Panther Prints | Issue 2 | December 2019

P A N T H E R
PRINTS
DEC. 16, 2019 ISSUE 2
BARELY.
HANGING.
ON.
.pg. 10.

editors
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Gracie Warhurst
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Saifiyah Zaki
Copy Editor
Juliette Roberts
Copy Editor
Makayla Herron
Video Editor
Elena Hamlin
Advertising &
PR Manager
Andrew Cox
Online Editor
Sonali Menon
Sports Editor
Jad Baajour
reporters
Alexa Dezelan
Sevval Erenkol
Riya George
Bree Johnson
Ethan Johnson
Akie Kasai
Fatima Malik
Isis Martin
Carrieona Moncure
Myh Seyoum
Joelle Tindal
Cover Model:
Junior Rachel Harvey
Centerspread Models:
Junior Charles Igbo
Senior Jillian Herrera
Photos by Saifiyah Zaki
Use this QR code to access more
content on our website!
Letters from the
Co-Editors-in-Chief
ith finals approaching and college application deadlines looming
Wahead, the month of December serves as a stressful time for students.
Recognizing this, we took this opportunity to discuss the rising
rates of mental health issues in teens in hopes of opening discussion
about how to combat them. Much of the rest of the magazine focuses
on lighter issues, including feature stories on the return of the GSA
club and twins on campus. After already working through one print
cycle, our talented staff members learned and improved their craft
and I’m excited to see what comes next.
Saifiyah Zaki
his issue of the Panther Prints pieces together the student body’s
Tfeelings of anticipation for the holidays, concerns about the future
and the ever-present feelings of stress. Just as semester exams
approach, our centerspread deals with what our students and peers
know to be a pressing and ongoing issue — anxiety and the pressure
to perform. I hope our centerspread makes the student body feel seen
and gives them the tools they need to stay afloat during exams. Overall
I’m proud of the cohesiveness and timeliness of the paper we’ve
put together, and happy to see the shift in our reporters now that
we’ve got the ball rolling. I can’t wait for what else we have in store.
Gracie Warhurst
Letter to the Editors
really enjoy how there is a story for a lot of unspoken clubs, groups and
I people. For example, I didn’t know that the art history teacher bred
snakes. [I also liked the] story on Jordyn Ford about how she plays in
the band as well as being a golden girl. I always saw her make her way
back and forth in between each group and I always wondered how that
worked at games. As for the cover story on sexual harassment, I believe
it was very enlighting about a touchy subject. It was very clear on the
topic and had evidence. The photos were very complimentary.
Mission Statement
t Panther Prints, our mission is to serve as a connection between
Athe Plano East student body and surrounding communities. Through
inspiration and high-quality content, Panther Prints offers diverse coverage,
passionate writing, relatable stories and a unique point of view.
Our credible sources allow an in-depth experience that appeals to both
the public and the individual. Our publication offers an informative and
distinctive outlook on current interests.
Digital Media Policy
e the Panther Prints commit to responsibly utilize all of our media
Wplatforms to unite and inform the student body. We strive to create
original content and attribute credit to all sources. We require our staff
to uphold these values and to accurately report the news to the student
body and community.
To submit letters to the editors of the Panther Prints:
Plano East Senior High School
Journalism Department
3000 Los Rios Blvd., Plano, TX 75074
Building 4, Room 201
(469) 752- 9000
bit.ly/LetterToEditors
All student polls were conducted through Google Forms and shared
through social media.
.
Icons by Icons8
-junior Shirly Bogonko

Contents
7
institutions
Hispanic
serving
Photo by Gracie Warhurst
8
Photo by Akie Kasai
Increasing
GSA club returns
12
after hiatus
Unfair
Panther
Pride
team
Photo by Abby Santos
10
rates of anxiety
and stress
Photo by Fatima Malik
16
schedule policy
for senior release
18
Twins on
campus
Photo by Myh Seyoum
Photo by Saifiyah Zaki
TWITTER
INSTAGRAM
SNAPCHAT
@peshprints

4 • News PESHPRINTS.COM
Puzzled
Panthers
by Carrieona Moncure
.Why is there student Wi-Fi if
.we don’t know the password?
The Wi-Fi is used exclusively for the
school’s Chromebook use, meaning
there isn’t a specific student Wi-Fi.
The guest Wi-Fi, however, is available
for students to use and doesn’t require
a password.
Is there a downstairs to
building three?
Yes, downstairs building three is
where all of the agricultural classes
are located. If you’re interested
in getting there, you can start by
walking inside of the cafeteria toward
the bistro. Once you’re near the
bistro, walk out of the set of doors
that lead to the patio outside. You
should see a sitting area there. Take
the ramp and then make a left at
the end. As you’re turning, walk until
the tennis courts are in view where
there should be a white, exterior
door leading into a welding area and
four classrooms.
Check out this video walkthrough
to downstairs building three:
Are students required to
take a fourth year science?
Yes, you are required to take a fourth
year science because four years of science
is required to reach 26 graduation
credits. However, you can pick which
classes you want for the third and fourth
science class.
Send us questions at
bit.ly/puzzledpanthers
Photos by Carrieona Moncure
Proposed law lowers
voting age to 17 for
state primaries
by Andrew Cox
Texas has one of the lowest voter turnouts
in the country and its youth vote
has historically been no exception. In
2014, just 8% of Texas voters under 30
turned out to vote in the midterms. That
number tripled during the Senate race
between Robert O’Rourke and Ted Cruz
in 2018. House Bill 512, introduced into
the Texas legislature December, aims to
make that increase
last.
“[Voting is] most
likely going to continue
that way,” senior
Lauren Dunn
said. “The way that
social media has impacted
our elections
has been so great,
not even [just] with
charismatic politicians
but with politicians
that have
teams that run social
media targeted
toward a younger
demographic.”
The bill would allow
17-year-olds to
vote in primary elections,
where political
parties choose their
candidates for state
and county officials
provided they would
be 18 by the time of
the general election.
“When you’re 17
[during primaries]
but turn 18 by the
time of the general
election, you don’t
get a say in who’s on
the ballot — you just
have to pick who’s
there,” senior Tan
Dau said.
If passed, Texas will join 16 other
states that allow 17-year-olds to take
part in some form of voting or caucusing,
a way parties in some other states select
their candidates.
“It makes sense logically that you
would have people taken into account
[now] that would affect something in the
future,” senior Chloe Foster said.
County officials who handle voter
2/5
of states
allow some form of voting at 17
3/5
states
prohibit any voting until 18
Voter turnout for youth in
Texas (18-25) grew
300%
from 2014-2019
according to civicyouth.org
registration across the state expressed
concerns with the practicality and usefulness
of such a bill. The Texas Association
of Elections Administrators opposes
the bill in its current form, believing
it would confuse the people it aims to
empower because it only allows voting
in certain elections.
“Some of the young people in my
class are much more
well-informed of the
politics going on
in and around our
world than some of
the adults I communicate
with,” AP
Government teacher
Chelsea Guin
said. “To completely
write off their views
as being confused
young people is unfair.”
The Harris County
clerk said they
would support the
bill with the caveat
that the 17-yearolds
voting should
have completed
their government
courses beforehand.
“That’s fair,” Dunn
said. “Obviously, you
need to know where
you stand on certain
issues, but also
if you don’t know
what your vote is
getting counted toward,
like whether
you’re selecting a
delegate or whether
you’re directly
voting for someone,
[that] makes a
big difference.”
The bill is currently sitting in the House
Elections Committee and has yet to be
put to a vote in the chamber.
“The sooner you get [young] people
involved in politics and the sooner you
make them feel like they’re part of the
political sphere, the better the turnout
would be for actually voting,” Foster said.
“There’s a big problem with inaction with
youth in politics.”

@PESHPRINTS News • 5
SMU counseling available to district
by Sevval Erenkol
n an effort to support the growth of men-
health awareness, the district teamed
Ital
up with Southern Methodist University to
provide counseling
sessions and mediation
services to the
students, staff and
residents of Plano.
Fees for the sessions
work on a sliding
scale, meaning
families can request
conflict-resolution
services based on
their income level,
starting at no cost
and going up to $45
per session.
75%
of students
think out-of-school counseling
or therapy is a necessity for
them or someone they know
out of 448 students polled
“We’re always
looking for more
[low-cost] opportunities
to provide for
our families,” PISD
Director of Guidance and Education Services
Jana Hancock said. “We think it’ll be
a great benefit to our students and parents
to have this option available for them
close by.”
Graduate students or dispute-resolution
interns hold the sessions while SMU
faculty supervises them. The counselors
have weekly discussions with their
mentors to ensure their patients are on
the right track. Since the clinic opened in
September, they have seen
a significant amount of interest
from the community.
“We were so overwhelmed
with the number
of calls that came in at the
beginning,” Clinic supervisor
and SMU Adjunct Professor
Farnoosh Faith Nouri
said. “We’re trying to make
sure everybody’s needs
[are] being accommodated
and that’s been more challenging
now.”
The clinic at the Cox
Building offers an abundance
of services such as
couples’ medi- ation,
play and ac- tivity
therapy for children
and teenagers, and
family therapy for cases
of anxiety, depression
and grief. Counseling
sessions are available
on Wednesdays and
Thursdays while conflict
resolution services are
available Monday through Friday, both
of which can be scheduled by phone. In
order to take advantage of the extra support,
the school’s counselors have begun
referring students to the clinic.
“We do help with personal issues, but
we’re not therapists,” school guidance
counselor Jinnetter Dixon said. “[Students]
come in with emotional stress or
trauma in some form or shape, and it’s always
good to have additional resources.
The difference is this [new counselor] is
someone they will be seeing [on an] ongoing
[basis].”
Hancock believes people with either
situational or continuous difficulties could
benefit by having a support system that
assists them in finding ways to cope.
“This is just one of a number of services
that we’re trying to expand and
make available to people in all parts of
the district,” Hancock said. “We’re excited
about this clinic moving in.”
ACT to offer new testing options fall 2020
by Alexa Dezelan
he ACT plans to provide students
Twith the option to take the exam
online starting September 2020. Additionally,
they will now offer section
retakes for students who may have
a weaker score in one subject from
a previous exam.
However, this only benefits the
score if the college superscores the
ACT, or totals their highest scores
from science, math, reading and English
sections. Moreover, those who
take the exam on the computer would
be able to find out their score within
two days.
“I believe [retaking] would benefit
my score,” junior Tien Huynh said. “If I
didn’t do as well as I thought I did previously,
I can improve specifically on
the section I didn’t do as well on.”
Supporters believe the option to retake
one section can relieve pressure.
“I would study more if I only had to
retake a section because it would be
less stressful on me,” junior Kendra
Ready said.
The new options for the ACT will be
available for future classes, starting
with the class of 2021, but seniors will
not be able to take the new version of
the exam, even though many think it
Call (469) 752-3098 for counseling
and (214) 768-5687 for
conflict resolution
could have helped improve their score.
“I think taking this test in parts
would have helped me more because
taking the [whole] test is such
a long process,” senior Lillie Scantlan
said.“[Instead], if I [could retake] one
section that I messed up on, it would
benefit me.”
Despite seniors’ frustration, some
hope underclassmen will take advantage
of the opportunity to retake
a section or take the entire exam
via computer.
“I would start taking the test [before
your senior year] because if you
take it too late then you might not have
many opportunities to get a better
score,” senior Tyrone Walker said. “I
would focus on what my weaknesses
[are] and I would definitely study more
and split the test up into different days
if I could.”
According to American Test Anxieties
Association, around 16 to 20% of
students experience test anxiety. Because
of this, seniors and underclassmen
alike feel the updated version of
the ACT may help students who have
test anxiety or have trouble taking
standardized tests.
“It would be less stress on me instead
of having to study for the whole
test, which would be just as stressful,
[so I’d want to] avoid that at all costs,”
Ready said.
64%
25%
of students
favor the
new policy
of students
think having to
retake the whole
test instead of one
section could
benefit their score
out of 448 students polled

6 • News PESHPRINTS.COM
Enrollment anti-boom
Declining growth, charter schools affect student enrollment
by Riya George
district update revealed a declining
A growth rate in Plano schools as student
enrollment data shows a consistent
diminishing trend since 2013. Currently,
PISD has 50,854 students
in grades K-12 —
a 441 student decrease
from the previous
school year. In 2018, the
district saw an 850 student
decrease. The district
believes the main
culprits — decreasing
birth rates and students
moving to charter
schools — will continue
to impact enrollment.
“It’s somewhat a
generational issue that
there’s just lower birth
rates than we [saw]
several years ago,” chief
financial officer Randy McDowell said.
“[Millennials] having smaller families and
waiting later to have families has a big
impact.”
A primary district concern is class
size disparity — kindergarten classes
441
There was a
student decrease in district
enrollment from 2018-19
larger than outgoing graduating classes
— especially as more students move toward
charter schools. Charter schools
are government-funded institutions that
stand independent of
the local district curriculum.
Parents who
choose charters may
seek close-knit communities
due to smaller
class sizes. Plano
charter Legacy Preparatory
Academy claims
students reap unique
benefits because of a
12-1 student-teacher
ratio compared to Plano
East’s ratio of 16-1,
as listed on the Public
School Review.
“We were in the Allen
school district and we
weren’t displeased with it at all,” science
teacher and parent Joanna Anderson
said. “We just decided to take a chance
with the charter school. [The kids] are
very sheltered, all the parents know each
other and we can keep an eye on them a
lot better.”
Though smaller class sizes prompt
students to shift to charter schools,
a lack of diversity is why many charter
school students return to traditional
public schools.
“I feel like [traditional] public schools
are a lot more moldable,” senior and former
charter school student Zachary Hailey
said. “[At charter schools] there were
not many opportunities to go past what
the curriculum lets you do.”
Although data indicates an aging population,
Plano enrollment won’t decline
forever. Between 2010 and 2018, the city
saw a 10.8% increase in population as
well as some of the largest graduating
classes in Texas. According to Templeton
Demographics, as younger families
start to move into the area and multi and
single-family apartments continue to appear
within city limits, developments offer
prospects of growth for the district.
“I actually think enrollment will go up
in the next 20 years or so,” Anderson
said. “ I think if parents do their research,
they’ll realize [traditional] public schools
do offer a really great product.”

@PESHPRINTS News • 7
More Texas colleges on path to
receive federal funding
by Gracie Warhurst
exas A&M University and the Universi-
of North Texas, ranked at numbers
Tty
70 and 281 in US News’ best colleges
in the United States, are on their way to
becoming Hispanic-serving institutions
(HSIs) with Hispanic students making up
22.6% and 23.4% of their undergraduate
classes, respectively.
Title V of the Higher Education Opportunity
Act defines a Hispanic-serving institution
as an institution of higher
education with 25% or
more Hispanic undergraduate
full-time enrollment. Beginning
in 1998, the federal
government allotted funding,
as much as $700,000,
to these universities.
“I think it primarily would
help those first-gen kids,
which, regardless of race,
need help because [they]
don’t have that background
at home to help navigate
through the application process,” director
of campus counseling Carah Marquez said.
Although a 25% Hispanic enrollment
qualifies colleges for the HSI label, schools
still have to apply for funding to be designated
by the federal government.
“We shouldn’t have [race-specific] programs
because then we’re just with the
same people all the time that have the
same ideas,” senior Bianca Gurrusquieta
said. “We’re going to keep having that one
mindset that we’ve had our entire lives.”
According to the U.S. Department of
education, the purpose of the grant is to
give institutions the capability to support
Hispanic and low-income students through
academic and institutional services such
as curriculum development, teaching
supplies, facility renovations and student
support services.
“Programs like these really promote their
There
93
are currently
involvement with higher education and
it can be useful to both our society as a
whole to have more college educated people
out there as well as in their own lives,”
senior Vishnu Raghunath said.
In 2010, HSIs received funding totaling
more than $60 million. However, there are
broad requirements for how colleges can
spend their grants. For example, Texas
State University, the largest HSI in Texas
with 39% Hispanic enrollment,
may use their funds
for university advancement
such as renovation and scientific
equipment.
“Don’t
think
of the
govern-
HSIs in Texas
There are
46
ment
as a
b i g
hando
u t ;
that’s crazy,” career preparation
teacher Tommy
Guynes said. “If [colleges] emerging HSIs in Texas
can manage what [they]
have in a fair and equitable
way [then] someone’s going to notice that.”
Gurrusquieta and Raghunath both applied
to A&M. Gurrusquieta recalls colleges
reaching out to her because of her ethnicity,
attaching statistics of the Hispanic population
at their school in their recruitment
emails, while no schools mentioned race
to Raghunath.
“In all honesty, I feel like [colleges] don’t
really take Hispanics as serious as they
should, they kind of put us below [others],”
Senior Bianca Gurrusquieta flips through a notebook
by the pond Nov. 18.
Photo by Gracie Warhurst
Gurrusquieta said. “They wouldn’t think
we’re as smart as we are.”
A&M and UNT are soon to join the list
of 93 HSIs in Texas, the second largest
amount following California’s 170.
“[If] a school has the infrastructure in
place to work with Hispanic students, I will
definitely steer them in that direction,” Marquez
said. “I think all the counselors would
if that’s appropriate for that student.”
According to the U.S. Census bureau,
the Hispanic population in Texas grew by
1.9 million from the 2010 census to the
2018 estimate. Furthermore, Marquez describes
three different categories of Hispanic
students at the school, including
students whose families have been here for
generations, students who are first-generation
Americans, and students who have
immigrated here. These students make up
26.4% of the school.
“I think you have to be
careful to not lump Hispanic
students all [together] and
brush them all with that one
broad stroke,” Marquez said.
The Advancement Via
Individual Determination,
or AVID, program is a nationwide
high school program
geared toward college
readiness. Hispanics make
up the majority of the AVID
program at the school, with
38% freshmen, 86% sophomores, 67% juniors
and 62% seniors.
“Personally, I think college should
be based entirely on your qualifications and
you know hopefully you’re going to get the
diversity with that,” AVID teacher Summer
Simmons said. “But I think college should
be fair to anyone and it should be equal
opportunity for every single person who
wants to go.”

8 • Feature PESHPRINTS.COM
Gay-Straight Alliance returns
Club restarts after hiatus
by Akie Kasai
Walking into a Gay-Straight Alliance
(GSA) meeting, GSA president,
junior Daveion Milligan, and the rest
of the officers welcome their members.
Though the meetings can be
hectic with the group ready to socialize,
team-building activities the group
brainstorms create a laid-back, welcoming
environment.
GSA clubs are national student-run
organizations that connect
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender
and queer students (LGBTQ) with
allied youth to build communities
and discuss issues impacting them.
However, many students and staff
did not know that a GSA club existed
in the past. Milligan took the
initiative and decided to restart the
club after a yearlong hiatus.
“The purpose of the GSA
was to provide a safe space for
not only queer individuals but
for straight people who want
to learn more and support the
cause,” Mulligan said. “It’s needed
to further [spread] positivity
and be a place that fosters peace
and protection.”
Every GSA club creates its own
mission to meet the needs of its
members and their school, but
there are three main types of GSA
clubs: social, support and activist.
Milligan created a social GSA to
allow students to meet and connect
with other LGBTQ students on
campus.
“I call our GSA kids, ‘my kids,’”
GSA vice president junior Zee
Mucheson said. “You signing up
for this club makes you my No. 1
priority as a mom or [Vice president].
You are important to this
community and school so I [want
to] make sure you have somewhere
to go when you feel
less important.”
GSA sponsor Susan Kessler-Muse
provides the room
and time for the group to meet.
As an ally, she supports the students
in their endeavors.
“It’s fun to see them happy
and free to be themselves,” Kessler-Muse
said. “I hope they accomplish
their goals [for the club].
To break down the walls of judgment,
I fully support them.”
Members appreciate having
the chance to meet other
LGBTQ students and allies that support
the community in a welcoming
environment.
“It’s [about] being able to socialize
with everyone — everyone’s so nice and
it’s really fun,” senior Yasmine Benelbar
said. “We’re all in the same boat so there
are a lot of things that we can relate [to]
“I hope [the GSA] spreads awareness
of people in the community, but I hope
it spreads awareness that we’re here,
and yeah, we’re queer but we’re
proud of that.”
-GSA member and senior Amber Brockmann
“
Photo by Akie Kasai
with each other.”
Although the club met from 2014-
2018 under the direction of economics
teacher Julie Malcom, there was no GSA
from the 2018-2019 school year. Malcom
oversaw the meetings for students
to come together and created presentations
to address the issues that LGBTQ
students encountered. Back in
2015 and 2016, club members
participated in the Gay, Lesbian
and Straight Education Network
(GLSEN) Day of Silence, a national
student-led demonstration
where LGBTQ students and allies
around the world take a vow of silence
to protest harassment and
discrimination of LGBTQ people
in schools.
“If we don’t accept [LGBTQ students]
and [let them] be who they
are, we would be missing [the] vibrancy
that we appreciate,” Malcom
said. “[The day] was to show
what it would be like, without that
[vibrancy].”
GSA meets in room B3-209
every Monday after school from
4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
“The number-one [goal] is to
provide a safe space for any student
to express themselves,” Malcom
said. “They [may] need a safe
space to do it, so I think [providing]
that is the basic foundation of
the club.”
1 out of 5
students
consider themselves
part of the LGBTQ+
community
out of 448 students polled

@PESHPRINTS Feature • 9
PANTHER PROFILE
Transfer student challenges
himself in new environment
by Makayla Herron
efore moving to Texas from Saudi Arabia
Bin May 2018, senior Bader Dawood expected
to find the state filled with deserts,
horses and cowboys, but he soon learned
that wasn’t the case. As a transfer student,
he had to advance his language skills whilst
growing accustomed to his new, and slightly
surprising, home.
“I thought [America] was going to be like
the movies,” Dawood said. “I learned not to
trust movies [after moving here].”
Dawood found several differences between
Saudi Arabia and the United States,
including the way students spend time with
friends. There he could rent a room, comparable
to event rooms in the U.S, with his
friends to play cards or video games whereas
here he stays at home or plays soccer with
his brothers.
“When we wanted to hang out [in Saudi
Arabia] there [were] more options than here,
but most of the places [here] close early, so
it’ll be hard to go out at night,” Dawood said.
“The biggest shock I had when I came to
[the] U.S. was how the two sexes communicate.
In Saudi Arabia we cannot do that; we
Ultimate Frisbee takes off
Club participates in first state competition
by Jad Baajour
he Ultimate Frisbee Club is official-
making its way up the ladder this
Tly
spring, competing at a state level for
the first time. Senior Luke Stipanovic
founded the club in 2017 and
since then the club has grown
in members and popularity,
providing the team with
enough highly-skilled players
to compete.
“It makes me really happy
[to know that] we’ve roped in
more people over the years,”
Stipanovic said.
Ultimate Frisbee Club appeals
to students as an outlet
from academic stress.
The club now has around
25 students, many of them
being in organizations
outside of frisbee.
“A majority of us, when we
started the club, were in IB,
so there was a lot of stress
involved,” IB senior Peter
Ngo said. “Just being able
to go out there and play a sport with
your friends takes a lot of stress off
can’t even have a girlfriend.”
After moving he took a language exam,
which indicated his proficiency in English was
limited. However, his ESL teacher, Jamie Zellner,
watched him grow over the last year and
feels content with how well he adapted.
“I would say he is not afraid of challenges,”
Zellner said. “[He wants] to take classes
[that] are not always the easiest. He
would often choose a [non-]ESL class just to
push himself.”
In the future Dawood plans to stay in the
United States and hopes to attend the University
of Texas at Dallas, where he would like
to major in cybersecurity.
“[I feel] proud of myself,” Dawood said.
“I’ve come a long way to reach my goals.”
Zellner also feels proud of the hard work
he’s put in to improve his language skills and
thinks his work ethic will follow him to college.
“I would say he’s definitely one of the
more ambitious students that we have,”
Zellner said. “He wants to push himself. He’s
always going to do the best that he can do
and always come to ask what he can do to
make it better.”
my shoulders.”
Stipanovic and Ngo have experience
at the national level after playing
on Texas’ U-20 Ultimate Frisbee team.
They plan to use this to their advantage
when leading their team to the
Photo by Carla Avelar
Members of the Ultimate Frisbee Club toss the frisbee during a match Dec. 4.
Photo by Makayla Herron
Senior Bader Dawood reads during his fourth
period English class Dec. 3.
state tournament.
“We hope to separate out players
who are really invested in the sport
and find those people that will be making
the final cut for the state
team,” Stipanovic said. “We’ll
be holding practices, paying
more attention to detail than
we usually do, and just giving
some extra advice.”
One of the aspects of ultimate
frisbee the club utilizes
is something called
“spirit of the game”, which
essentially emphasizes the
importance of sportsmanship
while playing at a highly
competitive level.
“It makes me feel like a
part of this new community
that I wasn’t a part of before,”
IB senior and player
Madison Kanjanasim said.
“It’s just great that we got
to meet all these new people
and create bonds with
them through the sport.”

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY R
LATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSH
COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLE
MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY S
CIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MED
SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FA
ILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIO
SHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS CO
LEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MON
SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MED
SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FA
ILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY REL
TIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSH
COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLE
MONEY SOCIAL SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MED
SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FA
ILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIO
SHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS CO
LEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MON
SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MED
SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FA
ILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIO
SHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS CO
LEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MON
SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MED
SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FA
ILY SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHO
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY R
LATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSH
COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLE
MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY S
CIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY
SOCIAL MED
SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FA
ILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIO
SHIPS FLATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY REL
TION SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHO
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY R
LATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSH
COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLE
MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY S
SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FA
ILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIO
SHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS CO
LEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MON
SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MED
SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FA
ILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY REL
TIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSH
COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLE
10 • Feature PESHPRINTS.COM
CIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MED
SOCIAL MEDIA
MONEY SOCIAL SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MED
SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FA
ILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIO
SHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS CO
LEGE MONEY SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MON
SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS COLLEGE MONEY SOCIAL MED
Barely hanging on
Rising rates of stress, anxiety disorders overwhelm teenagers, spark concern
by Saifiyah Zaki
he wakes up with her hands already
Sshaking, heart beating a mile a minute
as she tries to get out of bed. She sits in
class with a loud buzzing in her ear, staring
at the paper but unable to focus on it
for more than a few seconds. She can’t
keep her foot from drumming against the
floor, her breathing becoming short and
ragged as her pen taps against the desk.
But even after countless deep breaths
and effort after effort to relax, the anxiety
doesn’t let up.
That’s what a morning before a big test
looks like for senior Kamilah Ashley, part
of the one-in-three teenagers who suffer
from an anxiety disorder according to the
National Institute of Health. The institute
reports that rates of these disorders have
risen steadily, going up by 20% from 2007
to 2017. Depression followed the same pattern,
with the total number of teenagers
who recently experienced depression increasing
by 59% between 2007 and 2017,
according to the Pew Research Center.
Seven-in-10 teenagers say anxiety and depression
are significant issues among their
peers — a concern they share with parents,
mental health researchers and clinicians.
However, experts are conflicted between
whether teenagers today face a greater
number of environmental stressors than in
the past, or if they simply aren’t equipped
to cope with them.
“Part of the problem is definitely us
managing stress poorly,” senior Hannah
Trippe said. “I do think we have stress
people didn’t have in the past, but there
is also more stress because we’re not
managing it right.”
Childhood crutches
icensed Professional Counselor and
LMurphy Middle School counselor Sylvia
Lansing says students’ feelings of overwhelmedness
may, in part, due to lack of
education in coping mechanisms.
“Out of the goodness of parents’ hearts,
they try to ‘rescue’ their children at a young
age instead of letting them [fail] when there
are no repercussions,” Lansing said. “So,
as kids get older and older, their ability to
problem-solve on their own diminishes because
every time a child has a problem, the
parents [try to resolve it].”
Director of Guidance Carah Marquez
describes how “steamroller parents” may
hinder their child’s stress management
skills by handling their stressors for them.
“Parents smooth the way and fix everything
for their kids so that if they hit a
minor problem, they get overwhelmed,”
Marquez said. “It’s created the lack of grit
and resilience that is contributing to kids
seeming to be a lot more fragile and being
affected more profoundly [by small

@PESHPRINTS Feature • 11
difficulties] than [older generations]
would be.”
But a lack
of coping skills
is not the only
factor at play.
Students now
53%
face much
higher expectations
for
college admissions,
according
to Marquez,
resulting in an over-
exertion
of their efforts.
“When I was in high school, it wasn’t too
difficult to get into schools like the University
of Texas,” Marquez said. “That’s a difference
and a huge stress that we didn’t
face in terms of how hard it is to get where
you want to go.”
For students like junior Alicia Daley,
the need to go above and beyond to attend
a prestigious college comes from
intrinsic motivations.
“Not a lot of people are put into a position
where they can [participate in] all
these activities or have access to all these
resources,” Daley said. “I think it would just
be bad if I didn’t take advantage of it.”
Despite this motivator, 70% of 348 students
surveyed feel pressured by their parents
to perform well in school and get into
a prestigious college. Marquez and Lansing
say this parental pressure can be encouraging,
but only to an extent.
“When the expectations are not realistic,
that’s when they can be harmful,”
Marquez said. “Over-the-top pressure
to maintain unrealistically high grades is
just overwhelming.”
When working hard doesn’t work
ccording to the American Psychological
AAssociation, long-term or chronic stress
can adversely affect almost every body
system. One of the most severe of these
effects is an increased risk for high blood
pressure, heart attack or stroke.
“[Stress] is horrible for your health,”
Lansing said. “I don’t think there’s one good
thing about [excess] stress in terms of your
body and physical well-being.”
However, students reportedly find it difficult
to avoid long-term stress and its effects
due to a “stress culture” on campus
when students coming together to discuss
and compare their worries end up increasing
each other’s stress levels.
“I think we build up our stress to such
an unnecessarily high level,” senior Gaby
Montenegro said. “Whenever kids finish
and graduate they’re very proud of their
accomplishments, but they have such
bad memories of [school] because of all
their stress.”
This dilemma and a general lack of free
time are familiar issues to the counselors
on campus. Marquez says students concerned
with doing well in school often forego
engaging in any leisure activities.
“We talk to so many kids, especially
[those] that are academically stressed
that when you ask, ‘What do you do
for fun?’ they can’t tell you,” Marquez
said. “They just don’t do anything for
fun, [but] it’s OK to take a break once
in a while.”
Junior Alicia Daley
explains that a sense of
of students
say
schoolwork is their
biggest stressor
out of 448 students polled
guilt about not working
hard enough is what
promotes this lack of
time spent in recreational
activities. Many
students fear that if
they take a break, they
might fall behind or
come to regret it later.
This mentality also pushes students to take
advanced classes they have
no interest in rather than
classes relevant to their interests
that rank lower on
the GPA scale.
“I’m definitely more pressured
to do things that’ll
help me with the future
instead of things that are
just kind of fun and a good
experience,” junior Kristina
Runowski said. “I’ve learned
to let that go and take things
that might not help with that,
but that are more character
building and fun for me.”
Controlling the out-ofcontrol
tress management strat-
vary across dif-
Segies
ferent people and different
situations. Some students
believe teaching these
strategies should be the
school’s responsibility.
“I think teachers play
such a pivotal role in our
lives,” Daley said. “I think just
taking a minute and sharing
tidbits of real life experience
about stress and management
would help so much.”
There are many things
students can do to reduce
stress on their own as well.
Montenegro and Runowski
both say the most important
step they took in
trying to improve their
stress levels was
adjusting their expectations
for
themselves.
“I’ve
accepted
what
10
courses I
excel in and
which ones I
need to work a lot
harder in, because
even though I
work harder, it
doesn’t mean I’m
necessarily going
to get the same grade as
I do in the classes that just kind of come
easily to me,” Montenegro said. “I just try to
work as hard as I can and put in my best
effort.”
Working hard, for some students, looks
9
8
7
like racing through their work to complete
their assignments in the shortest time possible.
But senior Shawnette Paysinger says
that if there’s anything she’s learned from
balancing a 40-hour workweek with her
dual credit schedule, it’s to pause in small
increments of time.
“You have to learn to just take a breath in
the middle instead of going to that point of
being completely overwhelmed,” Paysinger
said. “Just stop for a second. Meditate.
Take a deep breath. [You’ll see] it’s
not the end of the world and you’ll feel so
much better.”
While believing that
working hard is a good
idea, Marquez encourages
students to take
a break every once in a
while as well. She says
69%
of students
reported their daily
stress level as a
seven or above
on a scale of 10
out of 448
students polled
the counseling office
often deals with helping
students balance
their schoolwork with
their mental, social and
physical health.
“I hope [students] know
that we’re here for them
and that that’s why we’re
[counselors],” Marquez
said. “A lot of times we get
caught in all the testing,
scheduling stuff and kids
are like, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry to
bother you,’ but no, that’s
why we’re here. It’s to talk
to you guys. So come
on down.”
Being able to have that
balance and a variety of
activities in ones schedule
is quite helpful, according
to senior Raul Diaz. Although
he works over 30
hours a week, Diaz says
he makes time to relax
and have fun.
“My parents want me to
succeed in school so
I always try to do my
best — I always try
to get A’s or B’s,” Diaz
said. “But I make time
for the stuff I want to
do, too.”
Stressful situations
are inevitable
and ever-present
in people’s lives,
according to
Lansing, but
learning to
manage
them can
make all the
difference.
“When life
knocks the wind
out of [teenagers] —
because it will, it will
absolutely knock the
wind out of them — by
dealing with their issues
effectively right now, they’re going
to have the grit, the ability and the problem-solving
capabilities to move on and get
to better places,” Lansing said.

12 • Sports PESHPRINTS.COM
Uptown
dunk
Panther Pride Special
Olympics basketball
team builds community
among players
by Elena Hamlin
ive players dribble the ball down the
Fcourt, peers and parents cheering
as the ball swishes through the net.
For many of the 17 students who make
up the Panther Pride Special Olympics
basketball team, this is their time to
feel like Panthers.
The Panther Pride has allowed students
in the special education program
to be a part of a school sports team
for 10 years. Special education teacher
Anthony Ruttenburg has coached the
team for six.
“[The team] means everything [to
me],” Ruttenburg said. “Just seeing
their smiles and giving special needs
kids an opportunity to do things that
other students do [means everything].”
Although Panther Pride is an official
school sports team, Ruttenburg allows
graduates now attending the Charmaine
Solomon Adult Transition Center
to return and play for the team, making
up six of the 17 players.
“[My son] actually graduated from
Plano East last year, and Coach Ruttenberg
is allowing [him] to come back
and play,” Mira Lee, mother of player
James Lee, said. “It’s nice that Coach
Ruttenberg lets the kids do that.”
Parents of the players feel that
they’ve seen their children’s confidence
and communication skills benefit
from their involvement with team.
“[My son’s involvement] means a lot,
definitely because he is socializing,”
Arif Rahman, father of player Adam
Rahman, said. “He’s playing. He’s totally
involved in these activities, and he
really enjoys coming over here — he
loves it, in fact.”
Similar to the community formed
among the players, parents think the
team also establishes a community for
them. Sitting with each other at games,
talking about their kids and the team
and sharing photos has established a
connection between many parents, according
to Farrell.
“It’s a lonely thing to have a child
with special needs because you can’t
always talk to other parents about
what’s going on: homework, college
essays [and] college apps,” Farrell said.
“There isn’t that. So it’s nice to have a
community here that I can talk to.”
In its offseason, the team takes on
student organizations such as senate,
PALS and other sports teams such as
wrestling and baseball. During competition
season, which occurs in February
and May, the team faces off against
other special olympics teams around
the area and attends the Special Olympics
of Texas State Championships.
While on the road, Ruttenburg makes
use of fundraising money leftover from
buying equipment and uniforms to pay
for travel expenses.
“They love [traveling] because I
[give them] five-star [treatment],” Ruttenburg
said. “I put them in the best
Junior Eryn Aquino practices with her teammates
at the school’s tennis courts Aug. 16.
Photo by Emily Ojeda
Photo by Abby Santos
Player Jesus Contreras who has graduated and now attends the Charmaine Solomon Adult Transition
Center shoots a basket on Nov. 21 at the Panther Pride’s game against the Boy’s Basketball team.
hotels; we go out to eat. Last year we
took them to Six Flags before the tournament.
We just make a big event of
the whole week.”
The Panther Pride will have their
next game on Jan. 8 in the gym.
“I just think it’s it’s great to have her
included in something,” Farrell said.
“There are so many times our kids are
overlooked, thinking that they don’t
understand, but they do and they know
when they’re not included. And so being
a part of a team is good for that,
too.”

@PESHPRINTS Sports • 13
Crossing paths
from district to state
by Isis Martin
wo cross-country runners, seniors
TGrant Wilcox and Travis Jasper, went
on to compete at the UIL State Championships
in Round Rock after a victory at
district, Nov. 10. Cross-country Coach
Robert Reed credits this to the incremental
increase in rigor of his athletes.
“[The goal] is to be better than who
you were last week, last month, last
year,” Reed said. “And if you’re doing
Photo courtesy of Bhavesh Bhakta
Senior Grant Wilcox runs at the District
cross-country meet Oct. 18. Wilcox took 12th
place leading for the school.
that and you’re putting in the work, then
the times will take care of themselves.”
While running, teammate Jasper suffered
a pinched nerve injury in both his
legs, causing him to end the race midway
through. During the race, Wilcox
was able to finish with 12th place finish
out of 152 qualifiers.
“For Travis, when we saw him early
on as a freshman, we knew that he was
talented [after] he got to go to state
meet last year with Grant,’’ Reed said.
Practicing and training up to Nov. 10,
Wilcox and Jasper prepared their bodies
to stay hydrated through a series of
mileage increases to go through races.
“If you think of it like a house, running
a lot of mileage and just spinning
and getting time on your legs, it’s like
building the foundation of a house,”
Reed said.
Practice for cross-country begins
during the summer. To build stamina
and increase mileage — two things
fresh runners often struggle with —
runners practice in low mile increments
Photo courtesy of Bhavesh Bhakta
Senior runner Travis Jasper runs at the district
meet Oct. 18. Jasper took the lead ahead of
Smithson Valley High School.
from 20 to 22 miles a week. Working
their way up to competitions, workouts
and training become more intense, as
students anticipate to fill the winning
spot at meets. Mileage can increase
up to 60 miles a week, for more experienced
runners.
“You’ve just got to stay mentally relaxed;
you can’t really be uptight about
it because toward the end [race] you
kind of burn out,” Wilcox said.
After placing at State for the second
time this year, Wilcox announced
his commitment to Oklahoma State
University Oct. 26 a week before districts
and plans to make it official
in the spring.
“I just really appreciate your persistence
with me and knowing that the
end goal was achieved and I got to go,”
Wilcox said.
Having two teammates make state
wasn’t just a win for runners Wilcox
and Jasper, but for everyone on
the cross-country team. Most runners
on the team have been running
with the same teammates since their
freshman year, leaving impact on
cross-country athletics.
“We were all super excited and happy
for Grant to go, and the fact that
Travis went was an amazing addition to
the package,” teammate senior Alexis
Bradstreet said.
Let
coaches
coach
by Ethan Johnson
very parent wants their child to
Esucceed; however, all too often,
parents of student athletes storm
into their child’s coach’s office, furious
as to why their child didn’t play
or why their son or daughter had
been taken out during the game’s
final minutes. These decisions are
almost always for the good of the
team and, barring discipline, never
personal — but parents will fight
tooth and nail to see their child
compete with the team, even if that
puts a coach’s job or reputation in
jeopardy.
In early 2019, an Amarillo volleyball
coach resigned after losing
33-14 in the semi-finals due to
“parent politics,” according to the
Amarillo Globe News. Another instance
occurred in Half Moon Bay
High School in northern California
in 2014, originally reported on by
Mercury News, where a boys basketball
coach lost his job after winning
five championships in seven
years because the parents thought
he was too demanding and didn’t
give all of the children enough
play-time.
For parents, seeing their child
participate in the sport they’ve put
their time and effort into is encouraging,
but for parents, their children’
sports are just sports. However,
for coaches, coaching is what
puts food on the table. When parents
get upset and put the coach’s
job security in jeopardy, they’ve
gone too far.
This isn’t to say that parents
can’t be involved in their child’s
athletic careers. Parents are many
times the driving force behind a
kid’s success and are directly responsible
for a child’s early athletic
career; they take their children to
practice, pay for equipment and
team fees, and are a big part of
what makes youth leagues possible.
However, when it comes to
high school sports, there is a time
to let the parents parent, and the
coaches coach.
Ethan Johnson is a sports reporter
for the Panther Prints.

14 • Sports PESHPRINTS.COM
Putting in work
How golf team plays on green
by Sonali Menon
hether it be scorching hot, bone-chill-
cold, or stormy with tempest-lev-
Wing
el winds, a group of students perseveres
through each season. Unlike Texas’ ever-changing
weather, the golf team is
evergreen as they work throughout the
year practicing, training and conditioning
to perform at their best and earn more
state wins.
The girl’s division got the ball rolling,
placing second at the Lovejoy Invitational
Tournament, with junior Collin Waterhouse
and junior Meagan Winans earning
accolades by finishing third place
in the Fall District Preview on Nov.
19, as well as placing fourth at the
6A State Preview Golf Tournament
on Nov. 17. Additionally, recent
graduate Libby Winans placed
first at the 2018 UIL Girls 6A State
Championship. Despite all these
accomplishments, the golf team faces a
challenging predicament.
“[It’s frustrating when people say] golf
isn’t a sport,” sophomore Shivani Schmulen
said. “I was probably even one of those
people who were like, ‘Oh, it seems so
easy!’ because you see it on TV and the
professionals make it look really easy, but
after you go to the range and you actually
try, it’s a lot harder than it looks.”
The amount of behind-the-scenes
work that goes into being a successful
member of the golf team largely goes unseen.
The team’s practice schedule spans
the entire week with on and off days,
depending on what division a player is
in. Many players also take additional private
lessons outside of school to improve
their skills.
“It’s a very tedious and time-consuming
[sport] to practice,” senior Lara Holland
said. “You have to have extreme precision,
and you have to align it, and you even
have to read the way that the ball is going
“[Golf is] really spiritual, actually. It’s not just
a sport for old men who ride around in golf
carts. It’s so much more.”
-Golf player and senior Lara Holland
“
to roll on the grass and into the hole.”
Students in the golf team play weekly
on the course, sometimes going more
than three days a week to practice.
“A lot of people think that [golf] doesn’t
require that much athletic ability,” Schmulen
said. “However, I just think that it’s so
hard to constantly remember everything
that you have to do in order to have that
perfect swing, and even then it may not be
perfect.”
Unlike some other school sports, the
Senior Lara Holland practices her drives and swings as she
prepares for her next practice at the school fields Dec. 3.
Photo by Sonali Menon
golf team has both a fall and winter season.
To keep up with the constant activity,
players must dedicate time and
commitment in order to stay on the team
and perform well. Holland, for example,
dedicates an average of 14 hours a week
to the sport.
“I practice as much as possible because
it truly is a game that if you skip a day of
practice, you’ll see it,” Schmulen said. “It’s
that precise, [so] you have to keep working
at it.”
Even though players practice
and compete individually, the team
believes they still maintain a familial
bond due to the amount of time
spent together.
“It’s a very personalized sport,
but you get really close to the people
in your group,” Holland said.
This year, the golf team hopes to
grow closer and express their love for the
sport by working hard and earning more
UIL points at the six tournaments they
have scheduled this school year. However,
the accolades are not the driving factor for
the golf team as they have built a connection
to both their sport and to each other,
according to Schmulen.
“[Golf is] really spiritual, actually,”
Holland said. “It’s not just a sport for old
men who ride around in golf carts. It’s so
much more.”

@PESHPRINTS Sports • 15
Striving for state
Basketball pursues year-long goal of success
by Ethan Johnson
or boys and girls basketball, the sea-
never stops. The day after the
Fson
team’s final game in March, they are
back in practice, working toward the new
season in November. From offseason
recovery to preseason
workouts, the team is always
improving their craft.
Boys basketball head coach
Matt Wester believes his team
is a special one, and after
starting their season 5-2 as of
Dec. 2 that there are factors
such as experience — with
eight seniors returning to the
team for their final season —
and athleticism that separate
his team from most others in
the district or even the state.
“They’re good kids that are
very easy to coach.” Wester
said, “Our potential is pretty
high. I think if we reach our potential,
we’re definitely a playoff
team. How high that ceiling
is, I don’t don’t really know yet. We haven’t
seen a lot of adversity yet. And when
we respond to adversity, we will know
more about how high our ceiling is.”
Senior point guard Justin Wright feels
confident in the team and believes that
all the hard work they put in during the
Photo by Sasha Sanchez
Photo by Sasha Sanchez
Senior guard Jaden Clark takes the ball up the court alongside teammates Tripp
Butts and Latrell Goodwin to score against Dallas Spruce High School Nov. 19.
East won the game 66-46.
offseason will pay off enough to have a
shot at going to state.
“We compete every single day and
[there’s] this positive energy all the time,”
Wright said. “We try not to bring anyone
down.”
Senior power forward Chloe Regelean
believes that the girls basketball
team’s hard work and talent
will separate them from
the rest of the district.
“We’re a team of really hard
workers and we’re gearing up
[for] district to show other
teams what we can do,” Regelean
said. “We have a lot of
talent and a lot of skill that sets
us apart, [so] state is a possibility
if we keep working as
hard as we have been.”
Girls basketball coach Jessica
Linson believes her team
is one to pay attention to after
starting 10-2 and ranking at 15
in the state as of Dec. 3.
“We’re super hungry and
we’re scrappy,” Linson said. “I
think we have the ability to get
to state, our district is wide-open, but
the first step is to get to [the] playoffs.”

16 • Opinion PESHPRINTS.COM
Christmas fever leaves America sick
Diversification of winter holidays possible through pop culture
by Juliette Roberts
he question, “What’s your favorite
TChristmas movie?” prompts a variety
of answers. “The Grinch” (no, not the Jim
Carrey version), “It’s a Wonderful Life,”
“Die Hard” or dozens more might come
to mind. The question, “What’s your favorite
Hanukkah movie?” could leave
most students stumped. Or,
worse, yet, “Can you name one
Kwanzaa movie?”
This problem is reminiscent
of the anger surrounding the
politically correct enforcement
of “Happy holidays” to replace
“Merry Christmas.” Supporters
of this change believe dismantling
the Christmas hegemony
will make room for other winter
holidays, but this isn’t necessary.
Other holidays can coexist alongside
Christmas when they have a presence in
popular culture.
Holidays other than Christmas have
been recognized by politicians such as
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz who wished Hanukkah
celebrants a warm greeting via social
media in 2017. Although this is progress toward
diversification, politics doesn’t set the
standard for day-to-day life — pop culture
HANUKKAH
Dec. 22-Dec. 30
OTHER WINTER HOLIDAYS
WINTER
SOLSTICE
Dec. 21
does. Every day, school hallways are clamoring
with discussions of the latest shows
and musical artists. If a holiday is invisible in
pop culture, its participants remain alienated
from society.
This necessity for a variety of winter
holidays is especially applicable to students.
According to Pew Research Center,
Gen Z is the most ethnically diverse generation
yet, but looking at the wintertime
Christmas craze, nobody would know it. It
is crucial for students who will soon inherit
businesses and institutions currently run by
adults to let their diversity shine in the holidays
represented in pop culture. Anything
less would be untrue to their identity.
Some Americans disagree with the in-
KWANZAA
Dec. 26-Jan. 1
clusion of other holidays because the majority
of people celebrate Christmas. While
this is true, minorities should still hold a
presence in the public conscious. For example,
Kwanzaa originated in the civil
rights movement of the 60s as a cultural
celebration of African American community
and heritage. Meanwhile,
the majority of Americans are
trading meaning for material.
Households spent an average
of $1,536 during the Christmas
season in 2018 according to
Fortunly, while only 46% see
Christmas as a primarily religious
holiday. So-called “minor”
holidays could provide the callback
to sincere religious and
cultural roots the country desperately
needs.
Making room for other holidays doesn’t
mean shaming anyone for loving Christmas.
The solution is not to ban “Merry
Christmas,” but to make it just as acceptable
to say “Happy Hanukkah” or “Happy
Kwanzaa.” Supporting creative projects
designed to assimilate other holidays into
popular culture is the path to properly representing
the country’s diversity.
Policy predicament
by Fatima Malik
he current early release policies allow
Tseniors to take fewer than six classes
if their schedule consists of at least four
Advanced Placement (AP) courses or a
career prep class, which requires a job
outside of school. These students should
not be the only ones allowed to have a
minimum of five classes. PISD campus
administrators should take this policy
into reconsideration to allow all seniors
to take a minimum of five classes.
Having to stay in school for a longer
period of the day can mean lower attendance
rates from seniors who realize
they don’t care for extra classes. According
to a Panther Prints poll, 53% of
448 students feel they’re unnecessarily
required to take extra classes despite
having completed their required credits.
However, Spending 49 minutes longer at
school to take an additional class might
mean an opportunity to gain knowledge
on subjects a student might realize
they enjoy.
Senior year itself can be exhausting
with the stress of schoolwork and the
impending pressure of life beyond high
school. An extra four hours per week
would allot for time to work on college
applications during this final year. Instead,
however, this time is placed into
an additional class that may not necessarily
be a benefit for all students.
The financial stress that comes with
college — or working to support family
— can be daunting, and having more
time to work can make the cost of college
less distressing. Furthermore, having
work experience as a high school
student can bolster a student’s college
applications and work resumes. While
career prep is an option for all students
to gain additional time to work, the class
is limited in availability since there are
only five classes with 25 seats per class.
AP level classes are not the only
stressors that should be considered for
allowing shorter schedules. Some classes
— such as dual credit or fine arts
credits — can be just as rigorous as AP
classes. Other factors that may play into
stress are familial problems or extracurricular
activities.
Seniors should have the choice to
take a minimum of five classes no matter
the type of classes they take as long
as they are on track to completing their
credits by the end of the school year.
Any additional classes should be optional,
because some seniors may need
more time to focus on applications and
work as they transition to college.
56%
48%
53%
11%
of students
have no early
release from school
of students
take seven classes
this semester
of students
feel they are
unnecessarily
required to take
extra classes
of students
have double senior
release with
AP classes
out of 448 students polled

@PESHPRINTS Opinion • 17
Political participation
Proposed bill should pass to expand voting population
Staff Editorial
exas state lawmakers filed House
TBill 512 that, if passed, will allow
17-year-olds turning 18 before general
elections to vote in state primary
elections. A division lies between lawmakers
who support
the passage of this
bill — four Democratic
and two Republican
representatives —
and lawmakers who
believe the bill would
cause confusion. The
bill should be passed,
as it is beneficial in
many ways to citizens
who will soon be
adults with full voting
rights.
Lowering the voting
age expands the
voting population
and encourages participation
in politics.
Twenty other states
already allow some
form of voting at
17-years-old — for
instance, New Mexico
allows 17-year-olds to
vote in primary elections
given they will
be 18 by the time of
the general election.
If 40% of the United
States already allows
voter participation
of 17-year-olds, then
other states should
follow. In the midterm
elections for
November 2018, early
voter turnout for voters
under 30 in Texas
was up by 375%
from 2014 according to the analytics
firm TargetSmart. If young Texans are
participating more in elections, then
opening up state primaries to 17-yearolds
will likely
increase political
involvement of
voters under 30.
The primary
election determines
the
57% candidate who
represents the
political parties
in the general
election. Many
17-year-olds
will be 18 by the time of general elections,
so it follows that they should
have the right to vote for their state
options. If the proposed bill doesn’t
pass, then 18-year-olds who choose to
vote in the state general election will
be choosing between candidates who
were decided for them by other voters
in the state primary election.
In some ways, state policy is arguably
more influential for teenagers than
federal policy. The federal and state
governments share some powers and
reserve others; for example, decisions
on public health and safety are left to
the states. These include decisions
of students
think 17 year olds
should be able to vote
in primary elections
out of 448 students polled
82%
about the drug industry, food industry
and cases of domestic abuse. Since
17-year-olds on the verge of adulthood
will be affected by such policies,
the ability to vote for candidates who
represent their viewpoints gives them
the power to shape the state they live
in.
A concern about the passage of
these bills is that many younger U.S.
citizens aren’t aware of the importance
of their civic duty. As a result, Harris
County clerk Diane
Trautman proposed
that 17-year-old voters
be required to
complete civics and
government classes,
as it ensures they
understand their responsibility
as U.S.
citizens. Another argument
against the
proposed bill is that
17-year-olds would
feel confused rather
than empowered if
the bill passes, since
it allows participation
in local and state elections
but not federal
Cartoon by Sevval Erenkol
elections. However,
due to widespread
internet access — as
of 2019, 90% of U.S.
adults use the internet
according to the
Pew Research Center
— information about
state-level elections
is quick and easy
to look up. Doubts
over most 17-yearolds’
lack of political
knowledge are
unfounded since, if
given a reason to be
informed about state
and local politics,
teenagers can easily
educate themselves
by using the internet.
The passage of a bill to open up
primary elections for state and county
offices to 17-year-olds would increase
voter participation, ensure they
have the ability
to vote for the
candidates they
will choose between
in the
of students
think it’s very
important to vote
general election,
and give
them the ability
to contribute to
the type of state
they want to live
in as adults. For
these reasons,
the proposed bill for 17-year-olds to
vote in state primaries should pass.
17 staff members in favor
1 staff member against

@PESHPRINTS Entertainment • 18
Twinning for life
by Myh Seyoum
his year, 53% of 448 students polled said they knew three or more pairs of twins who attend the school. The following twins
Ttalked about stereotypes, personality and closeness in relation to their twinship.
Carson and Cole Coker
Birthday: March 30
Fraternal
Misconception: We always know where
the other is or what they’re doing.
eniors Carson and Cole Coker spend
Smore time with each other than anyone
else since they belong to the same friend
group and participate in similar activities,
even starting on the football team together
this year.
Growing up side-by-side, they believe
they’ve developed a similar outlook on
life, and plan to attend college together
next year.
“I definitely think [being twins] helps
because we hold each other to a higher
standard than the rest of the other players,”
Carson said. “It was cool [that Cole]
was on the field the same time I was.”
Abby and Natalie Santos
Birthday: Aug. 28
Fraternal
Misconception: We can read each other’s
minds.
eniors Abby and Natalie Santos have
Sopposite interests; Abby is in yearbook
and wants to work in sports business
whereas Natalie is in HSA and wants to
work in health care. Despite differences in
their personalities, they’ve stayed close,
even planning to go to college together
next year.
Their funniest memories include Natalie
running over Abby with her sled when
they were younger and Abby accidentally
turning into oncoming traffic while learning
to drive.
“[Your twin is] your age so you have
the same interests around the same time,”
Abby said. “We were fortunate enough
to have that and to not bug our parents
about it.”
Taylor and Tyler Tamblyn
Birthday: Jan. 12
Fraternal
Misconception: There’s no way we’re related.
aylor and Tyler are polar opposites of
Teach other. They have different appearances
and interests; Taylor is focused
on academics while Tyler is involved in
athletics, but they do share their friend
group. They don’t plan on attending the
same college next year.
Their favorite memories include making
up a secret language as kids, as well as
learning to surf together a few summers
ago.
“When you’re out there doing something
together versus against each other,
it makes for a great bonding experience,”
Tyler said. “I don’t see where I would be
today without her.”
Fatima and Ayesha Sayyed
Birthday: March 26
Identical
Misconception: We have nothing in common.
eniors Fatima and Ayesha Sayyed as-
different roles — Ayesha acts as
Ssume
the “older,” responsible sister while Fatima
has a “younger,” more outgoing personality.
Their similarities are apparent when they’re
apart, so much so that people often confuse
them. They attribute this to the values
they were raised on.
These sisters plan on attending college
together, and their favorite moments are
celebratory dance parties and telling each
other stories at 2 a.m.
“When you’re both going through [the
same thing], you’re just there for each other,”
Ayesha said. “So that support system
is very strong [and] interconnected. That’s
also why we’re more than just sisters, we’re
best friends. She knows everything about
me, [and] I know everything about her.”
Robert and Zion Szot
Birthday: Oct. 9
Fraternal
Misconception: We’re not that close.
ion and Robert are closer than the
Zaverage siblings, which they attest
to spending their whole lives together
and facing everything by each other’s
sides. Although Zion is more creative
while Robert is logical, the twins are
both rational and introverted.
Having been homeschooled together
up until freshman year, the
pair enjoyed spending time together
on their first day of high school in the
IB commons.
“[We’re] kind of like a unit sometimes,”
Zion said. “There’s a lot ‘we’ instead
of ‘I.’”
Allison and Katherine Villeda
Birthday: March 6
Identical
Misconception: All we do is argue.
uniors Allison and Katherine Villeda
Jare always supportive of each other.
Allison prefers organization whereas
Katherine has a carefree attitude.
They reflected fondly on their sweetest
memory: winning a Spirit Award from
their counselors last year. Allison’s name
was called first to receive the award, but
Katherine didn’t know she would be receiving
it as well.
“In that one second, I was just so
proud of her and just filled with joy,”
Katherine said. “If one person was to win
something, you think you’d be jealous,
but no. We may be twins, but we try to
be very individualistic.”

19 • Entertainment PESHPRINTS.COM
Fun holiyay activities
Top DFW holiday events to check out during winter break
by Bree Johnson
tudents receive a gift at the start of the holiday season and the beginning of the new year known as winter break. Winter
Sbreak is a two-and-a-half week hiatus from school and one of students’ favorite parts of the year — after summer. This
year, break falls from Dec. 20 to Jan. 7. Over those 18 days, if you find yourself at a loss of what to do, here is a list of fun activities
in the area, arranged by price point.
$
GALLERIA DALLAS
$0, Dec. 22 to Dec. 30
Head over to the Galleria for
some shopping and stay a little
later for the lighting of the
menorah each night at sunset
from Dec. 22 to Dec. 23
and Dec. 26 to Dec. 30. The
menorah is custom designed
and specifically chosen to
celebrate this year’s Hanukkah.
Located on the first level
near the guest reception
center, bring the whole family
to celebrate Hanukkah in
Dallas’ most popular mall.
DALLAS FARMER’S MARKET
$0, Dec. 21, 22, 27 and 28
Drive down or take the DART to
the west end for the Holiday Market.
On select weekends, shop
for handmade decorations, pick
up some local gifts and eat great
locally sourced food. You’re more
than welcome to window-shop if
money is tight or splurge if you’re
feeling the holiday joy. At the farmers
market, the holiday spirit will
envelop you not only through the
joy of buying things for others, but
also with the warm aroma of seasonal
food filling the air.
VITRUVIAN PARK
$0 to $10, Nov. 29 to Jan. 1
While you can enjoy free admission,
the parking does come at a cost;
however, it’s worth it to see the Vitruvian
Lights. Arrive early enough
and you might even be lucky and
snag a free parking space. The entire
park is lit up during the holiday
season, with each tree covered from
top to bottom in multicolored lights.
As you walk around the park, bundle
up for the cold weather. Vitruvian
Park is a major part of the holidays
in DFW for a reason, so make sure to
head out and discover what makes
this light show so special.
$$
DALLAS ZOO
$17, Nov. 15 to Jan. 15
Grab hot cocoa with the animals
at the zoo during their regular
hours (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and
stay later for the holiday photo
opportunities. After open hours,
from 5 p.m to 9 p.m, the North
Zoo will be covered with over
one million twinkling lights as
well as light formations in the
shape of your favorite animals.
Make sure you stop by the popular
rainbow arch, which is a
must for anyone wanting to up
their Instagram game.
DALLAS ARBORETUM
$0 to $10, Nov. 12 to Dec. 31
See the beautiful gardens decorated
with more than 500,000 lights as well
as the intricate 12 Days of Christmas
displays. Throughout the gardens,
there are multiple larger than life
glass-enclosed gazebos filled with
your favorite festive decorations,
each one matching a line from the
famous song “12 days of Christmas.”
Also located at the Arboretum is the
European Christmas market known as
the Pauline and Austin Neuhoff Family
Christmas Village. Stop by for personalized
holiday gifts.
60%
of students
are willing to spend $30+
on holiday activities
out of 448 students polled
$$$
PLAZA AT PRESTON CENTER
$30, Nov. 21 to Jan. 5
Upgrade your Instagram feed and head over to
SNOWDAY Dallas Holiday Experience, an immersive
winter wonderland and holiday-inspired indoor
expedition with art installations spanning
throughout six rooms. Similar to Sweet Tooth
Hotel and other art installations in Dallas, every
room is filled with a different theme surrounding
the holidays. Decorated by local artists, the
funky wallpaper, fun props and other surprises
serves as the perfect backdrop for photos. Visit
SNOWDAY for holiday photo opportunities that
can’t be matched anywhere else.
FRISCO FRESH MARKET
$30+, Nov. 12 to Dec. 31
Go to Winter Wonderland Frisco
and experience holiday fun
at its finest. Unleash your inner
child and play in the light maze
or jump in their massive snow
pits. Feel free to have fun, ride
the snow slide, and snack on
some good food in this Winter
Wonderland. Stay late for a
movie in their theatre or show
up early for an opportunity for
pictures!