TheThe

JOURNALDecatur High School �• 750 E Eagle Summit Dr �• Decatur, TX 76234

February 2013 �• Volume 18 Issue 3 �• www.decaturjournal.com

Kyle Hubbard raps at Kyle Hubbard raps at House of Blues, page 14House of Blues, page 14

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UStaff

2012-2013Cristin MorganEditor in Chief Print

Business/Ad Manager

Madeline PeñaEditor in Chief Online

Allie DavisPhotographer

Macky DaileyCo. Sports Editor

Hutch CheyneCo. Sports Editor

Jackie TrujilloStaff Writer

Emily SantosSocial Media

Asst. Business Manager

Macen StriplingStaff Writer

Nancy TorresStaff Writer

Noehlia OrtizStaff Writer

Katelynn CiminiStaff Writer

Jessica LozanoStaff Writer

Angelica LopezStaff Writer

Michaela CrossStaff Writer

McKenna WaddillStaff Writer

Logan HuffStaff Writer

Cindy BerryAdviser

Rather than spending their weekends at the movies or home, DHS students occupy their Saturdays by helping serve the homeless in Fort Worth. Every month on the last Saturday, various Wise County churches gather at Commu-nity Church in Decatur. A# er loading vans with food and supplies, the groups depart for Fort Worth, where they serve those in need. “Community church and other churches meet together in the parking lot of Com-munity church and ride together to Fort Worth, where we begin serving the homeless,” sophomore Heather Shepherd said.

Youth spends weekend volunteering at homeless shelterby Michaela Cross

Hula skirts, camou" age jackets and ugly Christmas sweaters are not the typical attire worn to a varsity basketball game. Senior Ben Blattner and a group of friends attend bas-ketball games, expressing their support for fellow players. Not only by attending games they encourage the players, but also Blattner and friends show up dressed in “themes.” “We wanted to $ nd a way to help pump up our team so we dressed up and it helped get them get pumped,” Blattner said.

Fans exhibit nontraditional spirit at varsity basketball gamesby Nancy Torres

To continue reading these stories visitdecaturjournal.com

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INS IDE

Future musician of Christian rap

1717

Injuries lead to downfall

88

24241414

Missionary to Israel

Class rank and GPA system p.4Sta! er re" ects on growing up p.4Sta! picks: Favorite sweets p.6

New so# ball and baseball season starts up

Future meteorologist pursues passion p.10Pals, Palees come together p.12Head to head: Class schedule p.20

photos by Allie Davisinside 3

Every February, students make new schedule choices for the following year. Some are conscientious about their GPA and base most of their selected courses on this. GPA’s should include only the calculations of core classes: math, social studies, Eng-lish and science. Students focused solely on their GPA o! en limit the number of elective or non-GPA courses. If GPAs were calculated based only on core classes, students would have more options. For example, if a student wanted to take an art course, he would not sacri" ce losing GPA points.

While some elective classes are measured on a four point scale, others such as varsity choir, band and third or four year department pro-grams are measured on a " ve point. # is adds more points. # erefore, if AP and dual credit classes are scheduled with " ve point electives, there is a higher chance to raise a GPA. If GPAs were based on the four core classes, the grades show a signi" cant improvement. Students would take priority with their core

classes and less with electives, meaning, they would care about earning the highest grades possible in their core classes. Numbers in extracur-ricular membership would also rise. Students would then have more leeway in choosing their electives. Some argue that students have the option to pass/fail a course. However, this only applies to one elective per semester. # e cal-culation of only core classes puts every student on a level playing " eld. We know this would improve our campus’ academic standing. By implementing a policy similar to this, stu-dents would understand the importance of prioritizing and all be on the same equal playing " eld.

calculations need reconsideration

# inking about what becomes of me in the future feels scary. Curious about my personality in the future, where I am going to live, and what my life ends up to become. But it seems like I need to have knowledge about what my life ends up to turn out like, right? I am going to go to college for a career in the medical " eld, I need to at least obtain some kind of idea of what my future holds. But I really don’t, and I feel like I really need to know. Whenever I think about the near future, it makes me freak out. I saw some of my favor-ite seniors leave, and it makes me think about myself, and how grad-uating and leaving is going to turn out when I become a senior, too. Somehow, it all comes down to my parents. What are they go-

ing to do when I leave? At home, I’m my mom’s little helper, more like big helper. My responsibil-ity at home consists of chores, chores and more chores. With my help, it takes such a big load o$ all the home duties. When I leave, I feel that all the chores are going to come down heavy without me there to help. Since I am the older of my two brothers, I think my parents look sad to see me grow up and leave for college. But parents feel the same way about their own chil-dren. Seeing their little babies grow up and live their own life, one step at a time, from the day of birth, to the " rst baby steps and then going on with the rest of our own life. Growing up makes me happy

but sad at the same time. # e thought of going o$ to college just scares me. Not that graduat-ing and starting my life seems like a good idea, I want to go to col-lege; but I worry for my survival skills. It sounds like, oh you baby, quit whining! But I keep wonder-ing how to fend for myself once I leave for the real world. # e outside world seems like a scary thing. Life throws out many obstacles in my path, and I need to be prepared for anything. # e big obstacle: college, in my opinion. But for now, I try to focus on the moment, and worry less of what comes ahead. Right now, starting my life is a work in progress, and it just takes one step at a time, and everything will just fall into its place.

STAFFER EXPRESSES

THOUGHTS ON FUTURE

Staff Vote

by Nancy Torres

Sta

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itori

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GPA

12 out of

16 agree

4 Opinion

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! e sweetest treat I have ever had would have to be red velvet cake with butter cream icing to top it o" . ! e " rst time I ever tried it was when I was about " ve years old and I just couldn’t get enough of it. My favorite thing about it has to be the taste of the cake and icing mixing together. ! e texture of the cake is moist and almost feels like it would melt in my mouth. When I eat it with milk it ends up melting in my mouth and makes a great combination for a sweet tasty snack. I believe

everyone should try a piece of red velvet cake at least once in their lifetime.- Noehlia Ortiz

I’m not sure if it’s the roasted pecans sprinkled on, or the cream cheese icing, or even just the cake itself, but this dessert makes my mouth water just describing it. Sweeties Pie’s red velvet cake is

to die for. I use to work at Sweetie Pies in the 10th grade so it was always tempting to get a slice on my break. Honestly one time I bought a full cake and brought it home for all of my family to eat. I haven’t eaten it in a while; I could really live on it. Even if you don’t like Red Velvet Cake, or you have never tried it ever, make Sweetie Pie’s Red Velvet cake your " rst bite. - Allie Davis

It’s not a healthy obsession, I’ll admit. But how can I possibly resist a chocolate cake? But it’s not just a cake. It’s a molten lava cake. It’s the moistest cake I have ever had. One slice is just not enough. My dad likes to yell at me whenever I eat some of this cake because (if I was a 24-

hour couch potato) I would probably have a heart attack. Sometimes I get this weird craving for it in the most random moments and it just drives me insane. I mean, really. It’s like a slice of heaven. It’s a bite out of rainbows and butter# ies. Okay. I’m going to stop talking about it because I’m getting those cravings again. - Jackie Trujillo

My favor-ite dessert is brown-ies. Not just any brown-ies though, they must be Co$ ee

brownies. ! ey’re way better than any Ger-man chocolate cake or brownie batter ice cream. I adore co$ ee brownies, even more when there’s actual co$ ee from Starbucks in them. ! ey’re even better with chocolate chips and mint chocolate chips. I remember the " rst time I tried them at a Chinese res-taurant; and it was like heaven exploded in my mouth. I’d marry those brownies. -Katelynn Cimini

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A! er a strong " rst round of district competition, the girls’ basketball team was setting their sights set on the playo# s. $ en, while attempting a layup, junior Murphy Graham came down in a funny position tearing her ACL, then partially tearing her meniscus. All of a sudden, her playo# dreams turned into a nightmare. “It was the end of the game and I stole the ball and I went for a layup,” G r a h a m said. “$ e girl I stole it from caught me and I came down and landed wrong.” $ e very next week against Krum, the team su# ered yet another crippling loss as sophomore Jasmine Tate tore her ACL. Being that Graham was the point and as-sist leader and Tate was the leading rebounder, the team was now down two top players. “Watching the Sanger game the second time hurt be-cause we were up by a lot and then losing,” Graham said. Much like girls’ basketball, the injuries su# ered by the football team took a noticeable toll as they limped to an abysmal 4-6 record, missing the playo# s by two games. “We lost a lot of key players and those injuries weak-

ened us,” junior Tyler White said. By the second district game there were four other key players sidelined with season-ending injuries: senior Jar-ed Durdon, senior Max Junkert, senior Russell Cross and junior Mason Del Castillo. While some injuries were just nagging muscle inju-ries, junior Tyler White’s career- ending concussion was

clearly the worst. “I’ve had a his-tory with concus-sions and I knew I would most likely get another one,” White said. “It was during the Alvarado game and I got blind-

sided covering a guy going in motion.” White’s view on the game hasn’t changed even if he is no longer playing. “I view the sport as very dangerous, but can teach you life lessons,” Tyler said. “But football is just a game, not something to stress over, something that you have fun with your friends and push yourself to the limits both mentally and physically.” Both teams are expecting to get back to winning next season by reloading some of the talent that was hurt this season.

Two teams battle through injury-riddled seasonsby Hutch Cheyne

UU

We lost a lot of key players and those injuries weakened us.

- Tyler White. junior

>>Junior Murphy Graham tore her ACL during basketball season.>>Junior Tyler White su# ered from a concussion during a foot-ball game in the fall.photos by Allie Davis8 sports

Before a crack of thunder, a gust of wind, or even a drop of rain, senior Chris Barrows is on the look out. He is an aspiring meteorologist. When Barrows was 6 years old, his passion for weather was sparked. His dad took a meteorology class in high school and taught Barrows

about it; but his true love for this ! eld started snowballing when he witnessed a storm ! rst hand.

“I saw my ! rst tornado in Fort Worth and that’s what accelerated my passion for it,” Barrows said.

Now-a-days Barrows studies weather every day and he watches it periodically throughout the day through windows, on the computer, or on his Ipad mini. “He’s always talking about weather,” junior, Tyler Vaughn said. Barrows uses social media to chat with fellow meteorologists. He made friends with Cody Howard from Arlington, and Stacy Gi" ord, of Brown-wood, on Facebook. He met them in person, Feb. 14, 2012, on the way to a storm-chasing convention in Denver, Colorado. Now, they chase together. “We go storm chasing whenever we can,” he said. Barrows learns weather from observation, weather festivals, conven-

tions, his dad who is his inspiration, and friends. He doesn’t walk away from a storm with just knowledge; he walks away with virtues that will last a lifetime. “I’ve learned to keep patience because if you know that the storm is going to produce a tornado, it’s worth the wait,” Barrows said. A perfect day to Barrows is stormy with hail and high winds surpassing 60 miles per hour along with the potential for tornadoes. “# e risk of a tornado is what puts the icing on the cake for me,” he said. Even though he enjoys the thrill of the chase and bad weather, his favor-ite part of this ! eld is watching the clouds. “If you look at the clouds closely on days that you have very fast vertical motion, you can see them tower,” Barrows said. “Just watching the energy in a cloud explode into a single thunderstorm is amazing.” A$ er high school Barrows plans to cover his basics at Weatherford and then transfer to the University of Oklahoma. He wants to join the Students of Meteorology Program and get his bachelors degree over the next six to eight years. “A$ er I ! nish getting my bachelors degree I want to become a meteorolo-gist in Memphis with my cousin,” Barrows said. “He is a meteorologist at WMC (We’re Memphis Commercial).”

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Student pursues future passionby Macky Dailey

Just watching the energy in a cloud explode into a single thun-

derstorm is amazing.-Chris Barrows

Feature 9

Sitting on a ! ight for 23 hours, from Dallas to Mumbai, was the " rst of many stops for sopho-more Mital Patel. “# e ! ights were really long,” she said. “I just watched movies, and on the way back I did home-work.” Leaving on Dec. 4, 2012, Pa-tel heads to India for a month and a week stay. “I went on the trip to see my family and get more culturally inclined,” she said. Flying with American and Emirates, she went to Gujarat and Malaysia in Asia, then stopped in Greece and England in Europe. “We also had a " ve day stop in Dubai in the UAE,” Patel said. “It was cool because the airline we ! ew on, Emirates, is owned by the Sheik of the Dubai/UAE.” While on her trip, she attended weddings,

temple events and museums. “We had an opportunity to stay in one of the old palaces in Abu Dhunbi,” Patel said. When Patel and her family were in Dubai

they explored the city, like any tourists, driving through sand dunes and at-tending belly-dancing festi-vals. “We also got to ride cam-els,” she said. “I

would describe it as smuphy because the ride was very humpy and smelly.” Patel’s favorite part about the trip was meeting and seeing family and all the food. “We have Indian restaurants here [USA],” Patel said, “and my mother is a great cook, but nothing can ever compare to the food made straight o$ the grill and delivered to your table.” In India, they rarely eat in restaurants; they have carts that serve food.

“It’s like a food truck here ex-cept on stands,” Patel said. Not only did Patel love the food, but also the family time she had on her visit there. She returned to Decatur Jan. 14, 2013. # e experience was bet-ter than she expected and she hopes to go back soon. “Honestly I wasn’t really excited about going to India,” she said. “But when I got there and was surrounded by all my loving family, it showed me the importance of what a family is and how they will al-ways be there for you and with you even if they’re millions of miles away.”

UU

They will always be there for you and with you even if they�’re mil-

lions of miles away.

-Mital Patel, sophomore

10 Feature

MIT

ALP

AT

EL

22

11by Cristin Morgan

Feature 11

STUDENT

TRAVELSto

INDIA

1. Mital attended belly dancing festivals on her trip.2. Mital and her brother riding a camel in India.3. ! is is Mital’s home in India. It is still under construction.4. Mital holds sugarcane juice with her decorated hands to symbolize India. “Mostly everyone in India is a farmer and the easiest thing to grow is sugarcane.”5. Mital and her dad, Chinto Patel, are in the city, Bardoli, 25 kilometers from their home.Background: Mital in the plane heading to India.Photos courtesy of Mital Patel

33

44 55

Ethan: I have learned that ! " h grade is a lot easier this time around than it was six years ago. But seriously, the way # omas lives his life so worry free has made me realize that I should really focus on what’s actually impor-tant in life, which is to serve God. All of these AP classes and sports are good, but in the end it does not really matter that I have a 4.0 GPA versus a 3.5. He has truly taught me to live for a bigger purpose.

# omas: My PAL is funny and nice and he ! xes my problem when I need him. My PAL has taught me to ignore other people when they say mean things to me. He’s taught me to never give up and always keep my head up. He’s taught me to sit with other people when they are alone and make them happy. He’s also taught me to not do bad things when other people are try-ing to make me do bad things.

Ethan Stallard & Thomas Hatley

PAL program provides mentoring for younger students

Blakely: My PAL Kylie is very funny and great to talk to, but she is very shy, so when I ! rst met her I had to ! gure out how to get her to open up to me. She taught me how to communicate better and she’s made me open up, too. Kylie and I both gained a new friendship with each other and learned how to open up from being in the PAL program. My PAL Hailey is great and we have a lot in common. From getting to spend time with Hailey everyday I have learned how to help my PALs with certain situations and how to make them feel better when they are sad. If Hailey is sad, we go out to the playground and sit on the swings and listen to Taylor Swi" on my Ipod and it always cheers her up.

Blakely Brown, Kylie Yarbrough, & Hailey Green

Blakely Brown and Hailey Green

Blakely Brown and Kylie Yarbrough

Drawings by Hailey and Kylie

Ethan Stallard, ! omas Hatley and Tristan Cain

! omas Hatley

by Angelica Lopez

12 Feature photos courtesy by Cole Wendling, Ethan Stallard and Blakely Brown

Cole: PALs has taught me many things, from how to be a positive role model to how ! rst graders and paint usually don’t mix well. However, the greatest thing I have taken from PALs is a bet-ter appreciation for how genuinely good people are. When you hang out with these kids and begin to hear how positive their outlooks are and the wacky things they have to say, you begin to start thinking more positive yourself. I encourage anyone to join PALs because I’ve come to the assump-tion that no matter what PALee you receive, there is almost a guarantee you’ll hit it o" . # e thing with kids is they just want someone to have fun with and someone to talk to. # is is why it was such a blessing for me to become that person. I’ve really enjoyed hanging out with Nick and Joey and I now have a better appreciation for how simple life is and how it should be enjoyed. Both my PALees are

very unique and both have taught me a very di" erent set of things. Joey is my video game man and I can easily attest to his ability to smoke me in any video game despite the age di" erence. From Guitar Hero records to Call of Duty sessions that last until the wee hours of the morning, Joey always is sure to keep me updated in his electronic ven-tures, not to mention his infatuation with Siri. Nick is my younger PALee and well, Zebra Man is a hard one to describe. Nick and I keep it real and talk about worldly issues, such as why girls are so lame or how overwhelmingly cool Duck Dynasty is. Nick and I have also been on a three-month campaign to win over his special friend for Valen-tine’s Day. I can’t disclose more due to a pact not to spread the word. In all seriousness, the things these kids have to say really crack me up and I’m always thankful for a good laugh on PAL days.

Rebekah: I have gained a lot of responsibility. I have gained a great friendship between us. I know that the last time I see Ty, I will cry because we have become really close. I have gained an interest in motorcross, be-cause he races his motorbike in races on the weekend. I have learned all the techniques in football. I have learned that I have to be a role model everywhere I go because there are always little eyes watching me. I have learned how to

not judge someone by their appear-ance, but to get to know them ! rst. Ty: My PAL taught me in basket-ball how to do a lay-up. We both play one-on-one basketball out on the play ground. We both like to talk about our basketball games. My PAL taught me in basketball how to do a lay-up. I enjoy playing board games. She also taught me how to read perimeter and area in math. She taught me how to remember the planets. She taught me how to kick a football.

Cole Wendling, Nick Scott & Joey Dunbar

Rebekah McGregor & Ty Woods

Cole Wendling and Nick Scott

By the numbers30 PALs

61 PALees4 campuses

3 days a weekFeature 13

EKO

HOUSE

OFBLUES

Listening to the beat of Christian music, Se-nior Kyle Hubbard raps to fellow churchgoers. Hubbard has been invited to sing at the House of Blues. “I listened to a lot of rap,” Hubbard said, “and then one day my friend Danny Cooper and I had a rap battle at church. I fell in love with it from there.” Since his freshman year, Hubbard has prac-ticed Christian rapping. Fellow rapper Danny Cooper is mentoring him. “It really started when I was doing freestyle rapping in the greenroom,” Hubbard said. “I’m really inspired by Danny, Moses Uverer and Lec-rea.” Hubbard’s sister, Kendall, looks up to him. “I’m really proud of him,” she said. “I’ve watched him since he started rapping and he de-serves this. I love him.” He’s rapped at many churches including Grace Fellowship, ! e Well in Denton, Church of Christ in Gainesville and First Baptist Church in Dallas. He’s even rapped at UNT with 300 - 400 people in the crowd. “Last December at Grace Fellowship in Para-dise was my " rst time rapping somewhere,” Hubbard said. Before selling his music onto iTunes, he signed with the record company CD Baby, and released an album last May called Let the Revolution Begin with seven songs.

“I started recording my junior year,” Hubbard said. “I plan on recoring three new songs in the near future.” His songs are meant to motivate and inspire others. “! e meanings behind some of my songs are to show that you’re not alone and God is always there,” Hubbard said. He has been invited to rap at the House of Blues near the end of March. ! e exact date will be posted on decaturjournal.com. “I’m not really sure how I got into the House of Blues, but I think it might have been either by word of mouth or by the company I signed with,” Hubbard said. He is " lled with excitement and inspired to rap at the House of Blues. He plans on rapping the songs Conquer, Never Surrender, Feeling Alone, Limits and Unobtainable. “It’s really exciting and it’s a huge blessing,” he said. “I just feel like God is using it to tell me that I need to move forward into rapping as a career.” ! e House of Blues isn’t the easiest to get into, and it’s booked months in advance. “It’s pretty di# cult to get into the House of

Blues.” Hubbard said. “! ey called me " rst so that must mean I’m pretty good.” Hubbard has high expectations in the fu-ture, making rapping a career. “! is is the avenue God is calling me to be in,” Hubbard said.

y

UU

I just feel like God is using it to tell me that I need to move forward into

rapping as a career.

- Kyle Hubbard, senior

Teen rapper to perform at popular venueby Katelynn Cimini

14 Feature

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Leaving for ! ve months, Macky Dailey will experi-ence her home away from

home 6,969 miles away, travel-ing to Tele Aviv, Israel to be a

missionary. “It is a God thing. I feel like

I’m supposed to go,” senior, Dai-ley said. Homeless ministry, sex tra" ck-ing, working with orphans, Sudanese refugees, reaching out to Orthodox

Jews and the big party scene in Tele Aviv are what Dailey can expect to deal with in her stay. “At ! rst my mom laughed at me,” Dailey said, “but she knows it’s inev-itable and that I’m making the right choice. # ey’re scared though.”

# e 6,900 dollar cost to go on the trip will be funded by Dailey work-

ing and getting help from family and friends.

“I’ve never even been away from home for a week-and-a-half, and now I’m going

to be living away,” Dailey said. Putting her ! rst semester of college on

hold, Dailey hopes to reach out to many people and gain experience in Israel. “I hope to teach others Jesus’ love,” Dailey said. “I want a clos-

er relationship with God.”Older sister, Sarah Dailey had

told Macky about the trip. Later, she was soon asked by youth pastor Michael Hinson to go. “# ere was some weird connec-tions that made me want to go; I don’t know how to explain it,” Dai-ley said. Twin brother, Gunner Daily, also a senior, is scared for Macky. However, he knows she is going for a good reason. “We just need to pray that God will keep her safe on her trip,” Gunner said. Prayers from across the community will be o$ ered for Dailey and the others traveling to Israel. “I think she will be able to share God’s word and love with other people,” Gunner said. In Israel, the majority of people speak Hebrew. In the bigger cities most people are able to speak Eng-

lish. Translators will also be available if Dailey can’t communicate with those she is reaching out to. As for talking to people back home, she will have to rely on technology. “My family and I will probably have to Face Time her,” Gunner said. Dailey’s acceptance to the ! ve-month trip will be determined on Friday, Feb. 22. She was previously in-terviewed to see if she was an eligible candidate. “Listen to God and do not fear; you’ve just got to do it,” Dailey said.

Senior travels Senior travels 6,969 miles 6,969 miles to help othersto help others

miss onmiss onPossiblePossibleI

Tele Aviv, Israel

Listen to God and do not fear; you�’ve just

got to do it.-macky dailey, senior

by Macen Stripling

Feature 17

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Students express views on school itineraryVSSEVEN

PERIODDAY

CURRENTSCHEDULE

At Decatur High School, students don’t need eight classes. Being as students only have four required classes, it would be more e! cient to only have three electives. If students really desire to take another elective, they could take that class during " rst or eighth period, which would be-come a # ex class. If the students don’t enjoy the elective they decide to take during this free period, they could simply leave without the fuss of making a new schedule and in-terrupting the duties of o! ce sta$ . If " rst period is used as a # ex class, students could use the time to catch up on their sleep; this gives them more time to wake up their brains, which would allow for more infor-mation to be absorbed in the class-room. However, if students are given eighth period as a # ex class, they could leave early to go to a job or to pick up younger siblings. Students who ride the bus and need tutori-als could attend tutorials and still catch the bus. Teachers who spend their confer-ence and lunch periods tutoring could " nish their work before the end of school; if they live far away, this could be a welcome reprieve from arriving home late every night. Also, students could use the extra time to catch up on homework or extra-curricu-lar activities. In conclusion, having only seven class periods bene" ts both students and sta$ .

I’m like every other student: I like to sleep, and I would much rather sleep than come to school. At " rst, coming in late to school sounds awesome, right? I can sleep an extra hour and be in a much better mood to start o$ the day. % en I think about it…I would actually get less sleep if we came in later. Doesn’t sound right, does it? Well, I mean if we come to school later then it makes sense that we would have to leave later. Leaving later means that people would get home later, not to mention sport practices would run later, too. For me at least, t hat would be disastrous.

Following our schedule right now, and participating in so& ball, I usually get home around 7ish (and that’s when we don’t have a game). I usually " nish my homework around 11. Now imagine we mix the schedule up so that we come in at 9. I don’t get home until 8 now, and I don’t " nish my homework until midnight. % at means that I don’t go to sleep until a& er one, and that be-

comes my typical schedule. % row in the occasional overload, hard day or project and you have the

recipe for some student meltdowns. % en you can approach this from the so-

cial side as well. Getting out of school at 3:35 a majority of the week allows us to

be able to hang out with friends or do homework together. % ink about Fridays. We get out at 3:05 and get to start our weekend. If we pushed

that back and got out at 4:05, we would be losing a substantial part of our limited freedom and I know that’s some-thing that no one wants to happen.

We’re OK with what we have now; we know how to handle this and we’re used to it. I think we’re OK; I think the sys-tem we have is working. No time will

be good to start school; no one will ever want to come, so we just have

to accept it for what it is and stick it out until we graduate.

ANGELA FERRISsophomore

LAURA NICHOLSONjunior

20 Head to Head

by Michaela Cross

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RO

P�“They give you discounts at iHop

if you show them your card.�”-Javier Cruz, AP Govt.

Visit

decaturjournal.com and check out everything we are posting

daily: new stories, photo of the day, polls, videos, announcements, and so much more. Check out more eavesdrop at:

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�“A couple of them changed just by a pica.�”

-Remington May, yearbook

�“He was sick with Madeline fever.�”

-Madeline Peña, newspaper

�“Can I pay you in monopoly money?�”

-Courtney Taylor, world history

�“I didn�’t choose the Spanish 3 life, the Spanish 3 life

chose me.�”-Bailey Gilbert, math

�“We are a salad bar of people. We have dancers,

writers, ropers and rappers.�”-Kyle Hubbard, UIL meet

�“They sucked the life out of it. How do you suck the life out

of something without a hole?�”-Mrs. Berry, newspaper

�“I am trying to get a book that works properly.�”

-Scott Gogniat, English II

�“I could see myself dying from an overload of

Dr. Pepper or chicken.�”-Ty Green, lunch

�“Can y�’all remind me to go to the bathroom? I have duty.

I�’ve only been once in the two weeks I�’ve had it.�”

-Mrs. Powell, world history

�“I washed my hair last night. It smells nice; be sure to get a

whiff of it.-Katie Isham, show choir

5things

youdidn�’t

aboutaboutknow

BRENDA SUTTONBRENDA SUTTON

photo by Sam KevetterShe’s taught for 30 years.

Mrs. Sutton use to be a model for Neiman Marcus during the summer.

She’s been married for 45 years to her college boyfriend.She was the Mardi Gras queen

represented in the Fort Worth parade.When she was in high school she lettered in tennis and volleyball.

1

art teacher

23

45

GGrraannd Sd SllaammSoftball and baseball make a start

Sophomore Darienne Davis in stance concentrates at ! rst base on where the ball will go during the varsity game against Brock.

Senior varsity pitcher Erik Elder ready to throw a fast one to the batter at the home game Feb. 19 against Mineral Wells. “Standing on the mound with all eyes on me knowing in the back of my mind that I can determine the outcome of the game is scary, but it can be rewarding,” he said. “I don’t get worried because I know my team has my back.” Photos by Ashley Huggins and Allie Davis

Seniors Dawn Jensen and Macky Dailey lead the agility warm ups with high knees at so" ball tryouts. # ese ladies have been on the team all four years of high school. “My senior year I couldn’t ask for a bet-ter team or coaches,” Dailey said.

Sophomore Tanner Shields bats the ball during the junior varsity game against Mineral Wells. “# e game battled neck and neck for most of the game, but in the end we fell a little short,” Shields said.

Junior Laura Nicholson warms up with freshman Sarah Nicholson throwing dailys at so" ball tryouts Jan. 18.

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