8/13/2019 December Issue 300dpi
1/16
December 2013 Volume II Issue 3
Ti eas
Re-gifting?
Holiday blues
Seasonal itemsWorst gifts ever
8/13/2019 December Issue 300dpi
2/16
8/13/2019 December Issue 300dpi
3/16
Index Volume 2 Issue Editors desksIndividuals dance to beat of own drum...
p. 4
Materialistic mindset devours holidayspirit... p. 4
PerspectivesRe-gifting seen as unthoughtful... p. 5
Good re-gifters remove stigma... p. 5
LifestylesTips to soothe holiday blues... p. 12
Seasonal items back in stock, sales ga-
lore.... p. 13
Celebrate New Year without breaking
bank... p. 13
Holiday gift ideas for clueless givers... p
14
NewsCHS achieves academic victories again
p. 11
Fine arts programs to perform concertmedleys... p. 11
SportsTennis, track, golf teams dominate... p. 6
World Series closes, crucial last weeks
determine fate of NFL teams... p. 6
Brooks Clingman runs towards goals... p.
7
Guadalupe Rodriguez kicks through
obstacles... p. 7
FeaturesDecember Horoscopes... p. 8
Unlock key to getting Scholarships... p. 8
2013: Biggest Hits... p. 9Brophy: Triple threat in excellence... p. 10
Senior copes with transition from Syria to
Texas... p. 10
VoicesWhat is the best/worst gift you have ev
received?... p. 15
PUBLICATION POLICY
The Round Up, a feature magazine pub-
lished by the students in Clements High
Schools Magazine Journalism class, is a
designated forum for student expression.
The Round Up is distributed to its readers
and the student body at no cost.
PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION SER-
VICES
The Round Up is printed eight times a year
in October, November, December, January,
February, March, April and May. All Round
Up is archived-and available at http://ranger-
wire.wordpress.com.
8/13/2019 December Issue 300dpi
4/16
From the Editors desks
4
By YASMEEN YAHYA
Co-Editor-in-Chief
A lot of people seem to lose sense of what the
holiday spirit truly is. What used to be about
celebrating life, family, and friendship is now
solely about the widespread consumerism
within this nation.
Too many people are unhealthily obsessed
with material things, and this is most
prominent around the holiday season.
Gifts have become the focus of the
holiday season. Giving the perfect gift is a
heavy weight upon the shoulders of many.
Receiving gifts is the most anticipated part of
the season. The true holiday spirit has been
degraded to virtually nothing, and replaced
with toys, technology, and total disregard for
any of the virtues that are the foundation for
these holidays.
Yes, gifts are a nice way to show love,
but they should not be the emphasis of the
season. Businesses are partly to blame for
the consumerism that overtakes the holiday
season. They start holiday sales fromearly November, sometimes even before
Halloween. From then until the start of the
next year, holiday sales will be everywhere,
and commercials will be on full blast. These
advertisements brainwash consumers into
thinking gifts matter the most, and evidently,
this has worked on the general public.
When I think of the holiday season I look
forward to seeing my cousins that come in
from out of town and how much the babies
of the family have grown. I look forward
to the all the food my family cooks and the
Materialistic mindset devours holiday spiri
Individuals dance to beat of own drumsBy SAMANTHA JREIJ
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Lately, the words of Friedrich Nietzsche havebeen haunting me, pressing against the edges
of my conscience and making me wonder.
He once said, And those who were
seen dancing were thought to be insane
by those who could not hear the music.
Every artist, and every human being, in
fact, dances, and shakes, and thrums, and
lives, to the sound of their own music- music
that, by all means, to which the rest of the
world is deaf. How much, how often and to
what extent is the creativity bursting within
the minds of teenagers repressed into a tight,
confined place? How much more beautifuland brilliant would our work be if we were
enabled to do whatever we wanted, when-
ever we wanted? Complete creative free-
dom what if we were given it? Would
the repercutions be all good or all bad?
We are restricted, it seems, by many aspects
of society and logic. However, can we defeat
the boundaries and knock them down, can we
burst the constraining and limiting seams set
Every artist, and
every human being,
in fact, dances, and
shakes, and thrums,
and lives to the soundof their own music...
forth by our confining peers and adults and
reach the full extent of our creativity? This
month, think about everything you have ever
been told you cannot do creatively, and ask
yourself if it is truly worthwhile to restrain
your bubbling ideas and bursting muses.
For example, graffiti art perhaps it is
not always vandalism. Perhaps it is mor
an art form that moves fluidly and elega
and even correlate to music that some se
simply do not understand. It can be bea
ful. It can still inspire as art is meant to
Should society, and more so, adults, l
and constrict art forms that they do not
derstand? Or should they blindly try
dance to music that they cannot even h
annual family picture we take at the en
my aunts staircase. I look forward to
crisp winter air and all the hot choco
I drink. I look forward to seeing h
magical the decorations look and the wa
cozy sweaters. Most importantly, thoug
look forward to spending time with fam
laughing, telling stories, and showing lov
If you find yourself literally buying
the materialistic mindset, I have a
suggestions to help you break the addict
Instead of buying your family presents, se
agreement between your relatives to savemoney they would spend on gifts and do
it to a charity. I promise you will feel g
about yourself and the deed you did to h
your community. Also, you could agre
set a one-present-only limit, which o
allows for one present for each membe
the family.
It is easy to get caught up in the consu
frenzy that engulfs the holiday season,
if you focus on what the holidays are re
about, love and selflessness, then I fore
happier, smoother holidays in your future
8/13/2019 December Issue 300dpi
5/16
By ANNE MARIE PLUNKETT
Copy Editor
Re-gifting? Yes, I know what most of you
are thinking. Re-gifters are usually people
that take a present that they did not want
and pass it on to somebody else while taking
credit for the gift. However, there are badre-gifters and then there are good re-gifters.
Bad re-gifters are the reason why re-
gifting is seen as a bad thing in the first
place. Those are the people that forget to
get their friend a present, so they just give
them one of theirs. Posted everywhere on
the internet there are articles ranting about
how much re-gifting is the worst thing you
can do. Most people are actually ok with
re-gifting as long as the re-gifter actually
thinks that the receiver would enjoy the
item a whole lot more than they would have.
The good re-gifters, which are not
recognized as much, are the people who take
that identical shirt or scarf gift and give it to
somebody they know would really need it,
usually, to charity. Giving to charity is a good
thing, so therefore re-gifting is a good thing.
The real purpose of giving a giftis to make someones day brighter,
not give them a shiny new toy.
The purpose of giving gifts is to promote
goodwill, and make for a closer relationship,
according to advancedetiquette.com.
Maybe over the years people have transformed
giving a gift to a selfish way to gain new things
for free. It should not bother anyone that
they are being given a recycled gift, because
the other person thought well enough about
them that they gave up one of their presents.
That should be enough of a gift in itself.
Good re-gifters remove stigma
PERSPECTIVES
Just imagine those shoes from Steve Mad
that you have been dreaming of. Wo
you be mad if your friend gave you h
Re-gifting is a form of recycling that help
environment, and it saves somebody from
receiving a present on a special day. It is be
to have people surrounding you who wyou to have something nice rather than tel
you that they did not get you anything at
Whether more convenient or not, it is be
to just find a new gift to give.
It may seem like this simple, money sav
practice is being taken too seriously by so
In truth, sometimes people honestly
never notice that someone took that old ju
present and stamped their name on it. Giva gift should be out of being thankful for
persons presence in your life. Giving
right gift is the least a person can do to sh
their love through a tradition that is centu
old. However through the years pres
have become a chore. It is now a to-do
that can be accomplished through re-giv
things. This however eliminates all form
connection and emotion through the prac
So, even if it is going a bit out of the w
during the holidays, it is worth giving a b
extra time and effort to those in life that
appreciated for all the things they do fodoes not have to be anything big, just eno
to show that someone is thankful for them
Re-gifting seenas unthoughtfuBy MEGHAN BEYTEBIERE
Copy Editor
While I am thankful that throughout my
life I have never had the knowledge of my
family re-gifting a present to me, I still cringe
at the thought of it happening. Think of the
nicely wrapped packages received over theholidays, only to realize they are pass offs.
One friend or another gave it away merely
to get the undesired present away from their
space, rather than giving the gift because they
thought it clicked perfectly with someones
personality. Going against the warm
sentimental vibe of the holidays, re-gifting
makes present giving a detached form of
trading.
While re-gifting undesired presents can be
easy ways to save money on the long list of
to over the holidays, it is much more than a
quick shortcut. Gifts, in essence, are supposed
to be entirely unique, and personal to the
individual to whom they are given. It would
not do to give a pack of old stationary gifted
to a person from a work party to that persons
mother who wanted a candle, simply out of
wanting to get the junky notepad removed
from their desk. By doing this it ignores
the receivers desire for a gift that has time
and thought put behind it. It also dashes theoriginal gift givers hope that they presented
someone with a gift they would value.
A sub-category of this practice is giving
away gifts made especially for an individual.
A person could give away a homemade picture
frame or a scarf with the intent to get rid of the
unused item. The gift will most likely have
no connection to the new receiver, because
it was not made specifically for them. Re-
gifting in this situation will also cause more
damage to the relationship with the original
gift giver, because the time they spent in
making the gift has been wasted. This takesre-gifting to the point of insensitivity, which
overall goes against the spirit of the holidays.
8/13/2019 December Issue 300dpi
6/16
6
World Series closes, crucial last weeks determine fate of NFL team
Tennis, track, golf teams dominateBy CHANDNI THAKKAR
Ads Editor
The Clements student body has been on
By RABAB ZEHRA
Sports Editor
In the sports world, people have seen
loads of victories and defeats in the past
month. The 2013 World Series was a faceoff
between National League champions, St.
Louis Cardinals and the American League
Champions, Boston Red Sox. Games one and two were held at Fenway
Park, with home field advantage to the
Boston Red Sox. Game one was an 8-1
victory for the Red Sox, as the Cardinals fell
0-1 due to lousy mistakes. Cardinals pitcher,
Adam Wainwright, found trouble throughout
the entire game. Embarrassing mistakes on
behalf of the Cardinals are what led to the
tremendous victory of the Red Sox in game
one. Games two and three were dominated
by the Cardinals who then led the series 2-1.
The Red Sox then dominated the last
three games and got their first championship
victory at Fenway Park after approximately
80 years.
Now that baseball post-season is over, NFL
is soon coming to a close too. Week 17 is
approaching quite rapidly, so let us see the
where teams stood from week 7.
New York Giants finally ended their 0-6losing streak when they won 23-7 against
the Minnesota Vikings. This week 7 game
was crucial to quarterback Eli Manning as he
has some self-esteem restored. His brother
Peyton Manning, on the other hand faced
his first loss of the season in week 7 as the
Denver Broncos fell to the Indianapolis
Colts, 39-33.
Every team had at least one victory except for
the poor Jacksonville Jaguars who were still
0-7 by week 7. The Jaguars are considered
to be the biggest embarrassment in the NFL.
Best case scenario, the jags are the underd
that everyone has underestimated.
49ers are looking in great shape, as C
Kaepernick got his first rushing touchdo
of the 2013 season. Kaepernick ran it in f
20 yards out to take a lead over the Tenne
Titans in week 7. The 31-17 win, resu
in the 5-2 standing in the NFC west. Seattle Seahawks lead the division with a
standing.
The Kansas City Chiefs were the only N
team to be undefeated until they lost to
Denver Broncos. They had a super close
with the Houston Texans though in wee
by a victory of only one point. Major cr
goes to the new starting quarterback of
Texans, Case Keenum, who lost by a s
margin of 17-16 in his debut game.
With just a few short weeks left, the fat
these NFL teams remains to be decided.
a roll with numerous wins
from three different sports.
The cross country, tennis, and
golf teams have had some
extraordinary wins in the past
month.
The cross country team had
the Varsity and Junior Varsity
girls and boys win at districts,
said Silvia Leblanc, jr. Michael Erickson won
first for varsity boys, Brooks
Clingman took second, and
Danny Maas took fourth. For
the junior varsity boys, Estaban
Blake won first, Javail Wallace
took second, and Galen Lytle
took fourth.
For varsity girls Silvia Leblanc
won first, Audrey Sharrock
took eighth, Alexandra Yarrow
came in ninth, and Ashley Chen took tenth.
Junior varsity girls Michelle Banuet tookninth, Amna Mulla came in fourteenth,
Sophia Villegas took fifteenth, and Elizabeth
Wronski came in sixteenth.
Overall, the girls golf team is ranked 5thin
state and the boys team is 30th.
The tennis team has also had a great victory.
They won districts this year. They played atClear Brook, and after winning against them
moved onto the semifinals, which was the
next day at Clear Creek.
It was not easy to beat them. It was v
nerve wrecking, because it was so close,
everyone was chee
loudly, said Amanda
jr.
The team finally advan
to play Clear Lake in
finals and also won tha
CHS golf participate
recent tournament at R
Ridge in which they ha
magnificent win. They bthe school record shoo
two ninety three to
ninety nine. The team
beat Cinco Ranch, who
strong opponent.
Clements has a v
strong team this year,
Amber Wang, jr.
The girls basketball t
has had several scrimma
so far into their season.
girls played their first game on Novemb
against Clear Creek. Last year, they hadClear Creek game by two points, but this y
they won by eight points.
SPORTS
8/13/2019 December Issue 300dpi
7/16
Guadalupe Rodriguez kicks through obstacle
Brooks Clingman runs towards goals
By SAMEEN SIDDIQUI
Reporter
Brook Clingman is a well-rounded student.
He is part of track, as well as, the SAC
Chairman of National Honor Society and
the Co-President of National History Honor
Society. Not only is he a member of ModelUnited Nation and Science Honor Society
in school, but also he volunteers outside
of school at a tutoring organization called
Reach.
I originally joined cross-country because
many of my friends were involved. Matt,
Ben Steele, Michael Erickson, and Kendall
Yates all were involved, said Clingman.
Running 5k may seem like a lot of effort,
By SAMEEN SIDDIQUI
Reporter
Guadalupe Rodriguez is the Lady Rangers
varsity soccer defensive center mid or right
defender. Not only does she play soccer as
school, but also she competes in club soccer
where she plays right outside midfield.
Rodriguez has strong hopes for this season.
Rodriguez has been playing soccer for
12 years and wants to continue playing in
college. Rodriguez also has a special bond
that most people do not have with her twin
borhter, Augustin. She believes that havinga twin is very special. He is also the person
who got her into soccer.
My twin brother started playing before me
and he made me want to play soccer, said
Rodriguez.
She believes the best way to balance her
sport and school life is though efficient time
management and making room for things that
she truly loves to do.
Her advice for future players is to always
have a positive attitude about everything and
to work hard.
To prepare for her games, she believes
eating a healthy, energetic breakfast, drinking
Gatorade and having a good playlist for the
ride is the way to go.
Rodriguezs most memorable experience
was winning regionals in club soccer this
past summer and getting to meet Mia Hamm.
Although, Rodriguez had to face many
challenges her freshman year.
I tore my ACL my freshman year and had
but through hard work and determination,
anything is possible.
Training during the summer helps a lot.
Cross country meets start the first week
of school, so if you do not start getting
in shape early youre off to a less than
optimal start. You gain physical fitness and
satisfaction with your body. When you runevery morning, putting in countless hours to
train for fast- paced, high-intensity meets,
constantly pushing yourself to drop seconds
off of your time, you gain an appreciattion
for your body that you could not otherwise,
said Clingman.
In order to prepare for a race, the team
meets at a members house for dinner. All
the members eat different pasta dishes with
bread. He makes sure that he has everything
he needs in his cross- country bag the night
before, so he does not rush and forget
something that is needed for the race. A fewof the things that are needed for his meet are
his spikes, a few pairs of socks, and a couple
of water bottles, his uniform and a change of
clothing for afterwards.
The Clements cross-country team is small,
but enormously successful. This year all four
of our teams (Boys Varsity, Girls Varsity,
Boys JV, and Girls JV) won districts. We
know the other athletes names and we cheer
each other on during our races. It is re
motivating to hear half the team cheering
home as you push through the final part
grueling 5-K, said Clingman.
He finds a few things challenging, suc
having to arrive at school at 6:45 to prac
in the dew-coated grass, which leaves his
soggy and gross. A few times a year his thas to wake up as early as four to five oc
on Saturday mornings to go to meets
away. He could not be happier with how
season started. Along with these challen
experiences, he has had many memora
ones as well.
My best memory in cross-country wa
the district meet. In the boys Varsity r
I finished second, behind my teamm
Michael Erickson. That feeling, of get
second, was very intense for me. In cr
country, it is often very difficult to e
places in the top ten because races canvery competitive. Getting that second p
medal felt incredible, said Clingman.
In college, Clingman does not plan
cross- country on a varsity level. He enj
it very much, but would like to put his fo
on schoolwork at university. He has app
to Rice, Washington and Lee, Georgeto
Columbia, A&M and UT and hopes to m
it into anyone of these colleges.
to go through painful rehab afterward,
Rodriguez.
After going through that painful challe
she is excited for this season.
I think we are going to accomplish m
great things. We pass the ball well toge
and we work hard together as a team. Thro
patience, hard work positive attitude and
skill with the ball we will be able to conq
anything, said Rodriguez.
Through these experiences and many oth
Rodriguez knows that she has improved
a person. She has gone through the gand the bad, but she knows that she has
friends that will be there for her no ma
what happens.
This year made me realize who my tru
friends and who Im going to have the be
time with said Rodriguez.
Although Rodriguez may not wan
continue playing soccer as a profession,
would love to major in nursing and be a
to set an example for the soccer girls in
future generations. She also hopes to en
the future adventures yet to come.
8/13/2019 December Issue 300dpi
8/16
By HAANIYA DAWOODALLY
Reporter
Many students dream of attending an ex-
emplary college in their future but do not
know how to pay for it. Some might work
to pay for tuition, or parents have to work
harder just to cover expenses. Either way,
college fees put stress and worry on fami-
lies. So instead, colleges offer scholar-
ships for those who work hard and excel in
either academics or sports. Scholarships
benefit those who want to work hard fortheir education, but need help with tuition.
Scholarships are usually given to students
who are talented in a subject of study or in
athletics. However, there are scholarships for
just about any student. Shelby Nilsen, CHS
college and career counselor offers advice.
Apply to as many scholarships as you
can. There are many out there for fresh-
men, sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
Apply every day to a variety of scholar-
ships to different colleges, said Nilsen.
Scholarships are either rewarded di-
Unlock key to getting Scholarshiprectly from colleges or from businessesand individuals. They can even be prizes
for essay contests. Another way to earn a
scholarship would be through the PSAT
or the SAT. Colleges check students SAT
scores to see which students have the high-
est scores. The PSAT offers the National
Merit Scholarship and a total of 35 million
dollars is given to a small group of students.
All colleges grant scholarships. There
are three different kinds that colleges grant,
Federal, Private, and University. Federal
scholarships are granted through FAF
and are free. Private scholarships are
fered by national, private, or nonprofit
ganizations. University scholarships
given through the universities, said Nil
Clements offers a place to start the
lege process and applying to scho
ships. Any student can go to the col
counselors room, which is located
the social studies hallway. Students
get help filling out their college appl
tions or can apply for online scholarsh
Any student is welcome to come du
lunch and work on their college appl
tion process. They can also log onto ww
collegeguidanceconsultants.com with lo
and password clements, and view dif
ent scholarship opportunities, said Nil
Other helpful sites include: scholarsh
schoolconnection.com and usfirst.
Counselors encourage students to
ply for scholarshipsearly. The process
applying for scholarships may be inti
dating, the end result can be benefic
December HoroscopesAries: Have you ever longed to be amovie star or participate in some way
in the film industry? But of course you have!
News flash: The only way you will is by buying
a ticket and some popcorn for Catching Fire.
Taurus: Your mind is active, andyou may seek stimulation through
books, TV, or lectures. Forget the last
one. The only lecture you ever get is from
your mom, and they are never stimulating.
Gemini: You could have somevery strange yet beautiful dreams
Write them down. Theyre trying to
tell you something. You are insane!
Cancer: Your friends may startto see you in a new light. Perhaps your ac-
complishments have aroused their ad-
miration. Who knew you could recite
the alphabet backwards at warp speed?!
Leo: You certainly have a way wwords, and you certainly shouldthis to the fullest. Just dont go over the
Interjecting supercalafrajelisticexpehal
cious into your conversations is pushin
Virgo: Try to avoid shoppI know, this is next to imp
sible. Why, the last time you attem
ed this, Visa sent you a get well c
Libra: You have a desire to
into your genealogy and the Internet
made it possible for everyone to le
about their family. First, check the F
Most Wanted list and proceed from th
Scorpio: Much of what learn may be confusing, but stay w
it. It will make more sense to you
er. Unless it is Physics or Calcu
Features
Sagittarius: Today you will allowyour friends to aid you on yourcomputer skills. Learning to use the key-
board is helpful, especially the delete but-
ton. Not that you make a lot of mistakes.
Capricorn: A new romance couldcome your way. An old friend
could become something more, send-
ing this relationship in an new direc-
tion. Yeah right! This is the same person
that used to eat glue in the second grade!
mind in waves. You may want to stay home to
develop them and get an unexcused absence.
Aquarius: Ideas for essays, poems,paintings, or music flow into your
Pisces: Before deciding to tack-le any new ambition today, consider it
from all angles. You might change your
mind. Rethink that idea about jalapeno-
eating and the Guinness World Records.
8
8/13/2019 December Issue 300dpi
9/16
2013:Biggest HitsBy JOSEPH VASQUEZ
Reporter
As 2013 comes to a close, it is always nice
to look back at the best of the past year, such
as highest grossing movies, the bestselling
books, or even the most visited websites.
Movies
Video
Games
Music
Books
Television The movie business was booming thispast year with hits like Monsters Uni-
versity and The Great Gatsby. But it
was Iron Man 3, Despicable Me 2, andMan of Steel that were this years
highest grossing movies. Iron
Man takes the cake with 400
million dollars making it the#1 movie of the year.
Over the
past few years,
video games
have become
a multi-billion
dollar indus-
try. Games
have gotten
incredibly re-
alistic with theadvancements
in technology.
This past year,
the biggest titles
Internet
in gaming were
Grand Theft Auto
V, Last of Us, andMonster Hunter 4. These
games were huge stories
in the gaming world, especiallyGTA V which made a record of$1 billion in just three days.
This year the music industry had
so many top hits, from artists like
Justin Timberlake, Macklemore and
Ryan Lewis, and Daft Punk. Robin
Thickes song, Blurred Lines and Daft
Punks new song, Get Lucky were the
two most downloaded songs of 2013.
Although reading has dropped in popular-
ity over the past decade, many book series
debuted this year to huge fan bases. Rick
Riordan is a big author among teens and his
latest series called Heroes of Olympus has
been a huge hit all around the world. The lat-
est installment to the series is called House of
Hades and it is generating a lot of buzz among
the young readers. Another big title in a long
running book series turned HBO hit is the A
Song of Ice and Fire (also known as Th
Game of Thrones series) books by Georg
R.R. Martin. The fifth newest installment
the series is called A Dance with Dragon
Television is a big part of our culture to
day. AMC has hit it big with shows lik
Mad Men and Breaking Bad. Two of som
of the biggest events in television this ye
happened on AMC with their first majo
show Breaking Bad ending with 10
million viewers. AMCs oth
big day was the season four pr
mier of The Walking Deawhich had a recor
breaking 16.1 mi
lion viewers. Fthose who pref
comedy over
more dramat
driven stor
CBSs Ho
I Met Yo
Sports
Mother
finale se
son final
ended th
long ru
ning ta
of hoTed m
the lov
of his lif
It is now
time to get tthe champions
sports this pa
year. In the NFL ater a hard fought gam
between the Baltimore Rvens and the San Francisc
49s the Ravens ended up winninfor the second time. In the NBA, the Miam
Heat won a tough series against the Spu
ending the series 4-3, giving them a secon
straight title. The NHL had a great Stanl
Cup this year with the Chicago Blackhaw
beating the Boston Bruins by scoring twi
with just a little over one minute left to pla
Since 2006, websites like YouTube and
Twitter have millions of people on per day.
Google with little more than 900 million visi-
tors per month or Facebook with 700 million
visitors per day. Facebook has a little over 1
billion active users now, but when it started
there were only one million active users.
With all of these records clo
ing out the year, the world can onl
wait to see what will happen in 201
8/13/2019 December Issue 300dpi
10/16
Brophy: triple threat in excellenceBy KASEY VOLLMERING
Ads Editor
Ryan Brophy has all the makings of a true
star, and he has the credentials to prove it.
By PATRICIA ANNE MANZINARES
and MEGHAN BEYTEBIERE
News Editor and Copy Editor
For most people living in America, it is
hard to imagine the trauma that is occur-
ing in the middle east. Imagine moving to
another country because your high school
got bombed. Unreal scenario? Not if you
ask Adrenna Tacheji, senior, who moved
here one and a half years ago from Syria.
She is a very motivated person when
it comes to her studies and as a transfer
student from last year Tacheji described
it as a very big responsibility to have.
The hardest part in moving here
was leaving everything behind to fol-
low your future and leaving my
grandmother, she said. After graduating this year, Tache-
ji plans on moving to Lebanon to at-
tend a Lebanese American University.
Even though she had moved here and left
her country hoping that everything will be
okay, she is still up-to-date in the news about
Syria and is always worried about it. Tacheji
loves everything about her country and is
proud of her countrys culture. She describes
the Syrian people as friendly and kind.
In addition to Syrias current situation Tache-
ji said, It is hard to explain Syrias situation10
He has been in theatre for all four
years and is currently in the Theatre
IV class. Ryan is the president ofthe Thespian Troupe 3689 and
has worked hard over the years
to develop his theatre career.
We put in at least 20 hours
a week, every week, on what-
ever it is we are doing and Iam responsible for most of
it along with my fellow offi-
cers. It is a lot of fun, but it is a
lot of hard work, said Brophy.
Aside from theatre, Brophy is
also in NHS. Outside of school he
volunteers at Fort Bend Fit, and
Senior copes with transition from Syria to Texa
the Houston Food Bank. He is also
a member of the 412 youth group
at Christ United Methodist Church.
When he is not volunteering, he spends
because everyone views it from a diffe
perspective, but I hope everyone should
derstand what is truely going on in Syria
not only what the news says about Syr
Many people claim that moving from
place to another can be a very hard t
Tacheji had moved four times betw
Syria, Lebanon and Texas and was h
ing a hard time coping with the educa
system here. Part of her struggles are c
pleting her credits in order to graduate
year, and she attended summer school in
der to complete her credits for junior y When I first came here I got depres
Everything was bothering me, and th
were times that I could not handle a
tain situation. But, I was glad that I lear
English faster than I had thought. Now
am a whole different person. I have a str
personality, and I also got to learn dif
ent cultures along the way, said Tach
Despite the year and a half struggle
she had experienced since she moved h
She is glad that her experien
shaped her into who she is n
his time working at Barnes and Noble.
Barnes and Noble is nowhere near
as chill as people would think it would
be. Especially working the customer ser-
vice desk. There are so many overly par-
ticular people out there, said Brop
Brophy was raised as an only ch
but now has five stepsiblings, s
parents, and a dog named B
Growing up as an only child
then having all that change was
ferent, but not scary. I amally blessed to have the fily that I have, said Brop
This hardworking
niors top choice colleg
Northwestern Univer
but he is also applying
USU, UCLA, Pepperd
and Columbia Univer
I spent five week
Northwestern University
summer, and it absolu
changed who I am as a perand as an actor, said Brop
He is planning to m
in theatre and journalism.
ter college, Brophy has
bitions to be an actor, direc
producer, and writer. He is
thinking about being a film cr Many people would describe Brophy
having a lot of promise, and that for h
stardom and success may be on the hori
8/13/2019 December Issue 300dpi
11/16
NEWS
CHS achieves academic victories again
Fine arts programs to perform concert medley
By HAANIYA DAWOODALLY
Reporter
Clements has once again completed a
successful first semester. Students have been
victorious in several areas of competition.
Bands first competition was in Friendswood,
winning first in the preliminary round and third
place overall. Their second competition was
at the Texas Marching Classic competition.
They were rewarded with second in
preliminary and first overall. Bands final
competition was the Sam Houston State
University Marching Competition. Theywon second in the preliminary round and first
overall.
This season for the band has been incredible.
Everyone really brought something special
to the show and put their heart and soul into
making it what it is now. Compared to last
year, weve improved so much, said Janella
Chu, sophomore.
Computer Science successfully won the
sweepstake award in their recent competition.
Twelve CHS teams participated in the Seven
Lakes Kick off Classic and nine of the teams
placed. Most of the students participating
received a team or individual medal for their
hard work. The computer science team also
participated in the Katy Taylor Computer
Science Competition. Students placed 1stand
2ndin the novice programming category and
2ndand 6thin the advanced category.
I think it is very impressive, what these
students have accomplished, said Lubna
Lorena, computer science teacher.
Decathlon was also victorious this semester,
competing in the Cinco Ranch Invitational
Competition. Approximately 10 teamsparticipated, and
By PATRICIA ANNE MANZINARES
Reporter
The CHS choir, band and orchestra willeach host a holiday concert this month.
The band holiday concert will be held
Tuesday, December 10 at the auditorium at
7 p.m.. This is the first concert event of the
year after the marching band competitions.
All three bands have been preparing for the
band holiday concert since the end of their
marching season.
The choir winter show is going to be held
from seven to eight-thirty in the evening
at the school auditorium on Thursday,
December 12. The annual choir show will
showcase different choir groups. They have
been preparing for this concert since the fall
show. Admission is five dollars per personwhether it is a student or an adult. The profits
go from the show will fund the program to
hire clinicians, and pay for backdrops and
new music.
It is just one of the many things the
Clements choir does as a group. We are
multitasking and have many things going on
simultaneously. For example, working on
the fall concert, followed by the winter show
and being the leaders for the district Messiah
performance that will be held at Clements,
said Mary Matysiak, choir director.
After the choir holiday show the c
will be performing with an orchestra at
Sugar Land Baptist Church for their holicelebration
The orchestra concert will be held
December 10 in the auditorium at 7 p
until approximately 8 p.m. Admissio
free to everyone. The orchestra has b
working tediously for this concert for
last four weeks. Some of the songs they
perform will be some rhythmic snapshot
Christmas.
Hard work and talent has been put in to
of these concerts and the groups urge stud
CHS placed
third overall. Individual
a w a r d s were also
given for each subject.
We are very proud-
we competed on par with some of the
teams in the state. There is tons of talen
this team and they have their sights set v
high, said Jennifer Craddock, Acade
Decathlon co- sponsor.
Model UN came back from the Central Te
Model UN Conference in Austin achiev
many goals by many new members. Win
included Nico Sentfen, Lani Nguyen, Cl
Pan, Julieta Barbiero, and George Yousse
As the CHS RangerBots competed in t
first competition, they came out in t
place out of 54 teams. Winners incluChristopher Denny, Eric Li, Thomas L
and Kevin Rao.
This is just the middle of the school y
and other Clements teams say they hop
bring more accomplishments back in sp
contests.
to come out and support them.
8/13/2019 December Issue 300dpi
12/16
By EVELYN LAZARIS
Reporter
Ah, the holidays! Yes, that special time
of the year when people can feel stressed,
bloated, and broke all at the same time.
Holiday blues actually exists. Though not as
severe as depression, it can make the holidays
less than jolly. The good news is that there
are ways to combat the awful feeling.
Just about everyones favorite part of the
holidays is the food. The savory caramelizedbaked ham mom sets on the table will make
mouths water and before everyone knows it,
they will feel like a beached whale on the
living room couch with a severe stomach
ache. Do not even think about forgetting
the leftovers! No matter how much is eaten
the night before, there will be remainders of
that oh so delicious dinner in little plastic
containers over the course of the next two
weeks. People should pace themselves and
not try to eat as much as possible just because
it tastes so good.
Some people feel sorry for themselves
during the holidays. Maybe they didnt get
everything they wanted or the season did not
live up to their expectations in some way.
Try helping out someone to fight that feeling.
Volunteer at a homeless shelter or bring food
to the elderly or a shut-in. People will quickly
find that the best way to help themselves out
of the blues is to help someone else.
Surround yourself with the people who
make you feel good. Try to avoid the DebbieDowners who will truly bring you down.
Positivity breeds positivity.
Now, the hardest part of coping with the
common holiday blues the financial aspect
of it all. Gifts have to be purchased for
friends, families, and neighbors. is no way to
avoid that. There are, however, a few tricks
to stretching a dollar and getting a bigger
bang for a buck. It is unnecessary to actually
purchaseeveryone a present, so instead, try
to go for a homemade gift. One could, for
example, bake gingerbread cookies to give
Tips to soothe holiday blues
to friends or make a cherry pie for the sw
old lady that lives next door. Sometim
the most meaningful of gifts can be the l
expensive. Do not take on a few more job
order to afford making everyone happy. T
will only make a person more sad.
The movies always portray the holiday
perfect. There is the perfect tree or the per
Hanukah present, and it always snows. Th
the Hollywood version. As everyone kno
it rarely snows in Sugar Land. Just as raris a holiday perfect. So keep expectat
realistic to avoid disappoint that might l
to the blues.
Be sure to get plenty of rest, exercise,
as much sunlight as is available. All of th
items fight depression.
Follow these easy ideas and this hol
season will be one void of any depressio
stress. At times when it all just becomes
much, the best way to relax is to curl up
favorite blanket, watch old cartoons, and
steaming hot chocolate. Happy Holidays
8/13/2019 December Issue 300dpi
13/16
Seasn im ba sto, se gl
By JENNIFER MATHEW
Perspectives Editor
The New Year is celebrated in many different
ways around the world. In China, people
carry lanterns and join in on a huge parade.
In Mexico, Mexicans celebrate New Years
Eve by eating a grape with each of the twelve
chimes of a clocks bell during the midnight
countdown, while making a wish with
each one. There are many different ways to
celebrate New Year and with New Years just
around the corner, it seems as if everybody is
planning what they want to do for New Years
eve, but that seems to be especially hard for
people on a high school budget. It is possible
though for a high school student to have an
unforgettable New Years without emptying
their wallet before the year even starts.
One fun thing to do would be to start a
tradition. It could be with families or friends
and then there would be something to do
every year. One tradition that wouldnt break
a low budget would be to have a potluck.
Going to Discovery Green is another
entertaining place to for New Years. There
are many things to experience here including
a glow parade of art cars. Also they have the
largest outdoor ice rink in the Southwest.
Many people enjoy watching fireworks on
New Years. At the George R. Brown, they
have fireworks at midnight as well as video
and lighting projections.
Another fun thing to do is go to Town Squ
on New Years Eve. There, they have a co
down and there are many people there w
make New Years more exciting and more f
They also project it so everyone can see.
If none of these sound appealing an
quiet night sounds better, snuggling up a
watching movies with family is another
thing to do. Starting the New Year spend
time with the family is the best way to spe
it. Even going to the movies is an opt
especially since many new movies come
during New Years time.
Celebrating New Years does not have to
expensive. There are many ways to have
By KELSEE AVERY
Reporter
When most people think
of winter, they think of
hot cocoa, presents, and
relaxing with family.
Here in Sugar
Land, it may not be
Celebrate New Year without breaking ban
without spending money.
snowy outside,
but we still have
that holiday
spirit . Stor es
a n d
c o m p a n i e s
are now
o f f e r i n g
seasonal
i t e m s
that are
o n l y
a v a i l a b l e
during this
time of year.
There is everything from eggnog and
gingerbread lattes at Starbucks, to Glades
7 Scents of Winter Collection. Another
company that makes popular holiday treats is
Ghirardelli. Their Peppermint Bark Chocolate
Squares have been causing cravings for as
long as anyone can remember
Gingerbread houses, eggnog, candy canes,
sweatshirts, hats, lights, and wreaths are just
a small portion of things people wait all year
for. But the top sale items are listed below:
*Toys- lots of competition to bring down the
prices.
*Winter Items to keep warm still on sale.
*Festive Occasion Items on sale-Tablecloths,
gift items, party ware.
*Day after Christmas Markdowns- Everyth
from toys and wrapping paper to clothes.
The closer it gets to December 25,
more drastic the markdowns. Then the af
Christmas sales are the time to clean up
Christmas decorations, wrap, and gift
to round off a full month of finding the
shopping bargains of the year.Finally, if you
have extra cash to sp
December
traditionally a g
time for
shopping
c u r r e n t - ymodels wh
again, tim
becomes
i m p o r t a
W h i
December is a good month overall, the
half of the month is even better, say
experts, when dealers need to make room
newer car models as the New Year dead
draws near. Used care prices also go do
Maybe Santa will buy you one.
8/13/2019 December Issue 300dpi
14/16
14
By LAURYN MERRIETT
Lifestyles Editor
So, the holidays are coming, and everyone
faces that common dilemma: what to get for
the one they love. Sure, it is safe to go withjewelry, candy, or that trusty favorite a
gift certificate. But where is the fun in that?
It is time to take a risk, walk on the wild
side, go for the whole enchilada. In other
words, be different and be remembered.
Some suggestions from The Round Upstaff
include:
For all of the sci-fi fanatics out there,
theres Doctor Whos Disappearing
TARDIS Mug! The iconic time machine
/ spacecraft sits in disguise on an English
street. Add hot liquid, and it disappears, only
to reappear in a far far away galaxy on theother side of the mug. Holds 12 oz. $12.95
Unemployedphilosophersguild.com.
The Sonic Walletwill talk to you every
time you open it up. You can buy the
Moolah Wallet, the Shakespearean Insult
Wallet, the Drum Machine Wallet, plus
many more options for only $19.95 each.
Gadgetsandgear.com.
This unBasketcontains: *Mac & Cheese
Earbuds: One ear is the macaroni while
the other is the cheese! Compatible
with anydevice with a standard 3.5
mm headphone socket such as- MP3
players; PDA; portable gaming systems &
laptop computers. *Mac & Cheese Air
Freshener: This air freshener will permeate
any car or room with the aroma of a heaping,
gooey bowl of mac and cheese! *Mac &
Cheese Adhesive Bandages: 15 latex-free
adhesive bandages with sterile gauze and a
FREE PRIZE! *Mac & Cheese Two-Sided
Puzzle: Each 108 piece puzzle has an image
of dry, uncooked macaroni on one side and
an image of cheesy, cooked macaroni on the
other *Kraft Mac & Cheese Original:One
box Kraft mac & cheese. *Annies
Classic Mild Cheddar Mac &
Holiday gift ideas for clueless givers
Jewelry. Now this one is mainly for girls,
so guy,s pay attention. Do not just get any
random kind of jewelry; try to take notice
of the types that she wears. This way you
do not end up buying something that she
will only wear one time. It does not have
to be expensive- just something that fits her
personality.
Personal Gift Basket. Put together a ba
filled with that persons favorite everyth
Items can include candy, movies, bo
clothes, drinks, everything that can possbe put in a basket. It is thoughtful and
too expensive.
Video games. Why not buy that new g
for a friend? A lot of people play vi
games, guys and girls, and it is a fun gift can be shared w
others.
Shoes. T
is definitely
expensive
so maybe s
something on
level for a signifiother, fam
member, or a
friend. This is a great gift, because it can
be used up. Plus the person will prob
never take them off if they are stylish
comfortable, comfortable being a big fa
here. Also there are so many different ty
of shoes that a pair can easily be found.
Collectible Item. If the person tha
getting a gift collects something then
them something to add to their collection
is perfect because they are guaranteed to l
it. After all they do collect it. If it is a mpen, action figure, anything that will not s
all the money out of the bank then get it.
a great thing to give because it is like say
Hey! I know things about you!
Pillow Pet. With how much teena
sleep,why not get them something to
their heads on? A pillow pet is comfy
cute.
Tickets. Treat that one awesome fri
to a concert or a sports event. Bring t
along and have a great time screaming
night for a favorite band or yelling ab
why the Cowboys defense is not where t
are supposed to be. Either way, it is a
memorable time.
Cheese: One box of Annies classic organic
mac & cheese. *Annies White Cheddar
Mac & Cheese:One box of Annies white
cheddar mac & cheese. $42 at gifts.com
6 Month Bustedtees Shirt of the Month
Club US Subscription. When you sign
up for the club, youll instantly receive a
welcome letter including a coupon code
for a free shirt and shipping, plus a newcode on the 1st of each following month
for the duration of your subscription $90.00
BustedTees.com.
Custom Stuffed Animal - 100% custom
stuffed animals! Make an IAASA Buddy
of ANYONE you want (including pets). Its
simple: Upload photos to their online form
at Iamastuffedanimal.com. $99.
Bella Donut Maker - This do-it-all donut
maker from Bella Cucina lets you serve up
homemade mini doughnuts in no time flat
(or round)! Baked instead of deep fried.
$19.95 at Amazon.com.Like a cross between a skateboard and
inline skates, the Orbitwheelis a brand
new concept for wheeled sports. The
Orbitwheels concept is basic, but with the
wheels whirling around your feet, you are
capable of countless tricks and maneuvers
that can be as complex and creative as you
can come up with. Free shipping! $99.95 at
gadgetsandgears.com
8/13/2019 December Issue 300dpi
15/16
VOICES
A pair of cow socks.
Luke Dixon, junior.
Purple cat toe socks.
Laura Cuervo, senior.
A giant candy cane.
Harmonii Odinga, junior.
A snowball.
Youssef Al-Yassir, senior.
A receipt.
Karla Torres, freshman.
Absurd comics from Comic
Con.
Will Grubb, sophomore.
Donuts.
Joy Capellan, sophomore.
Coach O Sullivan gave me a
bag of crickets.
Paige Lary, freshman.
Nothing.
Tommy Zhang, junior.
What is the weirdest or worst gift you
have ever received?
8/13/2019 December Issue 300dpi
16/16