Nine Years Strong
Due to the collaboration of coaches Chris Turner and John Gray, father of Senior Captain, Bret Gray, along with the sponsorship of Jeffery Gideon, Chief Master Sergeant for AFJROTC students, and other parents, the bowling club came about in 2011. With the club being made up of 20 students, they have accomplished more than other students may realize, and still are continuing to achieve more and more each day, proving they are more than they seem.
“The actual bowling club started back in 2011. It was not a varsity sport back then, it was more of a club sport, but we still follow UIL rules. Since then, in the nine years it's been in existence we've gone to state competition finals on one or two occasions; regionals as well. We did have the top Texas male bowler two years ago, which was Bret Gray, and we’re always just striving to be the best,” Jeffery Gideon, bowling club sponsor, says.
Practices are held Sunday’s 11 a.m.-2p.m. every week. With COVID-19, not a lot has changed for the bowling club. The only thing different for the students is the use of masks throughout all practices and tournaments, disinfecting balls periodically, and practice has been shortened to one day out of the week, instead of two days a week. Dec. 6, the boys placed second in their St. Nicks tournament and will follow into their next tournament on Jan. 2, 2021 at Astro SuperBowl.
“As far as our team, for the three years I’ve been there we have qualified for regionals every year by being top two in district, we qualified for state in 2018, and we were ranked number one in the state back in 2018. We have placed second in the biggest tournament of the year, Kat Kup, for 3 years in a row,” Noah Krupczak, senior captain, said. “For myself, I’ve won singles in district my sophomore year, [as well as] qualified for state that year. I have also made it to regionals for singles every single year.”
With clubs, it’s common to finance one's own costs with fundraising, advertising, or donations, but with the bowling club, every student is self-sustaining and pays one fee when they join. This fee includes the cost of bowling lanes, for which they use year-round, traveling to tournaments, tournaments themselves, bowling balls, and any other equipment needed. Trying out for the team costs $15, followed by a $130 fee for the lineage of the year.
“There is no fundraising in bowling. Each player has to pay a fee when they come in that includes the price of the bowling lanes that we use at practices for the whole year and a jersey if they are new to the team,” Madison Escochea (11) said. “The player has an option to get their own shoes and ball but that is out of their own pocket but essentially having a ball to yourself will most likely set you up for success and to get these balls usually people donate them or you can buy them from the pro shop.”
Kennedi Adams
Assistant Print Editor-in-Chief
“The actual bowling club started back in 2011. It was not a varsity sport back then, it was more of a club sport, but we still follow UIL rules. Since then, in the nine years it's been in existence we've gone to state competition finals on one or two occasions; regionals as well. We did have the top Texas male bowler two years ago, which was Bret Gray, and we’re always just striving to be the best,” Jeffery Gideon, bowling club sponsor, says.
Practices are held Sunday’s 11 a.m.-2p.m. every week. With COVID-19, not a lot has changed for the bowling club. The only thing different for the students is the use of masks throughout all practices and tournaments, disinfecting balls periodically, and practice has been shortened to one day out of the week, instead of two days a week. Dec. 6, the boys placed second in their St. Nicks tournament and will follow into their next tournament on Jan. 2, 2021 at Astro SuperBowl.
“As far as our team, for the three years I’ve been there we have qualified for regionals every year by being top two in district, we qualified for state in 2018, and we were ranked number one in the state back in 2018. We have placed second in the biggest tournament of the year, Kat Kup, for 3 years in a row,” Noah Krupczak, senior captain, said. “For myself, I’ve won singles in district my sophomore year, [as well as] qualified for state that year. I have also made it to regionals for singles every single year.”
With clubs, it’s common to finance one's own costs with fundraising, advertising, or donations, but with the bowling club, every student is self-sustaining and pays one fee when they join. This fee includes the cost of bowling lanes, for which they use year-round, traveling to tournaments, tournaments themselves, bowling balls, and any other equipment needed. Trying out for the team costs $15, followed by a $130 fee for the lineage of the year.
“There is no fundraising in bowling. Each player has to pay a fee when they come in that includes the price of the bowling lanes that we use at practices for the whole year and a jersey if they are new to the team,” Madison Escochea (11) said. “The player has an option to get their own shoes and ball but that is out of their own pocket but essentially having a ball to yourself will most likely set you up for success and to get these balls usually people donate them or you can buy them from the pro shop.”
Kennedi Adams
Assistant Print Editor-in-Chief
Photos by: Chris Turner
Relieving Half the Stress:
SCUC Implements Weekly Half Days
From relieving stress to giving teachers more time to do their work, half days have become a huge success across the SCUC Independent school district. On Wednesday, October 21 SCUC held a meeting to approve the half day schedule. The half days will take place every Friday from November 13 and will continue until further notice.
“The half days help reduce my stress because it gives me more time to get my work done for my classes,” Kelsey Sample (12) said.
These half days have helped students not become overwhelmed by stress as the normal days of the year do. After the students get out of school they can use their extra time to do school work, to get caught up with homework, and stay on task for the rest of the nine weeks.
“The half days give teachers more time to plan out their lesson plans which allows students to learn better when everything is planned out,” Sample said.
Not only have these half days helped students, but they have also helped teachers. Teachers have been under a great amount of stress due to the extra work that they have to do for remote and face-to-face students. They also are experiencing some confusion with the different platforms that they have to use to put out work for the remote students. For instance, teachers had to switch from using Google Classroom to Schoology in the middle of the semester. Half days are also giving teachers the ability to spend more time at home with their families.
“Half days allow me to have more time to spend with my family or friends versus working the whole day, even when I am at home,” Coach Balthun said. “I am taking full advantage of this opportunity and it has been a huge blessing.”
Due to the enormous help these half days have given to both teachers and students, they should be expected to last throughout the year and maybe many years to come.
“I honestly do think that they will last all year because it helps reduce stress from teachers and students,” Sample said.
Madyson Isenberg
Staff Writer
A Bubbly Business:
Senior Launches Soap Etsy Shop
Lye water solution, oils, and a splash of fragrance.
This may be the recipe for soap, but Katlyn Finley (12) also made this her recipe for success. Her online Etsy shop, Spontaneous Suds, has shown her what it means to run a business.
During quarantine, Finley watched a YouTuber make soap while working on homework, and decided she wanted to experiment with soapmaking herself.
“I just wanted to do it as a craft at first, and then my mom had the idea, because she’s such a business person, that maybe I should start selling these soaps,” Finley said.
Finley began working on the process of starting her Etsy business in September, and was able to begin listing and selling products by November. New products will be added each month, often fitting a holiday or seasonal theme. Updates and announcements are posted on the business’s Instagram (@spontaneoussuds).
“First you have to get the word out, and it’s been slow, but I do expect it to pick up a little for Christmas time, because I have a lot of soap that people are pretty excited about,” Finley said.
The process of filling an order begins over a month in advance to its shipment. First, Finley designs and plans the products for the upcoming monthly launch and orders the required colors and fragrances. Then, she creates the soap and allows it to cure for six weeks. Finally, she lists the soaps on her shop and packages each order in recyclable paper, distributing the products within the first week of the customer placing the order.
“For soap specifically, you definitely have to do your research, and you definitely have to learn how it all comes together. If you mix it too much, it will come out really crumbly. If you don’t mix it enough, it’ll come out with soda ash, with a white film over the soap.”
The lengthy process of creating and selling soap has taught Finley that documenting each order and purchase is essential for running a business in order to remain efficient and make a profit.
“It’s definitely a lot harder than I thought it’d be,” Finley said. “Keeping everything documented and making sure I’m not spending too much money has been kind of a challenge.”
Finley has not been alone in the process of creating and marketing her business. The logo was designed by Jakin Lewis (12), featuring multicolored bubbles and the business name in a cursive font. Jordan Rochlitz (12) suggested the name for the business, and has helped come up with new ideas for the business and assisted in the marketing department.
“I thought it would be cool to have a name with alliteration, but none of my ideas seemed to stick,” Rochlitz said. “Finally, after days of brainstorming, Spontaneous Suds became the official name of the business.”
Kate Whyte
Copy Editor
This may be the recipe for soap, but Katlyn Finley (12) also made this her recipe for success. Her online Etsy shop, Spontaneous Suds, has shown her what it means to run a business.
During quarantine, Finley watched a YouTuber make soap while working on homework, and decided she wanted to experiment with soapmaking herself.
“I just wanted to do it as a craft at first, and then my mom had the idea, because she’s such a business person, that maybe I should start selling these soaps,” Finley said.
Finley began working on the process of starting her Etsy business in September, and was able to begin listing and selling products by November. New products will be added each month, often fitting a holiday or seasonal theme. Updates and announcements are posted on the business’s Instagram (@spontaneoussuds).
“First you have to get the word out, and it’s been slow, but I do expect it to pick up a little for Christmas time, because I have a lot of soap that people are pretty excited about,” Finley said.
The process of filling an order begins over a month in advance to its shipment. First, Finley designs and plans the products for the upcoming monthly launch and orders the required colors and fragrances. Then, she creates the soap and allows it to cure for six weeks. Finally, she lists the soaps on her shop and packages each order in recyclable paper, distributing the products within the first week of the customer placing the order.
“For soap specifically, you definitely have to do your research, and you definitely have to learn how it all comes together. If you mix it too much, it will come out really crumbly. If you don’t mix it enough, it’ll come out with soda ash, with a white film over the soap.”
The lengthy process of creating and selling soap has taught Finley that documenting each order and purchase is essential for running a business in order to remain efficient and make a profit.
“It’s definitely a lot harder than I thought it’d be,” Finley said. “Keeping everything documented and making sure I’m not spending too much money has been kind of a challenge.”
Finley has not been alone in the process of creating and marketing her business. The logo was designed by Jakin Lewis (12), featuring multicolored bubbles and the business name in a cursive font. Jordan Rochlitz (12) suggested the name for the business, and has helped come up with new ideas for the business and assisted in the marketing department.
“I thought it would be cool to have a name with alliteration, but none of my ideas seemed to stick,” Rochlitz said. “Finally, after days of brainstorming, Spontaneous Suds became the official name of the business.”
Kate Whyte
Copy Editor
Clemens Athletes Advance To The All Star Game
The last second of the game finally hits and every senior gets rushed with emotion as their high school career is over. Many of the players do not have another chance to play football again, but not for Clemens quarterback Max Didomenico and wide receiver Andrew Edwards who have been selected to the 2021 San Antonio Sports All-Star Football Game at Heroes Stadium.
They both have the opportunity to play with some of the best players in Texas as well as being coached by some of the best coaches in Texas. This will be an opportunity for both of them to get their name out there and show their full potential for the coaches and scouts at the game.
“I think it’s gonna be a cool experience to get to play with my friends. Me and ‘Drew got selected and I think it’ll be cool to play one last high school game,” Didomenico said. “I think it will help lead me into college. We’re playing with high level talent, the best in San Antonio. So I think it will help me for sure.”
If they are able to both play great in this game, this will give them leverage to play football in the next level. They already have chemistry since they’ve been teammates for almost four years, now they need to play their own game and show out for the coaches, crowd, and scouts.
“It’s just an honor to be selected for the game and to be able to go out one more time to play my last high school game,” Edwards said. “This will be like the top talent in San Antonio, so I just get to compete at another high level and hopefully, there will be some colleges watching the game and paying attention to what I am capable of.”
Didomenico and Edwards are getting support from their teammates, coaches, families, and friends while they are training for this major game. The game is January 30th at Heroes Stadium, so don’t miss out.
Augie Perez
Staff Writer
They both have the opportunity to play with some of the best players in Texas as well as being coached by some of the best coaches in Texas. This will be an opportunity for both of them to get their name out there and show their full potential for the coaches and scouts at the game.
“I think it’s gonna be a cool experience to get to play with my friends. Me and ‘Drew got selected and I think it’ll be cool to play one last high school game,” Didomenico said. “I think it will help lead me into college. We’re playing with high level talent, the best in San Antonio. So I think it will help me for sure.”
If they are able to both play great in this game, this will give them leverage to play football in the next level. They already have chemistry since they’ve been teammates for almost four years, now they need to play their own game and show out for the coaches, crowd, and scouts.
“It’s just an honor to be selected for the game and to be able to go out one more time to play my last high school game,” Edwards said. “This will be like the top talent in San Antonio, so I just get to compete at another high level and hopefully, there will be some colleges watching the game and paying attention to what I am capable of.”
Didomenico and Edwards are getting support from their teammates, coaches, families, and friends while they are training for this major game. The game is January 30th at Heroes Stadium, so don’t miss out.
Augie Perez
Staff Writer