September issue

See DISTRICT DIVISIONSpage 6-7

NEWS............................1-5SPORTS........................6-8

OPINIONS.....................10-11PHOTO ESSAY..............12

THUNDER..........Section Two

Serving Memorial Since 1962September 2010

MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL HOUSTON, TX. MHS.SPRINGBRANCHISD.COM

VOLUME 49 • ISSUE 1

Patti Pace has stepped into the role of Interim Principal until a new Principal fills the posi-tion permanently. She has come to Memorial after former head prin-cipal Steve Shorter left for a position in Spring Branch Human Re-sources. Pace knows the school well, as her son graduated from Memo-rial in 2007, and she is also an alumnus herself. Pace is becoming famil-iar with the school’s daily routine and the students and teachers she will be seeing on a daily basis. “Our students are amaz-ing, smart, and polite, and I have been so im-pressed with the stu-

dent body,” Pace said. Pace was born in Mary-land and then moved to Pennsylvania. In el-ementary school she moved to Houston and has lived and worked here most of her adult life. She attended Sam Houston State Uni-versity and then chose Houston Baptist Uni-versity for her Masters Degree. From the start Pace has shown a huge interest in the field of education and an aspi-ration to be with kids. “I always wanted to be a teacher and a prin-cipal,” Pace said. “It was a desire I was born with and honestly can’t remember ever not knowing that I wanted see PACE, page 5

New face on campus

By Emma MattsonReporter

School construction impedes traffic

With school in full swing, one can hardly miss the construction surround-ing the campus rang-ing from Echo Lane to the new field house.

The increased traffic on Echo Lane caused the asphalt road to fall apart. Therefore, Hed-wig officials are replac-ing the asphalt with concrete. Also, they are building a new side-walk on the west side.

“As a general rule of civil engineering, we are also enlarging the storm drain,” Hed-wig building official Lane Stanbley said.

Construction began on Echo Lane the week after summer vacation began and is expected to finish by the middle to late Oc-tober according to Hed-wig Village city officials.

“The construction on the road is completely out of our hands, so all we can do is hope that it finishes on time,” David Parker said.

However, the roadwork goes through the begin-ning of the school year interrupting the normal ways to arrive at school.

“The timing of the road was really bad,” senior Alexis Jones said. “I have to leave my house like 15 minutes before usual.”

With approximately

500 student cars in both the school and church parking lots, traffic forms a bottleneck at intersections like Gay-lord and Echo or Piney Point Road and Gaylord.

“Traffic was already a disaster, and now with the construction of Echo Lane, traf-fic is now 10 cars deep at minimum,” junior Spencer Muncey said.

However, there are ways to get out of the school quicker. For in-stance, parking cor-rectly allows for easy access to get out when the traffic is worse.

“Also, if you can park to where you don’t have to reverse to get out of

By Nicholas PohlReporter

Interim principal steps in

Starting this year, club sponsored bake sales will

no longer be permitted during school lunches. State regulations re-quire all food provided on campus to meet cer-tain nutritional guide-

lines. While the admin-istration can account for the food sold in the caf-eteria, it can not confirm the nutritional content of the baked goods sold. Many school organiza-tions have relied heav-ily on profits from bake sales in previous years. These organizations now must work around state

regulations. Instead of selling their goods dur-ing lunches, the sales have been rescheduled for after school. How-ever, there are some concerns that the re-scheduling will affect the profitability of the sales.

“Cookies were our big-gest fundraiser mostly because we had a captive

audience during lunch,” Choir director Lawrence Johnson said. “The end of the school day will not be as profitable since people leave the school in a variety of differ-ent ways and times.”

Theater is also moving their see NUTRITION, page 5

Makenna Van LiewwBy Tanya PeiferOpinions Editor

L a w l i m i t s c a m p u s f o o d s a l e s District demands that food served on campus meet nutritional values

Travis Bonner

Bailey Tsuru

Smoothie sale-ing no more. Thespians sell their smoothies starting at 3:00, making it officially after school hours. Because of new district policies, all clubs selling food to raise money must sell their goods after school. “We had to change Smoothie Tuesday to Smoothie Wednesday,” senior David Nowlan said.

To be continued. Construction works its way down Echo Lane. The construction began in the summer but has continued into the school year. “Unfortunately, my long commute home is now an extra long commute home due to the one way street,” junior Rob Hogan said.

Setting the pace. Interim principal Patti Pace works hard at her job. Being a Memorial graduate herself, Pace understands how the school works.

the parking spot it re-ally helps,” senior Mor-gan McDonald said.

Travis Bonner

Travis BonnerMultiple different

methods are available to head to school that some

don’t acknowledge fromsee CONSTRUCTION, page 5

2 NEWS THE ANVIL SEPTEMBER

NEWSin Brief

Parent Portal has been officially changed to Family Access. On parent night more infor-mation was given about the switch to Family Access, including receiving each student’s user name and password.

As the new freshman class settles into its high school routine, the community is stunned with the highest number of enrolled students in recent memory. With 686 names on the 2010 roster, this is the highest number of students in one grade since 1979. According to Ellen Green, the freshman principal, this is a result of the poor economy and the excellence of Memorial High School.

Monsoons devastate PakistanMemorial Muslims rally to help victims of disaster

By Arman AvasiaReporter

Students experience new side of GermanyThis summer the Ger-man cultural exchange students who visited Houston last April re-turned the hospitality gi ven to them.

They hosted some of the students in Frau Sisler’s German III, IV, and V classes to immerse them in German culture.

“I was definitely ex-pecting a different ex-perience,” Junior Con-nor Waughtal said, “but there were so many things I never thought I would encounter. It was so cool living the life of the German teenager.”

These students stayed with their host families for two weeks and even went to school with the teens in the household, so that they could inte-grate themselves into the culture. The students at-tended classes for two days.

“They had 50 minute lunch breaks, and got out of school at one two days of the week, and at three the other three days,” senior Sarah Blackwell said. “It was very differ-ent.”

This school in par-ticular was the Gymna-sium which is a type of secondary school that can be compared to the American prep schools.

“ The gymnasium is the highest level of school in the German school sys-tem,” Waughtal said. “ They have to be recom-mended by a teacher to go there and to make a certain high grade.”

Not only did the stu-dents go to school in Germany , they also got the chance to experience living in the true German household.

“They were very dif-ferent than the regular American family,” Black-well said. “Three genera-tions lived in the same house , and the food and customs were all very

different.” The students went to

many different histori-cal sites including the original Disney castle, Neueschwanstein. They also visited the Reichstag which is in Berlin.

“ It [Reichstag] had spi-rals in it that controlled some sort of natural air current,” Waughtal said, “and there was even these moving windows that acted as shades.”

One of the more sor-rowful sites that the students visited was Dachau. Dachau was the first concentration camp started in Germany dur-

ing the Nazi regime. “ It was like the demen-

tors in the Harry Potter books, like all the hap-piness was sucked out of the place,” Waughtal said.

During this one month in Germany, the stu-dents had the opportuni-ty to travel to a different country and experience its culture and expand their knowledge of the language.

“My brother went two years ago and he said that it would be really fun and he was right,” Sophomore Michael Bone said.

Helping hands. Sophmore Mariam Khan donates bags of clothes for flood victims. Hundreds of items were collected.

By Sahar Sadoughi Reporter

Photo Courtesy of Amna Khan

New Parent Portal

MTV Coming To Memorial

Mikey Mckahan will be made into a ladies man on Music Television’s acclaimed reality series Made. “My favorite part so far has been the advice my Made coach has given me,” Mikey Mckahan said. The episode will air this spring.

Freshmen Class Size Reaches 686

The theatre department will put on a produc-tion of their annual Murder Mystery Dessert Theatre tonight, September 17, at 7:00 p.m. in the blackbox. The department will also perfrom You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown from September 30th-October 4th. in the audi-torium.

Theatre To Perform New Shows

Pep Rally Schedule

ANVIL Online

Thursday, September 23: WesternFriday, October 14: Rock and RollFriday, October 29: CircusWednesday, November 3: Red Out (Night)

The ANVIL newspaper has an online address. The site can be accessed through the Memo-rial High School website.

Ja Mann! The German students pose on a bridge in Dresden Germany. This summer the group traveled all over Germany , from Berlin to Dresden and then to Munich.

Nearly one month ago, Pakistan was hit by the worst natural disaster in its history, torrential floods that have so far killed over 1,600 people and affected up to 20 million more. To put the scope of the disaster in scale, a United Nations spokesman has said that though the floods’ death toll is lower, they estimate that the total number of people ad-versely affected by the floods may be more than the combined to-tal of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Many Me-morial students have relatives in Pakistan and some students were actually there when the flooding occurred.

“I don’t have any rela-tives affected by the flood but my mother was in Pakistan at the time of the floods,” Se-nior Eman Said said. “When I heard about these floods my entire

family awaited in fear.”The flooding was caused

by unusually heavy rains in the monsoon season. Additional problems in-clude the Pakistani gov-ernment’s mismanage-

ment of the flood and the widespread allegations

of corruption they are facing. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has been accused of visit-ing fake relief camps

for a photo session.“I feel that Pakistan’s

general infrastructure was poor to begin with and now, with such a di-saster, there is not much that the govern-ment can support vic-tims with,” Said said.

As a response to the floods Helping Hand USA, a global humani-tarian relief and devel-opment organization, is collecting donations.They are working in tandem with the club Memorial Muslims in an effort to raise aware-ness at the school.

“We’re just trying to get basic household items for the victims,” Senior Amna Khan said. “Simple things like band-aids, medi-cine and old clothes.”

Also on their list of needed items are non-perishable foods like powdered milk, high nu-trition biscuits and min-eral water. Due to a larger than expected response, they are now asking any donors to drop off their

contributions directly to Helping Hand USA.

See FLOOD, page 5

Photo Courtesy of Susan Sisler

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5NEWSTHE ANVILOCTOBER 5NEWSTHE ANVILSEPTEMBER 5NEWSTHE ANVILOCTOBER 5NEWS THE ANVILSEPTEMBER

CONTINUED rid-ing a bike or taking the school bus to school.

“I’m shocked that I am the only one us-ing my bike to get to school,” junior Han-nah Colley said, “be-cause it is really fun.”

If distance is not a prob-lem, walking is a great way to get to school.

“I walk a total of three miles everyday to and from school, making it a great way to get ex-ercise as well,” junior Michael Lamb said

Additionally, the school bus system serves as a different way to go back and forth to school and back.

“The bus is a great time to do homework, rest, and as a time to hang out with all my friends,” junior Lind-sey Limbaugh said.

Also out of the control of the school, the Memo-rial Church of Christ will resurface and repaint

the church parking lot this month.

“I’m happy the church is restriping the park-ing lot because we can barely see the red lines we are sup-pose to park in,” junior Brenden Duffey said.

As a result of the construction on the church parking lot, students had to find other means of trans-portation to school.

“It was a major in-convenience that we had to go to school a different way,” junior Emily Pittman said.

As part of school con-struction, a new wing is being added on the right side of the cafeteria for the Markettes and En-

gineering classes. Last year’s Markette and Engineering rooms on the breezeway are going to be turned into more science classrooms.

“The original Markette room was way too small for a team of 62. We can’t practice fully like on the field or in the gym,” ju-nior Gabriela Sorrells.

The construction on the field house, which started last year, has finished. Built pri-marily for the football team, the new field house is fully equipped for the athletes.

“Getting new weights after seventy years is really great,” Junior football player Ste-ven Gillespie said.

CONSTRUCTION: School improvements

there were still some ma-jor issues. Simple tasks like going to buy food or visiting friends and fami-ly became difficult at best.

“The power went off, though it went off ev-ery other hour anyway,” Amna Khan said. “And when I went to the ba-

CONTINUED to work with children.”

As Principal, Pace is required to meet with parents and teachers and to discuss decisions with her fellow admin-istrators. Students have had little time to meet and get to know Pace, but some impressions have already been made. “I’ve seen her at lunch, and she seems so f r i e n d l y ! ” junior Kelly Sikora said. “On the pep rally days she seems to get really into the theme and she has a lot of school spirit.” Pace has visited class-rooms, stopping in to make sure everything is going well. The teach-ers who have met with Pace are growing ac-customed to the change. “She’s very nice and is working on getting in-volved,” Physics teacher

Blair Heitkamp said. “She stopped by my class the first week, and it is her priority to get to know everyone better.” As Building Principal, Pace gets to work with other teachers and par-ents to discuss current issues going on within the school. She is also required to work along-side the existing campus

administrators to ensue the transition time runs smoothly for Memorial. “All that we do even-tually should result in support for students so that they have opportu-nities to learn, grow and become more indepen-dent as they embrace ownership for their own learning,” Pace said. There is a governing

board, the Campus Improvement Team committee, which meets and discusses issues such as who the next head prin-cipal will be. They have held meetings and created a profile for the type of appli-cant they desire. The committee thinks it will likely take the

whole school year to select a new princi-pal, and the potential can-didates remain in confidence

while the decision is still being made. “We haven’t actu-ally interviewed any candidates yet, and we’ve all been re-minded that it is bet-ter to take our time and make the right choice,” CIT com-mittee member and English teacher Patti Nommensen said.

PACE: New Principal gets acqainted

CONTINUED “We were in Lahore when the flooding hap-pened,” Amna Khan said. “We were lucky, most of the destruc-tion was in the villages.”

Some of their family members were not as for-tunate. Senior Sameen

Khan’s uncle lives La-hore, but his livelihood is found in a village nearby.

“My uncle’s entire vil-lage is underwater,” senior Sameen Khan said. “The area where he grows his crops has been flooded as well.”

Khan’s uncle is not

the only one who has lost crops. The Unit-ed Nations estimates that the damage to crops in Pakistan will likely cost billions.

Though the Memo-rial Muslims who were in Pakistan avoided the worst of the flooding,

zaars, the moment I stepped out of the car I was knee deep in water.”

Many feel that the Western response to the flooding has been inad-equate. The main cause seems to be a lack of awareness about the di-saster itself, rather than

FLOOD: charities rise to occasion in wake of a series of violent monsoons an unwillingness to help.

“Even if you don’t have money to donate to this cause, try and volun-teer for a few hours on a Saturday afternoon,” Said said. “A few hours of our time can result in making a devastated family feel safe again.”

”“All that we do eventually should result in support for students so that they have

opportunities to learn, grow, and become more independent

-Principal Patti Pace

CONTINUED smooth-ie sale to after school hours. In order to op-timize profitability, theater is strategizing their market approach.

“We know on Wednes-days after school quite a few groups have af-ter school rehearsals and meetings,” The-atre Director Nicole Morgan said “That is our best day to capi-talize on our market.”

Every year the school holds Junior Bash, a week-long fundraiser that helps raise mon-ey for the class’ prom.

“We get two waivers a school year,” Senior Principal Dawn Cole said “One of which will be used for Junior Bash.”

The government’s de-termination to make certain that students practice healthier di-etary lifestyles is not

a concept that is com-pletely unwelcome in the Memorial community.

“To a certain extent, yes. I think the Texas govern-ment should encourage all schools to incorpo-rate more balanced meal plans and offer more healthy options,” senior Jillian Seymour said.

“At the same time, they shouldn’t go all granola and prohib-it sweets and soda.”

NUTRITION: fundraisers halted

”“I’m shocked that I am the only one using my bike

to get to school because it is really fun

- Junior Hannah Cooley

6 SPORTS THE ANVIL SEPTEMBER

Unknown faces of unfamiliar teams are clashing against Memorial athletes as a result

of the recent University Interscholastic League district realignment.

For the first time in over twenty years, Memorial’s teams will no longer compete in the same district as Stratford, Northbrook, and Spring Woods high schools. While Memorial, with a 2009-2010 enrollment of 2270 students, continues to compete at the 5A level, the other three Spring Branch ISD high schools moved to a 4A district because their enrollment levels did not meet the

required 5A standard of 2065 students. As a result, Memorial will face up against Cinco Ranch, Katy, Seven Lakes, and other 5A schools from Katy ISD this fall season.

Just as in years past, members of the football team practiced twice a day for two weeks in August in order to prepare for the upcoming season.

“Overall preparations have not been affected [by the district changes],” head football coach Gary Koch said. “However, it does present some new challenges in preparation on a weekly basis, as we are not as familiar with the teams we will be facing.”

Volleyball teams anticipated the

new competition from Katy ISD with additional practice over the summer.

“We trained for longer hours in pre-season so that we can compete on a higher level with these schools,” varsity player junior Ellen Anderson said.

The varsity tennis team, ranked number one in the state, is heading into the season with confidence.

“There’s going to be some tough competition this year,” varsity player Lauren Bender said, “but I think we will be successful in Districts if we continue to play well.”

Other fall sports, such as cross country, swimming, and golf are looking ahead at the new dynamics of district competition.

With a history of 24 district

championships, 12 regional championships, and

six state championships, the Katy High School foot-

ball team could prove to be Memorial’s toughest

opponent of the season. Katy and Memorial

will face off on Saturday, Oct. 23 at

Katy Rhoades Stadium.

Katy High School

Jaclyn Worbets

After winning the

regional cham-

pionship for 13

of the past 14

seasons, the Katy

Taylor tennis team

has potential to

merit tough com-

petition against

Memorial’s var-

sity squad, who is

number one in the

state. Memorial

hosted Taylor for

a match on Tues-

day, Sept. 14.

Katy Taylor

Bailey Tsuru

SCOREBOARDVarsity FootballLast Week: Lost to Pearland on Sept. 10, 49-42.This Week: OPENOverall: 1 - 2District: N/ABright Spots: Running back Boomer White, and quarterback Wayne Taylor are finding lots of running room behind a strong offensive line.

JV FootballLast Week: Lost to Pearland on Sept. 9, 20-0. This Week: OPENOverall: 0 - 3District: N/ABright Spots: Junior Alex Laurel is showing flashes of brilliance. Sophomore Charles Cook has played well defensively.

Freshman A FootballLast Week: Lost to Pearland on Sept. 9, 18-7.This Week: OPENOverall: 1 - 2District: N/ABright Spots: The entire team has been showing a lot of unity and team work skills.

Freshman B FootballLast Week: Lost to Pearland on Sept. 9, 32-6. This Week: Open game on Sept. 16. Overall: 0 - 3District: N/ABright Spots: The entire team is working in practices and on the field.

Boys Varsity Cross CountryThe Varsity Boys won their first meet of the season with a team total of 46 points. In the 3-mile race, only 48 seconds separated run-ners 1-5. Carlos Arias and Jonathin Hardin led the team.

Boys JV Cross CountryThe JV Boys won their 1st meet of the season with a score of 23 points at the Brazoswood Invitational. They rounded up a low score with wins in 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 8th places. Ben Butler finished in first place, closely followed by Jacob LeBlanc and Michael Chung.

Sophomore FootballLast Week: Lost to Pearland on Sept. 9, 28-6. This Week: OPENOverall: 0-3District: N/ABright Spots: With only three games so far, the Sophomore team cannot say who their star players are.

By Emily SnowReporter

7SPORTSTHE ANVIL SEPTEMBER

“I don’t know much about some of the Katy schools, but with good health and practice we should be able to do well this season,” varsity golf player Know Dobbins said.

The need for extra preparation does not exclusively belong to Memorial. With the addition of Memorial and Strake to the formerly six- team Katy district, competition intensifies because only four schools make it to the play offs in each sport.

“Memorial and Cinco Ranch are good at a lot of the same sports,” Cinco Ranch football coach Bruce Hayes said. “Overall, the addition of Memorial and Strake will make our district a lot more

competitive.”Despite a new focus on competition with

Katy schools, the Memorial-Stratford rivalry was not forgotten. Unlike years past, War Week was held during the first week of school, and Memorial played Stratford that first Friday.

“I was stoked to play Stratford in the first week of school because it was a great start to the football season and school year,” varsity player junior Scott Bradshaw said.

Without compromising Memorial-Stratford tradition, district changes do point to a new possible rivalry.

“I think that this year the rivalry between Memorial and Stratford was

as intense as ever,” varsity cheerleader Caroline Hickey said, “but in the next couple of years I think we will begin to focus on Strake as our big rival.”

Whether on the tennis courts, golf course, or football field, athletes are beginning to reap the benefits of their training as they face up against Katy schools.

“I hope that we step up to what many perceive as a greater competitive challenge,” Koch said. “I have tremendous faith in all the Memorial athletes and that they will step into this new league with our high level of intensity and competitive spirit.”

PLAYBOOK

Cinco Ranch District competition may be inten-

sified this swim season, especially with the addition of the Cinco Ranch team. “We are totally prepared to face the Katy schools because we have competed against all of them before,” varsity swimmer junior Shel-by Shelton said. “The only difference is that this year we will swim against them during district competition.”

Katy Taylor

[ ]

Photo courtesy of Katherine Bornman

Morton RanchThough Morton Ranch yields quality runners, the

Memorial cross country team is ready for the chal-

lenge. “It is a little intimidating to run against schools

that are known for their good runners,” varsity runner

senior Sydney Hampton said. “However, no matter

what competition we face, we are definitely here to

run hard, and we plan on making it out of district!”

SCOREBOARD

Varsity VolleyballLast Week: Sept. 7 game against Pearland cancelled due to travel concerns. Memorial beat Morton Ranch on 9/10, 25-22.This Week: Sept. 14 @Mayde Creek , Game tonight @Memorial vs. Morton RanchOverall: 10 - 13District: 1 - 0Bright Spots: The entire team hopes to see their hard work pay off by being victorious in their district games.

JV VolleyballLast Week: Game against Pearland on 9/7 cancelled due to travel concerns. Beat Langham Creek at the Cy-Fair Tournament on 9/9, winning two out of three games. Lost to Kingwood at the same Cy-Fair Tournament, losing the first two games. Beat Morton Ranch in a district game on Sept. 10, 25-10 and 25-13. This Week: District game against Mayde Creek @ Mayde Creek on Sept. 14 at 4:30. District game against Cinco Ranch @ Memo-rial on Sept. 17 at 4:30. Overall: 7 - 9District: 1 - 0Bright Spots: Erika Edrington is showing great leadership as a captain and as a setter.

Freshman A VolleyballLast Week: Game against Pearland on 9/7 cancelled due to travel concerns. Beat Atasocita at the Cy-Fair Tournament on Sept. 9, winning the first two games. Lost to Cy-Fair at the same Cy-Fair Tournament, losing the first two games. Beat Morton Ranch in a district game on Sept. 10, winning two out of three games.This Week: District game against Cinco Ranch @ Memorial on Sept. 17 at 4:30.Overall: 7 - 5District: 1 - 0 Bright Spots: The entire team is proud to have beaten Stratford in the annaul “Pink Out” game, which raises money for breast cancer research.

Freshman B VolleyballLast Week: Beat Morton Ranch in a district game on 9/11, winning the first two games. This Week: District game against Mayde Creek @ Mayde Creek on Sept. 14 at 5:30.Overall: 7 - 4 District: 1 - 0Bright Spots: Freshman Jordan Samuel-son has been showing excellent leadership skills so far this season.

Girls Varsity Cross CountryAt the Brazoswood Invitational, the Varsity Girls finished first as a team, scoring 18 points. Margaret Vonderhaar led the team finishing first individually with the rest of the girls finishing in the top 8. Only 36 seconds separated runners 1-7 in the 2-mile race!

Girls JV Cross CountryThe JV Girls finished first as a team with 32 points in the 2-mile race. Audrey Brook led the team and finished first. The score was added up with girls finishing in first, second, fourth, sixth, eighth, and thirteenth place.

TennisGirls and Boys Team Tennis has advanced to first in state for the 5A district this year. They also had a tournament against Katy Taylor on Sept. 14.

By Emmalee Bergez and Chase HudsonReporter, Co-Sports Editor

8 SPORTS THE ANVIL SEPTEMBER

Bring it on: all or nothingCheer camp helps cheerleaders bring spirit to school

Tumbling, cheer-ing, jumping, and even some late

night dance parties all made for great fun at the 2010 Cheer Camp week at Texas A&M Univer-sity. This summer the new Varsity cheerlead-ing squad of 21 packed their bags and headed off into a world of spirit. They began sharpening their skills and learn-ing new dance routines, quickly becoming close friends and joining to-gether to lead our school.

“The purpose of cheer camp is to teach the team the proper and safe ways to stunt, how to get the crowd involved, as well as teaching us new cheers and chants that we take home with us,” senior Aubrey Kirkpatrick said. “The most important thing that we took away though is how close we became. We spent so much time together dur-ing the year that camp is a great way to get to know everybody!”

Each cheerleader un-derstood the importance

of Cheer Camp and put in an enormous amount of hard work each day. At camp it was not all work though, as many of the team members enjoyed the week long adventure.

“My favorite part was

messing around in the dorm room play-ing XBOX, watching Shark Week and get-ting to know the rest of

By Emmalee BergezReporter

the squad better,” se-nior Travis Clayton said.

Even though the squad was having a blast, they were exhausted and worn out. The strain of waking up early was increased by little rest time as the

week went on. Although they were exhausted, the squad overcame this problem by having fun and working together.

“I personally was not that tired at Cheer Camp other then when we had to wake up around 6:30 in the morning to get ready,” senior Liz Doug-las said. “At that time however, I was really tired and when we all got home after Cheer Camp everyone crashed.”

Overcoming these bat-tles together and form-ing new ideas were just a few of the ways the squad enhanced their relationships. Camp allowed many friend-ships to grow and for new ones to be created.

“Cheer Camp was vital in squad bonding,” se-nior Matt Roland said. “Getting to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity brought us together like noth-ing else could’ve. Beau-tiful friendships are the backbone of this squad, and we know these are relationships that will last a lifetime!”

In addition to form-ing friendships amongst each other, the squad began bonding with other students and dis-covered ways to relate to our school community.

With their new cheers and stunts, we are sure to be surprised with their plans for this year.

“One new idea is an ex-citing theme for home-coming,” senior Dani-ella Lee said. “We really want everyone to be able to enjoy that pep rally as well as all the rou-tines we have planned.”

Joining the Varsity squad on this cheering rollercoaster was the en-tire JV Cheer team. They had similar experiences working hard and getting to know each other bet-ter. After learning new techniques and cheers, these girls are ready to prove what they can do.

“Cheer camp taught the JV team everything we need to know for pepping up the crowd,” junior Kendall Oelfke said. “It also made us bond as a team and grow closer together.”

Cheer Camp is vital in improving the squad and preparing them for the long school year ahead. Filling the stands with loads of excitement, the Cheer team is ready to impress the school and its community.

Mustangs Fight! Senior Liz Douglass, supported by seniors Aubrey Kirkpatrick, Brent Carlton, and Barrett Von Blon, leads the crowd in the customary Mustang Cheer during the Stratford Pep Rally.

With a new school year comes new challenges and changes. For the softball and volleyball programs, those changes come in the form of new coaches. Coach Stephanie Mosley and Coach Jenny Adcock may be new to the school, but they are no strangers to Spring Branch or the fierce rivalary between Memorial and Stratford, as both coaches are former Spartans turned Mustangs.

Coach Mosley is replacing Coach Tina Young this year as the new head softball coach. Mosley was the assistant softball and freshmen basketball coach at Stratford High School. Although the softball team misses Coach Young, they look forward to the new season, with a new coach.

“We are all excited to get to know our new coach,” senior Julianne Staine said. “This year will definitely be different in our new district and I am confident

that Coach Mosley can help us succeed!”

Coach Young, the former head coach, will still be supporting the team throughout the season.

“The adjustment will be a little easier knowing that Coach Young will be on the fence each game supporting us,” senior Mackenzie Meador said. “Coach Mosley has watched us play for years so I feel like she already knows our team a little bit.”

Coach Young, the former head softball coach, is still at the school. She is now coaching girls JV basketball and teaching P.E classes, and will continue to coach freshmen A volleyball. Due to her cancer treatment, her skin has become sensitive to sunlight which caused to

to move to indoor sports. Although the

Stratford softball team is sad to lose their assistant coach, they are very proud of her.

“I’m really sad she left and went to our rival school,” Stratford sophomore Lacie Stevens said. “But having the job as head softball coach at Memorial is a big deal and I’m happy for her.”

While the softball team is in the early stages of practice with their new coach, the volleyball’s season is well underway with their new JV coach, Jenny Adcock.

“The whole team was nervous at first and I can imagine Coach Adcock was too,” sophomore Shelby Hoyt said. “But after a while we all warmed up to each other and I feel so lucky to be a player on her team.”

Coach Adcock worked

at Stratford before moving to our school and coaching junior varisty volleyball.

“Memorial volleyball is much more laid back,” Adcock said. “It also seems like there is more collaboration between coaches here. The coaching staff is definitley more supportive.”

Volleyball is finishing up their pre-season and heading into their district games.

“The Katy schools will be a challenge in district,” Adcock said. “Basically, there’s five really good schools competing for four slots. But a challenge will help us to improve physically.”

The junior varsity Volleyball team’s pre-season record is three wins and seven losses. Their next game will be today against Cinco Ranch at 4:30 p.m. in Gym 3.

Despite the challenges, both programs are adjusting well with their new coaches and are planning on a spectacular year.

Spartans, what is your profession?By Brandy Gutkowski

Reporter

Trains have a habit of bouncing in Germany, especially when it’s the World Cup, the team has just won a match, and the hardcore soc-cer fans (AKA Every-one) celebrate on the subway ride home.

Soccer is life in Ger-many during the World Cup season. If you’re not watching the game at a public viewing, don’t know the scores the next day, or heaven forbid you dare to cheer for another team, you will be ostracized if not thrown under the clos-est bicycle or BMW.

When I went to Germa-ny for a month I couldn’t help but get into soccer. The energy surround-ing it was infectious, so much so that I bought an official Deutschland jersey, a FIFA DVD, and I never missed a game with Germany in it.

It makes me wish that America had the same vi-tality for soccer that the Germans do. The pub-lic viewings everywhere from cafe’s to the local Biergarten. Everyone was screaming, cheering, and blowing vuvuzelas every other second. The bouncing trains and the red, black and yellow face paint that would smear with sweat as the people danced in the streets’.

If only we could bring that same fire we bring to football games with their tail-gates and marching bands, to soccer games. Soccer is forever moving on the field, and can see teams from all over the world play versus just, well, the United States. If more people cared about soccer, maybe national team might ac-tually kick some butt the next time World Cup comes around.

If I could bring the power, the electric en-ergy I felt when it came to soccer in Germany to Houston maybe I’d actually enjoy sports a bit more. The thrill of seeing them run across a field, passing, steal-ing, redbirds, shouting at referees through the Television screen, and admiring the German player Mesut Özil as he scores a goal… Now that is definitely some-thing worth cheering for.

World Cup Fever

By Blake Keeling Editor-in-Chief

Setting high standards. Adock will not be changing much in the volleyball program, but she in planning on doing well in distr-rict against Katy. This year, she is planning on focusing on the setters.

Moving forward. Mosley will be missed at Stratford. “It was bitter sweet losing Coach Mosley,” Stratford senior Sarah Kitterman said. “We’re all very proud of her accomplishment of earning the head coaching position at Memorial.

Baily Tsuru

”““The whole team was nervous at first and I

can imagine Coach Adcock was too. But after a while we all warmed up to each other and I feel so lucky to be a player on her team.”

- Sophomore Shelby Hoyt

Travis Bonner

Travis Bonner

9ADSTHE ANVILSEPTEMBER

Photographers:Bailey TsuruMakenna Van LiewTravis Bonner

Reporters: Abigail GodfreyAdam MrlikArman AvasiaBrandy GutkowskiCaroline SladicEmma MattsonEmmalee BergezKimberly LandaKirby SmithNick PohlSahar Sadoughi

Staff Artist:Jennifer Fan

Editor in ChiefBlake Keeling

The ANVIL is published monthly by Memorial High School Publications and uses high school-appropriate advertising to offset costs. The ANVIL is a nonpartisan newspaper.The Editorial Board writes an unsigned editorial which represents the opinion of the entire staff. Spring Branch Independent School District and MHS cannot discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or handicap in its educational, career and technology education programs, services or activities as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1973. The ANVIL is copyright 2010-2011 by MHS publications, all rights reserved. No portion may be reproduced by any means without written consent from MHS Publications. Subscriptions are available for $25 per year. The ANVIL is printed by USA Printing and is designed by students using Apple Macintosh computers, Adobe InDesign CS4, Adobe Photoshop CS4. The ANVIL is a member of the Interscholastic League Press Conference, the Columbia Scholastic Press League and the Texas High School Press Association. The ANVIL welcomes letters to the Editor. Please enclose your full name (which we withhold upon request) and the telephone number. We reserve the right to edit all letters. Please bring letters to room R-204 or to the address on the left.

Advisor: Todd McCardleTHE ANVIL

Memorial High School 935 Echo Lane

Houston, TX 77024713-251-2500

Principal: Patti Pace

Callie Carson

Co-Sports Editor

Carson White

Co-Ent.Editor

The People Behind

The Anvil

OPINIONS THE ANVIL SEPTEMBER10

Tanya Peifer

Opinions Editor

Jaclyn Worbets

Photo Editor

Kelsey SmithCo-Ent. Editor

Tess DennisNews Editor

Happiness and heartache in the homeland

Online EditorSara Khan

ernment response has been sluggish. Corrup-tion is rampant, starting at the lowest clerk all the way up to the presidency.

Frankly, most days it’s pretty easy to dismiss my family’s home country as a hopelessly corrupt, failed nation. But despite everything, I will always love Pakistan. Not its government – there is no love lost between us – but its people, its life, its soul. Pakistanis, by and large, are a hard work-ing people, despite the crushing poverty most of them find themselves in. There is a sort of in-grained chivalry in the men there that bleeds over into many facets of life; doors are opened and chairs pulled out (and whenever these things happen, I can’t help but think how simi-lar this is to Southern hospitality). My sum-mers and winters in La-hore are among some

of my most precious memories. Those long days spent with my cous-ins and family, watch-ing Veronica Mars and Chuck, playing endless games of Halo, going shopping in the markets, driving around the an-cient city – all of these moments are priceless. I know that Pakistan has numerous problems that will take years to solve – if they ever are – but somehow, when you’re there, surrounded by regular people trying to live their lives, it’s not in the forefront. The news is skilled at insinuating that all Pakistanis hate the Western world, that there fear and anger rules. But I - simply from being there - have seen a different side, seen the Pakistani people for what they truly are: nor-mal people. My cousin Mahnoor shares my obsessive love for read-ing anything she can get

her hands on, especially high fantasy. Her sister Meeru is the social but-terfly; she texts so much that the numbers have been worn off the keys of her phone. These people, my family, are some of the coolest people ever. Even bomb blasts – there were five in Lahore alone when I was there this summer – can’t take away that knowledge.

Pakistan is in a very poor state right now - that goes without say-ing. The government and other, more malicious forces have seen to it that the country’s standing in the world has nose-dived. Lost in the fray are the Pakistani people themselves. Someday, I hope that Pakistan will be able to face its prob-lems; not only for my sake, but for the Paki-stanis, that they might regain the reputation of being what they already are: normal people.

Assistant EditorMary Helen Klingen

When one thinks of Pakistan, several images figure prevalently, most of them of death and de-struction: the bombings, the floods, the Taliban. Believe me, I know. As a Pakistani-American, I’m all too aware of the bad rep the country has.

I’ve been going to Paki-stan every year since 2002 to visit my fam-ily and inevitably have experienced a lot of the less than glamorous things Pakistan has to offer. Driving through Lahore, Pakistan’s big-gest city, and the one I visit, is often a depress-ing experience; beggars will inevitably come to the window, asking for a few rupees (the currency of Pakistan).

Floods have ravaged the country – one-fifth of Pakistan is currently under water - and gov-

By Sara Khan Online Editor

Chase Hudson

Co-Sports Editor

W

RIE

D

W

SE

RI

Victoria, Australia- Two men

were arrested for wrestling a snake in a McDonald’s

parking lot. The men stole the 5-foot long black-headed py-thon and a lizard from a local

pet store. They were both charged for burglary.

Chicago, Illinois- The world’s

highest ice skating rink is being installed on top of

the John Hancock observatory. The rink will be at an elevation

of 1,000 feet and will only be open from January to

MarchBaltimore,

Maryland- The University of Baltimore

offers a course that studies the impact of zombies in popular culture. Students

watch 16 classic zombie flicks throughout the semester and

turn in a research paper for a final grade.

past years, these orga-nizations credited the majority of the money raised to their cookie and smoothie sales. Al-though the bake sales have shut down, this does not mean that the school is a fat food free zone. Students still have the option of purchas-ing ice cream bars in the cafeteria! According to a 2003 CNN report, con-tinued exposure to food laden with preservatives and other unwholesome ingredients leads con-sumers to accept these foods as satisfactory choices. Once a nutrient free diet becomes a part of a routine, future food choices follow the same path. Therefore, the re-port concluded that peo-

11OPINIONSTHE ANVILSEPTEMBERTh

eFace Off Q Do you think state governments have the right to tell school cafeterias what to serve?

The day I was born, chaos followed. The joy and laughter that normally fills delivery rooms was replaced with an emotional stillness as my doc-tor rushed me to the ICU. I was born with a heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot that put my life at high risk. This defect forced my heart to work twice as fast and wouldn’t perform like a normal heart should. Four months later, I arrived back at Texas Children’s Hospital to have my life-saving surgery. If it weren’t for the skilled surgeons, the excessive amount of support, and the lov-ing prayers, I probably wouldn’t be here today.

Fast forward 17 years and 2 months. I found myself back at Texas Children’s holding my mom’s hand in the waiting room. This past sum-mer, on June 17, my family felt that same anxi-ety in the pit of their stomachs as I rolled away in my wheelchair on my way to yet another heart surgery. The only difference this time was that I was old enough to understand the pain.

My whole life I’ve been physically slow. I was always behind in school work, the first girl to fall asleep at the slumber party, and the last per-son to finish her laps in gym class. The doctors promised me that having this surgery would be worth it and that I would feel the difference.

At first, it didn’t feel like it. There was never a minute that went by where I wasn’t holding onto my morphine pump for dear life. In the surgery procedures, it called for them to put in a valve from a cow heart to help regulate my blood flow. To do this, the surgeons had to cut open my chest and saw my ribs apart. Isn’t that comforting to hear?

Days went by as my summer melted away into pain and boredom. Name a movie and I watched it. Name any episode of One Tree Hill and I can quote it. Balloons, candy, flowers, and teddy bears filled my room. Visitors piled in, but never stayed long enough. I constantly asked myself “how is this worth it?” The pain was un-bearable. I was trapped in my house for weeks. I had never hung out with my mother more in my lifetime. Everyone’s Facebook statuses of their extravagant summer trips were starting to torture me. This was not what I signed up for.

Summer went by slowly, but in time, I was shop-ping with my friends, going to see Eclipse, and planning trips for late July. I couldn’t believe it! I had recovered and was up and walking like a normal, healthy person. It wasn’t long before school would be starting and I was so thankful.

Now that school has begun, tests, quizzes, and theatre rehearsals are overpowering my life. I’m starting to clearly see the difference. I feel like I’m a superhero with everlasting energy. This newfound me is refreshing and motivates me to make my senior year better than all the oth-er years of high school combined. Never have I been able to wake up in the morning on time or stayed up all night with my best friend un-til now. Simple activities that I never thought I would be able to do are now surprisingly easy.

With this newly recovered heart, I feel like I can do anything. The lazy, groggy, and ex-hausted Makenna is gone. I realize now that I spent too much of my time worrying about what I was limited to rather than taking risks and not letting my heart condition affect me. But now, you might as well call me Ironwoman.

“I think state control of cafete-rias is ineffective because kids will just continue to go home and eat

unhealthily.”

Say hello to Ironwoman

Freshman Victoria

Moreno-CostaSophomore

Danielle Yoon

W h y n o t l e t t h e m e a t c a k e ?

“Kids are still able to bring an unhealthy lunch to school.”

“I think the state has the right to control what the state can serve in the

cafeteria.”

“I want to have bake sales, but if the state says we are a

fat school I think it’s best to listen.”

As you weave your way t h r o u g h monstrous crowds on a Friday, only one thought can nullify your frustration. You find an inner peace and some-how man-age to toler-ate the lost f r e s h m e n and those i r r i t a t i n g people in front of you who decide that right in front of the staircase is a good place to stop and have a chat. All this disap-pears when you catch a whiff of the Otis Spunkenmeyer cookies baking in the breezeway. But what’s this now, all bake sales are prohibited from oc-curring during all lunch periods? As the nation grows increasingly con-cerned about the eat-ing habits of America’s youth, many schools have begun scrutinizing the food offered more closely. The question is, does this ban on sugary products benefit or hurt the school as a whole?

Apart from providing delicious morsels that brighten up the school day, the bake sales gar-ner money pivotal in the fundraising of cer-tain clubs. Theatre and Choir in particular are feeling the effects of the renewed enforcement of state regulations. In

schools in more than

200 coun-t r i e s . T h e r e are cer-tain state r e g u l a -tions that mandate p r o p e r n u t r i -t i o n a l g u i d e -lines by which all s c h o o l p r o v i d -ed food m u s t a d h e r e . The main r e a s o n the ad-ministra-tion feels

justified in discontinu-

ing bake sales is their inabil-

ity to confirm the ingredients used in

producing the prod-ucts. Without this im-

portant information, the school maintains that it cannot allow the con-tinuation of the bake sales. If the school were to be found in violation of the state guidelines it would lose funding for reduced priced lunches.

However, if the clubs sell products from com-panies whose priority is to provide quality nu-trition products, there should not be an issue. Given the opportunity, the clubs could modify their sales to healthier alternatives. The bot-tom line is fund raising is suffering and no mat-ter what kind of obsta-cles lay in the way, some kind of middle ground needs to be established.

Editor’s

PollAgree: 10

Disagree: 0Art by Shannon Peifer

ple will instantly gravi-tate to the types of food to which they are regu-larly exposed, whether it is healthy or unhealthy. One can conclude that the availability of sug-ary treats in the cafete-ria will deter children from choosing healthier options. So there is no change in the eating habits of the students, and clubs lose revenue.

On the other hand, we have all heard about the growing concerns about childhood obesity. Over the past 30 years, child-hood obesity has tripled. In an effort to control these statistics, main-stream companies such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi have removed their full-calorie beverages from

By Makenna Van Liew Photographer

12 PHOTO ESSAY THE ANVIL SEPTEMBER

Bailey Tsuru

Jaclyn Worbets

Jaclyn Worbets

Makenna Van Liew

T

SCHOOLSPIR I

Whether you are just a little freshman starting out or a senior entering your fourth year, it is required of you to have school spirit here at Memorial High. The colors red and white fill the hallways as you walk from class to class. Music blasts in the courtyard and you self- consciously bob your head to the beat. You dress up in crazy outfits to impress your fellow students and take your victory prize as your name is called for best costume. This is what Memoiral High School is all about.By enrolling at this school, you have become a true Mustang. So hold your finger up and sing the Alma Mater loud and clear. And be proud to be a Memorial Mustang. “To thee our hearts belong, Memorial High.”

Jaclyn Worbets

By Makenna Van LiewPhotographer

ThunderThe Anvil Issue 1 Features/Entertainment

A Glance Into TheFuture

Art by: Kirby Smith

Art by: Kirby Smith

Insid

e the

is

sue

hot to trotScholarshipsVolunteeringpage 2t page 7t page 8t

Backpacks are on, pencils are in hand and school is officially back in session. But don’t fret because academics are not the only thing this school has to offer. The hallways will be jumping with things that all students can be looking

forward to. We all can expect a lot of school spirit and plenty of new experiences from this school year. “Even though this year is going to be tough, I am excited for it!” junior Amanda Collins said. There are more dances, new pep rally themes, and now that we are the only 5A school in our area we have a new round of competition.” Freshmen can look forward to a whole bunch of new experiences, such as their first homecoming. The theme for this year’s dance is Circus, and Student Council is hard at work making shirts and preparing for the parade, ensuring that this homecoming is going to be the best one yet! “I’m excited for homecoming because I can’t wait to see the decorations for the dance at the Marriot Hotel,” freshman Katherine Radney said. With War Week having taken place the first week of school, it is certain that there will be much more to look forward to including the other pep rallies, which include Western and Nerd themes among many more. “I love the pep rallies and dressing up for all of them!” Junior Samantha Duffey said. “It makes school a bit more interesting!” For the upperclassmen, this year will be packed with numerous fun events, including Junior Bash, an event put on by the junior class to raise money for their senior prom. Events that all students can enjoy will include the Mr. Legs Competition and the Powder Puff football game. “I can’t wait to play the seniors in the Powder Puff game, and Mr. Legs is always really funny!” Junior Amy Fricks said. Now seniors, don’t get senioritis just quite yet, and remember that there is still an entire year left. Don’t miss out on any of the important events such as the spring musical. This year the theater department will be putting on the musical Gypsy. The musical will be held in the auditorium, and is available for all students to attend. “I am so excited about Gypsy this year because it’s unlike any musical Memorial has ever done before!” senior Emmory Brazelton said. “The brutal reality of these characters and plot is captivating.” With many fun events planned for this year, the 2010 to 2011 school year will be one to remember.

By Kirby SmithReporter

2T THUNDER THE ANVIL SEPTEMBER

Photo courtesy of Blastr.com.

With the new school year now in full swing, time is of the essence. It’s hard to free even a few minutes for yourself between friends, outside activities, and of course, homework. But when you finally have a moment to sit down, relax, and catch your breath, be sure to check out these promising television programs that might justbecome one of your favorites.

The Event (Mon-days 9/8c, NBC): In NBC’s The Event, a young man’s girlfriend disappears. In his search for her, he discovers an event the government has been covering up for years. Meanwhile the nearly assassinated new president finds that the CIA has hidden a facility in Alaska, where they are performing experiments. This certainly sounds like a randomly placedtogether conspiracy theory, but despite this, the show has earned good reviews. For those who are interested in the government, faked moon landings, anddisappearing beaus, this is the show for you.

CHANNEL SURFING THROUGH THE FALL

Photo courtesy of NBC.com.

Law and Order: Los Angeles (Premiere Sept. 29 10/9c, NBC): Another spin on the classic criminal case show that we all know and love, this show takes place in Los Angeles, California. It presents the exploits of the Los Angeles Robbery Homicide Division. though not all of us can live in or travel to Los Angeles, perhaps we can experience the city vicari-ously through them. Law and Order: Los Angeles will surely bring forth yet another well-done show to entertain whoever’s itching for their Law and Order fix.

Photo courtesy of NBC.com.

Chuck (Premiere Sept. 20 8/7c, NBC): This program presents yet another reason to avoid unlabeled e-mails! Chuck is an unsuspecting guy who gets an e-mail that is loaded with government secrets, which are then hard wired directly into his brain. Now this normal nerd has to avoid terrorists and as-sassins, and is protected by the CIA—this former World of Warcraft player is now dodging bullets to protect not only his country, but his life! So all you players of FPS’s and flight simulators, watch-ers of television, channel connoisseurs-grab your joysticks and join in!

Photo courtesy of NBC.com.

Glee (Premiere Sept. 21 8/7c, FOX): Casting call! Entering its second season, this popular musical television show is returning this season, much to the delight of many a “Gleek.” (Gleek being a Glee geek.)This show is especially popular among teenag-ers because it follows high school life--and it’s of course also popular among theater students for it’s extravagant musical numbers. For those who have not heard the buzz about Glee yet, the program follows the drama of a high school choir; it has won multiple Golden Globes awards. Break a leg, everyone!

Senior Kayla Gibson volunteered at the Houston Yacht Club this summer. At the Yacht Club, she boarded a sailboat called

the Flying Scott and taught Special Olympics athletes how to sail. The children that she taught will participate in the Special Olympics sailing competition this year. Gibson, a competitive sailor herself, felt compelled to help the athletes because of her own sister.“My sister [has] special needs,” Gibson said. “Volunteering was a way to

show my friends, family, and sister that I care.”Many of the athletes had a special habit that they did repetitively, such

as clapping or an addiction to swimming. “It took a lot of patience,” Gibson said. “But it also made me appreciate

my sister’s condition, and to understand how much more severe her condition could be. I respect her so much more.”Gibson will continue to volunteer until May.

Students make a difference Junior Bonnie Helm volunteered approximately 176

hours this June at MD Anderson Cancer Research Center. Her un-paid internship comprised of every

weekday in June, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. At the center, she helped research-ers search for a cancer cure.“I cloned cells and inserted mutations into the DNA,” Helm said.Helm, who is taking Chemistry II AP, studied the mutation’s effect on the cells. “If there’s one mutation in one amino acid in your DNA, it can make everything

in your DNA go haywire,” Helm said. “One mistake can even cause a deadly growth. It made me realize how perfect our DNA is.” In addition to learning about the technical aspect of cancer research, Helm’s

volunteering also had a more personal impact. “I actually did get to see some of the patients,” Helm said. “I think that one of the most interesting

feelings was when I went down to the patient cafeteria. It was an odd feeling to see all of the people eating there and to realize that it could kill them, and that I could help stop that.”

This summer, Memorial students volunteered more than ever in loca-tions around the city. Their unpaid efforts helped run museums, find a cure, and much more.

Bonnie Helm

Kayla Gibson

Patterns and backgrounds from Google Images.

By Callie CarsonCo-Sports Editor

A photo of a cell after Helm inserted

mutations into it for research purposes.

Photo courtesy of Bonnie Helm.

By Abigail GodfreyReporter

The Houston Yacht Club sets sail to teach special Olympics athletes how to sail. Gibson is one of several Photo courtesy Kayla Gibson.Gibson (left) with her 11-year-old

sister Hayley (right). Photo cour-

tesy of Kayla Gibson.

The Good Wife (Premiere Sept. 28 10/9c, CBS): This program is about the wife of a political leader who lands in jail because of accusations about an affair and corruption, and the resilience she shows. In between dealing with reporters, gossip, and the stresses of everyday life, she fights to keep herself and her children in a safe home. The actress who plays the main character, Julianna Margulie, has won multiple awards for her acting on the show. If you are looking to see the inside of politics and the strength of a mother protecting her children, try The Good Wife on for size.

Photo courtesy of CBS.com.

3TTHUNDERTHE ANVILSEPTEMBER

4T THUNDER THE ANVIL SEPTEMBER

Declassified Fish Survival Guide

DON’T: Walk on the Mustang. Yes, the myth is true, and it’s still in full effect. If a freshman dares to step on the precious Mustang in the courtyard, then he or she will be cursed. Don’t ask how, don’t ask why. It’s just the way it is.

DO: Avoid the Mustang at all costs. If someone pushes you on it, push them back!

DON’T: Hang out with the wrong crowd. Freshman year seems to be the year where friendships are broken. Be sure to pick the friends that have good heads on their shoulders. Who you hang out with is who you are; make sure you keep up a well rounded reputation.

DO: Embrace who you are. Liberate yourself and find the friends who can accept you.

DON’T: Come in thinking you own the place. There are students that have been here a lot longer than you and students that are a lot smarter than you. If you come in thinking that the school is yours to take over, you’re going to get taken down. Always remember you’re at the bottom of the food chain.

DO: Come in with the right attitude. Upperclassmen are like bees. Don’t bother them and they won’t bother you. Get excited for what high school has to offer. Don’t sweat the little things.

DON’T: Slack off in class. In high school, unlike middle school, grades are important. The grades you make today determine who you will be tomorrow.

DO: Start thinking about what you want to do in life. Start working harder, studying longer, taking difficult classes and getting involved in activities that can help you figure out what your interests are. It’ll pay off in the long run!

DON’T: Follow the crowd when it comes to fashion.

DO: Find your own personal style! Find a look that works for you and stick to it. Don’t worry about trends or what anyone else thinks. Just be real!

DON’T: Be afraid to stand up for the battle cry during pep-rallies. Yes, you’re going to get booed. But that’s half the fun! Get over it, get loud, get proud!

DO: Go all out when it comes to pep-rallies! It’s a fun way to express yourself and have some school spirit.

Lucky freshmen (if th

ere is such a

thing) have a mentor, an

older

sibling, a neighbo

r: someone who has

walked the halls of

Memorial and

made it through that

oh-so-daunting

freshman year unscathed

. For the

more common fresh

man, however,

high school is en

tered blindly. Dazed

and confused, the

unlucky freshman

wanders third floor Aqua in sear

ch of

the pool, recentl

y purchased elevator

pass in hand. It’s for t

hese unfor-

tunate fish that we’ve com

posed a

comprehensive ‘do’s

and don’ts list’.

Consider this your only

warning.

OOPS!

By Carson White, Adam Mrlik, Kimberly LandaCo-Ent. Editor Reporter Reporter

SEPTEMBER 5TTHUNDERTHE ANVIL

“I had just bought doughnuts for all my friends, it was the last day of classes. The bell just rang and I bent down to pick up my bag and my pants ripped all the way down my leg. I had to walk to the office with the bag cover-ing my leg and had to sit there until my mom brought me new pants. I cried.” Said Mills Witmer, senior

OOPS!

“My friend was telling me a funny story and I really had to pee. I started laughing so hard I peed my pants. Unfortunately I was wear-ing white jeans and I had to call my mom to come pick me up.”Said Chandler O’Brien, junior

“I was at my computer in BCIS and I was feel-ing nauseous. I asked Coach Ruez to go to the bathroom and before I made it out the door all of a sudden I threw up! I ran to the bathroom, and then went home.” Said Alyssa Hicks, junior

“I was walking up the stairs by orange wing and my foot got caught in between the stairs and I face planted.” Said Spencer Muncey, junior

-Comedy Sportz Today

-DISC Club!

-Finish FLUFFS Poster!

-Club F.A.C.E.

-StudentCouncil

FINA

LLY T

HE

WEEKEN

D!

Remember Cupcakes for Adam’s birthday!Go to American Apparel for costume!

Pep-rally Friday!!!

Fun Loving United Freshman Females is the club for anyone looking to make friends and have fun! The FLUFFS members meet to make decorative posters for the various clubs and sports at the school.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Club FACE comes to-gether to carry out each of the three R’s of nature Their latest project involves getting aluminum and glass bins for the school, and they have planned many events for the upcoming year.

Meet in V-106

Student Council is a good way to get involved in our school. It is the student led govern-ment; this is a great way to learn good leadership skills.Meetings are the first Wednesday of every month. Elec-tions are held every March.

Meet in Auditorium

When look-ing for a good laugh, a ComedySportz match is the place to go. This is not a joke. They meet with a referee where they compete against 15 other schools in different stand up comedy games .

Meet in the Black Box theatre

DISC is short for Drowned In Sound Club. The club is dedicated to just that, immersing yourself in music. Each week the group meets to share new music and then discuss their opinions on each other’s tastes.

Meet in room B-103

Kimberly Landa

Adam Mrlik

6T THUNDER THE ANVIL SEPTEMBER

14800 St. Mary’s Ln, Ste. 245Houston, Texas 77079-2943

832.476.3495Joe Klingen

www.parkerfeeonly.com

For: African American Seniors

What you can get: winners will receive

10,000 a year-Nov. 1 deadline

Web site: www.ron-brown.org

7TTHUNDERTHE ANVILSEPTEMBER

The Verdict: “This is a great snack because you get protein from the peanut butter, and celery has negative calories,” junior Eliza Bornman said.

The Verdict: “This is really good! I love the mix of cold apples and peanut butter,” senior Sterret Frank said.

The Verdict: “Trail mix is easy to make and versatile, because you can add whatever you’re hungry for,” junior Emma Sutton said.

Spice Up Your

You stare at the page and hit the last submit button. Your pulse finally slows down and you no longer feel the need to pull your hair out. You take your first sigh of relief and sit satisfied as you stare at the last college applica-

tion you ever hope to see in your life.

Applying to college is not the only thing that can stress an already overloaded senior. Once the worry over college accep-tance is over, the daunting task of finding a way to pay for school throws in a whole new applica-

tion process. Scholarships can make the burden softer on ol’ pop as schools now can cost up to almost 30 or 40 thousand dollars a year.

College counselor Darla Shir-ley stands ready to help seniors in their application

process. Last year seniors earned over 13 mil-lion dollars collectively in scholar-ships. Here are some opportunities

students have.

GOING GREENBy Mary Helen Klingen

Assistant Editor

Trail Mix: In a bowl combine: chocolate chips, almonds, Craisins, Chex cereal, Cheerios, and/or M&M’s.

Apple & PB Wrap: Spread peanut butter on a wrap, add sliced apples, and wrap it up!

Ants on a Log: Spread peanut butter on celery and top with raisins, Craisins or chocolate chips.

By Caroline Sladic Reporter

the je� erson scholarship

The Jefferson ScholarshipFor: those applying to UVAdescription: each high school can nominate only one student each year for consideration for this scholar-ship.what you can get: if the winner attends the University of Virginia they will receive a full ride. This includes tuition, room and board, fees, and books.

For: All Texas High School Students

what you can get: recipi-ents will reward either

$5,000 or $1,000 scholar-ships to any university. If you attend TCU, the amount will double.

Web site: www.tcuyeya.com

The Tas t i ng Tr i a l s

Luis

Jaim

e Rosales scholarsh

ip

For: Any Memorial High School se-

niors of Hispanic descent.

what you can get: $1,000 for a four year university or $500 for a com-munity college.

For: senior girls from greater Houston areaWhat you can get: will

reward 5 $1,000 scholar-ships

-must submit an applica-tion form, official tran-

script, and essay discuss-ing a current event on

energy and your thoughts, and a letter of reference-due date Oct. 10, 2010

Peanut butter and jelly? Again? Although it’s a classic lunch-time staple, peanut butter and jelly can get boring. To change up your lunch routine, try sliced bananas or Nutella as yum-my alternatives to plain jelly.

“I bring turkey rolls, chips, fruit, usually grapes, and a rice crispy. Sometimes I bring hummus and chips though,” sophomore Casey Klein said.

Pairing yogurt with any com-bination of granola, chocolate

chips, sliced fruit, or graham crackers makes for a healthy choice instead of a sandwich.

“My friend makes her own yogurt parfaits and packs that along with hummus, pretzels, and a smooth-ie,” sophomore Taylor Phillips said.

However, most students still opt for a sandwich paired with healthy snacks such as fresh fruits and veggies.

“My lunch consists of three cat-egories: vegetables, fruits and a sandwich. It’s pretty boring, but ev-

eryone always tells me my sand-wich looks good,” Phillips said.

Whether you pack your lunch yourself or your mother packs it for you, there are lots of healthy yet delicious options from which you can choose.

8T THUNDER THE ANVIL SEPTEMBER

5

HOT 2 TROT

Student Spotlight

32

4

7

My favorite class is Bio II. I love biology, its so interesting

to me and I actually want to pursue a career in it.

I had a relative that was a lug-gage guarder

during the Texas Revo-lution and even the bat-tle of San Jacinto.

My favorite d e s i g n e r s are Chloe,

Louis Vuitton (the clothes too, not just the bags), and also Alexander McQueen.

My favorite book is Less Than Zero by Ellis and

my favorite movie is “The Virgin Sui-cides”.

My favorite part of Memorial is that all the classrooms have

a wall of windows and all the trees. It’s a coin toss between the two.

10

I have too many favor-ite bands!

And I could never choose just one.

1 My name is Hannah Cooley and I’m a junior!

8 The most embarrassing thing I’ve ever done is watch myself close my own fingers in a car window!

6

9 I can recite nearly any line, from

Monty Pythons Search for the Holy Grail with dead accuracy, and appropriate accents.

The first 48 hours after a homicide are said to be the most crucial, and if no concrete evidence is found then the chance of solving the case is cut in half. That’s that idea behind the show, and the facts of real life. Cameras follow real-life homicide detectives and real life crimes. The reality of all the cases from the sorrowful and the bizarre, it’s a program that’s got me completely hooked. I love crime shows to begin with, but this is the ultimate murder-mystery as you go along trying to race the clock and solve the homicide case with the detectives. Cases have been solved, others have remained with no arrests, but the utter suspense keeps me guessing until the end. Murders involving mere accidents or creepy voodoo the whole spectrum of humanity is covered within the show.

The First 48

My favorite thing to do on

the weekend is to go shopping!

Edward and Jacob, step aside! The Passage is science fiction, horror, post-apocalyptic genres, and Dracula, all mixed into one. While The Passage takes a little while to get into, as it is a long book that requires a lot of back story and set up, but once you start really putting the pieces together you’re hooked. It is not a book to be read in a short time period, weighing in with hundreds of pages, but it is certainly worth the time spent reading. This book will have you turning back in pages to simply sit down and think about what would happen if this event occurred. There are many post-apocalyptic books out there, yet this can stand up along with King’s The Stand or The Road. It is a great book that is a little slow to get into, but you will be sit-ting awake at night with all the lights on before it’s over.

The Passage

Abigail Godfrey

Blake Keeling

By Justin Cronin

DegrassiTeen pregnancy, drug abuse, and school shootings. Cheating ex-boyfriends and mental breakdowns; these are a few of Degrassi’s favorite things. A thirty minute heart pounding drama shown exclusively on TheN and MTV, Degrassi: The Next Generation is perhaps trash TV’s crowning achievement. It has it all: bad acting, repetitive plot lines and shamelessly unrealistic cliffhangers. But let’s be real: so do most half hour sitcoms geared toward teens. What sets Degrassi apart is a true dedication to the life-ending drama that would land most mere mortals on a therapist’s couch for the next thirty years (when, I might add, Degrassi will probably still be airing). It’s a whole new level of trashy you’ll have to see to believe. And trust me, like the illicit substances that half the student body seems to be addicted to, once you start you won’t be able to stop. Carson White