volume 29 number 4

8/6/2019 Volume 29 Number 4

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Black heritage to becelebratedBlack History month wUIbe celebrated with a specialprogram to be held 'on Fsbru-ary 28 at 7 p.m. in the BlueCampus Auditorium-Am ..6117. The program will in-clude performances In dra-matic interpretation, fashionand dance ..For more informa-tion contact Kim Foster on theBlue Campus in room 5162.

DECA does well atconferenceFour members of BHSDECA traveled to the Wood-lands on January 22 to com-pete in the District IV Career'Developement Conference.Latheron Dunn, JanaEm.ola,. Hannah Mog:leandKathy Gutierrez competed inFood, Business, and Appareland .Accessories Marketingcompetitions. AUcompetitors

were successful in their re-spective areas.LatheronDunn was theoverall winner in the seriesevent competition for FoodMarketing-Mgmt. Level andwill advance to the state com-petition ..

2000 Saga now sell-ing senior ads; fina.1book purchasedeadlIne Mar. 31Parents of graduating: se-niors have a chance to con-gratulate their senior in thesenior ad section of the year-book with the purchase of asenior ad. Space is limitedand is sold on a first-come,first-served basis. Ads are $30and may include one or twopictures and a short message.The deadline for submis-sion of senior ads isMarch 24.The final day to purchasethe20aO Saga Is March 31'.Books are $40 and must bepaid for at the time they areordered. No extras will.be or-dered ..Formore i n tormanon, seeMrs. Farris in Rm. 6160, BlueCampus.

Volunteers neededAny club, organization orindividual wishing to volunteertheir time and services to helpwith Habitat fo r Humanity'sannual garage sale shouldcontact Mrs. Doris Klemm at589-2665.

Board dec id es to ta ke it s lowNot ready for 7-period day commitmentLiz CarrCo-editor

After an outpouring o f stu-d en t, t ea ch er a nd p ar en t o pin io n,th e s ch oo l b oa rd m o ve d to reviewth ei r D ec em be r d ec is io n to i mp le -m e nt a 7 ~p er io d d ay s ch ed ul e n ex tyear.

A t th e re gula r Ja nu ar y m ee t-in g, the b oa rd a llo tte d a m on th fo re xt ra r es ea rc h o n t he e ff ec ts o f tri-me ste r a nd s em e st er s ys te m s andto allow for stud ent, pa rent a ndstaff input."It's i mp or ta nt t ha t w e u se th istim e to he ar all side s, so tha t re -g ar dl es s o f t he f in al d ec is io n, e v-e ry on e fe els th at w e to ok the tim et o l is te n t o t hem ," s ai d b oa rd m em-b er C a rl H a sa n.

B oard member SusanM cK nee ly fe els tha t w hile he ar-i ng o pi nio ns i s c ru ci al , it is a ls on ec es sa ry th at th e b oa rd c om m u-n ic ate its d ec is io ns a cc ura te ly tos tu de nts a nd s ta ff . .

" The re w as a c er ta in a mo un to f m i s co n cep t io n an d mi s in f orma -tio n [w he n the la st d ecision w asm ad e). A lth oug h w e a re g ra te fulfo r this period o f lis tening, il ise qu al ly i mp or ta nt t ha t w e p ro vi deq ua li ty i nfo rm a ti on ," M cKn ee lysaid.

T he b oa rd 's pla n o f a ctio n in -c ludes period-by-period staffm e e ti ng s. wh ic h h av e a lr ea d y b ee nc o nd uc te d , a n e xp a nd e d v er si on o fth e ta sk fo rc e th at w as in vo lv ed inthe previous decision as w ell asp ubl ic d i scu ss i on s .

V ice-president TommyRam ir e z b el ie ve s that t he b oa rdshould go so faras to ge t the stu-d en ts inv olv ed a s w e ll

''W e w ant to hear in a morepro found w ay w hat the stud entsfe el , a nd p er ha ps g et a c ro ss -s ec -ti on o f t he s tu de nt b od y, s el ec te db y t he a dm in is tr a ti on , i nv ol ve d i na n a d vi so ry c ommi tt ee ," R am ir ezsaid.

Board member JamesB ra dfo rd s ug ge ste d a type o f t ownm eeting w here advantages andd is a dv a nt ag es o f e a ch s c he d ul in gs ys tem , t rim es te r , s e ve n -p er io dda y a nd b lo ck w o ul d b e p re se nt edin a chart, and the crow d w ouldbe a sk ed f or s ol uti on s. M e et in gssim ila r to these w ere he ld lastw e ek a t lo ca l m id dle s ch oo ls .

The que stion on m ost m ind snow is w ha t k ind of info rm ationm igh t c au se the board t o c ha n get h ei r d e c is i on .

A c co r di ng t o b oa r d p re si de ntD av id S ta sn y, a c ha ng e is a po ssi-bility if s olu tio ns a re fo und to th etr im es te r's m ajo r p ro ble ms s uc ha s tho se w ith tr an sfe r stu de nts 'c re d it s o r ift he b o ar d i s c o nv in ce dt ha t th e d if fi cu lt ie s a re n ot m a jo r.

R am irez thinks tha t ulti-m a te ly , a ll w i ll h av e t o c oo pe ra tefo r a ny syste m to w ork .

"W ha teve r w e d o w ill not bep er fe ct f or e ve ry on e, b ut w e h av ed o w ha t is b es t fo r m ost pe ople . Itis the s cho ol b oa rd , sta ff a nd stu -d e nt s' r es po ns ib il it y t o c o r re c t t hep ro bl em s," R am ir ez s ai d.

M cKneely be lieves tha ta bo ve a ll e ls e, it is important thatth e bo ard h ar bo r a g oo d r ela tio n-s hi p w it h t be s tu de nt s a nd s ta ff.

'W e w ant them to be a ble totrust the boa rd. a nd w e w ant to bea ble to tr us t the m. W e a re w illin gto d o th e b es t w e c an ," M cK ne elysaid.

Bryan High SchoolVolume29,No. 4

OKLAHOMA!

Cowboys and country girlswere brought to l ife in the play"Oklahoma I" The choral de~partment. performed theRodgers and Hammersteinmusical at the Civic AuditoriumFeb. 3-6. (top) Cast membersgenerate enthusiasm for thefinale. (right) KatherineDelgado and JonathanSchwart have a discussionover an old-fashioned buttterchurn. (below) Lucy PatraneUaand Bob Snodgrass share agentle embace while MicahMeads looks on jealously. pho-tos by Sandy Farris

School board's decision draws strong oppositionJoJo ArevaloStaff writer

A w ave of anxie ty sw epto ve r B ry an H ig h a fte r th e s ch oo lb oa rd 's D e cembe r J2 d ec is io n t osw itch from trimesters to tw os ev en -p er io d d ay s em e st er s.

I n r e sp o ns e to t h e d e c is io n ,B HS stud ents show ed their d is-a pp ro va l by ho ld in g a n un pre c-ed ente d sit-in in the B lue C am -pus com mons on January 7.

S tu de nts c on ti nu ed t o v oic ethe ir support fo r the trim esters ch ed ule by a tte nd ing th e Ja nu-ar y 10 board meeting. Afte rh ea ri ng m a ny s pe ec he s s up po rt -ing th e tr im este r fr om s tu de nts ,t ea ch er s, a nd p ar en ts , t he s ch oo lboard decided to freeze im ple-m en ta tio n o f th e se ve n-pe rio dd ay , p en din g f ur th er r es ea rc h.

In speak ing to the board ,ju nio r c la ss p re sid en t L .A . L ov esaid tha t be w as upse t becausethe schoo l board fa iled to con-

sid er the opinio ns o f t he stud ents scho ol boa rd c an m ak e a de cisio nw he n m ak in g the ir d ec is io n, a nd tha t w ill a ffe ct 3 00 0-p lu s s tu de ntscame up w ith a solution of his and 2 00-plus teachers w ithoutow n. considering the ir opinions,"

"Why not allow us to con- Smith sa id.duc t our own Like mostse ve n m em be rs tu de nt b oa rd t od ec id e a nd c on -fe r w ith thes ch oo l b oa rd ?"Love sa id."They shouldgive us achance to con-duc t our owni n ve s ti ga t io n . "

T hi s s eem s

"I just don't see howseven people canmake a decision thatwill affect 3000-plusstudents and 200-plusteachers without con-sidering their opin-ions,"Robbie Smith

s tu de n ts , m a nyteachers alsoh av e n eg at iv eo pi ni on s a bo utt he s ch e du li ngdecision,

M a th te ac he rL ind a Ste am sspoke a t theJa nu ar y b oa rdm eeting. Sherem inded thes cho ol b oa rd tor em em be r h owd iffic ult it w as

w hen our schoo l used the six pe-r io d d ay /s em e st er s ch ed ul e,

" Stu de nts a nd te ac he rs bo thdec ided tha t the six-period dayw as to o stre ssful. T he n, a fter re -

to be a c om mo n ~unlorfee ling among _the m ajo rity o ft he s t ud en ts .

Junior, R obbie Sm ith a lsodisa gre ed w ith the boa rd 's de ci-sion and the w ay it w as m ad e."I just don 't see how the

search and visits w ith o therschools and the best schedulew as s ele cte d," S te ar ns s aid .

M e li ss a S al mo n, a n a lg eb rateacher and tennis coach, alsoa dd re ss ed the s cho ol b oa rd a t t hemeeting, joining those w hos po ke o ut a ga in st t he s ch ed ul in gchange."It is very d iscouraging to

w ork fo r a d istrict tha t a ppe arsto have no regard fo r the say o fte ac hers o r stud ents ," Sa lm ons aid . " I k n ow th e board ha s goodi nt en ti on s, b ut p ic k in g t rim es te r sw a s t he b es t d ec is io n."

The next board m eeting isFebruary 14 a t 6 p.m . It is e x-p ec te d tha t the s cho ol b oa rd w illm ak e a fina l d ecisio n o n the tri-m es te r/s em este r d eb ate . Ifth es ev en -p er io d s ch ed ul e d ec is io nre ma ins unc hanged , the lengtho f the class periods may be de-c id ed th en ..


2/7

2 Norseman. Februa 1 0 , 2 0 0 0 2 i f e w sCourtyard renovation to kick off 30th year celebrationMatt. stellbauerS taf f w r it e r

B ryan H igh bas seen m anyc ha nge s in the past 30 years an dit is a bo ut to un de rgo y et a no the rone.

D uring the 1998-99 schooly ea r s tu de nts c om pla in ed a bo utthe condition o f the B lue cam-p us c our ty ard a nd d ec id ed to ta kea ctio n. M an y s tu de nt o rga niz a-t io ns s uc h as Inte ra ct a nd T ec h-nolo gy Stude nts A sso cia tio n(T SA ) h ave h elp ed be gin th e pr o-cess

''The TSA m em bers and Idec ided to hold a contest to seew ho could come up w ith a de-sign that c o ul d b ea ut if y t he area,"said TS A spo nsor B ob Jone s.Of t he en tr ie s that w e re s ub -

mittedlast year, th re e w er e c ho -sen and granted aw ards, The ac-tua l design w ill com bine ideasfrom all three of the chosen. en-tries

J on es s ay s t he f in al p la ns are

com ple te and he hopes to havethem a pproved by la te M arch o rearly April. To complete theproject, the TSA w ill need thehelp of a ll students . faculty ,a lum ni and com munity mem -bers.

"B ecause this is a se rvicel ea rn in g p ro je ct , w e want to tryto do m ost of the w ork our se l vesa nd pa y for it ourse lve s." Jonessaid.

Jones say s stud ents ca n be -c om e i nv ol ve d in a variety o fw ays, such as build ing picnictables and be nc he s o r pla ntingt re es a nd s hr ub s.

"O ur n ee ds are e nd le ss, w ejust need the students ," Jonessaid.

Intera ct is be ginning thisp ro je ct b y s el li ng c omm em o ra -tive brick s to be placed in thecourtyard.

"The engraved brick s w illadd bo th m em ories and sty le toa c compa ny t he n ew l y- re no va te d

sc ho ol," s aid Inte ra ct s po nso r.M a ry Ja ne S ne de ke r,

T he e stim ate d c om ple tio nd at e f or t he c ou rt ya rd r en ov at io nis the spring of 2001.

T his d ate a ls oc om me mo -ra tes the 30th anniversary o fB ryan H igh Schoo l. A schoo l-wide an d c om m un ity -w id e c el-ebra tion w ill ta ke plac e in th ene w c ourt y ard

S om e te nta tive pla ns for thece lebration inc lud e to urs of thenew campus and a buria l of atim e capsule docum enting thefirst 30 y ea rs a t B r yan H igh. O r-ganizers a re hoping to ho ld thec e le br at io n a r ou nd t he h ome c om -in g w ee ke nd . T he y a re p la nnin gfo r a pep ra lly to be he ld in th eViking S ta d ium e n compa ss in gstude nts new a nd old .

''W e are w aiting to m ake fi-na l pla ns o n th e c ele bra tio n u ntilthe courtyard is comple te."S ne de ke r s ai d.

ACADEC wins region;prepping for state meetLiz CarrCo-editor

The buzze r sound ed and thecrowd ex p lo de d i nt o c he er s. T hee igh t th at lo ok ed o n r oa re d the irc ongra tula tio ns to their te am -mate . W as it It game-winningba sk et o r a m atc h p oin t? N o. in -stead, it was a perfect SuperQuiz score.

A fte r this the gro up w as re -w arded w ith over 60 m edals ,s ev er al w r it e-u ps i n local papersa nd c o ng ra tu la to ry p at s- on -t he -back from students , s taff andcomm unity members. movesu su al ly r es er ve d f or a th le te s af-te r a c ha mpio ns hip se aso n.

This tim e, how ever, theglo ry w as for the de ca thle te s.After a sw eep of to p honors a tth e Janua ry R egio na l m eet. theB rya n H igh A cad em ic D ec ath-lo n [A CA DE C] te am is n ow p re -pa ring for sta te co mpetition o nF eb . 2 6 -2 7 .

The team, com posed of se-niors Ja rod Velasquez, B rockD ew ald . B rad ley C arlton, JohnS hi rl ey . L an ce H ay ni e, L iz Carr.Justin Hancock and AustonM atcek and sophom ore D avidTucker. is p le as ed w it h th eir c ur -r en t s ta nd in g a s 1 7th o ut of some150 team s in Texas. The goa l,though. acco rd ing to coachIm oge ne V ette rs. is to be in thet op t en .

"T he re is a grea t poss ib i l ityth at w e w ill be in the to p te n th isyear. It ju st r eq ui re s m o re s tu dy -ing a nd higher sco re s," V ette rssaid .

This m eans tha t the teammust score 800-900 points ou tof 1.000 in a rigo rous ba tte ry o fevents . A meet spans tw o daysa nd i nc lu de s s ix . te st s o ve r m a th .so cia l s cie nc e, m usic , e co no m-

ics, art a nd language arts, pre -p ar ed a nd im pr om ptu sp ee che s.a n in te rv ie w, a n e ss ay a nd th e a ll-im portant S uper Q uiz. w hich ismade up of a 4 0- qu es ti on w r it -te n exam a nd a re la y w here e ac hteam m em be r a nsw er s five q ue s-tio ns in fr on t o f an a ud ie nc e o ve ra spec ific to pic . This ye ar's Su-p er Q u iz . The Sustainable Earth.c ov er s e nv ir on me nt al s ci en ce .

The team 's tac tics for suc-c ess inc lud e da ily w ork in m atha nd m usic w ith F rid ay s d evo te ds ole ly t o S up er Qu iz preparation.

"S pe nd ing tim e o n m usic e v-ery day has rea lly helped . Nowt he y [ te am members] c an e as il yid entify ea ch o f the so ngs o n theCD, , . s ai d c oa ch C ol le en H ol me s.

H olm es also a ttributes theteam 's success to the high ca li-bre of students involved and as tric t s cr ee nin g pr oc ess im ple -mented this year.

M any of the team m em bersh av e s et p ers ona l g oa ls a nd h aves tra te gie s fo r m ee tin g th em ."B y s tu d y in g d a il y , I ho pe tob e in the to p 2 0 o ve ra ll in m y c at-egory ." said senior JustinHancock .

Is that yourfinal answer?Sample Super Quiz questions ...1.Wh at a re t he m a in c on st it u-e nts o f t he ea rth 's a ir?a. h yd ro ge n a nd o xy ge n

b. hydrogen and carbonc . o xy ge n a nd h eliumd. c arb on a nd o xy ge ne . nitr og en a nd o xy ge n

2. A cc ord ing the U nite d N a-tio ns , the w or ld po pu la tio n IsI nc r ea s in g b y a pp ro xim at el yhow m uch each year?

a. 40 millionb. 85 millionc. 110 milliond. 220 millione. 275 million3. Largely due to env i ronmen-

ta l facto rs. w hat Is the lead-ing c ause of d ea th in C hina 'su rb an a re as ?

a . r es pi ra to ry d is ea seb. s k in c an ce rc . he art a tta ckd. l e ad p o is o ni n ge . s tr ok e I

D-[ 'q-r


3/7

Is there life after high school?Putting academics firstenhances education,career opportun ifiesTocarro WilliamsAssistant editor

A many high school eniors are about La embark on what theyimagine will be the greatest part of their lives, experts advise col-lege-bound students to make sure they keep a foot in reality.

But reality is often the last thing on tudents' mind, as theyhear of college friends who tak just 12 hours of classe per week.Many believe thi will create plenty of free time.

"I think that this will be great because I can go hang out withmy fri nds or go shopping," aid enior Jes ica Zollinger.

Overestimating lei ure time i not realistic, according to theMaking College Count web ire (www.makingcollegecunt.com).The advice listed on the site echoes what school counselors try tostress to college-bound graduates: treat education like a job.

In other words, approach the college schedule like a 9-to-5 joband make tudy time a priority.

U ' a tudent takes only 12 hour in a seme ter, there are 28 boursleft to study in the 40-hour college "work" week, Some high chooltudent already recognize the advantage fmaking tudying a highpri rity.

"I plan on tudying a lot thr ughout colJege because that i whatwill get me an incredible intern hlp," said junior Amanda White.

A higher grade point average (GPA) will also be more likelywith empha i on class preparation and study.

At least one BES graduate has already discovered the amountof time necessary to prepare for classes is more than she bargainedfor.

"I thought college was going to be easy, but 1soon learned thattaking 18 hours was not the way to go, ' said '99 graduate MaureenLocu , now attending Southw tTexa tate University.

tudents may also find that while cramming the night b fore ate t worked in high chool, it in't nece arily the way to be sue-ces ful in college.

"Students need to study for test two or three days before, be-cause if they do not, then it is Likely that they will fail," said '99graduate Clint Jones, now attending Texas A&M Universi ty.

Making College Count ay the be tway i[0study hard with-OUI di traction r to "power tudy.' There hould not be a mix ofth ocial cene and tudying, becau e it will only mean even morhours of cramming for exam .

L ~ w d o w n :O V \ . . :College: Costs State Public College/University Tuition and Fee $3,371 Room 2,250 Board 2,600 Books and Supplie 80 0 Mi cellaneou and Personal Expenses 1,350 Transportation 680 Total $10415 Private CollegelUniversity Tuition and Fees $15,730 Room 2,400 Board 3,700 Books and Supplies 800 Miscellaneous and Per: onal Expenses 1,350 Transportation 680 Total $24 660 Estimated costsfor 2000-01 chool year

thOn-campus housing:'A nim al H ouse' or homeaway from hom e?l iz CarrCo-editorJoJo ArevaloStaff writer

Charlie Gilmore, a '99graduate of BH and fre hman atAbilene Chri tian Unlve ity con-firms the age old myth: "Dormlife can be the wildest experienceof your col lege years."Infact. the freedom of living

in a donn i po ibly th rn a tintriguing aspect of going off tocollege for rna t tudent. ornether common c ncern includeecurity and dealing with

roomates,Not all colleges require that

freshmen live in the dorm s: nev-ertheless. the life tyle is (ill ap pular choice for tudent .

There are many deci i n. in-coming studen mu t make per-taining to dorm life. They mustdecide between c -ed and ingleex dorms, becoming part of anhonors program, and whether tohave a roomate.

Debbie Perez, now a fre h-man at Sam Houston State Uni-versity lives on campus in anh nors dorm. he feel that tbilifestyle bas all wed her to meetp pIe she normally would notencounter.

"Dorm lire ha been an awe-orne experience. I ve mel a lotof people I would not have metand have learned to toleratepeople different from my elf,"Perez said.

Some, though are not sofond of the the heavily ocializedl ifestyle offered by dorm living,

'The w r t thing about liv-ing in a dorm inever having timeto yourself. There is alwaysracket. There is always someoneat your door, ' said Sarah Snydera fre hman at the Uni e li ity ofTexas at Au tin and '99 graduate."The most important thing ismaking time for your elf, be ausepeople are alway going to wanta piece of it."

Another major concern stu-dents have about living on cam-

pu is dealing with a roommate.According to Deni eBrigg ,

a '97 graduate and junior at theUniver ity of Texas-San Anto-nio, communication is key topreventing conflic . Briggs l ivesin an apartment for student ath-letes with her twin sis tel',Monica and one other room-mate.'Sit down right away whenyou move in and set up who's go-ing to do what. An agreement re -ally helps in the beginning,"Brigg aid.

For Sam Behrens, a '96graduate and senior in the Corpsof Cadets at Texas A&M, gettingalong with hi f re hman r m-mate was not an option.

"When you're a Corps fresh-man, you don't have a roommate,you have an 'old lady'. You learnto get along, and h becomes oneof your closest friend . I am stilltight with my roommate fromfreshman year,' Behrens said.

Many student. also worryabout whether thei r carnpuseand d rms are afe. Univer itiesuse many tact ic L en ure a e-cure environm nt includingemergency call boxes, patrolsand police escorts for womenwalking late at night

"1 feel secure in my dorm,because the police are alwaysdriving around," Briggs said.

The Corp of Cadets offersa unique spin on the police e -cart ervice.

"One outfit wiIJ work each24hour period," explainedBehrens. "People can call theguard room at (he MSC and aCorp member . usually a sopho-more or freshman, will meetthem and walk with them towherever they need to go."

Gilmore urn up the d rmexperience."It can get very interesting,

becau e you re ba ically spend-ing alma t 24 hours a da y in abuilding with a hundred of yourpeers," Gilmore said.

downrightaway when youmove in and set upwho's going to dowhat. An agreementreally helps i t ebeginning.Denise BriggsBHS '97

impor-tantpiece of advice aboutS dorms is alwayswear shower shoesIn the shower.Sarah SnyderBHS '99

.--S o - !oo

impor-tant to budget yourtime, becausestudying can elime-consuming.Ty WarrenBHS '99

udyw hatthe professor says.The book isn't al-ways good. Basi-cally, if you go toclass, you pass.Clint JonesBHS '99

Greek 'party' image not always accurateMatt Stellbauer, James IrIckStaff writers

Most tudent' ideas f fra-ternities and sororities are clo erto "Animal House" than thetruth.Mention the Greek collegelife to the average high schooltudent and many preconceivednotions are likely to come up.

"Partie , alcohol, and ahou e to have them in," aidphomore Lui Narro of hi

perception of fraternities.Although there may be alco-

hol use among member , themain point of these societies,their member say is not to party.

"Kappa Sigma hold the"Wicked Wads' and" ightight" in whi h all proceed go

to the Parkinson s Foundation,"said Kappa Sigma vice pre identMatt Widener.

Many people a J 0 associatehazing with these societies.

Though hazing is againstmost universities' policies, itstillexists.

"It hows up every now andthen, but people watch out for i t,"said TAMU Gre k Life AdvisorSCOlt Blackwell.

With all the misconcep-tions , Greek members want pro-spective college student toknow that the purpose of theseorganization i to create long-lasting friendships in a family en-vironment.

When trying t get into anysociety the main thing to look f r

ia group that share similar in-terests, idea and belief to your .

''There is a group for every-one," aid Anni sa Berridge ofA&M's Delta Xi Nu sorority."It's just a matter of finding theright one."

Many societies participate inservice projects aimed at the bet-terment of the community.

''We volunteer at the Girl'Club and pan or the DeltaAcad my, which i a big-sistertype organization," said TanirUpshaw of Delta Sigma Thetasorority.

Greek li fe is only one aspectof campus social activity. TheTAMU Student Activities office(845-1133) ha information onall tudent organizations.


4/7

For the past few weeks. music has beenp la ye c;l ~ Classes. The Idea is to be -gin the 1 1 ' 1 U S l 9 dar the f ir s t be ll an d cu t It offo ne m in ut e before 1he tardy bell as a warn-Ingthat aa.18 abou t to begin. It Is believedthat tardfes may decrease since studentsare s l gna lad#1a t I1ey have only one minuteto get to ctaes. The Norseman asks:What do you think ofthe music betweenbells?

"If they would play itso we could hear it,some purpose mightbe served, maybe."Justin McKee, 11

'tt's a lame idea andthey should just stickto the regular belts,but give us more

time."Eva Warren, 12

"They shouldplay all country,all the time."Jon Vick, 9

"What music?"Stephanie Lyles.,12'They can play

anything but 1.04.7"B.ryan Palmer, 11"It might be bet ter i fit could 'be heard."Christine Vick, 12

opportunities will be so few.She also told me how very

important it is to stay focused onthe big picture and not let thelittle things drive me crazy.Though this is a very stressfuland busy t ime, Ineed to enjoy it.

That means keeping a goodattitude, which is difficult for adiehard pessimis t like me. A badquiz grade, a missed note in asolo or a disagreement with afriend is not going to be an.issueafter graduation. Why should Ilet it ruin a whole day of my life?

The sage's f inal bit of advicewas to take pleasure in every-thing that I do..Though I maythink it is a drag sometimes toedit this newspaper or study forACADEC, these are the lasttimes 1get to do those things.

too many difficulties? Sure, therehave been problems here andthere in the four years that thetrimester system has beenaround, but every system is go-ing to h ave i ts own individualbugs to be worked out. IguessOUI real challenge i s lack offund-ing.

One wouldn't think that adecision could be made on thetrimester system without evalu-ating the classas a whole andlooking at the data to see whatthe real problems are.

With almost 4,000 studentsat this school the board shouldhave spent a l it tle more time ex-ploring this issue and finding outhow Bryan. High really felt aboutit.

Ifthey could have taken t imeto listen to us, I think they would

Sage advice offered as sun sets on senior yearAs Inter the last half of my

senior year the advice of a friendwho graduated last year comes tomind. She told me that the mostimportant thing to do is to savorevery moment of this, the lastchapter of the best days of mylife.

She reminded me to cherishthe people that Isee every day,because soon they will be distantmemories or voices coming onlythrough a telephone receiver. Itis important not to neglect rela-tionships, because there is only afinite amount of time that theywill be able to prosper.

My friend advised me tonever squander a chance to com-fort a friend during their hour ofpain or [0make my younger sis-ters laugh, because soon those

These are the last times I get todo so much.

Afterthis year I will neverget to act a fool on a UIL trip orhang out with my friends in th eband halL. That is why it is soimpor tan t that Iremember tohave fun.

Im so glad that Iould learnfrom my friend's mistakes .. In away, Igot a trial ru n of my se-nior year, and J was able to ac-quire this wisdom. And now, allwho read this may be blessed, asIwas, with the knowledge totrea-sure these days when they reachthem.

Board should have gotten message long agoWhen the school board de-

cided to switch the scheduleback to semesters they did notconsult the teachers or the stu-dent body. By doing this, theschool board has infringed uponthe r ights of the teachers and thestudents.

The school board's job is tolook after the students and reach-ers, but when they made an un-informed decision it put every-thing we have achieved in per il.

What can the school boardprove? All they know ar e num-bersand the studies showingwhat has made other schoolsexempIerary. They have not rec-ognized how the trimesterhelped us to raise our TAASscores , grades and attendance ..

How could they base the irdecision 011 the trimester having

have found a school that wasspl it on the decision.

Some say the semester sys-tem will help us more than burtlIS and others express their con-cerns over the dreaded switch,while some do not know how asemester system wiUaffectthem.Inthe upcoming school year

the students and teachers wil l bemade to follow whatever systemis forced upon us by the schoolboard.

If they really wanted to dowhat's right for the students andfaculty they would have listenedto what we had to say long ago.

Who cares ifyou 're d ating?It's only high school-no need to get serious

Year after year when every-one returns from summer vaca-tion, some things never changein the halls of Bryan HighSchool.

Both girls and guys are stillfighting over who is dating whoand who is stealing whose man.

Isn't that getting old? Ifthatperson is taken, then no oneshould have to argue with an-other female or male about whathe or she bas been doing ..

Everyone should be matureenough to realize that this is highschool and boys and girls comeand go. No one should be tryingto get too serious at our agesanyway ..

This is the time for every-one to date and get to know dif-ferent kinds of people. Instead,there are those who th ink . theyshould find their husband inhigh school.

True, you may have a highschool sweetheart, but there is avery slim chance of th is personbecoming your husband or wife . .

Do we not understand whyolder people say that these arethe best days of our lives? At

times we take that saying verylightly, Students need to take itto their advantage.

Use the time that is spent onfighting over some gu y or girlwi th something that will benefi tthe future.

In high school, datingshould be done often--not seri-ously, but for experience. Then,when a rea l relationship occursthe problems that arise will beable to be resolved withoutbreaking up.What does fighting oversomeone really resolve? Ifyourmate is going to cheat, fightingis amy going to boost their egoor make them think that they are"all that.

People need to face the factthat this is not the time to planan entire future around one per-son that you have been dating foronly three months.

School board offers flawed reasoningWhy should we change the

current trimester system? Ac-cording to the school board thetrimester sys tem has too manyproblems, such as a lack ofavailable counsel ing time, lossof funding, scheduling problemsand a pace that is too fast for th estudent b od y . T h ey offer a "so-lution" in the form of semesters.The proposed system does notseem to be a solution, much lessthe best one. This is because ev-erything that it "solves" couldbe fixed in the current system.The scbool board com-plains that "stale funding formu-las ar e not fair to us." The dis-trict rece ives exactly the samemoney for 75 minutes of instruc-tion as we would ifwe only wentto class for 50 minutes. So, the"best" solution would be toshorten every class so as to notwaste money.

Oh, but wait! Core classteachers deserve enough time toteach everything they need tocover for the student body tosucceed in the real world. It' stechnology versus student andteacher needs. Too bad the un-derdog (students and teachers)can't win.

There is another alternative,though. Go to the source of theproblem. Trying to solve any-thing indirectly ca n cause evenbigger problems. Go to the stateofficials that draw up these un-just funding plans and ask themone question. How can schoolsthat are having success with tri-mesters get reimbursementwithout changing schedules?Cuttin_g class t ime isnot the only

answer and may very well be theworst.

Another argument againstt rimest e rs made by the board isthat the pace is much too fastfor the student body. This is apoint that makes me wonder ifthey listen to themselves . In se-mesters, classes are shorter(they go by more quickly) andthere ar e more classes everyday(and more homework everynight). Not only will there betwo more classes with home-work, there will be more horne-work in every subject due to lessclass time per day. How doesmaking our lives more hectic(this is for teachers especially)slow down the pace? Please en-lighten the student body andstaff with that answer.Their deafness seems to bepretty unbiased. They don't beartheir own words or the words ofthe student body or teachers.

"The students are sayingdon't do it, th e teachers ar e say-ing don't do it and we're sayingwe know better," board presi-dent David Stasny recently said,as be questioned whether theboard should approve the se-mester schedule.

Indeed.Why is it that those who

know nothing but numbers seekto improve those numbers andindoing so, destroy the purposeof those numbers?


5/7

6 Norseman. Februaz 10,2000 :Eeatures(J~~ruzd~~Larkin looks to Hollyw ood from community theater ro lesliz CarrC o- edftor

The cameras of hundreds ofpaparazzi flash as the line of celebri-ties sashay y on the crimson carpetSharon Stone, Tom Hanks, GwynethPaltrow, Assistant Principal SteveLarkin ...Ah, Hollywood's shiningstars.

But wait, Steve Larkin? When didthis happen? Wasn't he in some com-munity theater productions?

Yes, but then he got an agent, eSMcaped Bryan High and lived happilyever after.

Don't laugh. It's possible.After seven years with the The-

ater Company of BACS [formerly'Magination Station], Larkin is con-sidering hi s theatrical future."I'mgoing to get an agent and seewhat happens. Maybe I'll get somecommercials or something," Larkinsaid.

Larkin made his stage debut in1993 in a production of TennesseeWilliams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roofaftera friend suggested that he audition for

the role of Big Daddy. The terminallyil l southern patriarch has proved (0beone of his favorite characters.

Ocher roles that Larkin has enjoyedinclude Tevia inFiddler on the Roofandmost recently Scrooge in A ChristmasCarol.

School Resource Officer JeffReeves was in the December produc-tion with Larkin and played MLFezzywig.

''Working with him [Larkin] was alot of fun. He's a great actor, and I re-ally enjoyed it. He's good at what bedoes," Reeves said .

Special education teacher KimElliot was also in A Christmas Caroland believes that Larkin has a goodchance as a professional.

"He's as good or better as the aCMtors you seen on TV or in movies,"Elliot said.

Larkin is currently preparing for aMarch performance ofH ea rt o f t he V al-ley, written by local director Randy Wil-son . .The plot tells the story of the fo u n d-ing of Bryan, and Larkin will be play-ing Harvey Mitchell, who is credited

with helping br ing about public educa-tion in the area ,

This is the second time Larkin ha splayed this rule . .This time, s ince he hasthe basics such as lines an d stage direc-tions down, Larkin believes he can digdeeper into the character.

In preparation for the performancea few years ago, Larkin and his wifewent to Mitchell's grave in the oldBooneville cemetery. There, Larkinposed in the same place next to the head-stone where Mitchell had stood in a fa-mous photograph with other townfounders, incl uding William Joel Bryan.

"It's fun to playa real person. It wasneat to know Iwas standing on the samepiece of dirt that he had once been stand-in g on and to make connections," Larkinsaid. L ar ki n h as enjoyed each of his rolesfor different reasons, but be bel ieves thatthe best thing about acting is simply get-ting to be someone else and have fun.

"On stage is the only place where 1get to lose myself and my inhibitions,"Larkin said. "It's the only place I get tobe silly."

Criminal Justice academy students and sponsors ride a ferry 10 Alcatraz Island to visit the now-closedfederal prison. photooo.urtesy Greg McDaniel

Criminal justice academy visits AlcatrazTakeitha GoodenAssistant editor

While looking up at thewalls of Alcatraz, fascinationovercame students of the Crimi-oal Justice Academy.

'1elt like Iwas becoming apart of history. It was like but-terflies in my stomach when wewalked in the ce lls," said seniorGina Smith, recalling her reac-t ion to being inside tile country'smost famous prison.

With hopes of providing aunique experience for the crimi-nal justice program. the studentstraveled to San Francisco andvisited, among other areas, theU.S. Federal Penitentiary,Alcatraz Island. Some of themore notorious prisoners ofAlcatraz included Al Capone,"Doc" Barker, Alvin "Creepy"

Karpi s and Robert Stroud,known as the "Birdman ofAlcatraz.'

Academy instructor GregMcDaniel had a specific objec-tive in mind for his students .

"I hopethe students can usetheir knowledge to compare thelaw enforcement phi losophiesbetween two cit ies as well as see-ing a landmark in the criminaljus tice profess ion," McDanielsaid.

The group toured variousother sites in San Francisco, in-eluding the Golden Gate Bridge,San Francisco Police Depart-ment, Muir Woods, MonterreyBay, Santa Cruz and Chinatown.Most said the AJcatraz visit wasthe most memorable stop on thetour.

"This trip reinforced my

dreams of being a forensic psy-chologist. [The prison] intriguedme and made me think about th ecriminal mind," Jessica Leamingsaid ..

Kyle Kologiaczak bad asimilar reaction.''The trip . ..helped me to re-aUy decide that law enforcementis a program Iwant to stay in,"Kologinczak said.

The criminal justice pro-gram isa collaborative school-to-work program between BryanHigh School and the Bryan PD*lice Department. The curriculumis based 011 academics and per-formance standards that will al-low students to have employableski lls, nine hours col lege credit ,and hands-on experience in theCriminal Justice field.

Steve larkin (right) played the t it le role in a localcommunity theatre production of King Lear. photocourtesy Steve LarkIn

Bandto p lay w i th AMC &TAMUTocarro WUllamsAssistant editor

Bryan High, A&M Consoli -dated and Texas A&M Univer-s ity bands have learned a lessonof cooperation and wilJ share itwith th e community next week.

An appreciation of music isthe vehicle bringing the threegroups together in concer t Feb-ruary 15 at 7 p.rn. at the CivicAuditorium. Admission will befree.

Viking band director RobertTowell says that the concert is agood opportuni ty to share musicwith two other local musicgroups who have an abundanceof talent.

This is achance for theA&M symphonicband to practiceand show off theirtalents before theirFebruary 17 com-petition at th e Col-lege Band Direc-tors National Asso-ciation Conventionin Oklahoma City.

The A&MConsolidated windsymphony will bethe first band onthe program.Bryan High will perform next,followed by the Texas A&MUniversity band.

Bryan's wind symphony se-lect ions will be A M ovementfo .rRosa by Mark Campbouse, OnEagles' Wings written by thecommander of the United StatesAir Force Band, and AmazingGrace from Frank Ticheli andDies Irae from Guiseppi Verdi.

A Mo ve me nt fo r R osa wascomposed as a tribute to RosaParks, the African-Americanwoman who refused to give upher bus seat to a white passen-ger, and ignited the Montgomerybus boycott, an incident thatwould help spark the Civil Rightsmovement.

"This song expresses thefeeling that this woman wentthrough in her life. She was agreat monument of our historyand stood up for what was righteven though there were hardshipsthat she endured," Towell said.

The A&M Consolidatedwind symphony will play TheThunderer from

Sousa, The A S Meensian fromRobert Smith,and This LAnd ofEl Dorado fromFrancis McBethunder the direc-tion of JamesMcClaskey.The Texas

A&M Universityband will be un-der the directionof Dr. Tim Rheaand will playMarche

"This is a goodopportunity forour students toshare music withtwo other localmusic groupswho have anabundanceof tal-ent."Band directorRobert Towell

Hongroise fromThe D am na tion o f F aust fromBerlioz and Bowlin. Another se -lec tion will be Am er ic a n O ve r-tu re fo r B a nd by Joseph WilcoxJenkins. It will be conducted byu. Colonel Ray Toler, AggieBand Director,

All three bands will performa grand finale of Dr. Rhea's tran-scription of The F ir e o j E te rn a lGlory by Dimit ri Sh os ta k ov ich ,


6/7

Norseman. February10,20007portsVIL realigns districtD istric t realignm ents w ere announced by UIL in lateJanuary. B ryan w ill com pete in Region II, Distric t 16.M em be r sc ho ols a re lis te d be lo w:

BryanA&M Cons ol id at edHousto Cypress Creek

H ou st on C yp re ss F ai rb an ks

H ou st on C yp re ss F all sH ou st on C yp re ss S pr in gsH ou sto n J er se y V il la geHouston Langham Creek

Soccer seeks improvementafter lackluster seasonsJoJo ArevaloStaff writer

With soccer season now un-derway, both the boys and girlsteams are faced with similartasks: return to the playoffs afterless than impressive seasons.

Last year, the boys overallrecord of 6-11-14 kept the Vi-kings out of the playoffs for thefirs t time in four years.

The girls team failed to wina game last season but did mus-ter one tie in only their fifth yearas a VIL varsity team.

Both teams have high hopesfor the upcoming season.

Boys occer coach TommieAllmon feels he bas a talentedteam, but knows that that is notthe only thing that matters.

"I t's not only talent that mat-ters, but who you run into,'Allmon said.

And the boys' team will beencountering difficult teams.

"We have a pretty tough dis-tr ict. Round Rock, Westwood,and Georgetown are the topteam . But I feel we will be able

to compete for a playoff pot,'Allmon said.

Girls soccer coach RobinColicchio also has high expec-tations for his team. His maingoal for his young team--onestar ting just two senior --is thatthey will develop on many lev-els.

"Our main goals are to de-velop as a team, for every playerto make a commitment to oc-cer, for every player improve in-dividually, and to learn team-mates' capabilities," Colicchiosaid.

Like the boys, the girls areplaying in a competitive district.

Last year, Round RockWe twood and Georgetown bothadvanced to the regional compe-tition.

So far this season, the boyshave a pre-district record of 6-3,and the gir ls have a record of 3-7 .

District play began on Feb-ruary 4 for both the boys andgirls. The boys lost to RoundRock McNeil 2-1 , and the girlsal 0 fell to McNeil 7-0.

FAST BREAK

Shanita Maxwell (left) shows off her talents when she puts up a layup to help her learn defeat A&MConsolidated in prs-dls t r tc t action. The girls were tied for second place heading into the final weeks ofplay. Kenny Taylor (right) shows his ball handling skills against Consol to prepare the boys for districtplay where they are currently tied for first place. photos by Bi/ l Meeks

Three seniors lead girls' gymnasticsTocarro WilliamsAssistant editor

A young girl oars over oneuneven bar to the next and doesa ]SO-degree flip, only to catchthe next bar and dismount witha double layout. She receives aperfect lD.These are only a few of themoves that the Bryan High girls 'gymnastics team do during theircompetitions.

Last year this team that wasmore experienced went on toplace tenth in state only afterplacing remarkable finishes ofsecond at district and regionals.

"We bad a really good yearlast year. We reached many as-pirations that we had et forth forourselves and would like to con-tinue with that this year," saidcoach Callie Currie.

The team returns three se-niors. Valerie O'Dell, VeronicaHernandez and Kristin Greeno,all of whom competed on varsitylast year."I would like for our teamto become more unified and togain more attention in ourdiistrict and state," aid seniorVeronica Hernandez

Two juniors five sopho-

mores and two freshmen com-plete the team.

"These seniors that are re-turning are the main leaders thatshow an abundance of knowl-edge to this team." Curr ie said.

Althougb the seniors are theleader on the quad they wouldlike for others to take on moreresponsibili ty so that they can bea stronger team next year.

"Our goal is to continue ourques t to state, keep our academ-ics up to par and show our coachand other gymnast on our teamthe re pect that they deserve,"Greeno said.

Viking mascot on the road to recoveryJanice CotsonlsCo-editor

As the fall sun sets on Fri-day night bright lights flood theVIking football tadiurn, illumi-nating the cheerleaders in themiddle of the field. One by ODethey execu te a series of illps andjumps as the announcer calls outeach of their names. The crowdfocuses on a blank spot in thel ineup as the last name on the l istis called out: Michael Lamarche,Viking mascot.

This spot on the squad hasnot been void the entire year.Prior to an automobile accidenton September 1, 1999, in whichhe suffered a head injury,Lamarche . .. "made the 'Viking'come to life," according to fel-low cheerleader Stephanie Lyles.

Other members of the squadagree.

"He easily fit the part, andhe had such dedication to thespot which earned him respectfrom his friends and teachersalike," aid cheerleader DrewJones.

Squad sponsor ShannonAdams agrees, noting that

Lamarche's energy and motiva-tion landed him a handful ofcamp awards over the past sum-mer.In addition to cheerleading,

Lamarche played on the juniorvarsity soccer team.

''We would have looked athim for a varsity position. He wasalways enthusias tic and eager todo his best." Coach TommieAllmon said.

Now, almost six months af-te r the wreck, Lamarche i stilleager to do his best as he contin-ues his recovery.

Five days a week he wakesup at 8 a.m. and participates intherapy. He begins with half anhour of speech pathology fol-lowed by a 30~minute session ofoccupational therapy, where ac-cording to his mother, DonnaLamarche, he is retaught the ev-eryday motions so many peopletake for granted. He finishes withanother half hour of physicaltherapy.

From 11 a.m.- 2:30 p . .m.Lamarche is given time to ea t andrest. Doctors are attempting togive him food in order to trigger

his swallowing reflex. After herests, the morning' schedule isrepeated. Generally, Lamarche'sday ends with a brief vi it out-doors with his parents before hegoes to bed at 8 p.m.

While his doctors have notgiven any definite t imeframe forLamarche's recovery, his parentsbel ieve he is making progress.

"On January 10, be tookabout 100 steps in a circle on hisown. Itwas very exciting" Mrs .Lamarche said.

Although Lamarche's par-ents have been asked by doctorsnot to be present at his therapysessions so as not to distract him.they are still very involved withhis recovery. Their jobs havebeen accommodating and haveallowed both parents time off sothat one parent can be with theirson at all times .

"On the weekend we try tosit Michael down with somedrawing paper or take him out-side, but we don't want to pushhim to the point where he's toofrustrated to participate intherapy during the week," Mrs.Lamarche said.

Along with thesupport he gets fromhis parent , Lamarchehas received numer-ous cards and well-wishes from hisschoolmates and thecommunity, includinga blanket signed by anumber ofBryan Highstudents."It will probably

take a year for him togo through all thecards! Ieally wouldlike to thank al1 thestaff and the studentbody of Bryan High,"Mrs. Lamarche said.

Al though unsureof a target date.Lamarche's parentsare anticipating hi re-turn to school and hisformer activities.

"He probably re-members all he used todo and itfrustrates himthat he's currently unable to dotbem. He has always takenthings in stride, though." saidMrs. Lamarche.

Mascot Michael Lamarche continues torecover from Injuries he sustained in aSeptember automobile accident. He iscurrently undergoing rehab in a Templehospital.Cards and letters for

Lamarche may be sent to hishome: 952 5 Grassbur Rd.,B ry an, T X 7 78 08 .


7/7

8 Norseman. Febru Pntertainment0 2000From man to muppet and back againMatt Stell bauerStaff writer

It has finally happened. Robin Williamshas turned himself into a muppet.It was b nd to happen sooner or later.With each film he makes, Williams hasbecome less and less human and morehuggable and muppet-l ike. The film thatcompletes William's transformation fromactor to teddy bear is Bicentennial Man,a ci-fi parable about a robot's quest tobecome human.William plays Andrew, a robot whoerve the Martin family in the not-too-distant-future. The moment he arrivesfrom the factory Andrew reveals himselfto be more than a mere home appliance.He begins building clocks, restoring an-tiques and asking questions like "what ishumor?' He also forms an emotionalbond with the Mart in family.Like many of his other film Williams

uses hi. comedic talent to bring a light-hearted approach to a poignant storywhich makes for some funny momentsthroughout the tory. But keep inmind that

if you think you are going to see RobinWilliams in a comedy, you should prob-ably pick another movie. There are somefunny parts in thi movie, but most of itis somber.As Andrew forms emotional bonds with

the Mart in family he begins to experiencefeel ings for the family

As time passes, members of the familygrow older and begin to form families ofthier own, leaving Andrew wanting thesame thing. Through numerous upgradehe becomes more human by adding skin,artif icial organs which he designed him-self, and even the abil ity to have feel ings.Through all the upgrades Andrew keeps

in touch with his former family and be-comes emotionally involved with Porshe,the great-granddaughter to the child whomhe took care of in the beginning of themovie.Eventually, Andrew marries Porshe and

lives to be 200 , the oldest living humanin history.Overall, this movie proves to be a very

heart-warming and a great family film.Grade: A

'Third Wish' marked withnew sounds, vintage oldJoJo ArevaloStaff writer

Okay, the CD dropped in November,but it is so good, Iad to get it in.

South Park Mexican released histhird album entitled The Third Wish.And the longtime fan that anxiouslyawaited it were not disappointed.

The CD starts with the most well-known ong on the CD "High So High'and continues, ending with a totaJ of l6track. However, unlike most CDs with16 tracks that have only a couple of goodsongs, this is one CD that you can popinto the CD player and let play from trackone to track 16.

What makes The Third Wish dif-ferent than SPM's first two CDs is thedifferent ounds that can be found in thesongs. In his first two relea e , thoughthe ongs were mostly good. many ofthem bad too similar sounds.

This is not the case in The ThirdWish. For example, song one is what onewould normally expect from SPM. but

song two, "Latin Throne," actually incor-porates omewhat of a gospel sound inthe song. There is al 0an all-Spanish rapsong. "Mi Ruka," and a slow love songwhere SPM speaks of his wife in "Per-feet Girl."

Still despite the various new soundson the songs, the best songs are the onesthat are vintage SPM, e pecially trackssix and seven.

But probably the best thing about theThe Third Wish is the positive messageit portrays.

The title song speaks from the view-point that SPM has wished for bothmoney and fame, and now has his thirdand final wish. A short monologue isheard midway through the song that tellsof the death of SPM' clo e friend. Thisleads to his la t wish: to end all violence.

Also, song nine, "Land of the Lost".strongly urges against Latino on Latinoviolence.

Surely one of my all -time favorites.Grade: A+

Robin Williams stars in 'Bicentennia.1 Man', a drama about a robot's quest to becomemore human-like.

Get It H ow U L lve , was the group'sfirst album together. The album sold wellthroughout the Midwest without any ra-dio or video airplay."I had know idea who they were,but Iemember hearing their songs andwondering who is this and were did thisCD come from," said junior She vonArmstrong,

Cash Money Records has nowsigned a distribution deal with Univer-sal Records that took effect upon the re-lease of the album Tba G-Code whichis expected to sell over SOO.OOOcopies.

"I have the O-Code and it is off th ehook. Their lyrics just flow together sowell ," said sophomore Brandi Nixon.

Manny Fresh is the man behind thescene who come up with the beats andlyrics. He is also the group's producer .

"I've heard other beats and lyricsthat Manny Fresh has composed, and Iknow that he has the talent to come upwith anything," said senior Tiger Bur-ton.

Cash money records ready for take-offHot B oys on fire , blazing up the chartsTakeltha GoodenAssistant editorWhoever knew that a four-man anny

could top th e charts an d begin their ownrecord label?

The Hot Boys ha s blown up on theirrecord label, "Ca$h Money Records."The label was founded by brothers Bryan'Baby' Williams and Ronald 'Sl im' Wil-liams.

The elder of the group is Juvenile.whose album 400 degreez h a s t o pp ed thecharts for the past six months, and is nowdouble platinum.

Juvenile 's success opened doors forthe other members of the Hot Boys, B.O.whose fifth solo album Chopper Cityin the Gbetto, featuring the singles"Cash Money is the Army" and "BlingBling," achieved gold status recently.

Other members of the group. Lil'Wayne an d Young Turk. are th e youngerof the group and are expected to releasea solo album later this year. This albumhas been t itled The Block Is Hot .

Chorale members enjoy 'OklahoDla'Misty McCannStaff writer

Secret crushes, unre olved argu-ments, and flaring tempers may soundlike the plot of the next Hollywoodmovie. In fact, these are the isues thatmade up the plot of the musical Okla-homa performed by the choraJ depart-ment Feb. 3-6.

Choir director Julie Birkner promi edto give a more vibrant show than before.Along with that goal came her knowledgethat the key to the show's success restedupon who she chose as performers.

"When casting was looking forgood musicians and actors who couldbring the character to life " Birkner said.

Birkner believed she found the right

cast for this year's performance. Amethod common in choir musicals isdouble-casting. Two choir members, thus,play lead roles in order to increase thenumber of students involved in the play.

Chorale member Katherine Delgadofelt that being double-casted gave the castmembers more of an opportunity to prac-tice their roles.

" think it was nice being double-casted. It made us work harder, becausewe only performed two nights instead offour, so we had to work baed those twonights," Delgado said.

Performers felt the bard work and de-termination provided for a good show.

"I think it was fun. People could seethe talents and everything that we had to

go through. Itgives a sen e of pride be-cause we spent a whole month workingon the play," said Amanda Kruse.

The casting style was not the onlything improving performance, said manymembers. Many actors saw tbeir owncharacteristics in the characters they play.Jonathan Schwart admits that the charac-ter be played reflected orne of hi per-anal attributes.

"Curly is proud of who he is; he livesstrong, be is respected and he l ikes to havefun," Schwart said.

Identifying with the character was atop priority for most performers, no mat-ter bow similar their characteristics were.

''I t ried to think about where the char-acter was coming from, also what he was

experrencedoing and thinking. For example, if hewas depressed, sad or happy. I tried toput my self in his shoes," Scbwart said.

Others found themselves acting dif-ferently than they would have on a regu-lar basis. Senior Bradley Carlton, for ex-ample, played Judd Fry. an evil charac-ter who tried to kill Curly (Schwart).Carlton, however, con iders himself aneasygoing person.

"I bad trouble being evil because itwas hard thinking evil thoughts aboutCurly," Carlton said.

The play was a . different experiencefor many of the cast members, and theyhad fun bringing the play to life,

.. t was fun. Their dances are differ-ent and you get to t ransform yourself intoa dif ferent t ime period," Delgado said.

volume 29 number 4

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