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UAE AED 45.00VOL 7 ISSUE 11

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of interviewing a 2005 graduate of the HSPVA Vocal Department. Jar-vis Manning might be an incoming cast member of Broadway’s Motown: The Musical, but it took a lot more than luck these past eleven years to get him where he is now. In honor of the soon to be graduates of 2016 and their adventures ahead, here is the inspirational journey of a talented and ambitious PVA alum.

Immediately after accepting his diploma, Manning changed all of his plans. Initially the multi-skilled star had prepared to attend Southern University in Baton Rouge. “I had a full scholarship there for track and field, and a full scholarship for marching band.” I know what you’re thinking - this doesn’t sound like your stereotypical PVA Vocal Department student.

How did Jarvis manage to keep up with all these outside activities while juggling the responsibilities already built into PVA? “It was like magic,” he says “it was crazy and my grades showed it at times. I was passionate about everything.” A combi-nation of dedication and full support from his parents al-lowed Manning to build his college resume from Day 1 at PVA.

Four years of hard work gave way to a free ride to college - the ultimate prize - but the scholarship money wasn’t important to Man-ning. Something would be missing from this college experience. “I was standing in the Denney theatre, it was our last concert, and I thought, ‘Can I see myself not performing anymore?’”

Once realizing that the answer to that question was no, Manning dropped his plans for Southern University and, on his own dime, flew to New York. From there Manning hit the ground running. Immedi-ately he began training at the American Musical Dramatic Academy (AMDA) and working as a clerk at Macy’s. “When I got into the real world, it was a push for me to make everybody proud by staying focused and PVA definitely prepared me for that.”

Two years later, after receiving his associates from AMDA, Manning booked his first professional gig. It took only two landings of local the-atre work for Manning to strike the dream of a lifetime. He was given the chance to join the national tour of the Broadway production Motown: The Musical in April of 2014. Two

years of this opened the door to the next achievement. He has recently been cast in Motown: The Musical On Broadway.* Going on his third year of telling the same

story Manning proclaims he loves it because he loves Motown. “It’s one of those things where you have to find something new in the show to

enjoy it and to stay fresh.”

These accomplishments are outstanding, but his story doesn’t end there. During the national tour,

Manning realized something. “I thought, ‘I don’t have anything to work on for me.’ I was always working on

stuff for other people.” This is when Manning rediscov-ered his wish to pursue music for himself.

“I decided to go after funk.” While working on Motown, Manning wrote a song called “Suga

Foot” and recorded it in 2015. With countless connections through Mo-town and his charismatic personal-

ity, Manning then opted to shoot his very own music video this

past March.** He hopes to con-tinue with a full album, primarily

styling in funk, and release it sometime next year.

From a 14-year-old boy who didn’t know how to sight

read*** to a now successful music artist and Broadway actor, Jarvis Manning has

obviously come a long way - something he loves to thank HSPVA for. Reflecting on his earlier days of PVA, Manning

says he “didn’t know how to find that balance” between pursuing art and having a life and main-

taining a good GPA.

“PVA kind of pushed me past where I thought I’d be… Seeing people who were in the dance department love dance and seeing people in the art department love art. Seeing people in mariachi who really

LOVE mariachi - seeing people who actu-ally show passion.” “I’d say to them, ‘I want to perform because you inspired

me.’”

This school is special. From the stu-dents, to the teachers, to the faculty, to

the vending machines - it is indepen-dently unique. It was the first place a lot

of us were asked to explore ourselves as individual artists. No one fits any ste-

reotype because of this.

If anything, the school teaches you how to make decisions for yourself and to fol-low every daring aspiration. Jarvis Man-

ning is an epic example of the kinds of people HSPVA molds and I can’t wait to

watch all of you exceed the expectations you’ve built for yourself.

Why Go To HSPVA?by Bianca Canal

*For all who don’t know there is a difference between touring with Broadway and being ON Broadway. It’s a status thing. Please get with it. **The video can be found at Vimeo.com under the title, “Suga Foot: JARVIS B MANNING JR”***Shout out to Ms. Bonner

A Story About Jarvis Manning

In an oversized truck that reeks of cologne and moldy football pads, two teenage boys (who will remain nameless) discuss politics over blaring country music. The conversation meanders between proc-lamations of lyrics like… “you and that [booty] in those blue jeans” and…um…political analogies. The young man behind the wheel declares, “Muslim people are like jelly beans. And if you knew some were poisonous, you wouldn’t eat any.” His friend takes multiple selfies and then replies, “Jelly beans that are freakin’ terrorists.” After several minutes, the 2016 election naturally comes up and the two declare that they are not voting, saying “there’s like really no point.” While you might be sighing in relief that Trump will be benefitting from the votes of two less people, their disinterest re-flects a startling trend among American youth towards voter apathy. Adolescents on both sides of the aisle, informed or ignorant, are not turning out to vote on Election Day. In fact, the US Census Bureau reports that voters between ages 18 to 24 have historically voted at lower rates than any other age group. As the largest voting bloc in America (from a sheer numbers perspective), the youth are for-feiting their most powerful political tool when they do not cast their ballots. The fact of the matter is that the youth can be powerful…if they want to be.

In 2012, the unprecedented participation of young adults gave Obama the lead over Romney. Every day thousands of Americans turn eighteen and gain access to a right that people in other coun-tries die fighting for. And every election day only a small percent-age of these adolescents participate in democracy. This isn’t a new problem, and it isn’t one that will go away easily. But it is one that must be addressed if our country’s politicians and lobbyists wish to continue listing “democracy and freedom” as reasons for American exceptionalism. In actuality, a lack of voter turn out makes America far less democratic than many realize. The New York Times stated that in the 2012 election, 126 million people voted, while 93 million did not, making the United States one of the “least democratic na-tions of all industrialized democracies.” Our nation’s government cannot even attempt to advocate for the needs of all people when an entire age group is not involved actively in the political process.

You’re probably rolling your eyes and cursing the damn millenni-als for their complacency. If kids can upload their entire life onto Facebook, why can’t they turn out to vote? But the issue is not always one of laziness. Consider the topics weighed most heavily in American politics. Laneka McLean, an HSPVA senior, embodies the youth’s disillusion with our politicians; “they simply don’t talk about things relevant to young people. And this particular election feels like a publicity stunt where you have to chose the lesser of two evils.”

With politicians that deny climate change or seem unconcerned that college can put you in $240 thousand dollars worth of debt, it is un-derstandable that teenagers feel like issues relevant to their future have been ignored. If the candidates do not seem invested in young people, young people see few reasons to be invested in them. Ad-ditionally, many young adults question the power of an individual vote. Hanna Atasi, a junior at Lamar High School in Houston, Texas, explains, “The electoral college system leads young people to feel like their vote doesn’t matter. Four presidents in American History haven’t actually won the popular vote. It just sends the message that the elite of this country have the ultimate say…as usual.” The Huffington Post reports that based on the new distribution of House seats, an individual citizen in Wyoming has more than triple the weight in electoral votes as an individual in California. The antiquat-ed Electoral College system, while perhaps important in the 1790s, has lost its place in the twenty-first century. With a system that oc-casionally disregards the will of the people and disproportionately weighs votes, it is no wonder that many fail to see the relevance of their personal participation. Beyond these fundamental objections, logistical difficulties also stand in the way of voting. Depending on the state you’re living in, you have to undergo various measures to become a registered voter and then you can only vote at specific times and locations. College students, away from home, often fail to register or locate their specified precinct. The working class and those without convenient access to transportation are also dispro-portionately affected.

All politicians like democracy. Or claim to. Freedom is our bread and butter. But these barriers reflect support only for a democracy of the wealthy, white, educated, and the aged. Of all the issues presented, inaccessibility is the most preventable. Same day voting registration and mail-in ballots open access for democratic involvement. Seven of the ten states with the most youth voter turnout have implement-ed these tactics. It is imperative that more states follow. Saying that lower voter turn out is harmful does nothing to solve the problem. What changes things, what makes our government more inclusive, is an implementation of these policies. More must be done to make voting more appealing for our youth. The focus of our politicians must expand. America needs leaders who consider the future, who care about the sustainability of our environment, who care about our position in the global community for decades to come. But this change in focus will come only when young people demand it. And if young people aren’t voting, they are forfeiting their most powerful tool. So regardless of your political leanings, it is your job to vote. It is one of the few ways we can shape our country’s trajectory.

Divorcing Democracy Voter Apathy in Young America by Olivia Cardenas

Friday the 13th ReflectionsIt was 3:21 am. The date was Friday, May 13, 2016. I had looked forward to this date for who knows how long. It was literally written on my whiteboard. I have no idea how or why, but the scheduling gods had placed the senior Happening, my senior show, and my last theatre banquet on the same freaking day. It would inevitably be an emotional barrage. I couldn’t sleep. This was the latest that I had stayed up on a school night since junior year’s Ballard Research Paper Eve. I wanted more than anything for these events to run seamlessly. I finally was able to fall asleep. I had a nightmare that the Happening had begun, and everyone was laughing. I was doing well. I then realized they were laughing because I was not wearing pants. I ran away in terror and was pulled into the office by a disap-pointed Dr. Allen who just kept repeating “WHERE WERE YOUR PANTS” in a very ominous voice. I woke up from this nightmare and made sure that I would remember my pants for the final Happening.

I squeezed into to school at 7:50 on the dot and narrowly avoided a distracted Mrs. Stovey. I was running on three hours of sleep and a ridiculous amount of caffeine. I now had to wait for the 11:35 start time to actually set up for the happening. You know how the last class of the day or the class right before lunch actually feels like it lasts 7 hours? The classes the morning before you can start setting up for a Happening actually feel like 14 hours. The Happening itself was a blur. It went by so quickly. I tried to soak up every moment because I knew I would never get to do this again. It wasn’t perfect; it never is. But the environment was filled with so much joy and so much genuine love for performing that it felt perfect to me. We drew closer to the end, and I stood before a hundred plus HSPVA stu-dents and teachers at the final Happening of my time here and just didn’t want the moment to end. I received a notification on Facebook this past weekend that exactly one year ago, I became a Happen-

ing chair. And just like that it was over. Happenings will continue. The tradition won’t end. HSPVA will continue to be the place where the most compassionate, understanding, and passionate young art-ists in Houston get to do their art for three hours a day. Nothing has changed except for my appreciation of this building. It’s always been this special; I just didn’t realize it until I had to say goodbye. You make everything so special, and there is nothing I can say or do that can sufficiently express how grateful I am. If you performed in a Happening, you made it better. If you watched a Happening from afar because you were too nervous to perform or just didn’t want to, you made it better. Even if you went to a Happening just to point out the mistakes and laugh when someone’s mic wasn’t working, you made it better. And all I can say is thank you.

by Jeremy Maislin

It’s been 9 months, 1 day, 2 hours, and 26 minutes since five lost kids arrived to this crazy school; Mew from Thailand, Sofia from Italy, Maggie and Pedro from Portugal, and Thomas from France.

The lives of these 5 foreign students have changed a lot.

August 24th (first day of school at HSPVA) Today, my first day at HSPVA, I discovered that I wasn’t the only exchange student in this school. Not the only one to get lost three times and not the only one to take 20 minutes to open my locker (“22 to the left, 17 to the right…no, to the left. Why is this thing not opening?”).Today, I saw these t-shirts: “HSPVA football team” - Wait they have a team!“Hey, I just wanted to know how to get into the football team.”“There is no football team here, no sports at all.” “Hahaha great joke, no wait…really?”In this moment I understood that my “American experience” would turn into an “HSPVA’s experience”.Today was a long day, but today was a great day. - Thomas

May 5th (early birthday) When my friends found out that I won’t be here for my birthday, they decided to “move it” so that we could celebrate it together.It’s May 5th, and I’ve just had a picnic in the parking lot. It was a lot of fun, and the weather was surprisingly nice. Everybody brought food, and they sang me happy birthday. I’m so glad to have such good friends, and even though it will be hard to leave them here, I will remember each face, and each smile as a valuable asset for my entire life. - Sofia

What a year! HSPVA made my exchange year so much better than what I imagined before coming here. But there are still a couple of things I find interesting about America. I just want to say that I still think that the Pledge of Allegiance is pretty odd, not having breaks between classes and not being able to leave campus sucks, and Americans can be pretty weird sometimes. However, I’m so thank-ful for all the people I met and the friends I made. Shoutout to Dillon Allen for hosting me and being the best brother I could have had! This year went by so fast and it’s hard to realize that in about a month we will be leaving. Thank you PVA and everyone that made this year great for me! - Pedro

My full name is Nattida Khunphanichkij, and I never thought it was interesting before. Many people ask me to pronounce it and when I do they are like “OMGGGG”. I love those reactions so much! It’s very funny how some friends think that Mew and Nattida are two dif-ferent people. My last name becomes the most difficult word in the world. Y’all should know but when you ask how to pronounce my name, it makes me so happy that you talk to this Thai kid.

I’m very thankful that people talk to me, be friends with me, and make me go through this year here in PVA. Thank you so much for making my year so memorable. Thanks thanks thanks Gina Cook for being the best sister and best friend. We will be gone, but the memory will stay. - Mew

This year went by way too fast, and I’m not ready to wake up from this “American dream” and go back to real life. Getting a phone call asking if I wanted to audition for HSPVA was one of the best things that ever happened to me. PVA has changed the way I look at people and life in general. I love walking around the hallways and being able to see people doing what they love, practicing their dance choreography, play, music, etc.PVA is a school where most teachers understand that we need to conciliate our art and academics. Here, although everyone has a talent, that isn’t an excuse to slack off on academics and that seems to work out pretty well. Giving up my 90 minutes of lunch in Portugal (watched my soap opera, took a nap, hung out with friends, and ate of course) for the 30 minutes I have at PVA was totally worth it! - Maggie

Walking around the school and looking at the art works on the walls, listening to students play their instrument, seeing the dancers prac-tice their choreography…

200 days of school, tons of performances, and a tiny bit of studying made us real PVA students.

Home was 3,000 miles away but now it’s just around the corner.Thanks Y’all!

PVA, We Have an AFSerby Thomas Devys, Sofia Bresadola, Mew Khunphanichkij, Maggie Oliveira, and Pedro Fontes

We did it, y’all. We’ve survived another year (or for some, their first) of the chaos and madness that is HSPVA. Still have NO idea what you want to do this summer? Here’s a list of places you should check out/things you should do this summer in sizzlin’ hot Houston.

FPSF (Free Press Summer Fest) (June 4-5)The annual music festival combines humidity and mud in a way you don’t really want to experience, but the lineup this year is pretty lit. Acts include A$AP Ferg, Lil Wayne, and 2 Chainz. Tickets are still available and range from $90-$200.

James & The Giant Peach @ Miller Outdoor Theatre (from June 8-11)A free musical presented by TUTS! You can get tickets the day of or online. Grab a picnic blanket, some food, and you’ll be all set. Check the TUTS website for the kids/adult version of the musical.

Million Dollar Quartet @ Miller Outdoor Theatre (from July 12-17)Another musical presented by TUTS. Free tickets and seating!

Summer Symphony Nights by ExxonMobil @ Miller Outdoor Theatre (from June 17-18 & 24-25)Free, live classical music presented by the Houston Symphony that include tributes to Independence Day and more.

Seven Free Museums on ThursdayDid you know that 7 museums are free on Thursday during certain times? Museums include The Houston Museum of Natural Science, Children’s Museum of Houston, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Health Museum, Houston Museum of African American Culture, Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, and The Holocaust Museum Houston.

These are just several of the awesome things you can do around the city this summer - there’s always the opera, ballet, Menil, or the symphony. In any case, make it a great summer, or not, the choice is always yours. See you next year.

Summer 2016 Checklist by Savanna Lim

HSPVA’s Class of 2016 Adolfo LucianoAlejandra BlancoAlex RodriguezAlexis LangloisAllison ElderAndre WhiteAndrew HanAndrew LavelleAnicka DuncanAnna HowardAnna WhiteAnni Morris-SwankAnthony TovarAren GrenadosArmir LeeAudrey PugilAudrey RyttingAylyn MunozBetsy WackwitzBianca CanalBond BourqueinBriana SanchezCamille WilliamsCasey EdeikenCatherine AndersonCem OkcuChandler HallCharlie MagunChase DuffinChris McNamaraChristian RojasClaire MetusalemClara FosterColton EasonConny EgoziCyrus PachtDani Fitzgerald Danielle TroianoDaryn JonesDavid AlexanderDavid ByersDavid MejiaDiana PerezDillon AllenDorothy DoolittleDrake RaganDylan CroyElijah MicheauxEmily MurphyEmily SoiceEmma DorfmanEmma FieldingErayle AmackerEvelyn de GrootFransisco GascueGabe RivasGaby TallinGeison AlvizuresGina CookHalle PurdomHannah CraigHannah TaurinsHunter ElliottIan DonovanIndigo GhonimaIsabella BernalJackson HassellJacob PoeJakob HulténJaylon BlackJeff Winchell Jeremy MaislinJerome Gillespie Jr. Jessica Heflin

University of Houston // Mechanical Engineering UT Rio Grande Valley // Veterinary Medicine San Fransisco Art Institute // Studio Arts Loyola University New Orleans // Music Performance UT Austin // Dance New York University // Dramatic Writing UT Austin // Electrical Engineering The Juilliard School // Viola Performance Undecided St. Olaf // Biology Northwestern University // Art History and Material Science Pratt Institute // Fashion Design University of Houston // Petroleum* and Piano Minneapolis College of Art and Design // Illustration Berklee College of Music // Music Education Earlham College // Political Sciences Cornell University // Math University of Houston - Downtown // Hotel and Restaurant Management Arizona State University // Clarinet Performance UT Austin // Theatre and Dance Oklahoma City University // Dance MICA // Film and video Clark Atlanta University // Business Administration and Management A&M Galveston // Maritime Administration Maryville College // Undecided Rice University // Undeclared in the School of Social Sciences Rhodes College // History The New School // Integrated Design and Anthropology Lonestar Community College // Vocal Texas State // Jazz Studies School of the Art Institute of Chicago // Fashion University of Northern Colorado // Acting Oklahoma City University // Dance Loyola University New Orleans // Music Industries University of Houston // Piano Performance and Physics University of Chicago // Philosophy and Allied Fields St. Olaf // Chemistry University of Minnesota // BFA Actor Training The New School // Broadcasting CommunicationThe Juilliard School // Music Performance Berklee College of Music // Song-writing San Fransisco State University // Film Loyola University New Orleans // Music Industry Studies A&M Corpus Christi // Electrical Engineering and Technical Theatre Design The University of New Orleans // Theatre University of Houston Clear Lake // Hospital Administration and Finance The Juilliard School // Dance Jackson State // Jazz Studies and Music Business Undecided Colby College // Environmental Engineering New York University // Acting Trinity University // Pre-Law Simpson College // Music Performance and Education Case Western Reserve University // Biology Gap YearCalArts // Acting Cooper Union // Fine Arts Gap year followed by MIT or Maine College for the Arts // Furtinure Design Loyola University Chigaco // Undecided Brown University // BiologyBoston Conservatory // DanceCooper Union // Fine Arts Parsons the New School // Fashion Design Poop University // Working towards his “BS” Columbia University // Film Studies Loyola University New Orleans // Music Therapy UT Austin // Physics and Plan II University of Houston // Biology Saint Louis University // History & Theatre Berklee College of Music // Music Education Drexel // Computer Sciences College Conservatory of Music (University of Cincinnati) // Acting New School // Jazz and Contemporary Music Baylor University // Business Management

*no, paper* does not know what it means to major in “Petroleum.” But we’re sure it’s fascinating.

Jessie DeArmanJesus Cordova Garcia Jiar MeansJonny Bloch Kate HamKathryn KingKayelee EllisKaylee Croft Kelsey CartwrightKelsey SmithKennedy Cowart Kimberley CastroKizer SheltonKyana WashingtonLaneka McLeanLauren HoangLeina BetzerLillian EvansLivia LavenderLiza AndersonLorenzo LopezLucas NguyenLuz NavaMacy ClementsMaddie IvonyeMadeleine FowlerMadeline BurrMagaly CastroMaggie MerrillMaggie OliveiraMaggie Wintz Maisey GonzalesMaklin RamirezMalcom Glifford-Weaver Malia NellumsMallory MillerManuela Guerra Fletcher Mariah BarajasMarisa RinchiusoMarla AlbaMeagan CooperMegan GerhardtMichelle Barr-MeyerMimi RosepinkMiranda GarzaMorgan MooreMyrah PorterNathanial MartinNelson ArmstrongNicholas MartinNicole BurchNina PittsParis BezanisRachel RussellRobert BellomyRobinh NguyenRoman SmithRose SullivanSabrii AndersonSam LindaSamantha Williams Samuel MolinaSamuel ReidSandhya NagarajanSara TrogdenSasha GonzalesSaturn MedranoSavannah SchakettSaxton FisherSean MosesShailan Allen Shayla NideverVictoria CapoVictoria CashmanVirginia MayoWeldon ScottWill WhiteZachary BergmanZoe Caballero

Depaul University // Undecided University of Life // Music University of Houston // Mechanical Engineering Technology Oklahoma City University // Theatrical Design and ProductionStanford // Deez Nuts Oklahoma City University // Dance Baylor University // Church Music University of Kansas // Pre-Pharmacy Montclair State University // Musical Theatre George Mason University // Dance Kansas Wesleyan University // Music EducationUT Austin // International Relations and Global Studies School of the Art Institute of Chicago // Creative WritingSpelman College // English Texas Tech // Human Sciences UT Austin // Violin Performance and Nursing The University of Pennsylvania // Fine Arts Parsons the New School // Integrated Design Texas Christian // Ballet UT Austin // Plan II Honors HCC // Undecided St. Thomas // Biology Undecided Santa Fe University of Art and Design // Contemporary Music UT Arlington // Critical Languages and International Studies School of Visual Arts // Animation George Mason University // Dance Sam Houston State University // Biology and Forensic Pathology The University of Houston // ArchitectureUBI - Portugal // Biology Montclair State University // Musical Theatre Gap YearUndecided University of Houston // Computer Information Systems and Computer Science Gap year North Texas // English UT Austin // Theatre and Radio-Television-and-FilmMarymount Manhattan College or Point Park University // Dance Carnegie Mellon University // Production Technology Management School of Visual Arts // Film Purdue University // International Business Boston Conservatory // Dance Goucher College // International RelationsMarymount Manhattan College // Dance Watkins College of Art and Design and Film // interior DesignSan Jacinto College // Nursing UT Austin // Dance North Texas // Music Performance Temple University // Music EducationCollege of Life and Experience // Explorative Studies UT Austin // Pre-Med and Music Performance Rice // Music Performance University of Chicago // International Relations University of Hartford // Ballet Pedagogy Pratt Institute // Illustration UT Tyler transfer to UT Austin // Biology AMDA // Musical Theatre Simpson College // Music Education and Voice Performance University of North Texas // Music Performance Northwestern University // Theatre Pace // Musical Theatre Rice University // Mechanical Engineering University of Southern California // Jazz Studies and Music Education UT Tyler // Nursing Texas State // Vocal Performance Webster // Sound Design University of Houston // Biology, Psychology, and Film Studies Otterbein University // Musical Theatre Reed College // Environmental Studies and Art Point Park University // Screenwriting Dillard University // Nursing and Music University of South Carolina // Journalism Otis College of Art and Design // Game and Entertainment Design Texas A&M // Psychology Depaul University // Acting University of Houston // Biotechnology A&M Corpus Christi // Theatre Oberlin Conservatory // Trumpet Performance and Musicology Webster // Scene Design

Senior Confessions HSPVA’s Class of 2016 gets a few things off its chest.

I didn’t read a play my freshman or sophomore year.

I never read The Scarlet Letter*.

I accidentally saw Landry shirtless last year, and it was the best part of my high

school experience.

I haven’t seen my HISD issued laptop in over 3 months.

I have broken 3 of the art department’s saws.

I once spilled an entire glass of wine on my

HISD laptop.

My boyfriend has visited so often that the faculty

think he’s in the mariachi department.

I crumple my toilet paper.

- Kate Ham

When I’m on the announcements, I twerk during the pledge.

I ask to use the bathroom in ballet class during the same combo every

class to avoid doing it.I’ve never had a single school related thing in

my backpack

On at least twelve separate occasions, I’ve told the office I

was going to the doctor but then went to get coffee instead.

I admit to putting trash in that hole in the practice room wall.

I have the biggest crush on Krueger-

Miller.

Practice rooms aren’t only for rehearsing ...

The annex has been both peed and pooped in at late hours of the night.

Not saying by who...

I turned in most of my

paper* articles late

I’ve streamed more wrestling PPVs during

Psychology than Zimbardo videos.

I get all my jokes from Vine.

I sleep in practice rooms

regularly.

I’m an office aid for every single period

The first time KM showed us the online textbook was also the last time I saw it.This wasn’t like High School

Musical at all.

*the administration of paper* would like to point out that no one read The Scarlet Letter

I’ve had an art department lock on my locker since September.

L2by Liza Anderson and Laneka McLean

Liza and Laneka tell you what to do about your impending futures**by answering random questions posed by people hanging out in the library

What if your ex has the same job as you? Sam Linda: Quit your job or make nice with ya ex. One of two. Laneka: Get better than them at every task in the job. Become their boss. Liza: Concur.

What if you forgot to beef up before summer?Laneka: Who cares? If you’re happy with your body, it doesn’t matter. Don’t feel like you need to be fit just for summer. Liza: Any body is a beach body so long as it’s on the beach. Jeremy: Just do a pre-beach pump. Ten curls and you’re ready to go.

What if you fall in love with someone on vacation?Laneka: That’s actually happened to me before. Try to make the time with them last. You can get their number but it will never be the same. Just make that one week relationship last. Liza: Love wasn’t made to last. Augi: Cut the crap, Liza.

How long do you wait to fall in love with someone at college?Laneka: Love isn’t real. College boys only want three things: the booty, the boobs, and the booze. Liza: I don’t think you have control over that?

What if you have to spend the entire summer with your family?Laneka: It really couldn’t be that bad. Just as long as you don’t complain, it’ll be okay. No matter how much you complain, it’s gonna happen so get over it. And some of the best memories hap-pen with family. Blood is thicker than water. Blood is thicker than vodka in some cases. Liza: One last time…

What if all I’m doing this summer is watching Netflix?Laneka: Just make sure you watch Friday Night Lights, Short Term 12, Electrick Children, Lovelace and Skins (only generation two). Liza: There’s seven seasons of Madmen on Netflix. That’s all I’ll say. And that you should get out more.

How long should you wait before you get married? Liza: Calm down, JeromeLaneka: Don’t. Men ruin your life. Women too. What if your roommate is a musical theatre kid?Laneka: Yikes. I feel bad for you. Invest in a very good pair of beats by Dr. Dre. Liza: Everybody needs at least one good roommate horror story…

I started that rumor about the dancers. I’m a proud one-bagger.

I’ve never been to an all school

musical.

Any advice for this summer?

Jeremy: The wise thing to do is to get a job or get a sum-mer internship and really just do anything that can make you grow as a human being and as an artist. Or anything that can make your bank account grow, if you will. The Jeremy thing to do is to spend the whole summer sleeping until 2 while eat-ing a crazy amount of veggie chips and Doritos. Taco Bell is not your friend guys. Don’t put off every one of your summer reading books until the night before guys; don’t do it. It’s the worst. And while being the laziest version of yourself for three months can be appealing, the best summer I have had at PVA was when I did a theatre summer camp that accelerated my growth because I didn’t just take the summer off. The camp was 5 weeks of my summer. It was hard at the time. I wanted to hang out with my friends and do cool teenagery things. It depends on what you want. You will complain about all of the fun you could have been having if you picked the other option anyway. Just don’t be a Jeremy guys don’t do it.

Swan: What do you mean “don’t be a Jeremy”??? I’m STILL trying to be as cool as Jeremy Maislin!! I agree with Jeremy on summer reading – don’t put it off. Get a job? Ew. Don’t. Don’t get a job until you have to. Seriously, once you take the plunge you can never go back. I recommend never, ever growing up. Just be like Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. If I was having a high school summer all over again I would: sleep all day, stay up all night, watch as many mindless movies as possible, and eat all the ice cream. ALL. OF. IT.

How long should I wait until I come back to visit?

Jeremy: This is a tricky one. I’m only going to come back if I have a clear reason to do so. For instance, if you’re really close with a junior (I guess senior by then wow we’re so old), and they invite you to their senior show or something, then you should go! I’m not for just com-ing back to just say hello, but if you are feeling it then go for it! I think you can come back during winter break without it being weird at all. But in two years, when you’re a sophomore in college, I think just dropping by to say hello can start to become a little weird. On the TV show Glee, they have people that graduated like a decade ago coming to sing with their high school glee club, and if we’re being honest, that’s pretty strange. But again if you have a reason to be here other than just saying hello, then I say go for it. Just don’t be-come one of those characters from Glee guys. DON’T DO IT!

Swan: All I’m saying is, I secretly sing a song called ‘the Returners’ (authored by Paul Davis) in my head whenever the most recent grad shows back up. I can say this because I did it. I was THAT guy who wanted to go immediately and repeat something that simply wasn’t anymore. Hear me when I say this: when you gradu-ate, you graduate. GO. GO AWAY. Live your lives. Live your best lives. And know that if you can ever pay any teacher any shred of thanks it’s in the LIVING of your life OUT THERE. (but sure, come and see us from time to time…but only at lunch with a pass or at senior show-cases…..)

What am I going to do without Swansers?

Jeremy: I know I know. This is actually farewell. It has been a wonderful journey, and look how much you’ve grown! When we began this advice column you were a lost cause, the worst part of humanity, but now you’re decent! Thanks to our last is-sue, our advice is now at a startling 7.2% success rate! Skep-tics might say that “sucks” or is “really super low why would we listen to you if you’re always wrong”, but we disagree! Every time you were down we listened. Every time you were con-fused we led the way with a somewhat broken map that had a pizza stain covering your destination. It wasn’t perfect, but what is? We poured our heart and soul into these articles and would do it all again for you people. We do it for the little guys. Thank you for being there. Thank you for bearing with us when our advice supposedly ruined your love life or got you kicked out of class. But most of all thank you for being you. If you ever need advice, we will always be here to pick up the scraps. And who knows, someone else might even do an advice column with Mr. Swan. Who really knows? The future is now and the possibilities are endless. Fly away my beautiful, dare I say it ...... swan.

Swan: I just threw up in my mouth.

Alright, here’s the skinny: Jeremy Maislin was in my room the fi rst day I showed up. I’m actually graduating with the class of 2016. I’ve taught for 7 years, but I’ve never seen a class all the way through before. Going on this journey with that class has been STUPIDLY rewarding. It’s been STUPIDLY trying too – I mean this class made my abs hurt with laughter, made me cry, cried with me with my Mom died, got me in trouble, got me a

teaching award, made me madder than I ever thought was possible and has made me prouder than I ever believed could be obtained. It’s no easy journey being a teach-er (ask my bank account!), but there’s nothing quite as special either.

Teaching kids like you, Jeremy is the best deal ever! I mean who WERE you when you got here?! In

theatre we always talk about the arc of a monologue or a story: we want

to see the beginning, middle and end – a full arc. Teaching is

sort of like that. We meet these odd fresh-peo-

ple. Then they are odder still as soph-people. And when

you think it can’t

happen they

are even odder

as junior-people. And

then one day they are these amazingly, cool young

adults who you might – eventually – want to know outside of these walls. Jeremy is prime

proof of this! Over these past few, fl eeting weeks I keep fi nding myself asking, “who is

this guy!?” and then thinking how it’s Jeremy – tried and true Jeremy whose wit surpasses

him, whose smarts exceed him, and who is a down-right good guy. And it’s in these mo-

ments that I’m so proud to be a teacher – not because I can take any credit for this amaz-

ing young man – but because I feel privi-leged to have been a part of his journey for a

hot-fl eeing second.

So what are you going to do without Swan-swers? I have no idea. The real question – for me anyway – is what will I do without

Jeremy - and all the Jeremy’s that comprise the outstandingly excellent class of 2016..?

Swansers: Jeremy Maislin and Charles Swan tell us what to do about leaving this wretched place

high school summer all over again I would: sleep all day, stay up all night, watch as many mindless movies as possible, and eat all the ice cream. ALL. OF. IT.

How long should I wait until I come back to visit?

: This is a tricky one. I’m only going to come back if I have a clear reason to do so. For instance, if you’re really close with a junior (I guess senior by then wow we’re so old), and they invite you to their senior show or something, then you should go! I’m not for just com-ing back to just say hello, but if you are feeling it then go for it! I think you can come back during winter break without it being weird at all. But in two years, when you’re a sophomore in college, I think just dropping by to say hello can start to become a little weird. On the TV show Glee,they have people that graduated like a decade ago coming to sing with their high school glee club, and if we’re being honest, that’s pretty strange. But again if you have a reason to be here other than just saying hello, then I say go for it. Just don’t be-come one of those characters from Glee guys. Glee guys. GleeDON’T DO IT!

: All I’m saying is, I secretly sing a song called ‘the Returners’ (authored by Paul Davis) in my head whenever the most recent grad shows back up. I can say this because I did it. I was THAT guy who wanted to go immediately and repeat something that simply wasn’t anymore. Hear me when I say this: when you gradu-ate, you graduate. GO. GO AWAY. Live your lives. Live your best lives. And know that if you can ever pay any teacher any shred of thanks it’s in the LIVING of your life OUT THERE. (but sure, come and see us from time to time…but only at lunch with a pass or at senior show-

fi rst day I showed up. I’m actually graduating with the class of 2016. I’ve taught for 7 years, but I’ve never seen a class all the way through before. Going on this journey with that class has been STUPIDLY rewarding. It’s been STUPIDLY trying too – I mean this class made my abs hurt with laughter, made me cry, cried with me with my Mom died, got me in trouble, got me a

teaching award, made me madder than I ever thought was possible and has made me prouder than I ever believed could be obtained. It’s no easy journey being a teach-er (ask my bank account!), but there’s nothing quite as special either.

Teaching kids like you, Jeremy is the best deal ever! I mean who WERE you when you got here?! In

theatre we always talk about the arc of a monologue or a story: we want

to see the beginning, middle and end – a full arc. Teaching is

sort of like that. We meet these odd fresh-peo-

ple. Then they are odder still as soph-people. And when

you think it can’t

happen

are even odder

as junior-people. And

then one day they are these amazingly, cool young

adults who you might – eventually – want to know outside of these walls. Jeremy is prime

proof of this! Over these past few, fl eeting weeks I keep fi nding myself asking, “who is

this guy!?” and then thinking how it’s Jeremy – tried and true Jeremy whose wit surpasses

him, whose smarts exceed him, and who is a down-right good guy. And it’s in these mo-

ments that I’m so proud to be a teacher – not because I can take any credit for this amaz-

ing young man – but because I feel privi-leged to have been a part of his journey for a

hot-fl eeing second.

So what are you going to do without Swan-swers? I have no idea. The real question – for me anyway – is what will I do without

Jeremy - and all the Jeremy’s that comprise the outstandingly excellent class of 2016..?

After nine months of AP World History that felt as long as the Egyp-tian Reign*, we can officially say that we’ve survived**. Food was abandoned as we stuffed ourselves full of facts about the Persians. We lost sleep, friends, and our minds as we traded our lives for quality time with Robert W. Strayer. We stared forlornly out the win-dow, watching children play on swings and grandfathers hobble past as we holed ourselves in our houses, alone with 24 chapters of Strayer, wondering if there was any way we could emerge with our minds intact. But there’s no need to worry; if we can do it, you can too. Okay, it’s true that more than one teddy bear was swapped out for Ways of the World when it came time to go to bed (definitely not before midnight). And, alright, there were a few times when we pulled a Mongol*** and stayed up all night long to “conquer” that week’s Strayer chapter. But none of that’s going to happen to you, incoming sophomores; as we have taken the liberty of compiling a list of things you need to know to prepare all you brave souls who brace the dark times**** ahead.

1. Study Group. One of the main reasons we are still alive, but barely breathing, is because we are alive and barely breathing to-gether. Misery loves company

2. Participate on the Forum, millennials. Bingham will help you! Your friends will help you! The theater WHAP kids you have never met because they’re in a different academic block will help you!

3. Procrastination is no longer a thing. You’ve been told that be-fore, but seriously, dudes, waiting until the night before the reading check isn’t going to fly†. Waiting until the class before really isn’t going to fly. Plot out your week. Make a schedule. Be sure to add in extra time for freak-out sessions.

4. Come to Thursday tutoring. The upper-classmen are there to help with tests, quizzes, and essays. They will share your pain.

5. Do not wait until the last week of summer to start your first

Strayer assignment! (see point #3 about procrastination)6. Do what Bingham says and you’ll be fine*****.

7. Make Binghamsplace.com your home page. Keep your eye on the calendar, especially second semester.****** For those who are wondering “To WHAP or not to WHAP”, it’s understandable if you still want at least six hours of sleep every night and a stress free year and a life that involves human interaction other than talking to someone who can give you the info on whether or not you’re writing a CCOT in Bingham’s class today and - Hey, wait... Why’d we take WHAP?

The one feature that I’ve looked forward to in every edition of paper* over the years is the What I Miss Most column. There’s something about reading what alumni remember about this unique building after they graduate that makes me appreciate everything that PVA has to offer. At the beginning of this year, I started a list that mirrored a What I Miss Most article in the back of what was supposed to be my journal for English. After only writing down one thing before I stopped using that journal, I still made sure to keep mental notes as the year went on. So, without further ado, What I Think I’ll Miss Most About PVA:

1. Ms. Stovey calling everyone disgusting.2. The general knowledge that #1 is a high praise.3. The comfort of the coveted Right Library Chair in front of Mrs. Cardenas’s desk.4. Watching freshmen carry around their flour babies at the end of the year plus the shrieks that fill the air when one is dropped.5. The ultimate fire hazards that are the All-School and Black His-tory spotlights.6. The checkerboard floor.7. Two words: Roll. Call.8. Walking the halls with the 100% chance of seeing at least one Jazz kid.9. The incredible teachers who taught us to be three-baggers, taught us that brilliant brevity is key, and taught us that “dudes” is a perfectly acceptable way to refer to a group.10. The All-School Musical, because when else will there ever be a reason to be in the building at 4:30 in the morning?

Most of all, I will miss the people who have influenced my life while learning here the past four years. To the freshmen and sophomores, please love every minute that you are here. Alumni always said that the time you spend here passes so quickly. It always felt like they

were kidding, but honestly, they weren’t. Embrace every chance you have to get involved, and try to find one new thing about PVA to love every day. Juniors, it’s your time now. Embrace it and be amaz-ing! You’re almost there. To the Class of 2016, we actually did it. We made it through the thousands of hours of classes to hone our ar-tistic and academic skill, stayed way past 3:35 time and time again to rehearse for various projects, Shmooped our way through many a literature discussion, used Quizlets to pass all of our classes, and finally made it to the end of our four year stay at PVA. Thanks for the music, the laughter, and the memories. Keep making every day a great day (or not), because as PVA taught us, the choice is always ours.

How To Cope With Learning the History of Everything in Nine MonthsAKA AP World History for Young WHAPper SnappersBy Cathleen “Chinggis” Freedman (ConFucius) and Melissa “Mongolian” Alter

What I Think I’ll Miss Most About PVAby Kathryn King

*Specifically, 3,000 years.**More than can be said for a third of Europe’s population after the Black Death in the 14th century.***To “pull a Mongol” is to Go Big. There is no going home when you’re a Mongol, because practically all of the important landmass that makes up the world has become your home, because you went big.****This is going to be your own personal Medieval Period, but don’t get excited about the Europeans, you Eurocentric freshmen. You spend 20% of content on Eu-rope and 80% of content talking about how you’re not supposed to learn more than 20% of content on Europe.*****The speaker is to be taken with a grain of salt, because there are many different connotations to the word “fine” and ours may not be the same.******Kind of like how you should always keep your eye on the prompt...That will be moderately funny to you next year.

†the administration of paper*, being composed entirely of smarta**es who took WHAP, would like to contradict, and say that with the right amount of coffee and hubris, any amount of procrastination is possible.

Dear HSPVA,

God-willing, two days after this paper is delivered and distributed, I will graduate from HSPVA. I will walk across the stage after “Alba, Marla” and “Alexander, David,” shake hands with Dr. Allen, and receive an empty folder that eludes to something very important. After that, I will walk away from the building that has held my life for four years, and (mostly to placate Ms. Diaz) I will resist the urge to return. One thing ends; another begins. But at the end of this one most signifi cant thing, I feel inclined to say something to commemorate its passing and to recognize its value.

I could tell you all that HSPVA is a special place, that it’s a high school unlike any other high school, and that all of its students graduate as magical fairy beings who transcend directly from HISD to the Tony’s or to the Grammy’s or to whatever East Side apartment where art is being made these days. But you’ve heard all of that before. Everybody knows about the side of PVA that churns out world-famous producers and jazz musicians every once in a while. We’ve all eagerly counted the triumphs and suc-cesses of alumni trying desperately to gain some assurance that we will also succeed. Everybody knows about Beyonce and Patrick Swayze (I heard that once sophomore year – it’s 100% unconfi rmed and likely a dirty, dirty lie). But the overwhelming majority of its students do not go on to world tours or classic eighties movies. So what does it do for them? What has it done for me?

When I walked into HSPVA for the fi rst time, I was a gawky fi fteen year old who thought it was okay to wear the same ugly Star Wars t-shirt three days a week and whose entire artistic portfolio comprised of badly rendered pictures of celebrities pretending to be vampires. To say I’ve grown here would be the most absurd form of understatement. The value in my experiences at PVA is that I walked into this building a completely different person than I will walk out of it. For me at least, I do not attribute this to spending three hours a day in art class, or to the school’s “culture,” or to Happenings, or to whatever else is in the brochure advertising that unsuspecting eighth graders surrender their souls to HSPVA. Every single transformative thing that I encoun-tered in this building was the direct effect of another person. There is no curriculum that can mimic the effects of a teacher who’s excited to be teaching you, and there is no subject that can incite the enthusiasm that sitting next to a passionate student can. There is no HSPVA without the people in it. And as such I will write my goodbye letter not to the school itself but to the people within this building that have made my experiences invaluable.

Thank you fi rst to our lovely librarian, Lady Cardenas, for listening. And for telling me to check myself every once in a while. Thank you Wyatt Bingham for a great many things. First off: for teaching me not to be a lazy bastard (through a plethora of effective methods including but not limited to chair kicking, swearing, and threats of bodily harm). Second: for “teaching me to read.” And fi nally: for really caring about the well-being of your students. Thank you Gaby Diaz for giving me your passion for history and all its many humans and for giving me something to aspire to. Thank you Ginny Ballard for being that voice in my head that stops me right when I’m about to use the word “enormity” in reference to something’s size. Thank you Mr. Perez for (and though I know you did not intend to do so) teaching me that it’s okay to be bad at something every once in a while. (Namely, French.) Thank you Ms. Chase for putting up with me on top of everything else you have to deal with on any given day. Thank you Mr. Landry for being the single most devoted person I’ve ever seen. And for showing us some really cool stuff related to physics. Thank you Ms. DiLuglio for making everybody in your class want to become a biologist, at least a little bit. Thank you Vicky Tuttle for being the fi rst teacher I ever had to convince me that art actually mattered. Thank you to Kate Ham for teaching me not to take myself so seriously all the time. Thank you to the lovely Marisa Rinchiuso for showing me that becoming “business b*****” does not necessarily mean you have to be rude to everyone (or anyone). Thank you to Paris for sharing a great many wonderful experiences with me. Thank you to the fantastic Chandler Hall for brightening the days of everyone you encounter. Thank you Jeremy Maislin for being the best member of the paper* staff this year, even if you were late most of the time. Thank you to my partners in crime, Emma and Hunter Elliott, for always having my back. An enormous thank you to everyone who has read and participated in paper* this year. I can geniunely say that running this little paper has been the most fun, satisfying, and enjoyable part of the last four years, and there’s a signifi cant chance I’ll be completely lost without it (seriously, what am I going to do without the familiar hand-cramp earned only by a non-stop fourteen-hour InDesign escapade?). And fi nally, thank you to every single one of the students who walked through this building with me; many of you I don’t know, some of you I don’t like, but all of you made up the beating heart of this building, giving life to this experience we’ve shared together.

Two days from now, I will graduate (once again – knock on wood). I will pick up my things and be on with my life – a new city, new school, new friends, new everything. And while I may not miss the lunch lines or the nearpods or the endless supply of hor-rifying forty-minute AP practice FRQs*, I will always be grateful to this place for making me a strong, confi dent, capable person, equipped to handle whatever it is the world has to throw at me.

Goodnight and good luck.

Your faithful Editor-in-Chief, Liza Anderson**

A Letter from the Editor

*seriously, they are the worst. Stop them.** PS. If you are reading this, that means we have managed to publish eleven issues of paper* this year. Take that, Chandler Dean!

Your faithful Editor-in-Chief, Liza Anderson**

Texas Supreme Court Fails Texas Students by Kate HamHear about the nearly $100 million in budget cuts that HISD is facing next year? Well, on May 13, the Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) unanimously decided to do absolutely nothing about it.

Some context: Last September, they officially opened to debate the education code of the Texas Constitution, particularly the following provision: “A general diffusion of knowledge being essential to the preservation of the liberties and rights of the people, it shall be the duty of the Legislature of the State to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools.” Various ISDs and organizations (including my-self with the HISD Student Congress) came armed with evidence of insufficiency. We were all shot down.

(If you’re like me and like primary sources, then check out the 100 page report for the school finance case (#14-0776) on the SCOTX website for yourself.)

First, you may be one of the few people who does not believe that there’s anything wrong with public education in Texas. Passing rates on standardized tests like STAAR look gloomy, and the num-bers are manipulated each year to make it look like more people are passing. Our state is one of the worst in spending per pupil. Not to mention the “recapture” legislative policy that is causing so many cuts to “property-rich” areas like Houston. If you’re still having trouble believing, remember how rosy things look when you go to one of the best high school’s in the entire state.

What was the ruling? “Our Byzantine school funding ‘system’ is undeniably imperfect, with immense room for improvement. But it satisfies minimum constitutional requirements.” “Our review of the adequacy requirement under the arbitrariness standard is always ‘very deferential’ [to the legislature].”

While I could slander the justices as conservative cowards, I do understand where they are coming from. The legislative branch is supposed to deal with school finance policy, and it is certainly more representative compared to a handful of justices.

BUT, my problem with the ruling is where the SCOTX decides to draw the line between minimally adequate and requiring interven-tion from the court. The language of the constitution (as quoted) is purposely left unspecific so that the legislature can create policy freely, but what happens if they do a terrible job? A SCOTX man-date is really the only motivator for them to fix anything.

As for the court’s rebuttals, while they recognize the horrible sta-tistics surrounding ELL (English-Language Learner) children, the court claims that because they are a subpopulation and that the constitution uses language such as “the system as a whole”, that

essentially these people can be left behind. So screw 49% of stu-dents, right?

They claimed that “an adequacy determination should not depend on ‘inputs’ such as funding per student; instead, the determination ‘is plainly result-oriented,’ looking to ‘the results of the educational process measured in student achievement’ [outputs].”

Maybe this is just my opinion, but education happens on a local level. Put your magnifying glass over education, and you can go deeper and deeper, from state departments to districts to school ad-min to teachers. Yes, learning ultimately happens in the classroom, but the job of everyone else in education is just to facilitate this learning. When the court rules that money is not a concern, it pains me, because that is really the Legislature’s most important job: us-ing their power of the purse to facilitate student learning. Every input is a contributor to a child’s education.

In a footnote, the court mentions the amicus brief I helped write, saying, “we do remember.” It’s almost more despicable to me, state justices (oh the irony in that title), that you recognize the current de-spicable state of our public education yet remain “deferential” and hide behind your legalese. Maybe this article ended up more biased than I thought.

Aries: You will have a run-in with a wild Bingham this week. Enemies of the heir, bewareTaurus: You’ll be finding yourself neck-deep in a crazed Bieber phase within the next month. You will resurface, but not without some casualties.Gemini: The stars say that this month you will either face the imminent threat of a falling piano or a tough final exam. To be safe, prepare for either.Cancer: You’re going to watch Whiplash* this month. And once the movie’s over, you may feel sad that something so beautiful ended so quickly. But remember, the sadness you feel is a result of the amazing memories you’ve made along the way.Leo: You will befriend a graduating senior the day before graduation. Ugh. You will be sad.Virgo: It’s going to take all you’ve got, but resist the urge to correct the grammar choices that your friend incorrectly uses**.Libra: You’re petty. Embrace it.Scorpio: Legend says that if you kiss the Leo cutout, you’ll pass all your finals.Sagittarius: Please do not start House of Cards this month. Please wait until finals are over. I love Kevin as much as you do but...c’mon.Capricorn: Stop saying “suhdude.” It takes a unique spirit to pull that off correctly.Aquarius: I’m sorry for putting you through that “no horoscope” business. The horoscope I hid said: You’re going to have a great month.Pisces: Keep it 100 this summer. And I don’t just mean the temperature.

Horoscopes by Isabella Jarosz

*seriously Isabella? Still?**if Ginny Ballard were here, she’d point out that that sentence ends with a verb. Sloppy. And slightly hypocrytical.

I was super pumped when I found out about Houston-born Rich-ard Linklater’s (director of Boyhood, Dazed and Confused, School of Rock) new movie: Everybody Wants Some!!. EWS!! is centered around baseball* player Jake’s first weekend at college with his new baseball team at fictitious Texas University in 1980. This is all I knew before watching the movie, which is why I thought it’d be a good one to see with my dad. He likes movies and sports; I like movies and pretending to like sports. It seemed like a great middle ground. In the first thirty minutes, I still thought it was a great middle ground. The characters were real. The dialogue was witty. The soundtrack is killer. You know you’re in for a good time when the opening sequence plays “My Sharona”. All of these forces work together to totally pull you into the movie’s world. It took me a good hour before I realized there wasn’t actually a plot - I was just watch-ing these 1980s jock college students’ live out the weekend. Some moments felt so personal, like I was accidentally in the car when the characters were doing a rendition of “Rapper’s Delight”. I even began to feel nostalgic about the 80s and my old college baseball team - which is disconcerting, because last I checked, I am a circa 2000 girl who was on a softball team for two seconds before I real-ized “it just wasn’t my thing”. During the middle of the movie, I was not thinking I had found a “great middle ground”. EWS!! is about a group of eighteen to twenty-two year old male jocks enjoying the weekend before school in the 1980s. The title is Everybody Wants Some!! What did I think “some” meant?! This “some” came up a lot in the movie. I remember it well: me sitting, asking myself “why did I take my dad to this?” while my dad checked his phone, avoiding the screen. At this point, there was nothing Linklater could do to apologize for the immeasurable trauma he created. But somehow, he found a way.

After Jake spends the night with his lady friend, Beverly, she talks about how her high school didn’t have any sports. Hmm, where have we seen this before? Jake then asks where she went to high school and guess where Beverly went to school! GUESS!!Here is the the scene paraphrased (because the script isn’t online and there aren’t any articles talking about how cool this is):Beverly: I went to HSPVA.She pauses and then ACTIVELY DECIDES TO CONTINUE.

Beverly: That’s short for the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston.WHAT?! I DON’T EVEN KNOW THE ENTIRE NAME OF THIS SCHOOL!Beverly: It wasn’t like Fame, though. We didn’t dance in the streets, but it was still pretty great.Aw, shucks, Beverly! You’re making me blush!Beverly: (talks about the stereotypes of each department. None are particularly too flattering except for maybe musical theater**. If you want to know what she said about your department***, go see the movie! ) While EWS!! had no tangible goal (except maybe to get “some”, if you’re picking up what I’m putting down) and while maybe the movie didn’t earn both of its exclamation points, it was still a good time, and I’m glad I saw it. What’s really crazy to me is that Linklater came up with a fake Texas University, but used a real performing arts high school—OUR SCHOOL! Everybody Wants Some? More like Richard Linklater Wants Some HSPVA!!

You Should All Want Some by Cathleen Freedman

*Don’t be scared. This article will not be about sports. Calm down.**Beverly broke up the departments into: Acting, Dance, Visual Art, and Musical Theater. I don’t know what happened to the Instrumental-ists and Vocalists…***Minus creative writers. We’ll just have to wait until Linklater asks us to write one of his films before we get a shot in the spotlight.

Before You Leave HSPVA Yesterday was that time of the month – I tried to get out of bed, but found it impossible due to the large heaps of papers, notebooks, old food, and who-knows- what-else covering the floor. If the trash was the ocean, my bed had become a lonely island; knowing that relatives would soon be arriving at my house later in the week, I begrudgingly decided to clean my room. Beneath my collection of pizza boxes (not trash, an actual collection of pizza boxes from significant life events) I found my production binder; beside a pile of dol-lar bills, I discovered a Starbucks gift card. I was happy to have located both of these items, but the crème de la crème was found after taking a yard stick and fishing out what had been hiding underneath my bed for five years: con-cert tickets, a portfolio, and my journal from freshman year. Breaking it open (it was one of those journals with the lock and key, and I had lost the key) was like opening a treasure chest – except it smelled like old pizza and had faded pages instead of gold – because I was reminded of how much I loved this school. As I read about the wonderment I felt my first week as I experienced the Happening, my theatre classes, the funny teachers, and Friday lunch par-ties for the first time, I realized that we live our lives in cycles. I realized that soon I would be in a new place meeting new people playing awkward “get to know you” games all over again. I realized that the advice that had been dumped on the freshmen at the beginning of the year I should be taking now:

Join clubs Don’t procrastinate Be open to new experiences

My journal is filled with bucket lists consisting of “Things To Do This Summer” “Things To Do Before I Die” and “Things To Do Before Leaving HSPVA,” and I have done a lot of those things. Except write for the paper*. Until now.

Here’s to an un-crossed- out ‘Things To Do Summer After Graduation’ bucket list, and crossing the last thing off of this one.

by Leina Betzer

Editor-in-Chief: Liza AndersonVIPs: Jeremy Maislin, Aylyn Munoz, and Laneka McLean

Contributing Writers: Bianca Canal, Olivia Cardenas, Jeremy Maislin, Thomas Devys, Sofi a Bresadola, Mew Khunphanichkij, Maggie Oliveira, Pedro Fontes, Savanna Lim, Laneka McLean, Charles Swan, Cathleen Freedman, Melissa Alter, Kathryn King, Kate Ham, Isabella

Jarosz, Leina Betzer

paperStaff

Overheard @ PVA I’m so done with school I’ve stopped brushing my hair.

- Olivia Cardenas

If we’re doing a staring contest I will always

win because I have no regret or remorse. – Laneka McLean

I have clothes that match with Ms. Ballard and Ms. Manchac.

– Jacob Miller

It made me so mad! I had a very angry shower.

– Colton Eason

Do you want me to stagehand? I like wearing black to school.

– Jacob Miller

See if TayTay saw that she’d report it. She keeps us safe. – Sophie Cardenas

I’ve always wanted to total a car. Then I totaled a car, and

it wasn’t that fun. – Ian Donovan

OOOh! You’re into that really cute stuff.

– Kate Ham

You know it’d be illegal for me to

date her. – Ian Donovan

I like puppies.I like watching Netfl ix.

I like bananas.– Clara Foster

I can’t be here right now. I need to resign

from school. – Laneka McLean

It’s pretty ghetto. Sometimes you’ll see a 2009 Mercedes Benz.

– Ian Donovan

That’s how I talk when my pride goes away.

– Jeremy Maislin

Ok, why are resume and resumé

literally the same word?!

- Sophie Cardenas

I came in here to check out a book.

- Liza Anderson

Wait, really?- Lynley Cardenas

I just want a sugar daddy because FASFA ain’t cutting it.

– Sophia Oliveres

I just want the sugar and not

the daddy. – Laneka McLean

Why am I always “the other disgusting”?

– Kathryn King

I just want a van I can go around and rescue dogs in.

– Angela Apte

I’m a grown a** man. I have a beard. – David Byers

I’ve lost track of the days. I don’t do anything. – Laneka McLean

That’s below your pay grade.- Lynley Cardenas in

reference to Liza typing up her own paper* article

There was a warrant out for my arrest the Thursday before prom.

– Kathryn KingBless you!

Also, nice dab. – Kate Ham

I actually didn’t drink coffee because I want to sleep in DIM today.

– Jeremy Maislin

I don’t care. It’s all about me. In my world it’s all about me.

–- Laneka McLean

I’ve never heard of South

Dakota. – Jerome Gillespie

You smell like hot spice, maybe onion spice, not Old Spice.

– Josh Green

I’ve been a third wheel since sophomore year.

– Sandyha Nagarajan

I feel like it’s unhealthy how hype I can get by myself. – Sophie Cardenas

I want to be in the Overheards, but I’m not funny enough.

- Mimi Rosepink

A bitmoji is worth a thousand words

- Kate Ham

I’m not gonna inspect your knimple*.

- Kate Ham

I’m gonna name my kid Schlack - Kate Ham

I’m not gonna lie - Jesus gets on my nerves sometimes

- Jakob Hulten

Arial is the cheap man’s Helvetica**

– Sean Moses

I sat outside for 45 minutes, and all I managed to do was convince myself a

squirrel was fl irting with me. - Liza Anderson

This is my typing sweatband

- Samantha Roquemore If they wanted to be

realistic, they’d put the woman on the 78 cents bill. - Morgan Kreuger-Miller

Bless you! Also, nice dab.

– Kate Ham

I feel like it’s unhealthy how hype I can get by myself.

A bitmoji is worth a thousand words

- Kate Ham

I sat outside for 45 minutes, and all I managed to do was convince myself a

Children are bread, right? B-R-E-A-D?

– David Mejia

*a knimple, for those of you who don’t know, refers to a “knee pimple” **the administration of paper* would like to add a hearty “here here”

So long, HSPVA, and thanks for all the memories! (Some of which can be found at hspvapaper.com!)