Her middle school peers knew her as “The Vault”. We know her as Mrs. Buttram. And students with last names P- Th know her as their dedicated, caring school counselor. Jennifer Buttram, who got her unique middle school nickname because her friends knew they could confide in her with problems and secrets, is replacing Sharena Coffin after the latter returned to her previous job at Willow Wood Junior...

  FFA students participated in the annual TISD Project Show and Sale last Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with several students earning awards. The event included showcases of many different animals, along with activities such as a live auction on Saturday. Student awards included: Grand Champion Steer - Chayn Foster Grand Champion Rabbits - Grace Williams Champion Showman...

With thousands behind them, they jump and then bump - senior defensive back Anthony Jones and junior cornerback Treton Jordan celebrate a Wildcat interception. To hype each other up on the field, the two boys often do their classic chest bump after a good play. To them, it’s like a high five but only with your chest, and has a better meaning to it. “The meaning of a chest bump is when something...

Read more "Behind the Scenes of Band" stories here. A special team of six students - the band uniform officers - worked tirelessly inside the uniform room before football games, searching for the right hangers and sharing a laugh or two, all to ensure hundreds of band students received each piece of their uniform on time.                  

Read more "Behind the Scenes of Band" stories here. While all the other band members are in the air conditioning, these members are out lifting and loading in the Texas heat, making sure the band has everything to be successful for game day and contest day. “We work really well together,” loading crew captain Ian Brown said. “We have great communication which is key.” The...

Forming a forever friendship does not happen everyday. Building special connections takes time and patience, but over the course of the past year, senior Courtney Smith and junior Justice Davis have established a once-in-a-lifetime bond. Smith and Davis met through the Best Buddies program, which connects students in the PALS (Practical Application of Life Skills) program to general education students,...

Looking up at the drum major, senior co-section leader Abby Cascarelli took in a deep breath. This would be her last time performing the marching band’s contest show, “The Day the Music Died.” She exhaled and played her first note. This performance would be the best one yet. This past November, Cascarelli finished her last season as the front ensemble section leader, serving as one of the...

When most students signed up for clubs as wide-eyed freshmen, ready to take on the whirlwind of high school, they knew it would take commitment - the long hours in the dance room, the sweat after a grueling band practice, the tense moments perfecting a cheer routine. Luckily for these students, these hard hours of commitment paid off one bright and early morning when these long commitments earned...

Shivering in the cold, senior Courtney Smith goes from guest to guest with a smile across her face despite the large grey sky and the looming dangers of Type-1 Diabetes, present in her life since childhood. October 26 marked the last Cure for Courtney walk, a diabetes awareness and fundraising event that has been a large part of student lives for the past nine years. “It’s really all about...

With 11 minutes left in the second quarter, the perfectly synchronized Silver Stars follow their leader down the stands to perform in their halftime performance, a two-minute show built from weeks of practice. Though most stadium fans only see the finished product, the Silver Stars endure hours of weekly practice, beginning in summer, to learn five routines performed during football season. “We...

Five years of hard work and growth, all leading up to a national honor designated for the most talented student musicians in the country. After performing at various venues together since eighth grade, senior saxophonists Blaise Alfredson, Ben Bourg, Max Gray and Amber Wigle will perform as a quartet at the Music For All National Festival in Indianapolis this March. “We have worked so ridiculously...

I've seen over one thousand movies in my life, and in today's era of endless blockbusters, true artistic gems are hard to come by. Once in a while, however, a movie comes along that changes my perception of film - right now, The Lighthouse is that movie. Robert Eggers’ black and white epic The Lighthouse is a perfect film by all accounts. The harsh tone on it surface is only the tip of the iceberg;...

Starting this school year, school officials will administer an optional state-funded SAT for free on March 4 to all juniors during the regular school day, much like how the PSAT is administered. Student reaction has been positive and the expected number of test takers in the junior class is in the majority. “If the test is free, I think more students will want to take it,” junior Kylie Mustachia...

A few days into the school year, French students walked into the classroom expecting a normal day. The same colorful grammar posters hung on the walls, the same wooden desks filled the room in neat rows, but something critical was different - an unfamiliar substitute stood in the place of French teacher Rajini Christadoss, and after several days of absence, it became clear she would not return. “Mrs....

In the dark and cold streets of a small Illinois town on Halloween night, there's a killer on the loose. His name is Michael Myers and vengeance is his middle name. That sounds like an engaging and thought provoking piece of art doesn’t it? Well, it isn’t. John Carpenter’s 1978 “classic” Halloween tells the famous story of Myers crusading through his home town after escaping from a...

The varsity tennis team is moving into off-season after falling short at bi-districts against Westwood High School on October 14. Though the players entered fall quarter with a new host of challenges, the boys and girls of tennis emerged with the same drive, effort, and communal spirit of previous seasons. “I’m very proud because they went in with all they had,” varsity and JV tennis coach...

Wednesday morning, members of Cats for Christ met by the flagpole to participate in "See You at the Pole", a national event for students to gather in fellowship. "People around the nation come together around the pole," junior Hunter Jacks said. During the meeting, members sang and read verses, forming a circle. "It gives a brighter light toward your day," Jacks said.