dance team, Air Crew, and has started his own non-profit charity First Step out-side of school. He says that having practices almost every day also

added to his workload.“Freshman and soph-

omore year, we almost had

practice every day for two hours, and that really took a lot of time, and when I got home I was tired,” Cha said.

One benefit of Cha’s in-creased workload, however, was that his parents trusted him to complete all of his work on his own.

“My parents are proud, of course,” Cha said. “But they never stressed me [out] about academ-ics. They did until middle school and then let me go, and I got here by myself.”

AP Physics B teacher Clint Rushing agrees Cha is an inde-pendent person who does not re-quire much encouragement.

“He just operated on his own and did his own thing and turned everything in,” Rushing said. “He was really smart and never asked many questions.”

Cha says Coppell is an extremely competitive school, which can often be beneficial.

However, competition can be harmful as well. According to Cha, it has the capability to bring out the worst in you.

“I have seen people cheat their way out,” Cha said. “Many people cheat and end up going to a better college than they actual-ly could have, and they struggle. It’s probably going to be the worst years of their life.”

Cha says the only way he was able to balance his heavy workload was to cut d o w n on sleep.

Cha advis-es current

high school students to not pro-crastinate.

“That is obvious advice,” Cha said. “But also ask your up-perclassmen for help with classes and college. Don’t choose your classes without knowing what you’re taking.”

Cha’s advice is something he realized not after his high school years, but throughout, which is how he is able to graduate ranked two in his class.

“Daniel is really fun and creative, as well as supportive and intelligent,” senior Derek John said.

John, who has been in Air Crew with Cha for the past

few years, expects Cha to be successful in every-thing he does in life.

“I hope I am still friends with him when he gets

famous,” John said.

12 centerspread centerspread 13

1 2 3 4

10

Favorite TV show: “The Walking Dead”Celebrity crush: Chris HemsworthStudy Tip: Don’t have Reddit openMotto: “Success is the best revenge”Hardest class: AP physics B

Most used app: NetflixGuilty pleasure: Korean dramas Average hours of sleep: 5Study tip: Procrastination worksMotto: “Fake it ‘til you make it”

Pet peeve: Slow walkersFavorite show: “The Colbert Report”Celebrity crush: Joseph Gordon LevittMotto: “Live your life laughing”Bucket list: Scuba diving

9

LAURA GAOHarry ahn

Pet peeve: Grammar mistakesSpecial talent: Memorizing thingsFavorite place in the world: Tokyo, JapanDream job: Anime director Motto: “Never give up”

5cejay zhu brandy sun

sneha jain

benson huang

Alisha punjwani

daniel chaMotto: “Work hard while playing hard”Student I admire most: Danny BushAverage hours of sleep: 3-4; 10 as a seniorCelebrity crush: Miranda KerrFavorite teacher: Ian Vanderschee

Little known fact: Blackbelt in karateDream job: Product tester for matressesBucket list: Climb Mount EverestFavorite teacher: Monica WintersFavorite place: Home

Kevin chow

7

Dream job: Marine biologistCelebrity crush: Kristen Bell or Emma WatsonFavorite place in the world: HawaiiGuilty pleasure: Watching FrozenFavorite teacher: Jared Stansel

Biggest fear: Disappointing peopleStudy tip: Collaborate at your own riskGuilty pleasure: The Food NetworkGolden moment: Being ranked fourth like my siblingsPet peeve: The color purple

TOP TEN 2014

Favorite place in the world: CaliforniaStudent I admire most: Shashwat ChaturvediWorst required reading: The Scarlet LetterGuilty pleasure: Reading MangaGolden moment: My last home swim meet

By Kristen Shepard and Caroline Carter

6

Shashwat chaturvedi

After four memorable years at Coppell High School, the class of 2014 embarks on a new journey. For the top 10 students in the class, their time at CHS has been nothing short of exciting. From late night studying to competing in national contests, these students have had a busy four years. The Sidekick’s editor-in-chief Kristen Shepard and news editor Caroline Carter got the inside scoop on this year’s top 10 students. The Sidekick wishes these students the best in their future endeavors.

School: UT AustinMajor: aerospace engineering

School: UT Austin

School: UT Austin

School: UT Austin

School: UT Austin

School: UT Austin

Major: electrical engineering

Major: Business and Plan II Finance

Major: electrical engineering

School: NorthwesternMajor: Music Performance and biology

Major: Chemical engineering

School: DartmouthMajor: Economics and computer science

School: University of PennsylvaniaMajor: Management and Technology

School: DukeMajor: Neuroscience

Major: biology 8

Worst required reading: Kafka on the ShoreFavorite food: Naan breadSpecial talent: Taekwondo kickFavorite teacher: Zach ShermanPet peeve: People saying “like”

A M Y R O Hs t a f f w r i t e r

14 academics

A legacy is born from the trail blazers that pave the way to success, especially for the grad-uating seniors of the Coppell Academies. In fact, this senti-ment seems to be the heralding song of their departure from high school.

By June 5 seniors of the EMAC (Emerging Media and Communications) and PSA (Public Service Academy) will be the first graduating class of the Academies at CHS. For STEM (Science Technology En-gineering Math), this will be their second.

“Because this year’s seniors were the first group to choose to go into the Academies and to go all the way through, they have been the tip of the sphere,” Academies Instructional Coach Clara Caussey said. “Everything that we’ve done, they’ve been paving the way.”

The EMAC and PSA Acad-emies were first launched in the fall of 2010 and have since pro-vided CHS students with a small learning community geared to-ward specific career paths. It has

not only helped students grow academically, but has helped them make connections with like minded individuals.

“PSA has allowed me to gain experience as a leader and allowed me, due to the many changes within the academy, to learn how to deal with change in a healthy, productive way,” se-nior PSA president Sarah Rob-inson said.

It is also a milestone in the Academy program that is bit-tersweet for all. Four years of working together have created close bonds between both stu-dents and teachers.

“Because I’ve been with them since they were freshmen, it’s pret-ty emotional,” Causs-ey said. “I am really proud of all of them. It’s been fun and re-warding for me as a teacher to watch them grow from people who are shy and not necessar-ily confident into the con-fident young

men and women that they are now.”

Likewise for students, this seems to be the case.

“I’m an emotional person so it’s bittersweet that I’m the first class to start it and I’m leav-ing soon, but it’s also pretty awe-some that I’ve had the opportu-nity to blaze a path and make my education to what I want it to be,” senior EMAC president Mark Slette said.

Making your education into what you want it to be is a common t h r e a d

t h a t runs

EMAC, PSA seniors graduate as first academy classthrough the Academies. Because it is such a small community of students and faculty, it has al-lowed seniors to be more daring and flexible in their learning.

“It’s that small learning community atmosphere,” STEM Academy Coordinator Mike Yakubovsky said. “It gives them the chance to be more daring, to try new things. It gives them a chance to experiment a little bit because there’s that little bit of

safety.”As a result,

working for four years in the same field has given them more preparation

for the future. Be-cause of this,

S T E M has re-

c e ive d $ 1 . 2 m i l -lion in schol-a r -s h i p s f o r t h e entire senior

c l a s s ,

which makes for $45,000 per graduate. It is among the many things that have been accom-plished by Academy seniors this year.

“Anything that we throw at them, they’re willing to do,” Caussey said. “The Academies have changed greatly, from the time that they first started and what they signed up for is not what the Academies are now, but they have been willing to do whatever it takes to continue to be a part of the community and to build the community.”

As for the second genera-tion, there will be large shoes to fill once the senior class is gone. Now that the trial period has ended, it has given them a path to follow.

With their last hurrah, Academy seniors will be walk-ing away with the first legacy for years to come.

“Some of them were short-er than we are and now they’re towering over us in their height, alone,” EMAC leader Irma Ken-nedy said. “Their intelligence has increased, their wisdom, they are much more skilled and knowledgeable in media, so I’m just really proud of them.”

Senior Academy presidents Sarah Robinson (PSA), Clayton Howeth (STEM) and Mark Slette (EMAC) all look forward to the colleges they will be attending. Photo by Regan Sullivan.

Playing the same instrument for sev-en years never tired senior Alisha Pun-jwani. She has been playing oboe since sixth grade, even though it was not her first choice of instrument.

Before trying out for oboe, Punjwani attempted the flute, but could not play a sound. Playing the flute seemed so small and compact, which attracted Punjwani, but her inability to play forced her to try something else.

“[Coppell Middle School North band instructor Joel Ashbrook] took over and asked me to blow on a reed which released a good sound,” Punjwani said. “At that point, a double reed instrument was a yes.”

At the beginning of sixth grade, band students learn how to read music and finger their instrument, but for Punjwani, these skills were second nature since she started piano at 5 years old with the inspiration of her mother.

“When my mom lived in Pakistan, she would go to restaurants and there would always be a pia-no player, and she really loved the piano player, so she promised herself that she would make her children learn to play the piano,” Punjwani said.

Punjwani’s mother, Shahnila Pun-jwani, is very supportive and proud of her daughter.

“When Alisha decided to play oboe, knowing Alisha’s willpower and confi-dence, I was sure she would do her best and go far to achieve a musical career,” Mrs. Punjwani said.

With playing the oboe, Alisha has won many awards and achieved many ac-complishments.

“Junior year, I made all-state orchestra, making second chair on English horn, which was my big-gest accomplishment,” Alisha said. “I also got outstanding soloist at the state solo and ensemble con-test that year for English horn.”

Even with the amount of dedication Alisha puts into music, her academ-ics still take precedent. Many students believe band students have difficulty balancing academics and their instrument, but Ali-sha thinks different-ly.

“There is only time to fit two things in your schedule, but you have to do three things,” Alisha said. “For me, it’s academics,

While the class of 2014 at Coppell High School is becoming anxious for their college journeys all over the United States, one student in particular is ready for her adventure in London.

Senior Kimberley Schantz will be at-tending University of the Arts London in the fall.

“I have always been interested in trav-eling so what better way than studying at a four year college in Europe,” Schantz said. “In London, there is the possibility I make a future and it is so close to many other op-portunities.”

London has not always been at the top of the list for Schantz, art has.

“I did not take art seriously until I started high school,” Schantz said. “I real-ized that I could make art a serious part of my life and it was something more than just a hobby.”

Some parents worry about their chil-dren going so far away, but with the benefit of her mom being a flight attendant, Kim-berley and her mom are not worried.

“I hope Kimberley gains all the knowledge she needs for her passion in the arts and to continually grow,” mother Jeannie Schantz said. “I want her to take advantage of being able to travel and that she will also focus on learning about other cultures.”

fine arts 15

Schantz plans to come home during her winter and summer break, but also hopes to visit Poland or France during her spring break.

Becoming accustomed to the food and time change is something Schantz had to take into consideration, but decided that attending University of the Arts London was too big of an opportunity to pass up.

“I really did take into consideration that there is no language barrier there and how much I will miss southern food like Canes and Babes,” Kimberley said. “Of course I will miss my mom, dad and other friends and family as well.”

While Schantz is excited yet anxious to begin her journey in London, her moth-er is looking forward to sending her on her way.

“I was so excited when I found out she got in because my desire is to have her excel in her talents,” Ms. Schantz said. “I really am going to miss telling her to clean her room and doing spur of the moment things like shopping.”

With her decision made and the readiness to leave for London, Schantz is finishing up her CHS career and packing her bags.

“Everyone should look into this op-portunity because there is so much the world has to offer and we need to take ad-vantage of it,” Kimberley said. “If you have the opportunity, take it. There is so much we can all learn from each other.”

S H A N N O N W I L K I N S O Np h o t o g r a p h e r

music and sleep.”This has not distracted Alisha from

her academics, as she is ranked 10th in her class. To guide her, Alisha has had major help from her private lesson teacher, Sally Bohls.

“I have learned so much under Mrs. Bohls. She has never made it stressful for me, which is why many of her other stu-dents never quit playing oboe,” Alisha said. “I never had a reason to quit with her.”

Bohls taught Alisha since sixth grade. “She tended to be a scattered girl

when she was in sixth grade, like others,” Bohls said. “But when Alisha got to sev-enth grade, some switch turned on for her. Suddenly everything made sense for her.”

Bohls’ guidance and Alisha’s aca-demic drive led her to her dream school, Northwestern University in Chicago.

“At Northwestern, I’m going to be studying under two professors and obo-

ists under the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and a professor who

plays in the Chicago Lyric Or-chestra,” Alisha said.

Alisha’s satisfaction with her acceptance to Northwestern Universi-ty could not be contained.

Bohls was the second per-son Alisha called after Mrs.

Punjwani. “I am sure she will have best

experiences in Northwestern Universi-ty, and a bright future ahead of her,” Mrs. Punjwani said.

At Northwestern, Alisha is planning to double major in biology and music and is still unsure of which career path she wants to pursue.

“Whatever I end up doing, it will still be dependent on the other,” Alisha said.

“My chances of getting into medical school or music school will be in-

terdependent.”Alisha is not only looking

forward to the wonderful teach-ings from her professors, but also the different people that she will

meet in Chicago, which does not seem to surprise her mother, ei-

ther.“I am not scared

at all for her,” Mrs. Punjwani said. “I am really confident about her bright ca-reer and I know she will always strive for

her best future.”In addition to

interning at a gynecol-ogy clinic this summer,

Alisha hopes to make reeds and learn more about the oboe.

“I can’t imagine myself quitting it,” Alisha said. “Music is a part of my future.”

P R A N A T H I C H I T T As t a f f w r i t e r

Senior Kimberley Schantz works on a jewlery art project in Tamera Westervelt’s AP 3-D design class. Schantz will be attending University of the Arts London in the fall. Photo by Shannon Wilkinson.

Punjwani plays her way to Northwestern to pursue oboe

Schantz pictures future at University of the Arts London

Photo by Shannon Wilkinson

Senior Alisha Punjwani will continue playing oboe at Northwestern Uni-versity in Chicago in the fall. Punjwani began playing instruments at the age of 5. Photo by Shannon Wilkinson.

“Music is a part of my future”

- Alisha Punjwani, senior

H E N R I I K K A N I E M Is t a f f w r i t e r

16 career

Starting July 1, senior Danny Bush will begin a six week long boot camp to prepare for his first year at the United States Naval Academy in An-napolis, Md.

“I wanted to serve, and when I did the research, the best way to do that was to be an officer,” Bush said. “ I got interested as a freshman when I met a senior midshipman at an information session. That was when I first learned what the Academy was and after that, I was hooked.”

For the first year, students take both general courses and others over Naval history and leadership. Furthermore, stu-dents are required to partici-pate in athletics. Bush plans to play tennis and build on his ex-perience from the high school team.

“I’ve had a plaque by my sink ever since he was young that says ‘Prepare the child for the path, not the path for the child.’ I have believed that, but I am really needing to live it these days,” Danny’s mother Linda Bush said. “I am hap-py to know that his dream has come true, that he will get an excellent education, meet many wonderful people and be able to fly and travel the world.”

Bush intends to major in aerospace engineering, and hopes to be selected for naval aviation after graduation.

Senior Rosemary Brinegar will attend the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, R.I. from August through May, which will feed directly into the Naval Academy the following year.

The prep school primarily aids students with academics to ensure they are not struggling during their four years at the Academy, which is among the most academically challenging colleges in the nation.

“Rosemary has always en-joyed being active and involved- initially in athletics and later in many areas at school,” mother Christina Brinegar said. “The physical demands of the service academies would be a negative to many potential applicants, but I think she finds that appeal-ing. Her father and I are very proud of her decision to serve our country through Naval ser-vice.”

During a family college tour last March, Brinegar visited the Air Force Academy and lat-er attended the service academy forum at Coppell High School, eventually applying to both academies. She grew to prefer the Naval Academy after visiting the campus last fall.

“The Academy is very structured and I’m definitely that kind of person,” Brinegar said. “During the summer, you try all these different things within the Navy to see what you want to do. It’s a place to chal-lenge you and make you grow as a leader.”

S H I V A N I B U R R Ae m e rg i n g m e d i a m a n a g e r

Discipline and training awaits the three 2014 Cop-pell High School seniors going into the Air Force Academy and continuing their education while learning the skills neces-sary to serve their country.

“It is huge to give back to the country that has given me so much,” senior Nick Hruby said. “To serve my country while re-ceiving one of the greatest ed-ucations in the world, along with playing the sport I love [lacrosse].”

Even though Hruby is go-ing to the Air Force for lacrosse, his foundation of discipline and training can be credited in part to former CHS football coach Joe McBride.

“Coach McBride did a great job in training and teach-ing us that you can give a little more even when you are tired,” Hruby said. “A lot of the Air Force is breaking you down and building you back up, and playing football and lacrosse at Coppell has taught me to allow myself to be broken down so that I can build myself back up.”

The academic rigor at the Air Force Academy is thought to be one of the toughest in the nation and is not something one can jump into without any experience and prior training.

International Baccalau-reate seniors Luke Farrell and Terrence Yi are also joining the Air Force Academy. The expe-

rience of being in a rigorous academic program such as IB will be beneficial with to them as they head to college.

“It is hard to say how well I will do there because every-thing is based on how your grades are so what you do is based on well you do,” Farrell said. “Taking a rigorous course in high school, like IB has definitely helped me learn the skill needed to succeed [at Air Force].”

Farrell has not only pre-pared himself for the academic rigor but the training that will be prominent throughout his first year.

“I have prepared myself by working hard in school, and making sure that I can cope with the academic rigors at the service academy,” Farrell said. “Along with practicing the functional movements for basic training and getting into shape to face the challenges ahead of me.”

Everyone who enters a military academy has to have a physical exam done by their high school coach which in-cludes pullups, situps, crunches and a mile all within a certain perimeter in order to pass.

Head tennis coach Rich Foster has two athletes going into a military academy and sees certain qualities in Farrell that will make him successful.

“Luke knew at the begin-ning of the year he was not go-ing to be in the playing line up but he did not let that get him

M I L I T A R Y A C A D E M I E SGraduating students seize opportunity to join fighting forces

M I L I T A R Y A C A D E M I E S

down,” Foster said. “Persever-ance is something you have to have in the academy, you can not give up simply because you did not get the position you wanted.”

Hruby plans to use the de-gree he receives at the academy to help him do what he loves af-ter graduating.

“Air Force is a job, so right after my four years of college, I will have a job and a good start-ing salary,” Hruby said. “I am looking into aviation because there is a huge job opportuni-ty in pilots. I think it would be such a fun and amazing thing to be flying a plane everyday.”

He was not always ada-mant on pursuing an education and training from the Air Force.

“My dad always said he saw me being in this regiment style since I was a kid and he re-ally thought the air force would be a good fit for me,” Ye said. “At first I was going against it be-cause there is a lot of duty while you are over there, but then I realized I get out of those really hard four years I am going to be the best version of myself.”

The Air Force Academy has an huge impact on the stu-dents that enter the program; shaping their character and de-veloping their work ethic and skills.

“I am looking forward to being shaped by the Air Force Academy and see what I turn out like after the next four years,” Hruby said.

Danny Bush Nick Hruby Luke FarrellTerrence YiRosemary Brinegar

Dream job? Dream location? Favorite movie? Favorite band? Favorite T.V. show?

Navy Air Force

Fighter pilot for the U.S. Navy

Favorite band?Phoenix

GreeceFavorite movie?Hunger Games Triology

Weezer

Dream job?Engineer for Google

“Game of Thrones”Dream location?

Bora BoraFavorite band?

Grouplove

Favorite T.V. show?“Breaking Bad”

Dream vacation?A trip to Europe

Favorite music?Country

Friday Night LightsDream location?

Bora BoraFavorite sport?

Lacrosse Graphics by Jordan Bickham

senior sports 17

Cowboys, Cowgirls joining college ranks

Major: Electrical engineeringSports played: soccer, baseball, swimming, football, basketball, trackHobby: Hiking at Grapevine LakeInteresting fact: Has three sisters, all of whom are Coppell High School gradsQuote: “Carpe diem” - my mom

Major: Pre-physical therapySports played: Volleyball, basketball, soccer, track, danceHobby: Hanging out with friendsInteresting fact: She danced for 10 yearsQuote: “If you forget where you came from, it becomes difficult to see where you need to go.” - Ruth Nelson

Major: Pre-physical therapySports played: Softball, gymnastics, soccer, volleyball, track, basketballHobby: Rock climbing and swimmingInteresting fact: Favorite food is parsleyQuote: Various Bible verses

Major: MeteorologySports played: Baseball, football, basketball, soccerHobby: FishingInteresting fact: Loves weather Quote: “To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.” - Steve Prefontaine

John Herubin Yale University

Carson Vickroy University of Kansas

Erika Zimmer Missouri State University

CHS Senior Commits Chris Adkins - Southern Illinois University

Adam Centers - Wake Forest UniversityKevin Gray - Southeastern Oklahoma UniversityJohn Herubin- Yale UniversityBlake Mahon - Baylor UniversityCollins Okotcha - Sam Houston State UniversityTroy Parker - Southeastern Oklahoma UniversitySolomon Thomas - Stanford UniversityElliott Tostrud - Rhodes CollegeBill Weber - University of ToledoStone Ormand- Hardin Simmons

BaseballDrew Hanson - Abilene Christian UniversityCal Hernandez - Dallas Baptist UniversityQuinn Moser - Ouachita Baptist University

Landon Goesling - Consider-ing University of Oklahoma, University of Houston, Abilene Christian, UC Davis, Sacremento State, Loyola Marymount, Appalachian State, Tarleton StateSimi Socks - Prep Year (Bridgton Academy in Maine or The Hun School of Princeton (N.J.)*The basketball signing period ends May 21, which was after press time.

Boys SoccerChris Madden - Trinity University Kellen Reid - Trinity UniversityFrank Smith - University of Incarnate Word

Girls SoccerRiley Spudic - Centenary College

Track/Cross CountryCarson Vickroy- University of KansasGeorge Fairchild - Trinity University

GolfTaylor Icenberger - Texas Wesleyan UniversityHannah Jiao - Texas A&M International

SoftballErika Zimmer- Missouri State University

VolleyballKate Dicken - University of North TexasMary-Kate Marshall- Oregon State UniversityAlex Silver - Texas State UniversitySarah Peterson - Newman UniversityAli Kennedy - Austin College

WrestlingCara Romeike – Oklahoma City UniversityRoger Moe – Williams Baptist University

By sports editor John Loop SignedF o o t b a l l

V o l l e y b a l l

T r a c k & X C

S o f t b a l l

Bryan Berens - Grand View University

Boys Basketball Football

Mary-Kate Marshall Oregon State University

Graphics by Julia Bordonaro

entertainment 19

Just like many of the clubs and programs at Coppell High School, the theater program will surely be shedding some tears at the end of the year when they let go of their beloved seniors, many of whom have been up on the CHS stages since their first day of freshman year.

“I knew I wanted to be an actress someday, so I decided that next year I

was going to take a year off and try au-ditioning professionally,” senior Kristen West said. “If I’m able to find work and enjoy being a working actress then I will probably keep doing that because that is my dream.”

For many students who actively participated in theater throughout high school, acting for a living is a dream come true. For others, CHS theater has prepared them for the behind-the-scenes of showbiz.

“For college I am going the tech-nical route because I want to do sound recording and technology,” senior Saige Holst said. “I want to move to [Los An-geles] and work behind the scenes, but I still plan on auditioning for Community Theater. I have many big plans.”

While many theater students plan on continuing to work in the acting in-dustry, there are also some students who are leaving their memories of theater behind and taking on a different career path.

“I am going to the University of Texas at Austin into the College of Natu-ral Sciences to become a doctor,” senior Travis Chin said. “I love theater and I’m definitely going to continue doing com-munity theater, but I don’t feel like I

When it comes to talent, the city of Coppell has plenty of it. Local artists, dancers, vocalists and musicians will be gathering at Town City Plaza in Coppell to show off their artistic talents May 24 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

This free event will have a variety of events occurring while artists show-case their work. There will be food and drinks, beach volleyball, fiber art, Zum-ba, jugglers, raffles, sidewalk chalk and a cakewalk.

“We are hoping the artists there will bring art they have created to sell, and musicians the music they have pro-duced,” Coppell High School IB eco-nomics teacher Donnette Alexander.

Alexander is excited about the live artwork featured at the festival. Artists will create paintings and sculptures right in front of a live audience, showing viewers what it takes to create master-pieces.

There will be student run clubs from Coppell High School at the festival collecting money to be donated to two non-profit organizations of their choice.

“Kiva, the micro financing club here at CHS, is designed to help people in developing countries start businesses. They loan money to people, then later on they pay off these loans. We hope by doing this, it will raise their standard of living,” Alexander said.

I Dare To B, is the other CHS club attending the festival. The group exists in order to make IB student relation-ships better because not all students connect easily when in the IB program.

“IB students will be attending the festival in order to bring creativity and service to the communi-ty. By doing this we will earn CAS (creativi-ty, action and ser-vice) hours, to get credit as IB students. All IB students must earn CAS hours by partic-ipating in p r o j e c t s

20 entertainment

Sixteen seniors will graduate from Lisa Tabor’s theater program. Many of the students will continue theater after high school. Photo courtesy Lisa Tabor.

that encompass creativity and service,” I Dare To B president Amir Javeri said.

Designed by junior Sagar Ramesh, T-shirts will be sold at stands around festival grounds.

“The T-shirt design incorporates significant icons of both art and music. For example, the word ‘Art’ in the logo is composed of artistic utensils,” Ramesh said. “When closely examined, there is a pencil and a paintbrush that creates the ‘A’ in ‘Art’. For the word ‘Music’, there is a similar incorporation of musical ele-ments; the ‘M’ is made of an eighth note and a treble clef replaces the ‘s’.”

Preparing for this festival was not a walk in the park.

“Recently we got the news that the person who was supposed to run the sound system will be out of town for a wedding so we have to find a new person to run that. We have also been frantical-ly looking for more art because not as many people are participating as hoped. We also still have to order T-shirts and distribute them,” Alexander said.

As the festival approaches go-time, Alexander and students begin to prepare for the big day.

“Right now we are checking with each other what needs to be done and setting up a work schedule for the 130 students helping out. We are beginning to communicate with vendors and go-ing all out with advertising. We are also coordinating trucks to carry tables and seating for the festival,” Alexander said.

The festival will be a big affair for art and music lovers. All attendees of the festival will be greatly appreciated for showing their support of local musicians and artists.

S L O A N E S A M B E R S O N

s t a f f w r i t e r

Kiva to host first ever art, music festival at City Plaza

Long-lasting bonds, friendships formed from CHS Theater

S H R U T H I K A P O C H A M P A L L Y

s t a f f w r i t e rcould deal with the competitiveness [of professional theater]. I don’t feel like I’d be good enough.”

Lisa Tabor, head of the theater de-partment at Coppell High School, ac-credits the senior showcase, and most student theater showcases to the stu-dents themselves.

“Personally, it’s not work for me,” Tabor said. “I nudge them along the ways as to what they’re doing. It’s main-ly all them.”

The annual Senior Showcase is one

of the most important productions for senior theater students, as they are al-lowed the chance to produce their own one-man acts. Seniors began preparing their acts from the beginning of the year, during their fourth period class-es, and finally had the chance to display their acts to the audiences in April.

Regardless of what school or what career these students choose, they all admit that theater is what they will miss most about high school. The CHS the-ater department’s tight-knit bonds are what make the program so enjoyable for every student involved.

“I know once I walk out that door after my last line in that last show, I am going to turn around and think back to freshman year when I first entered that stage,” senior Roberto Williams said. “Before then I was kind of drifting around and now I’ve come into some-thing where I feel like I belong. Everyone is so accepting; you don’t have to put on a mask. Everybody knows you who are, everybody wants to be your friend.”

With the senior showcase wrapped up and graduation within three weeks, many senior members of CHS theater have been reflecting on the past four years of their acting.

Graphic courtesy Sagar Ramesh

sports 21

M A B R Y C U L P b u s i n e s s m a n a g e r

22 sports

Ultimate team throws in second state championship

All District Boys 3Track

Jr.-Marcus Mitchell Sr.-Troy Parker Jr.-Bo Anderson So.-Colin Echols Jr.-Esere Nesiama Sr.-Chibu Osuji Jr.-Charles West Jr.-Jacob Murray Jr.-Matthew Difrancesco Fr.-Zach Dicken Jr.-Alex Abalos

All District Wrestling Boys and Girls

Girls: Jr.-Anna Woo Sr.-Charlotte Lee Sr.-Cara Romeike Jr.- Heli Dave Sr.-Erika Lozano Sr.-Anna Novosadova Sr.-Leisa Hernandez So.-Koa Moe Boys: Jr.-Krystain Gonzalez Jr.-Jesse McPherson Jr.-Greg Ludden Jr.-David Murillo

Sr.-Jake Braem Sr.-Matt Olson Sr.-Geoff Yut Sr.-Elliot Tostrud Sr.-Roger Moe

All District Girls Track Jr.-Andrea Abel Jr.-Sierra Andres So.-Claire Barden Jr.-Grace Barden Jr.-Bailey Bedichek Sr.-Rosemary Brinegar So.-Selase Buatsi Fr.-Lauren Cunning-ham Sr.-Alex Fuselier So.-Sydney Gainer Jr.-Rachel Johnson Jr.-Paola Lozano So.-Marian McRae Sr.-Anna Novosadova Jr.-Adaiwu Nwaiwu Jr.-Kylie Pickrell

All District First and Second Team Boys Soccer

Sr.-Justin Todd Jr.-Austin Michaelis Jr.-Roberto Arguello

Sr.-Nick Price Sr.-Jack Burns Jr.-Drew Brinda Sr.-Corey Oesch Jr.-Ryan Brinda Jr.-Jackson Toney So.- Eric Beneson

All-District Teams Jr.-Grace Vowell Jr.-Cami Studebaker Sr.-Jackie Nichols So.-Kristen Racz Jr.-Madeline Guderian So.-Shay Johnson So.-Emma Jett Jr.-McKenna DeLong Jr.-Rachel Johnson Sr.-Riley Spudic

1st Team All State Fr.-Sarah Houchin

2nd Team All-State Jr.-Sarah King

Here is an example of a caption. The font should be avenir black. Photos by Mark Slette.

2014 Spring All-District Honors

Junior Chris Sheldon and senior Abishek Ramani em brace in excitment after winning the 2014 Ultimate Frisbee State Championship. Photo by Nicole Messer.

As Coppell High School’s Ultimate Frisbee team players rushed the field this past week-end, all that was distinguishable amongst the shouts of joy was the unified chant “I believe that we have won”. That win was the second consecutive state champi-onship title.

At the beginning of the sea-son in March, CHS coach Jared Stansel’s expectations were low. Losing key players from last year’s team to graduation, the team had its work cut out for them, but re-sponded to the challenge with an impressive undefeated season re-cord.

“It’s amazing that we went undefeated,” Stansel said. “The competition was much higher this season, so I didn’t have that guarantee [win] like we did last year.”

The USA Ultimate State Tournament took place in Waco on May 9-10 where Coppell en-tered as the No. 1 overall seed.

Coppell defeated Richardson Pearce, 11-8, and Kingwood, 12-11, before defeating Highland Park, 12-11, in the championship game.

After two hours of intense lead changes, the game ended up tied 9-9. The teams were now playing “ultimate point” or sud-den death as time expired. CHS junior Chris Sheldon chunked the disc toward the end zone where senior Clayton Howeth laid out and caught it for the win.

“That was the most surreal moment, watching [Howeth] fall to the ground with the disc,” se-nior captain Connor Savard said. “It was the most relieving feeling to know we just claimed the title for the second year in a row.”

Stansel credits the Coppell defense for his team’s second con-secutive state championship.

“It was our defense that re-ally helped us win,” Stansel said. “We had five or six defensive schemes versus the one or two we had last year, making us more dimensional and I think that con-fused a lot more offenses through-

out the year.” Although the defensive

schemes shut out opponents, Coppell’s ability to handle the disc up the field in a manor that was relaxed, yet affective, helped them to score consistently.

“We always shout ‘chili’ to each other, which means chill out,” senior captain Daniel Gray said. “When we stress out on the field and panic, we make mis-takes, but we all just tried to relax so we could make smarter deci-sions with the disc instead of im-pulsive errors.”

The players have developed this year not just in the sport, but their character as well.

“It’s amazing not only to watch them become better ul-timate players, but seeing them incorporate the lessons they learn [from ultimate] into their every-day lives,” Stansel said. “They want to do well, not because peo-ple are watching, but because they are motivating themselves. That’s what I want to instill [in the play-ers], an intrinsic desire to be suc-cessful.”

Senior Justin Todd

Senior Justin Todd

Seniors Justin Todd and Jack Burns

Senior Jack Burns Senior Jack Burns

Photos by Mark Slette

S H A N N O N M O R G A N s t a f f w r i t e r

sports 23

Most seniors who are going to college for sports are choosing to go the conventional route of a four year university, but there are some going on a different path.

Among them is Coppell High School senior forward Simi Socks, who has decided to play basketball at a preparatory school before attending a college.

“I’m choosing to go to a preparatory school for one year to mature as a player and get my recruiting level up,” Socks said.

Socks has not made a de-cision on which school he is at-tending yet, but he has narrowed it down to two choices: Bridgton Academy in Maine and The Hun School of Princeton in New Jer-sey.

“The deciding factor [in choosing a school] will probably be where I’ll get the most expo-sure to other colleges,” Socks said.

Both of these schools are considered preparatory, with a minor difference. The Hun School of Princeton is only post-graduate, which means only high school graduates are allowed to attend. While Bridgton Academy is a post-grad school, it is a high

school as well. “Those are the best schools

that I’ve heard about from coach-es that have recruited me, and coaches that wanted me to go to their schools,” Socks said.

When a post-grad goes to a preparatory school, it is usually to continue their education in ei-ther academics sports, or in some cases, both. Socks will be going for basketball, where he hopes to spend a year growing as a player and advancing in his skills.

“It excites me. I think it’s a decision that will help him meet his goals,” Coppell boys basket-ball coach Kit Pehl said. “His goal is to be a division one basketball player, and [prep] will help him meet them. It will get him where he wants to go.”

Socks also wants to be-come more mature academically and athletically, and he believes spending a year at a prep school rather than a college will provide him what he needs to achieve this goal.

“With a prep scenario you have the opportunity to get stron-ger and work on your game, al-most exclusively,” Pehl said. “Typ-ically if you’re already a qualified athlete you, academically, are only doing SAT and ACT prep.

So it really lets you concentrate on your game, and it will just give him a year to mature physically and that’s obviously a bonus for him. And [Socks] will not lose a year of eligibility, so it’s a win-win.”

Senior Landon Goesling, who has played alongside Socks for two years on varsity, thinks a prep school for Socks is a good choice.

“The prep route will give [Socks] a year to adapt to the col-lege level,” Goesling said. “Wher-ever he decides to go I know he’ll do great because of his dedication and hard work, and I’m happy for him. Hopefully being there for one year will open up bigger opportunities, which I know he’s going for.”

While Bridgeton and The Hun School both have their pros and cons, in the end Socks will decide which school he believes is best for him, and which school will lay out his future the way he wants it.

“My coach supports my de-cision [to go to a prep school]. He wants whatever I feel com-fortable with, and he’s always got my back,” Socks said. “My parents just want me to be happy, and will support me in whatever I do.”

Socks electing to take skills to preparatory school

As a senior attempting to gain acceptance into a good college with the intentions of a sport, the competition can rattle the brains of even the toughest champions. Three senior boys have braved through the hard challenges for the ultimate payoff of getting to play their sport at the school of their choice.

Senior soccer players Kellen Reid and Chris Madden will be heading to Trinity University in San Antonio to add to their soc-cer team. Reid and Madden have won three district championships, two regional championships, won a state championship and followed it up with another state final ap-pearance this year. They were giv-en the option of large schools, but they ended up picking Trinity for its championship-winning soccer record.

Varsity soccer coach Chad Rakestraw is happy to be seeing them attend such a academically and athletically renowned school, but is not shocked in the least.

“What sets them apart from most top players is their charac-ter; they are great leaders for their team, school and community. Their friendship is great, they have

played together for a really long time and that is huge for chemistry on the field,” Rakestraw said. “They are getting a combo of two of the best players in the state of Texas, and they will be great for Trinity. They will really enjoy the experi-ence, and having each other to lean on will be greatly beneficial.”

Reid plans on focusing on academics, possibly majoring in business. He still maintains soccer is something he wants to play for as long as possible because he has grown comfortable with commit-ment and hardwork.

“Talking to some older play-ers that I’ve played with and some of the players at Trinity told me how much they enjoyed it. Soccer has been a large part of my life and I wanted to continue playing in college,” Reid said. “Playing both club and high school demands a lot of practices and games, just as the college level does. Playing both of these at the same time contrib-uted to my preparation and I’m excited to still play with Chris be-cause we’ve been playing together for 10 years.”

Senior George Fairchild will be enduring those physical pres-sures, but as a part of the cross country team.

“I’m excited for college be-cause Trinity is so great academ-

ically and athletically, I will be improving as an athlete,” Fair-child said. “With all of the intense workouts and no nonsense policy for cross country at CHS, I know that I will be able to adapt with the speed of Trinity.”

Cross country coach Rox-anne Farris agrees Fairchild will be a hit at Trinity due to it being a small school that is still compet-itive, but maintains that he will have to fight to stay there.

“George is so purpose driv-en, that with work ethic that is in-stilled in him he won’t take a day off because he knows what his goal is,” Farris said. “If you’re going to run at college, you have to stay fo-cused otherwise you might not get asked back, but I think if he’s seri-ous it is absolutely achievable.”

Although the workload can be stressful, Fairchild knows what is expected of him.

“I’m not just going to let this opportunity fly past me. Being an athlete, you have a lot more resting on your shoulders,” Fairchild said. “But I am ready for the responsi-bility because I am not going to be average.”

With the big opportunity in front of these CHS students, there are no plans to misrepresent their beloved school.

Trinity University welcomes three CHS athletes

Senior Simi Socks played forward for the Coppell Cowboys during the 2013-14 season. Photos by Sandy Iyer and Alyssa Frost.

Seniors George Fairchild (top left), Kellen Reid (top right)and Chris Madden (bottom) will attend Trinity University and join their athletics department.

Photo by Elizabeth Sims Photo by Shannon Wilkinson

Photo by Sandy Iyer

A L E X D A L T O N s t a f f w r i t e r

The Sidekick is proud to recognize this year’s retiring teach-ers and administrators as the May Teacher of the Issue. As of May 14,assistant principal Sherri Hankins, art teacher Moni-ca Winters and chemistry teacher Bob White have all an-nounced their retirement. These teachers have transformed education at the high school and have touched the lives of many students who have attended CHS. Though their ca-reers at CHS are coming to an end, the legacy they are leav-ing will stay at CHS forever. Thank you retiring teachers for all that you have done to impact students over the years.

24 the sidekick

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