THE KNIGHT TIMES - August 2017

The Knight Times 

Official Student Newspaper of Episcopal High School 

August 2017 4650 Bissonnet, Bellaire, Texas 77401 www.ehshouston.org Volume 33, Issue 1 

Hildebrand 

Athletic Center 

completed 

ELLIOTT JONES 

Staff Writer 

Students, parents, and faculty alike could 

hardly contain their excitement for the 

opening of the long awaited Hildebrand 

Athletic Center. Under construction for 

the past year, this incredible new facility 

has exceeded all expectations at EHS. The 

building is state of the art and beautiful, 

and it provides several new features not 

found in any other buildings on campus. 

The Athletic Center, provides easy field 

access and even more gathering space for 

the school, and is divided into three floors. 

The first floor opens up to a lobby that 

connects to Episcopal’s other gym, the 

EHS branding debuts around campus 

School unifies under the “Stand Out” message 

Bishop Andrew Doyle performed the 

blessing of the Hildebrand Athletic Center 

on Opening Day. Photo by Mauro Gomez. 

Crum Field House. From there, two separate 

full-size courts occupy the floor with 

additional larger locker rooms, a larger 

training room, and coaches offices. One 

new aspect of the HAC is the “History 

Wall.” This is an entire hallway dedicated 

to the athletic achievements of alumni and 

will include interactive displays. Finally, 

the “Knight Walk” provides a path to the 

football field. 

The second floor consists of a 

4,500-square-foot fitness center with a 

full wall of windows looking out onto the 

fields. This floor is also equipped with padded 

rooms for wrestling and cheerleading. 

A press box for the gym and state of the art 

audio-visual equipment will provide better 

streaming opportunities for EHS sports. 

The third and top floor provides a large 

reception area with an outdoor porch showcasing 

incredible views of the campus, the 

fields, and Bellaire. This “Alumni Room” 

will host meetings and special events. 

A reception was held on the first day 

of school to celebrate the opening of this 

amazing athletic center. 

Banners announcing the new branding of Episcopal High School greet members of the EHS community and visitors. The branding 

of the school was a new addition this year that will provide an overarching message for the school. Photo by Hunter Megarity. 

LAUREN PORTER 

Editor-in-Chief 

Another school year brings new changes 

throughout Episcopal High School, including 

the branding of the school. The overarching 

brand platform is “Stand Out,” 

which applies to all aspects of the school 

and its Four Pillars: academics, athletics, 

arts, and religion. 

The message is directed at what makes 

Episcopal unique and extraordinary when 

compared to other schools across the country. 

The new branding and marketing strategy 

focuses on maximizing how the community 

tells the powerful story about EHS 

and the manner in which it shares this tremendous 

message at the school. 

Dean of Arts Mr. Jay Berckley recently 

described the new strategy as “The brand 

of Episcopal High School has always been 

strong, and our value to the Houston community 

has never been better. This new 

branding and marketing strategy is our 

unique opportunity to tell our remarkable 

EHS story and lead by example in all we 

do. We believe that by helping each student 

find and unleash their inner genius, whether 

that’s by excelling on the field or stage, 

by dramatic growth across our academic 

courses, and through service to others, we 

have a model that is providing students a 

compelling opportunity to have transformative 

impact in America and around the 

globe.” 

The branding process has taken about 15 

months, with countless ideas coming from 

students, parents, faculty, and alumni. The 

branding of the school has not entirely been 

completed, as there are exterior changes in 

the works as well as inspirational and aspirational 

changes within the community. 

Exterior changes will include banners and 

an altered website design that will promote 

the brand. Inspirational changes focus on 

the message to the students and where 

Episcopal will continue with the brand. 

The Episcopal brand will certainly bring 

a core message that the entire EHS community 

can unite around and spread to 

other prospective parents and students. 

The brand will bring many positives to the 

school and will promote the great work 

that happens within EHS. 

INSIDE 

Features 2 

Sports 5 

Entertainment 6 

Opinions 7 

Football 

The Knights 

prepare for the 

season ahead 

Hurricane 

Harvey 

EHS bands 

together during 

tough times 

New 

Faculty 

Welcome new 

faces around 

campus

2 The Knight Times 

Features 

New faculty and staff join the Episcopal community 

ELISA CARDNELL 

MATHEMATICS 

JUSTIN HICKEY 

SCIENCE 

BIZ KECHEJIAN 

ENGLISH 

EMILY WHITE 

ENGLISH 

JOSHUA SMITH 

RELIGION 

HANNAH HAWKE 

WELLNESS 

If I won the lottery, I would 

pay off my mortgage and 

travel. I want to make it to 

all 50 states and all 7 continents 

– and I only have 11 

states and 3 continents left. 

Something surprising 

about me is teaching is my 

second career. I was active 

duty Navy for 5 years right 

after college. 

If I weren’t a teacher, I 

would likely become a 

writer full time. Then I 

might actually finish editing 

my novel! 

I couldn’t live without coffee. 

I would tell myself at age 

16 that it’s okay not to do 

something perfectly, especially 

the first time. Mistakes 

are how we learn, 

whether that’s in school or 

in life. 

My favorite thing to do 

with free time is sleep, 

read, and play computer 

games. 

If I won the lottery, I 

would buy a house so we 

can have a yard so we can 

get a dog. 


about me is I have a black 

belt in Jeet Kune Do. 


would be an astronomer or 

a touring drummer. 

I couldn’t live without 

music. 

I would tell myself at 

age 16 to do more things 

you know are hard; it 

will make you a stronger 

person. 


with free time is to go to 

the movies with my wife. 


would invest it all, so I 

wouldn’t buy a lifetime 

supply of chocolate-covered 

Honeycomb. 


about me is I have a respectable 

collection of troll 

dolls. 

If I weren’t a teacher, 

I would be writing for 

a shelter magazine like 

Architectural Digest or 

Dwell. 


Earl Grey tea with almond 

milk. 

I would tell myself at 

age 16 that nothing great 

comes from lightening 

your eyebrows with 

bleach. 


with free time is to scroll 

through Instagram accounts 

dedicated to tiny 

homes. 


would pay off all my loans 

and build a new house! 


about me is I am not a 

picky eater, but there are 

certain foods I will not eat 

because of their texturejello, 

pudding, yogurt; any 

food of that sort 


would be working in Public 

Relations or some sort 

of Journalism field. 


pizza! I love pizza. 


16 that no matter how hard 

it is to believe, everything 

is going to work out the 

way it is supposed to. 


with free time is napping. 


would buy a ticket to outer 

space with Space X. 


about me is I grew up on 

a small cattle and produce 

farm. 

What would you do (for 

a career) If I weren’t a 

teacher, I would be a college 

professor. 

I couldn’t live without my 

God and my wife. In that 

order : ) 


16 to 

learn to fail well. Failing 

should not take you by 

surprise; it happens to all. 

The difference is how one 

responds to it and grows 

from it in order to reach 

their goals. 


with free time is watch 

movies. 


would donate a significant 

portion to the Houston 

Food Bank. 


about me is my family got 

transferred to Paris, France 

when I was a child. If I 

weren’t a teacher, I would 

wishing I were a teacher. 


husband. 


16 not to stress about the 

small things. My favorite 

thing to do with free time 

is swim. 

JOHN GILLET 

DIRECTOR of TECH 

JOHNNY MOTLEY 

RELIGION 

MARY S. DAWSON 

ENGLISH 


would not tell ANYONE. 


about me is I am depressed 

to say I have no surprises. 


would be Clutch or Orbit. 


kids and husband, but otherwise 

I guess Diet Coke. 


16 to not start your Diet 

Coke habit. 


with free time is spy on 

my 3 year old and 5 year 

old when they are playing 

pretend. (Shh!! Don’t tell 

them!). 


would donate a large 

portion of it to ecological 

and cultural conservation 

efforts in the Amazon. 


about me is my high 

school was also Episcopal 

High School, a boarding 

school in Alexandria, VA! 


would be an explorer and 

storyteller with NatGeo or 

an anthropology student in 

a doctorate program. 


good coffee. Good food. 

Good books. Interesting 

people. 


16 to start studying foreign 

languages because you can 

pick them up more easily 

when you’re in your teens. 


with free time is play guitar, 

dance salsa, read, and 

learn from others through 

conversation. 

ALEX BRUTON 

WORLD LANGUAGES 


would look for a cool 

house in Galveston. 


about me is I lived in Brazil 

and I speak Portuguese. 


would be a travel reporter 

and writer. 


music. 


16 to earn better grades 

and be the best leader on 

the athletic field. 


with free time is travel, 

cycling, gardening…did I 

say travel? 

EMILY BARRON 

ENGLISH 


would buy my parents a 

new house. 


about me is I have always 

lived in Syracuse. I moved 

here exactly one month 

ago. 


would LOVE to have a 

million kids and be a stay 

at home mom. 


medium iced hazelnut coffee 

from Dunkin Donuts. 


16 to be true to myself. It’s 

so easy to get caught up in 

“peer pressure” or try to be 

cool. Being cool is overrated. 


with free time is work out 

and travel. 

JULIUS MICHAEL 

HISTORY 


would build my own cereal 

factory so I can have unlimited 

access to cereal. 


about me is I don’t go to 

the zoo. 

If I weren’t a teacher, 

I would probably work 

with the government or do 

something with the United 

Nations. 


running shoes and Garmin 

watch. 


16 to embrace everything 

about yourself and follow 

your heart. 


with free time is run while 

listening to music. 

JENILEE GOBEA 

CAMPUS STORE ASSISTANT 

LAURIE MANN 

ADMIN ASSISTANT 

STAND OUT 

History doesn’t remember those who fit in – only those brave 

enough to Stand Out. At Episcopal High School, there are no 

boundaries to who you can be or what you can achieve. We exist 

to help you find and free your potential. 

So feel free to STAND OUT. 

KIMBERLEY PAVALOCK 

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE 

AYESHA SPOONER 

ASSOC DIR/ADMISSIONS

Features 

The Knight Times 3 

EHS Onstage prepares for shows 

LAUREN PORTER 


El Rincón de español les dará información 

sobre los eventos latinos en 

nuestra comunidad cada mes. El 22 de 

septiembre Enrique Iglesias y Pitbull se 

presentarán en el Toyota Center, así que si 

eres un aficionado de “Bailando” y “Fireball” 

sin duda disfrutarás de este concierto. 

Pitbull y Enrique serán acompañados 

por CNCO, una banda de chicos hispanos 

que ha ganado mucha popularidad recientemente. 

Si disfrutas de conciertos y 

Your Spanish Corner 

música en español, asegúrate de conseguir 

tus entradas para Enrique y Pitbull. ¡No 

vayas a perdértelo! 

ANGEL STRINGER 

Staff Writer 

This year the Theater Department is 

bringing some big things to EHS Onstage. 

Coming soon are the plays The Legend of 

Sleepy Hollow and Radium Girls, the musical 

Into the Woods, and student-directed 

one-act plays. 

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a tale 

of a headless Hessian whose fate lies in 

the hands of a Horseman. The audition for 

Sleepy Hollow was on Wednesday August 

23 from 4:00 - 6:30 p.m. 

Radium Girls, a story of a miracle cure, 

gives a powerful look at obsessions with 

wealth and science. This audition is on 

Thursday October 12 from 4:00 - 6:30 

p.m. 

As for Into the Woods, who isn’t excited 

for this one? The musical is a journey 

told through characters whose paths collide 

as they use each other to get what 

they desire. The audition is on Saturday, 

October 21 from 10:00 - 4:00 p.m. 

All play auditions are in the Black Box 

Theatre and the musical audition is in 

Underwood Theatre. As for the student 

one-acts, auditions are to be determined, 

so be on the lookout for those. 

Buckle up Episcopal. We’re on the road 

for exciting things. 

Freshmen connect before beginning of school year 

ANNABELLE COKINOS 

Staff Writer 

The Freshman Class began this year 

with a trip to Navasota and Camp Allen 

where they bonded and learned what it 

means to be a Knight. 

The annual trip to Camp Allen is an 

Episcopal tradition to welcome freshmen 

to EHS. They participated in fun activities 

to get to know their peers and advisors. 

On the first day before leaving for camp, 

the freshmen and their advisories played 

games in the gym to break the ice. 

“It was so great to watch everyone get 

to know each other for the first time!” said 

sophomore and Student Council member 

Brennan Howell. 

After everyone arrived at camp, they immediately 

tested their fears of heights on 

the ropes course. 

“The ropes course was arguably the best 

part of the Freshman Retreat,” said freshman 

Elena Cokinos. 

Team building games led by the Camp 

Allen staff came after the ropes course. To 

take a break from the energizing activities, 

the advisories met separately to discuss 

their goals for the year. 

Following a Chapel service, an Amazing 

Race, put together by the Student Council, 

was held among advisories. Mr. Hickey’s 

advisory took the victory. 

The next day everyone gathered together 

for another Chapel service. Student Council 

members used this time to explain the 

Chapel process to the new Knights. 

After an enjoyable one and a half days 

at Camp Allen, everyone boarded busses 

back to Episcopal, excited about the new 

relationships they formed while at the 

retreat. 

Freshman divide into their advisories to make new friends and get to know each 

other. Photo by PhotoJ. 

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Features 

Solar eclipse mesmorizes U.S. 

EHS helps in Harvey’s aftermath 

ELLIE RAGIEL 

Staff Writer 

The United States made headlines this 

month, as what has already been dubbed 

the “Great American Eclipse” marked the 

first total solar eclipse of this century. 

On Monday, August 21, a total solar 

eclipse hit the U.S., drawing hundreds 

of thousands of astrology enthusiasts to 

many off-the-map American destinations. 

The event lasted approximately three 

hours; however, those in the path of totality 

only had a three-minute window to 

view the total eclipse. 

The eclipse carved a path from Oregon 

to South Carolina, passing through 14 

states, and even though Texans were not 

lucky enough to see the total eclipse, they 

were still treated to a partial solar eclipse 

that reached its peak around 1:15 p.m. 

Many Houstonians flocked to sites such 

as the Natural Science Museum and the 

NASA Space Center to enjoy a full day 

of activities revolving around the eclipse, 

such as presentations by lunar scientists 

and live streams of the total eclipse from 

NASA’s cameras in Casper, Wyoming. 

Even if you missed the eclipse festivities 

this year or are just upset about not being 

able to witness the eclipse in its totality, 

don’t worry. The next full solar eclipse to 

happen in North America will be in 2024, 

and we Houstonians will have much more 

access to it as it will pass straight through 

the great Lone Star State. 

Jack Grams 

Mr. Paul Revaz 

Mrs. Kate Philbrick 

Jamie Tatum, Katy Davidson, Sophia 

Casetta 

Garrett Guthrie 

Faculty and staff view the solar eclipse using safe eclipse viewers. Photo courtesy of 

Mr. John Flanagan. 

Sam Wilson 

Garden of Edens 

Advice about 

Things that Matter 

Sam Lee 

with Will Edens 

Welcome to my reoccurring column: 

Garden of Edens. This month’s advice 

goes out to our freshmen. 

Freshmen, this is the year to set the tone 

for the rest of your high school career. I 

know that y’all just got into high school, 

but colleges will see your inaugural GPA, 

so make it a good one. 

Secondly, get involved in everything you 

possibly can. Try something new outside 

your comfort zone. The more you do freshmen 

year, the better you will understand 

what you want to do once you are a senior 

or even when you get to college. I think a 

sport or club is a great way to meet older 

peers and maybe ones you just normally 

wouldn’t hang out with. 

Lastly, don’t be cliquey this year. Make 

as many friends as you can, meet everyone 

you come in contact with, and be nice to 

all because in the long run you will end up 

having a better high school career. 

A storm of Knights at the ready 

EHS alum Gilbert Sosa launches film career in L.A. 

LAUREN PORTER 


EHS alum Gilbert Sosa quickly ascended 

in Hollywood, working alongside famous 

celebrities over the past year. After being 

involved in ETv for two years at Episcopal, 

he decided to continue his interest in film 

and develop it into a career. The Knight 

Times spoke with Gilbert about his career 

path so far and how he has achieved so 

much in such a short amount of time. 

You graduated from EHS roughly a year 

ago. How could you possibly have gotten 

these opportunities so quickly? 

I graduated from EHS with the Class 

of 2016, and days after I decided to drive 

out to Los Angeles for the summer to get 

a better sense of what the entertainment 

industry was really like. I knew very few 

people there, so it was a whole new city 

with endless opportunities, and a fresh, 

new start. My intentions for that summer 

in Los Angeles were to land a short internship 

and meet some beneficial people that 

I could stay in contact with while I was attending 

UT Austin (where I was supposed 

to be in the fall of 2016). However, things 

took a turn for the unexpected after only 

three weeks of making my way around LA; 

I found the social media space. I got in contact 

with one of the largest social media influencers 

and became a part of his company. 

It was an amazing opportunity in which 

I saw a lot of potential, so I decided to put 

off UT until the fall of 2017. My whole life 

was changed because I was working with 

some of the largest social media influencers 

around with the ability to do anything 

relating to film and photography, while 

also making some great contacts within 

that company. Eventually, I came to the 

conclusion that I wanted to move forward 

and stop working for a company, so I did. I 

ventured back into Los Angeles as an individual 

and began to build a network of my 

own resources and contacts. Then, I began 

to work in the Latin American space because 

of the people I was working around. I 

began to build my name while helping others 

build their content. By this time my roster 

of people I have worked with included 

Cameron Dallas, Juanpa Zurita, Jake Paul, 

Maluma, Alissa Violet, and many more. 

Right now you are doing both photography 

and film directing. Which path do 

you want to continue in the future? 

When I first arrived in Los Angeles, I 

stepped in with a filmmaking mindset, but 

with a better photography background, I 

found photography to be the most efficient 

way to meet people, especially artists/influencers 

who were looking to create content 

for their social media. It was an easier way 

to meet people at the exchange of taking 

photos of them. Now, I am more focused 

on building a film path. I’m in the middle 

of several big projects with music videos & 

films. Still, my focus is to continue building 

my “internet” name while complimenting 

it with my film work. 

What is the biggest project you have 

worked on so far? 

So far, I have gotten the opportunity to 

work on huge projects that I value at the 

same level. Most recently, I directed a music 

video for Virgin Records that was fully 

shot in Mexico. Also, I worked on a project 

with Cameron Dallas for a magazine. Also, 

on my Latin side, I worked on a music 

video set with artist Maluma in Colombia. 

Class of 2016 graduate Gilbert Sosa is 

now pursuing a film career in L.A. Photo 

courtesy of Gilbert Sosa.


Sports 

CHEER 

Sports 

Brief 

This year the cheerleading program 

boasts its biggest membership ever, sporting 

three squads, a freshman, JV, and 

varsity team. 

The freshman team has potential with 

many girls having past experience. In 

June, all three teams went to choreography 

camp where the girls learned their 

new routines for competition which they 

will perform in October. 

In addition, the girls attended speed 

camp and were joined by ten other schools 

from across Texas. There, they were nominated 

for All-American honors. Many of 

the girls on varsity received the award: 

Lilly Cone, Lauren Foyt, Kelsey Womack, 

Hannah Benstock, and Avery Edens. 

BOYS VOLLEYBALL 

The boys volleyball team continues to 

keep its momentum from last season with 

natural athletic ability and upperclass leadership. 

The team finished eighth last year during 

SPC playoffs while facing off against the 

tough competition of the SPC like Greenhill, 

St. John’s, and St. Steven’s. 

With the help of veteran leadership from 

senior Omar Denmon and sophomore Tanner 

Witt, the Knights look to compete for 

the number one seed in the South Zone. 

“I’m really liking this group of guys. We 

will be a fun team to watch this year and 

compete in the South Zone,” said Coach 

Michael Kent. 

Football brings heat for upcoming season 

WILL EDENS 

Staff Writer 

The Knights football team is back in action 

and ready for the 2017-2018 season. 

While the team enters the year having lost 

a handful of linemen, including D1 signees 

Walker Little and Marvin Wilson, and its 

starting quarterback and running back to 

graduation, they appear to have reloaded. 

Four-star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is 

leading the charge as a stand out in early 

practice. The Knights started their practices 

on July 31 and have been going hard 

ever since. The team has acquired a few 

new transfers, including juniors Jaylen Davis 

and Cory Williams and two freshman 

linemen that are projected to be playing a 

big role at the varsity level. 

The Knights’ wide receiver core is exceptionally 

strong this year considering that all 

four starters are returning, and quarterback 

Jack Grams should have a field day every 

game night with this group. 

The team had its intrasquad scrimmage 

on Saturday, August 12, and Waddle did 

not waste any time, scoring on a 40-yard 

pass from Grams. 

“The intrasquad was very helpful for 

me to learn game speed and really get my 

tempo down with all my receivers; it was 

also fun for full contact to be back,” said 

Grams. 

The Saturday morning event was a good 

way for the Knights to get some experience 

with real referees and be able to ask 

specific questions before the team took on 

Strake Jesuit August 18. 

The football team had another scrimmage 

on the second day of school vs. St. Pius, 

which was a home event. The Knights’ first 

game was last Friday with an unfortunate 

loss against Prestonwood Christian Academy. 

The coaches think that this squad can 

compete with any team in Texas, and 

Coach Steve Leisz and his team plan to 

show that in the Brenham game. 

This season will be a great one for the 

Knights, so be sure to try to attend all the 

games. 

FIELD HOCKEY 

After a successful tournament showing 

at the Greenhill School in Dallas against 

schools from Texas and Oklahoma, the 

field hockey teams are looking great in 

their preseason as they prepare for the fall. 

Similar to last year, the players will be 

placed on three teams - varsity, led by 

Head Coach Shelly Edmonds and assistant 

Clarence Jennelle; JV, led by Coach 

Jessica Adams; and JV White, under the 

direction of Coach Chris Hasbrouck. 

While these teams have yet to be decided, 

there is hope for several incoming freshmen, 

who have begun to improve tremendously, 

to play varsity. For the lone senior 

player, Kylie Jones, this will be a great 

opportunity for her to take on a leadership 

role and mentor the younger players. 

The field hockey teams’ first game was 

against Memorial and they had an outstanding 

start to the season with a 6-0 win. 

CROSS COUNTRY 

Cross country welcomes two new coaches 

to its fold as the program looks ahead to 

the 2017 season. 

Coach Julius Michael, who is also a new 

faculty member teaching U.S. History, is 

taking strides toward a more intense practice 

regimen as the team warms up with a 

mile, steady run, track workout, and weight 

room work. However, Coach knows how 

to have fun as the team bonds over an exciting 

game of Frisbee against the other 

leader of the group, Coach Lauren Smith. 

Coach Smith brings enthusiasm and 

unique stretching to the team as she watches 

out for the runners’ recoveries after practice. 

She also ran track in college and qualified 

for the Junior Olympics three times, so 

her expertise in speed will improve each 

member’s start and finish times. 

With Coach Michael’s knowledge of endurance 

and Coach Smith’s knowledge of 

speed, the duo will sculpt Episcopal’s cross 

country team into runners afraid of nothing 

but losing. 

Wide receiver Julius Young drags a defender as he picks up a first down after the catch. Photo by Emily Madison. 

Girls volleyball kicks off fall athletics 

DANIEL DAVIS 

Staff Writer 

School athletics are now starting which 

means fall athletics are already beginning. 

The girls volleyball team is already looking 

strong and full of talent. Coach Amanda 

Watts was not hesitant to begin the preseason 

early as practices began on July 31. 

The group of girls this year is full of talent, 

and the coaches are happy to welcome a 

couple of new faces. 

This summer the girls played in the John 

Turner Adidas Invitational in Pearland, followed 

by many preseason games that led 

up to the first day of school. 

The varsity team did a great job last year 

and had a strong record of 4-4. In SPC play 

they dominated conference games, ending 

with a record of 5-1, and led by graduated 

seniors Grace Geib and Gigi Hanna. 

This year senior Mylana Byrd, who is 

committed to Alabama, will be leading the 

team alongside junior Kathleen Johnson 

and sophomores Brennan Howell and Trinity 

Watts toward what will hopefully be a 

successful year. 

The varsity’s first SPC game is against 

St. John’s on October 3, and it promises to 

be a competitive game. The last SPC conference 

game is against Houston Christian 

on November 9 followed by the SPC tournament. 

Girls volleyball warms up in preseason by doing conditioning drills to prepare for 

the upcoming season. Photo by Photo J.


Entertainment 

Rick and Morty wows audiences 

CAMI PYNE 

Staff Writer 

Rick and Morty is the sci-fi twist comedy 

that took the Internet by storm this 

summer. A play off the action-packed 

adventure Back to the Future, Rick and 

Morty focuses on two lovable and dislikeable 

characters on wicked adventures. 

Rick and his grandson Morty hop 

through portals with Rick’s infamous portal 

gun to different universes and explore 

while having awesome adventures. The 

craze all started in late 2013 with a bychance 

pitch by Dan Harmon and Justin 

Roiland after several failed attempts with 

other cartoons. The show later got picked 

up by Adult Swim and became a smashing 

success. 

Each of its three seasons feature 10 to 

20-minute long episodes that are jampacked 

with twists and dark comedy. The 

writers found an amazing outlet for cyni- 

This summer was all about music 

PATRICK BAYOUTH 

Staff Writer 

Many great songs were performed this 

past summer, including “Despacito,” “I’m 

the One,” and “That’s What I Like.” 

“Despacito,” by Daddy Yankee and Luis 

Fonsi, features major artist Justin Bieber. 

“Despacito” is currently the number one 

song on The Billboard Hot 100 list and 

has been on the list for the past twentynine 

weeks. The song led Spotify to 

declare Bieber the “Latin King” in an ad. 

cal humor to bring out important issues 

regarding a various number of topics. 

On one of Rick and Morty’s adventures, 

the entire universe gets destroyed, and 

Rick and Morty portal to a parallel universe 

where their characters were killed 

off. They end up burying their bodies in 

the backyard and continue on with their 

lives. The topic is not brought up until one 

day when Morty’s sister Summer is freaking 

out about her overall existence when 

Morty looks at her, explains the situation 

about his parallel self’s death, and says, 

“Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody 

belongs anywhere. We’re all going to die. 

Come watch TV?” This self-awareness 

that everyone’s existence is completely 

coincidental and nothing’s on purpose is 

an amazing feat that the writers managed 

to convey in a delicate way. 

Rick and Morty is a 100% on Rotten 

Tomatoes and has almost a 99% retention 

rate. 

Rick and Morty’s third season is currently in swing. Photo courtesy of tvtropes.com. 

This angered many in the Latin community 

and forced Spotify to pull the ad. 

DJ Khaled’s “I’m the One” featured a 

handful of major artists including Quavo, 

Chance the Rapper, Lil Wayne, and once 

again, Bieber. This song reached number 

one on The Billboard Hot 100 list as well. 

Music fanatic Daniel Davis gave this 

song a five-star rating and claimed he “listens 

to it every night and every morning.” 

Listeners are eager for these artists to 

come out with new music as the school 

year moves forward. 

Try these off-campus lunch spots 

HUNTER MEGARITY 

Staff Writer 

This year the EHS administration 

decided to allow the Senior Class to start 

enjoying off-campus lunch privileges 

early, in this case Friday, September 8. 

With the old cafeteria under construction, 

seniors were eager to start heading 

off campus but had a little trouble deciding 

where to eat every day. I have come 

up with a list of some of the best spots to 

grab a quick lunch around campus. 

Central Market on Weslayan is a great 

place to go with friends. It has a variety 

of lunch foods that are already made so 

The Case for Spotify 

SYDNEY HUTCHINS 

Staff Writer 

Spotify is a way to stream music, videos, 

and podcasts digitally for free. The 

application allows listeners to enjoy artists 

from all over the world with access to millions 

of different songs. 

Spotify on mobile devices is ad-supported, 

shuffle-only, but Spotify on a computer 

tablet allows on-demand, ad-supported 

listening. This means when you are listening 

to music on your phone, you cannot 

pick a song on-demand when you want 

as the app on a computer or tablet allows; 

you are only allowed to listen to a song on 

a playlist in shuffle-only mode with seven 

skips allowed. 

However, if you make your playlist 

good enough to where you don’t even 

need to skip a song, then that is not a 

problem. 

Spotify Radio was also recently 

launched which is very similar to Pandora. 

All you do is pick a song, artist, album, or 

playlist, and it will come up with music 

based on your choice; here, you can rate 

the music that you listen to on the radio to 

make it more personable. 

Spotify Premium is my most recommended 

because you can jam out with 

ad free music, listen to music without 

an Internet connection or service, enjoy 

unlimited skips, and take advantage of the 

on-demand feature for mobile devices! 

They also have very affordable deals all 

for the Spotify Premium option such as 

family packs and student discounts. 

Spotify is always my go-to for music; 

I don’t even have Pandora on my phone 

anymore now that I have Spotify because 

it encompasses every aspect Pandora 

has, plus more! What’s not to love about 

Spotify? 

you and your friends can eat lunch and get 

back to school with plenty of time. 

Luigi’s Pizzeria is another quick and 

easy spot to hit with a big group, and it is 

very close to school. Also, who doesn’t 

love a pizza break during the school day? 

Some other restaurants to consider are 

1. Buffalo Grille 

2. Subway 

3. Skeeter’s 

4. Island Grill 

5. Bubba’s Burgers 

6. Smashburger 

7. Raising Cane’s 

8. Zoës Kitchen 

Point / Counterpoint: 

Which streaming service is best? 

The Case for Pandora 

MRS. JONES 

Math Extraordinare 

Guest Writer 

Pandora began in 2000, the year I 

graduated high school, and I started using 

it around 2003, when music sharing programs 

like Napster and Limewire became 

risky to use for fear of criminal charges 

for copyright infringement. 

Pandora was like a beacon in the night, 

calling all young people that didn’t have 

the money to buy music (thanks, Apple), 

and didn’t want to tune-in to an actual FM 

radio station. 

We created playlists based on the artist 

or song that we liked, and Pandora gave 

us new songs by similar artists. If we 

enjoyed them, thumbs up; if not, thumbs 

down. This feature even predates the 

Facebook “Like.” 

We became the curators of our own 

radio stations, while still enjoying the benefits 

of discovering new music. Some of 

the playlists I still listen to hearken back 

to my college days. 

In particular, my Guster Station that features 

locally popular Boston-based band, 

Guster, sends me back in time to enjoy the 

sounds of my young adulthood while still 

allowing me to discover new music with 

current bands. 

Does Spotify do some of this? Yes. Does 

it also do other things like let you listen 

to the song you want, when you want it? 

Yes. But I didn’t grow up in the want-itnow, 

get-it-now generation, and I think the 

world could use a little more patience and 

exposure to music (and ideas) they might 

not have been willing to try before. 

This is why I will continue to make Pandora 

my streaming music app of choice. 

“Despacito” was the song of the summer. Photo courtesy of billboard.com. 

The dispute between streaming services has been long standing, with some users 

preferring Pandora over Spotify. Photo courtesy of gcmag.org.


Opinion 

Is it possible America is becoming Anti-American? 

LAUREN PORTER 


With the divide between the Democrats 

and Republicans growing larger with last 

year’s election of President Donald Trump, 

a serious question has been raised by many: 

are more Americans demonstrating anti- 

American thought? The demonstration 

of blatant anti-American acts following 

the 2016 election, such as the burning of 

American flags and statements from some 

about abandoning the country and moving 

elsewhere if Hillary Clinton were not elected, 

are only some examples of the growing 

problem. The epidemic of anti-American 

philosophy is tormenting the country and 

only worsening the lack of unity among 

Americans. Some of the possible reasons 

that could be causing this lack of nationalism 

is the growing division in the country 

and the role the media plays to increase 

this chasm, as well as limited education 

around these important topics. A Fox News 

poll conducted in June shows that just 51% 

of Americans state they are proud of their 

country, while 45% are not proud to be 

Americans. This is a frightening drop from 

the same poll in June of 2011, when 69% 

of people claimed to be proud of America, 

and just 28% were not. What could be 

causing this dramatic decline? 

ISABELLA GOODMAN 

Staff Writer 

In recent years, music award show ratings 

have taken a hit. As fewer and fewer 

people tune in to see their favorite artists 

make red carpet appearances and obligatory 

social media posts, many are left wondering 

why we, as a society, continue to encourage 

these events and propagate these 

superfluous occasions. 

Fans and stars alike have, as of late, 

shown less and less reverence for award 

ceremonies and their glamorized presentations. 

In fact, a large number of A-list 

celebrities now tend to opt-out, skipping 

events all together. For example, mega 

stars like Justin Bieber, Kanye West, and 

Frank Ocean are rarely seen at these events 

and are vocal about their distaste for award 

shows. On the fan side, many simply do 

not see the importance of the shows and 

believe they lack meaning. Some even see 

these star-studded popularity contests as 

rigged, and while some of the more outlandish 

beliefs read more like conspiracy 

theories, not all are lacking merit. 

But why don’t people care anymore? Part 

of the problem is the antiquated system. 

Pop music, like any art form, is subjective, 

and having only an “elite” group vote on 

the winners alienates fans who believe that 

One may simply look at it from a partisan 

political basis. With America becoming 

in-creasingly liberal, one could argue that 

it is sim-ply the change in the 

administration from Obama to Trump. 

However, the Fox News poll shows that 

this is not purely about party affiliation. 

The poll also showed that 64% of 

Republicans are proud of their country 

and 39% of Democrats consider 

themselves proud Americans. While there 

is more than a 20% difference between the 

parties, 64% of Republicans is not a great 

number showing any intense loyalty to the 

President. 

The decline of nationalism among Americans 

has been prevalent in recent years for 

many reasons, including the increasing 

agendas of media outlets. With the media 

constantly under fire and government 

leaks consuming every aspect of life, many 

Americans may feel as if they cannot trust 

their own country. 

The constant false allegations and news 

coverage on ratings-driven topics such as 

the “Russia Investigation” fuel an internal 

weariness of the media, and in some cases, 

can cause citizens to feel they are living 

in a manipulated, politicized world. The 

media is becoming far too politicized and 

decides to only focus on the divisive differences 

between the right and the left instead 

Unnecessary award shows 

their favorite singer deserves to win more 

than his or her competitors. Some award 

shows have embraced this in an effort to 

stay current, but those who do not end 

up suffering. User interaction is perhaps 

the most important part to keeping award 

shows afloat, and the events that capitalize 

on this often end up more successful. 

When fans feel more included and valued, 

when they feel as though they are making a 

difference, they are more engaged. 

Music awards aren’t the only ones affected 

by a public disinterest. Other major 

award events have faced steady declines 

in popularity, such as the Oscars and the 

Emmys. This might be because people 

are simply no longer interested in them or 

because they rarely seem to adapt to the 

times. In recent years, the Oscars has faced 

backlash for a lack of diversity, and the 

main takeaway from the 2017 Oscars was 

the mishap when La La Land was 

called for Best Picture instead of the 

correct win-ner Moonlight. 

Despite a steady decline in viewership, 

award shows are still raking in millions of 

views, and the fashion and spectacle of it 

all still wow many, so they show no sign 

of slowing down. In the end, award shows 

don’t always reflect the actual opinion of 

listeners, and as a result, shouldn’t be taken 

as serious as some believe them to be. 

of focusing on the unity needed to fix some 

of the major problems in America, such as 

jobs and healthcare. 

Education is another cause of this anti- 

American rhetoric that is developing in the 

U.S., as many are finding that schools seem 

to focus primarily on the sins and faults of 

American history and less on many of the 

great triumphs and progress that led the 

U.S. to become the most powerful country 

in the world. Although it is important 

to recognize American flaws, the education 

system also needs to instill nationalistic 

values that will provide a sense of pride in 

America’s youth. In my opinion, it is important 

to have a strong, nationalist, young 

generation who will eventually become 

America’s leaders so we can continue to 

grow as a global superpower. According 

to Joel Westheimer in his article “Thinking 

about Patriotism,” the curriculum taught 

in many schools across the country is not 

The Knight Times 

Head of School 

Ned Smith 

Assistant Head of School 

Nancy Laufe Eisenberg 

Dean of Arts 

Jay Berckley 

Visual Arts Chair 

Kate Philbrick 

Publications Coordinator 

David Framel 

Photojournalism Instructor 

Jaime Sonnier 

Photojournalism Editor 

Miranda Greenwalt 

Episcopal High School 

4650 Bissonnet, Bellaire, TX 77450 

713-512-3400 

adequately delivering patriotic messages 

to children in order to build on this strong 

nationalistic foundation. While this is not 

an immediate problem detrimental to society, 

it will be concerning in the future as 

American values increasingly shift. 

Overall, Americans need to realize the 

privilege we are given everyday in this 

country to express our thoughts and beliefs. 

The opportunities Americans are 

afforded in the U.S. are incomparable to 

many other countries that control every aspect 

of life and do not grant the same rights 

to all citizens. Dividing the country over a 

single election that potentially could result 

in seven more years of one president is, at 

the maximum, massively shortsighted, as 

there are countries in far worse conditions 

facing dictators and regimes that never 

have a finite end. Nationalistic values and 

unity must return to the United States before 

the chasm becomes too large to repair. 

During a violent protest in Civic Center Park, armed police had to step in in order 

to contain the crowd. Protestors were rioting against Trump in the park in Berkley, 

California, professing their belief that the President is one of the primary causes of 

distrust between Americans and the government. Photo courtesy of Berkleyside.com. 


Lauren Porter 

Staff Writers 

Will Edens 

Sydney Hutchins 

Ellie Ragiel 

Isabel Young 

Isabella Goodman 

Hunter Megarity 

Angel Stringer 

Sophia Henry 

Cami Pyne 

Preston Witt 

Patrick Bayouth 

Annabelle Cokinos 

Elliott Jones 

Daniel Davis 

Gabrielle Ducote 

Photographers 

Teagan Ashworth, Chris Castro Janecki, Cara Kennedy, Lane McCool, Mason Morris, 

Parker Nickerson, Julia Toups, Trinity Watts, Hannah Windle, Rohan Asthana, Phoebe 

Crow, Layton Debes, Caroline Fertitta, Elliott Jones, Robert Mason, Taylor Ranucci, 

James Henry Ray, Stockton Shaffer, Madison Stanke, Sophie Thomas, Sasha Vermeil, 

Rachel Boeker, Sydney Bosarge, Kaveinga Davis, Will Davis, Spencer Donley, Cydne 

Harrell-Malveaux, Amber Hatfield, Alexandra Herrera, Sadie Jensen, Elliott Leathers, 

Chloe Masterson, Luke Pugh, Ethan Tuckwood, Luke White, Alan Ayanegui, Christina 

Betti, Isabel Frasier, Sophia Pamphilis, Margaret Runnels, Sophia Wayne, David 

Bebczuk, Sydney Cooper, Alex Deutsch, Elizabeth Anne Charbonnet, Sophia Haugh, 

Sadie Jensen, Lindsey Little, Anna McLauchlin, Julia Nasser, Chandler Onyekwelu, 

Kate Peterkin, Lexi Sagers,Madelyn Scholtes, Amelia Traylor, Celine Waxham 

Katy Perry hosted the 2017 Video Music Awards on August 27. Despite the popular 

star hosting the show, the rating were abnormally low because people are not interested 

in the pointless shows anymore. No matter how popular the show’s host, it still 

does not attract enough viewers to remain popular. Photo courtesy of Goldderby.com. 

The Knight Times is a product of students in the Episcopal High School newspaper 

class, who are solely responsible for its creation and editorial content. The opinions 

expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent those of the Episcopal 

Board of Trustees, administration, faculty, and staff. Published ten times a year, The 

Knight Times is a non-profit educational tool. The staff encourages the submission of 

letters, editorials, and story ideas from the community but reserves the right to edit and/ 

or use said articles.


Knight Shift 

Scavenger Hunt 

The Knight Times wanted to start off the year with all of your Back Page 

regulars, but we are also throwing it back to Issue 27 with a Class of 

2011 favorite - Scavenger Hunt. 

Top 10 Worst Back Page Features 

10. Running out of ideas and having two Top 10s on one back page 

9. 20 facts about Bermuda grass 

8. Industrial Paper Shredder Power Rankings 

7. Best Fruits That Aren’t Cantalopes 

6. Top 10 Salad Sauces 

5. Top 10 Vague References 

4. Best Back Page Ideas That Got Shut Down Multiple Times 

(Spoiler alert: none of them were good) 

3. Top 28 Oxymorons 

Welcome to The Knight Times Scavenger Hunt, a bold adventure into every nook 

and cranny of the EHS campus, a tireless pursuit of all things Knight, an epic quest 

for the illustrious prize. The first person to find this item somewhere on campus and 

report their discovery via email to either Knight Shift Editor Ellie Ragiel or Knight 

Shift apprentice Daniel Davis will win a free cookie card. Happy Hunting! 

Top 10 Things About The 

Hildebrand Athletic Center 

2. Top 10 Christmas Decorations 

1.All aspects of the 2017 April Back Page 

(Celebrity Sighting) 

10. Stadium lockers 

9. Panoramic views of Trotter while you’re working out 

8. Health class with air conditioning 

7. Ballin’ during lunch with your shoes off 

6. Aux cords in the locker room 

5. Calling it the new ‘kek (with AC) 

4. Getting lost on your way to the trainer 

3. Touch screen TVs 

2. Getting swole in the new weight room 

1. Your shoes squeaking on the gym floor 

Mad Men actor Jay R. Ferguson shares such an uncanny resemblance to our very 

own Mr. Binder that we can’t tell who is who! Although Mr. Binder teaches ethics 

while Ferguson’s character Stan Rizzo lives in the unethical world of Madison Avenue 

advertizing, I think we can all admit that this is one of our most spot on sightings 

yet. Photos by Hunter Megarity and courtesy of hollywoodreporter.com. 

ehsknighttimes 

What Are Those? 

Junior Jack Panus was spotted 

in the courtyard evening out his 

sock tan after a long weekend of 

golfing. Our staff, however, thinks 

those white ankles complement 

his snazzy loafers perfectly. 

Senior Sophia Henry goes for the floral 

trend this fall, taking advice from 

the new EHS motto to Stand Out! 

Hope the bees don’t give you too 

much trouble. Buzz Buzz. 

Freshman Robert Buzzbee shows 

his pride for wildlife by rocking 

matching Gucci socks and sneakers 

sporting a tiger. We highly approve 

of your style risk. 

Houston we have a problem! Chris 

Castro reaches for the stars in these 

space boots, both eye-opening and 

extraterrestrial. We know you’ll be 

safe out and about this Saturday 

night with those reflective kicks. 

Photos by Daniel Davis and Isabel Young.

THE KNIGHT TIMES - August 2017

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