Community gears up to Make a Child Smile

By Julianne Cauley News Editor The Make a Child Smile Organization fights to bring joy, and smiles, to children battling chronic illnesses. MACS utilizes the community as people write letters and donate gifts to these children. Coppell sponsors this annual program by providing holiday gifts benefiting children for those families who need a extra help. In order to participate, visit the City Manager’s Office to select a paper ornament. These may be picked up starting Tuesday Nov. 1 until Friday Dec. 9. Shoppers may pick up an ornament on the second floor of Town Center on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Once you have seleted a family, MACS asks that people purchase a gift…

Benefits of space exploration worth the cost, Hair says

By Thomas Hair Staff Writer School is back in session, and as usual, the first day included much discussion of everybody’s summer vacation adventures. All students know the drill. The teacher awkwardly introduces themself to the new class and asks each student to talk about what they did over the break. This year, you probably listened with fading interest as classmates mentioned their stay at a tropical island, or a month long Science Camp. But in the not-so-distant future, students might just come to class on the first day of school bragging about their trip to the Moon or even to Mars. While the notion of space tourism may seem light years away, its roots…

IB program creates concerns over junior class ranks

Rebecca Neumann Staff Writer Though many may not know it, a struggle over GPA and ranking is underway within the junior class. On one side, there are the IB students, who some believe have benefited from a rise in GPA because all of their classes are worth 6.0 credit. On the other, AP students are distraught with their slipping ranks and a situation that they believe gave unfair advantages to the IB students. This problem is not just confined to parent e-mails and counselor conferences. The hallways are filled with estranged friends, not speaking due to arguments caused by the fairness of the updated ranks. Principal Brad Hunt realizes the conflict and reminds juniors the…

Make a Child Smile deadline fast approaching

by Ashley Attanucci Staff Writer The City of Coppell is again hosting the Make a Child Smile program that offers some extra help to Coppell families during the holidays. For its twentieth year, Make a Child Smile allows members of the community to help their neighbors by donating gifts for Coppell children. Participants choose an ornament from the tree at Town Hall which will name a few gifts of the child’s wish list. Those interested in participating should visit the City Secretary’s Department, at Town Center 225 Parkway Blvd., and pick a paper ornament off the holiday tree. Participants who have previously picked up an ornament should return their wrapped gift of clothing and/or a toy…

Rachel’s Challenge inspires students to start a reaction

By Divya Kumar News Editor On Oct. 1, a program called Rachel’s Challenge was presented to the students of Coppell High School in the large gym.  What seemingly began as just an average assembly for the school developed into a inspirational experience for the student body, followed by a standing ovation from juniors and seniors. “Honestly, I was just planning on doing my homework the entire time,” junior student Sarah Rousey said. “Needless to say, it wasn’t like any of the normal inspirational speeches we used to get in teen leadership—it was a real life story with real life effects that really caused me to think about the way I lead life.” The program began…