[VOLUME TWENTY-FIVE] ISSUE FOUR

DECEMBER 16, 2010TheMA EEUQR

MARCUS HIGH SCHOOL [5707 MORRIS ROAD] FLOWER MOUND, TX 75028

bottoms up

[3] Recent heroin deaths increase drug awareness

[18-19] Basketball season preview reveals key players

[22] Staff editorial sees gas drilling as threat to Flower Mound citizens

[table of contents] the marquee

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entertainment/

sports/

feature/

news/[4] EDUCATION DOWNFALL After a worldwide test of math, science and reading skills, American students scored drastically lower than their foreign counterparts.

[8] FROM VIETNAM TO AMERICA One Marcus custodian relives her immigra-tion story from the Far East, looking for a better life in the United States.

[14] PERFECT PRESENTS Getting into the holiday spirit, The Marquee found the ideal gifts at affordable prices to make every member of the family smile.

[17] TENTH IN THE NATION Senior Craig Lutz led the cross country team to tenth place in the nation at the Nike Cross National race held in Portland, OR.

The Marquee newsmagazine is a student-generated publica-tion of Marcus High School. It is produced, edited and main-tained through the efforts of the school’s advanced journalism class. The Marquee is designed to serve the school and com-munity as a forum for open discussion and student expression. The Marquee encourages letters to the editor as part of its mission to educate, inform and provide an open forum for debate.All submissions must be signed. The staff reserves the right to edit all material. Editorials reflect the opinion of the staff, not necessarily that of the administration. Signed columns or reviews repre-sent only the opinion of the author. Advertising rates are $34 per 1/16 of a page, with discounts available. For more information call 469-713-5196.The Marquee is a standing member of ILPC, TAJE, ATPI, CSPA, NSPA, JEA and Quill and Scroll.

editor in chiefluke swinney

managing editorcarley meinersphoto editor

allison przybyszgraphics editornathaniel thornton

news editorkate o’toole

feature editordevon miller

in-depth editorlauren rose

sports editorjasmine sachar

entertainment editormolly spain

opinion editorcarley meiners

business managerallison przybysz

reportersalex cain, shannon mccauley,alex mcginnis, sarah sauer,

olivia tarltondesigners

maria heinonen, james hubbard, jordan richards, breyanna washington

photographerskyle anderson, becca dyer,peter iversen, sarah sauer,

taylor thomasadviser

lajuana haleprincipal

gary shafferman

by jasmine sachar

by kate o’toole

by luke swinney

photo by becca dyercover design by nathaniel thornton

cover photo by taylor thomas

by carley meiners

[newsmagazine]

past ten years because of readily available prescrip-tion medicines from friends and family as well. In general, doctors are prescribing more medication to patients to treat mental illnesses such as bipolar dis-order, depression and attention deficient disorder.

“As long as man has been around there has been abuse of substances,” Griffin said. “We are seeing an uptick in misuse of prescrip-tion medication, con-tributed to an uptick in use of prescription medication in gen-eral.”

White’s first over-dose wasn’t enough to stop her from us-ing hydrocodone. A short time later she

was caught by a friend’s mom who told her parents. After an enlightening conversation with her parents, she quit using for a while, but quickly fell back into old habits. White got to the point where she would smoke marijuana everyday like a regular after-school activity. But soon she overdosed again, this time af-ter drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana that was laced with harder drugs: cocaine and ecstasy. After her second overdose, she promised herself to be more careful with the amount of drugs and liquor she consumed. By the middle of her sophomore year summer, she decided to finally quit.

news

design by nathaniel thornton 3 the marquee |december 16, 2010

story by alex cain

Girl has personal experience of how drugs damage life

”“I kept hallucinating and seeing the girl from The Ring running at me. I bled out of my nose and threw up everywhere.

- LINDSEY WHITE*, 10

Families of three young adults have received the devastating news informing them of the death of a family member in recent months.

This past year, the cities of Flower Mound and High-land Village have experienced an un-usual spike in heroin overdoses, three of the cases resulting in death for the users. 14 arrests were made in Flower Mound last year for possession of heroin. According to Captain Wess Griffin of the Flower Mound Police department, every city in the Dal-las area is experiencing heroin overdoses because the drug is so dangerous if not mixed correctly.

“Often times, overdosages occur when we see a rash of incorrectly mixed or overly strong chemicals, or something else has changed in the supply chain of the narcotics,” Griffin said.

Sophomore Lindsey White* experienced firsthand the effects of heroin after watching her sister abuse the drug. Her perfectly styled hair and designer jeans hid her family’s struggle with drugs. According to Griffin, heroin is one of the most addictive drugs on the black market. Because the drug is so strong, it is hard to stop after trying the drug once. Also, it is one of the most physically addictive drugs, so withdrawal from the drug requires the use of other drugs to ease back into soberness.

“If you are fully physically addicted to heroin and you quit cold turkey, it can kill you,” Griffin said. “It’s hard to get off of it once you start, and once you start it becomes physically dangerous to stop.”

White said she first experimented with drugs her eighth grade year during winter break. Because she idolized her sister she tried marijuana, her first drug, after her sister wanted to smoke with her. She then used hydrocodone at her grandparent’s house be-cause her sister used it as a sleep aid and liked the feeling. Hydrocodone has been one of the most popu-lar prescription medications now used to achieve the “high.” The second time she tried the drug she over-dosed by taking three pills, just one more than the maximum strength dose.

“I kept hallucinating and seeing the girl from The Ring running at me,” White said. “I bled out of my nose and threw up everywhere. My friends didn’t know what to do because they didn’t want to tell their parents, so they took me back to my house where I just stayed and threw up for two days afterwards.”

Misuse of prescription drugs has increased in the

Drug misuse, overdoses become more rampant

“I just decided it was kind of pointless,” White said. “I was getting nothing out of it. Then my sister started doing really hard stuff like meth for a while. I didn’t want to do that or become like she had.”

As White stopped using, her sister’s drug problem got progressively worse.

“Seeing my sister so messed up on so much stuff scared me,” White said. “Like when she started doing stuff, it was just like how I had started doing stuff and it wasn’t like a bad problem, but then it got worse and eventually got out of control.”

White said that she tried talking to her sister a few times, but her sister never believed that her drug use was an issue because she was simply using for amusement.

“She couldn’t do anything unless she was high,” White said. “She couldn’t eat or sleep or come to school unless she was high. Then I tried talking to her, ‘You have a problem you need to stop,’ and she said ‘No I don’t, I’m just doing it for fun, and it’s no big problem.’”

But it was a problem. Her sister was pulled over soon afterwards by a police officer who caught her smoking marijuana before school. Consequently, she was expelled for being under the influence. She was then put into counseling. It took two months of coun-seling before she realized that she needed to stop to save her life.

“It’s good to see how she has changed,” White said. “I didn’t want anything to happen to her because she is my best friend and we tell each other everything.”

*Names have been changed to protect the identity of the source

Drugs are no stranger to Marcus, but in recent years, use of harder drugs has been on the rise. Cocaine is one of the most popular drugs being used. Drugs like cocaine release a chemical in the brain called dopamine which creates a euphoric feeling for the user. (Real drugs were not used in this photo).

photo illustration by kyle anderson

READING

mATH

SCIENCE

december 16, 2010 | the marquee

news

4 design by breyanna washington

American education falls short

Cookin’ up a cancer cure Approximately 3,400 Americans are diagnosed with cancer every day, and about 1,500 lose their lives daily. Students are doing their part to lower that number through the re-cently created club, Bake for Cancer.

Bake for Cancer was cre-ated last year by two sisters - graduate Emily and sophomore Olivia Dalglish. They started the club be-cause they “thought it would be good to be involved in something that has a good cause,” Olivia said.

Since Emily Dalglish has graduated, Senior Jack Medellin was appointed the club’s president this year with the club sponsor as English teacher Marcie Cooley.

The club holds one main bake sale during the year. Club members meet at each other’s houses and spend all weekend baking cupcakes, cookies and oth-er goodies. The treats are then sold at the entrance of Wal-Mart and all profits are donated to American Cancer Society.

“Last year we raised about $823,” Olivia said.The group is open to all students and anyone can

still join this club. Their sole purpose is to increase the awareness of cancer and raise money towards putting an end to it.

“[Bake for Cancer] is an easy way to raise money that can go to people who really need it,” said Dalg-lish.

Senior English teacher Marcie Cooley holds up last year’s Bake for Cancer club t-shirt. The club charges three dol-lars in dues to buy supplies for their annual bake sale and donates all profits towards finding a cure for cancer.

Shanghai, China, among other countries, outscores United States on war for smarts

Last week, American students fell further behind foreign students in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), a study taken last year that tests 15-year-olds from around the world in math, science and reading.

Shanghai, China tops each subject while the U.S. is 17th in reading, 20th in science and 30th in math. President Obama has called for a “Sputnik moment,” relating our educational downfall to the Space Race in the 50’s when America pumped money into math and science programs to beat the Soviet Union into space. Obama’s “Sputnik moment” could be ben-eficial to America because according to a Stanford study, America would earn $41 trillion extra dollars in the next 20 years if students can raise their test scores by only five percent.

Although Marcus is a relatively high-scoring school on tests like TAKS, evidence of these educa-tion patterns that America has grown accustomed to

can still be seen. AP Biology teacher Scott Hinsley said one important factor in high foreign test scores is the pressure to succeed.

“In the U.S. the assumption is that kids won’t work in factories and everyone’s going to go to college, so there’s not as much urgency in test scores,” Hinsley said. “If I was to ask the kids, there wouldn’t be any really worried that they’re going to work in a factory if they don’t graduate. It’s a different mindset.”

While Shanghai scored the best in each subject, Finland was close behind with sixth in math and sec-ond in science and reading. Sophomore Anna Toivi-anen moved here from Finland during fifth grade and said she noticed a difference in education styles.

“When you go to high school, you get to pick which one you go to and you can be specialized in different things,” Toivianen said. “Also, in Finland you learn English in third grade and that’s the first language you learn fluently. In fifth grade you can choose Spanish or French or another language, so that’s a huge difference from the U.S.”

story by luke swinney

story by olivia tarlton

graphic by allison przybysz

photo by allison przybysz

anything to jeopardize the residents of the community.”

As the Saturday morning drifts on, the four protesters still stand along 2499. All four protesters are at least 30 years old. Wall said high school students should be concerned with the drilling because it is polluting the air which effects everyone’s health.

“You guys at the high school level are the coming generation who really needs to be aware of the effects of all this so you can help educate your neighbors and get people to stop the drilling,” Wall said. “Your local and state level governments are not doing anything about it.”

While the signs the protesters carry every Saturday suggest that they want an end to gas drilling, protester Ron Henry thinks oth-erwise. He said he isn’t against gas drilling. He just wants gas companies to be responsible.

“I think we all realize we’re a supply constraint society, but at the same time I think the his-tory of energy companies is very clear,” Henry said. “They come, they extract the fossil fuels and they leave everything else to the towns to clean up. We un-

design by jordan richards 5 the marquee |december 16, 2010

newssportsDodgeball success

Students put the holiday season of giving to good use, all by playing dodge ball.

Saturday, Dec. 11 marked the annual Habitat for Humanity Dodge Ball Tournament. In years past, about 20 teams participate in this event, but this year 24 teams competed, including 2 teams consisting of Habitat for Humanity members.

President of Habitat for Humanity, Kelsey McCau-ley, said she was impressed by the turnout. “People are really getting the word out,” McCauley said.

The winning team of the tournament was “The Wrecking Crew,” with juniors Joe Sikes, Cameron Hajok, Ross Depperschmidt, Zach Christian, Shane Von Strohe, Drew Hamrick and Michael McGuire. The team took home a variety of prizes, the largest being a Game Cube donated from Game Attack.

Each team was required to pay an entry fee of $50. This money, along with concession sales, helped raise a total of $1600, which will be donated to Den-ton County Habitat for Humanity. Teams were also told to bring toys for the Children’s Advocacy Center.

story by olivia tarlton

photo by peter iversen

LISD superintendentstory by luke swinney

The school board will begin to interview the pos-sible LISD superintendent candidates in January after Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA), the search firm hired by the district, completes the final candidate list.

HYA has been recruiting candidates throughout December and will present its selections after the winter break. The firm, based in Illinois, will choose the candidates based on the four qualities that LISD employees and parents voted were most important – being a strategic thinker, a collaborative leader, an effective communicator and an excellent manager and problem-solver.

Place 3 school board member Jeff Knapp said the process is currently on schedule to hire the new su-perintendent by the end of January.

“We’re looking for somebody who can reach out to the community and connect with them,” Knapp said. “We have a fantastic district right now. When you’re on top, improvement comes in small increments. We want somebody who can really move us forward.”

On iPod day, Monday, Nov. 29, sophomore Eric Spald-ing listens to his mp3 player. Students paid $2 for the privilege to use their iPods during class. A total of $1,100 was raised. The money will go to a scholarship through the Lewisville Education Foundation, which helps teachers and students excel, in Dr. Roy’s name.

Rockin’ down halls

Gas drilling increasingly more apparent in areaDisagreement builds between citizens, gas companies

In 2005 an energy bill was passed exempting all natural gas wells from being tested. Wall said this causes the Environmental Protection Agency to not investigate the safety of the gas wells. Just last week the EPA stepped in to investigate a well just outside of Fort Worth. A resident in Parker coun-try was able to set his hose water on fire with a lighter. Protest coordinator Sue Ann Lorig said that she believes the water is contaminated by the gas well.

“People have had water wells on their land for years sometimes and they’ve used it for decades and the wa-ter is fine,” Lorig said. “Then there is gas drilling and the water is contami-nated and full of chemicals. It’s hard not to believe that it’s not related to the gas drilling. It has to be.”

Three years ago a company named Cherokee Horns went door to door asking Flower Mound residences for the lease of their mineral rights. Ryan Verdi leased his mineral rights three years ago. Verdi said he supports the gas drilling.

“I think it’s important to our coun-try’s economy that we’re able to use all of our natural resources for energy,” Verdi said. “I also think the companies that are doing the drilling have a lot of new technology that they can do it safely. I don’t think they’re going to do

story by carley meiners

Its 10:20 a.m. on a windy Saturday morning. Most people are just getting ready to start their day, but four Flower Mound residents are standing on the right side of FM 2499 across the street from a local gas drilling site. They hold signs that say things like “Just say no to urban gas drilling.” Every Saturday a group of residents stand across the street from the gas well. As cars honks and drivers waves, a smile forms across the protesters faces. They hope that fi-nally, their voices will be heard.

In the past six months two gas drill-ing sites have gone up on 2499, one in front of Grapevine Mills Mall and the other occupying Hilliard field, near the corner of 3040. The well in Hill-iard field is about a half mile away from Shadow Ridge Middle School and Bluebonnet Elementary. Flower Mound resident Jim Wall said he feels that the gas drills are not safe for the town’s health.

“Too many things have gone wrong in recent times,” Wall said. “They’re rushing to put these wells in before they know if it’s really safe. We have higher rates of breast cancer compared to the rest of the country. It’s just not safe.”

derstand that we need energy. There’s plenty of areas for them to do it, they don’t need to do it in the middle of town.”

At the Dec. 10 board meeting, LISD decided against leasing any school dis-trict land now or in the near future.

photo by kyle anderson

A lone gas drilling rig stands on Hilliard field along 2499, just south of the 3040 intersection.

december 16, 2010| the marquee

phone : (972)-539-4457 (817)-464-10703121 Cross Timbers Rd. Suite 104 Flower Mound Tx 75028

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feature

Q

A&

Q: What was the best thing before they in-vented sliced bread? A: Sliced bread was invented?

Q: If olive oil comes from smashed olives, how do they make baby oil?A: Smashed babies!

Q: If you were an animal, what would you be and why?A: A little Chihuahua so I could get pam-pered all the time.

Q: What happens if you don’t leave Santa Claus cookies and milk?A: He’ll come in your room and take your stuff!

Q: What would you do if your grandma got run over by a reindeer?A: I would ask Santa to fix her for Christ-mas.

Q: What would you do if Frosty the Snow-man was at your front door?A: Invite him in for a cup of hot chocolate by the fire.

Q: Would you rather have an extra thumb or an extra tongue?A: An extra tongue because you could have double the taste buds!

compiled by molly spainphoto by taylor thomas

Rachel Hunt, 9

Bringing in the big bucksSenior Shelby Holly moves her fingers nimbly

over the piano keys in her living room as 6-year-old Ruby sits by her on the piano bench. Ruby watches Holly play a part of a song and then tries it herself. The steady ticking of the metronome and the gentle critiquing of Holly echo behind the sound of the keys. To Holly’s delight, Ruby’s choppy playing begins to smooth over into a melody by the end of the lesson. Another lesson finished meant another $10 in Holly’s wallet. Though many high school students keep jobs for the extra cash, Holly teaches for more than just the money.

Holly has been playing piano since her parents signed her up for her first lesson in third grade. Though she hasn’t always viewed music as a serious part of her life, Holly now plans to carry it with her for the rest of her life.

“I didn’t love playing piano at first, but then I real-ized that God has given me the talent of music for His glory and to share with others,” Holly said.

Holly’s love for music sparked her interest to teach others. Her piano teacher, Heather Parks, held a class for her students on the basics of teaching piano lessons to children last year. Parks taught Holly how to interact with students so that they have fun and still learn the music.

Holly started giving lessons for free last November and soon gained enough experience to charge $10 per lesson. Through her church community and fam-ily friends, Holly has coordinated consistent lessons with five students that she prepares for recitals.

However, Holly’s involvement in other activities makes juggling lessons difficult. Between Marquette practices, Bible study and youth choir at Lakeland Baptist Church, Holly still has to make sure she is prepared to teach. Holly still takes lessons herself, working on pieces ranging from classical to pop that can take months to master. But despite her busy schedule, Holly stays on track, motivated by her pas-sion for music and her desire to carry music with her through college where she wants to study music edu-

cation as her fu-ture major.

“I absolutely love my job and watching stu-dents grow,” Holly said. “My students get so excited when they complete a song and it’s re-warding to know I have impacted their lives musi-cally and hope-fully in other ways too.”

story by alex mcginnisphotos by becca dyer

Junior Carlen Day and sophomore Rachel Sanders show off their hand-made bracelets. Each bracelet was made especially by them and each design took hours to complete.

Senior Shelby Holly goes over sheet music with another student for her upcoming recital in February.

Junior Carlen Day keeps a clipboard and a handful of string in her purse at all times. Whenever she has a spare moment between choir practices, club meet-ings and homework assignments, Day pulls out the clipboard and begins to tie the rainbow of strings into a friendship bracelet.

Day and sophomore Rachel Sanders both make friendships bracelets and sell them to friends and family. Last year Day discovered Friendship Brace-lets, a website with tutorials on how to make over 500 pages of bracelets, so she began practicing the knots on thick pieces of yarn. Soon Day and Sand-ers began to improve their craft and started charging around $10 per bracelet depending on the design.

“I was inspired to just make something cool,” Day said. “Something that I could complete and be proud of.”

The bracelets come in many different colors and patterns, all intricately made using specific steps. Some designs have lettering and others that have pictures of logos, animals, etc. on the bracelet. The business has been in full swing for over a year and they advertise their bracelets through a Facebook page called R&C’s Knotty Bracelets. The page directs potential buyers to a link for the patterns where they can then post the pattern they want on the Facebook wall. The girls then get to work on the requests, some of which can take up to four or five hours.

“It is a stress reliever and a challenge at the same time,” Sanders said. ”But seeing it go from a bunch of random strings into something so awesome makes it fun.”

As the holidays approach, Day and Sanders have been getting more requests from family and friends for bracelets. The girl’s business is centered on fun and cash, but the satisfaction of the customers is a huge benefit.

“It’s fun to see someone’s face when I give them a bracelet,” Day said. “I think it means more to them because I made it.”

december 16, 2010 | the marquee

feature

8 design by maria heinonen

It was three days and three nights before the cramped boat hit the shores of Thailand. Kim Tran and 44 other passengers were exhausted and seasick. They had spent countless hours without food and lit-tle sleep, exposed to the harsh outdoors in the South China Sea. Though they were terrorized by pirates and had their engine burn out throughout the trip, they accomplished their goal. They did it. They had escaped Vietnam.

It was Dec. 15, 1981 when head custodian Kim Tran and her fam-ily, who practiced farm-ing, left their native Viet-nam. With the help of family and friends, Tran was able to secure six spots for her family on a small boat. But after fleeing Vietnam and hitting the edge of Thailand, they ran into another problem: Thailand had stopped accepting refugees in August. As a result, Tran, her deaf husband, her two children and her younger brother and sister were detained in a camp for 22 months. They stayed with 700 other people in a tiny building, only receiving $50 a month as aid from the French.

Conditions were sparse – the family received little water and food. Their food included flattened dried fish, which in Vietnam is what her family would feed their pigs. The meager food portions were not enough to feed her family of six, and in a few months it would be a family of seven as Tran was pregnant. In order to help support her family, 24-year-old Tran would wake up at two a.m. to prepare for work. Over her immense pregnant belly, she would make sticky rice and bean sprouts to sell. The life she now led was extremely different than what she had previously.

“My life in Vietnam was much better than in Thai-land,” she said. “I wanted to go back to Vietnam, but I couldn’t out of embarrassment to return. I had al-ready left for freedom and wanted my children and brother and sister to have a better future.”

Although the sparse conditions were not ideal, her older brother, who died in Vietnam days before they escaped, encouraged them through his spirit to stick it out. Hope came after Tran delivered her son. A few days after giving birth on a thin straw mattress, the

Americans interviewed Tran as a possible candidate to come to the U.S. Her family has been accepted by France and had the chance to go to Australia, but they decided on America.

“When [the American officials] interviewed me, I could feel the freedoms and happiness of America,” Tran said.

From Thailand, the Americans would either send their chosen refugees to Singapore or the Philip-

pines in order to learn English. The Trans traveled by plane to the Phil-ippines, but Tran could not concen-trate on learning. She had a baby that was weak and she had to pro-vide for her fam-ily. Compared to

Thailand, life was better in the Philippines.They had plentiful food, water and basic necessities.

After living in the Philippines for seven months, the family flew to Maryland on visas. They stayed in hotels and ate in restaurants, a large change from their previous conditions. Her uncle had con-nections in Texas and helped them get down here. Tran found soli-tude at St. Phillips Apos-tle Church in Lewisville, where she got help get-ting a job at Marcus as a custodian. Although her family arrived safely in America, it was a com-plicated voyage.

“We never thought we would make it to Ameri-ca, but we prayed,” she said. “I saw with my own eyes how difficult it would be. I saw people fall in the water and have sharks eat them, and saw the pool of blood. I saw how hurtful it was.”

Tran has worked here

since 1985. Although she knew a little bit of English, it was incredibly hard at first. Her disorientation with her new surroundings initially made working at Mar-cus difficult.

“I had no time to go to school,” Tran said. “After three days, the people at St. Phillips took me to go to work. My son was born in 1983 in Thailand, and I took him with me to work in the Philippines. But when I came here, I couldn’t do that. And I didn’t know where to go in Marcus. But now it is okay.”

Most of Tran’s family now lives in America, ex-cept for her 83-year-old mother and some siblings. Although she would like them here, they have ev-erything they need in Vietnam and she sends them money when necessary.

“It is easier over in Vietnam because the houses are already paid for and they have all their living ex-penses,” she said. “If they come here, they have to find a new house, lighting and electricity. They would have to take a citizenship test and learn English. It would be hard.”

Regardless of the struggles she faced trying to find freedom and a better life for her family, Tran was promoted to head custodian in 2006. She says she tries to do her job as best as she can.

“I try to take care of the building good,” she said. “I just want everybody at Marcus happy.”

Marcus head custodian, Kim Tran (middle) is photographed with her family in Viet-nam. Tran and family traveled overseas to America on Dec. 15, 1981.

photo submitted

”“I saw people fall in the water and have sharks eat them and saw the pool of blood.

- KIM TRAN, head custodian

story by kate o’toole

From farm to Flower MoundVietnamese custodian relives journey to America, difficulties of adapting to Marcus school community

design and graphic by maria heinonen 9 the marquee |december 16, 2010

feature

Charitable clubs aid foreign countrySenior spreads holiday cheer by bringing bags filled with necessities to children in Indian slums

Walking down a dusty dirt path in a small town in India senior Katy Lancaster passes endless piles of fly infested garbage. The pungent odor that sweats from the trash causes someone in her team to gag from the smells, bringing a puzzled look from a home-less man who is picking through the trash. Other discarded trash travels down the street and eventually gets caught in one of the thousands of massive garbage piles that have been abandoned on the road. The classroom Katy walks into is hot and causes immedi-ate beads of sweat to travel down her face. Katy was there to visit the students and volunteer as much as she could. Trying to keep the bright smile she has glued on her face, she greets the chil-dren. But Katy can’t shake the news she had received earlier that day. One of the students that attended the school she was visiting had passed away that morning. She can’t just ignore this tragedy that could have easily been prevented.

“She died of a sickness very easily preventable with clean water and medical care that no one in her family could ever afford,” Katy said.

This sparked an idea that has brought thousands of In-dian children luxuries that many Marcus students con-sider basic.

“Her dying wish was for a little bottle of shampoo,” she said.

With the help of family, Katy created Bags of India, an organization that sends gallon-sized bags to Indian children filled with necessities including soap, school sup-plies and a comb for Christ-mas. Katy received donations from Marcus clubs including English Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.

Katy first traveled to India in March after a friend from India invited her and other women to go and help out schools and build homes in the slums. While working with various schools, Katy learned how simple affection could make a world of difference.

“One of the things we did was give every single child a hug,” Katy said. “Because life is so cheap in the slums, children often receive no affection from their parents because the parents don’t want to become attached to a child that could very likely die, so one hug can really make a difference.”

Katy departed to India on Dec 12. When there, she plans to dis-tribute almost 2,200 bags to the schools and towns she visits.

“Every single child in the schools I am connected with will get

one bag,” Katy said. “I will pass out the bags to the children in the slums, and take in all their smiles as they receive such a treasure.”

Last school year, Katy raised money to build a home by selling scarves to the community. “Save a Life. Get a Scarf.” allowed Indian children to be in a home that takes them away from the dangers of being sold into child prostitution.

Freshman Luke Lancaster also became involved with bags of In-dia. Through his sister and mother’s influence, Luke will also be go-ing to India in December.

“I’ve heard going to India was pretty cool,” Luke said. “I don’t know what to expect but I’m really excited. Even though I haven’t been yet, I already know that I will want to go back.”

Katy gave Luke tips on how to behave in India. While Katy will be dedicating houses, Luke will be taking a trip to a small Indian town.

“Katy said not to laugh in public because you might of-fend someone,” Luke said. “I will be passing out bags but I’m also going to travel to Raunchi, a town in India with my dad. We will be talking to adults but the girls can’t go on that trip because it’s not a safe place for them.”

Luke hadn’t realized the amount of hard work his sister and mother put into the bags.

“I did not do as much as Katy. She was a saint,” Luke said.

In 2007, the Ministry of Women and Child Develop-ment reported the presence of 2.8 million sex workers in India, with 35.47 percent of them entering the trade before the age of 18 years. Katy and her team also established an-other foundation called you-canfree.us, an organization

that dedicates itself to preventing and rescuing women from sexual exploitation. Through the horror stories Katy saw in India, she real-ized how serious this problem is.

“One woman I met asked my team and me to take her out of the brothel, to save her, but we didn’t have any place to take her,” Katy said. “Most prostitutes are human trafficking victims. They aren’t prostitutes by choice.”

In November, Katy and her team had a banquet to raise money. When they return to India in December the first youcanfree.us safe home will be dedicated as well.

Katy knows that she couldn’t have accomplished the Bags of In-dia project without the help of Marcus students.

“They really made a difference in their lives. I pray that God blesses them,” Katy said.

story by shannon mccauley

december 16, 2010 | the marquee

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in-depth

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design by nathaniel thornton 11 the marquee |december 16, 2010

november 19, 2010 | the marquee 12 design and graphics by breyanna washington

in-depth

story by devon miller

the marquee |december 16, 2010 design and graphics by nathaniel thornton 12

more than she could,” Collins said. “I thought I was going to be fine because nothing like that had hap-pened to me.”

However, Collins recently threw a party at her house with alcohol and was caught by her parents and grounded.

“Since I’ve been grounded I haven’t (drank),” Col-lins said. “I hope it stays like that but I don’t know. I’m only a sophomore and there’s a lot of time in high school.”

***Amanda Jackson woke up with her head pound-

ing. She slowly sat up as she processed where she was. Once she realized she was in her bed in her room, she tried to remember what had happened the night before. She had been drinking with her friend and they had been laughing. He put his arm around her. Then things got fuzzy.

She could remember being pushed back on the bed. She remembered him fumbling around with something. After that, it was a blank, but she didn’t need to remember the rest to know what had hap-pened. She started to cry.

She’d been raped.“I felt like I didn’t have any control over my body,”

Jackson said. “It definitely made me stop drinking. I don’t promote drinking and I like to make sure I’m sober.”

After telling her parents, junior Jackson got a morning-after pill and decided to take her rapist to court. However, because they’d both been drinking, there was no concrete proof, so Jackson was forced to drop the case. Jackson had started drinking as a way to deal with her depression.

“I drank to dull the pain,” Jackson said. “But drinking doesn’t prevent the problems. It just dulls them out until you deal with them later.”

Since that night, Jackson has tried to ensure that others who are drinking are safe from harm to pre-vent what happened to her from happening to any-one else.

“I lost my virginity that night and I didn’t even remember it vividly,” Collins said. “I couldn’t stop it... You can’t prevent everything. You’re not yourself when you’re drinking.”

*names were changed to protect the identity of the source

Valerie Steiner* tried to focus as she looked down at the papers in her hand. The music from the club she’d just been thrown out of pounded in her ears as her alcohol-muddled brain tried to process the words. Public Intoxication. Out past curfew. The words swirled together and she blinked a few times, giving up on understanding them for now. She looked up and met the angry eyes of her mother, who had just pulled up. She took a deep breath and walked towards the car.

On the first night of last summer, junior Steiner downed a Four Loko and, along with a friend who was also drinking, drove to Plush in Dallas. The two got in to the club with fake IDs but were soon kicked out for their drunken behavior. Along with the tickets she received, Steiner is on probation for six months and has to complete 60 hours of community service. Her parents also sold her new red Mustang and sent her to counseling.

“Right after I got out of counseling I was more cautious about drinking,” Steiner said.

Steiner, who has been drinking since she was a freshman, said she drank Four Loko “20 times or more.” The drink is a mixture of an energy drink and alcohol, with more caffeine than two cups of coffee and more alcohol than four glasses of wine. The FDA recently enacted a ban on caffeine-spiked alcohol-ic drinks like Four Loko because of the effects the drinks were having on consumers.

“Anytime I drank one I threw up,” Steiner said. “There was so much sugar. It just didn’t sit well with my stomach. I got hungover pretty much every time, too.”

***The bell over the door jingled as Steiner and

her friend walked into the rundown gas station. They grabbed a few Four Lokos from the back and brought them to the counter.

“My dad’s an alcoholic so I definitely know what can happen from drinking too much,” Steiner said.

Steiner watched as her friend smiled at the cashier, who smiled back and rang her up, never asking for an ID. He gave her a wink as he handed her the receipt. Steiner’s friend took the receipt and they left quickly, anxious to get the drinks to their friends.

Steiner said teenagers can always find something alcoholic to drink.

“No teenager is a responsible drinker,” Steiner said. “They drink to get messed up. It’s something to do. ”

***Kristen Collins* threw open the door of the bath-

room, desperately searching for her friend Maria*. The last time she’d seen her, Maria had been down-ing vodka like it was water, just after chugging a Four Loko. What Collins saw inside the bathroom shocked

her.Maria was

sprawled out on her back in the cold shower. Her hair was matted and chunks of vomit clung to the strands. Her clothes were wet with alco-hol and puke, and she was taking short,

slow breaths.“I thought she was dead,” sophomore Collins said.

“You could barely see her breathing. I couldn’t get her out and I started crying because I couldn’t get her up by myself and no one wanted to help me.”

After managing to get her out of the shower and on her feet, Collins brought Maria to her mom, who was waiting outside. After telling Maria’s mom what had happened, they rushed her to the hospital.

“Her pulse started slowing down,” Collins said. “It was so bad that she was having mini seizures and coming in and out of consciousness.”

Maria’s doctor told her she had alcohol poisoning and, after giving her medicine to get the alcohol out of her system, let her sleep it off. Collins said she was scared by the event, but continued to drink.

“In my mind, I thought that I could control myself

”“I thought she was dead. You could barely see her breathing.

- Kristen Collins*, 11

in-depth

Your family history can influence your drinking habits.Children of alcoholics are 3 to 4 times more likely to

become alcoholics.

Alcohol passes directly into the bloodstream through the tissues of the stomach and small intestines.

Alcohol is digested in the same way as other food and beverages.

story by carley meiners and molly spain

compiled by lauren rose and alex cain

Senior Becky Katel* listens as her 13-year-old sister launches into a recount of her Friday night activities. Her sister starts from the beginning, first explaining how she came to acquire the alco-hol. She excitedly tells Katel about how drunk she was by the end of the party, and how anxious she was to drink again. Katel restrains herself from rebuking her sister, aware of the hypocrisy that would present. Although Katel parties and drinks herself, it’s hard for her to hear about her younger sister’s drinking.

Underage drinking has become more preva-lent among younger generations today. An aver-age of 11,318 teens drinks alcohol for the first time every day (learn-about-alcohol.com). Junior Bai-ley Mckinley said she knows students at Marcus that drink and recognizes the issue of drinking in high school.

“It’s definitely a growing problem because peo-ple make friends with older kids easier now and it’s easier for them to get alcohol,” Mckinley said.

Even students in elementary and middle schools are now drinking alcohol, whether the cause is peer pressure, depression or to just have fun. Downing Middle School assistant principal Will Skelton said he can see that alcohol targets more of a younger generation. Katel said that her younger sister started drinking around the age of 12. She worries that drinking will negatively affect her sister in the future.

“I fear that my little sister is going to experi-ence things that she shouldn’t, and that she feels like it’s okay because I did it,” Katel said. “I think she started drinking so young because of peer

pressure and depression. She wanted to escape.”According to studies by David J. Hanson, Ph.D.,

continued alcohol exposure by teens affects brain development, which isn’t fully developed until a person is in their early twenties. Alcohol damage to brain development can impair one’s intellectual capacities and cause learning problems. School nurse Kathy Saucedo said that younger children don’t know how much alcohol their bodies can handle which causes even more problems.

“Even over the counter Benadryl some kids can only take one while other bodies’ can handle two and their bodies won’t flop over and fall asleep,” Saucedo said. “I mean do you really want to find out accidentally that what you did was too much?”

Long-term use of alcohol can lead to liver dam-age, cancer and pancreatitis. Research done by teendrugabuse.us proves that excessive drinking of alcohol when one is under the age of 21 can ac-tually shrink the brain and cause a person to age faster. Drinking before one is 15 years-old makes one four times more likely to develop alcohol de-pendence later on in life than people who begin drinking alcohol in their twenties. Saucedo said that the media glamorizes drinking into something that many teens would want to do.

“There’s a natural teen curiosity about all things and some of that’s good,” Saucedo said. “But they make it look like it’s something cool to do.”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says that underage drinking is the cause of about 5,000 deaths for people under the age of 21 each year. However, a national survey taken by NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) reports that there is a decline in underage drinking among middle schoolers.

design by nathaniel thornton 13 the marquee |december 16, 2010

If you “sleep it off” for a few hours, you will be fine to drive home in the morning.Your motor function can be affected for up to 10

hours after you finish drinking.

*names have been changed

december 16, 2010 | the marquee

entertainment

Presents with price in mindThere can be no greater embarrassment than when your family members present you with the greatest gift for Christmas (ex-

actly what you wanted down to the wrapping paper color) and you sheepishly hand them soap on a rope. We understand you’re on a budget, so here are some foolproof, affordable gifts sure to return the love.

14 design by breyanna washington

Audrey was the iconic actress that epitomiz-es old Hollywood glamour and most moms will

be familiar with her classic standbys—Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Roman Holiday, My Fair Lady. The

book features 100 unreleased photographs of Hep-burn and flipping through them is sure to evoke that

same signature elegance.

The delectable scent that greets you whenever you walk into Hollis-ter can be bottled and given to your significant other. Jake, the store’s least expensive cologne, combines a lively citrus with a rugged wood base. It might have you lingering a little bit longer on those hugs.

Tired of seeing your dad putting his “manhood” in ques-tion while struggling to get that bottle open? Put away those

old-fashioned cork screws which can make anyone break a sweat. This stylish and easy-to-use opener will spare

your dad the embarassment and speed up holiday dinners.

Jewelry is a classic romantic gift, but the bling can get pretty pricy. Old Navy has an extensive variety of outer wear for the winter months which makes for an inexpensive alternative. In every color from per-iwinkle blue to lime green, we recommend the cable knit scarf for $8.50, a pair of gloves for $7.50 and a chunky knit pom pom beanie for $9.50. Snazzy and useful.

This item takes a modern fantasy spin on a classic toy. Your little brother can be the ultimate master of the hostile match-up of Gryffindor and Slytherin. Between help-ing Harry find the snitch before Malfoy and dodging bludgers, your little bro will be oc-cupied enough to leave you alone for the rest of the holiday.

For the mother: “The Audrey 100” - $28.07 at Target

For the younger brothe r : LEGO Harry Potter Quidditch Match $19.97 at Walmart (6-12 yrs)

For the father: Emerson Electric Wine Bottle Opener $20 at Target

For the older sister: Flannel Santa Claus PJs at Old Navy $12.00

For the girlfriend:Old Navy winter wear, totaling $25.50

For the boyfriend:Jake cologne by Hollister for $30

compiled by jasmine sachar

The weather can turn chilly around Christmas break. It’ll be time to grab the snuggie, pour some hot tea and hit the couch for some classic movies. These cute, inexpensive pants will just add to the experience and make your sister’s break warm, toasty and comfortable.

photo from target.comphoto from target.com

photo from walmart.com

photo from gap.com/oldnavy

photo from gap.com/oldnavy

photo from hollisterco.com

design/art by breyanna washington 15 the marquee | december 16, 2010

entertainment

Man on the charts

Creative, ingenious, stellar — these are all words that describe Kid Cudi’s second album, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager. After Cudi’s first album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day, fans have spent months anticipating another one of Cudi’s works. “These Wor-ries,” “Maniac” and “Erase Me” are all songs on the CD that focus on Cudi’s dark memo-ries and how they’ve affected him in life. Concepts such as disappearing and fading into the past and hiding in the com-fort of darkness are all feelings that Cudi experienced when rapping for Man on the Moon II. One of the lyrics of Cudi’s “Don’t Play This Song” starts with, “Pain, hurt, sadness and loneliness,” and turns to the second verse with “I’m in the maze/I’m in the daze/I’m losing it/I’m locking in my rocket ship.” With words such as these, the listener can clearly see the gloomier angle of Kid Cudi.

Man on the Moon II has a new spin on the “emo” aspect of rap, but the sound of the album is lyrically attractive. Clas-sic hip-hop beats envelope the listener’s musical dream. The song “All Along” has a mellow rock rhythm and the song “Erase Me,” is more rock-and-roll. Cudi also included an all-star cast of featured artists. Chip the Rippa, GLC and Mary J. Blige are a few of the talents that attribute to the mesmerizing voice of Cudi’s imagination.

The mixture of music genres gives fans more than just a great hip-hop album. Man on the Moon II is a blend of abstract melodies behind clever rap lines. Kid Cudi does not stray far from the 2009 rapper that fans have grown to love. With his Relaxing, har-monic and spell binding tunes while crossing boundaries and expectations, Kid Cudi is defi-nitely the “Man on the Moon.”

New work, IN CONCERT

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Fronteirs

Better than Ezra

Robert Earl Keen

the Video Stars

Family Force 5

Cake

Party Theft

Ozzy Osbourne

$35-$72

$10-$60

$16-$22

$57-$109

$31-$41

$20-$40

$45

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$36-$92

American Airlines Center - 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 19

House of Blues in Dallas - 8 p.m. on Dec. 19

House of Blues in Dallas - 7 p.m. on Dec. 23

House of Blues in Dallas - 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 27

House of Blues in Dallas - 7 p.m. on Dec. 28

House of Blues in Dallas - 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 28

The Palladium Ballroom - 8 p.m. on Dec. 30

House of Blues in Dallas - 10 p.m. on Dec. 31

American Airlines Center - 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 20

Over the last few years, Kanye West has become a house-hold name. This is not only from his music, but for his ri-diculous award show antics. His image has changed from one to be admired to one that is often frowned upon and he knows it. With his new album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, he’s looking for a new start.

West has never stuck to one style of mu-sic through the span of his hip-hop ca-

reer. His sound has incorporated any-thing from soul to electro. Despite his constantly changing style, the quality of his music has been fairly consistent. Deep beats and heavy bass match his quick lyrics and interesting perspec-tive in his songs.

This album keeps up both of those traditions. Kanye’s new approach is easily comparable to that of an “op-era.” All the songs seem to fit together into a similar concept or story, and each song’s lengthy runtime is like an-other scene. Even the music is more reminiscent to that of an opera than a hip-hop album. Instead of being bombarded with the sounds of bass, listeners are serenaded with a sym-phony of strings.

Not only does it have a unique sound, it also has a great “cast.” It has many of hip-hop’s well-known artists such as Kid Cudi, Nicki Minaj and Jay-Z, along with less typical guests like Elton John and Bon Iver.

Whether or not you are a fan of Kanye West’s over-the-top persona, there is no doubt you’ll

be impressed by this musical en-deavor. My Beautiful Dark Twist-

ed Fantasy is one of the best albums of the year and a milestone in Kanye

West’s ever-changing career.

Kid Cudi and Kanye West return with new brilliance

review by breyanna washington review by nathaniel thornton

A swift comeback

same geniuses

december 16, 2010 | the marquee 16 design by jordan richards

Community service opportunities

• OnChristmasmorningthefamilygoestoaPresby-terianchurch.

• The family watches the Christmas epi-sodeofDonaldDuckat3p.m.onChrist-masEveandthenexchangegifts.

• GiftsarealwaysopenedonChristmasEve.Elec-tronicsandtoysarethemostpopularpresentstogive.

• OnChristmas Eve, her family goes to an evan-gelicalchurchandwatcheschildrenperformtheChristmasstoryofJesus’birth.

• TheChristmas tree is put up a fewdays beforeChristmas, not a few weeks. No stockings arehung.

• They don’t do anything on Christmas ex-cepteatdinnerwithgrandparentsandoth-errelatives.

• ThemaindecorationistheChristmastreeinsidethehouse.

• TheyeatabirthdaycakehonoringJesusaswellaswhitericeandorangemaplechicken.

• Therearenodecorationsoutsideandonlyafewrib-bonshunginthewindowsaroundthehouse.Theydon’tputupatree.

• After church and time with family, Cho goes outwithher friends to celebrateChristmas at variousfestivalsinSeoul.

• They eat Janssons Frestelse or Tempta-tion,whichisabakedcasserolewithlayersof thinly slicedpotatoesandonionswithcrèmebetweeneachlayer.

• On Dec. 25 and 26, both known as “SecondChristmas,” all of the relatives come over andhaveabigfeast.

I won’t be home for Christmas... Exchange students tell their holiday traditions

• “IrememberasalittlegirlwatchingPippiLong-stocking on Christmas Eve whilemymom andsisterdecoratedthetree,”Nobbesaid.

• “My favorite part is waiting for Santa Claus andwonderingwhatpresentshe’sgoingtobringme,”Chosaid.

• “It’sthesameepisodeofDonaldDuckev-eryyear.ButIloveitandeveryoneinSwe-denwatchesitanyway,”Nielsensaid.

entertainment

WeallknowabouttheholidayseasoninAmerica:thelatenightshoppinghours,colossaltreesandyarddecorationrivalrieswithneighbors.The Marquee decidedtoexplorethetraditionsofforeignexchangestudentsspendingtheirfirstChristmasinthestates.

story by alex mcginnis

Anna Nobbe, junior

Hanover, Germany

Haeun Cho, junior

Bucheon, South Korea

Carl Nielsen, junior

Karlskrona, Sweden

Keep Lewisville BeautifulWhat: Volunteer to beautify LewisvilleWhere: 189 Elm Street #106, LewisvilleWho to Contact: info@keeplewisvillebeautiful.org

Flower Mound Police Department What: Dress in McGruff costume at community eventsWhere: Flower MoundWho to Contact: muah.hammerquist@verizon.net

Greater Lewisville Cares What: Assist with various community services in Lewisville Where: 5500 Morris Road, Flower MoundWho to Contact: info@greaterlewisvillecares.org

Texas Tailwaggers RescueWhat: Animal rescue and fostering at Adopt-a-Pets on SaturdaysWhere: Highland VillageWho to Contact: txtailwaggers@aol.com

compiled by shannon mccauley

design by jordan richards 17 the marquee |december 16, 2010

sports

Ultimate team looking to state next April

ThefrisbeetipsintheairasseniorAustinWalk-er attempts to score anotherpoint for theultimateteam.AsWalkerslamsintotheground,thefrisbeeiscaughtinbetweenWalker’soutstretchedhands.Thispointtiedthegame7-7againstthetoprankedUNTultimate team.However,minutes laterUNTscoredagain,makingthefinalscore8-7-aMarauderloss.OntheweekendofDec.5,theultimateteamcom-

peted in the JingleBellHell (JBH)Tournament inDenton. The tournament consisted of college andclub teams from around the state.Oklahoma StateUniversitywasamongoneofthefewteamsfromout-sideofTexas.TheJBH tournament isoneof two tournaments

theteamcompetesinyearly.InApril,theywillcom-pete in thehighschoolstate tournament.Lastyeartheteamtiedforthirdandthisyearthey’relookingforafirstplacewin.Walkersaidit’sapossibilitybe-causetheybeatthetoprankedteaminJBH.Hesaid

story by carley meiners

Undefeated senior hopes to lead team

story by devon millerThisyear,seniorcaptainDylanPowersislooking

tochangetheschool’soutlookonthewrestlingteam.After18meets,theteamis12-6andPowersis16-

0,theonlyundefeatedmemberoftheteam.Hecredittheteam’ssuccesstotheircohesiveness.“Individualscanwinforthemselves,buttheycan’t

winfortheteam,”Powerssaid.Powersuseshisinfluenceascaptaintohelppre-

paretheotherwrestlersformatches.Hepreparesforhisownbywarmingupandlisteningtoscreamoanddeathmetalmusic.Tomorrow,theteamwillcompeteattheCowboy

DualsatCoppellHighSchool.Powers,ismostlook-ing forward to facingrivalDaltonFranks fromTheColonyattheCougarDualsmeet.“WhenIwasyounger,Ibasicallyjustwentaround

andmuscled people,” Powers said. “I’m starting tolearntechniqueandthat’shelpingmeoutquiteabit.I’mlookingforwardtogoingagainst(Franks)now.”

Boys’ cross country ventures to Portland

With only 400 meters to go,CraigLutz can see his finish.

Hecanseehimself taking itallagain.Only400meterstogoandhisnationaltitlewillremainhis.Thenthemudgetsthicker, the hay barrels are harder togetoverandheloseshisstrength.Witha timeof 16:04,onlyfive secondsbe-hindthewinner,seniorCraigLutzfin-ishedthirdintheNikeNationalCrossCountrymeetinPortland,Oregon.LastyearCraigwonfirstattheNike

CrossNational.Lutzsaidthisyeartheracewasmoreofachallenge,butend-edupplayinginhisfavor.“I’m more of a strength runner,”

Lutzsaid.This year Lutz was one of the two

previous top ten boys to place in therace.Hesaidthiswaspartlyhisgoal.“IkeptthrowinginsurgesandIkept

acceleratingtheraceeventhroughthehardparts,”Lutzsaid.“Iwastryingtotireeveryoneelseout.Thisultimatelyworked because Lucas (the winner)beatmebyfiveseconds.”IllinoisnativeLucasVerzbicaswon

theracewithatimeof15:59.Lastyear,at another national race, FootlockerNationals, Verzbicas beat Lutz. LutzsaidthatVerzbicashasalotofstrengthoverhim.“Race timehe is just stronger than

me,” Lutz said. “Compared to me hehas everythingmore.His parents areOlympictri-athletes.Hejusthaseveryresourceheneeds.ButIrespecthim.Ifonepersonhasenough, theycanbeatanybodywhohasworkedthehardest.”AccordingtocoachSteveTelaneus,

Lutz has worked that hard. TelaneussaidLutzisnotonlyagoodrunner,butalsoanexcellentleader.“For a team to have success, one

of themost important things you canhave is a goodpeer leader,” Telaneussaid. “You need somebody who’s outthere and respected. Someone whowillworkhardanddemandstuffoutofthemselvesandtheirotherteammates.Last year Craig traveled alone to

theNikerace.Thisyeartheboy’scrosscountryteamtraveledouttoPortlandwithhim. In the race theboysplacedtenth.Telaneussaidthiswasn’t justaoneyearaccomplishment.“Three years ago we talked about

accomplishing exactly this,” Telaneussaid. “I’m proud of the team for howthey’veworkedhardforalongtimeforthis.”Lutzsaidthetenthplacewinisabig

accomplishment.Hesaidthattheymetmorethantheirexpectations.“We just wanted to run as a team

anddowhatwe’vebeendoingallyearandultimatelyweaccomplishedthat,”Lutzsaid.Despitehisloss,Lutzsaidheisproud

story by carley meiners ofhishighschoolcrosscountryaccom-plishments.Lutz is thefirstperson toplace in the topfiveat theNikemeetthreeyearsinarow.HesaidhetakesprideinthatandthathelooksforwardtohiscollegecareerattheUniversityofTexas,towhichheiscommitted.“Nothingthatanybodydoesinhigh

schoolshouldbethehighlightoftheirlife,”Lutzsaid.“SohopefullywhatI’vedone inhigh school is just a steppingstoneintowhatIcandoforcollege.”

Runners travel to Nike Cross National race, return with tenth place

(Top right) Senior Craig Lutz sprints through the mud, vying for a second national championship title. Lutz ended up finishing third. (Bottom) The boys’ team poses before they run the race course for the first time.

photos submitted

In the 52 degree December weather, senior Austin Walker quickly passes to teammate senior Matthew Hudspith at an after school 4 p.m. practice at the freshman campus on Monday, Dec. 13.

photo by luke swinney

theteamhasshowntheirtruecapabilities.“With our success at this tournamentwe have

provedourselves,”Walkersaid.“Ifwecandothatwithtoptiercollegeandclubteams,thenthehighschoolteamsatstatehavenothingonus.”

18 design by maria heinonen

sports

PHILLIP FORTE, junior (#10)Ht- 5’11Position- GuardBiggest Strength- Shooting. Forte consistently scores around a third of the team’s total points.Inside scoop- “We’re enjoying the ride right now and taking it one game at a time. We’re not looking to Austin or anything specific be-cause anything can happen.”

MARCUS SMART, junior (#3)Ht-6’0Position- ForwardBiggest Strength- Leadership on the courtInside scoop- “We’re one team, not individu-als, so I’m looking for that trust in my team-mates that we’re all ready to go to battle on the court. Just looking for that brotherly love that all teams want.”

NICK BANYARD, junior (#23)Ht- 6’8Position- CenterBiggest Strength- ReboundingInside scoop- “I’m just ready to start up district, because I know a lot of people in the district and I like playing against people I know. My step-brother is the starting point guard for Plano West, so that will be fun playing against him.”

key match-up: plano westThe Marauders play their first district game next Tuesday, Dec. 21 against Plano West. As the away team, this game is key for the boys to start their district record on top and keep their momentum throughout district play.

After a small taste of state victory last year with the boys making it to the state semifinal game, their ex-perience gives them an added edge this season. This benefit is evident through the team’s quick ball han-dling and patience in not shooting the ball too quickly. Their experience also helps the boys handle pressure and keep their cool, something that state teams must have to be successful.

SECRET WEAPON

december 16, 2010 | the marquee

boys’ basketball for the shooting

starsThe boys are looking for a repeat state appear-ance. The girls want to make a long run in the playoffs with a new coach. The Marquee pre-views both teams, breaking down successful strategies, top players and games not to miss.

compiled by luke swinney photos by becca dyer

PLAYER PROFILES

december 16, 2010 | the marquee design by maria heinonen 19

sports

VANESSA JONES, freshman (#22)Ht- 5’8Position- Shooting guard Inside scoop- “(Our youngness) brings a lot of energy to the team because we haven’t been through it and we’re happy to get the oppor-tunity.” Goals- to win “Newcomer of the Year” andto average 12-15 points per game

SHANNON MALONE, junior (#00)Ht- 6’0Position- PostInside scoop- “We played a really hard pre-season schedule. The teams in our district I don’t think have been playing a hard preseason. As we go into district, it helps us because we’ve been in this situation before, you know, tight games against teams who are really good.” Goals- to be all-district, first team

HAILIE SAMPLE, senior (#33)Ht- 5’11Position- ForwardInside scoop- “People are more eager to play than they were last year. (Owens) gives more ad-vice than she does yelling.”Goals- go to state tournament

THERE’S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWNExperience is new head coach Pam Owens’ middle name and going to state is nothing new. At Taft High School in San Antonio, Owen traveled to the state championship three times before she went to coach at the University of Tennesee. “I think I bring a work ethic and I try to show them that if they work hard and work smart then good things can happen for us.” Despite a 5-9 record at presstime, Owens said that once she gets used to the system, she’s hope-ful that the team will make a run in the playoffs.

girls’ basketball

key match-up: lewisvilleLewisville has three returning guards, a new pair of move-in posts and the advantage of size. “They were really young the past two years and now they’re older more mature and can handle things better,” junior post Shannon Malone said. The game takes place on Jan. 10 at home.

“Press and run and score. And press and run some more.” This is the signature strategy Owens has im-plemented since her arrival, a change from the team’s passive approach. This aggressive defense style has players putting pressure on the opposing team and tiring them out. “Our philosophy is we want to make them have to play around us,” senior forward Hailie Sample said. “It makes them have to move and go to where we’re not and that turns into turnovers.”

THE STRATEGY

compiled by jasmine sachar photos by kyle anderson

PLAYER PROFILES

december 16, 2010 | the marquee

opinion

mighty mouseKate O’Toole

We were eating pierogi and other typical Polish peasant food when it happened. It was a cold, windy June day in Krakow, Poland. An elderly man in his 70s walked slowly up to our table. He pointed to our soup and said a few words in Polish. Through hand signs, we finally understood what he wanted – the soup. We were eating it, so we shook our heads. He scurried back to his table, focusing a hawk-like gaze on the trash can in case anyone threw away food. But after he left, an uncomfortable guilt settled on us.

In the end, I brought the soup, along with a piece of bread to his table. He looked at me gratefully and started talking in Polish. I looked at him blankly but smiled. He smiled back and took my soup, devour-ing it. At that moment, I wanted to know that man’s story. I wanted to know how he lived throughout the World War, the Nazis and the Communism that hit Poland. All through traveling, the hardest thing for me has been the language barrier.

A language is just words and sounds. It is a seem-ingly simplistic thing. I have been learning French for five years. Through the long days of conjugating verbs and trying to sound remotely French, it has been a challenge. When people speak in French, I try my hardest to remotely pick out words that I know. But still, I typically have no clue what they are talk-ing about. I have tried to become fluent. I put my non-bilingual mother through a five hour dinner, in French on the French countryside. Throughout our two week journey through France, we stayed at people’s houses. Some didn’t know English. I have tried. But here in Texas, I find it impossible to put my French to use.

That is why, when I graduate early in January, I have decided to become an au pair, which is a nanny, for a year. I will be going to France to take care of someone’s kids. But the whole uncertainty of what kind of family I will get and where I will end up in-timidates me. I don’t even want to hope for anything out of fear that it won’t meet my expectations. At the same time, I am excited to go somewhere different and challenge myself. It will be strange to be truly alone for the first time. I will be relying on strangers that I will get to know in the span of a year.

But after I process my fears and uncertainty, I re-flect on what I wish to achieve in life. I want to listen, hear and report people’s stories. I don’t want a lan-guage barrier to get in the way of comprehending an-other way of life. Hopefully, this job as an au pair can help me do that. Wherever it brings me, I do know one thing: it is going to be an adventure.

I guess I’ve established that I won’t make a boy a sandwich, but have I gone too far?

I don’t exactly know how it got to this point. Over the past two years, I’ve somehow become that “femi-nist chick.” In a typical teen movie fashion, I began to preach on lunch tables and in physics class about the importance of higher education and equal pay. I made frequent references in casual conversations to the greatness of Hilary Rodham Clinton. I denounced Disney for only making one animated movie, Mulan, with a strong female role.

What’s worse is that no one seems to understand. Or care. And it’s prompted me to wonder: have I tak-en the dream of smashing patriarchy too far?

Last week, a guy friend of mine, let’s call him Sam Dorsch (because that’s his name), opened the car door for me when he picked me up for a study group. It seemed silly. Neither my arms nor oppos-able thumbs were broken or in any way handicapped, and I was soundly capable of opening my own door. I refused to get in until the door was shut and I could open it myself.

I kind of shook it off as a joke, but in the weeks following the incident, I was mocked by the guys and questioned ceaselessly by my dainty girl friends. “He was just trying to be a gentleman,” they say sympa-thetically. “It was so nice of him.”

It had me thinking: if I had been driving and was picking up a boy, would it be socially acceptable to step out of the vehicle and open his door?

“Well, of course not,” they shrug. “That would

make him a wimp.” I was certainly taken aback by the complacency of

my friends. I thought girls at least disliked the idea of having their individual liberties stripped away.

But instead they liked boys being in the lead. They liked the gentlemanly acts, the pulling out seats, the paying for the entire dinner bill. They liked being the one waiting for the Homecoming invitation and saw no problem with spending $30 weekly on gift baskets for boy athletes. We were preconditioned to put men in the lead.

Even my mom - my full-time working, doctor flesh and blood - agreed with the rest.

“Save your energy for bigger battles,” she scolded. But how could I, mother dearest, when I saw in-

justice everywhere? It went deeper than a silly refus-al to get into Sam’s car. Making jokes about women’s rights and sandwiches, listening to Lil’ Wayne rap about strippers and hookers and all sorts of other very respectable things. Eating at Hooters, watch-ing Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders on the jumbotron. How we as a society have placed so much empha-sis on men’s sports while outright ignoring accom-plishments of female athletes. And how even though strides in the professional world have been made, people are still surprised to know my mother is the doctor in the family.

My peers can call me insane, aggresive and all to-gether unreasonable.

Still, it’s a battle I’ll continue to fight, one car door at a time.

Ladies, openyour own doors

Polish adventure dictates future job hillary is my homegirl

Jasmine Sachar

Hockey Hotties, Court-side Cuties and Marquette Maniacs. These are just some of the fan groups for the different activities at Marcus. Now there are or-ganized groups aside from football getting attention. It’s great to see the spotlight on other sports for a change.

Fan frenzy optionsWe enjoyed having our

iPods allowed at school for a day and it was even bet-ter that the money collected from the fundraiser helped create a new scholarship for seniors. It was a good way to make the day go by faster and was effective in its pur-pose of raising money.

Hooray for iPod dayThe cops that help di-

rect traffic on Waketon in the mornings are greatly appreciated. They help ease the congestion and make it easier to arrive at school safely and on time. Instead of waiting 15 min-utes the time is shrunk to an enjoyable four minutes.

Praise the po-po

photos by sarah sauercompiled by alex mcginnis

“I’ve heard about other kids drinking since last year, and I’m sure there are kids do-ing it, but I don’t think it’s a big is-sue.”

Griffin Ferara, freshman

“It’s a problem and I know a lot of people that do it. It’s not smart and it’s dangerous.”

Carly Beasley, sophomore

Do youdrinking

20 design by james hubbard

problem @ Marcus?

THINKthere is a

design by james hubbard 21 the marquee |december 16, 2010

opinion

shmallison shmibishAllison Przybysz

This week, this is my little corner of the newspa-per to share my thoughts, views, stories and opin-ions. I could write a sob story about ending relation-ships or my anxiety about graduating high school. Except I don’t care about losing friends and I don’t feel nervous for graduation. I do, however, have strong views on the opression of the world’s most majestic creature.

The Platypus, or Ornithorhynchus anatinus, is a reptilian creature rich in a culturally diverse history. Despite what many have been led to believe, this furry lizard has a disturbing past.

The platypus was first discovered by Spanish ex-plorer Christopher Columbus in 1456 in the bustling Indonesian city, Jakarta. The first platypus Colum-bus met worked as a basket weaver in the bustling town with his family. The family sold their creations for just enough money to pay the rent and electricity bills. It was a hard life, but an honest one.

Columbus promised the platypus family that if they moved to Spain, they would gain extreme wealth and become kings and queens. Trusting Co-lumbus, the platypus family agreed and migrated west to Spain.

Upon their arrival, Columbus betrayed the fam-ily’s trust and enslaved them. He forced them to breed, resulting in deformed offspring with large bill-like beaks. He used his army of cuddly reptile freaks to invade Somalia, but the platypuses were no match for their forces. The platypuses fought hard against the Somalians, but the battles were brutal. The species was nearly wiped out and only a few of the creatures remained alive by the end of the war.

Defeated, Columbus took his remaining platy-puses back to Spain, and began to realize the wis-dom the platypuses possessed. The creatures ex-plained to Columbus that he had taken advantage of their ancestors trust, and he began to realize he had done them great injustice. Columbus vowed to treat the platypuses as kings. He took them to the distant land of Australia and declared them rulers of the vast continent, where they eventually stabilized their population.

Okay, so maybe this wasn’t completely acurate. However, this is my little place to write my opinion and this is the story I wanted to share. I really doubt anybody would care to read a column about what has been happening in my life, and I don’t care to publish my personal stories. The platypus is much more interesting than my struggles and accomplish-ments. Long live the platypus.

Its kind of funny how things work out and how a normal day at work could change your life.

It was the beginning of October and my third month of being a certified lifeguard at Great Wolf Lodge. Tuesdays were typically slow with only about 20 guests in the whole water park. I was at a normal guarding rotation, scanning the same water for 45 minutes and then rotating to the next pool. Switch-ing to the next pool, the catch pool, three slides ended and a rapidly moving current and turbulence guided its riders to the nearest exit. Then it happened.

One long whistle, I hit the emergency stop on the slides, the water stopped moving and so did he. I jumped. My supervisor Darrin was face down in the water, lifeless. I wrapped my arms around his chest, plunged the rescue tube forward and thrusted us backwards onto the tube. His head backward, his airway was opened and he began to breathe normal-ly. Brian, my other supervisor, was watching closely off the edge, scanning the water and my every move. He helped me out of the water and said “Good job kid, you got an exceeds.” I had been audited for the first time that night and passed, just to make sure that on slow nights I would be able to find a guest in distress within ten seconds and save them in less than twenty.

Oct. 29 I was at the same guarding spot, the catch pool, scanning my water as usual. Step one, two, three and look back, downward head sweep, repeat. The orange slide is the fastest at Great Wolf Lodge so most people fall off their tubes when they shoot out

of the slides. But this time it was different.An older man around 70 came out from the slide,

hit the water and began to drift back. He must have slipped on the bottom of the pool, right? Everyone slips here. He’ll be fine. Okay Brian, this isn’t funny anymore. Come out so I can see you. Please just be another test.

It wasn’t. The man’s face turned from rosy pink to a pale blue. He lost his breath and couldn’t get on his feet. Farther and farther he drifted away. My heart stopped and I blew one long whistle, hit the emer-gency stop and jumped in. If you don’t know, go. It’s okay to just go and jump in even if it ends up being nothing. I had my arms wrapped around his body in seconds about to pull him onto the tube, and by some miracle the wind that was knocked out of him re-turned. He was near the edge and pulled himself out. Before I could say a word to him, he said “Thank you honey, I truly appreciate you jumping in to save my life,” and left. In a matter of seconds he could have died and it would have been my fault.

Now I may not have had to perform a complete emergency rescue for that old man, but thinking about it I’ve never been so thankful for the way any-thing worked out. I never would have expected a lifeguard test that I thought was annoying and point-less to prepare me to jump in for an old man’s life. Emergencies do happen and being prepared for any possible scenario makes difficult nerve racking situ-ations come at ease. Life can end in a second and it’s better to be safe than sorry.

This is my space.I’ll do what I want.

Great expectationsat Great Wolf Lodge

The senior song choices were a bit limited, most be-ing of the country genre. This might be Texas but country music only appeals to some students at Marcus. More variety in the future would help find an appro-priate senior song that ev-eryone can enjoy.

Limited song choicesThe lack of attention

made to the bathrooms makes them unsanitary. Some of the doors have been missing locks for years, and the paper dis-pensers are always empty. Let’s fix this so our feet don’t get soaked from the water on the floor.

Dirty bathroomsThe parking lot is over-

flowing with trash. It’s not that hard to pick up after ourselves. Maybe if the school provided outdoor trashcans, it would encour-age students to throw away their garbage rather than to just leave it on the ground next to their car.

The new town dump

“You can say it’s a problem. Howev-er, I see it as normal because Marcus is not the only school doing it.”

Danny Leal, junior

“Alcohol is so readily avail-able, and there’s a curiosity about it. When you put those two to-gether it creates a problem.”

Jan Hutley, teacher

“I think there are bigger problems at Marcus that need to be dealt with. But for some people it’s a big problem because they can’t control it.”

Derek Nance,senior

little laurenyLauren Rose

december 16, 2010 | the marquee 22 design by james hubbard

staff editorial

Drilling poses severe health risksA ticking time bomb sits half a mile away from

Shadow Ridge Middle School. Standing over the school is a towering gas drilling rig which constantly pumps natural gas from the ground. The rig is also surrounded by a shopping center, a major road and a neighborhood, all of which could be gone at any minute if something went wrong. If a pipe bursts, if a line breaks, if something overheats, the entire struc-ture could go up in flames and explode, destroying everything in its path. To prevent a tragedy, gas drilling in Flower Mound needs to stop immediately.

Over the past de-cade, gas drilling in residential areas has become increasingly popular as energy cor-porations are encouraged to use our own natural resources rather than depend on foreign oil. Though gas drilling has been plaguing other states for years, the problems have only just begun in Texas, home to the Barnett Shale in North Texas. In December of 2005, a drilling rig in Texas exploded, destroying ev-erything within a mile radius and leaving only a mas-sive crater in its place. To put that in perspective, if the same were to happen to the rig by Shadow Ridge, everything from the intersection of 2499 and Flower Mound Road to Shadow Ridge would be destroyed. A densely populated area with thousands of people, gone in a matter of seconds. There have been explo-sions closer to home, too. Two explosions involving pipelines of drilling rigs in Fort Worth claimed the lives of two workers over the summer, not to mention the several other explosions that have occurred and killed in recent years.

As if the risk of fiery death isn’t enough, the rigs also pose several serious health risks. The rigs release harmful chemicals like benzene, a known carcinogen, into the air. Last year a study about cancer cases in Flower Mound found the number of cases of leuke-mia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and breast cancer were slightly elevated in the years since the instal-lation of the drilling rigs. Several students at Argyle High School have complained of increasing health problems, ranging from chest pains to asthma to trouble concentrating, since a drilling rig was put in half a mile from the school. Just 15 miles from Mar-cus in DISH, Texas, home to 11 gas compression sta-tions, an air quality test revealed high levels of toxins in the air that exceeded the short and long-term lev-els set by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Regulations. Several trees surrounding com-pression stations in DISH have withered and many livestock on surrounding farms have died. Since the gas compression stations were installed, residents of DISH have experienced several strange health is-

sues including frequent nosebleeds around the time the toxins in the air reach their highest levels. The chemicals released into the ground by a drilling pro-cess called hydrofracking are also seeping into water supplies. On Dec. 7, dangerously high levels of meth-ane and other chemicals were found in two water wells in Parker County, just outside of Fort Worth. The methane level was so high that one resident was

able to light the wa-ter from his hose on fire, producing a constant stream of flames. DISH is also having problems with contaminated water. Traces of ar-senic, lead and chro-mium were found in one couple’s well, forcing them to find

a new water supply.Health risks aside, the rigs also robs the town of

its beauty. Flower Mound was once a scenic place where residents didn’t have to go far to take a drive in the country. Now, gas companies are attempting to fill every last bit of country land with drilling rigs and compression stations. The rigs are getting closer to neighborhoods, decreasing property values and, more than anything, marring what was once a beau-tiful town with ugly, hulking gas rigs. There are cur-rently four rigs operating in Flower Mound and, if it weren’t for the moratorium on gas drilling, several

others would be aiding in Flower Mound’s conver-sion from a pleasant residential area to a hideous, rundown wasteland with no better purpose than pumping gas out of the ground.

Some say that gas drilling is beneficial because it provides a source of energy and residents who sell their mineral rights get money. However, is this ener-gy source really worth the small payment and surplus of dangerous problems? Those who lease their min-eral rights usually make less than $1,000 unless they have a large amount of acreage. No amount of money can compensate for the loss of Flower Mound’s ru-ral areas or health problems with residents. Others say that gas drilling has not been directly linked with any health issues. It’s too early to tell if the two are linked, though, and why risk waiting? And in other areas plagued by gas drilling, like Colorado, studies have found a direct link between drilling and air and water quality issues, which are the main causes of the health problems seen in residents near gas drilling rigs. It’s only a matter of time before a link is found here, too.

The moratorium on gas drilling ends in February. The time to act is now. Before a rig explodes. Before the beauty is gone. Before the water is contaminated and flammable. Those who wish to put an end to gas drilling can sign the petition at www.stopthedrilling.blogspot.com, attend the protests every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. in front of the rig on 2499 or con-tact the Flower Mound Town Council for more in-formation. Stop the danger. Stop the contamination. Stop gas drilling before it’s too late.

”“The methane level was so high that one resident was able to light the water from his hose on fire.

Parading for Christmas cheer

photos by allison przybysz

design by breyanna washington 23

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51. A Schlotzky’s sandwich walks down Morriss road in the annual Flow-er Mound Christmas Parade on Saturday, Nov. 11. The parade started at approximately 10 a.m. and lasted about an hour and a half.2. Senior James Arnesen runs with fellow musical theater members to promote their play “Li’l Abner.”3. Junior Sarah Hanlon marches alongside her colorguard teammates.4. A float supporting the Flower Mound Humane Society reading “we need a REAL home pleeze” informs the parade audience of the many animals in need of an adoptive home.5. A truck decorated as a bug advertises the town of Flower Mound’s campaign to keep our city beautiful.

the marquee |december 16, 2010

24 design by allison przybysz

Affordable Holiday TreatsThe Marquee creates homemade snacks for under $10

photos by becca dyer

step 1 step 2 step 3

step 4 step 5

Final Product

Materials:• onebagwafflepretzels• onebagofHersheykisses(anyflavor)• onebagofassortedM&M’s• cookiesheet• aluminumfoil

Step one:Gatheringredients

Step two:Arrangepretzelsonungreasedfoilcov-eredcookiesheet

Step three: -Unwrapkisses

Step four:Placekissesontopofpretzels

Step five:Putsnacksin170degreeovenfor7minutes

Step six:PushM&M’sintowarmmeltykisses

step 6

december16,2010 | the marquee