Volume 41 Number 2

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NORSEMAN
T h e B r y a n H i g h S c h o o l

IN-BRIEF

Volume 41, Number 2 September 2011

SEE MORE ONLINE


BREakINg NEwS
The News category of The Norseman is the best way to stay up-to-date with the news & information at Bryan High.

FEaTURES Orchestra students start year in new direction


Assistant Editor Emily Nash takes a look at BHSs orchestra program.

Emily Nash Assistant Editor The Crosstown Showdown food drive is an annual competition between Bryan High and A&M Consolidated to see which school can donate the most canned foods to the Brazos Valley food bank in a week. Although Consolidated won the competition last year, together the two schools raised 17,000 pounds of canned food. Student Council sponsor Cyndi Owens is hoping to raise even more than that this year and council members are finding ways to get students to participate. Were going to set up stations at the main campus doors so people can drop off their food when they come to class so they wont have to carry it all day with them until they get to fourth period, Owens said. Not only is Student Council putting bins in the front of the school for canned goods, theyve also found other ways to get

Trash the Tigers by bringing canned food

students aware of the food drive competition. Weve been making posters and a lot of our Student Council members are really excited about trashing the Tigers in this can drive, so theyve been spreading the word as well, senior John Fuller said. Were pumped about helping the food bank and beating Consol! Although collecting food for needy families is the most important part of the food drive, a motivating factor for many students is another opportunity to beat Consol. We really push the Against Consol thing to get the rivalry going, junior Hailey Smith said. I just know we want to beat Consol, because it was really close last year. We almost tied. The food drive will begin Monday, October 3rd and will last the entire week leading up to the Consol game on Friday.

unit assessments. January 3-6, 2012. Editor The common unit assessments are typiFor those students who do attend FYP, FYP, the Flexible Year Plan, is a pro- cal exams taken in a students core classes they will continue to follow their sevengram that allows schools to send students but will focus specifically on skills needed period schedule from the fall. home who meet certain criteria two weeks for TAKS. To be exempt from attending English, Math, Science and Social early. Traditionally, the FYP two-week FYP in January, a student must make an Studies will obviously be focusing on SPORTS period has been held at the end of each average of 70% on all their common unit skills for TAKS or the EOC if theyre in To stay up-to-date with school year. assessments in the fall. 9th grade, Willet said. The other classes the latest sports scores for This year, however, FYP will be split We decided when we wrote curriculum will be supplied with warm up exercises Bryan High School athlet- into two, one-week periods. The first FYP in the summer what the main skills were from specific content areas related to core ic programs, be sure to visit period will be the week after winter holi- that we were going to teach in a unit, classes. With the remaining time in class, bryanhighnorseman.com/sports. days. The second FYP period will be at English Department Chair Lisa Prejean they will do one of two things: review acthe end of the school year tivities from the fall that will OPINIONS as it has been in the past. help their students be sucStudents should stick to Previously, the remecessful in the spring or they spirit / & / School should diation for TAKS was commay be able to include some Fall Spring not waste limited funds ing after TAKS was taken, activities or lessons that have 90% Attendance (8 absences) 90% Attendance (8 absences) been cut. Two staff writers debate the Dean of Instruction Donna Passing all core classes Passing all core classes new spirit stickers found in the Willet said. So, the deciStudents who are re 70% average on common unit 70% average on common unit silver cafeteria and throughout sion was made districtquired to attend FYP in Janassessments assessments the blue campus. wide that we needed to Seniors: Completed TAKS re- Seniors: Completed TAKS re- uary will automatically be have some of the remerequired to attend FYP in the quirements quirements Culture Shock diation prior to the start of spring due to state requireColumn comparing TAKS. ments, but students who are American & other Because of the change in structure said. In English, they are given a fresh not required to attend FYP in January international of FYP, some of the requirements have piece of text and the students have to use may still be required to attend FYP in cultures changed as to who is required to attend. those same skills to demonstrate their May if they do not pass TAKS. The attendance and mastery of core knowledge of such skills. Also, students will not have the opporPlugged In classes requirements are still preserved Students who do not pass their core tunity for credit recovery during FYP beColumn regarding technology and in the switch, but instead of using TAKS classes or common unit assessments, or cause of the shortened schedule. Instead, how it affects stu- or practice TAKS results, students will meet the attendance requirement in the FYP will remain strictly TAKS and EOC instead be required to pass common fall will be required to attend FYP from focused. dents today Following an incredibly hot summer, staff writer Justin Sanders found out how school organizations cope with the heat.

Texas weather doesnt wilt band, football players John Fuller

Flexible Year Plan (FYP) bends into two sessions

FYP Requirements

Morris helps students calculate individual approach to math


Emma Raleigh Assistant Editor Though math is a subject most students struggle with, good teachers can make the subject less of a hurdle and even instill a sense of respect for the subject. Jill Morris, math teacher and department chair, has been an educator for 15 years, seven of which have been at Bryan High. When learning math, grasping concepts can be made easier through practical examples and explanations, and Morris values the difference it can make in student learning. I try [to bring in practical examples], Morris said. There are some skills that you have to learn so you can do other math things that have real world applications. Senior Nash Porter appreciates how Morris strives to ensure students are able to comprehend concepts and ideas. She can relate things to you, and put them into a perspective thats easy to understand, Porter said. Senior Tristan Miranda-Sohrabji agrees and also attributes the success of Morris students to her ability to work with different learning styles. Mrs. Morris really caters to the individuals speed of learning, MirandaSohrabji said. She is willing to break down problems to make sure the student understands. Some of the activities, like labs, bring fun to Morris class and give students better understanding of what they learn. Later this year we will do a Barbie Bungee Jump Lab where we use statistics to decide the correct number of rubber bands needed to allow Barbie to safely bungee jump, Morris said. While Morris takes time to help her students, her main goal reaches beyond daily assignments. I enjoy helping students learn and be successful and realize that they can achieve things on their own, Morris said. I hope that they discover that learning is not something that stops outside of school. Miranda-Sohrabji has taken what Mordoctorate in Educational Administration to further her education. Her colleagues not only admire her drive to be a life-long learner, but appreciate the work she does within her classroom. Shes very smart, and she loves her kids, Calculus teacher Mike McCarley said. Shes good at making kids see the math. Morris favorite class to teach is statistics because it was her major during college and she really enjoys the content. It is a very useful class because statistics are used so often in everyday life, Morris said. I can include real world examples in class and we can discuss how statistics are used and sometimes misused. While math might be the field Morris excels in, her students appreciate the fact that she understands that it might not come as easy for them. I like that shes relaxed, and she lets you learn in a way thats easiest for you, so you can get the most out of her teaching, Porter said. She lets you think outside the box to get things, while helping you get the right answer.

Social Media Debate: Facebook or Twitter?


Marisa Lindeman Staff writer Can you remember rushing home everyday after a long day in middle school to check if someone commented on your newest picture on your MySpace page? Or, Christmas morning your freshmen year, when getting your very first iPhone, you bolt to find 3G service so you can download the Facebook app? It may seem like every year there is just another social networking site trying to consume all of our lives, but I feel like Twitter will remain popular for a long time. One thing that I find entertaining about Twitter is how it asks you What is on your mind?. You literally can put whatever is on your mind. And when I say literally, I mean literally. On Facebook, when youre posting a status you feel like it should be meaningful and not annoying to the rest of your friends. On Twitter, I could tweet Squirrel and not give a care in the world to what anyone thinks. You know why? On Twitter people cant comment or like any of your tweets so you feel like youre just throwing stuff out in the free world. Another thing I find fun about Twitter is the frequency at which people can post each day. On Facebook and the ancient MySpace, we feel for the sake of anyone who is our friends, that we have a limited amount of times we can post or they will click the unfriend button. On Twitter, it is the complete and total opposite. In all honesty, you will probably gain followers on Twitter posting a ridiculously high amount (5060 times per day) rather than by being a boring ole tweeter who posts in microscopic amounts. Most of the time, a popular tweeter is a happy tweeter. The most fantastic thing about Twitter though is how personal it is. Though there is always that one person that you follow who takes their tweets a little over the edge. Other than that, though, it really shows what people you may not know very well think about and how they live their lives. This feature is even more interesting with famous people. Even though, for the most part, famous people do not follow you back (when they do its extremely exciting), you can still track what they do on a daily basis. For Facebook, most celebrities use it as a source to promote their talents, but on Twitter you can see them get a little more personal. So for now, Twitter is currently dominating all of the social networking sites out there. I will be staying tuned to what is coming out next! Regina Flores Staff writer Facebook or Twitter? One or the other. Which would you pick? I personally prefer Facebook. Twitter is just a bunch of statuses. Some people like to tweet about absolutely nothing just to get their number of tweets up, which is annoying. I login to Twitter and see pages of tweets from only one person. Others write whatever is on their mind, often personal things that you dont want to know. Sometimes Facebookers play games with their statuses and such, which is also annoying, but most of the statuses you read on there are pretty legitimate and will keep your mind fairly occupied when youre bored or will inform you of important events and information. Another good thing about Facebook is that you can create events or groups and add people to them and keep in touch with all of your friends. You also have the option of informing the rest of the group whether theyre attending an event by a simple click of a button. This feature is not possible with Twitter. Facebook is so much more personal than Twitter. On Twitter, there is no way to have a personal conversation with someone; its either wall to wall posts or messaging. Facebook chat is so much more convenient. If you like someones tweet, you dont have the option of liking it or commenting on it like you do on Facebook. You can re-tweet, but a lot of people follow the same people so they often see the same tweets twice. You could also reply to the tweet, but replies are public, so all of your followers could see what youre saying. Seeing so many replies can get pretty annoying. On Facebook, you can have friends instead of just followers and can keep in touch with friends and relatives anywhere. Its also much, much easier to find your acquaintances on Facebook than on Twitter. Photos, photo albums, notes, blogs and practically anything social related is available on Facebook. There are some positives to Twitter, though. People often rant about their lives on Twitter, which can be interesting. You can go on there when youre bored and say whatever the you feel like saying. Its a good place to dump out your emotions, but even so, Twitter is boring to me. There are so many more options with Facebook, and I would choose it over Twitter any day.

ris strives to convey to her students and applied it to his life beyond the world of math. If anything, she has taught me to be diligent and to approach all tasks as if they were of the utmost importance, Miranda-Sohrabji said. Morris is currently working on her

Student learns life lessons, teamwork through volleyball


Stephani Whisenant ally devoted to the team. Assistant Editor While Micheletti may benefit from the team, the team Determination is an important value on and off the also benefits from her. court, and one student who possesses that ability is Shes a really good player, junior Abbey Cullen said. senior volleyball player Alyssa Shes really smart. Since shes a senior, Micheletti. she has a better knowledge of the game Micheletti has been on the than a lot of players do. volleyball team since her freshThe players are not the only people man year, and she says the who notice this drive in Micheletti. Volsport plays a significant role in leyball coach Caroline Simpson said she her life. sees a lot of good qualities in her. Its a huge part of my time, I always see drive [in her], Simpson Micheletti said. Everyday said. Watching her grow up with volleypractice goes until 5:30, and ball as her main sport has made her work then we have games. When we hard and she tries to fix things and corhave home games we finish rect herself when she makes mistakes. about 8:30. With away games, When it comes to getting her game face we sometimes dont get home on, Micheletti is always on top of things. until 11 or 12. You get the same kid everyday with Although volleyball takes up Alyssa, Simpson said. Youre not going a lot of time, for Micheletti, the to get the ups and downs on the court, pros outweigh the cons. Volwhich is what I really like in a kid. You leyball helps keep Micheletti in dont have to worry about her. shape and helps her maintain As for drive, Micheletti is also very achealthy relationships with her tive in the classroom. Many of her teachteammates. ers notice her desire to excel in academBeing part of a team is great, ics as much as her desire to do well in Senior Alyssa Micheletti serves sports. Micheletti said. Everyone is reAlyssa has good work ethic, history teacher Chad Cryer said. She is disciplined, and insightful, and is always willing to voice her opinion. When it comes down to it, Micheletti says she has gained a lot from volleyball, and thinks that learning to balance her time has been the most rewarding of it all. Knowing that its hard to balance school work and being in volleyball [is very rewarding], Micheletti said. But it feels like an accomplishment knowing you are keeping up when you have so much to do. And winning is fun too.

New Rip Tide washes over awaiting, adorning music fans


Eva Araujo Staff writer It was August 30th and Beirut fans all over the world rushed to their local record store to purchase the small brown Indie album with The Rip Tide written on the middle of it. Not having anything to feed our Beirut hearts since 2007, when the band released The Flying Club Cup, this album had to be the best. Although Zach Condon, lead singer of Beirut, did give us March of The Zapotec EP back in 2009, the feeling of a full album just wasnt there. As a Beirut lover myself, I had already pre-ordered the album on iTunes, so I woke up that morning, had my coffee, and downloaded The Rip Tide. This album starts off great with the trumpet powered song A Candles Fire. It begins with a slow, quiet accordion, then surprises you with powerful drums and the beautiful harmonizing of trumpets that we Beirut fans love so much. Then the song leads into Condons strong, almost perfect voice. One thing I noticed about the album was that the lyrics were actually understandable. In their past albums youll notice all the words in a song blend into one. Its almost as if Condon doesnt take a break to breath through a whole song. Of course, I love the usual sound of Condons voice in the previous albums, but its nice to actually understand what hes singing about. To me, The Rip Tide kind of has a happier sound to it than Beiruts past albums. When you play it you just feel good, as if everything is going to be okay. Theres one song on this album that I just adore. I can listen to it over and over again and not get tired of it. East Harlem, the third song on the album with a beautiful accordion start and leading into a lively piano melody, with trumpets sounding every once in a while. It is the best song on The Rip Tide. A strange thing I noticed about this album, though, was that the band mainly focused on using piano, strings and horns for their songs. In their previous albums, they had sort of a cool electronic sound mixed with the main Beirut instruments, but there is absolutely none of that in this album. I guess Condon just wanted to give off a more natural sound rather than a pop-like computer sound. I must say the length of the album was very disappointing with only ten songs. I mean, come on. Its the shortest album yet, and I know Beirut can give us more than this. However, The Rip Tide is really good and I didnt find one song that I didnt enjoy, so I guess that makes up for the shortness. I did wish that The Rip Tide would have had songs that were as good or greater than The Concubine, A Sunday Smile, or Nantes, but there really wasnt a song beautiful enough to make my hair stand up when I listened to it like those amazing songs did. Overall, I was pleased with The Rip Tide, and it will surely be put on my list of best new albums.

Volleyball Schedule
10/1 10/5 10/8 10/12 10/15 10/19 10/22 10/26 Shoemaker Belton A&M Consolidated Temple Copperas Cove Ellison Harker Heights Shoemaker

Around Campus
News & events at Bryan High School
College Night Students interested in attending a college or university after high school are encouraged to attend College Night on Wednesday, October 5 at the Brazos Center. Students will have the opportunity to learn more about local universities and the application process. Crosstown Showdown Tailgate Party The Student Council will be hosting their annual tailgate party before the Crosstown Showdown football game against A&M Consolidated at Kyle Field on October 7 from 4:30-7:30 P.M. Hamburgers from Outback and tea from Chicken Express will be sold for $6.00 a plate. Wrestling Practice Begins After school practice for the 2011-12 wrestling season begins Monday, October 3rd. Practice will be held at 4 P.M. in the Wrestling Gym, near the Blue Courtyard. Athletes must have a physical before they can attend practice. For those who are interested, please stop by room 2220 during the day before October 3rd, to talk with Coach Zito. Wrestling is open to all students, male and female, all experience levels. Senior Panoramic Picture The Class of 2012 will have their panoramic picture taken on Tuesday, October 4 at 9:45 A.M. in front of Blue Campus. The Faculty panoramic picture will also be taken that at 8:00 A.M. Shy-Anne Chicken Dinner The Shy-Annes will be hosting their annual pre-game Chicken Dinner in the Silver Cafeteria on October 14 before the Vikings play Copperas Cove. Plates will be sold for $8.00 and can be purchased from any Shy-Anne. Red Ribbon Week Red Ribbon Week will be held on October 17-21 to raise awareness about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. There will be dress-up days and activities for students throughout the week. Twelve Angry Jurors The Theatre Department will be putting on their first performance of the year, Twelve Angry Jurors on October 21-28. Pink Out Pink Out: Tackle for the Cure will be held this year during the week of October 24-28. Tackle for the Cure T-shirts will be sold during the week and are to be worn to the football game on October 28 to Pink Out the stadium in an effort to raise awareness about breast cancer. All proceeds from the T-shirt sales will go to the Susan G. Komen foundation for breast cancer research. Senior Pictures Seniors who have not already taken their senior pictures should sign up with Journalism Adviser Rebecca Dominy in room 6160. Seniors who do not take their pictures will not be featured in the yearbook. Scholarships Available Seniors who are interested in attending college are encouraged to seek out and apply for scholarships. The GO Center keeps a record of available scholarships for both seniors and underclassmen. To find out more about applying for scholarships or the college application process, see Mrs. Kerr in the Go Center. Senior Packages For those who did not already purchase a senior package, the deadline to purchase one has been extended to October 15. Senior packages consist of a yearbook, prom ticket, project graduation ticket, Viking rally towel, megaphone, an ID voucher and coupons to local restaurants. Packages are $90.

NORSEMAN
Abel Lara Staff writer My world is a magical word! Full of prancing unicorns and loud rave music. Where youre never too old to head bang or too young to run away to Alaska. Even though I dont see why you would go there, but thats beside the point. Im Abel, Im secretly an agent for the FBI, but nobody believes me. One day I will rule the world so try to stay on my good side. Im madly in love with everything Star Wars, but I hate Fred Savage and John Mayer. Im not allowed to eat carrots, but still eat them behind my dads back anyway. Every weekend I go raving and everyday I try to tell someone I dont know that I love them. My writting is different to say the least. Im not your normal girl, Im from a planet all my own and I tend to see things from a very strange point of view. My yellow, may be your blue and your red, may be my green, but does it really matter? The greatest thing to me, is a person who can read what I write and laugh or have a new perspective on our crazy lives. So check out my world in future issues or on the newspapers web page: bryanhighnorseman.com. Everybody keep your clothes bright and strap on your tutus!

Adviser Rebecca Dominy Editor John Fuller Assistant Editors Emily Nash Emma Raleigh Stephani Whisenant

Highlight editions are published in print on the last Friday each month
The opinions expressed are those of the writers and are not reflective of the administrators, faculty or staff of Bryan Independent School District. Submissions to the editor are welcomed, but must be signed and should not exceed 300 words. The editor reserves the right to edit submissions in the interest of clarity and length or to not print a letter at all. Letters containing obscene or libelous material will not be considered. Bryan Independent School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex or handicap in providing education services.

Staff writers Eva Araujo Davis Downey Regina Flores Abel Lara Marisa Lindeman Monserrat Madrazo Savannah Matos Andrea Mendes Maurissa Ramirez Dania Robinson Justin Sanders

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