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NORSEMAN
IN-BRIEF
not text and drive and get them to stop and think before they text if this conversation is really possibly worth your life or the life of someone that youre driving with or someone thats on the road, Owens said. We really hope to eventually go community-wide with this, go to A&M and Blinn and talk to students there too. The No Texting While Driving Campaign began this week, and junior Hailey Smith says student council will be doing a number of things to advertise the campaign. Well be doing pledges, which says that you wont wont do distracted driving and to spread the word about it, were putting shirts for sale, showing videos, handing out fliers and putting things in the parking lot just to remind people [about the campaign] Smith said. Next semester, student council will be displaying different things related to texting and driving to grab everyones attention.

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Volume 41, Number 4 November 2011

Emily Nash Assistant editor Crash! Shattered windows, a mangled car, blood splattered everywhere, people crowd around the accident, and soon hear sirens from a distance. BREakINg NEWS Was that text message really worth your The News category of The life or the life of others? Norseman is the best way to Everywhere you go you can find someone stay up-to-date with the news texting on a cell phone, whether theyre a & information at Bryan High. teenager or an adult. Although cell phones can be useful, they can also be the cause of FEaTURES Students Connect with severe injuries and even fatalities if theyre used at an inappropriate time. Washigton, Media Last year, student council began the Its not everyday that students No Texting While Driving Campaign to get the opportunity to get an spread awareness about distracted drivinside at the professional side ing, particularly in a community with a of politics and journalism, but busy highway, a large university and many social studies classes got to do high schools. just that when the C-SPAN netMany might not realize how serious and works bus rolled into campus risky it is to drive while distracted, and on October 25th. student council sponsor Cyndi Owens is SpoRTS hoping the campaign will make people To stay up-to-date with think twice before texting while driving. the latest sports scores for Were trying to get people to pledge to Bryan High School athletic programs, be sure to visit bryanhighnorseman.com/sports.

Texting while driving campaign raises awareness

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Second semester were bringing a smashed up car to show that this is what could happen if you text while driving, junior Tabitha Hernandez said. We also put up a sign DTAD which stands for Dont Text And Drive so we put cups in the fence and theyre green so they draw your attention. Sophomore Caitlin ODell says student council hosts the campaign particularly before holidays because thats when students tend to do more driving. During holidays students are driving to different places and we just want to bring awareness that if you text while driving then its unsafe so were just trying to emphasize it before a lot of travelling happens, ODell said. Overall, the main goal is to keep everyone safe. Its really not safe, Owens said. Its in everyones interest and we want to encourage others not to do it, especially when theyre in the car with someone else.

opINIoN

Efficient solutions found to retain staff members

hire anybody extra. I dont think we were as hurt by the cuts because there was preparation. Administrators have also looked elsewhere for funding to rehire teachers and fill new positions. We lost three teachers last year and I didnt get to hire any new ones, Math Department Chair Jill Morris said. But, I just hired two new ones through a grant. TAP, Teacher Advancement Program, and TTIPS, Texas Title I Priority School, are two grants that began this year and have provided much of the funds to hire new teachers and specialists. The TAP grant is 750,000 over the next five years. Its allowed us to hire teachers, but its also allowed us to give teachers incentive pay for high achievement and hard work, Principal Diana Werner said. With TTIPS, weve been funded for two years at 1.8 million at each year. With 1.8 million dollars, Ive been able to hire another counselor. Ive hired three teachers, a project director, a secretary and a dataentry person and weve been able to buy new technology for the students. Although many efforts are made to hire new teachers and specialists, not all positions can be refilled, which often leads to larger class sizes, Morris said. Were all teaching bigger classes, Morris said. My geometry class has 34 kids in it, my Pre-Cal class has 33 now, but it started out with 36. In addition to teaching personnel, many changes were made to auxiliary staffing, including a reorganization of custodial workers and librarians. This year, there are three library assistants and Bryan High shares a certified librarian with Rudder. In addition, there are new procedures in place for custodians to maximize the time they spend on campus. As the school continues to work toward reducing the budget further, Werner said that the impact felt by students has been minimized from many of the new reorganizations and grants that the school has been able to implement.

Assistant Editor Emily Nash reviews teen romance novels with her column, Reading Between the Lines. Staff writer Marisa Lindeman reviews new music in her column, DJ Diversity

MoRE

John Fuller Editor Because one of the highest expenses for a school district is staffing, an area that schools and districts cut down on is in personnel. Although staff layoffs have been avoided, fewer personnel are on Bryan ISD payrolls this year. One manner by which layoffs are being avoided, while still cutting down the number of staff, is through not rehiring teachers who left the district last year or retired. Weve done a really good job of pairing down the staff over the last four to five years. If wed lose three people, wed only hire two, English Department Chair Lisa Prejean said. We made sure we didnt

Coaching experience caters to classroom chemistry

Davis Downey Staff writer Former coach Eric Eike has been bringing sports into the classroom for 25 years, teaching with the same philosophy he applied on the field. His method of teaching reflects the style of a former coach, with the same lessons he learned being utilized in the classroom. In whatever you are involved in, you get out of it exactly what you put into it, Eike said. In other words, the harder you work the better athlete and student you will become. Eikes sons and daughter also participated in many different sports during their high school career, which acted as one of the main factors in ending his coaching career. I stopped coaching when my own kids were old enough to start competing in sports, Eike said. I wanted to have the opportunity to be involved as a fan and a coach. After coaching his children throughout their childhood, Eike now has the opportunity to put on the hat of a fan, as his sons play football for Texas A&M University. Being a fan and a parent is tough because you want them to do well, Eike said, but at the same time you worry about them getting injured. They like doing it though so I support them in every way I can. Teaching is Eikes focus, using the patience and knowledge of how to coach to be a better teacher. He allows us to work in groups which helps us learn better through collaboration, student Steven Moehring said. From dealing with the quick-paced thinking that being a basketball coach requires, students say that Eike is good at handling questions and explaining Chemistry topics. He explains everything really well, Moehring said, when you ask him questions hell actually answer them, and be nice about it. Eike sees the classroom as a place for student to collaborate, much like on the court. Theres a whole lot to be said about team work, everybody can bring some-

thing to a group, Eike said. As far as basketball goes, if you cant score you can still play defense, [and in the classroom], if youre not good artistically you may be a good writer. Students arent the only ones noticing Eikes teaching being affected by

his prior coaching experience. His coworkers have seen it too. He lays out the material in such a way that brings about understanding of difficult content, and shows the parts and how it makes up the whole. Science Department Head Colleen Holmes said. Along with that he creates lessons that builds upon each skill to better help students apply to other areas. Coach Eike sees the importance of catering to individual students strengths in the classroom just like coaches do with athletes. Everybody has different talents, everyone has something to offer, Eike said.

Fun pastime turns competitive for nationally-ranked swimmer

Marisa Lindeman Staff writer Most people who find themselves splashing in the water do it to pass the time in the hot Texas summer, but some take this pastime to a competitive level. Senior Haley Clark is an example of this. Not only is she a competitive swimmer on campus, but she is also ranked as one of the top five swimmers in the state and one of the top one hundred swimmers in the nation. As with every high achievement, there is a great journey to get there, and starting to swim at an early age is just the beginning of that journey for Clark. I actually wasnt supposed to swim because my parents were swimmers all the way through college, and they wanted me to try something else, Clark said. But by the time I was six, I was unable to stay away from the pool and was already learning how to swim, and by the time I was ten I started swimming competitively. Since those early swimming years, Clark has shown improvement to ensure she made her way to the top of the charts in the state. Swimming coach Gina Rodriguez has seen Clarks improvement throughout the course of her high school career through the different aspects of swimming. Throughout high school, she has continued to improve her stroke and has dropped her times in her butterfly and work. Other than Clarks swimming ability, she also contributes to the team with her personality and her capability to make sure everyone around her smiles. She helps us see the bright side of every race, even when we dont do well she tice, Clark said. You just have to learn how to make a schedule that works for you; that way you dont get behind in your academics or swimming. With the combination of Clarks swimming and her grades, Clark has received offers from various universities. Right now, its in the running between A&M, Ohio University, and Indiana, and I am hoping to have my decision made final in a couple of days, but most importantly when I was looking at schools I was looking for a team that was a family and had a great coaching staff and excellent academics, Clark said. Although Clark plans to pursue her swimming in college, she plans to continue swimming in other avenues as well. Not only is her goal to compete in the collegiate level for a Division 1 school, but she has hopes to compete in the Olympic trials, Rodriguez said. Even though Clark has already come so far in her swimming career, she still has a long journey ahead of her. It feels awesome to be swimming next to a state ranked swimmer, Manzano said.

For years now, it seems that the entire world has proclaimed online classes to be the savior of public education. The future is coming! weve been told. Well, if this is what the future entails, I couldnt be happier that I am graduating this year. Because of scheduling conflicts, Ive taken a few of my classes online this year so that I could meet all of the graduation requirements. The experience has been less than impressive. The classes are self-paced and consist of several units and video lessons with online worksheets that follow each lesson. At the onset, this doesnt seem like a problem. In fact, it sounds wonderful. I can take whichever classes I want at whatever time is most convenient and do everything in the manner that is most efficient for me. Think again. The video lessons for the online courses are beyond cheesy and not even remotely helpful for understanding the content. Lessons are led by corny cartoon characters and Dora the Explorer does a better job of making topics understandable than

Online Classes

these babbling heads. Following the odd and corny storylines, the video lessons fail to make the content understandable. They belabor the point by providing in-depth explanations of simple concepts and blazing right over the more complex topics. Whats worse is that with this limited understanding, I have no way to ask a teacher for help. These cartoon characters certainly arent going to answer my questions. I end up spending more time searching around the internet for answers and explanations than I do watching the video lessons. Of course, I wish the school system were more flexible, but I would never want to trade quality teaching and instruction for flexibility. Having a teacher in a classroom can never be underestimated. Teachers make learning easier not just by answering questions, but by getting to know their students and catering their lessons to the manners of instruction that best suit their students. This doesnt happen with online classes. For those that continue to hail online classes as the future of education, I suggest they spend some time taking online classes. They are not only frustrating, but serve little purpose, as we learn very little from these ridiculous, babbling cartoon characters.

Unfounded musical stereotypes

Yvette Ybarra Staff writer Our generation cannot live without music. Any place you find teens, youll also find iPods in their hands and headphones in their ears. One thing you see often, though, is that music often creates groups that people feel they need to fit into, based on the wide variety of genres people enjoy. For example, kids that listen to bands such as Bullet For My Valentine, Disturbed, or Metallica often get put into groups labeled as emo, gothic and can even be seen as troublemakers. This is similar to kids who listen to artists such as Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, or Brooks & Dunn. Being labeled as country or redneck, these kids are imagined to be with boots, a lasso, and a cowboy hat, but thats not always the case. If you were talking to someone on the phone or on the Internet, and they told you they listen to a specific kind of music, most assume a stereotypical version of that person. Just because someone listens to a considerable amount of rap music, doesnt mean they have a gangster attitude. Seeing others based on the music they listen to gives a false perception of who these people really are.

You are what you eat, its not a myth

Obesity. Its an epidemic, weve been told, and the facts are there to back it up. Since 1980, the percentage of adolescents who are obese has almost tripled, according to the CDC. Government agencies and medical researchers can tell us that we need to lead better, healthier lifestyles and impose rules that enforce such assessments, but these rules are futile if we dont actually make the decisions for ourselves. As students, we see the unhealthy habits that our peers, and ourselves, take on and make a daily routine. School regulations have attempted to force students to eat healthy at school, by suggesting that soda machines cant be on campus or students cant share food. Yet, these regulations do little but isolate and damage students further, as they learn to simply hide their bad eating habits and resent healthy eating. In the real world, soda machines are on every corner, and fast food restaurants promote cheap soda sales. This isolationist perspective of hiding students from the reality of unhealthy and damaging food doesnt prepare them for life after graduation. We do not learn how to make the decision to not have that soda. We do not learn how to pick the healthy food for ourselves instead of the extra-large fries. Instead of making pointless regulations, schools should teach students about the dangers of unhealthy foods and more importantly, show them how to make the decision for themselves. Students should be taught the advantages of eating healthy foods and disadvantages of doing otherwise. Schools should demonstrate not only the value of eating healthy, but the value that comes from deciding to live a healthy lifestyle. Exercise. Eating. Its all a decision that one must make every day. This isnt just a matter of getting into the scientific anatomy of what exercise is, but showing students how their own lives can be impacted and improved through adopting a healthier lifestyle. Its ultimately the individuals decision to pick what they eat. Just remember, its not a matter of choosing a meal, but choosing an outcome for your life. - The Norseman Staff

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

I know because Ive been there. During my 8th grade year, I had found the musical styles of Slipknot and fell in love. As I listened to their music, I began to notice my sudden interests in darker clothes, scarier make-up and the color black. One day at school, I was jamming to Spit It Out when a boy came up to me and asked if I wanted to skip school with him to go smoke. I was shocked at his question. When I told him I didnt smoke, he was surprised. As he walked away, I heard him say, Well, you just looked like the type. I froze in my seat. Later, I walked into the girls bathroom and took a good look in the mirror. I didnt even recognize myself. Even though my outward appearance had changed, I was still the same person I had always been. Music is a way people express themselves, but music also expresses itself through us. We judge people by their music because the music can change them, but this experience also showed me that it doesnt have to. Its been awhile since Ive dressed in all black and wore the scary makeup, but one thing hasnt changed: Pulse Of the Maggots is still my favorite song from Slipknot.

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

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Senior Haley Clark propels herself through the water with the butterfly stroke as she heads toward the wall.
backstroke, Rodriguez said. Beyond the improvement Clarks coach has witnessed lies a lot of practice and determination that Clark strives to pursue. Leading up to her swim meets, Clark spends a lot of time to make sure she performs at her full potential. It definitely took a lot of improvement and confidence in my swimming before the hard work set in, Clark said. I had to perfect my strokes and technique in order for their to be an increase in hard cheers us up and tells us were going to do better next time, swim team member Alex Manzano said. Clark also brings her talent into the classroom. Even though maintaining good grades and holding a spot as a state-ranked swimmer may seem like an unmanageable task, Clark proves otherwise. Sometimes school can be a little overbearing, but I am really good at getting my studying done before and after prac-

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.

Around Campus
News & events at Bryan High School
from 6:00 to 10:00 in the Blue Cafeteria and Large Auditorium. Orchestra Christmas Concert The Orchestra will perform their Christmas concert on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 7:00 p.m. in the blue Auditorium. Vikingoteo Performance Vikingoteo members will perform during the KBTX Feast of Carols The Choir Department will be hosting their annual Feast of Carols concert and meal during the first weekend of December. Tickets can be purchased through the Choir office by calling (979) 209-2626. Athletic Fall Sports Banquet The fall sports banquet will take place on Monday, Dec. 5 broadcast of the Food for Families Food Drive on Wed., Dec. 7 from 7:30-8:00. The 16th Annual Food for Families Food Drive will take place at the Brazos Center from 5:30 a.m. to 10:35 p.m. Some great donation ideas include: diapers, paper towels, beans (canned or dried), cereal, coffee, peanut butter, rice, canned fruit, pasta, soups or other non-perishables. Viking Theatre Performance The theatre department will showcase their next performance on Thursday, Dec. 8 at 7:00 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre. Admission is free. Winter Guard Show The Winter Guard will perform on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 7:00 p.m. at the auditorium at Rudder High School. Tickets for the show can be purchased starting Dec. 3 and will be $3 in advance and $5 at the door. Members will perform solos to Christmas music. The will also be selling Christmas concessions during the performance.

Like clockwork: Cafeteria Personnel

Regina Flores Staff writer If a small child asked What is a lunch lady?, the initial response would probably be, theyre the ones that serve people food in cafeterias. However, this is only one of the many tasks they do. So much more goes on behind the scenes that students dont think about. Aside from serving food at lunchtime, these ladies wash, clean, cook, and keep a kitchen running for more than 1700 students. We have to order and put away thousands of dollars worth of groceries each month, manager Connie Reed said. We have to wash the dishes because we do not have an automatic dishwasher, clean, and everything has to be kept spic and span. Keeping the kitchen clean is essential. We go above and beyond since we serve children, a more susceptible population. We must be extra careful, Reed said. We have strict HACCP criteria which must be followed. HACCP stands for Hazardous Analyses of Critical Control Points. This was developed for NASA so astronauts wouldnt get sick from the food they ate in outer space. This is a big responsibility to have on your shoulders, and it all begins bright and early each morning. We get here at 6 a.m. and start breakfast, and then lunch starts a little bit after that, Reed said. We start getting things warmed up and getting things prepped. This is only the beginning, as Reed doesnt finish her tasks until 2:30 in the afternoon. I personally must count money and check all customer deposits, Reed said. We must count any serv-

ings leftover ent, Reed said. I think its more rewarding because, from service even though the kids dont necessarily say anything, and record they appreciate it. those for paperwork which we have daily. The few With 67 percent of students on free or reduced items we reuse must be refrigerated or frozen, and all lunches, it makes Reed happy that she is able to serve areas of the kitchen are cleaned and made ready for these kids in need. the next day. There is, of course, with most jobs, a good bit of Reed said that the job can be very stressful some- stress, Reed said, but at the end of the day knowing times with all the requirements mandated by the state that we did help out and tried to provide the most nuand keeping both adults and students happy. tritious and still tasty meal is very fulfilling. I have to train my employees to give the correct portions away because everything is based on calories and Maurissa Ramirez fat, Reed said. You Staff writer cant over serve it beCustodians are responsible for much more than just cleancause then it wont ing up after lunch or emptying the trash; they are constantly making sure things are clean and clear in the halls and their equal what its supworkdays are much longer than the typical school day. posed to equal. All Everyone on the custodial staff works hard, head custodiof our recipes and products are measured an Lupe Alvarado said. Keeping things clean around campus against government requirements. is very important, not just to us, but also to students, teachers Within the 13 years that Reed has been and the administration. here, there have been significant changes Around campus, each of the custodians have different jobs in the food served. to attend to like cleaning restrooms, sweeping the halls, vacuThe first couple [of years that Ive been uming the classrooms, and cleaning up before, during and afhere] we actually served a small founter lunch. tain drink, as well as milk, with the meal, Principals assistant Maria Field is constantly working with Reed said. The amount of fat grams per the custodial staff. meal has decreased as time has gone by. What dont the custodians do around here? Field said. Things have become stricter as years have Theyre busy, theyre the ones behind the scenes that are conpassed. stantly either cleaning or picking up or creating new areas for Although Reed enjoys the food they us to be able to be proud of our school. serve, she admits new items really help When there is a function on campus, the custodians must the menu. come early, stay after to clean-up and lock-up and are responBy the end of the year it starts to get sible for unlocking and locking the doors. old, Reed said, but we have this new They are the Bryan High School family, Field said, and Caesar chicken salad that I like. theyre an entity that we couldnt function without. They get us Reeds favorite part of her job, though, ready for the next day. Theyre always ready for the following is working with the kids. day, cleaning and picking-up, and opening the doors and be I used to cut hair, so this is a lot differready for another day of school.

Custodial Personnel