TORCHTH

ES e v e n L a k e S H i g H S c H o o L 9251 S. FRY RoaD kaTY, TX, 77494. 281.237.2865. voLUMe 7. iSSUe 7. aPRiL 2012.

2 // Unite for Uganda 12 // State Qualifiers

10-11 // Seven Years of Seven Lakes20 // Prom Court

what’sI NSID

E

PROMIssue going back to STaTe!

Photo by George Racine

HELP FOR UGANDA Seven Lakes students join forces to help African refugeesjuliaNAJM // co-editor

Destruction. Despair. Death. a ruthless leader who had a vision. children savagely torn from their homes. Disease spreads rampantly, almost uncontrollable. a country in ruins. Who is there to pick up the pieces? This is not about Joseph kony. This is not about fame. This is about the innocent people of Uganda.

The civil war that waged in Uganda happened years ago, but the lasting effects still burn deep. These victims suffered through atrocities that no human should ever have to deal with. Sex slavery, children soldiers, lost familes, just to name a few. even though kony no longer resides in their country, that does not mean the scars of his reign are not still there.

“everyone knows about kony, but he already left years ago. The problem in Uganda now is the aftermath.” alyssa abrenica11, member of Students of christ said.

Just like many other people, abrenica11 watched the “kony 2012” awareness video, but instead of tossing it aside she decided that

something had to be done. “i wanted to help make things right with what

happened. But as we started planning, invisible children became more and more controversial,” abrenica11 said. “i respect them for bringing millions to find out what happened, but I thought… helping the actual people who suffered was a better goal.”

interact, Students of christ and Student council are joining forces to help these people get back on their feet. They are hosting a benefit concert at Seven Lakes High School in order to raise money and send it to The american Refugee committee and Save the children charity groups.

“american Refugee committee rebuilds

homes, trains people for jobs, and helped 250,000 victims last year. Save the Children helps fight the aiDS battle, feeds malnourished children, and sets up schools for them,” abrenica11 said. “in one year, 27,000 kids were helped just by their health services alone.”

The benefit concert will include student performers carley nunn, Macy Medford, channing nuon and many more. it will be on april 26th 7:00 pm in the Freshman commons. Tickets are sold for $8 (subject to change). all the proceeds go to aRc and Save the children providing relief for refugees and children in Uganda. There are only 350 tickets being sold to the show, and 250 t-shirts.

This effort will greatly help and “give everyone the right resources to help out for the right reasons,” abrenica11 said.

http://www.facebook.com/events/192716890846164/?notif_t=plan_user_joined

The problem in Uganda now is

the aftermath“ ”

nEWSAPRIL 2012 3

Launching from relative obscurity, Joseph kony and the Lord’s Resistance army have monopolized media headlines, social news feeds, and international conversation. The sudden flurry of interest can be attributed to a film campaign released early March by the non-profit advocacy group, invisible children, titled “kony 2012.”

The LRa is a military group located in central africa and led by kony that abducts children from villages, forcing them to commit a myriad of atrocities ranging from sexual slavery to murder. Formed in 1987, the group is deemed by the United States as a terrorist organization.

Prior to the campaign, discussion about the LRa and kony was limited primarily to diplomatic circles and small scale charity movements—far removed from the mainstream. Yet, the video has hit record views—nearly 87 million views on YouTube alone—and its subject dominates public discourse.

While the LRa and kony clearly are problems that need to be dealt with, the video has a host of issues with its representation of the matter. certainly, something needs to be done; however, any action must be informed and unbiased—a stipulation the “kony 2012” video does not follow.

Starting with geographic misrepresentation, the video manipulates and rearranges facts to paint a dark subject with even harsher shades. The video primarily focuses on the impacts of the LRa on Uganda, yet the organization was pushed out of Uganda in a 2008 military campaign called operation Lightning Thunder, which caused LRa forces to disperse across the region. The forces are currently operating northeastern congo, South Sudan, and the central african Republic.

Some of the horrific and staggering statistics are misconstrued and outdated—the LRa only numbers in the hundreds as opposed to the grim figure of 30,000 child soldiers, as reported in the video. That statistic is the amount of children abducted over a period of nearly thirty years; while still an atrocity, the current situation is being misrepresented and, at worse, commoditized.

Many Ugandans themselves are upset with their portrayal in the film. The African Youth Initiative network (aYineT) held a showing of the viral video in the town of Lira where it drew outrage from the thousands of Ugandans who saw it. victor ocher of aYineT, discussing the reaction in a BBc article, said “[the townspeople] were saying [that] whoever did this was celebrating their suffering.”

in the six years since the LRa has been pushed out, northern Uganda has tremendously recovered. Tourism has emerged as a fledgling industry and a lifeline for many Ugandan citizens. However, it may be severely impacted by the kony 2012 effort painting Uganda as a war zone, effectively debilitating an important industry for the country.

in addition to misrepresentation, the foundation only directs a small portion of funds to direct aid. According to a fiscal statement released by invisible children, only 37 percent of funds go towards the on-the-ground programs. The ic has some great aid programs including the early Warning Radio network which helps connect remote areas likely to face LRa attacks to create a comprehensive warning system in addition to

sponsoring several scholarship

programs to promote education in the Ugandan region. But by spending the majority of funding on creating expensive films and political lobbying, a perpetual cycle of ineffectual aid begins as opposed to directly channeling money into where it will be most effective: local african communities.

another worrying aspect of the kony 2012 campaign is the fact that the other pressing crises facing the Ugandan region get shunted in the glare of the media spotlight. The Make kony Famous movement highlights problems from a bygone era of Uganda. However, child prostitutes, Hiv/AIDS, and Hepatitis remain significant barriers to Ugandan improvement. Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni started his fourth term last year,

ringing in over 25 years of human rights atrocities and corruption laden ruling. Blatant homophobia spearheaded by Ugandan media and press has led to violent attacks and arrests against citizens. “Nodding disease,” a baffling neurological disease, affects over 4,000 children in the region. Uganda’s current problems are multitudinous, yet “Stopping kony” does not number among them.

Moreover, it is vital to understand that “liking,” “sharing,” or “tweeting” something does not make a person a diplomat. in october 2011, President obama sent 100 U.S. military advisors to help the Ugandan army track down kony. no results have been disclosed with the public yet, and peace talks held between 2006 and 2008 failed. clearly, a viral campaign is not the answer. Speaking in

an interview with a BBc correspondent, Ugandan journalist Roseball

kagumire said she did not know “how this is going to

turn into something tangible for people suffering on the

ground.” The goal of invisible children’s

video is vague itself. Jason Russell, ic’s cofounder and narrator for the

video, states in the film: in order for kony to be arrested this year,

the Ugandan military has to find him. In order to find him, they need the technology

and training to track him in the vast jungle. That’s where the american advisors come in. But in order for the american advisors to be there, the american government has to deploy them. They’ve done that, but if the government doesn’t believe the people care about kony, the mission will be cancelled. in order for the people to care, they have to know. and they will only know if kony’s name is everywhere.

The “Stop kony” movement would be a noble cause if the US had shown signs of withdrawal, which it has not indicated. instead, it appears that the film is simply trying to garner attention and money. Furthermore, such attention—especially wielded by a partially informed mass—could cause panic. By making kony “famous,” the man himself could, sensing threat, abduct more children to strengthen his army and fight off military advances. in 2002, Uganda launched operation iron Fist to work against the LRa, but it simply led to brutal retaliation.

Russell says that “there’s no army in the world that is more powerful than this idea,” but in this case, simply sharing it with “friends,” “subscribers,” and “followers” is not a bold step of action. as social media expert chad Bilyeu said, “it’s this passive mode of revolution these days where a retweet is a rebellion.”

FUTURE TECHNOLOGY, TODAY hannahCURCIO // Sophomore Staff Writer

This machine creates a three

dimensional prototype by

processing CAD (computer-

aided design) drawings. It

works by layering powders and

bonding agents to produce the object. The American Z Corporation printer gives customers

a physical, full-color model of their ideas. About $60,000

Even if you are not a Harry Potter

fanatic, this remote control provides a fun alternative

to the classic push of a button. The

Kymera Magic Wand has a built-in accelerometer that allows it to recognize certain gestures such as a swish, a push forward, a pull back, a single tap, and a double tap. With these gestures, the wand is custom programmed to function almost anything that can be remote-controlled.

£49.95 (about $77.52)

This helpful gadget uses your smart phone to find misplaced items. The U Grok It will come with flat labels with an integrated antenna that you can place on items

that you frequently misplace such as keys, remotes, etc. In addition to finding tagged items, the U Grok It can also be used to ensure that you have everything you need. For example, before leaving your home, you can open up a group maybe named “Gym Bag” on the Grokker (the domain unit), and swipe the device over your bag. The Grokker will notify you if anything in that group is missing from your gym bag. The U Grok It is not commercially available yet, but has been publicly demonstrated. PRICE YET TO BE DETERMINED

Maybe it’s old news, but this fan is still one of the coolest

things I’ve seen. The Dyson Air Multiplier is much different than regular, conventional fans. Aside

from looking futuristic, the fan is virtually silent, much safer,

and creates a smoother current. Technically, a quiet motor sucks in the air, accelerates it through

the ring, and then releases the air through an airfoil-shaped ramp,

which amplifies the airflow.From $299.99

With these “underwater wings”, a diver can get the thrill of flying underwater. Many scuba divers used to hitch rides on the back of manta

rays or sea turtles; marine biologists, however, stated that it was harassing the animal. The Subwing gives them almost the same experience. It is towed by a boat, but a steel-and-rubber swivel gives the diver the freedom of steering. Once in motion, riders can perform spins and other fun tricks underwater. $700

A new wave of technology is taking over our world. There are new gadgets and gizmos; machines and contraptions. Things that people in the past wouldn’t have dreamed of are now a part of our everyday lives. And we are doing it again...new technologies are coming about.

Below are five things the newspaper staff thought were particularly interesting.

The rapid advancements of technology have us growing as a society - Technology Applications teacher, Coach Ewing“

FEATUREnOVEMBER2011 5 ADSAPRIL 2012 5

as always, there has been a recent roll of celebrity tragedy lately. a plague never seen before. The nasty little devil that’s destroying so many stars? exhaustion.

every time a celebrity is admitted to the emergency room for exhaustion on e! news, it’s hard not to laugh for two reasons. one, it’s common knowledge that “exhaustion” is code word for things that the celebrity’s publicist would rather not name… drug addictions, eating disorders, alcoholism, and mental breakdowns.

The other reason to chuckle at this excuse is that every person checked into the hospital because they were exhausted- exemptions would be lost, and finals week would be disastrous.

“How?” you might ask.

a nice run is the solution. and not a celebrity run, either. Real runners don’t

wear sweats two sizes too large, trucker hats, aviator sunglasses, and headphones the size of large bagels. Real runners don’t run with an entourage following, unless they’re the president.

Real runners are out early in the morning working with their team. Real runners are jumping over hurdles and practicing hand-offs. Real runners are on the track. Real runners run to beat exhaustion.

This year, the track program is doing just so. For example, senior nathan Ricketts set the new school record in the 1600. Ricketts will be attempting to qualify for state in upcoming meets.

“i set my goals freshman year and i’ve just been working toward them since,” Ricketts said. “i

decided to up my miles to 70 a week, and i’ve just been doing the best that i can.”

one major component of the track team that drives them to their best is their coaches.

“Before practice they sit us down and tell us what we’re doing wrong and exactly how to fix it,” kevin Dean said. “The coaches are so supportive and answer our questions perfectly when we need their help.”

The head girls coach, coach kenney, is very proud of the accomplishments of the team.

“i think the girls have been working hard, and continue to grow,” kenney said. “We always hope for better times, better runs, and better teamwork.”

The Varsity girls placed fifth overall in district and the boys took first.

TEE UPSpartan golf strokes well at districtsdaniWARDINSKY // Sophomore Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of Sean Ewing

ALL ABOUT THE RUNNERSdaniWARDINSKY // Sophomore Staff WriterSeven Lakes Boys Track wins first varsity district championship

Erica Brown: (3200 M) -3rd(1600 M) -4thAllison Tracy: (3200 M) -4th(1600 M) -3rdAnna Rawles: (100 M Hurdles) -3rd(Pole vault) -1stAlissa Fono: (100 M Hurdles) -3rd

Jasmine Jack: (100 M) -2nd(200 M) -5th(Long Jump) -5th(High Jump) -1stSierra Sensat: (Discus) -6thAlyson Gregory: (Pole vault) -4thMichaela Daniels: (Triple Jump) -6th

Nathan Ricketts: (3200 M) -5th(1600 M) -1stKris Brander: (110 M Hurdles) -1st (300 M Hurdles) -2ndT. Vaughns: (110 M Hurdles) -3rd(300 M Hurdles) -3rdMark Brown: (100 M) -4thRodrick Champion: (200 M) -6thDerek Orlando: (Shot Put) -3rd

David Nixon: (Pole vault) -1stRyan Mcentee: (Pole vault) 2ndDonovan Spottsville: (Pole vault) -5thKyle Postma: (High Jump) -2ndJared Crosby: (High Jump) -5th(Long Jump) -4thChiedu Innocent-Utulu: (Long Jump) -2nd

Victor Ngei: (Triple Jump) -2nd

Birdies, par, clubs, and polo’s are all in season for Seven Lake’s golf.

Recently, the boy’s golf team placed second in district play, and qualified for regionals. The team shot 303-307 for the best team scores in 3 years.

“i think we’ve done pretty well in accomplishing our goals this year,” ewing said. “i mean, we made to region for the first time in three years. i’m proud of my boys.”

Freshman Zach Tracy and chase ambrose have been working hard on varsity, and trying to step it up. The boys average about 77 every tournament. coach ewing has high hopes for their future.

“We have a lot of young talent that i’m excited to see progress,” ewing said. “We have something to work for next year, and i think they’ll keep getting better.”

The girls finished in 4th place shooting 333-332 just 2 strokes out of 2nd place. They were led by Claire Thompson (who qualified for the state championships in austin) shooting 80-78. Susan

Hagger 86-84, ashley Hummel 83-83, Jenny Parisi 84-87, and Brooke garrison 91-89. The 2nd team finished 5th led by Megan Reyes, Katie LaBreche, courtney Lovett, amanda Myers, and Marly adams.

“it’s really exciting and stressful to make it regionals, there will be a lot of tough competition,”

Thompson said. “as a senior, i just hope to do my best and leave everything on the course.

The boys finished 2nd shoot 301-306. Led by Matt Sullivan’s 77-71 the Spartan’s are going back to the regional tournament after a 3 year absence. cole Smith shot 77-78, Zach Tracy shot 71-82, chase ambrose shot 76-78 and Robert Beautz 83-78. The 2nd team finished in 5th place led by Ben Yoo, Noah Purvis, Hunter Hedges, Dustin Williamson, and Jose Latorre. Medalist christian graves got a HoLe in one on hole #4 the second day – 174 yard par 3.

also, the Jv Boys took 1st place at the Jv District Tournament held at cinco Ranch golf course. andrew Yoo shot 75 to win the tournament. The Jv girls took 3rd place.

congratulations to all of these golfers for a fantastic season.

(editor’s note: Senior Claire Thompson qualified for the state golf tournament shooting 77 taking 3rd place overall at regionals. State tournament is April 30-May 1 at Onion Creek CC in Austin.)

Photos courtesty of The Odyssey Staff

varsity girls’ Results

varsity Boys’ Results

FEATUREnOVEMBER2011 5SPORTS APRIL 2012 7

GIRLS SOCCER RETURNS TO STATEJunior Kellie Johnston’s shootout goal clinches regional championship

BOYS SOCCER EARNS TRIP TO REGIONAL QUARTER-FINALSBig playoff wins over Chavez, Langham Creek advance team to third round

The girls soccer team has created a tradition of excellence over the last seven years. They have been to the regional tournament the last four years and the state tournament 2 out of the last 3 years.

Last Friday in the Regional Semifinals match, the soccer girls beat clements, the district champion out of Fort Bend and came back from 0-1 at the half to win 2-1 with goals scored by Sarah eads11 and Leslie Patton12.

The next morning they faced the same opponent they did in 3 of the last 4 years in Regional Finals, the clear Lake Falcons, who they lost to last year 2-1.

“The girls battled hard all game and into double overtime but the score remained deadlocked at 0-0,” Head coach amy Davis said. “This year we used our deeper bench and were able to rotate more players on to the field to wear down the Falcons who had not allowed a goal in 25 straight games this year. after 100 minutes of play, in

high school soccer, the tie breaker is a 35 yard shoot out.”

over the last four years the team has had, what many consider, the best goal keeper in the Houston area.

“our keeper, kylie Hambleton, made several very nice saves to keep us in the match but after 9 shooters, we were tied at 1-1 on the shootout with

Shayne Clewett getting the first shootout goal for us,” coach Davis said.

“Then, it basically becomes a ‘golden goal’ situation after the fifth shooter and both teams went to our tenth shooter, junior kellie Johnston, who put it in the back of the net and won the game for us!”

girls 5a State Soccer Tournament ScheduleThursday, april 19Semi-Finals11:00 am klein oak vs. Plano West1:00 pm Seven Lakes vs San antonio churchhillSaturday, april 21Finals11:00 am 5a girls1:00 pm 5a BoysBoTH SeMi-FinaLS anD FinaLS WiLL Be BRoaDcaST Live onFoxSportsHouston.com

The boys soccer team has had back to back trips to the regional quarter-finals. Third year head coach Jimmy krueger believes the boys have consistenly been able to meet the expectations.

“The bar was set high. We knew we had the talent to make a run in the playoffs. We were one kick away from going to the regional tournament,” coach krueger said.

The team finished third in the district race, but at one point were leading the district. a rough week and a half of play hurt the team going into the second round of district play.

“Strake Jesuit came back and won it with two minutes to go. against Morton Ranch we were delayed an hour due to not-favorable conditions. Then after Spring Break we played against Mayde creek in what may have been our worst game of the year,” krueger said.

“after Mayde creek we got things going again and took it into the playoffs,” krueger said.

In the first round of the playoffs the Spartans took on HiSD’s co-District champions, chavez.

The game ended in overtime with a 1-0 win for the good guys.

in the second round Seven Lakes played regional favorite Langham creek.

“They [Langham creek] were killing teams,” krueger said. “We out worked them; we were physical and our back line had their best game of the year. it was a big team effort basically.”

krueger said.next up was cy-Ridge in the Region iii

Quarter-final match. Huge defensive efforts by both teams kept the game scoreless through regulation and two overtime periods. a shootout was used to decide the final outcome and the Spartans fell 3-2.

“it was a heartbreaker,” coach krueger said, “but i give a special thanks to all the seniors for all their hard work. We would like to thank all that came out to support us and wish the girls team the best of luck in the Regional Tournament.”

coach krueger is looking forward to a bright future with the team and has set his sights on advancing to the regional tournament next year. The team is already getting back to preparing for the next season and know they don’t have time to

waste when it comes to the competitve nature of District 19-5a play as district rival Morton Ranch has advanced to the state tournament this year.

“Boys Soccer will start open Fields this Friday after school out on the practice fields,” Coach krueger said.

Jaylon JonesBasketball

Truman State

atif RussellBoys Basketball

Pepperdine

nathan RickettsBoys Track/cross country

Texas a&M

Samantha SchwenkevolleyballUT-Dallas

nick andresBaseball

georgia State

kiayna onealvolleyball

carson newman

Morgan Mckellarvolleyball

arkansas Tech

amanda grimesvolleyball

Wayland Baptist

Sloan JenkinsSoftball

eastern Louisiana

Troy BurgerSwimming

University of evansville

SPA

RTA

NSI

GN

ING

S//

// dani

WA

RD

INSK

Y //

Sop

hom

ore

Staf

f Wri

ter

SPORTSAPRIL 2012 9

BASEBALL RANKED #1 IN HOUSTONEleven wins and only 1 loss in district play has team thinking playoffs

Maxprep’s Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings1. olympia (orlando, FL)2. orange Lutheran (orange, ca)3. Mater Dei (Santa ana, ca)4. columbus (ga)5. Bishop gorman (Las vegas, nv)6. calallen (corpus christi, TX)7. carroll (corpus christi, TX)8. Jesuit (Tampa, FL)9. St. Francis (Mountainview, ca)10. nova (Davie FL)11. Winter Springs (FL)12. Pelham (aL)13. Broken arrow (ok)14. Seven Lakes (Katy, TX)15. Mt. carmel (chicago, iL)16. Providence (charlotte, nc)17. Martin (arlington, TX)18. Lexington (Sc)19. Pensacola catholic (FL)20. owasso (ok)21. Lake Braddock (Burke, va)22. Rob Jones (Madison, aL)23. Redlands (ca)24. Harvard Westlake (n. Hollywood, ca)25. Parkview (Lilburn, ga)

When the flags are flying at the Battlefield this year, there is a pretty good chance you’re going to see a Spartan victory. Website “MaxPreps.com” has the baseball team ranked #1 in Houston and #14 in the United States.

“it’s been a good season, a lot of winning, we’ve been playing to a very high level,” Jeremy Montalbano12 said.

Montalbano is a pitchers, the main catcher and the number four hitter for the team, as well as a division 1 prospect.

“no one’s really been weak, if one person has a bad game it seems like there’s always someone who steps up for them,” Montalbano12 said.

The team’s best win this season was against aldine Mac arthur who they beat seventeen to zero.

“As a team we’re really confident, a lot of people, including me, are kind of cocky but we’re cocky and laid back at the same time.” Montalbano12 said.

The team has grown to trust each other enough that at games they know they’ve got each other’s backs.

“We never really stress, we just know that we’re going to hit the ball and we’re going to play well,” Montalbano12 said.

This team has become unified on the field; they know how much they need one another to win the game.

“i’d say we are all key players, we’ve definitely got strong pitchers and good juniors though,” Montalbano12 said.

new additions to the team this year, Like Daniel Rankin (a transfer from 2nd Baptist)and Ellis Bitar (his first year on varsity) have also made them stronger.

“Daniel fits in perfectly with us, it was just adding another great player to the team, and ellis Bitar has been really promising this season too,” Montalbano12 said.

kayleeWHITE // Sophomore Journalism Writer

A EULOGY FOR THESPIANSStudio VII Theatre Company is losing some bright stars

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to wish a fond farewell to some of our most beloved thespians Seven Lakes has ever seen. They have filled our hearts with laughter and sadness. They have sung for us, they have died for us, they have cried for us, they have run through all emotions for us and we have cheered them on every step of the way. Today, we lay to rest the high school acting careers of Luis Quintero, Matt Russo, carley nunn, courtney Johnson, and Lauren Sanders.

Lauren Sanders whom i will always remember as “Flamingo girl” for her part in neil Simon’s Rumors. How she pulled herself across the floor bleeding from a self sustained knife wound. i laughed so hard, i fell out of my seat. Yet, Lauren Sanders made me cry in her performance in over the River and Through the Woods when she talks about family.

Matt Russo who has worked so hard building

his acting pedigree for four years. When I first saw him act, i thought he would never be good. Yet, every year he got better until his last role. as nunzio in over the River and Through the Woods, he made me believe that i was the grandfather. He transcended himself. He achieved greatness the old fashioned way, he earned it.

courtney Johnson whose voice is the most dominate female voice i have heard since kathleen Turner. Her portrayal of Florence Unger in the female odd couple was side splitting. courtney developed her acting ability so well, that her best parts of acting occurred when she didn’t have a line to say. She lived the play.

carley nunn who won Best Supporting actress at Tommy Tunes and i would argue it wasn’t even her best role. carley is a total actress: she can dance, she can sing, she can act, and she has that “it girl” quality. Her best performance, to me, was the

glass Menagerie. She ripped out your heart strings. But the one we will miss the most, the heart

and soul of the theatre troupe, the man who best exudes what it is to be a thespian and a Seven Lake Spartan, is Luis Quintero. Luis leaves behind a legacy for many Spartan thespians to fill. His greatest role, and he had many, that summed him all up as an actor was his portrayal in the Zoo Story. Luis may soon be gone, but he won’t be forgotten and he won’t be gone long. Dude’s gonna make it.

So, let us rise, join our hands rapidly together repeatedly, and raise a might “yalp” for our departed troubadours as they end their incredible acting careers in Studio Seven. But fear not, for there is one more performance of over The River and Through the Woods coming up shortly, so that we might gather together to see their greatness one last time.

paulSTROUD // Special Guest Contributor

What is the strangest thing that has happened in your classroom?

“You mean besides being asked to prom?”

“We had a boy student who brought and tie dyed a bra! Now he is the coolest kid in college.”

“Destroying clay pots!”

Ms. garza

Ms. Hamilton

coach Rathke

FEATUREnOVEMBER2011 5FEATUREAPRIL 2012 11

What is the strangest thing that has happened in your classroom?

“i went to the bathroom and i came back and the lights were off and all my students were hiding. They jumped out at me, and one small student hid in my podium, so in the middle of the lesson she popped out and scared me!”

THE PIECES THAT HAVE STUCK WITH LAKES

“The time i was tweeted! i had fallen over a student’s tennis racket; straight fall on my back. There was this moment of silence when everyone was waiting... Then i started laughing!!!”

“a student made a 27… Slackers.”

7coach Demarchi

coach Davis

coach ewing

Ms. newland

obviously it’s this crouching position.

Ms. Blevins

Wrestling:alexandra Wascom 4th Place at 165 poundsivan De Leon 4th Place at 285 poundsglenn Scott Top 8 at 152 poundsnate Schneider Qualifier at 126 pounds

Mu Alpha Theta:Tolu alimi, Louis Jensen, gautam Pappu, Siddharth Seethepalli and Jose vera scored in the top 5% of the aMc 12 and the top 2.5% of the aMc 10, the first level of national tests that 9th and 10th graders can take, and were invited to the next level. The american invitational Mathametics examination (aiMe) is the second in the sequence of mathematics contests which leads to participation in the USa Mathematical olympiad

2011 State Cross-Country:10th place out of 12 teams Brown, erica Tracy, allison Harrington, Lauren nugent, caitlin Bell, ashley Bigott, Brittany Mumme, Sarah

Girls’ Track:kailey Hill10 - 1600m Run 5th place 5:09anna Rawles11- Pole vault 4th place 11’6”

All-State Choir:kayla o’Rourke12

Jacque Masse12

erin Dunnahoo10

Health Occupation Students of America:Bobi Simonson10 and Devangi Dave12

All-State Orchestra Members:Philharmonic orchestra: Patrick Song, celloString orchestra: Helen Xu, violin; Matthew chang, cello4a Symphonic Band: alan Yang, Piano

Speech & Debate:Philip ayala , Shannon Blood, nabeel chohan, Sarah Huntnek, Channing Nuon, Albert Ok, Matthew Proffitt, Umang Thanki, Renny Weeden, Jesse Xue, carol Yuan, Mo Zaidi, and Mimi Zhao all competed at the state level TFa Debate tournament.

Future Business Leaders of America55 FBLa members placed in 36 events with 10 members placing fifth place, 5 placing fourth, 11 placing third, 10 placing second, and 19 members placing first

S TAT E Q U A L I F I E R SkamiaRATHORE // Sophomore Staff WriterStudent organizations reach the statewide level in competition

Science Olympiad

The Science olympiad

team placed 2nd at state, high enough

to advance to the national

competition level

Quiz BowlThe team will be competing at the Texas High School Quiz Bowl championship and at the Partnership for academic competition excellence national Scholastic competition June 9 & 10 in St. Louis

kamiaRATHORE // Sophomore Staff Writer

FEATUREnOVEMBER2011 5FEATURE APRIL 2012 13

S M A RT P H O N E S ?new technology policies take the school by stormkatieBLAND // Junior Staff Writer

As students enter the final six-weeks, a tumultuous year of experimental change at Seven Lakes draws to a close. The first semester began with significant changes to technology policies, allowing students to use cell phones and iPods at lunches and during passing periods. gone were the days of kids trying to conceal cell phones inside their pockets and hurriedly stuffing them in their bags whenever a teacher was near. now, smartphones are even allowed in the classroom, with teacher permission, of course; so how have these radical changes affected the school?

“i think it’s been very good, like in english i’ve been able to look up words and stuff with my phone or my iPod,” caitlyn clark11 said, “that would have taken me a whole lot of time otherwise.”

adalberto Toledo11 agrees with clark11 about the potential helpfulness of smartphones in the classroom, but also recognizes their dangers.

“They’re a resource that should only be used for the class, but they’re not,” Toledo11 said.

The dangers of getting off-task during class are many and varied, and smartphones only seem to increase the many possibilities open to students.

“Playing games, texting, looking at pictures,” Monica Su10 said, “i only sometimes see them doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”

However, clark11 still believes they can be a productive addition to the classroom.

“i think as a whole, at least in the classes i’m in, people are using them on-task at least at first,” clark11 said.

obviously, teachers and administrators maintain differing opinions in regard to these new developments.

“i’ll tell you, the biggest regret i have on cell phone use is the increase in academic dishonesty, the cheating,” administrator Mrs. Ward said, “whether that means texting answers to kids or taking pictures of the test, i really think that problem is increasing.”

However, a new system of warning posters in classrooms around the school could soon be reducing disturbances caused by cell phone use. These posters would read “ToDaY iS / iS noT an eLecTRonic Device DaY” and would be posted in every classroom.

“it would be really clear every day; kids would know whether they could use their cell phones or not,” Mrs. Ward said, “We want to communicate

clearly and prevent problems rather than react to problems.”

Despite some inevitable issues and concerns, Seven Lakes has become a model for other schools in terms of implementing new technology policies successfully; even principals and technology facilitators from other high schools have visited to learn from our system.

“They left here thoroughly impressed with the way our kids are using their cell phones,” Mrs. Ward said.

Student opinion ranges over the various other

allowances that have been made this year, but there is general approval over iPods being allowed during silent class work.

“i know several of my friends do better when they have music going on in the background,” clark11 said, “i know for a matter of fact that i do.”

Toledo11 agrees with clark11’s support of the new iPod policy.

“i don’t like just silence when i’m working, it bothers me,” Toledo11 said.

There is less agreement over laptops; some students find bringing them to school a benefit, while others see them as a burden.

“i hate hauling mine around sometimes,” Toledo11 said.

clark11 disagrees, finding laptops more helpful than burdensome.

“Usually, it is worth it. i’m able to get a lot more done when i have it with me versus having to wait until i get home,” clark11 said.

Su10 sums up the dilemma over laptops, seeing both sides of the argument.

“it’s good because they’re a lot faster than school

computers, but then you don’t want to break it or have something happen to it,” Su10 said.

Finally, after christmas break, the arrival of new technology at Seven Lakes provided classrooms throughout the school with new Tvs, computers, and especially, SMaRT Boards.

“i don’t really see, other than like in my math class, how they’ve made much difference,” clark11 said, “Most of my teachers don’t really know how to use it yet, so they’re using it more as a projector screen than a SMaRT Board.”

However, students have found them a beneficial addition to math classes.

“in some classes, like algebra, it’s really helpful because it saves time,” Su10 said, “The teacher doesn’t have to spend as much time writing problems on the board; they’re right there.”

The technology additions have created many new opportunities for learning, but many issues and technical difficulties as well.

“i feel like most of the teachers are fine with the computers and the TVs, but there’s still trouble adjusting to the SMaRT Boards,” clark11 said, “There’s been a lot of trouble with the new SLaMcast, getting that to work. i hardly ever see the announcements anymore.”

Teachers may be partially at fault here during the adjustment period,

as some students describe incidents within the classroom.

“it’s hilarious, because they can’t work some of the systems that well, like the whole SLaMcast being on that website,” Toledo11 said, “My teacher has a very, very hard time working that. it’s really annoying.”

However, these technical difficulties may share a common source.

“The technology department has explained to us that one day last week, the entire district system crashed, so it wasn’t just Seven Lakes,” Mrs. Ward said, “Whenever Seven Lakes does have some intermittent SLaMcast problems, it has to do with our vBrick system, so we’re dependent upon the technology department to be aware of the problem and fix it.”

Hopefully these problems will be resolved sometime in the near future.

“i’m very frustrated and disappointed when our kids miss Spartan Time and the SLaMcast,” Mrs. Ward said.

7 Things About

Seven LakeslakenRAY // Senior Staff Writer

MOTTOS

2005/06- First class2006/07- extra Mile2007/08- 212o

2008/09- Finish Strong2009/10- Power of 102010/11-obvious choice2011/12- Magnificent 7

THEME DAYS

1.)Movie Star Day2.)neon Day3.)Toga Toga Toga4.)cowboy Day5.)old People Day6.)PJ Day7.)nerd Day

1.)creative Writing2.)Mr. DelaRosa/aP Lit3.)coach Pollack/ eco4.)coach Rivera /Physics5.)Study Halls6.)art History7.)Work Release

BEST CLASSES

1.)7>52.)Like a Bosch3.)i have a Big Thespian crush on You4.)Soccer Stalker5.)BeaT cinco6.)cool Story, Bro7.)We Saved the Best for Last

BEST SEVEN LAKES T-SHIRTS

THINGS TO DO BEFORE GRADUATION

1.)Ride the elevator2.)attend each sporting event3.)Be the obvious choice4.)attend a comedy Sportz Match5.)Take a mental health day6.)go to Mr. Seven Lakes7.)Be on the annoucements

1.)Sparbucks2.)That one awkward tile3.)SLaMcast4.)Sparmart5.)The mural6.)Spartacus7.)chicken nugget Day

SPECIAL THINGS ABOUT SL

2012: We get a new principal, Mr. vierling!

2006: First academic qualifier USA Math olympiad!!

2005: Seven Lakes opens!

2010: Seven Lakes wins Homecoming for the first time!

2008: We move up from 4a to 5a!

2012: Technology is upgraded in school!

2007: First State champs! Boys’ cross country win State championship!

GREATEST

ACHIEVEMENTS

EDITORALS APRIL 2012 15

The three letters that everyone dreads to hear is….SaT. or acT. not as dramatic when i mention both so for argument sake let’s just pretend everyone is taking SaT.

Well, as a junior this is an e X T R e M e L Y important test if you want to go to college.

Unfortunately, gPa, extracurricular activities and your stellar personality will not get you into college because of this test. So to answer your question, if you had one that is, yes you do have to take this test.

now if you are a senior and reading this i really hope that you have already taken it because if not: hate to break it to ya but you’re done. it’s too late. Well maybe not depending on where you want to go.

now juniors get you stuff together and take it from me….STUDY ahead of time. i know this from personal experience. i know we are all busy, at least

that was my excuse, but still just take out the time to study unless you’re a genius which i doubt you are. no one is too smart to study. i took my SaT back in January. i began studying for it in the beginning of December.

Basically whenever i felt like doing something productive (something my friend Raj hates about me) i would look over my practice book for about thirty minutes and then call it a day. needless to say…..Don’T Do THiS. i showed up at the test sight thinking i had this in the bag. Yeah that was not the case and I figured that out about thirty minutes into the test. Heads were throbbing, foreheads were sweating, hands were shaking and that was just the teacher that administered the test. The overconfidence I had did not help me out in the long run.

it’s okay to study actually it’s okay to oveR study. But if you got a score between 2000-2400 then your fine so stop pretending that it’s not a good score. You know who you are.

Morals of the story1)Sign up for the SaT if you have not yet. (juniors)2)Study…you’re not god. 3)if you made a good score, great! So stop freaking out.4)if you’re a freshman or a sophomore, take a prep class or buy a study book. The sooner the better.5)Take the acT. Who knows, it may be easier.

Honorificabilitudinitatibus*juliaNAJM // co-editor

*What does this word mean? Don’t know? Me neither...but it is a word.

Prom is supposed to be a night to remember. You’re supposed to have the time of your life. it will quite possibly be the best night of all your high school years. But what if you ruin it? What if you lost everything because of that one night – because you thought you could

get away with having a little something to drink the night of the party? it can happen. it will happen…if you let it. So here’s an idea: don’t drink.

First off, underage drinking is a crime. if caught, you will be ticketed. not to mention the court date you must attend.

But, if disobeying the law isn’t enough, let’s discuss everything else that will happen to you if you are under the influence at Prom. If caught with alcohol, you will have to finish the year at the opportunity awareness center (oac). Let me spell

this out for you: you will NOT finish senior year with all your friends. You will NOT walk at graduation. You will NOT be exempt from final exams. You will NOT attend senior trip; you will NOT be happy. it will NOT be worth it.

Your high school senior year will be finished at oac. Picture this: it’s your last month of your entire primary education, and you’re not even at the same high school as your “classmates.” You won’t be eating lunch in the cafeteria with your friends. You can’t wave or smile to the people in the hallways you’ve been in class with since elementary or junior high school. instead, you are away from Seven Lakes, stuck at oac.

You will lose your right to walk at graduation. now, this might not seem to be that big of a deal to you, but think about it: you’ve spent twelve years going through school. Why would you ever miss the right-of-passage ceremony that shows it? This is the ceremony that everyone will congratulate you at; this is the one that proves you made it through – not some paper diploma. in addition to that, graduation is one of the biggest moments for a parent. and if you thought your mom would be mad if you got caught drinking, imagine the additional fury if you

do not walk across that stage. You’ll lose all of your exemptions. Yes, that

means actually going to class for that last week. Yes, that means actually studying for the exams you weren’t supposed to have to take. and yes, that does mean missing the breakfast at Denny’s, or that day at the beach, or whatever you and your friends were planning.

You won’t be allowed to join your class at senior trip. no Schlitterbahn for you!

To summarize: the best part of your high school years will be ruined with one bad decision. So, make that decision now. Promise yourself you won’t drink the night of Prom (or anytime else for that matter), because you have been warned. anything and everything mentioned in this story will happen to you if you choose to disobey that promise. and if you don’t make that promise, allow me to say what everyone else will be thinking of you: you are...not smart.

Do not drink the night of prom. i promise you, iT’S noT WoRTH iT!

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER... IF YOU CANhannahCURCIO // Sophomore Staff Writer

Register Online Now HCC prepares you for BOTH university

transfer and the workforce!

Join us on facebook.com/hccnorthwest

For campus tours call 713.718.5707

Katy Campus1550 Foxlake Drive(I-10 & Fry Road)

Spring Branch Campus1010 W. Sam Houston Pkwy. North

(I-10 & Beltway 8)

Alief Campus - Hayes2811 Hayes Road

(Westheimer & Hayes Rd.)

Alief Campus - Bissonnet13803 Bissonnet Street(Bissonnet & Eldridge)

Four locations in West Houston

On-campus Summer registration begins April 2Summer semester classes begin June 4

northwest.hccs.edu 713.718.5700

ACADEMIC track . . .• Credits that transfer to four-year universities• Research experience opportunities• Associate degrees• Joint Admissions Program with UH• Center for Science and Engineering• Tutoring• Honors program• Dual credit classes• Foreign languages• Trips abroad• Scholarships available for all programs

WORKFORCE track . . .• Continuing Education• Workforce degrees, certificates and training• Business and Accounting• Drafting• Horticulture• Cosmetology• Audio Recording• Filmmaking• EMT Certificates• Entrepreneurship Program• Career Readiness Certificates• ESL classes

THE PROBLEM WITH PEOPLEryannANDRES // Co-Editor

In today’s society, people are consumed by social networks and technology. Each are a distraction; doesn’t matter which one you use, it is a distraction. There is Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, text messaging, and the list could go on. These networks keep us in touch and up to date on all the latest news, but they are also responsible for corrupting people’s ability to communicate.

My pet peeve is when someone is staring at a computer screen or tex-

ting on their phone while I’m talking to them. When someone is taking time to tell you something and you stare at your phone screen, you basically are telling the other person whatever you’re doing on your phone is more important than what they are saying. There used to be no phones at all, no other ways to communicate other than face to face. In my opinion, that’s the way it should be. Texting a friend to make plans or texting your parents is one thing. But some people take this to the extreme by constantly on their phone. It is excessive. This is corrupting our generation and generations to come.

I work at Bahama Mama’s, so aka I take order after order during my shift. When I am working I notice when people say “hi” or sim-ply look at me in the eye when they speak to me. I also notice when people lack the ability to look at me in the eye or are just blurt out their order rudely. Not only do I notice this problem then, but when other kids talk to parents. They can’t keep eye contact, they give short answers, and their body language and the way they present themselves is in the attitude of ‘I don’t care’. Some find it awkward and weird to communicate to adults, but oh well because you will always have to interact with others. So you might as well learn how to.

If you do this, you are not the only one at fault. Maybe it is your parents fault. They might have not taught you the importance of looking at others in the eye when you speak or being polite. You didn’t ever learn how to communicate. Another thing to blame is how we have grown up. We have been raised in a world dependent on technology, and unfortunately that will not change. What can change is how often you use it and in the appropriate manner. Hu-mans are meant to have relationships and are meant to communi-cate with each other, face to face. If our world continues to become more dependent on technology, we won’t have relationships. Rela-tionships are between two people, not two phone screens.

INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING

IN THE NEWSPAPER?

SiZe 1/81/41/2

FULL PRice

$50$80$110$150

Send an email to JeremiahaDye@katyisd.org for more information.

ADVISERcoachDYeCO-EDITORSryannanDReSjulianaJM

SECTION EDITORS shreyaBagaLilindaFLoReS

STAFFkatieBLanDhannahcURciostephanieDeReFinkoolyagRYnYSHYn

dagnyHaMiLTonjuneLiUsanjanaMaDakSHiResanaznaMakikamiaRaTHoRe

lakenRaY tarynSanDeRSonandreaSTenDeRdaniWaRDinSkY

//MEET THE STAFF//

dagnyHAMILTON // Junior Staff Writer & sanazNAMAKI // Sophomore Staff Writer

PRoMS

of thePaST

Mrs. greene English

Mrs.kohlmaierSpanish

Mrs. chadwickSpanish

Mrs. Porter english

Mrs. garza Spanish

Mr.PerkinsGeometry

Mrs. nicholson Biology

Mrs. Salvo Spanish

19

S Pa RTa n S P e a k“i was going to prom in california with my best friend. on april Fools’, i called him and told him that i couldn’t go, and my mom had canceled the flights. I waited until the end of the day to let him know it was just a joke; he

was furious!”kellie Johnston11

“Someone went into my room and flipped all my stuff upside down. My friend thought it

was pretty funny.” John Sanderson9

katieBLAND // Junior Staff Writer

“My teacher gave us a huge, unreasonable amount of homework, but finally said ‘April Fools’!’ at the end of class after people were complaining.”

Batchelor Johnson iv 9

How was YOUR April Fools’ Day?

FEATURE APRIL 2012 19

20-PROM COURTSEE HOW MUCH YOU KNOW ABOUT YOUR SEVEN LAKES 2012 PROM COURT

ryannANDRES // Co-Editor

“all of my friends and all of the sporting events with them.”

KENZIE BROOKE COURTNEY KRISTINA JENAE

What will you miss most about high school?

What will you miss most about high school?

What will you miss most about high school?

What will you miss most about high school?

What will you miss most about high school?

What will you miss most about high school?

What will you miss most about high school?

What will you miss most about high school?

What will you miss most about high school?

What will you miss most about high school?

“Seeing all of my friends everyday and all of the athletics.”

“The amazing friends i have made, Mr. Labay, and chicken nugget day.”

“My friends and all of the basketball and foot-ball games.”

“all of my friends, my family, and playing sports.”

“The people, the friendships, dreading school but knowing i’ll be dreading it with my friends.”

“Basketball, connor coleman, my squad, my friends.”

“My family.”“kenzie Buchanan.”“Having my mom work at the same school that i go to.”

Cure for senioritis?“absolutely nothing.There isn’t one, it is inevitable.”

Celebrity crush?“Definitely Reggie Bush. He’s athletic, ripped, and just gorgeous.”

Who do you think you are?“i’m every woman, it’s all in me.”

What song do you sing in the shower?“i don’t sing in the shower. But, i do sing in the car.”

Where is Waldo?“at my house. He is always under my bed.”

Cure for senioritis?“That’s simple, graduation.”

Why is the sky blue?“Because god decided to paint the sky blue.” The last text message

you revieved was?“Jack Bauer from 24.”

Who do you think you are?

“The last text i recieved was ‘lol’ in a group message with Jared and Denzel.”

“Myself.”

What celebrity are you?

JOHN ZACH RHETT TREY

BUCHANAN DAVIS JOHNSON JOVANOVIC YOUNG

FLATTERY LEBLANC MOFFETT PINKNEYLUISQUINTERO