Clements High School Volume 1 Issue 1

CHS Celebrates 30 Years

CHS Then...
Inside:

Original Rangers tell stories p.5 CHS has numbers p.5 Pro-Romney or Pro-Obama? p.6

CHS Now

t n

O b q A

R r n e

INDEX
Student Council prepares Alice in Wonderland homecoming dance p. 4 Original Rangers recall Clements early days p. 5 Story of Clements told through numbers p. 5

Volume 1Edition 1 W.P. Clements H.S.

THE ROUND UP STAFF
CO-EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

NEWS

Devika Singh Yasmeen Yahya

NEWS EDITOR

FEATURES
Karim Farishta saves the day, one club at a time p. 8 Lauren Sheline, PAL, hold passion for business p. 8 Supernatural events haunt local areas p. 9

MANAGING EDITOR

Rebecca Plunkett Faroha Khan

PERSPECTIVES EDITOR

Rebecca Plunkett Brittney Schafer Zainab Dhanani Rabab Zehra

FEATURES EDITOR LIFESTYLES EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR VOICES EDITORS

LIFESTYLES
Fashion week showcases fall faves p. 12 Delve into the future with Horoscopes p. 13

Lauryn Merriett Delna Barbiero Samantha Jreij Sahar Baig

REPORTERS

COPY EDITORS

PERSPECTIVES

Olivia Hixon Laiba Khan Zahra Kheraj Patricia Manzinares Jennifer Mathew Bianca Navia Chandni Thakar Amanda Thomas Kasey Vollmering
CARTOONIST

SPORTS
Volleyball girls dominate tournatments p. 14 Ranger football kicks off new season p. 14

Megan Bourassa
The Round Up, a feature magazine published by the students in Clements High Schools Magazine Journalism class, is a designated forum for student expression. The Round Up is distributed to its readers and the student body at no cost.
PUBLICATION POLICY

Obama will come through, bring benefits, improve quality of lives for all Americans p. 6 Romney-Ryan ticket promises return to greatness , country needs Republicans financial expertise p.7

VOICES

The Round Up is printed eight times a year in October, November, Dcemeber, January, February, March, April and May. All Round Up is archived-and available at http://rangerwire.wordpress.com.

Who is your favorite scary character? p. 15 PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION SERVICES

By: JENNIFER MATHEW Reporter One of the biggest events of the fall semester is coming soon. This year the homecoming game will be November 2 at 7 pm. The game, held at Mercer Stadium, is against Austin High School. The dance will be held the following day from 8 pm to 12 pm. During the week before homecoming, October 29th through November 2nd, every day is a different spirit day, The different days are Super Hero day, Flashback day, Einstein day, celebrity and blue out day. This years homecoming court nominees will be presented at the game. In each English class, three boys and three girls will be nominated for homecoming court. A vote will be held in the English classes, and one boy and one girl from every class will win. The winners from each English class will have their names online where students can vote. Students can only vote for their grade and the top boy and girl from each grade will win. The top freshman boy and girl will be the baron and baroness, the top sophomore boy and girl will be crowned the duke and duchess, the top junior representatives will be the prince and princess and the top seniors will be crowned homecoming king and queen. The homecoming dance this year wont be your cheesy homecoming dance with balloons. This years theme is Alice in Wonderland, and student council is working very hard to make sure that

A l i c e Coming to Cleme n t s Ho mecoming Wonderl a n d

NEWS

this will be an unforgettable night for everyone, Joanne Pham, student council member said. Tickets for the dance will be sold during all lunch during the week of homecoming near the counselors ofce. Tickets are 20 dollars, and a student ID is required to buy one. Each student can bring up to one guest. Guests from another school are allowed, but in order to do so, he or she has to ll out a form. The money made from homecoming goes primarily towards decorations. The rest goes to student council funds, usually to buy decorations for next years homecoming. Usually, around 1000 tickets are sold every year. Homecoming mums will be on sale in the Commons. Homecoming is a pretty formal type of school event, Kim Khoo, executive president of student council said. There really isnt a specic dress code: as long as things are covered up and nothing can be seen, girls and guys can feel free to wear whatever they wish. Its typical to wear a nice dress or skirt and blouse for girls and slacks and dress shirts for guys. We have yet to see anyone wear jeans and a tshirt, but its up to the wearer of the clothing. The student council invites everone to the magical world of Alice in Wonderland at this years homecoming.

Original Rangers recall schools early days

By CHANDNI THAKKAR Reporter This school year marks the 30th anniversary for Clements High School. Five current teachers have been here since the beginning. They are Fred Steinkamp, Phyllis Worsham, Nancy Liscum, Jimmy Klemstein, and John Furlow. They recall the rst years. Clements was very different in a sense that because we were the rst here we were able to establish all the traditions, Worsham said. Clements has also had many changes as it has grown. The auditorium and show barn we know today was nonexistent at the time. They were built many years later. There was no softball eld, science or second band hall. Originally, oors were covered with carpet, but in the 90s, hard surfaced oors replaced the carpeting. During the opening week of that rst year, faculty and students were surprisingly welcomed by a hurricane that blew off a large chunk of the roof. The carpeted hallways were all wet. Some wondered about the fate of

Phyllis Worsham, Government teacher

Fred Steinkamp, Biology teacher

John Furlow, Tennis coach

a school that opened in disaster. They should not have worried. CHS consistently ranks tops in academics for the state and district. The surrounding environment has changed. Now fully engulfed by neighborhoods and streets, when CHS opened, there was lots of open spaces and some very different types of inhabitants. When I would drive up early in the morning, I would see deer, coyotes, and many other types of wildlife right here on the campus, said Klemstein. We were a much more rural school at the time. Some things, however, have not

Jimmy Klemstein, Agriculture teacher

changed, like the students. Students are interesting and of all kinds. I am always being impressed day to day. The kids truly surprise me sometimes on how much knowledge they have. They all have wonderful talents whether in sports, or education, or the arts and I always remind myself that maybe a kid isnt so good at academics but somewhere else they are amazing, said Liscum. After 29 years at CHS it is pretty much like being a Ranger for life. It has been a great place to be employed, said Klemstein.

1, 2, 3... It s all in the NUMBERS

By OLIVIA HIXSON Reporter It is all in the numbers. The story of the glory of Clements can be told through the digits. -686 seniors, 698 juniors , 641 sophomores, 639 freshmen -2664 in the student population. -162 teachers here -over 200 possible course selections -number of students who fail to graduate=less than one percent -number of people who drop out=less than one percent -21 National Merit Finalists, 23 National Merit Semi-Finalists, 30 National Merit Commended students -three National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholars last year -Clements graduates are about 83 percent likely to go to four-year college -14 percent likely to attend college for two years -one percent likely to join the military -two percent likely to nd employment directly upon graduation. -the highest student score on SAT=perfect score, has been done several times by different students. -inventory of approximately1,571,584 dollars in textbooks. -696 parking spaces in the big student

lot, 627 in B lot -69 VIP spaces in the bus ramp area. -323 seniors logged 60,349 hours of community service, 114 seniors completed 135 hours of service individually during their four years in high school here. -A Clements student will spend 180 days, 1080 hours, 64,800 minutes or 3,888,000 seconds annually. in school. -Rangers Baseball team=made it to nals 10 times in the last 14 years. -Boys soccer team=gone to nals for 16 years in a row and has advanced to BiDistrict Area Championships every year for the past six years.

Obama will come through, bring benefits, improve quality of lives for all Americans
By: ZAHRA KHERAJ Reporter With the upcoming election, the question of who would be best to lead the United States is going through the minds of most Americans. The big debate is between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney, and while both promise to bring change to America, Obama is the one who may actually come through and bring about better benets for the people of the United States. President Obama took ofce when the country was in one of the worst economic crises since the Great Depression, a time when seven hundred thousand jobs were being lost each month. Americas economy is denitely better than it was four years ago, and although it has not been completely xed, it is making its way back. Obama has done many things to benet middle class America. For example, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act itself draws in many young voters. The goal of the act is to reduce interest rates on student loans and to make it easier for families to apply for college nancial aid. The Affordable Care Act, or Obama Care, is one of the most well known acts that have been placed in the last four years under President Obama. The main purpose of this act is to provide affordable health insurance to all United States citizens. People that have any sort of medical condition cannot be deprived of coverage or be dropped. College students can also stay on their parents plan until they are 26, rather than 18. Although this plan has increased taxes for some, it can make a life-changing difference in the lives of others. Obama also came into ofce while America was at war with Iraq and Afghanistan. Under Obama, American troops were nally able to come home and are continuing to do so. President Obama has made it a goal to welcome veterans with the respect and honor that they deserve. He has never ignored the troops, doing his best to give them the best benets. The Veterans Skills to Jobs Act has made a huge impact on military families by making it so that no veteran has to ght for a job when he returns home from overseas. Obama also walked into a collapsing auto industry. The President loaned around ten billion dollars to Chrysler, helping take it out of bankruptcy and creating a milestone for the auto industry. The loan President Obama chose to give became a lifeline for the industry, saving the jobs of thousands of Americans. Chrysler has paid back much of the loans, turning this into a success story that not many would have expected. The industry has turned around for the better thanks to Obama. In his speech at the Republican National Convention, Romney said that if elected, he would create 12 million jobs to bring back the economy, and ensure an education and retirement. The majority of his speech consisted of what Obama could not do, what Obama should have been doing, and him saying that he will be able to do what Obama had failed to in the past four years. The circumstances of the country that Romney would be coming into are extremely different from the one the United States was in when Obama rst took ofce. To expect that Obama would have America completely recovered from all that was happening four years ago would be impossible. Obama is on the right

PERSPECTIVES

R c

Romney-Ryan ticket promises return to greatness, country needs Republicans nancial expertise
By BIANCA NAVIA Reporter There is no denying that present day America is not what the Founding Fathers envisioned. Unemployment is rampant, the economy is plunging at a dangerous rate, illegal immigration is out of control, and the national debt has racked up to values in the sixteen trillions and counting. That being said, people have to wonder if there is any way for America to return to its former greatness, wealth and credibility or if it will forever remain a failure. The American people must have thought there was a silver lining for their deteriorating country four years ago when they elected President Barack Obama, a man teeming with fresh, invigorating ideas of hope and change. Four years later, the only hope Republicans and many Democrats alike have is that Obama never steps foot in the White House, much less the Oval Ofce, again. His four years in ofce can be summarized in the single word spending. Now, what this nation really needs is a president with nancial expertise, a strategy for creating new jobs, and some decent sense on how to budget the countrys checkbook. The salvation to Americas problems and its brilliant commander in chief is in a bottle labeled Romney and Ryan. Take two for the best results. Mitt Romney: Who is this man? He is a business owner, father, grandfather, governor, scal conservative, and the Republican Partys candidate in the running to become the next president of the United States. Paul Ryan: Who is he? He is a father, Wisconsin congressman, author of the Roadmap to Americas Future, scal conservative, and the vice president to Mitt Romney. These two ambitious men provide the only path to reducing the decit, rebuilding the economy, cultivating job growth, preserving the fundamentals of the Constitutions capitalism, and bringing America into the light of its former glory. Romneys plan to revitalize the economy is simple and includes creating jobs, jobs and more jobs. He wants to encourage small businesses to hire and expand by not taxing them heavily. He wants businesses who have taken their manufacturing companies overseas to come back to America. Doing so will generate job opportunities for those who are unemployed in the States. If those who are unemployed are suddenly earning wages, they in turn will pay taxes and will no longer need government assistance. The more people paying taxes, the quicker Americans can bring down the national decit. It is a win-win for the nation. Romney is adamant about repealing ObamaCare. To break it down, ObamaCare basically puts the government in charge of an individuals healthcare. First of all, the government should not have any business meddling in a persons health. Secondly, and most importantly, what will happen if ObamaCare is around for another four years and no actions are taken to repeal it? In the event that this occurs, get ready to say good-bye to free enterprise, and hello to a little something the Europeans like to call socialism. Once the American people give the government power, there is no taking it back. ObamaCare has also proven to be a detriment to seniors. A signicant portion of ObamaCare is funded by digging into the Medicare programs money, and the repercussion of that will affect older citizens when they try to see doctors. One should think of the seniors being denied service in a doctors ofce because the ofce refuses to take patients with Medicare. Immense job growth and repealing ObamaCare are just two of Romneys logical and practical goals to whip America into shape. Being an entrepreneur and running many successful, protable businesses have given Romney the experience in staying nancially aoat that will aid him in the role of getting America out of the nancial rut it is in. Ryans participation as a fourteen year congressman from Wisconsin has taught him the mechanics of government and economics. Combined, surely they are Americas new, and this time trustworthy, hope and change.

FEATURES
Who says Superman doesnt exist?
ticipating in the community with volunteering and clubs. Karim Farishta, senior, is one of those students who is very active in the Global Studies Academy, as well as other activities in and outside of school. He is also very integrated in the Global Studies Academy where he served as Master Mentor last year and helped to develop cultural and community projects as well as organizes academy events to bring together students in different grades. Farishta also founded the Global Studies Academy Council and participated in various roles to improve its role in the local community and set goals such as incorpoKarim Farishta shows his talent as a hero. rating course work for world citizenship. Farishta is president of UNICEF, Vice By: LAURYN MERRIETT President of French Club, NFHS, PresiVoices Editor dent of Spanish Club, and a member Many Clements students are actively parof SNHS. In French Club, he has won three medals at the French Symposium. In Spanish Club he created a canned food drive project for Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, to help the less fortunate in the Latino community. He introduced video awareness to members of UNICEF by sharing current global projects, and raised awareness projects like Trick or treat for Hunger. This led to him being invited to attend the United Nations International Childrens Education Fund Youth Summit this October. Outside of school he volunteers in the Ismaili community. He also participated in the Mayor Youth Advisory Council, of which he was president last year. Farishta is applying to Georgetown in Washington, D.C.

This PAL holds passion for business

By PATRICIA ANNE MANZINARES Reporter This is a girl who has a dream and passion for business, who really cares about other people and who has a big heart for kids. She is a very active and a smart student. Lauren Sheline has gone to Clements for over three years and in that time, she has lots of friends. Sheline maintains she is grateful for her time here. This high school has given me a good foundation upon which to build, even though Clements offers some very hard classes. Some may complain about them now, but there is no doubt they are preparing us for college, she said. ShebecameaPALlastyear,aclasssheloves. I think that PALs is the most amazing program. Just in our class every day, there is an amazing group of people who really became like a family to

me over the course of the year. I have made some of my best friends through it. We try to be a positive club that helps other people. We get to mentor younger students at local elementary schools and it is so fun to work with them. I love kids and if I get to brighten their day, that is the best feeling for me. Shelines best memory of high school so far is, When I got to go to PALs retreat. It was an amazing experience where I got to bond with the other PALs. Sheline is excited that she recently got a countdown to graduation application in her phone. Despite all her late nights studying and stressing over grades, she feels her high school experience has been good. High School is and isnt what I ex- Lauren Sheline loves making new friends. pected it to be. There is more freedom tray high school. At least for me, there and harder classes. But at the same time, is more talk of the book we are readit is denitely not like most movies por- ing in English, than the latest gossip.

By SAMANTHA JREIJ Copy Editor Did you hear about that haunted place? It is around this time of year that the rumors begin to circulate like wildres. Houses suddenly become haunted, wind is thought to be the dead rising to open doors and lift blankets off people, lights abruptly go out and stories rise from the ashes like phoenixes. But who would have guessed that this suburban, usually mundane city has so many of these stories, just sitting around and waiting to be recounted on Halloween? The Houston metropolitan area seems to be teeming with the supernatural. A cemetery is usually a place to pay your respects, hold funerals, and leave some owers, maybe a memento. It is a place of resting usually. But the Blue Light Cemetery is home of the mysterious blue glow. This phenomenon has been interpreted as the people buried in the ground coming back to send a message to their visitors, and sometimes, it is even reported to be a demon. But what could that message be? The story of the Blue Light cemetery is a rather famous one. And though many such cemeteries are supposedly the Blue Light Cemetery, the real one is not literally called Blue Light. That is just a nickname for Tetter Cemetery, which is located off FM 1960 and Cypresswood. Tetter Cemetery was established back in the 1800s and has been closed off to the public for quite some time now due to parties, vandalism, and most interesting of all, late night satanic meetings on the historical property. The very name describes the phenomenon of the cemetery, but is it truly a phenomenon? Is it the demon in the legend that was released long ago during a satanic worship meeting? Or is it simply because material used for making the grave markers has phosphoric properties, causing the stones to glow in the dark? Either way, the mystery was in-

triguing enough to land a feature on Unsolved Mysteries back in the 1980s. The First Pagan Church of Houston. at 903 Welch St. is also said to be haunted. For years this beautiful house has had the reputation of having been the site of many animal sacrices. The cult occupying the place was evicted in 1974. However, the problems do not stop there. During a renovation of the old house, one worker was struck by an unseen force. Another one reported having had strange recurring nightmares,

and still others simply walked off the job, because they were spooked. Could it be the animals seeking revenge on their assailants? Or could it have something to do with the cult? When it comes to these stories, which are spoken in the dead of night, when a ashlight is illuminating eager faces, when everyone has had too much candy and the wind outside is howling, whether or not you believe in the rumors and stories is not the point. The real point is Are you scared yet?

10

Yearbooks available online now!

Visit www. balfour.com to order the book plus all the extras. Ads are on sale through the yearbook room, 2810. You dont want to miss out on this anniversary book celebrating 30 years of excellence. Contact Mrs. Mayo for more information.

YOUR AD COULD GO HERE!

Contact The Round Up in Rm. 2812 OR Contact 281-634-2150

LIFESTYLES
Fashion week showcases fall faves
By ZAINAB DHANANI Lifestyles Editor With the changing colors of leaves and the dawn of fall come new fashion trends for the upcoming season. Summer has come and departed, and this means the time for tanks and shorts has also ended. New trends have been showcased at designers latest fashion shows, including some from summer that have remained, and newer more jaw-dropping ones. A new season is time for change and dierent weather, but a new season means much more to fashion lovers everywhere. A new season is a time to alter ones style to it with the current trends and experiment with a variety of colors, fabrics, and prints. Often when one thinks of summer, one immediately thinks of bright colors. When fall rolls around, people tend to think of lighter, not so bright colors, and often associate this idea with the colors of their wardrobe. This seasons fashion is full of bright hues, which may surprise some people. As seen in Glamour magazine, to incorporate bright hues appropriately during the fall, mix the basic color of black and bright tones for an outit. Some ideas for this is a bright-colored dress with black leggings or a black head-to-toe ensemble with bright accessories. The navy blue and black color combination is one of the hottest color combinations of the season. Designers like Carolina Herrera, Donna Karan, and Marc Jacobs have showcased this trend through dresses and pant suits at their fashion shows. As Marie Claire says, this is the it color combination of the season. Giving a chic and simple feel, the navy blue and black is a perfect neutral combination, yet still staying unique, as it is a trendier alternative to the all black ensemble. Imagine jewelry being a part of a blouse or dress. Thats exactly what the new trend of the statement collar is. As Glamour says, the bedazzled collar is a perfect way to polish an outit. Detachable collars are a great option to splurge on, and can be added on to any plain tops and dresses. When it comes to shoes, the early part of the decade is back. Pointy pumps are a hot new staple that can be a nice alternative to the classic peep toe heels. Invest in a pair of pointy pumps which will go a long way, as these shoes are perfect to wear on capris, skinny jeans, skirts, and dresses. Metallic is another trend that was spotted at fashion week. A touch of metallic on one article of clothing or a metallic accessory can really spark up an outit and add that, sometimes necessary, inishing touch. Rag & Bone featured a stunning copper-colored blazer with a touch of gold metallic. Aside from metallic blazers, metallic pants are very in style right now, illing the shelves of stores and boutiques everywhere. Metallic adds glam to an outit, but make sure to limit to only one metallic article of clothing or accessory. Adding a few trends to your fall wardrobe can easily revamp your style almost immediately. Get your tanks and shorts out, and bring your coats and new colors in!
A big trend for the fall season is mixing brights with neutrals, and a basic cardigan will always remain a fall classic

12

Photo by: Devika Singh

Delve into the future

By CHANDNI THAKKAR Reporter Capricorn: Dec.22- Jan. 20 Capricorns, your short temper can get you into a lot of trouble. Try to do some yoga this month and learn to family member had all sharp objects breathe deeply. Have a like knives. Aquarius: Jan. 21- Feb. 19 Your kind and friendly nature makes it easy for you to make friends, but your problems with commitments will make it hard for you to maintain relationships with those friends. You are like a light switch- on, o, on o. Peace and love. Dont be a hater. Pisces: Feb. 20Mar. 20 You are empathetic and have a sharp memory, but be careful not to go overboard with your emotions. Go on and remember this with your sharp memory self. Aries: Mar. 21- Apr. 20 Your courageousness may get you into trouble this month, so beware and do not do anything dangerous to risk your life. Therefore, there will be no sky- diving, no high diving for you. However, dumpster diving is okay. Taurus: Apr. 21- May 21 Strength and dependability is in your nature, however your stubbornness may get you into serious trouble. Dont be like your namesake, the bull. It is unattractive to say the least. And you want to be able to wear the color red once in awhile without charging at someone. Gemini: May 22- Jun. 21 You are is. lexible with your plans but have no

a big heart and a big ego. Try to compliment others instead of yourself. Cover all the mirrors in your house and remember that there is no I in friends. Oh wait, there Duh. Never Mind.

patience for delays in them. Avoid the airport, the school cafeteria line, and all Starbucks. Cancer: Jun. 22- Jul. 23 You are adaptable to most things, but if given a situation that you dislike, it could end in an outburst. Try not to go ballistic in class when assigned another three page essay. Leo: Jul. 24- Aug. 23 You have

doing work. Sometimes you even push yourself over the top. You do not have to order and send out engraved invitations to your friends for a trip to the mall. That is tacky. Libra: Sept. 24Oct. 23 Choices, C h o i c e s , Choices. You are indecisive, so this month try to chose one thing. Or maybe you should chose two. Or three even. I cant decide. I am a Libra too. Scorpio: Oct. 24- Nov. 21 You are passionate about what you do, but if someone has done it better you tend to get jealous easily. If someone happens to do a better job than you, try to congratulate them instead. And if you do something better than someone else, do not use the phrase, Nanny nanny boo boo.

Virgo: Aug. 24- Sept. 23 You are a perfectionist and restless when it comes to

13

Volleyball girls dominate tournaments

By AMANDA THOMAS Reporter Clements volleyball girls have high hopes for this year. The freshmen volleyball, junior varsity, and Varsity team are into their new season. Already, the volleyball team has set forth some goals to accomplish this year. Temi Onadeko, freshman setter, said her goal is to be good enough for Varsity, and she also believes they have a chance to win districts. Each volleyball player spends every day at practice, working hard because practice is important for any player in each game. I hope to make playos this year and I want our team to always play our hardest every time we step on the court. said Hartsield. They are proud of the fact that they all work well together. Our team is a great group of girls

SPORTS

K
I absolutely love to death. It is like we are all best friends; we get along great and have really great chemistry. said Hartsield.

Ranger football game plan has heart

By BRITTNEY SCHAFER Features Editor Every football team has a game plan, and the Rangers are no different. If it is carried out perfectly and as expected, teams win. The game plan is to play good defense and run the football, said Keith Knowles, head football coach. Another factor that may determine how well the season ends is the strengths and weaknesses of the team. Our biggest strength is our team, Knowles said. We all work together. Our weakness is our inexperience. That will take care of itself as the season goes on. There are also a few new things this season, such as the new theme this year: We R 1. There has also been a slight wardrobe change as well. Our helmet decal has changed, Knowles said. Knowles expects the team to compete for the district championship. If enough of the conference games are won, the football team could advance to the championship game and have the chance to be this years district champion. Last season, the team fell short of winning most of its games, but the Rangers will now has another season to show that they still have what it takes to win. Knowles expects that the team will have a good season compared to last year. The homecoming game in November with the Rangers playing against the Austin Bulldogs is much anticipated. The football team will continue to press forward and represent CHS.

14

VOICES
The Joker from Batman. Lani Nguyen, sophomore Poison Ivy from Batman. Victoria Defretin, freshman.

The Penguin from Batman. Kerrick Thompson, junior.

Whoisyourfavoritevillain?

Green Goblin from Spider Man. Jason Sattler, sophomore.

t
Cookie Monster. Namrata Gupta, sophomore Bane from batman. Mason Bynes, sophomore.

Randall from Monsters Inc. Justin Torres, freshman.

Swiper the Fox. Ustav Nigam, senior.

15