Expanding Culture - Campuses - Katy ISD

page 2 - Student Life
New Teachers on Campus
Learn aboout the new teachers that chose THS as
their new home
Katherine Owen
‘11
It’s 7:15 am on August 24 th ,
2009. Students and teachers
clutter up the halls, frantically
trying to find the way to their
first class. Students are clutching
their schedules for dear
life, as if it were a homework
pass lacking an expiration
date. Consistently, freshmen
seem to have the most startling
“dear in the headlights”
look, while the seniors, being
at the top of the food chain,
are giddy with excitement,
expecting the greatest year
of their lives. Every student
is dressed their best, hoping
to impress (and yes, I planned
that lame rhyme). But what
about the teachers, frequently
underestimated and overlooked?
More importantly,
the ones new to our school,
who are, no doubt, suffering
from the same anxieties we
are, if not more. New teachers
are a breath of fresh air in
the midst of our dreary high
school lives; a shining beacon
of hope, if you will. They
are vital assets to the success
of Taylor High School
as a whole, and it’s time their
voices were heard. After
all, teachers are people too.
Teaching is an occupation
often deemed a fallback. I
mean, who would voluntarily
spend twelve years in school
and four in college all to end
up right back here, trying to
provide a higher education
to a new generation of students,
ridden with the same
“too cool for school” attitude
most of us have? Though,
some people are fortunate
enough to look for the good
in people, like new Agriculture
teacher, Mr. Thomas,
who claims he enjoys teaching
seniors, “...because of
their maturity”. And as hard
as it is to believe, some courageous
young adults selflessly
dedicate their lives to teaching.
But the real question is,
why? According to new Spanish
teacher, Ms Kingsley, “I
deiced to become a teacher
because I’ve always wanted
to use my knowledge and
abilities to make a positive
difference in the world”. If
only all of us were that noble
with our career decisions.
Furthermore, why Taylor?
Why did these brave souls
choose to venture into the
ambivalence that is Taylor
High School? New teachers
have chosen Taylor for
a variety of reasons, actually.
New Chemistry teacher,
Mr. Clark, was drawn to “...
the strong sense of community
and ‘small town’ feel the
school offers, despite being
so large”, while Ms. Kingsley
says it is because of our reputation
for being academically
challenging. Other teachers,
like new English teacher, Ms.
Dayoc, tell
it like it is,
saying it
was simply
because she
was hired.
I applaud
her honesty.
And from
what I can
see, most
new teachers
seem to
be enjoying
it here
at Taylor.
Ms. Kingsley
declares,
“I like that
the staff is
very supportive
of
new teachers
and that
there is a
community
to
each individual teacher”. But
it isn’t all “sugar and spice and
everything nice”. Coming to
a new school is quite intimidating.
Ms. Dayoc admits she
is most nervous about the
smart board, because she has
a hard time erasing. And who
could blame her; the smart
board is insanely complicated.
But let’s not forget that
before these teachers were
teachers, they were students
just like us. Contrary to popular
belief, teachers are real
people and they do have lives
outside of school; always
have. They aren’t just locked
in their classrooms when the
TV (The View)”. No lie, I
think that is ridiculously exciting.
But at the same time, I
feel a bit sorry for her. Keep
in mind, The View is made
up of the only four talk show
hosts alive who spend more
time gossiping then they do
interacting with their guest(s).
I wouldn’t be surprised if she
didn’t even get to her comedy
routine. Haha-ha,
I’m
just kidding,
I’m sure her
TV debut
was a complete
success!
I’m probably
just jealous
that I’m not
one of her
students. But
some teachers
have a
darker story
to tell. “I volunteer
in the
Karos Prison
Ministry and
meet with
ex-murderers
on a regular
basis”, says
new Geometry
and
Mrs. Prendergast working hard as the new 12th grade attendence clerk. Algebra II
support
teacher, Mr.
school day is over. Ms. Dayoc Skellie. It takes a special kind
dishes that she was “the class of person, a caring and selfless
clown” in high school, and in
person, to spend quality
addition to being a teacher, “I time with convicted murders,
am also a stand-up comic”. sharing God’s love, without
She goes on to say, “I have anything in return except
had a morning radio show the satisfaction of knowing
and have been on National your small deed brightened
someone’s day, or hopefully,
changed someone’s life. We
are so fortunate to have one
of those people in our midst!
Just remember, teachers are
more than teachers; they are
people! “Hath not a teacher’s
eyes? Hath not a teacher’s
hands, organs, dimensions,
senses, affections, passions;
fed with the same food, hurt
with the same weapons, subject
to the same diseases,
healed by the same means,
warmed and cooled by the
same winter and summer as a
we are? If you prick them do
they not bleed? If you tickle
them do they not laugh? If
you poison them do they not
die?” Okay, so that was a bit
melodramatic. (By the way,
if you weren’t already aware,
that was a slightly altered
excerpt from Shakespeare’s
“Merchant of Venice”). But
my point is, these new teachers
are a blessing to Taylor
High School. They are wonderful
people who have taken
on the daunting task of educating
us, a job most of us,
including me, would be terrified
of. So take your education
seriously, if for no other
reason, because these people
have invested so much time
and effort in the hopes that
we will be prepared for college.
It would mean the world
to them. And in the words
of new English teacher and
Football Coach, Mr. Mixon,
“Carpe Diem”!
Hot Spots in Houston Entertainment Galore
Staff writer describes the exciting
places in a boring city
Ashley Humphrey
‘10
Katy Texas is, without a
doubt, a place where there is
not much to do. Regardless
of how developed it has become,
the activity choices of a
Saturday are few. And though
the fall season is usually a very
busy one consisting of sports
games, homecoming, parties
and for some, college applications,
there are times when
you question your existence
in such a utopian and boring
place. Though concerts are
always a very good option,
music taste is untouched territory,
so I
will leave
that to your
discretion.
These recommendations
are in
H o u s t o n
and there
is some
driving involved,
but
if you are
d e s p e r -
ate out of
your mind,
you will
do whatever
possible.
America Latina: Presented
by DAPA- A journey through
the history of South and Central
America through dance,
this company always puts on
an amazing and unique show
with dances from Colombia,
Cuba, Brazil, Venezuela,
Puerto Rico, Mexico and
Peru.The DAPA Foundation
is a non-profit organization
that, through promoting
Latin cultural awareness,
provides dance scholarships.
The company has performed
internationally and is performing
on October 10 th
2009 at the Stafford Centre.
2:30 and 7:30 pm Location:
Stafford Centre 10505 Cash
Road, stafford Texas 77477
For Tickets Call: 281.398.7600
Hermann Park- Want to
enjoy a picnic under some
real trees? Located in the
museum district of Houston,
Hermann Park is conveniently
close to the Houston
Museum of Natural Science
and is filled with attractions,
including the zoo, an outdoor
theater, and a Japanese
garden. The park also has a
miniature train, and enables
the renting of paddle boats.
If you don’t feel like spending
much, just walk around
this scenic area and enjoy the
Houston autumn weather.
Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians
of China’s First Emperor-
Presented until October
18. The Houston Museum
of Natural Science presents
one of the greatest archaeological
finds of the 20th century.
The terra cotta army has
been termed the Eighth Wonder
of the Ancient World.
Hermann Dr at Fannin &
Montrose, Houston, TX 77030
Museum of fine Arts-one
of the largest art museums
in the nation, is, of course,
an art museum. The Cullen
Sculpture Garden is 18
acres of public gardens and
has two historic house museums
in the River Oaks
neighborhood: Bayou Bend
and Rienzi. Getting tired
of looking at the museum’s
own 51,000 works? Stop
by a Cafe on the premises.
1001 Bissonnet St,
Houston, TX 77005
Bistro Provence- If you
are gastronomically tired
of having your ethnic pallet
awakened by burritos and
are prepared to try something
new, I highly recommend this
restaurant. Located on Memorial
drive, this closely knit
(literally) restaurant is excellent.
Apart
from the
food being
a m a z i n g ,
the environment
is
outstanding.
A Frenchcountry
ambience
with
w o n d e r -
ful music,
food, Bistro
P r o v e n c e
is open for
lunch on
M o n d a y
t h r o u g h
Saturday from 11:00 to
3:00 pm and for dinner
from 5:00 to 10:00.
13616 Memorial Dr. Houston,
TX 77084 (713) 827-8008
Rioja Tapas Restaurant-
Named after the province
and community of northern
Spain, this Spanish tapas restaurant
was voted Best Spanish
Restaurant 2006 ABC 13
blue Ribbon Award. Everything
is delicious and the environment
is wonderful. On
Friday and Saturday evenings
they have live music and
at times a Flamenco show.
11920-J Westheimer Houston ,
TX- 77077 281-531-5569
Fun adventures in Katy, nearby,
and not too expensive
Katherine Owen
‘11
What to do in Katy? A
question that haunts every
one of our teenage souls.
Now I want to provide you
with some background information
before you read this
article: This article was first
intended to be a simple puff
piece; I was supposed to give
Taylor High School students
exciting ideas on how to entertain
themselves on the
weekends when they aren’t
drowned in homework. But
the article took a u-turn after
some staff discussion, deciding
that there in fact was
nothing exciting to do in Katy,
Texas. Now before you jump
to conclusions and sign us
off as pessimistic snobs and
leave it at that, please finish
the article before you form
an opinion. Most of us teenagers
will agree that suburban
Katy is not our first choice of
places to live. For example, I
would much rather be living
in New York City, appropriately
nicknamed “the city that
never sleeps”. Furthermore,
we seem to bring up the fact
that we “can’t wait to get out
of high school so we can get
on with our lives” quite a
lot. But after hours of failed
research and a flashback to
Trace Adkins’ “You’re Gonna
Miss This”, I finally decided
on my angle for the article,
which, now that I think about
it, is pretty much the angle
we had first intended with a
twist. As I was looking online
for things to do in Katy, I was
expecting to not find much
of anything, which would
help me support my second
article idea, but it turns out,
I actually found quite a lot
of things to do; you just
have to be creative. Although
it’s true most teenagers opt
for the hanging at the mall
or going to see a movie, and
although those things can be
fun every once in a while, doing
it every weekend begins
to get old. I have a friend
who invited a group of us to
the time square bowling alley
four weekends in a row!
While I do enjoy bowling,
four weeks in a row is a bit
much for me, especially since
I can barely bowl a 100. The
fact is that, just like America
about 500 years ago, there is
so much uncharted territory.
For example, for those of you
who enjoy adventure, there is
a fantastic rock climbing gym
in Houston just off of Campbell
road. I’ve been there
a handful of times, and it is
so much fun! Or if you prefer
something a bit more low
key, may I suggest a picnic at
Mary Joe Peckham Park? My
boyfriend took me there for
a picnic a few weeks ago and
it was so romantic. Though I
would suggest going when it’s
a bit cooler seeing as the heat
was unbearable! Or if you
would like to be a bit spontaneous,
you could throw an
impromptu party at the nearest
gymnastics place. Imagine
it: you and a bunch of your
friends running around an
empty gym, flipping on the
bars, jumping on the trampoline,
hurling yourselves into
the pit of foam block without
a care in the world! Though it
will cost a bit of money, if all
of your friends pitch in, it will
be about as much as the cost
of spending the day at the
mall. For some of the more
artistic types, like me, you are
sure to find some interesting
thing to do in the Houston
Chronicle’s “Gloss” magazine,
or at least their website;
I can promise you this. For
example, they just covered
the Simon Fashion Show at
the Galleria! Yes, the Galleria!
And I was able to find a few
art galleries in the area that
might be a great change of
pace. And for those interested
in the more theatrical side
of art, you can always count
on Main Street Theatre out
in the Rice University area
to put on both entertaining
and affordable plays for the
community. On a completely
different note, I would like
to make special mention of
a cute little ice cream place
(which is only available in
six states) called Ritter’s on
North Fry. Your taste buds
will be in for a pleasant surprise
compared to the run
of the mill Baskin Robin’s
they are used to. So before
you make your next comment
about how much you
wanna get out of this place,
take this article into consideration
and remember all of
the fun that can be had here.
Furthermore, remember all
of the fun you have already
had here. And remember that
Katy, no matter how much
you hate it, is your home.
And when you’re struggling
to make ends meet in L.A.
or New York or on the other
side of the world, or even just
a few hours away, I promise
you, you’re going to miss
this! You’ll miss your family,
your friends, and this school.
You’ll miss all the fun and all
the love this place has to offer.
I know I will. I guarantee
you’re going want this back!
Just ask Trace Adkins.