Girls bowling team( le to right) Jennifer Doubrava, Hannah Burkhardt, Angelica Dominguez, Taylor Breig, (bottom) Meagan Lopez, Aleigha “AJ” James, Amber Talamantez. Boys bowling team (le to right) Louis Talamantez, Mason Stokes, Julian Villarreal, Josh Sowell, Adam Salinas, Andrew Salinas, Jonathan Zurita, Eliezer Lee. Photo courtesy of head bowling coach Greg Knierim.
Pins lined up at the end of a polished lane. Cheers arise from the seats behind the pit as the undefeated Girls bowling team encourage each other with a unique cheer for each of its members.When they send the ball down the lane, they remember to relax and stay loose. According to senior Angelica Dominguez, the success of her team made her feel like she can do anything.
“I think our experience together has been memorable. It’s been a great joy to make new friends and hopefully, those friendships continue on and we’ll be able to call each other and say ‘hey we’re going bowling let’s go’,” Dominguez said.
Both of our State bound Bowling teams have secured a place this year at the State level.The girls’ team held an almost perfect season of 9 to 1, with their one loss belonging to Brennan High School, while the boys’ team possessed the same score losing only one game earlier in the season. This success, however, is the result of their dedication not only to the game but to each other. According to the team and the coaches, they always take the time to give out pointers and tips in order to help each other become better bowlers.
“Usually we sit down before our team match after our singles and we just we talk to each other.We make each other feel better [and] sometimes the guys [bowling team] come over and they help us out and we go into the team trying to do our best,” Talamantez said.
Through all the trials and tribulations that comes with perfecting their game these girls shared that they count every sacrifice as worth their while, and Dominguez describes one of the ways bowling has impacted her in life is in the way it has to lead her to be more confident and with that confidence to rely more on herself.
“In my opinion, San Antonio and the State of Texas have one of the best high school bowling clubs in the states. They have been working hard to make it a UIL sport so maybe one day that will happen but the Texas High School Bowling Club (THSBC) gives students the opportunity to compete at local, regional, state and national levels,” Head Bowling coach Greg Knierim said.
Senior Jennifer Doubrava shared a discus- sion she had with one of her coaches about how much she had improved since she joined the team as a freshman.
“It’s a fun bond between all your coaches because they’ve seen you grow from the beginning for most of us because most of us started when we were freshmen and they’ve just seen us get better and better. [It is] a cool experience especially since I’m a senior and like I’ve done it for four years it’s a really nice dynamic [we have],” Doubrava said.
One of the crowning achievements of our girls’ bowling team is how they have earned relatively high ranks for the singles division, meaning that most of the top students are from our school. Their chances for securing the title of ‘State Champions’ is pretty high.With all the success of the bowling team, however, it’s important to keep our hard-working coaches in mind as well.They sacrifice so much of their own time, including time with family and friends, volunteering to coach the teams and shape them into the fantastic bowlers they are today.
“I don’t consider this a job. Bowling has always been my passion and the fact that I can give my knowledge back to the youth in an effort to grow the sport of bowling is the only job I have,” Knierim said.
Bowling, as described by both the coaches and the team, is a mental game. Meaning that it is a game where you have to be mentally prepared and relaxed to get better at it. Our girls all shared that at least one tip they would give to freshmen joining the team is that they should focus on the present instead of worrying over the next frame. As Doubrava shared; take it one frame at a time.
“There is a lot of advice that can be given to the students when there are learning but the best advice is to focus on the moment. Bowling is a sport that is about 10% physical and about 90% mental, meaning that the thoughts and emotions that run through your head have more of an effect on the physical game than the physical ability itself,” Knierim said.
In light of this season, the girls’ drive and ambition have led them to their district champion title; topping the charts and earning not one, but two banners at Bandera Bowl.
“My favorite part of being a coach is seeing the potential of each individual and how they grow during the season to become better. Based on their performance, several college scholarships are available for high school bowlers.These scholarships can provide a good bit of financial help as well as give them something fun to do in college that they may not have been expecting.This opens a lot of opportunities that may not have been available,” Knierim said.
The SAT test includes reading, writing and language, and math with a total of 154 questions.The math section has two parts which consist of a calculator section along with a no calculator section.There is also an optional essay that can be taken. You get three hours and 45 minutes to complete the test, but every section has its own time limit. It can be tough when preparing for the test since it is very difficult to take.These tips may be helpful while you are taking the test.
Since most of the questions on the SAT test are multiple choice, it is easier to eliminate three wrong answer choices rather than finding the single right one.You can begin by eliminating answer choices that are clearly wrong such as an answer that is completely off topic or one that is not relating to the question. Another overall tip would be to bubble in your answers at the end. Instead of having to flip between the booklet and your bubble sheet you can just circle your answers in your booklet and save the bubbling until you are finished with that section. Only do this if you are certain that you can finish the given section with around five minutes to spare.
The test starts off with the reading section which has 52 questions.You only have 65 minutes to complete
this section, then you will have a short ten minute break before moving onto the next section.You should always begin with reading the italicized paragraph that lies over each passage to gain some prior knowledge of what you are about to read. Also attempt to find something interesting as you read the passage so you can become engaged with the story rather than feeling like you are being forced to read it. When you finish reading the passage find as much text evidence as you can while answering questions to ensure you circle the right choice.
The next section is the writing and language which contains 44questions that must be bubbled within 35 minutes.A very useful tip is to not second guess yourself on the no change questions. If you believe that the sentence is grammatically correct, then do not hesitate to select the no change option. Since this section is tailored towards grammar, it wouldn’t hurt to remember some grammar rules before diving into this section.
For the third section of the test you must take the math portion which starts off with the no calculator part. In 20 minutes you have to answer 25 math questions without your calculator. Underlining important parts of the question may sound pointless, but it can actually prove useful in questions that have complicated steps. Before you get your calculator back you have a five minute break then you must answer 38 questions in 55 minutes.Though the math portion supports you with a list of formulas, it may be better to have all the formulas memorized or at least some of them so you do not have to keep turning to your list every time you encounter a question that requires a formula.
After the math section you are done with the SAT test unless of course you are doing the optional essay which will add an additional 50 minutes along with a two minute break.
Students who will be taking the test on May 4th will get their scores back on the 17th. If you are taking the test on June 1st then your grades will come back during the summer on July 10th.
Hopefully these tips should help you on the SAT test. Also be sure to study as much as you possibly can especially on the day before the test.
Joining the administrative staff as the new Assistant Principal is Tanya Stivors who came from Stevens High School and ton fill the vacancy following the promotion of Mr. Christian to Vice Principal. Stivors worked in education for 19 years having taught at numerous schools, including McDowell Middle School and Hondo ISD before joining Northside in 2007 at Business Careers High School as a teacher and department coordinator. Stivors became the assistant principal at Stevens in 2014 and held it for the past five years.
During her time as a teacher, she taught CATE (computer and technology education) which includes intro to business, finance, and computer classes.
Stivors’ inspiration to come to work and try to have an impact on students trace back to her very own high school days.
“My lifelong goal is to continue making an impact on students, no matter my position in the school,” Stivors said. “When I was in high school and college I was very involved, both in academic programs and extracurricular programs. I enjoyed working with others and helping others. I knew that a career in education would allow me to continue being a part of all things that I loved so much growing up and in turn, would allow me to help make an impact on someone else as well.”
Being a teacher was enjoyable, but Stivors felt as there was a bigger impact that she could make elsewhere.Those feelings eventually led her to pursue a higher role within the education system.
“My desire to help others was somewhat limited to the classroom at the time. I knew that I would have the opportunity to reach a larger population as an administrator,” Stivors said.
“As an administrator, I get to work with both students and teachers. I know that when I help teachers, I am also helping students.This is a critical role that serves both students and teachers, which has always been my focus. I am very fortunate that being an administrator has continued to give me this opportunity.”
The office air was bubbly as secretaries and assistants bustled around, carrying the whispers and laughs around the room. Jason Christian sat in his office with the door open, often commenting on the activities taking place in the office and laughing as a life size stuffed teddy bear waltzed by his door. The vacant position of Vice Principal was filled with a familiar friendly face.The previous Assistant Principal has been promoted to Vice Principal and is excited to take on the job.
“The cool thing about being a Vice Principal is that no two days are ever alike. As Vice Principal, your day is defined by the different activities that are going on that day.Whether you may need to be out in classes or a discipline issue takes you away, it could be one of 15 different things, but everyday is different.That’s what I love about the job.When you come to work you never know what the day will hold and that’s really cool because you never know,” Christian said. Although the position of Vice Principal has its perks, the job is not to be taken lightly.
“My main duty is to overall make sure the students are safe. I am over the board of other assistant principals so making sure that we are all on the same page as far as discipline, going out and helping the teachers with any kind of problems they are having, and making sure that overall it’s a good experience for students here at O’Connor,” Christian said.
While Vice Principal is an exciting and challenging new job, Christian will miss requirements of the job as Assistant Principal.
“With the old position, you got to work a lot more with the student discipline, more one on one with the students, and in this new position, I won’t get to do that as much and there are many different reasons that it’s set up that way but that’s probably what I’ll miss the most, just a lot of one on one interactions with the students’ discipline because I used that as a springboard to help me build relationships with some students who were going the wrong way and then helping them through the rest of their high school career,” Christian said.
Although Christian still works with the occasional student, the position of Vice Principal has different duties.
“So as Vice Principal we have a lot more interaction with teachers and you deal a lot more with teacher problems than what you do as assistant principal. As Assistant Principal you deal a lot more with students issues and student problems and as Vice Principal it’s more teacher and parent issues.That’s the big overall difference between the two,” Christian said.
While the two position have their differences, Christian’s visions remain the same.
Seva Hester, Sally Abdul Khalek, and Sytha Beth Ortiz
President Donald Trump shut down the government on December 22, 2018, in an attempt to push for funding for the border wall between the United States and Mexico.The government temporarily reopened on January 25, 2019, for three weeks.The shutdown lasted 35 days making it the longest lasting government shutdown in United States history. During the shutdown, 800 thousand federal workers did not receive a paycheck and many were placed under financial stress as they were unable to make necessary payments.
“The economy was affected negatively by the government shutdown,” Government and Economics teacher Daniel Harmon said. “With those 800 thousand government workers out of a job, they weren’t spending and the private contractors the same thing. It adversely affected the economy.”
Senior Lyllian Garcia’s mom is one of those federal workers who was affected by the shutdown.
“My mom works for the IRS so she hadn’t been getting paid and we had to limit ourselves on going out to eat or spending on things we wanted, or couldn’t do some things we wanted to do,” Garcia said.
Since no one knew how long the shutdown would last, there was a feeling of nervousness in their family.
“Usually both of my parents work so it made me kind of nervous. I wasn’t sure how long it was going to last and was worried for how long my dad would have to provide by himself,” Garcia said.
Similarly, junior Lindsey Ault’s family was also affected by the shutdown. Ault shared that her dad works for the Department of Homeland Security.
“The shutdown, like other families, meant that we were living without a paycheck,” Ault said. “Luckily my family is smart and has a separate savings account so we were able to take from that to pay off our monthly bills like electrical and house payments. The shutdown occurred… around the holidays and we didn’t have as big of a Christmas due to it, …but we were fortunate enough to cover the expenses we had. I know other families that struggled to recover from it as easily due to the holidays.”
In Trump’s speech, the reason why he reopened the government was because of the TSA and air traffic controllers, who were calling in sick and causing the airports to become backlogged with people and delayed or canceled flights.
“They [TSA and air traffic controllers] have a very sensitive job, they have to make sure the flights don’t crash into each other in the air. And they weren’t getting paid. It was very stressful for them. Same thing for the TSA, the people who protect us at the airport.They’re both very stressful jobs not to get paid for,” Harmon said.
Trump said that after the three weeks is over, he would shut down the government again or call for a National emergency in order to push more for a wall.
“I feel frustrated that the government can’t come to an agreement when both sides have offered a compromise but neither of their compromises are good for the other side. The President has offered suggestions and Congress has as well but neither will agree to the others,” Ault said.
Harmon shared that he hopes the two sides can reach an agreement.
“I think there should be a way they can negotiate without shutting down the government.There has to be a way for it not to shut down at these times when they’re trying to come to terms with a negotiation,” Harmon said.
The 46th annual Walter Gerlach Livestock Show and Sale showcased the talents of dedicated Agriculture and FFA students including over 800 entries.The event ran from January 21-26 and raised scholarship money for the participants.
“It was very successful.We had over a million dollar sale. Currently, it looks like we may be on track to top last year’s sale. Extremely successful. [Gerlach] helped a lot of kids out for scholarship money and that kind of stuff so they can continue on with the program,” FFA coordinator Bryan Hawkins said.
Every year students raise pigs, goats, chickens, lambs, and steers all in hopes to place and hopefully make enough profit to account for the costs going into taking care of their animals.
“It’s threatening to feel [like] you’re not gonna place. It’s disappointing but otherwise it’s fine,” freshmen Elizabeth Curtis said.
Junior Kylie White, with multiple years of animal raising under her belt, had
her Pig named Gazzy placed eleventh in the light heavyweight class and won over $1950 in scholarship funds from auction.
“The one thing I can advise is [that] the show shouldn’t be the only goal you have in your head. If you’re taking part in the meat industry it is your responsibility to love that animal and give them the best life possible. It breaks my heart to see these kids that won’t even open their pen, throwing the feed over the edge of the railing and hitting their animal in the face with it rather than [having it go] into a bowl for them. So just keep in mind these animals, though their end purpose may be to feed a community, love ‘em. Because trust me, they will love you back,” White said.
Students shared that one of the most nerve-racking parts of Gerlach is having judges come to assess and critique their animals and the work they’ve put into them to show the animal in the best form possible.
“Having the judge come to you and look at your animal is scary because you don’t know if your animal is good enough or [if] the judge will say something like critical of your animal,” junior Cassidy Wheeler said.
These students devote their time, effort, money, blood, sweat, and tears in order to prepare the best they can for the Gerlach auction held on the last Saturday of January almost every year.
“Well, you don’t really start preparing for Gerlach right when it’s around the corner. Even from the first moment you get your animal you’re preparing for Gerlach.You’re meticulously training them tracking their food giving them lots of kisses and belly rubs. Everything you do to give that animal a happy life is also in preparation for this show,” White said.
They spend a little less than 8 months working on training their animals to follow their directions and make sure that they reach a good healthy weight and muscle mass. At the end of the auction, those animals go off on trailers to different states for whatever market they sell best in.
“[The] animals can go to a a number of different places. For instance lambs and goats they normally don’t stay around here in Texas they usually go off to the East Coast.Very very popular for lamb and goat meat in the East Coast. The guy who bought all the pigs takes them to California. It just depends upon what’s breeded in what species it is,” Hawkins said.
A difficult part of Gerlach is when the students have to give their final farewells to the animals they had spent months nurturing and caring for so long. Hawkins shared that while there are tears shed the day the animals are loaded up onto the trailer it does get easier for the students as they get more experienced with the Gerlach process. The time that these kids put into their animals and the evident care they show them is a testimony of the love they develop for them and the memories they carry on for the rest of their lives.
“If they’re giving back to you by giving their lives give them all of yourself. Because I could go in there not loving my animal and have a miserable experience waiting until it’s finally over or I can go in there take a million pictures of my little baby and love him until the day I say goodbye,” White said.
The Gerlach auction does not work in the same manner as one would think a normal auction would operate.The buyers don’t win the animal but instead, win the satisfaction of helping students continue on with the FFA program.
“[The buyers] get the privilege of knowing they donated their money to an organization that’s building well-rounded students who are going off and being successful and being community oriented,” Hawkins said.
Senior Jack Phipps, the Grand Champion, stands beaming with pride holding up his well deserved ribbon. Photo courtesy of Jack Phipps.
As the year comes to a close and Winter Break is almost here, semester exams are right around the corner.When it comes to exam week, students struggle to manage the stress and agitation that comes with studying and preparation for these exams. Some methods of studying work better for other students while a completely different one works better for the masses. Upperclassmen offered some tips on how to survive through this year’s semester exams.
When it comes to studying, students find it difficult to study subjects that require more focus and motivation. Doing study guides provided by teachers can help with this issue.
“I like to get my study guide, do it once, study that, and do [the study guide] again without notes. If I don’t have it down
I make another copy and do it [over] again,” junior Kylie White said.
Distractions have also led to massive issues with studying for major exams. A change in scenery might provide some help with that. Going to coffee shops, bookstores, and the library might help with focusing on difficult subjects. However there are ways to focus while at home.
“Go to your room. Sit at a desk. Certain subjects that you find are easier you might be able to do sitting on the couch, but [subjects] that you’re not sure about, don’t risk it. Go to a quiet place and concentrate only on that,” White said. Another issue with studying for exams has been students struggling with timing for studying.
“ Depends on the person, I guess, it depends on how much you can take and like, how behind you are, and in class if you think you won’t pass the test without studying a lot,” senior Jordan Tamayo said.
When it comes to the time of day that someone studies, it all comes down to how that person works on their own. If they prefer to study at night that might be better for them to focus, if they need to study in the daytime with a cup of coffee then that works for them. Spacing out study time and what subject that should be focused on can also help with study timing.
“Set goals for studying so like, maybe two days get through [one] unit, the next two get through another unit, kinda pace yourself and whatever you’re iffy on go back and cram [it],” junior Jordan Stone said.
If certain subjects are more difficult than others, reaching out to others for help is another way to get through the stress of exam week, “You should go to your parents first and then if you really need extra help go to a teacher,” White said.
Having a study group with friends or people in the class could help with studying especially since everyone will be going over the same subjects. Even though these methods may help, going to teachers and attending the tutoring center in the Library before school, during lunches, and after school can also be a huge help with upcoming exams. Even going on the internet and looking up college lectures from sites such as Khan Academy and TED Talks can help with understanding subjects better.
Even though the stress of exams weighs down on students, having high goals and hopes for yourself will help with getting through this stressful time.
“Exams are a huge percent of your grade, so it’s important [for you] to do your best. Find methods that work for you,” senior Mackenzie Acree said.
Finding study methods that work best for yourself will help with getting prepared for exams and to help with ensuring success. Let’s get through this year’s midterm exams with high expectations and great preparation.
Starting January 21,Vice Principal Ryan Purtell will take on a new role, becoming principal at Stevens High School.
The announcement was made early December at an NISD board meeting. Purtell began his administrative career
as an assistant principal at Warren high school and quickly landed the vice principal position at our campus.
“Mrs. Horras as well as others around the district felt like I was the right guy for the job and that’s how I ended up here,” Purtell said.
Purtell shared the process of working with and training with Principal Horras prepared him to take on the leadership of his own campus, “(I) worked alongside her and with her and with the faculty and staff here. Built myself, I guess, to a point where I’m ready to be the Principal of a campus myself. And so that’s really, in a nutshell, it. I think that’s how anybody that gets a position of leadership.”
Purtell shared he is very excited to become a principal.
“I’m really excited. And that’s not to negate that I’m aware the job is a challenging job. I’ve watched campus principal, all the jobs here that administrators do are difficult but when you’re the last name at the end of the line, the buck stops with you,” Purtell said. “For everything that happens here, I’m aware that there is a big challenge but I’m super excited to go and dig into the work. It’s been my goal when I became an administrator and decided that my dream, my hope was that I one day would be a campus principal. I’m super excited about having that opportunity.”
This year is his seventh year being an administrator and 18 years in education. Purtell also shared some advice for the next vice principal.
“The advice I would give is that you’ve got an administrative team full of people that really know what they’re doing and you’ve got department coordinators and you’ve got lead teachers and you’ve got counselors,” Purtell said. “You’ve got people that really know what they’re doing and the best advice I could say is come
in, ask questions, look at what they do and why they do it ‘cause the overwhelming majority of what’s going on here at O’Connor is stuff being done the right way and not because of what I’ve done but because of what those people that will still be here when I’m gone will do. So that’s my biggest piece of advice.”
Even though he is excited about his new position, he expressed bittersweet sentiments.
“You always leave a part of your heart when you leave a campus. If you do the job right, and again, I’m not trying to brag on myself, but to do well you have to really commit to the people there,” Purtell said. “It’s not just a series of actions that you take, it’s literal, individual, human beings that you have to invest in. And so while I’m super excited about the opportunity I know that there are going to be people here that I’ve connected with; students and employees that I’m really gonna miss being around everyday.”
The dance class students performed at the annual Winter Showcase on December 12 at Brennan.The showcase highlights the hard work and talents of dance classes throughout the district.
Dance classes 3 and 4 performing to “We Dance” by Bethel MusicDance classes 3 and 4 performing to “We Dance” by Bethel Music
Silence captivated the hallways. Until the sound of gunshots at Santa Fe High School rang out, shooting through windows, classrooms, kids.The thought of school being a safe place was now shattered like the broken glass littering the floor. School shootings are becoming an epidemic, with nearly 346 mass shootings happening in 2017, about one per day. School districts across the United States have begun to implement changes and Northside has now done so as well. Starting second semester, lockdown drills will have a new name: active shooter drills. Before the drills will begin, Northside will release a safety training video to all high school students in addition to middle school.
“We’re getting to roll out a training video. That training video is being developed, and is in its final vetting process. Then it’s gonna be rolled out to all students. So the District wanted to wait till that video was complete before we begin to do the drills because the video is a training video. But those specific active shooter drills won’t be until the spring semester,” Vice Principal Ryan Purtell said.
The change was approved at an NISD Safety Committee meeting last spring suggested by a student member voicing concern about the vague lockdown labels.
“I think [the name change] represents situations more clearly than they used to. I think when you use the term ‘active shooter’ people immediately move into a protective mode that a lockdown may not generate,” AP World and AP European history teacher Jennifer Stevens said.
Students shared concerns regarding the need to change it.
“I feel very concerned because school shootings have become such an epidemic that we need to have whole practices dedicated to knowing how to address that situation if it were to occur instead of learning,” senior Katie Aspinwall said.
Some shared shared that the change is no different from a regular lockdown drill. “It makes no difference to me it’s for the same purpose,” senior Abigail Dixon said. However, a thought among students is these drills will cause more fear.
“Changing the name will most likely instill more fear in people,” Dixon said. Others shared that using the new term will bring awareness to the situation.
“I hope it will raise awareness to that fact that school shootings are happening so often that we need to prepare for them, and people will be moved to take action to prevent them from happening in the future,” Aspinwall said.
Along with bringing awareness, the name change should give a better representation of mass shootings.
“I hope students don’t panic when they hear this,” Stevens said. “That’s one reason I think the drills are a really good idea, but I think the students and faculty both will take it a little more seriously when they use the term ‘active shooter.’ It just represents things that have happened in the United States over the course of the last few years and so, it’s a more accurate description.” With the name change itself, Stevens shared that she believes it isn’t critical, yet it is more accurate to the purpose of preparing students in case there was an active shooter.
However, Dixon said the drill will not have an effect on the student body.
“The drills will not have an effect as long as the current mindset continues, because no one believes anything until it stares them in the face,” Dixon said.
The main goal of the name change is to prepare students in case an event like this does happen. Yet a routine may come with its fair share of problems.
“My concern is that it will normalize school shootings because we have a routine drill to know how to handle them, and now people might see school shootings as an everyday occurrence that doesn’t have to be taken care of,” Aspinwall said.
There is no released schedule of when Northside schools will perform active shooter drills. However, these drills will hopefully have an impact on schools in the United States.
“The impact I hope to see is one of change. I hope everyone will realize that we need to do everything in our power to prevent such horrible tragedies from ever happening anymore,” Aspinwall said.
