Disney dream comes true

March 2010
Disney dream comes true
Becca Obudulu
Features Editor
anger.”
Hoping one day to attend the Savannah School of Art and Design to specialize in graphic design and visual arts,
Charles plans to utilize the advantages
of working with the Disney Dreamer’s
Academy as well as professionals in her
fields of interest. The Disney Dreamer’s
Academy, sponsored by American actor, comedian, entertainer, and radio
personality Steve Harvey, is a program
designed to reach out to and inspire children all over the world who are striving
to achieve their dreams.
“It teaches them to never give up,”
Charles said.
Charles, along with Satterwhite, attended the all-expense-paid invite to Disney World Orlando, Florida on Feb.11.
Once there, Charles and the other winners were greeted by eager paparazzis
and the entire cast of the Steve Harvey
Morning Show, where they got the celeb
treatment.
Steve Harvey himself attended to the
winners with motivational speeches and
inspirational advice.
“He kept telling us to never give up,”
Charles said. “He told us nothing worth
getting is ever easy. A lot
of us left the room crying
after his speech.”
The event was full of
many other prominent
figures, such as singers
Mary J. Blige and Ruben
Studdard, actresses Tia
and Tamera Mowry, actor
Kyle Massey, gospel music singer and radio show
host Yolanda Adams, and
several Disney “Imagineers,” or those who conCourtesy photo
tribute to the creative and
mechanic development of
A time to be mousy
the Disney theme parks.
Junior Cecily Charles and art teacher Vicky Satterwhite take
Beyond the Hollywood
a photo with Mickey Mouse during a banquet for Disney
Dreamers .
glam was the business
Junior and President of the Manvel
High School Art Club, Cecily Charles
was nominated for the Steve Harvey Disney Dreamer Award for African-American students by Art teacher Victoria Satterwhite. Out of 100 juniors and seniors
chosen in the U.S., Cecily became one
out of two students in the state of Texas
to take home the award.
“I was kind of numb,” Charles said.
“I didn’t feel much of anything at first.”
With much fever and enthusiasm,
Satterwhite mailed the news to various
members of the school board. Charles
was bestowed a celebratory certificate
honoring this significant achievement.
With pen and paper in hand, and
ambition in mind, Charles wrote an
essay narrating a story of overcoming
obstacles and telling of dreams that the
Disney Dreamers Academy could help
her reach.
“I wrote about my uncle, who was
murdered in my freshman year,” Charles
said. “I also wrote about living with my
older brother, who has ADD, Bipolar
Disorder, and Schizophrenia. I wrote
about how I had to live with him and his
AISD gets social
Joshua Drumming
Staff Writer
Technology seems to be spreading
its influence to corners that seemed the
most apprehensive to change, leaving
no doubt in anyone’s mind that modern
technology will penetrate all markets,
such as Alvin ISD’s information networks.
One such change has come to Alvin
ISD as it joins many companies, political
figures, organizations, and celebrities
on the infamous social networking sites
Twitter and Facebook.
“What prompted us is that we were
looking for ways to broaden our communication efforts and we noticed that
other districts were taking advantage of
Facebook and Twitter,” superintendent
Robby McGowan said. “The number of
people on Facebook we could communicate with was substantial and we could
inform them of what is happening. “
Some staff members are cautiously
supporting Alvin ISD’s transition to the
net.
“I think it’s great if it’s used to let
people know what’s going on in the
school and is not used inappropriatelynot used as a form for people to express
disreputable thoughts, such as bashing
the school district, students, or teams,”
English teacher Ellen Eby said.
Neither site, Facebook or Twitter,
was shown to be a place for inappropriate messages- most posts are fair and
honest.
“We have not had a problem,”
McGowan said. “For example, if we
were to go back to that snow day, we had
some comments that were supportive
and not supportive, but as long as they’re
appropriate we leave them on the page.
All of this is monitored at our public
information office,”
What are the benefits to online information updates, as opposed to convential
side of the event. Charles
was put to work and
networked with mentors
based on her fields of
interests.
“We went to skill drills,”
Charles said. “I definitely
got some great connections. It helped me obtain
mentors in each area
I’m interested in, and I
still keep in contact with
them.”
One of these contacts
is head designer for
Jordan Shoes, D’Wayne
Edwards.
“D’Wayne Edwards held
Courtesy photo
a shoe designing contest,”
Charles said. “He liked
Winter wonderland
my design so much that he
Junior Cecily Charles poses in front of Cinderella’s Castle,
gave me his contact number another memory she got courtesy of the program.
and planned to enroll me in
an elite design school for
“We got class rings,” Charles said.
elite students of his choice.”
“They had our names inscribed on them
Despite the seriousness behind the
as a surprise. A lot of parents were crynetworking and skill drills, Charles and
ing.”
Satterwhite followed the number one
With many courtesy-of-Disney
rule of Disney World: have fun.
memories to bundle up and take home,
“We went on Space Mountain, Tower
Charles was ready to re-enter her role as
of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster, etc,”
a devoted MHS student, sort of.
Charles said. “We explored places like
“Waking up early for school after parMagic Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood
tying all night in Disney was not fun,”
Studios.”
Charles said.
With the sight of children laughing
Charles joined ninety-nine other feland singing, and the sounds of Disney
low Disney Dreamers on their unifying
classics playing in every corner of the
mission to have fun, learn, explore, and
theme park, Cecily felt nothing but warm reach their goals in an environment
feelings for her experiences.
suited to their own personal dreams. Life
“I was amazed and really grateful to
holds lessons in all its corners and crevbe there,” she said.
ices, and the ones Charles obtained will
As the last moments of the four-day
be sure to help her develop as an artistievent came to a close, all the winners
cally creative and ambitious individual.
participated in a specially constructed,
“It inspired me to keep going towards
Disney-style “graduation,” where singer
my dream, no matter what,” Charles
Mary J. Blige gave a commemorative
said.
speech and surprise souvenirs for the
lucky group of Disney dreamers.
Follow school news
on Twitter and Facebook
means?
“The most immediate
time that it helped was
during the bond election,” McGowan said.
“We were able to give
a lot of information out
about the bond election
and that helped us get
a bigger turn-out than
we would have had otherwise. Another good
example was the snow
day we had. There were
questions as to whether
we would have school
that day, and Facebook
was one of the ways that
we were able to relay
that information.”
(Continued on page 2)
photo by: Joshua Drumming
Social networker
Senior Caesar Torres enjoys the benefits of Alvin ISD on Twitter.
Parents and students can now access these websites to learn
newest information regarding district schools.
Club News
TMI
March 2010
Majestics high kick FFA brings opportunity
Students judge to win scholarships
competition
Annie Mejias
Staff Writer
Jacey Hunt
Staff Writer
The Majestics
have danced at every
football game and
most of the basketball games. However, they continue
to work even when
they are not in view
of the student body.
After practicing
and performing at
pep rallies, there is
always something
else on their agenda:
competition.
“The Majestics are
great, and I have
seen them work hard
since the beginning of the year,”
sophomore Crystal
Graham said.
Congratulations
were given to the
officers of the Majestics when they came
home from Austin
with various awards.
They were awarded
Overall Technique,
Overall Precision,
Overall Presentation,
and Overall Choreography. The officers, the leaders of
the squad, received
the top honor of
Best in Class Officer
Line.
“After the last few
competitions, I was
surprised with this
one [Austin] and
very proud of myself,” dance officer
Hailey Teague said.
The competition that followed
was a success, after
the Majestics were
courtesy photo
The Majestics won various awards including:
Team Kick, Team Novelty, and Officer Kick.
awarded three first
place awards: Team
Kick, Team Novelty,
and Officer Kick.
They also earned
two second place
awards in Officer
Modern and Officer
Jazz, and received a
third award for Team
Pom. Solo finalist
Hailey Teague was
fifth overall out of
100 soloists.
“It was an extraordinary experience to dance with
the Majestics this
last time,” senior
Taylor Yoakum said.
“I wish all the girls
coming to the team
good luck. They will
have a lot of memories they will never
forget.”
The spring show
is an annual event,
which will be held
on April 24 at 7 PM
in the auditorium.
Tickets will be on
sale in April, for $5
pre-sale and $7 at the
door. The show will
be called “Majes-
tics Flirtin’ with the
50’s.”
“We’ve been
working a lot, and
it would be greatly
appreciated it if the
students would come
out to see us,” junior
Simone Duncan said.
Students who
might be interested
in the Majestics are
highly encouraged
by director Stacey
Grayson to try out
and join the success.
They welcome all
students who will
put in a lot of effort
for this upcoming
school year.
“Being a Majestic will be an
experience you will
remember for the
rest of your life,”
Grayson said. “Being
a Majestic takes hard
work and dedication,
but in return you
will gain sisterhood,
memories, and a
lifetime experience
of responsibility.”
our teacher makes it a blast,”
senior Daira Chavira said.
In dairy cattle judging, team
members judge dairy cattle on
physical characteristics and
analyze cows based on bloodline and herd record.
“On the way to competitions
I love to have fun with the
people on the team,” senior
Katy Sheffield said. “This is
the first year doing dairy judging, and we plan to do well
with our great Ag. teacher, Mr.
New, to teach us.”
In livestock judging, contestants have to judge beef cattle,
sheep, swine, and goats for
market values and pleasing
physical traits.
“Being on the livestock
judging team made my year,”
sophomore Alyssa Williams
said. “I loved the long bus rides
going to the competitions and
being with my friends. But
being the last to join the team,
I would have never been able
to catch up without Mr. New’s
help and support.”
In horse judging, members
have to observe, judge, and
rank the horses based on the
breed characteristics and body
build.
“We always have a blast
traveling to contests,” junior
Amanda Marian said. “I love
the competiveness of our team
and the memories we share
together.”
FFA is not just for farmers. It has more opportunities
for scholars than most people
know; for example, judging.
The FFA organization has
horse, poultry, floriculture,
dairy cattle, and livestock judging. The goal of these contests
is to win scholarships for judging in the different categories
of competition.
In order to be in judging,
students must be in FFA and
enrolled in an agriculture class.
“Judging teams are amazing,” head Ag. teacher Kim
New said. “Students love the
competitiveness involved and
the friendships that are made
with their teammates.”
In poultry,
contestants have
to judge production, processing, marketing
chickens and
turkeys, processed products,
and eggs.
“It’s so much
fun with the
people on your
team,” sophomore Leigh
Brown said.
“You learn so
much.”
In floriculture,
contestants have
to identify and
judge flowers,
house plants,
floral designs, and
photo by Annie Mejias
complete an exam that Making sure
tests their understandFFA members Crystal Blair, Jenny Lacy, and Gegorio Martinez determine the
quality of eggs by labeling them accordingly with AA, A, B, or loss. “Poultry is
ing of floral design.
amazing,” Gregorio Martinez said, “you learn so much with all the hands on
“I love it more than
activities.”
anything; it’s a ton of
fun to hang out and
study together; and
Continued from page 1: AISD goes social
One of the more controversial issues at
this school is the censorship on some computers; the district’s Facebook and Twitter
pages have fallen to these filters.
“They are blocked because Facebook
is primarily a social networking site,”
McGowan said. “We feel that they should
not be entered during school hours, because
we would like our students and staff to
focus on instruction as opposed to social
networking.”
The staff aren’t the only ones that like the
idea of having the district on social networking sites. Students do too, and they’re
a little bit more optimistic.
“I think it’s pretty cool,” freshman Rayne
Guerra said. “I think it’s good for more
people to know who we are.”
Some people have thought of potential
problems with this new source of communication.
“I have been asked before if it’s appropriate for educators and students to be
friends on Facebook and Twitter,” McGowan said. “I view the two as a virtual school
or family reunion and my question to
teachers is if they would invite one of their
students to their school or family reunion
and my guess is that their answer would
be no; because of this, I’m guessing that
they would follow these same guidelines on
Facebook.”
Despite opinions on the matter, Facebook
and Twitter and other social networking
sites are a part of the present. AISD is trying to learn to work with the ways of the
world.
page 2
News
TMI
March 2010
Pretty in pink: it’s prom prep time
Leticia Littleton
News Editor
Throughout the year
dances come and go, but
there’s one particular
dance all juniors and
seniors look forward to:
Prom.
Prom season is in, and
students are getting ready
for one of the most exciting nights of the year.
Dates, friends, and the
Moody Gardens are just
around the corner. Students may bring a friend
or date outside of MHS,
but they are required
to fill out information,
present an ID, and not be
older than 20 years.
“I’m extra excited about
prom; I absolutely cannot wait,” senior Jamie
Guidry said. “I hopefully
will be going to prom
with a boyfriend, but who
knows?”
Saturday, May 22 is
the big day and “Arabian
Paradise” is the theme.
Tickets are sold in escalating prices, available for
$35 in March and $45 in
April.
“I plan on purchasing
tickets sooner than later,”
senior Gage Nivers said.
“Yes, the price is important, but I’m weighing my
options.”
The prom includes both
junior and senior classes.
“I don’t think that
combining junior and
senior prom is a problem,
because it broadens the
selection,” senior Lee Roy
Smith said. “It adds a lot
to the night to get to see
everyone you know.”
There is expected to be
an array of food choices,
ranging from fresh fruit
to buffalo wings. Some
of those decided dishes
are vegetable trays, fresh
fruit, vegetable sushi,
fried shrimp, fried jalapeños, beef empanadas,
chicken fingers, egg
rolls, potato skins, and
strawberry shortcake.
“I plan to go out to eat
first with my friends,
then, after the prom,
head down to the beach
and spend time with everyone,” senior Mandy
Salazar said. “It’s going
to be the best prom ever
this year.”
Pictures are going to
be available in the lobby before the entrance
of the Expo. Room, a
bigger venue than last
years. After prom, there
will be a frosted glass
souvenir picture frame
for all the students who
attend.
“I will definitely be taking pictures,” junior Hailey Teague said. “Prom
is legendary, and I don’t
Photo by: Leticia Littleton
Looking for a princess dress
Senior Jaime Guidry buried in a bundle of prom dresses while
browsing for the right dress for her perfect night at Cynthia’s
Bridal in Pearland. She has many popular colors and styles to
choose from.
ever want to forget it, if it
all goes well.”
Prom is one of the only
nights people put their
egos aside and dance the
night away. The girls get
their nails, hair, and makeup done, while the boys
Long-needed rest and relaxation
Heather Pan
Design Editor
Spring is a long-honored
tradition of rest, relaxation, and freedom from
the cramped confines of
school. It is the embodiment of lost hours of sleep,
vacations, and fun, all tied
up with a shiny ribbon and
presented on a silver platter
with inlaid gold filigree.
Welcome to Spring Break.
Most students are
content to do nothing but
catch up on the many hours
of sleep that school had
leeched from them and
relax at home.
“I plan on playing
Dante’s Inferno and Bioshock II, and just hanging
out,” junior Kyle Dittman
said. “I’ll draw and maybe
do some workshops.”
Between preparations for
classes, teachers also intend
to enjoy their break.
“For Spring Break, I’m
going to be spending time
with my family and maybe
go fishing with my two
boys,” spanish teacher
Christina Partida said. “I’ll
probably be helping coach
Partida with the soccer
team.”
Some students have
plans to travel out-ofcountry for spring break,
including freshman Arthur
Thompson, who has been
traveling to Cancun, Mexico for the last four years.
“I go to the beach [at
Cancun],” Thompson said.
“I usually stay for three
days.”
Others are staying closer
to home, somewhat.
“I’m going to Santa
Volunteer over the break
Meals on Wheels Association of
America:
Help distribute food to those in need
through driving, meal preparation, and
much more.
website- mowaa.org
The Nature Conservancy
Volunteer your time to benefit nature.
website- nature.org
Big Brothers and Big Sisters
Match up with a little guy (or girl) in need
of support.
website- bbbs.org
Fe and Texas City for the
softball game,” sophomore
Madison Rice said. “We’re
just going for the game, but
Santa Fe and Texas City
are really big rivals because they ranked third and
fourth last year in district.
So yeah, we’re hoping that
we can beat them.”
Several students have
planned to volunteer over
their break. Junior Royce
Thomas plans to help out
at a nursing home with his
mother.
“I’d just help separate
medicines and bring trays
of food to the patients and
water,” Thomas said.
However, no matter
their plans, everyone in
the school intends to enjoy
their break.
dress up in suits and ties.
Everyone comes together
for an unforgettable night
of fun, and for the seniors,
it’s one of the last times
as a class that they can
celebrate together.
“I do a lot to get ready
for prom, like nails, hair,
shopping for the right
jewelry and shoes, oh,
and a tan,” senior Ashley
Urias said. “Senior prom
is a very important night,
and you have to look your
best.”
For most students to
get the full effect, renting
rooms at Moody Gardens
or getting a group of
people to all pitch in for a
beach house on the coast
of Galveston would be an
ideal night.
Wells said to remind
all girls to not show up
in dresses that show any
stomach skin. Students
who aren’t in appropriate attire will be asked to
leave.
Playing like the boys
Amy Ham
Entertainment Editor
The second annual
Powder Puff game
will be held March 25
on the MHS football
field to raise money
for senior class activities.
“Powder Puff games
are a tradition that
most high schools
have and that Alvin
ISD has had for a
long time,” sponsor
Barbara Wells said.
It is the classic rivalry between juniors
and seniors and the
twist of having the
genders switch roles
that causes so much
excitement.
“It’s fun to let the
girls believe they can
play football,” senior
and coach Cameron
Schlegel said.
In the ‘powder puff
tradition’, the boys
take the role of the
cheerleaders and the
girls play a game of
flag football.
“I have a shoutout
for the juniors,” senior
Arianna Ramirez
said. “Y’all are going
down.”
According to several
players, the list of star
players for the seniors
include Lindsey Reed,
Tori Moore, and Ann
Manio.
“I signed up for
Powder Puff because
it’s fun,” player Tori
Moore said. “We are
going to win and it’s
fun to think we can
play football.”
On the other side,
the juniors are excited
to have Morgan Johnson on the team.
“We’re going to
play a good game to
challenge the seniors,”
player Morgan Johnson said.
The seniors’ strategy
this year, includes
‘lock down’, ‘no
mercy’, and ‘relentless
play’. Senior coach
Two Willis calls it,
“Simplify and Perfect.” Yet the juniors’
strategy is said in a
few simple words.
“Not cheating like
the seniors last year,”
junior and coach Brian
DuBose said.
The game this year
will take place on
March 25 and students
will be charged $5
for admittance to the
event.
Get ready for some
football.
Photo by: Amy Ham
Simply perfect
Coaches and star
players of the
senior class are
ready to beat the
Class of 2011 at the
upcoming Powder
Puff game.
Greater Houston Off-Road Biking
Association
Maintain the biking trails that are often
taken for granted.
website- ghorba.org
page 3
TMI
Entertainment
The Waiting Game
Andre Bonner
Staff Writer
The Top 3 Games of 2010
Halo: Reach (XBOX 360)
God of War 3 (PS3)
Can you say new?
For those who complain about Halo,
take a moment, stop
playing Modern
Warfare, and take notice. Bungie
has pulled out all the stops for their
final installment in the Halo saga.
They have scrapped the original
graphics engine and built everything from the ground up. The
assault rifle for Reach has more
polygons and dimensions than the
entirety of a Halo 3 Marine. In
Reach, up to 40 fully functional AI
and 25 vehicles can be onscreen
at once, compared to 25 AI and 10
vehicles in Halo 3. Models react
more realistically, lighting effects
have drastically improved, and
weapons and characters have been
redesigned to be realistic.
In an attempt to return Halo to
the familiar, Bungie has returned
to concept art from the very first
game for inspiration in designing
Reach. They are back to being
foreign. And rejoice, for equipment has been banished from
Halo existence: the power drain,
regenerator, and the like are being
replaced with ‘Armor Abilities’.
Not much is revealed about the
level of character customizations
(or even if there will be loadouts
for multiplayer), but you will now
be able to install abilities that work
like a shield bar.
Carnage is the name of the game
as Kratos continues his mythical
march on Mount Olympus. The
number of
enemies has
increased to
an astonishing 50
onscreen at
once, from
the previous maximum count of 15. Santa
Monica Studio, when asked about
why the game was taking so long
to finish, stated ‘with the previous
games, it would only take a few
months to do one thing. Now it
takes about a year to do that one
thing because the level of detail
that’s expected is so high and
intricate, it crosses multiple departments.’ The campaign is assured
to last in excess of 10 hours. For
reviewers, early copies of the game
have been released.
From Official PSM UK, reviewer
Nathan Ditum says “the game is
inches away from scoring 10/10,
it’s only the familiarity of the
core gameplay that makes it feel
less than the very, very best.” For
some, the wait has been too much,
but bottom line: God of War 3 is
almost here, and it looks to have
been worth the wait.
Fall 2010
March 16
Mass Effect 2 (XBOX 360)
In stores
now
Not a fan
of RPG’s?
Did you
play the first
game, and came away feeling that
it was unpolished? Have no fear,
ME 2 has delivered across the
board. Almost nothing was left
untouched, with minor adjustments
to major gameplay modifications
taking place.
With gameplay strongly resembling Gears of War, and a story
inspired straight from space epics
like Star Wars, ME 2 delivers a
20+ hour campaign .The game
needs two disks. TWO. And in
case you’re wondering, that has
rarely happened before in the history of console games.
And that’s not all that’s groundbreaking. The choices that you
made in the 1st game affect the
storyline and characters in ME2.
Coupled with the highly intuitive
interaction system, players become
extremely attached to places and
people, and end up becoming
affected by events and decisions.
Fellow gamers, this was the best
$60 ever spent. With features
and the perfect balance between
hardcore shooter and hardcore role
playing, this game has something
for everyone, and it will definitely
affect the way you view games.
March 2010
Youtube’s Hall of Fame
Joseph Mancuso
Opinions Editor
From its humble beginnings as a video sharing
site, consisting only of a small tour of the San Diego
Zoo by founder Jawed Karim, YouTube has grown
to be the new ‘Land of Opportunity,’ giving anyone
with a computer
and a camera the
chance to propel
themselves to
fame, fortune, and
respect…or any
combination of
the three. While
some achieve unyielding stardom,
Screenshot from youtube.com
few manage to find
a way to capitalize on that audience. Let’s take a brief
look at some of YouTube’s most viewed individuals.
A YouTube favorite is the familiar and iron-jawed
baby simply referred to as Charlie. After his older
brother Harry begins a desperate effort to determine
the effects of sticking his finger into Charlie’s mouth
(purely in the name of science, I am sure), he quickly
finds that Charlie can bite, and Charlie can bite quite
hard. Just to make sure it hurts, he places his fingers
into his younger brother’s mouth again, yielding the
same results and concluding that, yes, Charlie will bite
your fingers, and yes, it does not feel too good.
Another interweb celebrity, who I am sure you have
seen, heard, but never known his name (until now),
is Gary Brolsma. Credited with one of the best lipsynching/dancing of our time, Brolsma made his debut
with his interpretive dance for the song ‘Dragostea din
tei’ performed by the band O-Zone, though the song is
more commonly
referred to as
‘Numa-Numa.’
Despite the fact
that the video of
his insane dance
moves originally
appeared on
Newgrounds.
Screenshot from youtube.com
com, it soon
reached YouTube and spread like wildfire, with its
view count now well into the millions.
One of the most popular online pranks has propelled
the 1987 Rick Astley song, ‘Never Gonna Give You
Up,’ into the limelight once again. ‘Rick-rolling’ is an
internet phenomenon that occurs when the audience
is baited or lured into a video with a false title (for
example, ‘leaked pictures of Halo 5!’), and is then
redirected to the music video of the 1980’s hit. This
trend has even hit reality, where it is now an almost
common practice to
surprise someone
with the lyrics to
this song.
To counteract the
overuse of Rickrolling, YouTubers
spread Tay Zonday’s ‘Chocolate
Rain’ around the
internet. The video Screenshot from youtube.com
depicts Zonday singing his original song into a microphone in an orange-tinted room. While some consider
it to be one of the deepest, most profound songs of our
time, even more consider it to be a refreshing break
from the typical rhythm of ‘Never Gonna Give You
Up’.
Whether you are in it for the massive amount of
educational and informative videos, or just in it to kill
some time, YouTube has a niche for every group of
individuals. So get out there, surf the channels, or whip
out that webcam and begin your own road to stardom.
page 4
TMI
Entertainment
March 2010
Manufacturers respect nature
Need for green speed
Alex Sem
Staff Writer
With stricter federal emissions and mileage standards, consumers are now looking towards a greener
and cleaner alternative car. However, the lasting appeal
of power and style to car buyers have encouraged car
companies to integrate muscle with environment-friendly features.
Recently at the auto show in Detroit, while still full
of frivolous surprises, another aspect seems to have
spurred that was is absent from the past years. Highlights from the auto world. GM muscle and power.
The 2011 Mustang GT, sporting a 5-liter V-8, debuts
showrooms across the nation. The 2011 Ford Mustang
GT and the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe may be an
unlikely pair, but they were two great examples of
American muscle at the 2010 Detroit auto show. The
Mustang borrows looks from the past, but the CTS-V
Coupe is something completely new. Both are bruisers, the Mustang GT’s new powerhouse engine rockets
412 horsepower, while the CTS-V Coupe’s supercharged V-8 stomps 556 horsepower. The Mustang GT
An electric car showing off its intelligent design.
electriccars.com
appeals to the blue collar crowd, while the CTS-V
Coupe has an insinuation of European sophistication.
And each delivers searing performance.
Any car with sporting pretensions needs great
interfaces between the human body and the vehicle.
Specifically, the steering wheel and seats need to be
comfortable and grippy. Since the Ford is meant as a
sportier alternative to the Cadillac, its seats have more
aggressive side bolsters and are covered in a mix of
leather and Alcantara that do an admirable job of keeping the driver placed directly in line with the wheel,
gauges and pedals when lateral acceleration forces build
up. The driver’s hands control the direction of the Ford
through a thick-rimmed steering wheel with paddle
shifters on the back side.
Taking a look overseas, Europe has decided to jump
on America’s desire for curbing emissions by sending over smart-cars and other technology which has
helped Europeans avoid hefty gas prices for years, but
BMW offers a duo to keep its flagship 7-series sedan
in favor. The company showed two new versions at
the auto show, one with a smaller engine size and a
placid hybrid. The new 740i marks a return to when
the 7-series was powered by a mere 6 cylinders, rather
than the 8 and 12 of recent years. But this car is no
slouch, as its engine is a similar twin turbo 3-liter inline
six. In the 740i, that engine means 0 to 60 mph in 5.7
seconds. BMW hasn’t released EPA mileage figures yet,
but the 740i goes on sale this spring. The Auto industry
announced the debut of Electric Avenue, a feature on
Main Street will showcase electric vehicles and technology of both traditional automakers and innovative entrepreneurs. In closing the car industry still transcends
even after revelations of better gas mileage leads to
healthy environment.
The quest for high fuel efficiency and lower CO2
greenhouse gas emissions is bringing an increasingly
diverse array of green cars to American highways.
Environmental performance is
becoming
more mainstream in
vehicles of all
types, from
entry level
BMW’s Flagship 7 series 2010 model.
to luxury
BMW.com
cars. The green
highway looks
clean and lean as cars begin to pump out less horsepower and omit less emissions. As more automakers
make cars more fuel-efficient, they tend to diminish in
size as cargo area is sacrificed. Americans have strange
attitudes when it comes to vehicles. Until gas prices
spiked, we had no issue buying millions of SUVs with
tailgates that were little more than high-riding, glorified
wagons. Even today, Americans search for that extra
grocery space. As a result, the next generation green vehicles are expected to sprout just such a rear appendage
for the U.S. market. With all of America’s car buying
demands, the car idustries seem a little contradictory in
their product lines, but more importantly Americans are
starting to buy new cars once again.
Audi’s new model: the A3 TDI shows its efficiency
and unsurpassed cargo area.
vw.com
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Staff Writers:
Andre Bonner, Manuel Gonzales,
Autumn Guillory, Jacey Hunt,
Annie Mejias, Joshua Drumming,
Alex Sem, and Brandon Surles.
Advisor: Jessica Tompkins
Principal: Darrell Alexander
Manvel High School - 19601 Hwy 6 -- Manvel TX 77578
TMI is a publication of Manvel High School. It is created by the 2008-2009
newspaper staff for student information. Opinions expressed are purely opinions of the staff, not the school.
The Maverick Informer‘09-’10
Editor- in -chief: Cory Ryncarz
Features Editor: Becca Obudulu
News Editor: Leticia Littleton
Opinions Editor: Joe Mancuso
Entertainment Editor: Amy Ham
Design/ Art Editor: Heather Pan
Sports Editor: Florence Atkinson
page 5
Opinion
Fo’ Sho’ - Stereotypes are Fun!
TMI
March 2010
Joseph Mancuso
Opinions Editor
Stereotypes are
fun, but they are
even more fun
to defy. Doesn’t sound exciting enough?
Why not become the first person to break
that mold?
Think about it, it’s the best way to get
to some amazing places. Think about
Columbus. What do you think his mother
said when he left for his trip? ‘Silly
Columbus, trips like that aren’t for kids.
Don’t you know the world is flat?’ Did it
stop him? No. With a shoe-fetish, a little
pocket change from the King and Queen,
and 3 schnazzy ships, our man Columbus
sailed the ocean blue.
And yes, it’s true. The whole reason
Columbus wanted to explore new places
was because he was in debt after a shoefetish. Google it, people; we owe our
existence to an old man who bought too
many shoes.
After that, people got crazier and crazier. In 1776: ‘Silly colonists, democracy
is for noobs. Come pay your taxes and
have a nice cup of tea.’ 1880: ‘Stupid Inventors, indoor plumbing is for weirdos.
It’s expensive, and you can only use it indoors.’ 2004: ‘Sony, you are crazy. There
is no way I can play Grand Theft Auto on
some tiny pocket-sized PlayStation.’
What are we to do? How do we, as the
common man and typical high school
student, join an illustrious line of ‘firsts’?
The first graduating class of MHS has
come and passed, so there is no more
‘easy route’ into this; what is there left
to do?
Personally, I joined Dance class. I
may not be the best in that class, and part
of the reason may have been because I
desperately needed my Physical Education credit, but I became the first male
student in Dance 1… and it is really not
as bad as it sounds. Yeah, I look silly as
a goose. Yes, I am not flexible enough to
do most of the moves properly. But yes,
it is, dare I say, exciting and enthralling.
Just the other day I was jamming out
to some music I found off the internet,
and decided to pull together an impromptu dance. It was a good thing no one was
watching, because I was so bad I even
made myself laugh, but in that moment
(or, at least in my head), I was a dancer.
I was king. I moved, I grooved, and I
failed.
Of course, that’s not to say that I am
the only guy in Mrs. Grayson’s 5th period now. This semester, another young
man by the name of Angel Vera joined
up and dressed out; Mrs. Grayson can no
longer say ‘Ladies and Joe,’ but rather,
‘Ladies and Gentlemen.’ However, Angel
has one thing I fear I may never have…
the moves.
Do not get me wrong; I’ve learned a
lot. I can beat anyone at a game of Dance
Dance Revolution any day, to any jam. I
can fall on my face with grace and style.
I have the unheard of ability to attract
stares and attention just by walking into
a classroom. And, as an added bonus, I
have superior skills in the art of hugging.
When I go home, I head over to my
room and into my closet. Or, as it is
more privately known, my D.O.J.O. It
stands for ‘Dance Organization of Joe
Operatives’. Population: 2. Myself,
and my side-kick cat Mojo. We turn up
the YouTube jams, dim the lights, and
groove. Don’t be so eager to get up off
your behind and join us, though: admission into the D.O.J.O. is restricted to
those who contain a name pertaining to
Joe, Jose, Jesus, and Denzel.
But guys and girls alike, it’s a bold
new world out there. While entry into the
D.O.J.O is limited, the door for students
of all genders for Dance class is open.
Sure enough, Dance 1 is an experience
many males go without. Sure enough, it
is not as bad as many of you may think.
Sho’ ‘nuff, I am the first guy in Dance
class.
Help wanted
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In the Dollar Tree Center Next to Little Caesar’s Pizza page 6
TMI
Sports
March 2010
Start of a promising season Swing batter, batter!
Autumn Guillory
Staff Writer
Maverick baseball team has rocky start
After winning
second place in
district last year,
the Lady Maverick softball team
has high hopes
of performing at
an even higher
level this year.
They are currently ranked
number three in
the state for 4a.
“[Success]
only depends on
how we do during the season,
and hopefully we Courtesy Photo
will make it very
You’re Out!
far,” head softball Outfielder Madison Rice is out on third after a drop third strike
steal against Baytown Sterling. Lady Mavs won the Feb 26 game 3-0.
coach Christa
“Coach said I was safe and I thought I was safe,” Rice said. “HowWilliams said.
ever, the ump said I was out. Oh well. We did an amazing job that
With two freshweekend and we look forward to what lies ahead.”
men on Varsity, six returning
sophomores and
a win when Elkins forfeited. Despite
many new freshmen and sophomores
their winnings, though, they suffered a
on Junior Varsity, both teams have
loss from Coppell, whom is now curyounger rosters than previous years.
rently ranked number one in the state
“I’m very excited that I made the
for 5a.
team this year,” freshman Viviana YbaThe strengths on the varsity differ
rra said. “I really want to make varsity
this year from last year. The sophomy junior and senior year.”
mores are more experienced than
On February 18-20th the varsity team before, and their hitting performance
went to a tournament in Bryan, Texas,
show this. They also have two solid
to compete against various teams in
pitchers to rely on, both seniors, both
the state. Out of 50 teams, they ranked
commited.
fifth.
On Feb. 27, the varsity team took
“We played a very good tournament,
the title of undefeated in the Pearland
and I’m very proud of the girls,” WilStrike Out for Cancer tournament,
liams said.
scoring a record of 12-1 and ranking
The team beat Fort Bend Baptist,
number one for the tournament. The
Wiley (where there was a grandslam
Lady Mavs beat Pearland 8-7, the
hit by sophomore Alexandra Bayne
number one ranked team, and Clements
and a homerun hit by senior Gabriela
4-1, the number two team ranked in the
Trevino), Austin Bowie (where junior
state. The varsity team also defeated
Jennifer Ingamells hit a 3-run triple to
Willis 7-0, Baytown Sterling 3-0, Dickwin the game), and the team also took
inson 5-2, and Cyfair 4-3.
Florence Atkinson
Sports Editor
Feb. 22 was the official start of the
baseball season, and the Mavericks fell
to the Galena Park Yellow Jackets with
a score of 14 to 4. Galena Park held a 10
run lead by the 7th
inning.
“Even though they
lost their first game, I
think this shows nothing on how the season
is going to play out,”
Diamond Doll Jessica
Guinn said. “I have
great confidence in
these boys, and they
will need as much support as possible.”
During the scrimmages, the teams did
a great job and showed promising steps
towards the actual season.
“Our pitching has only given up 3 runs
during 3 scrimmages,” head coach Kevin
Baker said. “Our defense, especially the
infielders, have done a great job.”
Though their permanent rosters have
not been set, the roster for the scrimmage
at Barber Hill was Booth, Fernandez,
Mejia, Orta, Starling, Seymour, Razo, Velazco, Santana, Davis, Smajstrula, Donald, Buchorn, Willis, Hastedt, Vaughn,
and Wollney. Mavericks might see some
new faces for this year’s games, according to coach Baker. Many of the players
are having to fight for their position.
“There are a bunch of surprises,” Baker said. “Some kids who are fighting for
positions are doing great. Some regular
starters from last year are struggling.”
Baker expects the baseball team to
advance far this year and hopefully do
well in districts.
“I expect us to compete for the top
spots in the district race,” Baker said.
“Our hitting should be our key component in winning games. That is why it
is nice to see our pitching staff doing
as well as they have been during scrim-
mages.”
Along with coaches, the players also
expect Manvel to do good this year and
are showcasing a good start so far.
“This year’s season is going great,”
left fielder Darion Powell said. “All of
our hard work is paying
off and is apparent as
we play in scrimmages
against other schools.”
The freshman team
also started their year
off strong with scrimmage wins. Coach
Baker is expecting great
things out of this year’s
freshman.
“The freshmen have
won all of their scrimmages thus far,”
Baker said. “Some of the freshmen have
a good chance of making JV.”
The Diamond Dolls are a new addition
to the baseball team. They are a support team for the baseball team, similiar
to cheerleaders. They help with games,
fundraisers, being bat girls, and much
more.
“We are actually part of the team,”
sponsor Michelle Spoonemore said.
“We do lots of things, including making goodie buckets with gum, sunflower
seeds, and other things like that to make
our team feel supported and the other
team feel welcome.”
There are also many things going on
this year that Baker is looking forward to.
They plan on holding different themed
nights to make things a little more fun at
the baseball games.
“Baseball has many things going on
this year,” Baker said. “We want to incorporate theme nights into our games: 80s
night, disco night, 50s night, etc. Mrs.
Spoonemore and Mrs. Tillery are our
coordinators for the bunch, so it should
be fun.”
Spano siblings swim for state for two consecutive years
Cory Ryncarz
Editor-in-chief
Brandon Surles
Staff Writer
Long time swimmers Lauren and
Geoffrey Spano took on the rest of Texas
in their second consecutive state competition on Feb. 26 in Austin.
Senior Lauren Spano returned to the
100 yard breaststroke with a 7th place
finish (1:07.92), beating her last year’s
10th place finish. She also qualified for
the 200 yard Individual Medley for the
first time, which she took 11th place in.
Sophomore Geoffrey Spano, Lauren’s
brother, also improved his state rank by
placing 9th in the 500 yard freestyle.
“They had spotlights on, and it was
more crowded than I had ever seen it at
that pool,” Lauren said.
Qualifying for state is not something
that is done overnight, but something
done with years of persistence and work.
“I finally made my goals more
specific, and I worked a lot harder in
practice,” Lauren said. “I
also did a lot more stuff
on my own, like running
and pull-ups. I’ve been
swimming since I was in
the 1st grade, so 11 years.
My brother started at the
same time, and it kind of
became a family thing.”
Geoffrey has nearly
qualified for the final
championship round
twice now, and has two
more years ahead of him.
“My goal is to place
in the top 5 the next two
years,” Geoffrey said.
Many other members of the swim team
were able to qualify for
regional competition,
including Rebecca Roudbari,
Chris Stoughton, Mary Jo
Hernandez, Sergio Lane,
Zachary Sargent and several
others in relay and diving.
Photo by Halie Farley
Getting Ready
Geoffrey Spano prepares for the 500 year freestyle race.
Right before a race, “I like to blast music into my ears,”
Geoffrey said.
“We did alright [at regionals],” coach
Rick Veal said. “We had gradual improvements all season long.”
The relay teams found some success at district. The girls’ 400 freestyle
relay (Roundbari, Sendra, Strouz, and L.
Spano) were able to take second in the
400 free and third in the 200 free (with
Farley instead of Strouz).
“This was a good year for the swim
team,” junior Krista Strouz said, “but
we need more people to join next year
because everybody is graduating.”
Meanwhile, the boys’ 400 free placed
second along with a third place finish in
the 200 free (G. Spano, Fato, Stoughton,
and Hastedt).
Veal praised freshman Rebecca Roudbari as a great swimmer to watch out for
in upcoming years.
“It makes me feel unique and appreciated for my hard work,” freshmen
Rebecca Roudbari said.
page 7
Sports
Soccer teams kick seasons into high gear
TMI
March 2010
the team has to go
through in order to
achieve the desired
result.
The soccer teams pride themselves
“I believe we’re
on their perseverance and determinadoing all right as a
tion, trying to pull the potential from all
team; I feel that it
players. This tactic has succeded, as the
is our responsibilteams have been competing all year and
ity and duty to our
have secured many lauded titles. They
school to keep our
have proved that they have the makings
winning streak,
of greatness within them.
because we want to
“They make you run a lot, but it’s a
reflect positively on
fun sport,” varisty soccer player Louis
our school,” sophoJimenez said.
more varsity player
It seems that this “fine tuning” is
Francis Emelogy
beneficial to the overall product, as they
said.
seem to be doing alright.
photo by: Amapola Paredes
The Lady Maver“We started back in January and as of
Running Hard
icks soccer team is
now, we have three wins, four losses,
Sophomore Mark Ramos runs for the ball in an attempt to score a goal
setting just as good
and two ties,” varsity coach Robert
against the Dawson Eagles.
of a precedent as the
Partida said. “I don’t believe that they’ll
boys team is.
be slowing down anytime soon either,
“I love soccer, I’ve
due to their plethora of talents.”
(good defender) Jimmy Wells (leading
played it as long as I can remember; the
Several players have proven that if they scorer), Hector Guzman (strong defendtruly believe in their skill and capitalize
er), Jesus Canterras (notable center-mid), girls in JV are amazing, because they
all put their hearts into it,” sophomore
on it, they can be not just good, but great. Cameron Schlegal (notable goalie), and
defense forward Shyla Escobedo said.
“Overall, if I had to say who the best
others, but really everyone’s good,” said
The sport has a fan base at the school,
players are, I would have to say that
Partida.
who
are optimistic about the teams’
some of them would have to be Caleb
This perception is shared by the socfutures.
Duff (good forward, scorer), Alex Miller, cer players, who know precisely what
Joshua Drumming
Staff Writer
“The athletes at this school are amazing,” sophomore Chirag Patel said. “Both
the boys, as well as the girls, enrolled in
soccer have proven to be amazingly persistent in their endeavors, yet girls have
proven to be a little better.”
Coach Brittany McGuire is no less
supportive of her team than the boys’
team’s coach, proudly recalling her
team’s record of seven wins, five losses,
and two draws.
“Everyone who made varsity made
varsity for a reason,” McGuire said. “I
have a great class of seniors; I have two
that actually signed with colleges- midfielder Tori Moore and forward Lindsey
Reed- but everybody’s really stepped up,
so I can’t single out anyone as a superstar.”
McGuire confirmed that everyone on
her team has “stepped up”, and that is the
reason for their success.
“We train really hard from the summer to December; we will never lose
a game because we’re out of shape,”
McGuire said. “In addition, a lot of girls
are in clubs, so they get extra work out of
school.”
Picking up the pace
Manuel Gonzales
Staff Writer
Eyes set on state
coach Thompson said.
The first step towards making it to
At the Pearland High School Meet
state is the meet being held on April 23
on Feb. 20, in the 3,200 meter run,
senior Hector Guzman placed ninth for for the regional qualifiers at Pearland
High School. This year, May 3 and 4 is
finals. Senior Mike Yarbrough placed
the set date at Sam Houston State Unisecond in the 110 meter hurdles and
versity for the Regional Track Meet.
the 300 meter low hurdles in 43.75
The State Meet will be at University
seconds. Hopefully, these runners can
of Texas at Austin on May 14 and 15.
finish with style, as this is their last
year to run in the name of Manvel High That gives the Manvel track team a
month to train hard and work harder to
School.
meet their rivals toe to toe, heel to heel.
“After qualifying for Regionals last
year, this year’s track team has
high expectations,” senior
Hector Guzman said. “We plan
on working hard in pursuit of
State.”
Track has been training
all this year for one reason,
they want to win. Everyone,
varsity or not, is aiming for
those shiny gold things called
medals.
“Last year we took over 20
boys and girls to the Regional
Track Meet at SHSU [Sam
Houston State University],”
coach Donald Thompson said.
“We are hoping to build on
that success and create a strong
program that produces quality
runners each year.”
The team members and also
the coaches have high hopes
for the track team and their
success of this year’s season.
“We have high expectations
for many of our athletes this
Ready, Set, Go
Taveo Colwell dashing for the finish line during the
year and have set a goal to
4x2 relay races. “I was just trying to finish the race
make another trip to the state
in first place,” Colwell said.
meet in Austin this season,”
page 8