Last night, the Dallas Mavericks basketball team was presented with their glorious NBA championship rings. The ceremony commemorated each member of  the Maverick’s team and their  journey through the winning season with a video of the championship trophy, highlights from the finals and playoffs and journey to the White House.

Cuban’s presentation of the rings was delayed because of the NBA lockout, but the ceremony completely captured the essence of the Maverick’s championship win.

Dirk Nowitzki, the 10-time All-Star, was the most celebrated member of the team at the ceremony. Head coach Rick Carlisle even noted that a statue who be made in front of the American Airlines Center for the former NBA MVP.

Nowitzki also presented owner Mark Cuban’s ring which totaled at a value of $40,000.

After the celebration, the team took on the Minnesota Timberwolves with a unfortunate loss of 105-90. Dirk Nowitzki, who is unable to play for the next four games, commentated on the sideline and added in a unique pizzaz to the televised portion of the game.

For more information on the Maverick’s and their 2012 season visit their homepage here.

Last weekend at the Dallas Convention Center, a one of a kind concert was hosted that brought together people, music, and lights. The two day event was a huge success and intrigued people of all ages and places throughout the nation.

The second annual Lights All Night concert showcased over 35 electronic dance music artists within the confines of three different musical halls. The Dance Hall featured artists such as Girl Talk, Benny Benassi, and Tiesto. For bass lovers, the Bass Hall performers such as Flux Pavilion, Diplo and Excision definitely got the crowd going and the music pumping. If neither tastes suited your style, the Groove Hall performers such as Paper Diamond, White Panda and Kill The Noise had a more laid back approach and style.

With all of the big names performing at the venue, crowds reached over 30,000 attendants. Along with recent “rave” deaths at such events like the Electric Daisy Carnival, the convention center set strict and zero tolerance policies towards drugs, violence and anything less than a good time.

Attendants of Lights All Night sported less than ordinary outfits. Banana suits, go-go outfits, bikini’s, elegant dresses and even a polka dot leotard were some of the “out there” attire I witnessed while attending the concert for the two day period. The electric dance music or EDM scene without a doubt characterizes self expression and Lights All Night was no exception.

Be sure to check out this recap of all the action!

Yesterday, the Coppell High School ESS class celebrated their love for astronomy with a party and gathering behind the softball fields.

ESS, which stands for Earth, Space, & Science, is a fourth year science class developed by Ms. Binder that focuses on current events and controversies relating to the planet in which we live.

Students scoped out stars and planets with two telescopes brought by chemistry teacher, Mr. Brimage. The telescopes allowed participants to get a real life view of the universe that they have been studying since the beginning of the year. The weather was chilly and most students sported heavily layered clothing or massive blankets to combat the 40 degree weather. In addition to the festivities, hamburgers and hot dogs were grilled to fill the stomachs of the cold astronomers.

The star party hopes to make another appearance next year for incoming ESS members. If you are interest in joining the ESS club or class for next year, be sure to check out Ms. Binder’s homepage to get some insight on this awesome class!

Seniors Bear Bass, Sarah Arnold, Kristen Dickerson and Kierra Holst could not have asked for a better way to end the regular season of their senior year.  By cruising to a relatively easy victory over Denton Guyer, the volleyball team can now look forward to the playoffs.

The night started off with the team running onto the court to warm up to some pre-game music.  The crowd was active and energetic early.

Game one was close at the beginning.  Junior Erica Bohannon spiked the ball to break a 7-7 tie early on.  This was closely followed by back-to-back spikes by Junior Chiaka Ogbogu to extend the lead to 10-7.  The rest of the first game consisted of a run by the Cowgirls, largely due to dominant run row play.  The first game resulted in a 25-12 victory for Coppell.

The second game of the match consisted of a run by the Cowgirls, led by Ogbogu through a series of powerful blocks up front.  The positive play by the Cowgirls got the crowd fired up.  Subsequently, several fans were scolded by administration for going “too far”.  Nevertheless, the fans continued to cheer on the team.  Freshman Kylie Pickrell came up big in the second game with several great plays, leading to win number two for Coppell.

Seniors got a great deal of playing time in the third game, helping the Cowgirls to a great start.  Coppell jumped out to a quick 9-3 lead.  Junior Megan Kennedy spiked the ball for a 16-8 lead, doubling the Guyer’s score.  From there, the Cowgirls cruised to their third and final win of the night.  Sophomore Kate Dicken and Ogbogu teamed up for a big block late in the game.  The final score was 25-14.

With the regular season in the past, the Cowgirls are not done yet.

“I fully believe that we can win state.  We completely believe in ourselves,” Junior Cassidy Pickrell said.

She is not the only one with this mindset.

“We are going to keep working hard, with the goal of a state championship in mind.  I’m really excited,” Junior Jordan Jones said.

All Coppell volleyball fans share her excitement for what lies ahead.

This summer, Coppell started it’s annual school supplies fundraiser that helps students who need a little extra help with school related items for the 2011-2012 school year.

Coppell’s Frost Bank, fire department, and Rotary Club teamed up to help families struggling during tough economic times by implementing the “Buy One, Give One” program. The program started in August and ended on the first day of school. Many Coppell officials were amazed at the exponential growth from last year in terms of donations. This has been the third year that Coppell has used the program to give back to the community and help our students have a better school year.

Although the program has ended, the effects are still being felt throughout the school district. The donations were not limited to grade so the supplies were spread equally throughout CISD and made a big impact among students in need.

For information, visit the Coppell website at coppelltx.gov or the Coppell Rotary Club.

A surprisingly small, yet supportive, crowd came out to root on the Coppell volleyball team against the Keller Central Chargers Tuesday night.  It was clear from the very start that the Chargers would be no match for the superior Cowgirls.

Game one was kicked off with a run by the Cowgirls right out of the gates, as they jumped out to a 11-4 lead.  Junior Chiaka Ogbogu helped her team out early with contributions around the net.  Coppell’s play was not flawless, however, as poor back row play gave way to a three point run by the Chargers.  A spark such as this one was proof that Coppell was still in no position to lay off the gas pedal.  Sophomore Kate Dicken got the last point of game one for the Cowgirls, resulting in a 25-13 score.

Game two was notable in one respect due to the appearance of Sophomore Alex Silver, recently moved up to varsity.

“I was really happy to play.  It was a great game to play in,” Silver said.

Ogbogu broke an early 3-3 tie early in game two, giving way to a relatively easy win.  A calm crowd was obviously pleased with the effective play of the Coppell team.

Coppell’s play in game three could be best described as “sheer domination”.  Senior Kierra Holst helped her team to a 6-0 start with a series of powerful spikes on the back row.  Holst and Junior Cassidy Pickrell, among others, contributed to what was surely a pleased Coppell coaching staff.  The game was one capped off with more domination by Holst, helping the Cowgirls cruise to a 25-9 final score to wrap up the game and the match.

Junior Jordan Jones had hits of her own during game three.  Jones, near 100% after spending time out due to injury in the past weeks, was happy to impact the game.

“After missing games, I’m really excited to be back and playing.  It’s a great feeling when you can make plays that help out the team.  That was even truer tonight with a great win like this one,” Jones said.

The Cowgirl volleyball team hosted the Keller Indians on Tuesday night just after 6:30.  The Cowgirls, from the start, were ready to play.  In a game that was less heavily attended than some previous home games, the home team jumped on the Indians early, maintaining three or four point lead throughout the first game of the match.

“One reason we played so smoothly tonight was that we played together from the start.  We got on a pretty good role early,” Junior Jordan Jones said.

With a lead that was eventually extended to a 22-13 lead, the Cowgirls rolled on to a victory of the first of what would eventually be three games.

Game two began with Keller jumping out to an early lead, largely due to fantastic blocking at the net by their front row players.  Coppell, not willing to lose all momentum, fought back to tie the game at nine.  The game ended up being a relatively close one, with a score remaining within one or two points.  Amidst the close game, the atmosphere at the game seemed more calm then some past games.  Perhaps this was a cause of the steady play by the Cowgirls.

“We did a great job tonight of focusing on each play and playing as a team.  We will need to keep it up in order to continue to be successful,” Junior Chiaka Ogbogu said.

The third and final game of the match was dominated by Coppell’s front row.  This, combined with improved back row play, resulted in an easy victory.  Erica Bohannon and Kierra Holst blocked and spiked the Cowgirls to a 25-15 victory.