Every two years, the University Interscholastic League (UIL) realigns the state’s athletic districts. This morning, Coppell was placed in District 5-5A with some familiar foes.

Distrct 5-5A
Coppell
Denton Ryan
Lewisville
Lewisville Flower Mound
Lewisville Hebron
Lewisville Marcus

Coppell is currently in District 7-5A with Southlake Carroll, Keller, Keller Fossil Ridge, Keller Central, Denton Guyer, Saginaw and Justin Northwest.

The traditional rivalry between Coppell and Southlake Carroll will not occur in district play in the new alignment. However, the school is in Region I along with Coppell and they could go head-to-head in the playoffs or non-district play. Additional realigned districts and regions can be found here.

America was established by immigrants with the intent of making a better life for themselves and their families. America today is one of the most medically and technologically advanced countries in the world. Who would not want to have a chance to prosper in a country as great as ours?

However, this opportunity does not give people the right to illegally come to America just because they do not want to have to wait the appropriate amount of time, or cannot meet the qualifications to enter the country. Even in 1921 immigrants were required to provide a passport, visa, and pass a literacy test.

Even after the immigrants provided the correct information, a certain person could be refused if they had mental illnesses, or a criminal; it should not change now just because certain group of immigrants does not fulfill the requirements.

Graphic by Lauren Ussery

As a major issue, immigration is a touchy subject for some, and a fight for others. In some cases, illegal immigration has brought discrimination and racial comments from native-born citizens, and the most common targets are Mexican immigrants.

Only four percent of citizens in America are illegal including the Hispanic population; but they must suffer the consequences that come with breaking the law. Since not all the illegals can be caught, it is hard to enforce a proper trial. However, when they come to this country, they have not passed a literacy test, most likely meaning they cannot speak English; it is because of this that they get menial jobs.

More and more students in Texas are taking Spanish as their second language due to the increase in the Hispanic population in the United States. I do not believe it is correct for the people who live legally here in the United States to have to speak Spanish in order to get a job. I believe it should be the other way around. The point of the literacy test is to have new immigrants speak English so they may adjust better to American ways, also better job opportunities come to those who are fluent in English.

I believe if a person, of any culture or country, wishes to become a citizen of the United States, they must legally wait for their turn. Mandarin Chinese is the language of the business world; all businessmen that work overseas and for other countries are capable of speaking their native language as well as Mandarin including American citizens. So why do the illegal immigrants not do the same?

The Hispanic culture does not cause any harm to American culture per se; however, some of them do have difficulty adjusting and Americanizing. This is not necessarily a problem. It is the people who refuse to have their children learn English that are hurting their children’s chances of advancing in this country.

What people do not realize is the complexity of the issue of immigration. All cultures that are new to America experience discrimination.

There is no one answer to this problem. It could be lessened if people became more accepting, but I do not see that happening. Until the problem of illegal immigration is solved, there is going to be more and more hostility between heritages. I do not believe illegally immigrating is acceptable and something must be done to prevent it.

There are people in Britain, China and other countries will live in the United States for five years on a green card before they get their apply for citizenship, and when the five years is up it could take an additional six months to two years to become a legal citizen. It is not fair for those moral citizens to wait while others illegally come to America and abuse the opportunity.

Video by Davis DeLoach and Mattie Daily
KCBY-TV Sports and Broadcast Director

In another battle of Cowboys versus Indians, basketball style, the Cowboys came out with the victory at home on Tuesday night. With the win the Coppell Cowboy’s basketball team improved their overall record to 18-4 and district recored to 3-1.

From start to finish the Cowboys controlled this game. The defense was great as usual and the offense was too. This game however, even though it wasn’t close, was still fun to watch thanks to many crowd pleasing highlights. Many of these highlights were attributed to the play of senior guard Warren Oishi and senior forward Jett Raines. It seemed like every few minutes there was an exciting alley oop from Oishi to Raines.

This game just amped up the excitement level around the town as the team is having one of their best seasons ever. If you have not attended a game so far, you definitely should consider attending. Their next home game will be another district matchup, this time against Saginaw on January 17 at 7:30pm. Come loud and proud expecting to win!

To see more on Coppell Cowboy’s basketball click here.

JV and Varsity Girl Basketball players scrimmage and go over drills during a morning practice before their home game against the Denton Guyer later that night. Photo by Trevor Stiff.

By Seth Slover
Staff Writer

One of the most daunting tasks for a teams is to make up ground in order to catch up in the standings.  Currently with a record of 5-9, the Cowgirls basketball team is looking to get things going in district play.

“We played a bunch of really good teams in non-district play,” junior forward Kara Williamson said.  ”We have a losing record right now, but it’s our district record that matters.”

The goal for this Cowgirl team is to qualify for playoffs.  In coach Nicole Collins’ first season at Coppell, she hopes to build a program at CHS.  The first step toward building that program, Collins says, is making the playoffs.

“It takes time to build a good program,” Collins said.  ”But we’re really young and the majority of our team is underclassmen, so we’re definitely heading in a great direction.”

When asked the keys to the team’s continual improvement, Collins cited point guard play.

“As a former point guard myself, I know that the point guard position is extremely important to a team,” Collins said.  ”It’s like the quarterback in football, you have to have a poised player at that position.  Our point guard, Carina Zhao is only a sophomore and has been improving a whole lot.  I’m very encouraged from what I’ve seen out of the point guard position.  As far as our point guard goes, our team will go.”

Currently fifth in District 7-5A, the Cowgirls need to have one of the top four records in district play.  In order to do so, the team’s defense must remain consistent.  The offensive side of the ball is the area with the most room for improvement.

“Our defense has been pretty solid against most teams we’ve played,” Williamson said.  ”We are looking to get better offensively.  I think a big part of that will probably be cutting back on the number of turnovers we are having.”

One of the most important aspects of the game is practice.  As everyone who has found sporting success knows, practice makes perfect.

“There’s the old saying ‘you play the way you practice’; and it’s true,” Collins said.  ”We need our practices to be at game speed.  Consistency is developed in practice and consistency is crucial.”

In order to catch up to the four teams currently ahead of them in the district standings, Coppell will continue to get better.  Even during crushing losses, it is evident that this Coppell team is showing signs of being a more dangerous team.

“After watching the Saginaw game that opened district, I would say that we opened things up pretty positively,” assistant coach Cassandra Winkle said.  ”There’s good hope for continued development as the season goes on.”

Collins wholly agrees.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the direction we’re heading,” Collins said.  ”We’re pulling together as a team and starting to hold each other accountable.  We’re starting to show characteristics of a Coppell Cowgirl basketball.”

With so much young talent, so many new varsity contributors, and a motivated young coach, there is a great deal of optimism to be had both for the remainder of this season, as well as those to come.

The music comes to a stop and the students’ hearts quicken as they realize they have only a minute until class starts – now it is a race against time. As they quicken their pace through the halls, they are fast-walking to their class praying they will not be tardy.

As the classroom door comes into sight, the late bell rings throughout the halls, signaling the students’ defeat and their tardiness.

As part of a large high school, it is likely that most students will become tardy at least once in the course of their four-year stay at CHS. It is to be expected when a student has to journey from their speech class in H hall all the way to a digital graphics and animation class in D hall.

Excluding the occasional legitimate excuse, most tardies are a result of the lack of motivation for a few students. Some students are concerned with the time allotted to get to their classes. If students were allowed more time during passing periods, it would hopefully result in students getting to class on time. Unfortunately, this change is unlikely.

“[The reason why] I am tardy is because frankly the food at Coppell isn’t good and I can go to someplace else [during lunch] for cheaper,” an anonymous junior said. “That is why I am late to my class.”

The six minutes in the hall is the time for socialization between students, where students can interact and have a mental break from classes. It would be nice to have a longer time to talk with friends, but it is not possible for the administration to lengthen the time allotted for passing periods.

This is because 52 minutes is the limit amount of time required for classes, so if Coppell were to lengthen passing period it would also have to lengthen the school day.

“The point of the music in the halls is to give students a warning,” assistant principal Steve Glover said. “Those who are late are the ones that are unaware.”

Those students who are consistently late to class are not able to receive the full amount of education. When they are late, they are missing out on part of a lesson that could be vital. The reason for school is to allow students the opportunity to receive an education, and when a student misses part of a class, they are missing a bit of what is being offered.

“The students who come in late disrupt the class, and it disrupts the flow,” foundations for college math teacher Wendy Levell said.

This year, the student handbook has been updated, and the assistant principals visited every fourth period class to inform students of the new changes.

“The only change that occurred was the students’ third tardy,” Glover said. “The teacher can now give a teacher detention instead of an office detention.”

The new rule has had some effect on students but has not completely reversed the problem of tardiness. Some students are not intimidated by the teacher detentions and continue to come in late to class.

Graphic by Brian Hwu

“[My idea is] the parents have to show up for a morning detention [when the student reaches three tardies], then maybe they would make sure their kids were responsible,” Levell said. “They are still the parent of the kids and they are still in charge of making their children responsible.”

If this were to be instated, Levell thinks teachers would definitely see a change in the attendance of their students. However, it would be unlikely that the administration would allow this to pass or if the parents would even show up to their detentions in the first place.

The only way to permanently eliminate problems related to tardiness would be if students managed to arrive on time to their classes. Until this is possible tardiness will not go away. In high school there is no such thing as “fashionably late.”

Staff Writer

With the season coming to a close the playoff situation in district 7-5A is heating up, especially for the Coppell Cowboys.

Southlake Carroll is the only team to officially clinch their spot, but Denton Guyer is sure to follow suit assuming they can beat Keller Fossil Ridge Friday night.

Saginaw has already been eliminated from the playoffs and Coppell is facing elimination as well if they lose Friday night to Keller. Should Coppell win they will also need Fossil Ridge to lose once as well as win the last game of the season against a tough Keller Central team.

Fossil Ridge still has a possibility of getting in if they can win their last two games or if Coppell loses one.

Coppell’s biggest game out of the two left will be Keller Central. The Chargers have hung with both Denton Guyer and Keller Central until the last few minutes of the game.

Should Coppell advance they will likely face Allen for their first game. Allen is currently ranked second in state after leading in the polls for the majority of the season.

Prediction: Southlake Carroll, Denton Guyer, Keller Central, and Coppell

Online Copy Editor

Even for a program characterized by a legacy of success, the 2010-2011 season was a monumental one for the CHS Basketball Team. Last year, the Varsity team became 7-5A District Champions and long-time Head Coach Brad Chasteen procured his 500th career win. Meanwhile the Freshman B team quietly went an undefeated 28-0 on their way to a district title.

After such a terrific season, it will be quite a task for this year’s team to follow suit. Invaluable seniors such as Hunter Robinson and Andrew Rexroat were lost to graduation, but key players like sophomore center Simi Socks have returned.  As football season begins to come to a close in the coming weeks, Coppell’s focus will shift to the basketball team. As always, there will be high expectations for the Cowboys this season.

To get a jump start on the upcoming season and to ensure maximum preparation, the basketball team will kick into gear and begin practices on Wednesday, October 26. Varsity’s first game of the season is in three weeks, November 15, against Plano East. However, scrimmages begin a week prior to the season opener. District play begins on December 20 versus Fossil Ridge.

Though basketball season is still two weeks away, the team’s success will be a product of the work they put in starting Wednesday.

Staff Writer

After rolling through district last year, this season has obviously been a little more difficult. In addition to losing starting QB Jake Larson and changing up their offense mid-season, those teams we shutout last year are looking to fight back.

Keller Central has been the biggest out of these surprises sitting at a 6-2 record after having dismal performances in the past.

The team has used experience to their advantage and showed they can compete with the biggest challenges this district offers.

After opening in 2004 the best record the Chargers have only managed a high of a 5-5 record. This year they have steadily improved and have almost pulled upsets on the two top teams in district, Denton Guyer and Southlake Carroll.

Both losses have been due to touchdowns by the opposing teams in the last two minutes.

After last years lopsided 41-7 win, the Chargers are sure to pose a little more of a challenge for the Cowboys when the two teams meet on Nov. 4at Southlake’s stadium for the regular season finale.

Depending on how the rest of the season plays out this could be a key game for Coppell who is sitting at fourth in district. A loss then could mean that the Cowboy’s miss going to the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

AP Environmental Science (APES) classes are becoming ‘agents of change’ as they participate in the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge. The challenge is a project-based sustainability competition for high school students encouraging the creation of solutions to community environmental problems.

Teams participating in the challenge must select an environmental topic relating to energy, biodiversity, land management, water conservation and cleanup, or climate.

Seniors Parker Mason and Callie Galvin collect data for their A.P environmental science class. Photo by Rachel Bush.

Groups consist of two to four students and the challenge is open until March 15.

“We are working on getting a recycling incentive passed in the city of Coppell to address the major littering problem present in our parks,” APES senior Avery Sauders said. “We hope to be able to reduce the number of plastic bottles that are found in the creek beds of Andy Brown Park.”

The project encourages high school students to take advantage of their ability to become active agents of environmental change. High school teams nationwide are participating in the project, and the goal is to create sustainable environmental improvements to be replicated in different communities.

“Its been part of my curriculum since I started teaching environmental science,” APES teacher Holly Anderson said. “I’m passionate about service learning and so I feel like in order for students to really understand the concepts they needs to get out and do stuff and work on things that are real. Then they know that when the time comes they can really make a difference.”

Judging criteria includes identification of sustainability, plan and design, data analysis, creativity and conclusion, and replication and expansion. Prizes included scholarships up to $50,000, video cameras and other multimedia packages.

“It’s a great way to contribute to the community but we also get the chance to win a big award and get scholarships,” APES junior Vignesh Krishamoorthy said. “I like that it’s required for class because it forces me to do something that will be good for college.”

Seniors Rebecca and Ginne collect data for their project in the senior parking lot for their A.P environmental science class. Photo by Rachel Bush/

Last year’s Texas winners were from Fort Worth Polytechnic High School. The team, Hydro Poly, developed an inexpensive, portable hydroelectric power generator to help third world countries. The team also wrote and designed a professional brochure to distribute information about the generator.

“For the last few years, I’ve had projects that I think had a fair chance of winning,” Anderson said. “One of the district initiatives is to have students participate in more science fairs and science competitions, so it worked in two ways. It gave students a new way to learn and it met the district initiative.”

Staff Writer

District play kicks off friday for all teams in district 7-5A so here are the previews for the games:

Denton Guyer vs. Justin Northwest

Despite a rapidly improving team from their 0-10 season a couple years ago this should be an easy first district win for Guyer. The Wildcats already have quality wins over Garland and Mesquite Horn and lost a tough game against a highly ranked Cedar Hill team. Denton Guyers high powered offense will be too much for Northwest to handle.   Denton Guyer 48, Justin Northwest 10

Saginaw vs. Coppell

Saginaw is another team that is steadily improving after a rough first season in 5A but they still are no where close to being at the level some of the top teams in this district are. Coppell has been struggling early on defense but should roll through the Roughriders easily enough.  Coppell 45, Saginaw 7

Keller Fossil Ridge vs. Southlake Carroll

The last of the big three in the district is Southlake Carroll who should encounter no problems taking on Fossil Ridge at home friday night. Carroll is a strong team with QB Kenny Hill leading the team. This game ended 38-14 last year and will probably be about the same this year. Southlake Carroll 45, Fossil Ridge 17

Keller vs. Keller Central

This should be the most interesting game in district this week with these two rivals battling it out on friday night. Keller Central is much more experienced than they were last year so that could push the score to be more lopsided in this meeting. Central 34, Keller 10