P ONDER H IG H R OAR Volume 11, Issue 6 March 2014 The Sound of Success By Alex Fedele hen I think of Eric Dearmin, two things instantly come to mind – his love for his friends and his pas- Wsion for music.” Junior Justin Rippentrop couldn’t be more right. Eric seems like your average high school stu- dent; he hangs out with his friends, has a part-time job, and still manages to get excellent grades. His musical career, however, is his biggest success yet, as he’s made it all the way to the state competition. The TMEA/ATSSB state competition begins with a regional audition. You play musical scales and two pieces of music, one for technique and the other for musicality. From there, you can advance to the Area band where you can audition to be placed in the state band. From those at the Area level, five clarinet players are chosen for their placement in the state band.When describing the experience Eric had this to say, “At each level of the competition, I set my standards low, and every time, I continued to impress myself until I made Second Chair in the All-State Concert Band.” All of his teachers are impressed with his dedication and follow-through. “[Eric] has a big heart. By that, I mean he’s totally committed to pursuing and achieving his goals. I’ve seen it in athletics, I see it in the classroom, and it’s obviously demonstrated by his achievements in music,” Coach Pitman said. “Eric is a fine young gentleman that I look forward to work- ing with. I am so proud of him,” assistant band director Mr. Carnley said. continued on pg. 2 Thailand foreign exchange student explores new culture in Texas By Teryana Sledge f you have paid attention, you may have noticed with her friends, and cleaning up the condo. an interesting new face walking through the halls Even though she has big responsibilities, Pre- Iof Ponder High School. This bright, unfamiliar face echaya makes time for her closest friends. Her belongs to Preechaya Kaewkhum, friends, Pint, Kate, Me-Mee, and Pure also live in her an exchange student from the building so sometimes they have sleepovers. They beautiful country of Thailand. all eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner together every However, everyone here knows day. It’s obviously safe to say that they spend almost her by her nickname, Jan. 24 hours of the day together. In her spare time, she Preechaya was born in the enjoys playing sports like swimming and badminton, town of Phatthalung, located in although she isn’t on any school teams. She also southern Thailand. It is the capital loves to go back home and eat authentic Thai food of the Phatthalung province. The made by her mother, who she claims is the best town is situated in large fertile cook on earth. Her school classes also differ a lot plains that are planted mostly in from American school classes. Instead of switch- rice and coconuts. The town holds a population of ing from class to class each day, her teachers do. over 38,000. Students at her school only switch classes for Art, When Preechaya was in 6th grade she wanted Physical Education, and Science. to study other languages, but the area where she In Preechaya’s school there were many pro- lived didn’t have a school that had those studies, grams for students who wanted to go study abroad. so when she finished that year of school she took a She thought long and hard about it and decided to test so that she could study multiple languages and take the test required for students to go. After she passed. After that she moved to Hatyaiwittayalai passed the test, she had to be interviewed before School, where she could study other languages. To acceptance. She passed the interview and then had attend her new school, she had to move into student to spend 4 days with other students who also were dorms because it was far from her home, but the accepted. Before she knew it, she was on her way to costs of staying in the dorm was very expensive so America. her parents proceeded to buy her a condominium Back home, she has 2 younger siblings, a sister when she was in the 9th grade. Her new school and a brother. Her sister, Sireewasu, is 15 years old which held over 4,000 students also held a numer- and her brother, Thawara, is 8 years old. She is pa- ous amount of opportunities for her. The condomini- tiently waiting to return home on June 28th because um building where Preechaya lives has 21 floors and she says she misses Thai food more than anything. on the top floor is a public park for people who live in Nevertheless, Preechaya will be surely missed by the building. Her condo is medium sized and holds all of her new friends at Ponder when she returns to one bedroom, one bathroom, a dining room, and Thailand. a small kitchen. Since she lives alone in Thailand, household chores are a must and usually include do- ing her own laundry, cooking for herself or eating out “Dearmin”, continued from page 1 Eric’s musical ability is spoken highly of among his peers. “If the goddess Aphrodite played the clarinet, that would be Eric,” fellow band member Wesley Vick said. Junior Austin Jones added, “Eric is one of the most talented young musicians I know.” “When Eric performs it’s like the angels in heaven are serenading the world!” junior Alissa Gerik said. Eric’s friends are always around to support him, so it’s no surprise that they went all the way to San Antonio for his State concert. “Having my friends come to support me was incredible,” Eric said. When his closest friends were asked to describe Eric, they had only positive things to say. “Eric is like a box of chocolates; sometimes you hate him, and sometimes you love him. Anytime I need something, he’s always reliable. Eric’s only flaw is that he’s too nice. He’s my favorite junior in the world over my brother.” said Jona- than Aguilar. Alex Aguilar added, “Eric is like the big brother I never had. He is sincere, nice, and funny. He makes up the funniest analogies. Don’t try to argue with him because he will always win. He is my best friend 5ever.” As his junior year comes to an end, Eric’s affinity for music continues to grow and his focus on his goals is becoming stronger. He hopes to major in Music Education at the University of North Texas, and his latest achievements have brought him that much closer to achieving those dreams. We know that Eric will continue Ponder High Roar - page 2 Ponder to strive to be the best, and we have no doubt that he will be prosperous in his every endeavor. Congratula- tions on all of your success, Eric. You continue to impress those around you every day, and we all can’t wait to see the great things you are sure to do in the future! The Man Under the Hat By Katie Dickens at in the Hat. The Lorax. Horton Hears A Who. eryone knows and loves. When All of these beloved children’s books were writ- he attended Lincoln College, ten by the same iconic man: Dr. Seuss. His books he met a woman named Helen Chave been loved by children and parents for decades, and Palmer, who he married some will continue to be celebrated for decades to come. But time after school. After a few Dr. Seuss had much more to him than what was on the years of marriage, Helen came colorful, rhyming pages of his books. down with a serious case of Contrary to popular belief, Dr. Seuss’ last name wasn’t brain cancer. Months of suffering ended abruptly when “Seuss,” nor was he a doctor. His real name was The- Geisel cheated on her with Audrey Dimond. Upon find- odor Geisel. He started using the name “Seuss,” which ing out, Palmer committed suicide. Four short months was his mother’s maiden name, when he got kicked off later, Geisel and Dimond were married in Reno. Audrey, his college newspaper for drinking gin in his dorm. He who was also married in the time of the affair, stated that didn’t want to stop writing for the paper, which was titled they had been good friends for a while and one day they “The Jack-O-Lantern,” so he started to submit his work looked at each other and “the awareness was mutual.” anonymously under Seuss. He had a variety of other pen Still, though, it is hard to deny the fact that Seuss was names, including Theo LeSeig and Rosetta Stone. a visionary. He wrote books that children adore to this Geisel was born on March second in Springfield, day. He, however, did not always adore what he wrote. Massachusetts to Theodor and Henrietta Geisel. His first He wrote a number of Beginner Books, which are books book, And To Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street!, was that are for children learning how to read, and he hated based on a street not far from his childhood home. He at- writing them. It would take him months at a time to tended Springfield Central High School, and then went write books that had only a few pages and a few words on on to attend Dartmouth.