Volume 50, Issue 5

Conroe High School

Triumph 3200 West DavisConroe, TX 77304

April 12, 2019

pg. 6

Librarian Appreciation

the

Killing the CompetitionKaytee JarvisEditor-in-chief

pg. 4

Tennis

pg. 5

HLSR Rodeo Recap

pg. 2

Softball

Many students have worked hard towards getting to the state meet of Skills USA this year and it has paid off. Skills USA means a lot of things to all of the competitors. It can be a chance for students to prove something to themselves.

“Skills USA to me is a chance to prove to myself that I can do something good and it makes me proud that I have an accomplishment to show for,” senior Katrina Santos said. “I get to say ‘Hey look what I did my senior year of high school,’ and it is a great feeling.”

Some competitors don’t do it to prove it to themselves, but to their families, to impress them or make them proud.

“Skills USA to me is a chance to prove myself to my parents,” senior Brooklyn Stoutes said.

There are many different categories that compete in Skills USA including but not limited to; culinary, 3D animation, law enforcement, engineering, and law enforcement. Each category is designed to test the knowledge and skills involved in the chosen competition and prepare competitors for a future career. The skills that students pick up and master can be utilized for a career path.

“I’m going towards being a professional chef like on a cruise line, it’s just something I have always been interested in,” senior Kaleb Leon said.

To make sure that the

school can compete to the best of their abilities, the skills USA competitors all have different ways to prepare.

“For criminal justice, our sponsor sets up a crime scene with her as the police officer and we have to go through the whole thing and figure out what happened and who did it,” junior Reyna Carmona said.

The time for the state competitions over now, but

in the weeks leading up to it, they were excited but also nervous.

“I’m really excited but I’m also kind of nervous because there are a lot of crime scene teams there and only first goes to nationals,” sophomore Priscella Abrego said. “Yes we made it to district, but at state the stakes are higher and you never know what is going to happen. We are prepared and we feel really confident about our selves, but you just never know with crime scenes. I feel really good about us though.”

Despite the stakes that state competitions bring, the competitors remain confident in their abilities and hope for the best results, just wanting to have fun doing the things they enjoy with their friends and teachers.

Skills USA competitions can also be used to make friends and hopefully future allies out in the real world.

“i just hope to meet many people that i can make

connections with, if I’m in a bind or they are, or if i need a job i have that network,” Stoutes said.

You don’t have to already have experience to join skills USA. Most people joined for the friends or siblings they already had in it, but ended finding their new favorite activity and stayed to compete. Other people found out about Skills USA because they were in one of the classes that teach the course in the rotunda.

“I had a class in the rotunda, law enforcement, so I heard every body

always talking about Skills USA and how fun it was and how i should join,” Abrego said. “And my brother was in it so i tried it and it was really fun. Everybody is nice there and i really like competing in Skills USA crime scene investigation now.”

There are many different categories you can compete in, so there is room for everyone on a skills USA team. No matter what skills you have, there is a competition you can compete in.

“The great thing is that you don’t have to be really great at academic stuff to compete,” Carmona said. “With most of the events, like crime scene investigation for example, you don’t need math skills or English skills, just knowledge of crime scenes.”

Skills USA competitors urge students to sign up for Skills USA, if not for school, then for themselves.

“I would recommend people to join immodestly,” Abrego said. “It doesn’t even matter if it’s for law enforcement they can join for welding, auto tech, cosmetology, technology, culinary. It’s really fun.

Every one gets to bond over there, when we go to competitions we talk to the people in other competitions and make friends. We really all just bond and have a lot of fun.”

If you see the Skills USA competitors in the hallway be sure to congratulate them on all of their hard work this past weekend.

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Diamonds in the RoughD’vontae HughesReporter

No Place Like Home

Softball season is nearly over and all teams have been practicing hard and learning from every game played.

“We have all sorts of drills we run a lot and do a lot of running drills, we mainly practice defense to get us ready for our games for drills we do a lot of around the world and a lot of throwing drills,” Allison Melton said.

Many softball players got into the game when they were young, or became influenced by peers.

“My mom was the one that really got me into the sport when I

was little because she wanted me to play some kind of sport,” sophomore Taylor Rasco said.

While some people would say that softball is an underrated sport, the players say that this is not the case.

“No I don’t feel like it’s underrated because it’s a very talked about sport and we get a lot of support at our games with a lot of people coming out to watch our games,” freshman Sidney Whitt said.

One of the senior softball players has even signed to play at the collegiate level.

“Macy Clevenger has signed to play with LeTourneau University. We are super excited for her! She is an awesome softball athlete and has been on varsity all 4 years,” Coach Jacqueline Dixon said.

The team has improved a lot since last year with five freshman being on varsity. In the last tournament the team won five out of the six games and scored over 50 runs.

With the season nearly over, come out and support the lady Tigers at home versus Oak Ridge this Thursday evening.

The baseball season is nearly over, but that doesn’t mean that the hard work is.

During practice baseball continues to complete all sorts of drills of many different varieties to help them improve their skills and prepare for games.

“As a team we basically practice bunt coverages, drills that will help us in the game and as a shortstop I like to do slow roller drills, relays and ozziepicks,”senior Jalen Phillips said.

Many players feel like the sport they play and love is underrated and that it should be talked about more as a high school sport.

“I feel that baseball is underrated because

people talk down on it a lot but in the end it’s the hardest sport to play,” junior Tyler Renfro said.

Most baseball players found love for the sport at very young ages from parental influences.

“Every since I was little I loved playing baseball, it probably all started when my dad used to play catch with me and ever since that I’ve just been falling in love with the game,” junior Isaiah Medina said.

Baseball is a hard sport to play with almost every position being harder than the other.

“With high physical activity, you have to throw a lot which makes it hard, but the hardest thing

about baseball has to be hitting because everything just goes on so fast,” senior Cameron Sistrunk said. “You have such a short reaction time and you have to hit the ball so quickly.”

Every position in baseball takes a lot of talent and can be extremely difficult for some .

“The hardest position is probably pitcher or catcher because they’re involved in every play, “ Phillips said. “Another hard position would have to be centerfield.”

As the baseball team wraps up another season, come out and support them at home this Thursday against Klein Collins.

Photo by Emma Kuempel

Photo by Bianca Koch

D’vontae HughesReporter

current eventsActress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli have pleaded not guilty to two conspiracy charges in the college admissions scandal, according to federal court filings entered Monday.

Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the world’s most famous churches, erupted in flames Monday in Paris. Video showed flames leaping through the roof and dark smoke billowing into the sky. A cathedral spokesperson said that Notre Dame’s wooden interior was burning and that the entire frame was likely to be destroyed.

The Houston Rockets won game 1 of the first round of the Western Conference in Sunday night’s matchup against the Utah Jazz, 122-90. They are the 4th seed in the conference and the next game will be played in Houston on 4/17.

At least nine people have died, including two children who were crushed inside a car in Angelina County, Texas, as a result of severe storms that ripped through the South over the weekend, according to The Associated Press.

Photo by Brianna Lujan

Photo by Brianna Lujan

The school lunch system is simply not working for the student body. With over 3,000 students on campus, dividing lunch into four different parts is not enough to ensure that everyone is getting enough time to get and eat their lunch.

People have to wait around in the loud busy cafeteria for almost the whole lunch period before they can get their food, just to take two bites before they are kicked out when lunch ends, not having enough time to eat. The long cafeteria lines that students have to endure could be resolved by offering an off campus lunch option to students. A lack of seating caused by overflow of students could easily be solved with an outdoor courtyard area with additional tables.

Many schools around the country offer off campus lunch as an option to students that

meet a certain behavioral and academic standard so there is no reason why our school cannot do something like that. If the school set a certain absence, grade, and behavior requirement as well as only opened it to seniors, the off campus lunch could run smoothly.

There are many fast food restaurants within walking distance of the school. If we extended the times for lunches a little bit, people would be able to walk to a restaurant of their choice, get food they actually want. This would greatly reduce the amount of people in the cafeteria, making time and room for people to eat. It would also encourage students to keep up their grades and stay on their best behavior.

There are too many students in the school for everyone to have a seat while still having enough room to be able

to comfortably eat. Students have to eat with no room to move their arms and constantly have to be jammed in between people. It is always a dread of the students to walk into the cafeteria and see that no, they will not have any elbow room today.

If the school took advantage of the empty space right outside of the cafeteria and put a few tables out there, it would open up more room inside. The area that has no grass, and a few big trees for shade would be a great space for there to be tables. With less people in the cafeteria, and more tables both inside and out, there would be room for all of our students and we could have three longer lunches instead of four shorter ones.

While people could say that the school does not have the budget to build more seating, the amount that they could save on food would cover.

With people gone for off campus, the cafeteria could cook less food and save the money to build it, and then for years after use the money for other things, such as more nutritious food, or more options, which is also a constant complaint from the students. There might even be money left over from that to fund other things in the school like updating the constantly changing technology.

If the school could provide both more seating and off campus lunch, the time and space problem would be resolved. The considerations for safety and student return assurances should be taken into consideration, but otherwise this change is something the school needs and the students want. Conroe could soon join many of the other school that have happy, well fed students.

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A Piece of Lunch: An EditorialKaytee JarvisReporter

Just Kickin It With having a historic

season last year, the boys soccer team made history again by defeating archrival, TWHS, for the first time in over a decade.

The junior varsity team ended with a record of 4-2-5, while varsity had a record of 5-2-5.

The boys have been training and practicing very hard that will hopefully pay off at the end of the season.

“We normally do a lot of running in practice, especially when the coaches get mad, but it prepares us for the games,” junior Braulio Ayala said.

While some players are trying to turn this into a career others are just playing because they enjoy the game. Before the games the boys like

to get pumped up by listening to music.

“We normally turn up by listening to music and dancing, someone recently just bought a speaker so we just jam out and chill before the games,”junior Leo Laguna said.

The boys perform better at home than away because of the support our student section gives. Some games get very intense but the student are always out supporting their peers.

” I definitely like playing at home better because of the energy and support our fans give, we like to go out there and put on a show,” senior Gustavo Jaurigui said.

Because soccer is an outside sport the weather is a key impact on how

the players perform. Rainy weather games causes the players to play at a slower cautious pace.

“To be honest the worse the weather the better it is because playing in the rain, that feels good you know, we get to slide around the field and it just feels good,” Ayala said.

Most of the boys have been playing since a young age and truly love the sport. Some players have even been playing together since the ages of five and six. Playing soccer to them is more than just a sport it helps them get their mind off things and release stress.

“Soccer to me means family and being able to trust your teammates every time you or them are on the field,” junior Carlos Delgado said.

Photo by Kyle Mrosko

Photo by Brianna Lujan

Caleb MannReporter

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Love of the Game

Blanca FuentesReporter

Tennis is one of the few sports that has two seasons; both fall and spring.

Playing a sport year round can be exhausting, but the players also created a tighter bond with one another after spending so much time together.

“I have all the love for the sport and everyone on the team,” Abraham Overbay said. “We respect everyone and we all have a great time together.”

Many athletes have professional tennis players that they strive to be like and look to them for motivation and inspiration to play better.

“I have one in particular right now and his name is Rafael Nadal,” David Davenport said. “And if I play when I am in college

I will look up to more players.”

In a tennis match a player can play on one of four different types of courts; clay, hard, grass and carpet. Each player has their own preference on which they think is better to play on.

“I prefer to play on the stander field,” Jayden Ebinda said. “ I like how it feels on my feet because it has good grip.”

With passion for the sport along with encouragement from fellow teammates, tennis players had to prepare for matches both mentally and physically.

“Some of the traditions that we have before a match is that we stretch and hit back and forth with our opponent,”Makayla Brown said. “That also

helps us get a feel for their strengths and weaknesses.”

One of the ways the team celebrates after a good match is by going out to eat together.

“After a good match the team will go out to eat in order to celebrate our win,” Kael Vegter said.

This year the tennis team has a new coach and it has been a struggle for them to adjust.

“With the new coach we all like him but we do struggle giving him respect,” Anthony Yasa said. “It’s a struggle for me because this is his first year and it’s a lot different from last year.”

Despite the struggles from learning how to adjust to a new coach, the athletes have one thing in common; love and passion for the game.

Kendra MitcellReporter

Easter TraditionsAround this time, many

family gather together to celebrate the Catholic holiday, Lent.

Lent is a period of time that lasts 40 days which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday.

It’s a time when people come together, they celebrate and remember the death and resurrection of Jesus.

There are many activities to do during this period of time from focusing more on your spirituality to participating in lent traditions.

One of the traditions that people do is fasting. During this period of time you avoid eating meat on Friday and poultry.

Ash Wednesday symbolizes death and remorse towards your sins. When you receive

the ashes, it symbolizes that you’re sorry for your sins and that we use this time to better ourselves and celebrate Easter with joy.

The end of Lent, Easter, is a fun day filled with food and family time. Some people celebrate Easter by going to church and having a family meal.

“Every year on Easter morning, my family and I go to church to praise our belief of Jesus resurrecting to the earth,” Dylan Ndambuki said. “Usually we have a small get together during the lunch hour and have members and people from my neighborhood to celebrate and feed them authentic homemade Kenyan food.”

Although many go to church to worship, some also enjoy going Easter

egg hunting to celebrate the Easter holiday.

“For Easter my family and I have a traditional Easter egg hunt, where they hide all the colorful eggs filled with candies and money all around our backyard,” J’Juana James said. “After my siblings and I have found all of the eggs, we always have a huge competition on cracking confetti Easter eggs on each others head.”

Some students shared what they gave up for Lent, such as foods, drinks, social media or just unhealthy habits in general, both for the body and the wallet.

“I’m patiently waiting for lent to end because I gave up spending so much money on unnecessary items like fast food, and name brand clothing,” Hector Rios said. “Even though,

I miss doing such and can’t wait for Easter to approach, I have recently grown accustomed to this new healthy lifestyle.”

In addition to the catholic students that celebrate Easter, a few students have their own religious traditions they like to do during the Easter season.

“ My family celebrates Passover during the Easter season , we have a huge Hebrew dinner at my church,” Sergio Martinez said. “We celebrate the Jews liberation from slavery in Egypt. We change our diet by not eating specific food with leaven and Hametz, and we stick to a diet for 49 days called Omer which is the amount of days offerings were brought to the Jewish temple in Jerusalem.”

Photo by Emma Kuempel

Photo by Bianca Koch

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Rodeo RoundupAnother legendary year

at the world-renowned Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo has passed, with many of the student body and faculty members showing in attendance. Everyone, country or not, was excited to see one of their favorite artists perform. Whether it was rap artist, Cardi B, or country legend, George Strait, people purchased their tickets months in advance to attend the sold out shows.

“I went and saw Panic at the Disco with my friends,” Morgan Lansford said.

Some students even competed at the rodeo by showing animals, entering art projects or judging livestock. “Rodeo Houston’s livestock show is a tough show because there is a lot of competition,”

Justin Gates said. “I placed 6th in my class with my shorthorn heifer, but we’re hoping to do better at the Montgomery County

Fair.” Showing animals at

the rodeo comes with a lot of benefits and many valuable learning experiences.

“Showing animals

comes with many benefits, such as responsibility and learning feeding rotations, the sciences of animals, the birth

process and gestation of animals,” Gates said. “You also learn more about livestock than you’d ever thought you would need to raise them.”

There was plenty of

entertainment to enjoy before artists graced the stage at 9:00 p.m. Spectators could visit the exhibition hall where the livestock shows and art projects were, ride the rides, shop around, watch the rodeo and try out an array of tasty foods.

“My favorite thing to watch before the concert is barrel racing,” Sarah Kaminski said.

Many students were drawn to the Houston rodeo for the all-day fun and attractions.

“I like to eat all the foods you wouldn’t really see anywhere else like the fried oreos, fried ice cream, and turkey legs,” Lansford said.

No matter what kind of person you are, everyone can have fun at the Houston rodeo, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

David FaulReporter

Triumph & Flare Flower Power Fundraiser!

Over 50 different kinds of flowers and plante to choose some.

Flowers, greenery, fruits and vegtables, and evem garden kits. The perfect gifts for spring!

Buy some flowers for your mom for Mother’s day to show her how much you love and appreciate her. Or buy some fruit and veggies or a salad

growing kit for the cook in your family.And Grandma will love the humming bird and

butterfly garden kits.

April 15-

April 26

Photo submitted by FFA

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This year librarian appreciation week was April 9-15. It’s a week where many people celebrate and appreciate librarians for helping them throughout theirt high school journey. Whether students needed help finding a book, printing homework or needed resourceful information, they knew they could always count on our two librarians.

“The librarians are very resourceful and helpful, they are educators, authors and they know where to find any information of any type when you’re looking for something,” Jesus Ayala said.

Being in charge of an entire library is not an easy job, but the ladies do an amazing job. They

memorize where most books are located and created an inviting and safe place for students to gather before school, during lunch and after school.

“I love my job because I can work with students and teachers, I don’t have to give a grade and I don’t have to make you do something but I can help you do something and I can also help the teachers,” Ms. Ann Tyler said.

Looking for a book can be very difficult because they all contain different material, but with the help of a librarian,

students can find the perfect one with just the information they were looking for.

“They are very helpful at finding the exact book you need with the best resourceful information for any

project you might be working on,” Julie Zheng said.

During the day many students request to visit

the library for many reasons whether it be to finish a project, find information, read a book or sometimes just somewhere to spend their lunch time.

“Most of the time I go to the library to gather key information about school, and other times I would go with friends to work on a group project,” Matthew Green said.

To the librarians, it is a very rewarding job because they truly enjoy spending time with students and helping them however they can.

“Talking to the students, helping and working with them in any way, and also getting to know them is always the highlight of my day,” Tyler said.

Librarian AppreciationRose VasquezReporter

Savannah TriceReporter Last Call! Senior ScholarshipsAs the year is approaching its end, juniors and seniors are scrambling to finalize their plans for after graduation, such as applying to colleges and completing scholarships. At the College and Career center they have all the necessary information to help students complete their goals. “You can find all our scholarships on Naviance and we have many of them in the CCC,” Esther Garza said. “All the scholarships sit at the front of the CCC behind the pink papers. The pink slips of paper are only used to tell you what scholarship it is. Behind each pink paper is the form you need to fill out for that scholarship.”

Some people tend think the amount of money a student receives for a scholarship can affect their eligibility for financial aid, this is not the case.

“The amount of money you get from

a scholarship doesn’t affects a student’s eligibility for FASFA.” Garza said. “We recommend students apply for FASFA in the fall rather than the spring, but it’s up to the applicant.”

Another misconception is that there is a limited amount of scholarships a student can apply for.

“This is what I tell them, ‘guys, when you go to college you don’t want to work your first year, you don’t want to worry about finances and when you start getting all these scholarships it helps you with your books, your classes, etc.” Garza said. “That way you have more time and money to spend on other necessities.”

Each scholarship has different requirements, but the requirements are generally the same.

“The first biggest thing students have to remember when applying for scholarships is that 9 times out of 10 there’s an essay attached,”

Ms. Sherri Scheier said. “The essays usually are one of two types; tell me about yourself, what are your goals, did you have an obstacle you had to overcome, etc. The second type is why you need the scholarship. You don’t write like you’re writing for an English class, you write from the heart because they want to get to know you and be able to read between the lines to get more information”Every scholarship has a few basic requirements students need to complete.

“The second thing they ask for is SAT or ACT score, a transcript, and then your personal information,” Scheier said. “Those are the standards for most scholarships but some take it further.”

Financial need-based scholarships require a few extra things.

“If it’s a need-based scholarship they want a couple of things,” Scheier

said. “Either a copy of your student aid report from your FAFSA or they’re going to want a copy of your parents tax return. When students submit a tax return be sure to black out their social security numbers, they just want to see names and how much did they actually earn.”

Scheier has one last piece of advice for the seniors.

“The biggest thing is persistence.” Scheier said. “What I’ve learned since doing this job is that the students write one biographical essay that talks about who you are and they can keep that essay and just tweak it for another scholarship depending on the format.”

Juniors and seniors alike should frequently check the College and career center for new scholarships,because they change them out often.

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The Fun Page

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7:00 AM Future Tiger

Challenge

7:00 PM Varsity baseball vs. ORHS

6:30 AM FCS Meeting in CCC

6:30 PM Dancescope - Auditorium

Sunday Monday TueSday WedneSday ThurSday Friday SaTurday

AdvisorKara Gold

Editor-in-ChiefKaytee Jarvis

PhotographersAll Staff

Copy EditorKaytee Jarvis

ReportersDiana MartinezD’Vontae HughesKendra Mitchell

David FaulBlanca FuentesSavannah TriceRose VazquesCaleb Mann

Volume 50Conroe High School 3200 West Davis St

2018-2019Conroe, TX 77304

The Triumph, an official publication of Conroe High School, 3200 West Davis, Conroe, Texas 77304; (936)709-5700; e-mail: kgold@conroeisd.net, is printed throughout the year by the Advanced Journalism Newspaper classes. It is designed to serve the students and staff in a responsible, journalistic manner and is distributed free of charge. The Triumph is normally not censored by administration. Established staff guidelines serve as restraints. The Triumph is a member of the Interscholastic Press Conference, The University Interscholastic League, and Journalism Education Association. The Triumph gladly accepts advertisements, but they are subject to review, and it will not sell political advertisements.

Conroe ISD does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, handicap, or national origin in providing the education of access to benefits of education, services, activities, programs, or employment as required by the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1954 as amended: Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972; Section 502 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended: and title II of the Americans with Disabilities.

The Triumph

Monthly Events16 17 18 19 20

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1-4 PM Pre-UIL Choir night

3:00 PM Spring Play Rehearsals in Auditorium

5:00 PM JV baseball vs TWHS

6:30 AM FCS Meeting in CCC

4:30 Softball vs. ORHS

5:00 PM JV baseball @ Klein Collins

6:00 PM Varsity baseball vs. Klein Collins

3:00 PM Spring Play Rehearsals in Auditorium

4:30 PM Varsity softball @ Klein Forest

6:00 PM Varsity baseball @ TWHS

**No School**

Good Friday

Orchestra @ UIL Non Varsity String Orchestra

Contest-Klein Collins

3-5 PM Leo Club Game Night in LGI

**No School**

5:00 PM JV baseball vs. Klein Forest

Easter Sunday Choir @ UIL Concert & Sightreading Contest

2:30 PM Student Council Meeting

6:00 PM Varsity baseball @ Klein Forest

6:30 PM FFA Meeting

6:30 AM FCA Meeting in CCC

HS Physical Day

Letter Jacket Sizing

2:30 PM Interact Meeting

3:00 PM Leo Club Meeting

8:00 AM Girls Soccer car wash in front of school

4:30 PM Chinese Honor Society Induction Ceremony

6:00 PM ASHP Senior Banquet-Lone Star Convention Center

6:00 PM ASHP Parent Meeting-LGI

7:00 PM Spring Play in Auditorium

7:00 PM Spring Choir Concert @ First Baptist

Biology EOC

6:30 AM FCA Meeting in CCC

7:00 AM Senior Breakfast in Pit Gym

2:30 PM Spanish Club Meeting

5:00 PM Senior Awards Night

Algebra I EOC

6:30 AM FCA Meeting in CCC

3:00 PM Golden Girl Dance Rehearsal-

Auditorium

7:00 PM Senior Prom @ Lone Star Convention

Center

7:00 PM Golden Girls Spring Show-Auditorium

7 PM6:30 AM FCS Meeting

in CCC

US History EOC

6:30 AM FCS Meeting in CCC

2:30 PM ASL Club

2:30 PM Interact Meeting

3:00 PM Leo Club

MAY