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By Daniel Erakovich In sports, a season can change directions in the blink of an eye. Just because it starts off great does not mean that it will end that way. This is especially true for junior shortstop and pitcher James Batton. Anyone who knows him can tell you that baseball is his life. He eats, sleeps, and breathes baseball year round. But, on one unfortunate af-ternoon during a tournament, Bat-ton was hit in the back by a ball, rupturing his spleen. He was taken to the hospital and sidelined for the rest of the season. “I was disappointed, but the doctor said it should have busted, so I’m glad to be alive,” said Batton. “Baseball is my life, but I’ve never been hurt during a season.” Head baseball coach Paul Bruder said his team took a major hit when Batton got hurt. “High school baseball is big

on pitching, and when one of your two pitchers goes down, it’s definite-ly going to hurt the team,” he said. While he may not be playing this year, Batton still shows his sup-port for his fellow teammates. Every game, no matter where it’s played, he is in the stands, cheering his team on to victory. “I can’t even work out with the team,” Batton said. “I feel like a glorified cheerleader. It sucks when you’re the guy on the bench just cheering. I love winning more than breathing. But I love playing more than winning.” “You can tell by him sitting out there that he really wants to play,” said Bruder. Batton might not be on the field, but the team still has ball to play. With one of the best play-ers out for the year, it looked like it would be a losing year for the team. However, the team is still in the thick of the playoff race.

With only three games to go, the Cougars are in a tie for fourth place in the district. If they win two of the remaining games, they will move on to the playoffs. From a team that lost every game after February last season to a team in contention this season, something has changed for the bet-ter. “We can accomplish any-thing we put our minds to,” Batton said. “We’re seriously our biggest enemy. Don’t get me wrong, I love that we’re winning. We’ve won more games than last year, and I’ll take that any day of the week.” While this may not have been how he intended this year to go, Bat-ton’s hasn’t let this injury stop him from attaining his future goals. “I’m still hoping to go to col-lege for baseball and major in ki-nesiology and then go to a physical therapy school after that,” Batton said.

Junior James Batton Benched from Baseball After Spleen Injury

By Taylor Woods

To support the Leukemia and Lymphomia Society and the March of Dimes, Student Council and the Latin club will again host a 5k walk at Veterans Park. The annual “Walk It Out” event will take place at 7:30 am tomorrow. The entry fee will be $10 payable at the event. “Students are motivated to participate by knowing that 100% of the proceeds go to charity organizations,” Mrs. Blake, StuCo sponsor, said. “Proceeds will be given when a person registers, whether he or she shows up for the walk or not.” She adds that pre-registration was inexpensive at $5, less than the previous year’s cost of $10. Additionally, the first 100 people to register will be given a sport water bottle. “And, of course, it’s fun to spend time outside with friends,” she said. “People don’t have to run. Just walk!” To register for the walk go to the Seguin website and there’s a link to the Walk It Out page where anyone is interested in signing up. “We earned nearly $1,000 dollars last year,” Mrs. Blake said. “We were able to give a little over $400 to each of the organizations we wanted to donate to: the March of Dimes

and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.” For Stephanie Alvarez, junior, who says she plans to attend tomorrow’s event, the fundraiser will benefit a personal cause. “I want to attend this event because my friend Lynn is back in the hospital for Leukemia and my grandma also has cancer,” Stephanie said. “I want to do this for them. Plus it’s a small price to pay for something so big and meaningful.” Those like Kian Maharaj, junior, who have volunteered to work the event said that they feel happy to help such worthy causes. “I’m working it for NHS,” Kian said. “It helps support people in need. I’ll be giving out water to the people walking in the 5k, showing my thanks to them for attending the event.” Student Council has high expectations for this year and they want to earn at least as much money this year as they did last year. “We would like to earn about what we earned last year if not more,” Mrs. Blake said. “We had around 80 people run last year. We are hoping to have at least 100 people run in the event this year.”

Annual StuCo Fundraiserat Veteran’s Park Tomorrow

NEW! This issue you’ll see QR codes

in the newspaper. Use your smart phone

to scan these codes for more information

on the story or advertisement.

**Hint: You’ll need an app to scan QR codes. Try

ShopSavvy! It’s free.

High cost of graduating got you down? You’re not alone. Check out pages 4 & 5

UIL Academic teams compete in Regionals at Abilene today and tomorrow.

Unsure what you can do to for Earth Day? We’ve got a suggestion. Page 6

More ‘That’s What They Said... Reviews by you!’ Page 8.

2 { News } 04-20-2012

Power To The Powderless By Holly McCleary

To prove that girls do not need makeup to feel confident, females of Seguin agreed to go without makeup to school the week of May 14, from Monday to Friday.

Campaigning to recruit this plan will begin April 28.

“Girls should never rely on makeup or other people’s opinions to feel secure or attractive,” Senior Emily Lewis said. “Natural beauty comes from how one feels about herself.”

Lewis said that natural beauty is a confidence derived from a strong sense of self.

Although Lewis wears makeup, she said she uses it as a small boost.

“Days when I don’t feel great about myself, I put on a little extra blush,” Lewis said. “Good makeup can boost confidence and make you feel more ‘put together’.”

Emily Lewis said that makeup should be a flourish of fun, which should match people’s personalities.

“Makeup is a tool to communicate how you feel about yourself,” Lewis said. “It should never be taken too seriously.”

Senior Ashton Lacy said that inner beauty means having a good personality and how you perceive yourself.

“When you act according to your own ideals, and how you want people to act, then that’s a form of inner beauty,” Lacy said.

Lacy said that she wears makeup to give herself confidence.

“When I was little, I would not wear makeup,” Lacy said. “I was tom-boyish, so when all the boys I liked started liking other girls, I decided I would try and look pretty.”

Lacy said that things are different now. She doesn’t wear makeup to impress people, but said she wears it for her own satisfaction.

Ashton said that she would take the challenge of going to school for a week to signify that inner beauty is as important as outer beauty.

“I feel like I’m not 100 percent unless I have my face on,” Lacy said. “It’s going to be hard. I hope I don’t slip up.”

Junior Victoria Havey agreed with Lacy and Lewis to go without makeup for a week.

“Girls are so concerned with looking “pretty” with makeup, but being confident with no makeup is beautiful,” Havey said.

Havey said that natural beauty is something you should be proud of and shouldn’t be judged for.

“I use makeup, but I like to emphasize my natural beauty,” Havey said. “I don’t overwhelm my face, though.”

Senior Sarah Vickery said that inner beauty is who you are underneath all the layers you hide behind.

“I wear makeup,” Vickery said. “I don’t want to look dead.”

Vickery said that makeup is a way to enhance your features, but it isn’t needed.

“I could honestly go without makeup forever if I had to,” Vickery said.

Not only do females agree with this plan of wearing no makeup, but so do the guys.

Junior Brian Rodriguez said that makeup doesn’t affect how he looks at a girl.

“I would support girls going without makeup for a week, only for the fact that I would like to see how girls would feel attempting not to use any,” Rodriguez said. “It would help them see if they feel comfortable or not using makeup.”

Rodriguez said that he believes girls are beautiful with or without makeup.

“Girls should never feel like they need makeup to look good,” Brian Rodriguez said. “It won’t hurt to wear any, but the makeup a girl wears does not determine her beauty.”

Seniors Daryus Blackburn and Miro Hernandez agree with Rodriguez.

“I prefer when girls are without or with minimal makeup,” Blackburn said. “If girls choose to, I support their decision to not wear makeup for a week.”

Hernandez said that he is neutral on the decision to go without makeup the week before prom.

“Girls should embrace their face,” Hernandez said.

Girls Make Pact To Go Makeupless To School Senior Prom Week

Calendar EventsApril 20th

Report card distributionUIL Academics Regionals

April 21stRummage Sale @ 7 am

April 24th - 27thTAKS testing

10th & 11th gradersAlternating days

**Second bus pick up at 11 am

May 1stTheatre Coffee Haus

@ 7 pm

May 3rdOrchestra Spring Concert

@ 7 pm

May 4thNo School

May 7th - 18thSTAAR testing

May 11th - 12thStarline’s Spring Show

@ 7 pm

May 19th - 20thProm & After Prom

May 28th No School

May 30th - 31stFinal Exams /

Last days of school

UIL achievers go to RegionalsBy Holly McCleary

UIL Academics students who placed at the top of Districts at the March 21-22 meet will pack their bags and fill the white AISD suburbans April 20. The group of 12 students and 5 sponsors will stay at a hotel in Abilene for the two-day competition. “Regionals is very hectic,” UIL Coordinator [Chamille] Holbrook said. “Everybody is there. All the students at the top will be there. Everyone from the entire region will compete.” Holbrook said that she is hopeful that the UIL Academics team will advance past Regionals and move on to State in May. “I’m very optimistic about Regionals,” Holbrook said. “The students are super ambitious, and have a lot of talent.” Holbrook said that Seguin students will give other schools a run for their money. Mrs. Holbrook said that the UIL Academics team’s goal is to make every year better than the year before. “This year we have the most students going in four years,” Holbrook said. Computer Science Coach Mr. Stephen Fornal said that he and his team are prepared to do their best at Regionals. “I have looked at the scores of the other District winners, and our ability level is in line with those of the other top teams,” Fornal said. “I think we have a solid shot at placing in the Regional meet.” Fornal said that the team will

definitely make the top three. “I hope that we can secure the top spot as a team and advance to the State meet,” Fornal said. “I feel certain that at least one member of the team will advance to State individually this year.” The Computer Science team practices at least once a week after school on Tuesdays. “The students lead the practice,” Fornal said. “I am available for clarification and help, but I try to get them to lead the process as much as possible.” Fornal said that the absolute quickest way to learn a topic is teaching it to other people. Although Fornal said that he feels confident about the turnout, he said that the team is a little worried. “All the teams that usually give us a run for our money will be present at the Regional meet this year,” Fornal said. “Aledo and Mansfield in particular.” The scores of the other District winners were close to the team’s usual scores this year at Regionals, said Fornal. “I predict a touch fight at the Regional meet,” Fornal said. Senior Quinton Boudwin said that he is excited to go to Abilene for Regionals. “I’ve never been this far before [in UIL journalism], so it’s all a learning experience,” Boudwin said. “This is my first time that I made it to Regionals, so I must be doing something right.” Boudwin said that he has to put in all the time for practice he can get with his busy schedule. “I make sure that I pay attention to headlines everywhere because that is my category,” Boudwin said. “I practice

a few times a week by just going through the newspaper and observing the titles.” Although Boudwin prepares for Regionals, he said that he is still nervous about the outcome. Boudwin said that advancing to Regionals helped him get into the Quill and Scroll Honors Society, and also helped him focus on his writing. Like Quinton Boudwin, Senior Christopher Huff said that he is very excited about going to Regionals for UIL Science. “This is the very first time I had ever made it past the District level of competition,” Huff said. “I have worked extremely hard throughout my high school career.” Huff joined UIL Science his sophomore year, and ever since he said that he’s been working harder with each and every passing year. “I practice just about every day,” Huff said. “I practice by taking past UIL Science tests and researching up all the stuff I don’t know how to do. No matter what, I will find the answer to a question, even if it takes me half an hour or longer.” Huff said that on some days he spends well over three hours just practicing. “This is my very first and only opportunity to make it to the State Championship for UIL Science, and I am up against some very tough competition,” Huff said. Huff said that he really wants to make it to state since it is his final year in high school, but only time will tell. “Theoretically, hard work pays off, and I hope that means an opportunity to compete at state,” Huff said.

By Delbreisha Paige A huge campus filled to the brim with hidden talent walking the hallways. Stu-dents with secret abilities are just like every-one else: no one can tell how gifted they are just by looking at them. Just by seeing junior Ryan James Huck’s long sleeved black V-neck and head-hugging ski caps, students would never guess just how clever he is with words: After this, my hits ain’t so consistent / what is will when your body shows your brain resistance / I don’t want words to give me any distance / I want God to give me sin-sense and my endless anger finished (Huck). Nobody would deny that these could be lyrics from famous rappers, but this run of lines belongs to one of many creative

verses that Huck scratches down on his note-pad every day during classes. Huck doesn’t always work solo, though. He and his “ally-on-the-mic and homie-for-life” is G-Code, otherwise known as junior Taylor Poole. Together, Ryan and Taylor compose unique beats and meaningful lyrics. Cause I’m a rise / I’m a shine till the day I die / keeping it 100 percent truthful / never lie, made a lot of decisions / but time to change my life / and now the tables have turned / I’ve learned from wrong to right (Poole). Both dabble in the artistic expres-sion of rapping, and dance around with the idea of having everyone listen to them. It’s clear that the duo have two different, unique styles of rapping that show different visions of their future in the hip-hop entertainment industry. “When I think about the future, I see myself on stage in front of thousands of people doing my thing for my town, my fam-ily, my fans, and myself,” Huck said. Huck sees his rapping as a promis-ing career path for him. In fact, he’s already begun picturing his life as a professional. It was in third grade when RJ Huck said he became aware of the rap industry, and noticed that the color of your skin does not segregate your voice from the world. “My friend Hayden Craig showed me the album ‘Encore’ by Eminem, and it blew me away that a white person rapped,” Huck said. “My mom showed me rock, and I thought that was only for white people. But in the rap industry and life, race doesn’t mat-ter. Period.” Whereas Poole says he got into rap-ping because he was bored in ninth grade, Huck says he got into rapping to express his emotions. He said he believes that rap isn’t just words on a piece of paper. He said it’s a way to express deep emotions for an audience that will not just hear, but listen to the story he tells through rhythms. “I try to reach out to kids who need

something to listen to when they’re affected by their emotions or need inspiration,” Huck said. While most teenagers use Face-book and Tumblr to escape their troubles in life, Ryan and Taylor let their thoughts and relieve stresses out by making music with friends. “Music is a like a private island where it’s just me and nothing can bother me,” Ryan said. “It’s a place where I belong.” Rap has evolved so much through-out the decades by manifesting itself into new genres that it is now breaking all the rules of hip-hop. Rappers now work with or-chestra strings and guitar ballets to challenge what listeners believe this genre to be. “[Rapping] is so complex,” Huck said. “All the time, someone is always coming up with something new. So, I don’t just listen to an artist, I study their styles and musical backgrounds.” To bring their music to life, Huck and Poole created a YouTube channel Feb-ruary 25, 2011 and filmed themselves with a camera. Huck said that his perfect skill is that he will never lose patience with music. Today, Ryan Huck is an artist, tell-ing the world that he can make a difference. He said that he learned who he was at the mall one day. “Someone was rapping, and I jumped in on it,” Huck said. “He asked me who I was, and I told him RJ Huck. He said that’s not what he meant. For the longest time I wanted to know who I was, so I came up with a way to find out who I am.” Huck said that people have to think about what makes them listen to music. “I listen to music because I like to hear stories and different rhymes and flows,” Ryan Huck said. “So I am the artist that shares those.” To show support, students can look up their personal YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/Theofficialrjhuck. Students can find Huck on Facebook under the name R.J. Huck.

Juniors Ryan Huck and Taylor Poole may seem like an unlikely pair of rappers, but the duo devote a lot of time and energy to writing hip-hop lyrics. Photo by Precious Pickett

3 { Features } 04-20-2012

QuickHitsApril 21st

Walk It Out 5K atVeteran’s Park @ 7:30 am

April 28th - 29thGirls Regional Track Meet

April 30thGirls Basketball BanquetBoys Basketball Banquet

April 28th - 29thGirls Regional Track Meet

May 3rdCluster Track Meet

May 15thPowder Puff

at Ousely Field @ 7 pm

Underground Artists:Ryan (RJ) huck & taylor (g-code) Poole

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Mr. Richard Dickerson leads The Bad Apple band, an all teacher group including Mr. David Crocker, at the annual talent show April 10. Audience members voted for The Bad Apples to win.

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When her name was drawn from A Honor Roll students, Danielle Johnson received a certificate and a $50 gift card to Wal-Mart, both of which were given to her March 22.

By Leslie Sandigo

Tyren (TJ) Irving , Marquel Hawkins, and Marquis Winfrey met as freshman two years ago in football. Now, they spend more time practicing music than they do football. They now have formed a group called NMC, which stands for No Mercy Clique. Marquis helps produce the beats to the raps Marquel and TJ write. Sometimes it takes a while to actually get a full song out. “Sometimes we get side-tracked,” TJ said. “But we usually just sit there and listen to the beat. Then we start writing.” The guys’ songs are online at reverbna-tion.com. Reverbnation is an online site where musicians post their music and ad-vertise their act. They are currently ranked 67 on reverbnation under Arlington’s rap artists. NMC is also on reverbnation, twitter, and facebook. “We need a manager,” Marquis said. “Getting a manager is important because we want to broadcast ourselves.” Marquis said that he could manage them himself, but having someone manage them is just an essential part of promoting their name. Originally, the guys planned to record at Marquis’ home but that plan changed be-cause Marquis said he gets grounded a lot, so now they record at TJ’s. “So far we have eight songs for the al-

bum,” Marquis said. “We’re looking to put more songs on the album in a week or two.” TJ said their songs are about overcoming challenges. He also said the trio is trying to bring back Texas style rap music. “Over the years that kind of music has disappeared,” he said. Seven years ago, when he was just an el-ementary school student, TJ started writing music. He said he had a good feeling when

writing music and that writing music is what he wants to do as a career. Marquel said that he also knew that he wanted to become a rapper or songwriter when he was young. “I knew I wanted to be a producer when I was around seven,” Marquis said. Unlike TJ and Marquel, Marquis said he sees producing as a hobby, not as a future ca-reer.

“I don’t want to get upset at someone for saying something negative about my music,” he said. For now, the guys said they enjoy record-ing and writing their music. “To hear everything coming together is the best thing,” TJ said.

Underground Artists:Tyren (TJ) Irving, Marquel Hawkins & Marquis Winfrey

{ CeNterspread } 04-20-2012

Senior Costs: How Much Is Too Much?

Numbers crunched all over the place. at bottom, there is a line and then a total.

$45 parking tag

$50 -75 yearbook

$50 basic school supplies

$100- 200 dual credit

$55 prom ticket

$125- 500 class ring

$50- 150 cap and gown

$20- 50 graduation invitations

$100- 350 senior pictures

$100- 500 dress/tux

$6 graduation tickets____________________________________________________________________________________________

approx. $700-1900

Seniors Price to PayBy Holly McCleary

With the school year wrap-ping up and the last of the senior students’ cash being pulled out of their pocket, more exciting events are approaching. Prom is May 19, and then there’s graduation, which is on June 2.

The money the students pay for everything is beginning to come into play for seniors as they get ready for the final month and a half of school to finish.

Senior Morgan Bullard said that although senior costs can get to be really high, especially for someone without a job, it is worth it in the long run.

“[Seniors] can always look back at memories in the end,” Bullard said. “I splurged the most on Col-orado with the choir, and it was worth the cost. It was a mini-vaca-tion.”

Because Bullard is without a job, she depends on her family to pay for her bills.

“By not having a job and not having a dependable money flow to help pay for the costs that you need, it affects you,” Bullard said. “It puts a burden on your parents to pay.”

Unlike Bullard, Senior Hunter Price has a job to pay for his senior bills, but said that it doesn’t help that everything is so expensive.

“The costs make it harder to pay bills,” Price said. “With a minimum wage job, the phone bill, and car insurance, it’s hard to pay for even minor things.”

Price said that this month alone, he’s had to pay for Physics Day, which is $33, a tux, which is $100, and a limo.

“I have to watch what I buy in order to afford stuff,” Price said. “I have probably $20 left over after every paycheck after paying for all my bills.”

Price said that the prices are worth it when he graduates, though.

“You have a good time, and prom is something you’re going to remember for the rest of your life,” Price said. “But it’s hard work.”

Physics teacher Mr. Richard Dickerson works with seniors, and said that with the year coming to a close, it is getting harder and hard-

er to catch his students’ attention. “Their motivation level is the

hardest thing about working with seniors,” Dickerson said. “ ‘Seniori-tis’ in quotes. They get caught up in prom.”

Dickerson said that it’s not terri-bly hard to work with them, and he knows whom he has to work with to get through it all.

“Some students have senioritis and get through it,” Dickerson said. “Some don’t.”

As a teacher, Dickerson said that seniors do get stressed over senior payments, especially parents.

“If you add stuff correctly,” Dick-erson said. “Prom, cap and gown, and everything else, it gets stressful for parents because they pay. When parents don’t really have the mon-ey, students get stressed.”

Dickerson said that it’s harder for females, what with having to pay for their hair, makeup, nails, and dress.

“Females spend about 100 to 200 dollars on prom easily,” Dick-erson said. “Guys have it easy. So-ciety always picks on women. It’s expensive.”

According to Mr. Dickerson, the highest amount he believes to pay is $500.

“For graduation, $500,” Dick-erson said. “Honestly, $500 is too much. Then again, you have to in-clude everything else. Prom, and then other things like parking stickers. It’s a lot of money.”

When Mr. Dickerson was in school, he said that things were easier to pay for.

“We didn’t have to buy all these packages,” Dickerson said. “We had to but sweatshirts and cap and gown. It wasn’t as commercialized then.”

Dickerson said that when he was a senior, students were expected to graduate.

“It was like we graduated and then said ‘Alright, now college’,” Dickerson said. “It was all a big deal still, but parents didn’t have to spend nearly as much.”

Dickerson said that with today’s costs, seniors are getting ripped off.

“The business makes a lot of money from this all,” Dickerson

{ CeNterspread } 04-20-2012

Senior Costs: How Much Is Too Much?said. “And they take advantage of it.”

Environmental Science and Earth and Space teacher Mrs. Don-na Marshal-Knowles [<SPELL-ING] agreed with Dickerson when it comes to the added cost of senior prices.

“You can’t walk into senior year blind,” Knowles said. “I don’t know how much I paid now for Lilah last year. I didn’t buy everything.”

Knowles said that all venders that work with the school over-price everything, and not only with senior items, but with school sup-plies as well.

“Back then, with your senior ring you had two choices, gold versus stone,” Knowles said. “Now every design in the world is made available.”

Knowles said that there are so many extra little things that are made available to seniors for their year.

“It’s a money-making deal,” Knowles said. “Everything adds up, and that’s not getting into prom. I’m glad I didn’t have two [children] in a row.”

Knowles said that if students and parents don’t plan ahead, the costs will break them, calling it a bank buster.

“The prices are astronomical,” Knowles said. “It’s crazy. You have to pick and choose, and it’s diffi-cult.”

Knowles said that with her daughter Lilah, she had to walk through what they could get and prioritize.

“It’s all memorable versus blow-ing money,” Knowles said. “Now they have so much parapherna-lia to choose from, and the cost equates out. It’s all peripheral para-phernalia.”

Knowles said that the cost is worth it, so long as you make wise choices.

“You have to be smart, and pick and choose,” Knowles said. “That makes the costs worth the loss of cash. If you buy all the things that businesses have to offer, then it wouldn’t make a smart decision.”

Knowles said that businesses try to please as many as

possible.“If you plan two years ahead and

have a cost plan, everything would run smoothly,” Knowles said.

Attendance Clerk and Adminis-trative Assistant for Dr. Evans Ms. Amy Quimby helps to prepare for upcoming senior class events, in-cluding prom, graduation, senior meetings, and visits from Jostens.

“I understand that the senior year is critical for, not only the stu-dent, but the entire family,” Quimby said. “The administration has tak-en additional measures to ensure that students, as well as parents, are aware of upcoming events.”

These measures include mass communications via telephone, written correspondence, and meet-ings.

“Both parents and students are a top priority,” Quimby said. “When parents are upset, I listen. If I’m un-able to answer questions or address concerns, I find the individual or group that is capable of assisting the parent.”

With the high costs that seniors have to pay, Quimby said that stu-dents should browse local resale shops for prom dresses and consid-er organizing a clothing exchange day with friends for the beginning of their school year.

Quimby said that before gradu-ation, seniors need to make certain all textbooks and school property are returned on time.

As a parents of a graduating se-nior, Quimby said that although her daughter’s senior year has been costly, I have discovered that many other schools across the country charge for ‘senior dues’.

She said that Rockville’s Richard Montgomery High School, located in Maryland, charges each senior an additional $75 in order to be a part of the graduation ceremony.

“I am finding the various costs to be a little over-whelming at times, but well worth the money,” Quimby said.

Staff

Ms. Erin AdwellAdviser

Mr. Michael HillPrincipal

Holly McClearyEditor-In-Chief

Leslie SandigoReporter

Harry NguyenReporter

Delbreisha PaigeReporter

Jordan BergReporter

Lauren HamptonReporter

Daniel ErakovichReporter

‘The Cougar Times’ is the student produced newspaper for Seguin High School students, faculty and the com-munity. The primary purpose of the paper is educational, but it also serves to inform and entertain readers. The student newspaper acts as a forum for student expression and the discussion of issues concerning its audience. Newspaper content is determined by the staff. Editorials reflect the opin-ion of the board. Columns and com-mentaries reflect the writers’ views and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the newspaper staff or school administration. The Cougar Times reserves the right to accept or reject ‘Letters to the Editor’ and to edit for length, style, punctuation, and readability, but not content. ‘Letters to the Editor’ must be signed to be considered for publi-cation. The staff adviser can be reached by email at eadwell@aisd.net or send snail mail to Seguin High c/o Erin Adwell, 7001 Silo Rd., Arlington, TX 76002.

1. Pick your date.One of the first things to consider is who to go with. Going on a

date is special, and it is also important to plan everything together.2. Decide where to meet and notify everyoneAs a group, everyone needs to be in agreement. For example, some people I’ve talked to don’t know where they are going to meet up before prom. That’s something that needs to be worked out in advance so no one is confused the day of prom.3. Arrange for transportationAs a group, everyone needs to be in agreement. It would also be best to get a ride together. As a group each person is able to pitch in money to rent a limo as a group. The ride is essential. Plan for the limo to pick you up at your meeting place and make sure to rent a limo at least five weeks before prom.4. Plan your attire.Guys need to match their dates. Girls need to buy their dress first. Guys need to rent their tuxedos at least a month before prom, as well. It is bet-ter to plan ahead of time rather than not having a tux. Appointments for girls should be made two weeks earlier. Hair, nail, tanning salons will be filled with customers the day of prom. However, if girls do not want to spend so much they can have a girl’s night and do most of those things together5. Make your after-prom plans.Going as a group after prom can have benefits. A restaurant may be will-ing to give a discount if a big group goes. It is crucial to ask about this as there is no guarantee every restaurant will do this. After-prom is a must. Who wouldn’t want to stay out late at night? Friends can organize an af-ter prom party or simply go to the Midnight Madness after-prom hosted right on campus!

Prom requires a lot of planning and it will take time to plan the perfect night. Put some thought into it and it will surely be a night to remember.

Essential Stepsto Ensure Your Prom Night Rocks

By L

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6 { OpiNiONs } 04-20-2012

By Shantal RiveraThe United States is consistently ranked

second according to the greatest pollution out-put by country and ranked first most polluting country per person. What does that mean? It means you and I are the people most respon-sible for deteriorating the quality of the earth. Each year the average American (that means you and I) produces over 3,285 pounds of haz-ardous waste.

One simple way we could decrease the amount we pollute would be to harness solar power and other renewable energy sources and incorporate those changes into our everyday life. A good starting place might be our cell phones.

The Environmental Club’s sponsor Mrs. Donna Marshall-Knowles discovered that Ja-pan has used solar-powered, water-proof cell phones for the last 3 years, but the Sharp phone still hasn’t hit the U.S. The phone was released June 2009 in Japan and later that year, it arrived in the U.K. As early as 2009, Samsung was work-ing on a solar powered cell phone called “Blue Earth,” but it has yet to be offered to Americans. The energy conscious American will appreciate the opportunity to purchase this phone.

Samsung’s “Blue Earth,” is made from PCM, a recycled plastic made from water bot-tles. Whereas a regular cell phone may be made out of metals such as arsenic, nickel, copper, and lead, which are easily wasted, especially with new technology coming out regularly. Americans dispose of millions of “old” phones that most often end up in landfills and polluting the environment.

The battery is the most hazardous part of the cell phone. Cell phone batteries are made out of nickel and cadmium. Because cadmium is a human carcinogen, it may cause lung and liver damage. With the solar panel there is less use of the battery, and as technology evolves, maybe there will be no need for the cell phone to have a battery at all. Also, the less you plug your phone in to charge, the less electricity you are using, which you’ll find adds up when that electricity bill comes around for your parents. Plus, lots of electric companies use non-renewable sources to generate power. By using less electricity to charge your phone, you decrease the pollution made by power companies, too. And for those people who want to decrease their carbon foot-prints even more, the phone allows you to track CO2 emissions you’ve saved by walking instead of driving with a built-in pedometer.

The phone, with everything else in the world, will bring up skepticism. Many will be against it because, for one, people may say that they always have their phone in their pocket, so what would be the point if it’s never out? Or that it charges too slowly when they could easily pop it in the wall. They are right: it will take a bit longer to charge. For 10 minutes of charg-ing, the “Blue Earth” will only give you about 3 minutes of talk time and two hours of standby power. But we have to compromise somewhere to decrease our pollution. The point is, we are getting closer to making the earth cleaner and healthier for the next generation to live in. And isn’t that worth a little extra time?

To help bring these phones into the Amer-ican market, please contact your cell phone pro-vider by phone, email or snail mail. Consider it our Earth Day challenge to you.

Earth Day requestfor solar cell

Mysterious illness infects, affects graduating classBy Jordan Berg

Every year, hundreds of stu-dents are infected with a serious illness with no easy treatment. The illness comes and goes and will attack even the smartest of students. Their grades drop, but their gamerscore on Xbox Live dramatically increases. Before they know it, those infected have to repeat their senior year. This illness is known as the one and only, senioritis. Though not strictly limited to seniors, it most commonly affects the graduating class. The symptoms in-clude: lack of motivation, procrastina-tion, and constipation… well, maybe not that last one. Unfortunately, I had problems writing this story because I have had this disease since kindergar-ten and couldn’t be motivated to finish coloring the whole page.

For example, a project is due first thing in the morning but staring at the wall becomes more interesting. My eyes come back into focus, and I look at the clock to realize an hour has gone by. That’s when I know I’d rather be playing on the highway than doing any schoolwork. With senioritis, it’s easy to lose track of time and reality. With the deadline around the corner, seniors do what they know best. The best course of action is to rush and get the work done and hope for at least a 70. All of the hurried work makes grades drop, dropped grades lead to failure, and failure leads to completely giving up which is the fundamental symptom of senioritis. Unfortunately, there is no cure for senioritis at the moment, but teachers are working on an antidote. We can only hope they de-velop one in time!

7 { OpiNiONs } 04-20-2012

A. High-Low Dress Colors: Sapphire

Price: $74.95 Description: One shoulder chiffon

dress with high low hem style

B. Short DressColors: Pink

Price: $119.00Description: A sequin strapless glitter

pickup dress style

C. Ball GownColors: Pink Price: $259.00

Description: Strapless beaded ball gown style

B CHottest Prom Styles of 2012

“I helped bring 1D to US”

By Leslie Sandigo

It’s March 24, and I’m in Frisco, Texas.Thousands of teenage girls are lined up

outside the Dr.Pepper Ballpark. Many girls had spent the night in the parking lot to try to be the first in line. Every person in line was excited to even steal a glance at the hot, British boy band, One Direction.

The band held an online contest to see which city would host the “Bring 1D to US” event. Dallas, Texas won the contest and was awarded the grand prize event: a Q&A, four-song performance, and free giveaways.

I was in line for seven hours in the hot burning sun. Around noon, One Direction came out for a sound check, and I could hear screaming everywhere. Girls were crying and taking pictures. People were pressed against the gates just to get a peek at the boys. Mostly everyone was sing-ing along but others, like myself, were just anticipating being let in the stadium. Once the clock hit 1 p.m. everyone began to enter twenty at a time. We were greeted and given limited edition lanyards and pins. I franti-cally picked the pins I wanted and hurried to get a seat. People were seated according to wristbands or tickets. Girls were holding up posters and dancing along to the CD playing in the background. News stations were recording the experience. I felt proud for participating in the contest that brought One Direction to Dallas.

When the moment finally came every person was standing up and screaming. The boys came out and once they got a hold of the microphone every one started swoon-ing over their British accents. Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, and Niall Horan were asked questions about their experience in Texas, the United States, and about their inside jokes. Then it was the moment I had personally been waiting for. The five boys sang “What Makes You Beautiful”, “One Thing”, “More Than This”, and “Up All Night”. It may not seem like a lot of music for the wait, but originally they were supposed to sing one song. When their performance was over, two thousand lucky people who had wristbands got to go to a signing, but I wasn’t one of them. And I’m very angry about that. I stood in line for ten hours to see if I was able to get a wristband. Sadly, the event was poorly organized and when I was stuck with the mob the police came to kick everyone out. By the time I got out the line was already formed and people coming in late got to form the line. I knew I wasn’t one of the lucky thousand but I still stood in line. Even though I didn’t get to meet them I received a special poster with a sticker that said: “I brought 1D to Dallas.”

It was honestly one of the best days. All the waiting I had to do was all worth it. The boys are coming back in the summer and are having a full on concert. However, tickets were sold out within the hour.

Image courtesy of http://www.onedirectionmusic.com.

By Delbreisha Paige

8 { eNteraiNmeNt } 04-20-2012

What Delbreisha’s Listening To

Some Nights by Fun.

Staff Reporter Delbreisha Paige put together a list of songs from artists she likes and found songs that are similar to those listed.

If you like this song, you may also like:

If you like this song, you may also like:

Bezzin the trap

What Makes You Beautiful

That’s What They Said...Reviews by you!

“‘The Wayans Brothers’ is a really funny show, and it always keeps me laughing. The character Marlon is always doing something stupid and it’s fun to watch.”

--Antoine Clark, sophomore

“‘The Hunger Games’ was very inter-esting and detailed. It was an elaborate film with a lot of color. I give it five stars out of five and recommend it to everyone who hasn’t seen it!”

--Habbon Dirir, junior

“‘Mythbusters’ is always exciting to watch because there is always new sci-ence to prove.”

--Orion Koepke, sophomore

“A romantic classic that I enjoy is ‘Beauty and the Beast in 3D.’ It’s great for all ages and shows there can be love between a beauty and a beast.”

--Nguyen Tran, sophomore

You’ll tumble head over heals following the Cougar Times

on it’s new Tumblr! You can’t afford not to follow us and get the latest scoop about all that goes on around Seguin. And the best part is its all for FREE. Just go to Seguincougartimes.tumblr.com and follow us.

What!?!?! You didn’t buy a yearbook?!?!?It’s okay.There’s still time to buy your totally awesome yearbook for just $65, payable to ‘SHS Yearbook’ in room C203.But you better act fast!When yearbooks arrive there may not be any left!You don’t want to miss out on getting your yearbook!

If you have any questions or concerns see Mrs. Adwell in room C203.

If you have any questions or concerns see Mrs. Adwell in room C203.

We Are Young All Alright

Up A

ll Night by O

ne Direction

One Thing

Pink Friday Roman Reloaded by Nicki MinajIf you like this song, you may also like:

ChampionStarship

Moments

Carry On