Ponder High School Roar

Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14. It is a festival of romantic love and many peo- ple give cards, letters, flowers, and presents or might arrange a romantic meal to their spouse or partner. Common symbols of Valentine’s Day are hearts, red roses or with sneaky Cupid who will shoot his arrows of love for those lonesome doves on this special day. What does Valentine’s Day mean to some of the students at PHS?

Hannah Wood: “A day where you pick the person you care about the most and prove it to them.”

Justin Stout: “ I can’t wait for the day after Valentine’s Day because all the chocolate with be 50% off and that’s my kind of positivity I need in my life.”

Carlos Sandoval: “The day you don’t have to pretend to smile.”

Alondra DeLira: “Love is that feeling that you get when you know what you want from a certain person you can see yourself with for a very long time.”

Martin Sandoval: “I think Valentine’s Day to me is a day when you should glorify how much you love your significant other.” Choir Solo and Ensemble by Alley Gordon

On January 31 at , the 2015 Choir Solo and Ensemble was a big success and went really well. Juniors Marissa Hickman and Bri Mayon and Seniors Dalton Stokes, Austin Jones, Em- ily Rybolt, and Jennifer Eppler all scored 1’s on their class one competition pieces.

“It was nerve-racking, but not at the same time, if that makes any sense. Like at first I was super nervous, but then it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, ” says Dalton Stokes, a.k.a DJ Stokes.

All these excited singers are advancing to the state level and will compete in the upcoming event. Keep singing it Choir!!!

Eric Dearmin Goes To Carnegie by Danny Rivera

On the weekend of February 21st Eric Dearman will be performing at Carnegie Hall. The Beatles, Ike and Tina Turner, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, and Miles Davis are just a handful of famous people that performed at Carnegie Hall. Se- nior Eric Dearman will be added to the list. The Big Apple isn’t even close to being ready for all the fire Eric will be playing with his magical Clarinet. Band Solo and Ensemble by Shelby Cormier

On January 31, 13 Ponder High School Band students went to compete in the UIL Solo and Ensemble com- petition at Sanger High School. The students who went were: Elizabeth Richardson, Tiffany Dearmin, Glenda Wright, Shelby Cormier, Whitney Glenn, James Timmons, Bailey Laxson, Kenneth Clevenger, Eric Dearmin, Austin Jones, Chaise Glenn, Kamryn Doolittle, and Kathryn Dankesreiter.

Of the 13 that went, 5 are going to state in May. Those students were: Whitney, James, Bailey, and Kenneth in a saxophone quartet and Chaise in a piano solo. All 13 students put numerous amounts of hours and hard work into their music. Congratulations to all of the students who went to UIL and great job to the students going to state!

Ben Den Article #176

“The cheese stands alone The cheese stands alone High-ho the merry-o the cheese stands alone”

These words haunt our mind here at the BenDen after reading the captivating story of a young boy trying to find his place. This psychological thriller by Robert Cormier keeps the reader guessing until the end. Adam, the protagonist of the story, is a teenager who goes on a quest to find his dad. The entire book builds up suspense for the end, where you learn that Adam is not who he thinks he is. This and many other books by Robert Cormier are available in the high school library. Read them at your own risk, they will blow your mind. Kara Parr by William Bennet Kara Parr, or known as KP, has been supporting Ponder all her life. She is well known as trust- worthy and loves to draw. Her favorite teachers are Mr. Lankford, Coach Espolt, Mrs. Steele, and Mrs. Hacker. Kara’s role model is her grandpa because, “My grandpa is my role model. He has always been a huge part of my life and has always encouraged me to fol- low my dreams.” During her time at PHS she did NHS for 2 years, Varsity for 3 years, and FFA for 4 years, being an officer for 3. Her plans for after graduation are to go to TWU to study Occupational Therapy.

Jennifer Eppler by Elizabeth Richardson When describing Jennifer Eppler, two words come to mind: quirky and friendly. There is hardly a person in Ponder High School that hasn’t been a lucky victim of her strange jokes or witnessed her try her hardest to cheer up a friend who is unhappy. Having attended Ponder ISD for thirteen years it is no wonder that almost everyone knows the girl with the silver streak in her hair. Though she is friendly and does not seem shy, when asked about something that no one knows about her Jennifer says that she “is anxious literally all the time, about everything” but in spite of this she has managed to make friends at PHS with students from all grades. While attending PHS Jennifer has been a member of the varsity team, sang in the choir, a member of the UIL spelling team, and created lots of fun memories with her friends. With choir Jennifer has qualified for state solo and ensemble twice with the help of her favorite teacher Mr. Carnley. Outside of school she manages to keep herself busy by hanging out with friends, volunteering at the Ponder Library, and travelling. When asked to give a quote about Jennifer, Sterling Stinson said “Jennifer is a fantastic friend who cares greatly about those around her; I will miss her terribly next year.” Being one of the top students in her grade it is no wonder that Jennifer has high hopes for her future. After high school Jennifer plans to attend either Woman’s University or Eckerd University in Florida to study psychology or nutrition. Fellow senior Allison Gordon says that “Jennifer is super sweet and smart. I won’t be surprised if she is at the top of her field ten years from now.” In ten years Jennifer sees herself owning a private practice in nutrition and psychology, doing her best to help whoever she can. Austin Jones by Shanon McGill Bold, bubbly, and bright are just a few things that come to mind when this super senior is mentioned. Austin Jones has been a long time Ponder student, and has been a member of several teams and activities during his time here. A full-fledged Ponder Band mem- ber for six years, Austin can play a total of seven differ- ent instruments and has participated in both Area and Regional band, representing our school gloriously at both competitions. Austin has also competed in Track and Field as well as Powerlifting for two years, and is a dignified member of the National Honors Society. Austin tells us that his biggest role model in life is none other than Taylor Swift, but he is also “obsessed with Macklemore”. His favorite teacher is Mr. Noland. And if given the chance to describe himself in one word, Aus- tin would say, “Lively”. As for his goals for after high school, Austin says that he hopes to be- come a nuclear engineer in the U.S. Navy.

Charlie Bruce IV by Shane Scott

Charlie has been in Ponder for seven years of his life. His favorite teacher/class is Lunch or Mr. Stover’s AG class. His friends commonly call him “Charlie”. Seems to be a fitting nickname. Charlie’s role model is Mr. Lankford.

Charlie is the fourth Charlie Shuler Bruce IN A ROW PEO- PLE!!! He describes himself as hungry. He doesn’t know what nobody knows about him? Surprising.

He plans on playing at Oklahoma Panhandle State University after he graduates. BOys Varsity By Andrew Andersson Starting off for February the boys took on the Pottsboro Cardinals with a landslide victory 71-40 Chase Harris led the team in scoring racking up a whopping 30 points. With that win, Ponder upgraded its record to 20-9 on the season. The Lions hosted Howe to play the Bulldogs in a 3A Region II District 10 bout on Friday. Coming out on top with The W, 84-60, Chase Harris again lead the team with 30 points that game and Brady Anderson close by with 24. Now with a record of 21-9 the lions took on Pilot Point Bearcats on Tuesday the 10th. Winning that game also 61-49. The boys are defi- nitely starting off the month right winning all 3 games so far and hopefully stomping out the rest of the competition as they approach the playoff season.

GT Field Trip by Kaylee Buell The Perot Art Museum in Dal- las, Texas was an exciting trip for the GT group. Starting off, they went to a presentation about physics, learn- ing about hover boards, tesla cord, and high-powered lasers. After the demonstration, the GT kids immediately climbed the musical stairs, making a harmony of sounds. While some decided to work their way up, the other half decided to take the escalator all the way to the top and work their way down. On the way up there was a breathtaking view of Dallas or a frightening view for those afraid of heights. At the top, the first attraction was the universe exhibit, showing planet orbits and star constella- tions. The exhibit was exemplary, but students were itching to see the dinosaur exhibit, so that is where they headed next. Giant dinosaurs, the length of a school classroom, were placed all around with different names and facts. Just up the stairs of the dino- saurs was the bird exhibit, where you could learn how an eagle flies, create your own bird, and see the bone structures that is key to a bird’s flight. After all the students finished looking at the fantastic birds, they moved on to the earthy exhibit, where there was an earthquake simulator and a vapor tornado. Trying to move at a good pace, they moved on to see the gems and jewels that had been brought in by the museum. In one corner of the room there was a rather bland looking rock, but by turning a wheel it opened up to see precious purple gemstones clumped together to fill in the geode. On they moved to the fracking exhibit where there was a neat simulation of what it would be like to be sent into the ground during fracking. After the simulation, they moved on to the brain exhibit, where you could trick your brain for a little fun. There were many simulations in the exhibit such as a wood portrait wall, a writing board, mini-cars, and something that showed you what it was like to fly a helicopter. Although many were still yearning to look around, most of them were too hungry to wait on everyone. Everyone eventually came down and they all went to El Fenix across the street for a yummy meal before leaving for Denton on the train.