Expanding Culture - Campuses - Katy ISD

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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.
Se habla Español Dillon Piper Spanish Club is one of Taylor High School’s largest and best known clubs. It focuses on the Latin American culture and of course, all things Spanish. It is a very social club with the goal of having the students be actively involved. Spanish club does a number of social activities as well as a monthly dinner at Latin American restaurants. Some of the social activities include decorating a homecoming wall during homecoming week and trick or treating for canned goods around Halloween, going door-to-door in neighborhoods close to THS asking for canned food donations. The club then donates the canned goods The time has come, where we must begin filling out piles of applications and scholarships. Our parents have been bothering us all summer to do them-now there cannot be anymore more excuses. Now that we have gotten back into the school schedule of early mornings and late nights, we need to add applications to our to-do list. So, try and sit down and start filling out endless information over and over, but the real problem is you don’t know where to start. Applications or scholarships? First thing I did was go to www.applytexas.org and make an account. Once I did this it asks you all this information about your life. Really once everything is filled out on one application, they are all filled out. Some of the applications do vary, but when all that is left to do is fill out those few extra question’s it is easy. What apply Texas best buddies, is the laughter that goes on. I have a blast at every single one of our activito Katy Christian Ministries (KCM). Many Spanish Club socials and events are now eligible for NHS hours! NHS and Spanish Club have collaborated this year to allow productive participation in both groups and create more active members. They also host a queso cook off at the end of the first semester where Spanish club members can compete in “who has the better queso?” as voted on by our THS staff. They also do fundraisers such as their much anticipated popcorn sale during the year to raise money for their year-end social. THS Spanish Club looks forward to another successful year and hope for a great turn out in student participation. Application tips for the wise How to’s for the senior application process for college Christina Young ‘10 ‘10 does is, after the first time filling out all that information, they save it. If the same question ever pops up again its already filled out, which saves you a lot of extra time. For scholarships though it is not as easy. Some scholarships are online and some you have to fill out and mail in. What may work best is setting aside an hour or two a day to work on them. They usually want to know your basic information and then all your awards and volunteer hours, and services (just like applications). Applications and scholarships alike usually include essays. Scholarship essays may want to get to know a little more about you, that’s why you are applying to win money. So, add a little extra about that topic and make it meaningful. But for the most part, they tend to ask the same questions for applications, and we can just alter our essay. Therefore save what essay you start out with and add or delete some parts of it. This will save you Books Abroad time from having to rewrite a whole new essay every time. As seniors-applications are just a fact of life. There is no way around them, but the sooner you start, the sooner you will finish. Senior, Alaina Wilby said, “I did four of my six applications during the summer because I knew I was going to get caught up in homework during the year. The other two are in progress.” We all procrastinate, but this is definitely is not the time to. Jenny Pitts, senior said, “The hardest part of me is actually sitting down and doing it. I’ll plan on spending all night on essays, but then I spend all night on Facebook.” It is time to get down to business, and do whatever you can to get those applications in. Colleges are going to be more willing to accept you if you if your application is turned in earlier than later. And once they are all finished, all we need to worry about is finishing senior year! A new organization is being formed to help out schools in Africa who do not have Christina Young Books Abroad is a Katy Independent School District community based drive to collect books and school supplies for the Katy Rotary Club and the Amobi Okoye Foundation, which is headquartered in Katy. All of the donations go to Nri’s ten schools; they have two high schools, middle schools, and five elementary’s, with a total approximant enrollment of 5,000 students. These schools do not provide materials like the way American schools do here, students and teachers only have what they purchase on their own. This is not a lot, because they do not have money and paying jobs like in the USA. ‘10 Nri, Africa was chosen because Amobi Okoye, moved to the United States when he was twelve, and now is in his third season as a defensive lineman with the Houston Texans, he wanted to helpe his people back home because he knows how fortunate he is here. Collection boxes are located around Katy ISD schools, and the education support center and various locations in the community, which are located on the Katy ISD website. There is a yellow donation box at the front of the school at the parent sign is desk. Items that are needed are spirals notebooks, notebook paper, colored penicils, #2 pencils, construction paper, pocket folders, rubber bands, childrens book’s young adult book’s, teaching materials, educational games, etc. Other drop off schools that are participating are listed on the katyisd website on the homepage. page 3 - Getting Involved Best Buddies Christina Young Best Buddies is a non-profit organization that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It is a great club that helps makes friends with those who may not be regularly included in the classroom. The first meetings began in September, but if you missed it come to the monthly events which are listed on their calendar in the 130 hallway. Some of these events include an ice creams social, pumpkin painting, football games, zoo trip, and many more. Samantha Kingery said, “I went to my Best Buddies house for Halloween last year to eat pizza and to watch scary movies and eat a lot of Hallow- Over the last few years, the Mane Event and the Stampede have highlighted the pimped-out rides that Taylor students have driven to school. This year, however, we have decided to branch off to some important members of our Mustang family: the teachers. The cars they drive come in all shapes and sizes, from the expected to the extraordinary. While looking around in the parking garage, you can find ordinary Ford Focuses or Honda CRVs, much like what the upperclassmen drive to school. However, if you look even harder you’ll find that one vehicle that stands out. You can discover two golf carts, a Camaro, and maybe even a Corvette. Whatever the variety, teachers are getting to school in different ways, from carpooling to golf carting. ‘10 een Candy”. There are always events you can do outside of school with your best buddy. Caroline Reeder, president said, “My favorite part about ties. The kids are always happy; and when I’m having an off day they never fail to be the best pick me up. I also get so much joy when I see a life Teachers new Rides Ashley Waronoff ‘10 Teachers are becoming more and more aware of the aspect of the “Going Green” theory, and they are changing to the new preferences that the student body is creating. Teachers carpool to and from school with their fuel efficient vehicles. Some of these cars include that Toyota Yaris that gets a staggering 36 mpg and the Volkswagen Jetta Sport Wagon that gets 41. Mrs. Westbrook, World and European History teacher, and Mrs. Morrison, World Geography teacher, both sport their golf carts as they drive to school each morning. Dillon Piper (senior) and Sheila Mullings (junior), are officers for the Taylor High school Spanish Club. Stop by the Spanish club bulletin board any time during the day to see whats going on, when the next meeting is, or when the next club dinner may be! Kirsten Marstiller and Nick Rodriguez smile for the camera being changed for the netter. So many amazing friendships and happiness comes out of this organizations, it is hard to explain it in words.” Having a familiar face in the hallway is always a confidence booster. K.C. Chap, learned that Best Buddies teaches how to greet people and be friendly to other teenagers. It is a great club to join, because of the support system that is formed between two teenagers involved in different activities, coming together. Teachers are going green and some have pretty interesting ways of getting to school Not only is this way of getting to school useful, but it also gets you through some tight spaces that normal cars couldn’t dream of squeezing through. At its worst, it has 20 miles per gallon, and its speed a c c e l e r - ates to a g r o u n d - breaking 25 miles per hour. O k a y , so even t h o u g h golf carts don’t go fast, they are great for short s p u r t s , and golfing. However the differences in transportation, the most important thing is getting from point A to point B, so don’t break your back to buy the car of your dreams. Taylor teachers have shown that the cars they drive may not be the best, but they’re definitely efficient.
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