The Warrior Post

Martin Idol 2012

lflorence — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:45:07 +0000

As the 12 contestants of Martin Idol belted into microphones, hoping to win the talent show sponsored by the Coup literary magazine, the staff of the magazine bustled along busily, making sure the show was running as smoothly as possible.
The show is put on by the Coup as a fundraiser to pay for its cost to print its publication. Linda Altoonian, the magazine’s adviser, and the publication’s staff have been running Martin Idol since it started in 2006. After rehearsals every day after school on the week of the show, Martin Idol took place Thursday, Jan. 26th in the auditorium. Despite some microphone issues, most of the staff can agree that the show went as well as they could have hoped for.
“I think there might have been more mishaps than in previous years, but it still was a very good show,” the Coup Editor-in-Chief, senior Kelly Walsh said.
First up was junior Garrett Banister singing “Never Gonna Leave This Bed” by Maroon 5. Taking an upbeat pop music approach, his performance was full of notes that could be hard for the average singer to hit.
Next, junior Cassidy Liles sang “Tough Lover” by Christina Aguilera. A completely opposite mood from her last opponent, she sang a 50s sounding song.
The next contestant was junior Tara Schickendanz singing “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele. Playing her guitar while singing, she perfected the song.
Next was sophomore Lauren Catron sing “At Last” by Etta James, a classic 60s song that has been covered by many famous singers including 2002 American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson.
The fifth contestant, freshman Elianah Wulfsberg, was the youngest of all at only 13-years-old. She sang “Jar of Hearts” by Christina Perri, a slow song with piano music in the backgroud, and by the end, she had her friends screaming her name.
Up next was sophomore Susannah Metzger singing “Leave it All Behind” by Pam Tillis, the first country song of the night.
Then junior Dylan Beckerman sang “Hey Soul Sister” by Train, which he sang with his ukelele in hand for a reggae style to his performance rather than a guitar.
The eighth contestant was junior Casey Babcock singing “Someone Like You” by Adele.
Up next was sophomore Cassidee Allison singing “Turning Tables” by Adele. She wasn’t nervous at all and the hit song was done great.
Next was senior Jerrad Hayes singing “Dead or Alive” by Bon Jovi. Hayes was another contestant with his guitar by his side playing the difficult riffs of his song. By the end of his song he had his senior buddies cheering loudly.
Next was junior Lara Kunkel singing a country hit “We’re Young and Beautiful” by Carrie Underwood.
Finally, junior Haley Taylor sang “Fairy Tale” by Sara Bareilles, a song that was completely different from all the others as she took a classic, swing music approach.
After the top 12 had performed, the judges had to eliminate all but five. Before the judges decided, the contestants sang and danced together to “Moves Like Jagger” by Maroon 5. The first of the top five chosen was Tara Schickendanz who sang “Anyway” by Martina McBride, Lauren Catron who sang “I Dreamed a Dream” by Susan Boyle, Jerrad Hayes singing “Country Must be Countrywide” by Brantley Gilbert, Dylan Beckerman singing “She Talks to Angels” by The Black Crowes, and lastly Elianah Wulfsberg who sang “The Only Exception” by Paramore.
After all of these great performers sang their songs, the judges had to pick the best three overall. In third place was Tara Schickendanz, in second was Elianah Wulfsberg, and the winner of the sixth Martin Idol was Dylan Beckerman.

Seven-period schedule bypassed

lflorence — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:58:39 +0000

The school board recently tossed out the idea of a seven-period day. After numerous discussions, AISD finally thought that keeping block schedule would be the best decision. While reviewing this, they had to look at many stand points.
There are ups and down about both of the schedules for students. Staying blocked gives the students more class time to work and to ask the teachers questions. But at the same time, core classes and language classes don’t get to meet every day.
“With all of the AP classes the homework load gets big sometimes, this gives students more time to study, do work, and prepare for class,” junior Havyn Rodgers said.
This year, many teachers were upset to find out that they only had one off period. With less time, they couldn’t plan as many creative lesson plans and would have to grade more papers in their own personal time.
“With one off period I’m a lot more tired,” math teacher Marianne Varner said. “It makes it hard to keep up with my students and family.”
Most fine arts classes need block scheduling. Classes like band and orchestra need time to get in class, set up, and get in position. It would also be beneficial for choir to meet five days a week.
“It’s hard to get anything done in a 50 minute class,” choir teacher Betsy Clark said. “Band and orchestra will need time to get their instruments and get them tuned before practicing.”
With a seven-period-a-day schedule, there would not be enough time for the athletes. All sports have a 30-minute study hall, which gives student athletes tutoring, study time and leadership training. Between getting to the locker room, changing, getting a workout in, showering and then changing again, they wouldn’t have enough time to get to their next class on time. Coaches agree that block schedule helps students perform better, academically and athletically.
“Block schedule is a huge positive for our student athletes,” athletic coordinator Bob Wager said. “It gives them more time to study every day and get a good workout in.”
Overall, block schedule aids the students more. The teachers have more instructional time in class to teach the students. Students can participate in extracurricular activities, like ROTC or cosmetology, that need to go to a different campus for classes. Teachers now have more time to think about and plan the lessons that they will teach students.
“Keeping the schedule blocked gives students more opportunities to experience success,” assistant principal Juan Villarreal said.

Rainy Day Hazards

Tricia Regalado — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:44:04 +0000

On Jan. 25th, Arlington was assaulted by massive amounts of rain and lightning. The students of Martin High School took the brunt of this siege, as the storm flooded the parking lots, making an ordinary stroll to the doors as difficult as “crossing the Nile River.” This video shows how some of the students strove to survive this onslaught of precipitation.

Sophomore suffers from memory loss

lflorence — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:00:03 +0000

Have you ever had that feeling that you left something at home and you can’t remember what it is? Sophomore Lily Hill has had that feeling, only more seriously than your average memory lapse.
“When I get into an extremely stressful situation, everything gets white and my memory slowly starts going away,” Hill said. “I know that it’s happening because, at the time, my anxiety is unbearable.”
In the past two years, Hill has had tests done for brain seizures as well as a spinal tap. She will also have neurological psych testing. The doctors aren’t sure whether her memory loss is caused by conversion disorder or just because of stress, but her counselor said she believes it is her brain’s defense mechanism against the stress.
“The first time it happened was the day after a cross country meet in eight grade,” Hill said. “My mom was going through a divorce. She took me to my grandma’s house so she could watch me because I couldn’t stay awake. I was totally out of it and they had to feed me. When I stopped responding they rushed me to the hospital.”
Hill has had to resign from school twice and be put into outpatient care. She gets really behind on all her schoolwork and her friends and family are constantly worrying about her.
“It can be hard sometimes, because I never know when it’s going to happen,” Hill’s friend Mikayla Hernandez said. “Whenever she’s not at school I feel bad because I can’t be with her.”
Hill is now back in school and participates in an hour of therapy every week. Recently, the memory loss has been happening a lot less and when it does, it’s not as severe.
“I’m doing better now,” Hill said. “I’m learning how to deal with my stress and anxiety in positive ways now instead of shutting down.”

Senior from Africa

lflorence — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:46:29 +0000

It’s been eighteen hours. Eighteen hours of sitting in one spot and it’s almost unbearable. Finally, after an exhausting day of travel, the airplane lands and the door opens to a new world: Texas. For most of us, this ‘new world’ is nothing new at all, just home sweet home. For senior Matthew Wohlkinger, Texas is far away from home.
“I’m from Johannesburg, South Africa” Wohlkinger said. “I’ve lived there my entire life and moved here my sophomore year.”
Wohlkinger says that when his mother received a Green Card, which granted her permission to live and work in the United States, she decided to move.
“We went to L.A. and to a couple other places, but we didn’t like them,” Wohlkinger said, “so we came here.”
With such a big difference between cultures, it was difficult for him and his family to adapt.
“There were huge adjustments.” Wohlkinger said. “The main thing was the food. We’ve never had Mexican food, and when we tried it and it was a lot spicier than food we’re used to.”
It’s not just food that Wohlkinger has had trouble adapting to, but also his new family and social life.
“We speak a language that nobody here really speaks,” Wohlkinger said. “We speak Afrikaans, and we kind of do more traditional African meals at home.”
Even some of the things that we take for granted, Wohlkinger and his family have had trouble getting used to.
“We aren’t used to dishwashers and dryers,” Wohlkinger said. “So that was a big treat, and we’ve been using those to the best of our abilities. I remember all of us looking at the dishwasher and thinking ‘How do we use this?’”
It’s hard to adapt to a different country, and Wohlkinger misses a lot of things about his life in Africa.
“I miss my friends,” Wohlkinger said. “My sister came here in her sophomore year with me and she moved back because she missed her friends too much. I had this huge family and now it’s just me, my mom and my dad. Plus, I miss the culture.”
After adapting to the different lifestyle, Wohlkinger has found many things that he really enjoys about Texas.
“I love how the art industry here is huge,” Wohlkinger said. “Also, here there’s a lot more job opportunities. Back home we only have a couple things, and that’s about it.”
Wohlkinger plans on staying in Texas and attending college in Dallas after he graduates from high school.
“I want to go to Cordon Bleu, the culinary school,” Wohlkinger said. “I would also like to open my own bakery.”

Munchies Club meeting update

lflorence — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:30:06 +0000

The Munchies Club is a new club at Martin aimed at promoting a healthier state of mind and body in students. Senior Victoria Chang held The Munchies Club’s second meeting of the year Jan. 23 in chemistry teacher Lydia Berry’s room. Students discussed the benefits of healthier lifestyles while enjoying healthy snacks brought in by members.
“The goal of The Munchies Club is to promote sustainable diets that include natural, delicious food and to show the student body that healthy eating is not only good for the mind, body and planet, but it is also pleasurable,” Chang said.
During the meeting students listened to a presentation by senior Jessica Tjahja encouraging students to improve their lifestyle by making healthier choices in the food they eat. Making a presentation can earn a member of the Munchies Club 1.5 hours of credit.
“Members of The Munchies Club volunteer to either prepare food or make presentations,” Chang said. “They can earn hours for these activities as long as the presentations made are educational and the food prepared is healthy.”
The Munchies Club welcomes curious eaters and all food lovers in hopes to encourage eating that is better for their bodies and their planet.

Wasteful web-browsing

lflorence — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:40:44 +0000

It’s an ordinary school day. You go home and start your homework on the computer. You’re just minding your own business until suddenly, you’ve somehow been sucked into the procrastination vortex. You’re vulnerable to sites that do nothing but aid you in not finishing your homework. On that note, lets take a stroll down Procrastinate Lane.

Facebook
Pokes, friend requests and notifications all make up the site that is probably the biggest reason kids start their homework at midnight. Facebook is like the mayor of Procrastinateville. Many kids waste time just thinking of a witty status to write so people will “like” it. And let’s face it, if you’ve got a camera anywhere nearby, “Hmm, my profile picture looks a tad bit bland all of a sudden” is what goes through your head. Meanwhile, you still have a two-page essay for your dual credit English class. Then, of course, there is the activity of obsessively investigating an individual, also known as stalking. “Oh my gosh, look up Billy Bob. Isn’t he just the hottest guy ever?!” starts an hour-long conversation with your best friend. “Well, paint me green and call me a pickle! You’re so right, Billy Bob is quite the looker!” All these things, and more, get in the way of last minute cramming. Overall, Facebook accounts should most definitely be deactivated when it comes to studying.

Twitter
#Studying. #Ihatestudying. #Gettingmystudyingon. All right guys, let me tell you something, if you write something similar to the hash tags I’ve listed, you are not studying. In fact, you’re obviously wasting your time telling the world that you’re not studying. Honestly, I’m not sure how anyone can procrastinate on Twitter for more than five minutes. Maybe it’s the kick you get out of blue words after you hash tag them. I mean you can only spend so much time reading about what kind of salad the Kardashians are eating or which country Angelina Jolie adopted a kid from this time. Next time you try wasting your time on Twitter, instead of typing “#studying”, you should just write “#I’montwitterandnotstudying.” #Rebel.

Reddit
Now this site can definitely be filed under major procrastination. From high school students to college seniors, Reddit never fails to give its users a good laugh. But, that can be a turn off when you finally realize, after browsing dozens of memes like “First World Problem Lady” or “Chemistry Cat”, that you haven’t even checked your planner which consists of history, chemistry, and, of course, algebra homework. All in all, Reddit is like a pair of skinny jeans, once you’re on it, it’s hard to get off.

Youtube
Cats, cats, oh and more cats. Youtube is as much of a home for cats as an old, lonely lady’s home would be. If it’s not Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit we turn to Youtube for entertainment. It’s not only cats though. There are parodies of famous songs that never fail to amuse us and the guy who is warning you to hide your kids, your wife and your husband. Then of course, there is the musical aspect of Youtube that we thrive for. From overly obsessive Beliebers (Bieber believers) to hardcore Lady Gaga or Adele fans, students think that listening to music while doing homework is the brightest idea that they’ve ever had. What they don’t realize is that while they have a pencil in their hand, they are using it as an imaginary microphone rather than using it as a writing utensil for their history review.

Tumblr
Tumblr is a blogging site that’s taken blogging to a whole new level. This site lets you effortlessly share anything from photos to quotes, which makes it a perfect site to start off your procrastination. “Man, I was on Tumblr all night last night! I didn’t get any sleep,” is a quote that often hovers around groups of red-eyed students. This veteran procrastinating site has really trapped in its users and has made it almost impossible for kids to accomplish any work.

These sites are just a few to name. There are billions of sites out there that haven’t become as popular with kids, but still manage to have the same effect on school kids who have discovered them. Overall, you have to proceed with caution when visiting these sites, because you might end up spending the whole night browsing them.

Bowling team update

lflorence — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:27:52 +0000

The smell of pretzels and nachos fill the air as the tension sets in. Senior Xzavier Martin’s name pops up on the screen signaling that it is his turn to bowl. He picks up his ball, takes his mark and a deep breath. “Watch this,” he says to his teammates. He brings his arm slightly behind him, and slowly rolls it onto the lane. All eyes are on the ball as it rolls down the lane. Strike!
The AISD bowling team consists of kids from different schools coming together to play students in other districts, and the competitions started in the month of October. The students who play in the league are from Mansfield, Lamar, Seguin, Summit, Timberview and Frontier. Martin is one of the students who represents Martin High School. Martin played on the team as a sophomore, skipped a year and then returned as a senior.
“I first joined the team because my best friend told me about it and got me interested,” Martin said.
The team only has two students from Martin, but the team members all strive to do their best. They hope that other kids will see this and have more interest in the sport.
“It’s not hard to make the team,” said Martin, “We practice a lot and try out to see what team that we will be placed on.”
The team has practice for meets and tournaments during the week. For practice time, the students meet at AMF Spare Time Lanes and each bowl individual games that give them a chance to work on their skills.
“Through the season, there are about 20 games,” said Martin.
Bowling is just like any other sport in the sense that they practice, hold games and tournaments, and even have the chance to receive a scholarship.
“My teammates are great,” Martin said. “We play very well together because we all have the strive to win.”
There is always a place for someone somewhere, and senior Xavier Martin has found his. Through word of mouth, he hopes to give more information to students who have questions or would even like to join. For more information on how to join, visit the Martin website or call AMF Spare Time Lanes for information on school teams.

Warriors Freestyle Friday: Trey Wise

jpasayan — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:39:54 +0000

Episode 4 of Warriors Freestyle Friday, featuring Trey Wise

2013 China Trip

lflorence — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:11:06 +0000

You’ve heard all about Chinese “tiger” moms and you’ve been forced to read long repetitive chapters over the ancient Chinese dynasties such as the Shang and the Han, but have you ever wondered what China is actually like? Well now you can find out by signing up for the trip to China during the summer of 2013.

This trip will include an educational adventure all over China. The group will be led by a tour guide to some of China’s hottest spot such as The Forbidden City and The Great Wall.

“We will get to learn about the Terracotta Warriors as well as go river rafting,” history teacher and trip sponsor Juli Warner said.

Students, as well as adults and even families, can sign up until December 2012. Enrollment doesn’t require being in a certain club or a class; all you need to do is go see Warner to get instructions on how to enroll online. It costs about $3,000 for a student to go and that includes all tours and airfares.

“I’ve always been interested in going to China,” Warner said. “I think it’s important for students to be introduced to different cultures. From everything we know about China in today’s world, it will be good for them to experience it firsthand.”