The Paw Print

Twirling is the name of the game

Twirler Emily K. is graduating and will enter high school next fall. She’s a motivated adolescent who is able to manage her time between friends, academics and a talent that has taken her across the US and abroad. She is a twirler and has been since the age of two.

“I saw a group of twirlers performing at a high school football game, and I knew that twirling was meant for me,” Emily said. “I loved the sparkly costumes and the unique baton tricks!”

Twirling in Texas is slightly different than in other parts of the country—athletes can practice with their batons outside of a gymnasium because here we have mild seasons—if we have seasons at all.

“I think that practicing outside for 13 years gives me the advantage of being able to handle the heat, sun, rain and wind when I am competing at major events!” Emily said.

She practices at least two hours a day six days a week. During the summer and holiday breaks, Emily practices three times a day every day for a total of six hours. Her baton coaches are world renowned Ava Lyn Dell and Amy Gandy.

“I would not be where I am today without their constant support and guidance.”

Emily's life is all about the sport of baton twirling. She performs across the US and in other countries. Over 120 trophies are displayed some of which include the National Baton Twirling Association (N.B.T.A.) at the state, regional and national levels. Other accomplishments include being a three time champion in the California State Twirl Competition, a two time winner at the California State Strut Competition, a Five-State Twirl Champion Trophy Winner and placing in the "Top Six" nationally for two years. In 1998 Emily traveled to Amsterdam where she earned seven 1st place medals as best soloist at the International Twirling Competition.

“My hope is to live out my dream as a Mc Neil twirler!” Emily said.

The eighth graders and many of their teachers danced the night away Saturday, May 22.

And so was the night,
We have far to go
We reached the end of our middle school road.
Rachel C.

Ms. Lyons wins TOTY
by Kaitlin W.

Ms. Lyons, a science teacher for the past five years at our school, was selected as teacher of the year.
Q. Why do you think you won teacher of the year?

A. I really like what I do and I enjoy working with kids. I have a lot of fun teaching the kids about science. Also, all of the other teachers were really nice in what they said about me.

Q. How long have you been a teacher?

A. I have been a teacher for five years, and all of those years were at Cedar Valley teaching 7th grade science…Go Jags!

Q. What did you do before you became a teacher?

A. I worked in the engineering field. I worked with computers and computer sciences.

Q. What made you decide to change from working with computers to becoming a teacher?

Q. What made you decide to teach science?

A. I have always loved science. I grew up in Florida, and we would go hiking in the Everglades. Ever since then I have loved science.

Q. Who or what inspired you to become a teacher?

A. I grew up in South Florida. The schools that I went to there weren’t very good. The teachers didn’t really care about the kids or what they were learning. Math and science were confusing to a lot of the kids and I always thought I could help make people understand the concepts better. That’s what inspired me to become a science teacher.

from the Lyons' Mouth
by Kaitlin W.

1. I have five pets...two cats, one dog, one rabbit, and one chinchilla.

2. I am teaching my cats how to use the toilet.

3. I am from Florida, and I went to the University of Florida.

4. I have never broken any bones.

5. The best concert I ever went to was Neil Diamond.

6. I am part of a rowing team.

7. I am allergic to pineapples. When I eat them, my whole mouth goes numb.

8. I get sick on roller coasters.

9. I had a really bad perm in middle school. It was a horrible poodle look.

10. I used to work for the software industry.

The sunny, warm day made for perfect conditions for the annual RRISD kickball competitions. Cedar Valley’s Team Rigor took second place.
 
















FUN Division

• Consolation Forest North
• 3rd place Walsh
• 2nd place Union Hill
• 1st place Robertson

TROPHY Division

• Consolation Sommer
• 3rd place McNeil
• 2nd place Cedar Valley
• 1st place Laurel Mountain

The tournament could not have worked as smoothly as it did without the help from the following volunteers:

Sandy, Dottie, Pam, Randy, Melissa, Nadia, Ola,Kelsi, Bri, Zuri and Erika.

by Aida

Do you like math and science? Then you might be interested in TAME, or the Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering. Their math and science competitions were held on April 10 at the University of Houston, and several students from our school did well. There were over 400 kids who competed, and the competition is tense. But most students said it was fun, too.

“It was fun because you get to test your intellect and get to meet new people,” said Avilash (7).

Many of the students were more interested in the perks than the competition, though. The prizes included a massive trophy and scholarships. The kids also got to drive to Houston in a charter bus.

“You get to stay in a hotel and eat good food!” said Jenny (6).

Among other things, they enjoyed making new friends, going to The Main Event and got a charge out of the blue toilet water at the hotel.

“It’s a really fun competition. And everything is free!” said Nicholas (7).

All of the students agreed about one thing—it’s fun and more people should have joined them at U of H. There were representatives from the engineering schools of major universities looking out for people, too. TAME could be your ticket to college.

“It’s fun and everyone should do it!” said Kiera (6).

by Kathy P.

Between complicated projects, long study sessions, and texting nonstop, being a teen is demanding. But that does not mean you should loose sleep over the pressures. Studies show that you should get at least 9.5 hours of sleep every night; but the average teen only gets about 7.4 hours a night. While two or so hours of sleep may not seem like much, a lack of sleep or too much can affect you.

Heeyoung Sim (8) said, “It’s harder to think, and I just feel drained. I don’t have enough energy to do anything.”

Lack of sleep can affect your weight, skin, growth, ability to focus and your moods. Sleep deprivation can be the cause behind extreme moodiness, poor performance in school and even depression. Without the minimum amount of sleep, it’s impossible to focus to the best of your ability.

Emily Jahadi (8) said, “After working late to finish a project, I feel so tired that I don’t want to listen to the teacher’s lecture.”

If you don’t get enough sleep you can develop high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. Getting the right amount of sleep helps ensure that you are alert and focused and that your body and skin has time to repair itself.

Beauty sleep is more than just a saying. When you're sleep-deprived, you develop puffy eyes and dark circles, and you may have poor blood circulation, which means you won't have a healthy-looking complexion.

But teens aren't all to blame for feeling worn out. Most teens experience a biological phenomenon that makes it harder to fall asleep early. The medical condition of not being able to fall asleep right away at night and then having difficulty waking up early the next morning is known as delayed sleep-phase syndrome.

But, think twice before you gulp down a Monster or Venom. A rising trend at our school is to stay up late, and then drink a can of Red Bull, Monster or Venom. While these energy drinks may wake you up and give you a short burst of energy; the crash can be worse. These energy drinks may cause seizures due to the "crash" following the energy high that occurs after consumption.

The effects of these energy drinks can also be deadly. In 2004, the popular energy drink Red Bull was banned in France after the death of eighteen-year-old athlete, Ross Cooney. Energy drinks have been linked with reports of nausea, abnormal heart beats and trips to the emergency room for heart palpitations or other related symptoms associated with high energy beverages.

So, don’t try to cram a project into one night—work on it throughout the week and juggle your schedule. Your body knows when you don’t get enough sleep. To be able to work to the best of your ability, you need the required amount of sleep. It’s okay to work hard, but you need rest to fulfill those dreams, finish your homework and of course text your friends.

by Michelle S.

The dating world of young teens has changed drastically from its old morals. “Going out” isn’t going out, it is being someone’s boyfriend or girlfriend, but these are just titles. Now a day it’s rare to find students who actually follow the rules of “dating.” Couples don’t go on actual dates; and when they do, the boys don’t pay. You can find that some couples don’t even hug or say more than two words to each other while going out. Yet, other students may move way too fast, and become more involved than they are ready to handle emotionally.

Being someone’s boyfriend or girlfriend involves not only you and the other person, but many others. Friends have a major impact on whom a person is coupled with; some kids are peer pressured into going out with someone. Middle school students are going out with people for many reasons. It’s not for romance anymore, but to gain a reputation. Someone’s social status can climb or fall from their romantic partner. Middle school relationships range from a couple days to a few months. It seems to be a game of chess; climbing to the top to be the queen of the court, or campus.

Parents also play a big role in relationships; they only want the best for their children. When your parents urge you not to rush into relationships, they have a reason. Most parents just want you to stay on track and not lose focus on the important things. Parents realize how distracting a special boy or girl is to every aspect of our lives—they have firsthand experience in the dating world, and parents want to protect kids from making stupid mistakes.

The idea of middle school students “going out” varies from teacher to teacher. Some teachers believe that it is important to the social development of a child; it is preparation for future relationships. On the other hand, some think it’s a distraction to the learning environment. Rather than working on assignments, students will often gossip about their relationships with their peers.

Ms. Johnson (6) says, “I think that kids in middle school are too young to be in relationships. They have plenty of time for that later in life.”

Mr. Esquivel (7) says, “I don’t pay attention to it; I prefer not to get involved.”

Mr. Lankford (8) says, “It’s both good and bad; bad because it’s stupid and pointless—kids won’t be together in five years anyway. “

Students should pay more attention to their studies, instead of their crush; but with all the raging emotions and hormones it seems impossible. Hitting puberty makes everything confusing and emotions play into everything. Trying to find their own identities is one of the most difficult challenges that we go through. Entering the “dating” scene in middle school adds to the confusion. Sensitive students may find comfort in having people like them around. And some students believe having a boy/girlfriend is the answer to feeling secure or gaining acceptance. Too often, couples who are together don’t even like each other. Having someone like you is flattering, but many abuse this wonderful thing we call crushes by going out with everyone and not appreciating their boy/girlfriend as they should.

Movie Review
by Kayla Duff

Not many people know the true meaning of a few common, but important things – they don’t truly understand what life is about, and too few people (kids and teens especially) never really know what love is. Only those who do know about love have ever had their heart truly broken. I’m not talking about just being sad, or hurt or angry at someone. A real broken heart is when you are so hollow and sad that you cannot find meaning in life. For Veronica Miller, all these things become real in the new love story, The Last Song.

WARNING - THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS!

The Last Song is based on the book by Nicholas Sparks and is the heart of all modern love stories. Veronica (Ronnie) Miller has her life shattered when her parents divorce and her father decides to move from New York City to Tybee Island, Georgia. She hates him with all her heart for “abandoning” her mother, her brother and herself.

She is shipped out to Georgia for the summer after three years of not having any contact with her father since he left. She doesn’t pay any attention to her father and hangs out by herself, not listening to his concerns for her and her brother.

Then she meets Will, the ultimate guy of her dreams, when he spills a milkshake all over her. It isn’t exactly love at first sight – but she grows to love him.

During her stay, she rescues a batch of Sea Turtle eggs, falls in love and learns about a horrible accident with the church that everybody blames on her father. She begins hearing them say that he set the church on fire. He himself thinks he did it, and she can’t convince him otherwise.

She soon forgets about it and goes on with her newly found life. But soon disaster strikes. Ronnie finds her life crumbling to ruins when the first girlfriend she made on Tybee begins to hate her. Her father collapses outside his house and she learns that he has been living with cancer. He is going to die and there is nothing she can do about it.

Ronnie hears Will telling her father that his friend was the one who set the church on fire, and she breaks up with him. Her life is completely falling apart and there is nothing she can do.

The Last Song is a very deep, touching story and I recommend you go see it. Be ready to cry!

PAW celebrated in February


by Rachel C.

Prejudice Awareness Week (PAW) was celebrated the first week of February. The leadership classes taught by Mrs. Maxwell joined in a pact to fight prejudice and make students aware of the history in the 19th and 20th century that stirred so much of the prejudice in America.

The Civil Rights movement in the 1960s led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., helped bring equality to all regardless of race, religion or color. Yes, things have improved since the Civil Rights movement. But prejudice is not gone—it still exists. Some turn the other cheek and others don’t realize that it exists. People of all races are still discriminated against whether we want to believe it or not.

America is a melting pot because we are a free nation and people want to live and work here. They want to raise their families in a place where jobs are plentiful and education can become a reality. We have come a long way since the 1960s Civil Rights movement, but you still hear racial slurs. Sometimes middle school students intend for racial comments to be funny, but they are sarcastic, rude and cause harm.

Classes discussed prejudice during advisory periods and listened to the song, One Tribe, by the Black Eyed Peas. Moe Evans (8) wrote a chant that was played on the school news during the PAW campaign along with commercials that were written and performed by 8th and 9th period leadership classes.

We're one boy
We're one girl
We're one race
One World
We're Cedar Valley
We're Jaguars
When we walk through the doors
we're all stars.
-Moe Evans (8)

"I think this song is so awesome—it is saying we are all one tribe and our different races don't separate us," Rebecca Stewart-Kennedy (8) said. Outcasting someone because of race or religion is never acceptable in any part of our world.

Timourian takes to the court in select team

Marcus Timourian, a former student at Cedar Valley, is a junior at McNeil, He started playing with the ICE after his sophomore basketball season at McNeil. The team is one of the most competitive select teams in Texas.

“I came to that conclusion after the tryout, which lasted three hours. Our coach, Johnny Moore, used to play in the NBA with the Spurs, and he loves to run us,” Timourian said.

Practices routinely last around four hours, but usually fly by because of the high level of intensity maintained on the court. Playing for the ICE takes a lot of dedication, but the success in tournament wins is the reward.

Press Release
The journalism department is advised by Mrs. Dowd. Each year the staff enters yearbook and newspaper writing and photography samples at the University of Texas Interscholastic League Press Conference (ILPC). This year we had a number of winners who worked on the 2008-2009 yearbook staff.
Congratulations to these students!

Theme Development
2nd Place - Amanda W, Galen R.

General Interest Spread
HM - Sarah W.

Student Life Spread
3rd Place - Nicole B.

Sports Spread
HM - Lindsey L., Lawren M.,  Sierra M.

Academic Spread
HM - Laura F.

Class Section Spread
1st Place - Laura D.

Club/Org Spread
2nd Place - Sarah R.

Index Spread
1st Place - Katelyn P. and Ariana C.

Student Life Photo
1st Place - Katrina A.

Club/Org Photo
HM - Amanda W.
HM - Katrina A.

Press Release


Children at Risk researched public school data for the greater Austin area, including schools in Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties, and ranked middle schools based on 10 criteria designed to ensure student success post graduation. Middle schools were ranked on the following criteria: commended performance rates for TAKS Reading, Mathematics, Writing, Science, Social Studies, and all tests taken; attendance rate; and retention rates. Cedar Valley Middle School was ranked #3 in the Austin area!

Principal Jane Miller said, “I am so proud of our students and faculty for all of their hard work and your support of our school. I know that it takes all of us working together to achieve this kind of success.” The full list of school data can be found at
http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/education/children-at-risk-ranks-area-schools
http://www.childrenatrisk.org/childrenatrisk.cfm?a=cms,c,928