Mr. Pearson was Ms.

Nobles’ teacher when she was a student here. They now work in the

same department.

Chronicle www.theriderchronicle.comRider High School 4611 Cypress, Wichita Falls, Texas, 76310

Leaders of the ClassScheller and Crouch win West Teaching Excellence Award

One’s known as the mom of the English hall. The other, relative-new-comer to the teaching profession, spends tons of hours working

with her students and team. Now both have been honored by the West Foundation for their teaching. English teacher Sandra Scheller and A&P, Biology and softball coach Alisha Crouch were honored with West Teaching Excellence awards last month. Scheller was “very excited” when she found out she had won. “It’s a tremendous honor,” Scheller said. “I would have done a dance of joy, but I thought it would have been inappropriate.” In the WFISD, there are 1,100 teachers. Out of those 1,100 teachers, 20 were chosen as recipients of the award. Scheller didn’t believe the first two congratulatory e-mails she received. “It wasn’t until Mrs. McDonald congratulated me that I believed it,” Scheller said. Science teacher Alisha Crouch knew for a few days before she received the e-mail. “Braveboy accidentally told me,” Crouch said. “I was really surprised.” Crouch believes that putting in a lot of extra hours is partly the reason she won the award. “I also try to have a relationship with the students,” Crouch said.

“When you have a good relationship, the kids want to learn.” Scheller is known as the mom of the English hall. “For younger teachers, we know we can go to her for advice, student problems, and lesson plan ideas,” English teacher Polly Birkhead said. English teacher and long-time friend of Scheller, Yvonne Baker-Kistler believes Scheller won partly due to her listening nature and creativity. “She’s extremely creative,” Baker-Kistler said. “Sometimes she comes up with some really wacky lesson plans that really work.” Scheller said she feels honored to be chosen. “I don’t know why I won,” Scheller said. “It’s exciting to work with so many dedicated, overworked faculty. I don’t know why they chose me.” Birkhead credits her award to her patience. “She’s willing to give kids a chance,” Birkhead said. “She’s able to bring things down to their levels.” Baker-Kistler thinks the award is late getting to Scheller. “She’s deserved this for years,” Baker-Kistler said. “She’s been an excellent teacher for many years and she’s just now getting noticed.” Scheller has been teaching for 25 years and in her words, is only 27 years old. “I love teaching,” Scheller said. “I learn something everyday. It’s encouraging that people care enough to offer some help.”

The

by Jordan Campagna

Volume 49Issue 1

All AloneHannah Huezo is the only National Merit Semi-Finalist.

Baseball...now?

It’s almost as if they don’t know it’s September...

pg 11

Math teachers copewith a planned curriculum.

Did you know?

Tops of the Class(above left) West Teaching Excellence Award winner Sandra Scheller lectures her Vernon College English 3 class. Photo by Callie Cunningham; (above right) West

Teaching Excellence Award winner Alisha Crouch helps juniors Lisa Shah and Aamna Zaidi during their lab dissecting salamanders. Photo by Shaylyn Lee.

pg 3

check us out at www.theriderchronicle.com2 The Rider Chronicle. October 2010 Opinion

Dani Adams & Jordan Campagna

Alex AdamsChandler AlejandroEmily BurlisonChristian CastilloPaullyca ChheShelby CowmanCallie Jo CunninghamMorgan DoughertyByron DowlingKelsey FenterRegan FieldsBelle FryeCici GossettErin Hagy

Sarah HaleyErin HarmanKatie HillKayla HolcombCarly HolmesMason JonesBobbi KazmierczakErica KlenkJon LanfordShaylyn LeeMeghan MyracleKyler NormanDanielle OngayKendall Penington

Zane PollockKelsea RenzBevon RobersonBrittany RobinsonMichaela RutledgeCynthia SalazarAmy SchraderHeather SchweissSam Syptak Reba WallsEmma WhiteAlexander YeuKyler Young

Staff

Co-Editors-in-Chief

Adviser- Mary Beth Lee Principal- Judy McDonald

ChronicleThe

A publication of Rider High SchoolThe Chronicle is a student-run publication. The content and views are produced solely by the staff and do not represent Rider High School or the WFISD faculty or administration.

cartoon by Erica Klenk

Rider was once thriving with clubs; people full of passion for a cause, now many of the once loved clubs have disappeared.

There are many reasons as to why Rider has lost so many clubs, but the main reasons are a lack of student commitment and many teachers who just no longer have the time.

After-school jobs, homework, extra-curricular activities and maintaining a decent social life suck away high school students’ free time. Students just don’t realize that all a club sponsor wants is a commitment. They don’t have to be at every meeting and every club-sponsored event. Yes, it would be better, but sponsors understand the time requirements of a high school student. Students need to

become leaders and speak for the student body, cause change, leave an impact.

Many students are involved in too many extra-curricular activities to be involved in school clubs, and many teachers are already stretched thin due to family or having hundreds papers in need of grading. The campus needs more leaders, not just the same students leading everything. That can only happen if more students get involved.

The students of Rider High School need to wake up and take pride in their school take care of it, become involved. It’s one day after school; friends can wait. Go. Make a difference. Now, not later.

This year Rider reached TEA Recognized status all thanks to the hard work of every student and all the staff members. Be proud. You’ve earned it.

A big part of the reason we reached rec-ognized campus was due to the many hours math and science teachers spent helping students truly understand the concepts. They weren’t alone. Advisory was instated and students who had difficulty in the past with TAKS took part in mandatory tutorials.

Also students should be proud of them-selves for spending so much time preparing for the test and getting Rider into the 80 percent range.

Administrators played a huge part in the accomplishment also. They were the ones who implemented the various tutorials and also helped two teachers create a special math class to boost scores. They are the ones backing the teachers to push the stu-dents to be the best they can be.

The goal set for next year is for Rider to reach 90 percent range, so students work hard, teachers keep stretching and reach the goal.

A Job Well DoneHard work of students, staff seen in Recognized Status

Too Little Too LateRider clubs fading due to lack of dedication and time; get involved before it’s too late

Out of 1.5 million entrants all over the country, senior Hannah Huezo is the only National Merit Semi-Finalist in the district. She’s one of 16,000 high school students to be recognized as a semi-finalist.

Last year, Rider had five semi-finalists, and the other high schools in town also had their share. This year, Huezo has had to deal with the media coverage of her achievement all by herself.

“It’s insane all the attention I’m getting,” Huezo said. “I’ve been in Times Record News, on the news, and the radio. It was exciting at first, but now it’s just getting ridiculous. I don’t know that I enjoy it as much as I thought at first.”

Hannah started her preparations for the PSAT back in the summer of 2009 with summer test prep classes with the Mr. and Mrs. Kramer and Mrs. Neale.

“I learned a lot from the sessions. It helped me so much,” Hannah said. “We learned vocabulary and what type of questions to expect.”

Of all the things she learned, one really stood out. The teachers told her to keep her same morning routine on the day of the test.

“I woke up, took a shower, curled my hair, ate some breakfast,” Hannah said. “I made sure I got there 30 to 45 minutes early.”

With all the practice and the test behind her, all Hannah had to do was wait for her score.

“I made a 216 on the PSAT which is kind of disappointing,” Huezo said. “I only made it (National Merit Scholar) by 1 point.”

Despite her disappointment, she is still a Semi-Finalist. She has a long road ahead of her after high school, but she will receive some scholarships.

“I want to go to Texas A&M and study ocean engineering,” Hannah said. “They are one of the only schools to offer that. When I apply I’ll receive a

$34,000 scholarship from them.”Hannah also has some advice for future scholars too.“Have confidence,” Huezo said. “Have confidence in yourself.”

Making the GradeHannah Huezo named district’s sole National Merit Semi-Finalist

by Emily Burlison

check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 2010 3Opinion

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Making the GradeNational Merit Semi-Finalist senior Hannah Huezo says the test prep sessions taught by Mrs. Neale and the Kramers helped her make the grade. Photo by Danielle Ongay.

Cameron BergReed ChapmanZachary HatcherLindy Larson

Rider Students who earned National Merit Commended

statusLeigh MartinKelsey O’HearnCharles SagerMatthew West

Top 5 Tips to Ace The PSAT

Memorize the Directions.You’re taking a timed test.

Exercise beforehand.Speedy legs = Speedy brain.

Paraphrase. Rephrase a question so it makes sense.

Trust your gut. Statistically your first choice is correct.

POE.Use Process Of Elimination.

5.4.3.2.1.

Tips found at http://testprep.about.com

58%

check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 20104 News

Make way for the future. C-Scope offers a whole new curriculum that’s designed to give every class a specific day by day lesson so that everyone is on the same page and is prepared for the TEKS and TAKS tests. Some teachers welcome the change, others not so much.

Rumors about C-Scope were spread across the district, from students to faculty, rumors such as C-Scope telling teachers exactly what to do and not allowing room for teachers to improvise methods or have any fun with their classes.

“At first, teachers were hesitant about the unknown of C-Scope,” math teacher Paul Loskot said. “They were full of fear and trepidation on how they’d tell us what to teach, but that’s ridiculous.”

Head of the Rider math department Stephanie Mullens agrees, that it seemed to require more work for teachers than the method they used before, but now was relatively “pain free”.

“I think C-Scope has potential. It is designed for a longer class period, but with good planning it will work.” Mullens said.

Compared to the old free-formed method, C-Scope provides one curriculum for all teachers in the district of each subject in order to make sure every student is on the same page and learning everything required for the TEKS and TAKS tests.

“C-Scope is not only a great product with everything for every grade level, but it’s also developed by Texas educators based on Texas requirements, and it’s designed by a non-profit company,” math curriculum coordinator for WFISD Ward Roberts said.

WFISD is part of region 9 out of 20 total in Texas. So far, 18 out of those 20 have chosen to follow the C-Scope adoption wave. As a result, all the students will receive the knowledge required from each course.

“Because we are all teaching the same lessons, if a student jumps from class to class they get all the same stuff,” Loskot said.

Not everything about C-scope is completely perfect, though. Every curriculum has its ups and downs.

“There are some bugs in the system, some flaws in its sequencing, but in general it’s not that difficult to get past the flaws because teacher’s have the ability to supplement the material,” Loskot said. “It doesn’t

tell you what to teach, it just gives you a guideline, and you’re encouraged to supplement.”

Teachers who were hired before the switch already have personal experience on what should be added to help their students understand each concept. This fills in the holes on the guideline.

The secondary curriculum is more inclusive for teachers, even though it provides activities for each six weeks,” Roberts said. “If a teacher has a great way of teaching a topic, they should be allowed to use it, in fact, please use it.”

The hard part for most teachers is accepting the difference and the new that C-Scope offers.

“It requires change, and the teachers who try it in their classes have got success and they love it, but the ones who don’t want to take the time to look into it are the biggest critics.” Roberts said.

First-year teachers come in to C-Scope with a different viewpoint than experienced ones.

“New teachers are a lot more receptive to it because they’re more needy,” Roberts said. “They see it as something to use that is all ready to go. It’s a gold mine for a first-year.”

Math is the first subject to go fully into C-scope curriculum.

“It’s a big adjustment that you have to make,” Mullens said. “Teachers need to realize that they cannot do everything they have always done before plus C-Scope. They need to replace the old lessons with a better C-Scope lesson.”

There’s some big differences between the previous curriculum and C-Scope.

“The old curriculum was like a syllabus, a topic outline, telling you just to teach these topics in a certain amount of time, but C-Scope is more in detail,” Roberts said. “It provides activities and assessments for each topic, so teachers don’t have to figure it all out on their own.”

The largest hurdle to overcome is the expectations that C-Scope has for such a short amount of time, but teachers have the leisure to depend their time management on their student’s needs as long as they finish the requirements before the end of the semester.

“It’s all easy now, even though it’s so fast-paced,” Loskot said.

Through the Looking GlassNew Curriculum Fights Pre-Assumed Notions

by Kayla Holcomb

70%

64%

Teachers that have

used C-Scope

100% of teachers who have used it, who responded to the survey, have found it

to be a somewhat positive experience

Teachers who thought

C-Scope wasted time/

money at first

Teachers who have

found C-Scope helpful

*120 teachers surveyed, 28 teachers responded. Results based on that data.

ROHO Depot has managed to survive 10 years by adapting to serve the changing needs of the students and school.

Students can purchase frappuccinos from the ROHO Depot during lunch in the student center. Starting Sept. 13, students were able to buy Otis Spunkmeyer cookies for 50 cents on Mondays after school. Until two years ago, cookies were for sale during lunch.

“Two years ago in October the food service director came to me when I was cleaning up at the end of the lunch period,” marketing education coordinator Chris Marvel-Loskot said. ‘He told me I was going to have to stop selling the cookies.’

Marvel-Loskot said they have been selling cookies at ROHO Depot from when it first opened in 2000 until the Texas Public School Nutrition Policy forced her to stop selling cookies and start researching an alternative.

‘I thought I would try a coffee bar because I always wanted to open up one of those,” Marvel-Loskot said.

She bought an espresso machine and started selling frappuccinos during lunch. Students weren’t buying as many as she hoped because it took too long to make the drinks.

“Last year I put a formula together for frappuccinos and smoothies that fit the guidelines,” Marvel-Loskot said. “Those were very successful but they’re three times the work and not nearly as profitable as the cookies. But it keeps us alive out there and still gives me some money that I can help the school with some things from time to time.”

Marvel-Loskot has been using ROHO Depot’s income to give back to the students, by helping the

clubs and classes at Rider and helping individual students.

“The kids were making it profitable so I should give that money back to the students,” Marvel-Loskot said. “I don’t just dump the money into the school’s account. It gets put in my account and as needs come up, (like) kids that need glasses that can’t afford them, or coats in the winter. Occasionally we’ve bought yearbooks for kids who can’t afford a yearbook. Those are small little things that pop up.”

Marvel-Loskot had no idea that her cookies would be so popular. She expected to sell 100 cookies a day but within a week it rose to almost 1000.

“Another problem was staffing,” Marvel-Loskot said. “I thought we were just going to sell a couple of cookies each lunch period and it was going to be smooth sailing. I very quickly realized we did not have the size of staff I needed out there.”

Students who are interested in working at ROHO Depot should talk to Marvel-Loskot.

“I have a very simple application that you would fill in,” she said. “I am looking for somebody that I feel I can trust, and somebody that I can depend on. Your absences have to be low, very low.”

Unlike a class, students who work at the ROHO Depot learn by experience.

“I really don’t give them formal teaching,” she said. “They’re learning the concepts of marketing product, price, place, and promotion. It’s on-the-job training. You show up and I tell you what to do as we go.”

At ROHO Depot the students are taught to adapt to the changing ways of business.

“We’re constantly evolving out there,” Marvel-Loskot said.

If freshmen want their chant changed, at least 300 of them will have to petition to make it happen, according to freshman class sponsor Deliese Nusser.

The current chant ‘Rider Raiders want it more, senior class of 1-4’, raises many questions. The most common one is what do freshmen want more? No one can seem to answer that question.

“The chant is a little out there,” freshman Skye Catletti said.

Most people agree. Some even go as far to say they hate it.

“It’s very vague and doesn’t have a clear message,” freshman Alexis Porta said. “It doesn’t say anything about what Raiders stand for.”

The consensus among the freshmen was that the other options were better. The first option was ‘Rider Raiders will always soar, senior class of 1-4’. It was booed. Many liked the second option ‘Our Raider pride is always seen, senior class of 2014’.

“It’s not the one I voted for,” freshman Bekah Conley said , referring to the chant that was chosen.

Countless agree with her. “The second option was better,” freshman Connie

Bennett said. “I voted for it.”And it seemed like option two had won. The winner

was determined by whichever chant was cheered for the loudest. It was neck and neck between options two and three, with three ultimately winning.

“I’m ashamed by the chant,” freshman Abby Jetton said.

She’s one of the 103 people interviewed who said they would change the chant if given the option. The option all freshmen seem to agree on is ‘One family one team, senior class of 2014’.

“The cheerleaders choose the chants for the freshman class to vote on,” Varsity Cheer and Raiderette coach Krista Russell said.

Not all the freshman cheerleaders are happy, though. JV cheerleaders and freshmen Jacey Harmon, Linsey Dean, and Brianna Watkins would also change the current freshman chant.

“A majority of the freshman class would need to say they don’t like the current chant for it to be changed,” Nusser said. “Probably 300 students depending on the class size.”

check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 2010 5News

Looking for Change

ROHO Depot Survives Test of Time

by Emily Burlison

by Kyler NormanDepot still standing after 10 years

Freshmen question chant

Can I take your order?Seniors Whitley Fitchie (left), Talyor Jackson (middle) , and Louise Kinsley (right) at the ROHO depot. On Mondays, after school, the depot serves Otis Spunkmeyer cookies for $0.50 a piece. Flavors offered include chocolate chip, sugar, snickerdoodle, turltle, white macadamia, Reece’s pieces, and carnival. Every day during lunch, they serve frappuccinos for $2. Photo by Mason Jones.

check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 2010

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It wasn’t just a typical day in English class. They thought she’d lost her mind, or per-haps was playing a joke on them. Nobody was

sure what was happening, but they knew something should be done to help. That’s exactly what fresh-man Mason Nobles did the morning English teacher Debbie Linton was sent to the hospital during second period.

“I just started feeling dizzy in the middle of the class, and I couldn’t remember where I was,” Linton said. “One of my students came to me asking a ques-tion off of a paper, and I honestly had no idea what it was.”

One by one, signs of trouble became evident to the class, from her stumbling around the room to not be-ing able to see where things were.

“She kept saying she couldn’t see any of us and faced the middle of the room away from us,” Nobles said.

The students began to worry about her. Mrs. Linton realized that she needed to head towards the nurse, but the class knew she couldn’t do it alone.

“After I saw her stumbling around the room, I thought, ‘there’s no way she’ll make it by herself ’ so I thought I’d help, and if I hadn’t, I’d feel really guilty,” Nobles said.

At first Linton objected, but later obliged. “I followed him like a little kid,” Linton said.Once Linton reached the nurse’s office, her class

was left alone, but unlike any other day when the teacher is gone, her class behaved.

“We just sat there for like twenty to thirty minutes doing our work,” Nobles said. “Nobody talked; I guess

HAVE HEARTStudents come to the rescue when teachers experience health issues on the same day

we were all just scared for her.”*Note: Linton is still waiting for results

by Kayla Holcomb

Sitting down to take roll one morning, the room began to spin.

The electrical systems in Lifetime Nutrition and Wellness teacher Deliese Nusser’s heart began working backwards, disrupting the blood flow through her body.

“It was a normal day in class,” Senior Kolton Parch-man said then she started saying she was hot and dizzy.

Kolton than went down to the nurses office and

brought the nurse back to class.Mrs. Kirby rushed Nusser to her husband, who in

turn took her to Kell West Hospital.Nusser’s pulse was at 199 and her blood pressure

could not be found. They had to stop her heart for two seconds to get things back on track.

Nusser said a similar thing happened six years ago, and she thinks that the problem is genetic. Nusser doesn’t drink alcohol or smoke and has little caffeine.

The probable cause of the problem? Stress. Nusser said there wasn’t much stress in her life ei-

ther, but taking roll on T.E.A.M.S. can be stressful. Now though Nusser said she’s doing fine. “I’m still kicking,” Nusser said. by Zane Pollock

6 Feature

Students to the rescue(right) Mrs. Linton works with freshman Garrett McPherson in 5th period English. Photo by Meghan Myracle. (left) Mrs. Nusser teaches her 3rd period Nutrition class. Photo by Mason Jones.

yearbooksforever.comSave $30 now by buying online OR

@school on Oct. 7 during parent conferenceStarting at $65.

ROHO Spirit

This year is Rider’s 50th anniversary and Rider is making it bigger than ever. With more spirit, more unity, and more pride Raiders kick off the year as One Family, One Team. To the left, varsity cheerleaders get pumped for their first cheer experience as a new squad. Below, Coach Garfield high fives sophomore Dominic Thrasher as he introduces the varsity football line up. Bottom left, Rider band marches in position to get set for their performance. All teams, including volleyball (not pictured) withstood the 100o heat to show off their hard work of the summer under the sweltering sun. “All the hard work paid off and it felt great going into the game,” sophomore Dominic Thrasher said..

Raiders profess their school spirit, making the 50th year anniversary more spirited than ever.

check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 2010 7Feature

Photos & Design by Meghan Myracle

Dancing Queens- Sophomore Courtney Terrell (left), senior Taylor Hayden (middle) and senior Tiffany Ward (right) practice their lip synch performance to the song “Spice Up Your Life” by the Spice Girls. Lipsync will be held on Oct. 14-16 and the 19 at 7:30. Tickets are $4 each. Photo by Carly Holmes.

check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 2010

Clubs have always been a part of student life, but now students and teachers are having difficulty finding time for them.

“I don’t know if kids are too busy in church or if they have too much schoolwork,” librarian and Student Council adviser Sally Mroczkowski said. “It’s the same kids doing everything, and that bothers me. I think we have so much potential but we’re not reaching those kids.”

After school, sports, church, homework and jobs, there isn’t much time left for students who are interested to get involved with clubs.

“We had 30 to 40 kids that were interested (in Biology Club), but nobody had enough time to get it done on a regular basis,” Biology teacher and former Biology Club sponsor Shara Humpert said.

Students aren’t the only ones having trouble with clubs. Teachers are also feeling crunched for time when it comes to extra-curriculars.

“There’s not enough time in the day for a teacher to do the things that we need to do, so to take on a club is a lot of work,” Humpert said.

Another problem with clubs is the lack of knowledge of them, Mroczkowski said. Most Rider students are only aware of a small percentage of the clubs available.

“One of the biggest problems at Rider is communication,” Mroczkowski said. “Announcements aren’t working, (and) I don’t know how to get the word out to the kids. We’ve done different things like text messaging and Facebook, but you can’t use Facebook at school. I think it’s something we’ve got to solve to get the word out the kids.”

Teachers are struggling to find students other than the ones who are already involved to join their clubs.

“I usually approach kids that I think are good leaders and would make good representatives of the school, but those kids are the ones everyone else is recruiting too,” Mroczkowski said. “We need another group of kids to step up. I think we have a lot of good leaders out there, but they’re just not joining in.”

Mroczkowski said if students can’t find the time to join a club, they should speak to the sponsor.

“The goal is to get students involved,” Mroczkowski said.

FFA

SPANISH CLUB

F. C. C. L. A

KEY CLUB

MARTIAL ARTS

DRAMA CLUB

F. C. A

STUDENT COUNCIL

CRIME STOPPERS

CHESS CLUB

A Dying Breedby Kyler Norman

8 Clubs

Students walk inside the classroom, inhale, scrunch their noses, and gag. As another day of school starts, students prepare to fight against the gross distractions. Whether its formaldehyde, dead cats and sharks, or burning Bunsens, there is always something strange wafting to your nose from the Science hallways.

Strange smells are certainly distracting to students “across the board,” as science teacher Robert Novak said, but they don’t make a big impact on the teachers who have their fair share of stench all day long.

“I don’t smell it at all anymore at all,” science teacher Alisha Crouch said. She continued, “They are distracting to my Freshmen that I have in the morning. They’re always like ‘What’s that smell?? It smells bad in here!’ But then they get used to it. They wouldn’t admit it.”

Everybody notices those infamous signs, “Sorry about the smell, it’s Shark Week.” These signs appear every year, but the problem persists. What people don’t see in the hallways is the mold in the sharks that started growing last year. Mold can trigger an asthma attack.

This is too dangerous for the asthmatic students, not to be dealt with.

“It’s annoying and disgusting,” sophomore Zac Seale said.

Fans and open windows for ventilation, or “gigantic super-duper high-velocity fans” as Novak said he would prefer, Glade TM to replace ventilated smells, and an aware populous are all ways to help the problem. If there isn’t ventilation in the hallways as well as classrooms it becomes a health issue. Lab safety is a condition in the classroom. If the effects of a lab are spreading to the hallways, lab safety must also spread.

“You don’t even want to walk down the hallway ‘cause it smells so bad,” senior Alyssa Haigood said. “You just want to avoid it at all costs.”

These smells affect everyone from students to teachers. “Find a way to get rid of the smell,”freshman Aubrie Barrett said. There is a simple solution, yet it has not yet been solved.

The student body would agree that it is time for some air freshener in the science hallways.

What’s That Smell?by Emma White

Clubs fight to stay alive

Formaldehyde scent lingers in Bio hall

Clubs

Wednesdays at 3PM

Mondays at 7:55AM, Coach Wallerich

See Mr. Shaw

Wednesdays at 7:05AM in Coach Chamberlain’s room

Wednesdays in the library during lunch

Wednesdays at 7:55AM, Coach Wallerich

Thursdays at 3PM

See Mr. Jefferson

See Mr. McNair or Mrs. Chambliss in the AG

building

You must have a family & consumer science class. See

Mrs. Nusser

As he opens the gate, he looks up onto the house ahead of him. The house,

where 30 years ago two brothers battled burglars, appears to be on fire. As the story goes, the house is haunted and the thought of it makes sophomore Mason Bata’s heart pound and palms sweat.

The feeling he gets is all too familiar, but still a feeling that he loves. He pushes the door of the creepy looking building open and steps inside into a whole new thrilling adventure, not caring whether or not it is dangerous.

“I love the adrenaline rush it gives me,” Bata said. “You don’t know what’s going to happen, it makes it really fun.”

Bata has been to multiple haunted locations in Wichita Falls, but Pinky’s Cave is the one he visits most frequently.

“My experience was scary and frightening,” Bata said. “You can’t see anything. There’s a light at the opening, but then you turn a corner and it’s really dark. You find all kinds of weird stuff down there.”

Bata loves all of the feelings he gets when he is visiting the spots.

“It’s fun hearing the stories,” Bata said. “And when you hear them, you want to see if they are true.”

Bata prefers to go with groups of people, for safety reasons.

“I don’t want to get killed by people who could

possibly be at the sites,” Bata said.As someone who doesn’t really believe in ghosts,

the experiences for Bata are more fun than scary.“Witch’s Gate was just creepy,” Bata said. “But

nothing really happened.”There are places Bata won’t return to.“Someone owns the White Sanitarium,” Bata said.

“So I don’t plan on going there.”Bata does see dangers in going to these areas,

though. “[Teenagers] should go because it’s thrilling,” Bata

said. “But they also shouldn’t go because you could get arrested, or harmed.”

In Wichita Falls Police Officer Brad Love’s opinion, the biggest fear kids should have is getting caught on the private property that the buildings are on.

“You get filed for criminal trespassing, which is a class B misdemeanor,” Officer Love said. “Regardless of what you’re doing on the property, if the owner finds you, they will think that you are trying to perform criminal mischief.”

The consequences of getting caught can be severe, no matter what the intentions are.

“You could be arrested,” Officer Love said. “A report could be filed, and a detective will follow up on it later and charges could be filed. If you are inside the building and decide to pick up something to keep as a souvenir, it is considered burglary. In the state of Texas property owners are allowed to protect their property with use of deadly force.”

Officer Love also added that going to the cemetery is a very bad idea, and the city has zero tolerance for those caught there after dark.

“It’s violating the law,” Officer Love said. “It’s one thing to get permission, but another to go to the sites without it.”

Ghostbusters(top left)Mason Bata stands in

the front doorway of Witch’s Gate, (above) Mason Bata at Witch’s Gate. (left) Students

walk through Pinky’s Cave,.(top middle) The White Sanitarium stands abandoned. (top right) Rider students crawl through

Pinky’s Cave. Photos by Erica

Klenk.

by Erica Klenk

Haunted sites in Wichita Falls spark interestWho you gonna call?

check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 2010 9Features

The Rider Chronicle. October 2010check us out at www.theriderchronicle.com10 Sports

NAME: CORTNY PRITTPOSITION:LIBROGRADE:12THSPORT:VOLLEYBALLBEEN PLAYING FOR:6YEARSTHE THING IN HER BAG SHE HAS TO HAVE:A SWEAT TOWELTHING SHE DOES FOR EVERYGAME:WEARS THE SAME SPORTS BRA.

Each game brings about a new set of feelings for Rider’s Varsity Volleyball team. The Rider/Old High match is no different. The girls huddle up and say a prayer to calm the nerves, then the time comes, the time to shine.

“I felt numb because of the adrenaline pumping through my body,” Varsity Volleyball co-Captain Abby Watts said.

It all paid off, the nerves, the exitement, the adrena-line, and the prayer when the Lady Raiders won the

final match of the 5 match game with a score of 15-11.“We have a great team this year,” Varsity Volleyball

co-Captain Cortny Pritt said. “Each position is spot on.”

The team will be playing Old High again Oct. 10 for the Think Pink game, where they will be raising money for Cancer research. Pritt says the game is important because it involes the whole school from t-shirt sales to donations.

“We’re a team in Wichita Falls and we make that kind of a difference,” Pritt said. “It’s a priviledge.”

T-shirt sales start at $10. Donations are also accepted. See Coach Radtke in room 253.

Oh Yeah!Senior Cortny Pritt celebrates with her team after getting another point. The Lady Raiders went on to win the game. against Denton on Sept. 10. Photo by Meghan Myracle.

She Spikes, She Scoresby Belle FryeLady Raiders win against Old High

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Sweat dripping down their foreheads, the heat is almost unbearable as they step onto the field with determination. It is off-season and they are working as hard now as they do in-season. It is almost as if the baseball team doesn’t know it is September and not April.

Every day after school, the baseball team has an optional conditioning, but to an on-looker it would not look optional. Senior Matt Montague said that most everyone on the team shows up after school. “Everyone is ready to get to work, staying three hours after school every day, showing they are dedicated,” Montague said. “Everyone seems so commit-ted.”

These after school practices are all student lead. Junior De-vek Lopez said that the seniors are basically the boss. “They are the leaders on the team, they tell us what to do and they make sure we stay in line,” Lopez said. “They just make sure we are on top.”

Sophomore Payton Geisinger said that the seniors have a lot of responsibilities on the team. “The seniors are in charge of practice,” Geisinger said. “The coaches are not allowed to coach us, and the seniors are the leaders so they might as well be the coaches out there.”

Geisinger also said that everyone looks up to the seniors. “The freshmen, sophomores, and juniors all watch after them,” Geisinger said. “They are kind of like our parents. We watch them, so they have to be responsible and do the right thing so we do the right thing.”

Montague said that his job includes helping the younger classmen and making sure they are doing things right.

Montague also said that being a senior on the team puts a little more pressure on him. “Just knowing that the younger guys are looking up to us,” Montague said. “We have to watch

everything we do.” Senior Gage Green said there is also

extra pressure on him. “You just have to make sure you don’t goof off because the younger classmen are looking up to you,” Green said.

They may be considered leaders on the team, but Montague and Green said that there are students who they look at as inspiring.

“Juan Lopez,” Green said. “He is always hustling with everything he does.”

Montague had a different student in mind.

“Jordy McQuerry is always working hard to improve on everything he does and to impress the older classmen,” Mon-tague said.

After school practice is a time for teammates to be encouraged by other teammates, and for each person to get better. Geisinger said he has seen the improvement.

“I have definitely become a better batter after staying after school,” Geisinger said.

For Geisinger the reason he stays three hours after school is just so that he can get better. “I definitely want to be on the same skill level as everyone else and just be bet-ter by the time season starts,” Geisinger said.

Extra practice time is only part of the reason freshman Parker Short stays after. “I stay in hopes that my extra effort will pay off later in the year and it is good to meet new people for the trips,” Short said.

“Ben Bates because he is my cousin and he is always pushing me.”

Drive, Determination, DisciplineSenior leadership shines during off-season baseball

by Erin Hagy

check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 2010 11Sports

Pitchin’ InSophomore Landon Geisinger practices pitching at voluntary after school conditioning. The after school workouts are led by older players who step up as leaders

- Photo illustration by Erin Hagy

-Sophomore Jordy McQuerry

Who inspires you the most?

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check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 2010

"One Family, One Team," these are the words that signify the post-Ponder era with Coach Garfield to take the reins as Rider's new head football coach and athletic coordinator.

"I was really excited," Coach James Garfield said after being named the head coach. "I love Rider High School and I love the students of Rider," Garfield said. "Wichita Falls is a football town," Garfield said.

Garfield, who has been coaching at Rider for nine year also brings experience from Eastern New Mexico State, Midwestern State University, Socorro High School, and served as the head coach at Corpus Christi Flower Bluff High School.

Becoming the head football coach at Rider, however, came at a personal cost to Coach Garfield.

In order to become the head football coach and Athletic coordinator, Garfield had to give up his special education teaching job, one which is very important to him and made the decision difficult to make.

"The main thing that I struggled with was him leaving the classroom," principal Judy McDonald said. "Fortunately, we found Coach Lane." "Gar is a great mentor to him."

McDonald along with Athletic Director Kenny Catney and Superintendent George Kazanas discussed the duties with Garfield about the requirements and the expectations it takes to be the head football coach.

"He was very well suited for the job," McDonald said. "He was interested in the job from the get go, and he's the biggest Raider fan I've ever met, he's a Raider through and through."

As far as the football aspect goes, Coach Garfield wants to put his signature on the Rider Raider Football program, establish a faster tempo, but also help his players become good role models in the community.

"My philosophies haven't changed," Garfield said.

Garfield still believes that the lessons learned from playing football can not

only benefit a person athletically but also believes the respect of authority learned in football can be used in every aspect of life.

"I still want to be someone that the kids can come to," Garfield said. "My door is always open."

When the players heard the news they knew what to expect.

"Coach Gar is someone that knows the program and what Rider football is all about.

“He's energetic and excited about what's going on," senior wide receiver Graham McGregor said.

Senior offensive line man Daniel Olivo agrees.

"Everyone already knew what Coach Garfield was about," Olivo said.

"It's better having him as a coach instead of having to get use to a new coach."

Senior wide receiver Devon Garvin says Garfield's greatest strength is his ability to bring the team together.

"[He] brings us together as a team, One Family, One Team," Garvin said.

Garfield has succeeded in that aspect as he has the respect of not just the football team but the whole school.

"He's always looking out for the players, making sure they have a future," junior Anna Jackson said. "He helps you regardless if you're on the team."

‘He’s the biggest Raider fan I’ve ever met.’Garfield named new head football coach and Athletic director after 9 years on staffby Byron Dowling

You say!Coach Gar leads the “you say” chant during the first pep rally Friday Sept. 10. Photo by Cici Gossett.

12 Sports

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